Snaptain is a company that is helping a lot of people get into the hobby of flying drones. Their products are inexpensive with really competitive prices, and they have various drones for different skill levels. Their products are good for people who have no experience with drones, but also for those with a little more experience. If you already have a Snaptain drone, you may have some questions about the battery it came with, and how to get the most out of it.
All Snaptain drones use LiPo batteries, though the exact battery depends on which Snaptain model you have. Snaptain drone categories include models for kids, beginners, or advanced users. Each drone comes with the batteries it needs to function properly, but you also have the option to upgrade to more powerful batteries.
It’s not uncommon for questions about Snaptain Drone batteries to come up for Snaptain users, and this article will attempt to help answer your questions by taking a look at some of the most popular Snaptain drone models and the batteries they use. We’ll also provide some tips for battery care and use to help you get the best performance possible out of your Snaptain drone.
What kind of battery do Snaptain drones use?
Snaptain drones, like pretty much all other drones, use Lithium Polymer batteries, also known as LiPos. These batteries are great because they can be molded into the shape they need to be, and they are lightweight, allowing a drone to fly easily with these kinds of batteries as its power source.
For some of the more expensive Snaptain drones, the LiPo batteries are constructed in a way that will only fit in a specific Snaptain drone model. If you’re wondering which battery you have for your Snaptain drone, we first need to look at the various models available from Snaptain.
As I mentioned before, they have conveniently broken down their products into three categories: Kids, Beginners, and Advanced. These three categories have different batteries. Here is a breakdown of what batteries each drone uses.
Kids – Only two of the Snaptain kids drones have external batteries.
The Snaptain SP350 Throw’n Go comes with 3 lipo batteries, and the Snaptain H823H comes with three lipo batteries as well. The batteries that come with these two drones are not interchangeable with each other. The SP350 batteries only fit in that drone, and the H823H batteries fit into the drone they came with.
Beginners – Snaptain’s beginner drones are quite impressive.
The Snaptain A15H is a camera drone that comes in a 1080p version as well as a 720p version. Both are considered High Definition, and both fold up. These drones each come with two batteries and are a great way to get into drones.
Snaptain’s A10 is a mini drone that folds up and is smaller than the A15H. It also has two camera versions—a 1080p and 720p version. Snaptain’s A10 and A15H drones are foldable, lightweight, with optical flow positioning, altitude hold, voice and gesture hold, and many other features that make them perfect for a beginner.
Snaptain offers two other drones in the beginner category: the SP660 and the S5C. Both of these drones offer 720p quality video recording and come with two batteries as well. Unlike the A15H and A10, these drones do not fold up. These drones use 750mAh batteries that should give users a flight time of 7-8 minutes, depending on conditions.
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Advanced – In the advanced category, Snaptain offers multiple drones as well.
The Snaptain 7100, arguably Snaptain’s most advanced drone, is a foldable drone that has GPS and a 4k Ultra High Definition Camera with intelligent flight modes. It comes with one battery, but there are options for buying upgraded batteries for this drone.
The SP700 comes in two different versions, one with a 2k camera and the other with a 4k version. They both have GPS integrated. This model’s battery is 1800 mAh modular which can be changed in and out, giving the option for more flights per time out to fly.
The SP510 is a foldable camera drone only sold in the EU. The battery that comes with this drone is a 1500 mAh high capacity battery that boasts a 16 minute flight time.
The SP500 is a 1080p version of a foldable camera drone that also has GPS and many great features. It comes with a 1000 mAh battery that lasts up to 15 minutes, but this drone comes with 2 batteries, so the total flight time is up to 30 minutes.
The SP600N comes with an Ultra HD camera that will record up to 2k video. It only comes with one battery.
Snaptain’s SP650 Pro will record up to 2.7k video has multiple flight modes, and is beginner friendly. It comes with 2 Lipo batteries. The SP650 (not pro) will record up to 1080p HD video.
Here’s a table distilling some of the specifics of Snaptain drone batteries by model:
Snaptain Model | Battery Capacity | Flight Time | Charge Time |
A10 | 380 mAh | 7 minutes | 45 minutes |
A15 | 800 mAh | 8 minutes | 50-60 minutes |
S5C | 750 mAh | 7-8 minutes | |
SP500 | 1000 mAh | 15 minutes | 2.5 hours |
SP510 | 1500 mAh | 16 minutes | 2.5 hours |
SP600 | 1600 mAh | 15 minutes | 1.5 hours |
SP660 | 2000 mAh | 20 minutes | 1.5 hours |
SP700 | 1800 mAh | 18 minutes | |
SP7100 | 3600 mAh | 26 minutes | 5 hours |
Now that we have an overview of all the Snaptain drones and an idea of what they can do, let’s answer some of these other questions specific to Snaptain drone batteries.
How do I charge Snaptain drone batteries?
Snaptain drone batteries come with a battery charging cable. One end of the charger connects to the battery, and the other end is most often a USB plug that should be connected to the power outlet (some of the higher models will provide a separate charging outlet base).
The best way to charge the battery is by connecting the USB end of the charger to a wall outlet adapter, or a power bank. It is not recommended to charge from the USB port of a PC.
How long do Snaptain drone batteries take to charge?
Different batteries require different times to charge. Depending on your model, your battery could take anywhere from 50 minutes to two and a half hours to charge.
According to the manual for the SP500, it could take up to 2.5 hours to fully charge the battery and be ready to fly. Obviously, the kid’s level drones will have a much quicker charging time because their batteries are smaller and do not last as long. They are also not powering such a heavy, powerful drone.
How do I know when Snaptain drone batteries are fully charged?
You will know your drone battery is fully charged when the LED lights on the battery turn green or turn off. Depending on the model, the battery LEDs will be red when the battery is charging, or they could still be green, but flash. If it flashes, when the drone is charged, the lights will stop flashing. In some cases, the red light will either turn off or turn green.
Check your user manual to know for certain what the indicator pattern is to know when your battery is fully charged. It’s important to keep an eye on your battery while it’s charging and remove it as soon as it’s fully charged. Overcharging a LiPo battery can damage it.
How do I discharge Snaptain drone batteries?
If you aren’t going to be using your batteries for a while, it is recommended that you discharge your batteries. Most of the time drones operate off of LiPo batteries, and if they are left in a fully charged or fully discharged state, they will go bad over time or cause a safety problem.
In order to discharge Snaptain drone batteries, the simplest way is to fly the drone until the battery level is at about 30-40%. Bring the drone in for a landing and then do not recharge the batteries until you are ready to use the drone again.
How long will a Snaptain drone battery last?
Many factors affect the flight time of drone batteries. Specifically, for most Snaptain drones, the major factor in the length of flight time, or how long the battery will last, is the weather conditions at the time of flight.
Snaptain specifically mentions that low-temperature environments will cause flight times to diminish a bit. Any time you are flying a drone in cold weather, the flight time will be different than when flying in warmer temperatures. Windy conditions can also drain the batteries faster.
Other factors that affect flight time are the capacity of the battery and the size/weight of the drone. If the drone is heavy, you can expect it to probably have a lower flight time.
According to the Snaptain manuals, you can expect the following flight times for three of their most popular models:
- A15 will last up to 8 minutes
- SP650 will last up to 12 minutes
- S5C will last up to 9 minutes
How do I know when I need to charge a Snaptain drone battery?
When the drone’s battery is low, many of the Snaptain drone models will emit continuous beeps from the remote, and the drone’s LEDs will begin flashing. On some models that use an app for flight control, the battery level will be indicated on the app’s screen during flight and will begin flashing and give you an on-screen warning when the charge level is dangerously low.
Issues with popular Snaptain models
There have been reported issues with some of the Snaptain drone batteries not charging or not fully holding a charge. If this is the case, be sure to review your manual to make sure you are doing everything properly.
If you are properly charging and using the battery, the next suggested step would be to contact Snaptain about the issue to see if they can help you troubleshoot or even possibly replace the battery in question.
If you just purchased the drone, it may have shipped with a bad battery. You might need to take it or send it back to where you purchased it from and request an exchange.
Are there aftermarket replacement batteries for Snaptain drones?
There are, in some cases, aftermarket replacement batteries available for Snaptain drones. If you have used your battery for quite some time, or if you just want to have some spare batteries, you can look up your model of Snaptain drone and see if there are available replacement batteries.
Snaptain does not list on their website that they sell just the batteries for their drones, but on some third-party websites, you can find replacement batteries for your Snaptain drone. In some cases you can get aftermarket batteries that are an upgrade (more powerful), but be sure they are compatible with your particular model first.
Also, be aware that using aftermarket batteries with your drone can often void your warranty with the manufacturer.
Other general drone battery suggestions
Drone batteries usually have some general guidelines for use, and in this section, I’d like to give you some general battery suggestions to help you get the most out of your Snaptain drone batteries.
- Do not charge a battery if it is hot. Let it cool down before trying to charge again. Charging a hot battery is not good for it and could result in damage to the cells.
- Remove the batteries from both the drone and the remote if you will not be using them for a while. It is also recommended that you store drone batteries in a partially discharged state. You do not want your batteries to stay in the drone if you are not planning on using it for a few weeks or months (like winter).
- Unplug the battery charger once the battery is fully charged.
- Keep your batteries from charging near flammable materials and always keep an eye on the battery while it is charging. Do not leave it plugged in to charge while you are not around. If you are leaving and your battery has not fully charged, you should not leave it charging. Just unplug it and then finish charging when you will be there to keep an eye on the battery and the charger.
- To avoid danger, do not puncture the battery or use batteries that have been punctured. If, for some reason, your battery has been damaged (like from a crash), do not use it again. Dispose of it properly and get a new one.
- Do not dispose of drone batteries in an oven or fire. Do not cut or crush batteries.
- Do not leave batteries in a high-temperature location or in a place with extremely low air pressure. If the weather is going to be hot, do not leave the batteries in a vehicle, because the extreme heat can cause damage to the batteries.
Conclusion
Snaptain drones are a great, inexpensive way to get into flying drones. The battery life on most Snaptain models is what you would expect for drones of their size and weight. If you properly take care of the Snaptain drone batteries and maintain them, you should be able to enjoy your Snaptain drone for quite some time.
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