DJI Phantom 3 Batteries – Chargers – Car Chargers & Multi Chargers
Drones are great but how can you keep them in the air?
Drones with cameras that take either video or stills are becoming the latest in the photographic endeavors of many a pro or newbie alike. The Phantom DJI 3 is one of the most popular as it is a stable platform and you can get some good pictures off one like the Phantom 3 for professional or amateur use. The only problem is keeping the bird in the sky long enough to get the photos you desire.
Today, we are going to show you solve this problem using a combination of using a better battery as well as extra batteries along with various charging methods that will keep your Phantom 3 in the air for the maximum amount of time.
You’ll get valuable info about the batteries needed and the charging methods that get them ready for your next photo shoot. The secret is to have multiple batteries of up to 3 or 4 in number as well as the ability to recharge them as quickly as possible. So while you are using one battery in your Phantom 3, you have others charging and others already charged to let you rotate batteries and have fresh ones getting ready.
If done in a sequence you can keep your Phantom 3 flying for the time needed to get the photos you want if you are a pro doing a wedding or for whatever use you need your drone for.
First, we need a little refresher on the DJI itself.
DJI Phantom P3-STANDARD Quadcopter Drone
At around $500 you can take 2.7K HD streaming video With Phantom 3 Standard from a half mile away it has a 12-megapixel photo camera and it comes with a battery and charger as well. It also has an 8 GB SD Card and a built-in GPS that can return the Quadcopter back to your location if you lose communication with it. It has revolutionized photography and opened up entire new venues of uses for drones commercially and for hobby use. Three axis stability along with a pilot’s point of view it can take you almost anywhere to get those pictures you’ve never been able to get before. GPS brings it home and you can program its flight path. It almost flies itself and you don’t have to have a pilot’s license to fly nowadays.
However, you can see with one battery you are limited to charging it at home and with one battery, you cannot keep it in the air long. There are variants of the basic model, you can get a pro version that has a better camera, and more features for control and versatility. But, that raises the price and we are going to just talk about the standard Phantom 3 and its battery requirements, as the weakness is in the battery, not the platform.
So, let’s learn about this a little more and then offer up some solutions to keeping it flying longer.
Phantom DJI Battery FAQ
What batteries are included in with the Phantom 3?
The first problem is the standard battery that comes with the basic DJI is a 2200 MAh at 170 grams. The new Intelligent battery that now weighs in at 365 grams. Though, this is an improvement over the earlier battery with 4480 MAh or other batteries that only had an average capacity of 650 MAh.
You will, however, only get under the best conditions with the standard battery is around 20-25 minutes of flight time. The one we are about to highlight for you beats this with a solid 25 minutes and has much fewer hassles as well. However, we still have to face the next hurdle to get over and that is how long it will take to recharge your battery when it runs down.
How long does it take to charge the phantom 3 battery?
Depending on the charger, you get either the 57-Watt or the 100-Watt version if you buy the upgraded one you are looking at a 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour recharge time. Therefore, this bottleneck needs to be overcome.
What is the DJI Phantom 3 Battery specification?
So, let’s take a look at the new specs of the battery that you should consider to replace the one that comes out of the box these days:
● Battery Type: LiPo 4S
● Battery Capacity: 4480 MAh
● Energy Output: 68 Watt
● Battery Voltage: 15.2 V
● Max Charging Power: 100 W (with the upgraded charger)
● Net Weight: 365 g
● Operating Temperature: -10°C to 40°C
● Max Flying Time: 25 minutes
How long does the phantom 3 battery last?
There is a new kid on the block and this battery gives you a solid 25 minutes of flight time rather that 20-23. But, it handles power a whole lot differently. So let’s take a look at it and how to get the best use out of it in four easy steps.
DJI Phantom 3 Batteries & Chargers
DJI Phantom 3 Intelligent Battery
Replace the standard battery ASAP with the new Intelligent battery we’ve been alluding to. The battery has a built-in power management system that optimizes charging rates and output to maximize the amount of flying you get out of the battery.
It snaps into position and it has a LED display that lets you know the status of the amount of power left in a glance. The specs we’ve already mentioned. However, the secret is to get more than one of these beauties. For the hobbyist, this could be a strain. But, for the pro, it’ll be a necessity as we are about to help you maximize the use of this battery. BTW, you can look at it in all its glory right here.
Spinido-9449 DJI Battery Dock for Phantom 2 and 3
Charge three of the Intelligent batteries at the same time and get over an hour of flight time before you hit the bricks on you picture-taking assignment. This little method alone gives you a tremendous amount of flexibility to get just the right number of pictures and streaming video before you stop for the day.
DJI Phantom 3 Car Charger
When you go out to a photo shoot especially if it is a Real Estate photo shoot or outdoor wedding power to recharge is often not available. So with a car recharger, you can recharge up to two batteries at a time to get you the flight times you need. You can also recharge your controller as well. This all combines with the number of batteries you are using to give more flying time. The charge will do one battery in a bit over an hour and if you do two at once it takes 3 hours. Not the fastest charge true but if you have an assistant you can use two chargers with 2 cars or use multiple car batteries Taking a leaf out of the fisherman’s playbook for electric trolling motors. You can use a trolling motor battery center and charge off that.
The car charger is here:
The battery-charging center you can find here:
With a little ingenuity, you can build a portable charging system that keeps you flying until you get all the shots you need.
Phantom 3 100-Watt Battery Charger
Here is the charger you should be using in lieu of the 57-Watt charger you probably got with your Phantom 3 originally. You need the 100-Watts of power to get the quickest charge times possible. This can turn around your Intelligent battery in about an hour.
If you have access to the grid and you aren’t using a multi-battery rotation this is your fastest way to keep your bird taking pictures or video.
Final thoughts about DJI Phantom 3 Batteries And Chargers
So, with a battery charging system and switching to the new Intelligent batteries you can get more flight time out of your Quadcopter. You get around the 25-minute battery limitation by having additional batteries available. This is a duplication of the traditional method that photographers have been using for years from the days of film cameras. If you think of your Phantom 3 as a camera instead of a drone, you see immediately the parallels.
So, then it is a simple task to set up the appropriate battery charging system and the multiple batteries to support your photo work. This methodology is also useful for those who are using their drone for other uses as well.
Remember the goal is to keep the bird up and flying. Current technology says about 25 minutes and this will surely be exceeded in the coming years as drone technology continues to evolve. Already there are lighter drones that fly higher and have better batteries out there and like the camera, you will see advances in picture quality and battery life.
However, right now, the Phantom DJI 3 has a niche and you can now get much more out of it for hobby or professional use by following our suggestions.
Kennedy Martinez
kennedy@dronethusiast.comKennedy Martinez is a resident writer who joined Dronethusiast at the beginning of 2019. She has years of experience reviewing drones and other tech products. When it comes to flying drones, Kennedy loves the ability to create artistic videos from a unique point of view. Kennedy enjoys researching new drones and other exciting products that are available to consumers which is why she is committed to creating the best buyer's guides for our readers.
