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Sparkyman

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Sep 15, 2019
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67
Hi I’m kinda new to drone flying but I was wondering winter is coming up and probably won’t hardly fly my spark for like 4 months ..my question is should I keep my batteries at between 30 and 50% and try to keep them there or let them auto discharge into hibernation then wake them up when it’s time to fly again..Like to hear from what you guys do when storing batteries for a long time...thanks
 
my question is should I keep my batteries at between 30 and 50% and try to keep them there

Yes. 30-50 is a good range. #2-#3 LED.


Screenshot_20191007-102806.png



You can check the batteries once a month ( set an alarm in your calendar) and check the status.

Don't give up on the winter flights just yet.

If it's not too cold and the batteries are nice and warm, winter can be a beautiful photo opportunity.
 
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How you do the programmed discharging by usind the go4 app???


You don't.

They will self discharge in10 days of non use, it's up to you to monitor the status.
 
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Yes.
 
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All good information above,however, why can’t you fly in cold weather. I have had friends fly from inside their cars ( I don’t subscribe to that but) as a general rule the effects of cold are on the batteries time. If you are careful because of gusty or excessive winds, I think snow pictures are terrific. I don’t mean when the snow is flying but after it has snowed. DONT GIVE UP ON THE DRONE
 
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All good information above,however, why can’t you fly in cold weather. I have had friends fly from inside their cars ( I don’t subscribe to that but) as a general rule the effects of cold are on the batteries time. If you are careful because of gusty or excessive winds, I think snow pictures are terrific. I don’t mean when the snow is flying but after it has snowed. DONT GIVE UP ON THE DRONE
Your words give me hope! :) Manual says 0° but what's the lowest temp you'd recommend flying the Spark at? I've never had a problem flying lipos down to -20c/-4f last year but I've never had the Spark in subzero and every drone has its quirks. I'm guessing below -10c the gimbal will be getting pretty sticky.
 
I can’t say that I have flown in temperatures below 0° However, the Spark being what it is, you certainly can just take it up <10 ft and test fly it. I do love flying in winter snow scenes but away from known water eg lakes,ponds or streams just in case a retrieval is necessary. The camera of course takes good lighting pictures.
 
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The most important thing is to keep the batteries warm before and after a flight.

DO NOT leave them in a car overnight and let them freeze.

I carry a small flannel bag that holds 3 and I wear the bag inside my coat, sometimes the sweatshirt too in order to keep them warm.

Doubling up a pair of wool socks work too.

If the batteries are too cold, the Spark will let you know.


20190114_153502.png

I also have a thin pair of touch sensitive gloves to keep the hands warm and work the screen when flying.

The gimbal may stick a little the colder it gets.
 
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Your words give me hope! :) Manual says 0° but what's the lowest temp you'd recommend flying the Spark at? I've never had a problem flying lipos down to -20c/-4f last year but I've never had the Spark in subzero and every drone has its quirks. I'm guessing below -10c the gimbal will be getting pretty sticky.
I’ve flown both my Spark and P3S at temps below -20C and fly just as much in the winter as I do in the other seasons. In cold temps as others have mentioned you can keep the battery warm in pockets close to your body or use a battery warmer. I use a Turnigy battery warmer as well as my pockets when I am out Nordic skiing or snowmobiling. As far as battery flight time in cold, I have not seen much difference.

I do find the Spark gimbal much more sensitive to cold weather than my larger drone. As the temp approaches 0C the gimbal becomes sticky - it doesn’t pitch down the full range or it gets stuck for a moment. Sometimes I will hover and do a few pitches up and down to free it up. The automated pano functions usually do not work in cold wearther. Surprisingly, I have not had a problem with roll and everything else works fine.

The biggest problem you will have is keeping warm, especially your fingers. Also it’s worth it to note that the touch screen on your flying device may become less sensitive or not work well and just like your flight batteries you will need to keep it warm, but unlike the drone batteries that warm up during flight, your devices battery will not. I have had my iphone go dead on me but everything else works. Another reason why VLOS is so important especially in winter.

Hope this helps.

Chris
 
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I’ve flown both my Spark and P3S at temps below -20C and fly just as much in the winter as I do in the other seasons. In cold temps as others have mentioned you can keep the battery warm in pockets close to your body or use a battery warmer. I use a Turnigy battery warmer as well as my pockets when I am out Nordic skiing or snowmobiling. As far as battery flight time in cold, I have not seen much difference.

I do find the Spark gimbal much more sensitive to cold weather than my larger drone. As the temp approaches 0C the gimbal becomes sticky - it doesn’t pitch down the full range or it gets stuck for a moment. Sometimes I will hover and do a few pitches up and down to free it up. The automated pano functions usually do not work in cold wearther. Surprisingly, I have not had a problem with roll and everything else works fine.

The biggest problem you will have is keeping warm, especially your fingers. Also it’s worth it to note that the touch screen on your flying device may become less sensitive or not work well and just like your flight batteries you will need to keep it warm, but unlike the drone batteries that warm up during flight, your devices battery will not. I have had my iphone go dead on me but everything else works. Another reason why VLOS is so important especially in winter.

Hope this helps.

Chris
Thanks very much Chris, exactly what I wanted to hear! :)
 
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