An explanation of the terms used in FlyFreely.
It’s important to understand how batteries are managed on the FlyFreely platform. Setting up your batteries correctly to begin with will ensure straightforward operations and accurate logging of your battery usage in the future.
Definitions
Firstly, let’s look at the difference between a battery and a flight battery set.
- A battery is a single, sealed unit. An example would be a single TB55, or a Mavic Intelligent Flight Battery.
- A flight battery set is the set of batteries that actually power the RPA in flight. For a Phantom 4, this ‘set’ will consist of a single battery. For a Matrice 200, it will be a set of 2 batteries and for an Matrice 600 it will be a set of 6 batteries.
The FlyFreely system allows you to group batteries into sets. The idea is that each set can be kept (always used) together, allowing you to track the usage of your batteries more easily. Note that it’s always a battery set which gets used for a flight, even if that set only consists of a single battery.
A flight battery set consisting of a single battery.
Creating battery sets
- If your RPA uses a single battery, you can simply create a flight battery set from each battery (it will be a ‘set’ of 1 battery).
- If your RPA uses multiple batteries, you will need to add each battery and then create flight battery sets consisting of individual batteries. You will then record the use of these flight battery sets against your missions.
This battery set consists of a pair of TB55 batteries.
Battery Status
Each battery will have one of three statuses. By default, new batteries will be set to Serviceable. They can also be set to Under maintenance or Retired status.
- Under Maintenance should be set when a battery is to be taken out of service pending an evaluation by the maintenance controller or other authorised person.
- Retired should be set when you no longer intend to use a specific battery (eg when disposing of an old or damaged battery).
When a battery status is Under maintenance, it can either be returned to Serviceable or Retired, depending on the outcome of the maintenance/inspection. A battery set to Retired may be reset to Under maintenance if required.
Note that only batteries with a status of Serviceable will be available for use in your missions.
For an explanation of adding new Batteries and Flight Battery Sets, please see click here.