Parrot Drone Batteries – Bebop & Anafi (All You Need to Know)

Parrot is a leading drone manufacturer, producing a wide range of drones – from hobby drones to professional drones. Two of their drones, the Parrot Anafi and Parrot Bebop 2 (discontinued but still available for purchase), are pretty popular and have almost the same performance as the DJI Mavic Air 2, DJI Mavic Mini 2, and DJI Phantom 3. Today, we will be looking at their batteries.

The Parrot Anafi drone uses a 2S smart battery with a 7.4Voltage that lasts at least 25 minutes, while the Bebop 2 uses a 3S Lipo battery with an 11.1 voltage and a 30-minute flight time. These batteries are quite stable, with minimal issues that can generally be fixed through firmware updates.

I’m going to go into some more detail about these two batteries and how to get the most out of them. First, we’ll cover the Parrot Anafi battery topics, then the Bebop battery questions. Finally, I’ll get into some questions and tips that relate to any Parrot battery (or any drone, for that matter). Let’s get to it.

What battery does the Parrot Anafi use? #

The Parrot Anafi uses a 2S 2700 mAh LiPo intelligent battery. LiPo batteries have a resting voltage of 3.7V, which means that the Parrot Anafi’s battery will have 7.4V. 

How to charge the Parrot Anafi battery #

There are three ways to charge the Parrot Anafi battery;

• Using a regular AC adapter connected to a wall socket or any other power outlet.
• Using a laptop or other tabletop USB-A port.
• Using a Power Delivery Adapter. Make sure you are using a USB-C to USB-C cable (bought separately). While you can charge it with a USB-PD power bank, it’s not advisable since not all of them are compatible with Parrot Anafi batteries.

NOTE: You can charge the battery when it’s in the drone or separately.

How long does it take to charge a Parrot Anafi battery? #

How long it will take depends on the method of charging. Below are the charging times for the Parrot Anafi;

• AC Adapter – 150 to 210 Minutes
• Laptop or power bank – 270 to 320 Minutes
• Power Delivery adapter – 105 Minutes

As you can see, if you want to fast charge your battery, the Power Delivery Adapter would be your best option.

How long do Parrot Anafi batteries last? #

With a 2700mAh capacity, the Parrot Anafi battery lasts 25 minutes. This is pretty standard for a drone of its caliber. And it is enough time to take some footage with the 4K resolution camera or just fly for fun. Besides, you can get extra batteries to extend the flight time to at least 1 hour.

How to know when a Parrot Anafi battery is fully charged? #

The Parrot Anafi battery has 4 LEDs arranged in a line, and they light up in a green color when the drone is charging. As explained in their manual, below is how to tell if the battery is fully charged.

• 1 Flashing LED – 0 to 25% Battery level
• 1 Solidly lit LED, and one flashing – 25% to 50%
• 2 Solidly lit LEDs, and 1 flashing – 50% to 75%
• 3 Solidly lit LEDs, and 1 flashing – 75% to 100%
• When all LEDs have a solid green color with no flashing, the battery is fully charged.

When the battery is not in the charger and is in the drone or not in use, below is how to tell if you need to charge it or not.

• 1 LED is on, and the rest are off – 0 to 25% charge level (about 6 minutes of flight time).
• 2 LEDs on, 2 off – 25% to 50% (6 to 12 Minutes flight time)
• 3 LEDs on, 1 off – 50% to 75% (12 to 18 Minutes flight time)
• All LEDs on – 100% charge and up to 25 minutes flight time

How to remove a Parrot Anafi battery #

The Parrot Anafi battery has a push-button at the section where it connects to the drone. To remove the battery, unfold the drone arms and press the push-button. Then slide the battery out of the drone gently, and lift it out.

How to switch on/off the Parrot Anafi battery #

The Anafi battery has a power button on the top. To power the battery on or off, just press it once and don’t hold it down.

What battery does the Parrot Bebop use? #

On the other hand, the Parrot Bebop uses a Bonadget 3S 11.1 V, 2500mAh battery. Unlike the Parrot Anafi, the Bebop battery has three cells instead of 2, which translates to more voltage.

How to charge the Parrot Bebop battery #

Parrot only offers one way to charge the Bebop battery, and it’s pretty straightforward. All you need to do is connect the battery to the charger, and plug it into a power outlet.

You also have the option to purchase third-party high-quality balancing chargers and converters to help you charge, discharge, and use your batteries on the go.

How long does it take to charge a Parrot Bebop battery #

The Parrot Bebop 2 takes between 40 to 60 minutes to fully charge, which is relatively short and allows you to charge and fly for quite a long time without having to purchase several batteries.

How long do Parrot Bebop batteries last? #

The Bebop 2’s battery has an impressive 30 minutes of flight time. This is an upgrade from the Bebop 1, which has approximately 15 minutes of flight time. Better yet, the Bebop 2 comes with an extra battery, giving you up to 1 hour of flight time on paper, though this may differ in real life due to various factors such as speed, temperature, and payload. Speaking of speed, the Bebop 2 achieves a speed of up to 39 mph. With speeds like this, it almost qualifies as an RTF racing drone.

How to know when a Parrot Bebop battery is fully charged? #

The Bebop batteries have no LEDs, but the charge has one LED. This LED is green when the battery is charging and changes to green when it’s fully charged. You can check the voltage using a voltmeter or just plug it into your drone and check the battery levels through the app.

How to remove a Parrot Bebop battery #

To remove the battery from your Parrot Anafi, press and hold the latch/lock holding the battery in place. You should feel the clip release, then gently slide the battery out.

How to switch on/off the Parrot Bebop battery #

The Bebop batteries have no switch, nor do they have any LEDs. This being the case, you have to control them by operating the drone itself. Below the battery compartment on the drone is a switch that you press to turn the drone on or off. A solid green color and a beep show that both the drone and the battery are okay and are ready for use.

How to discharge a Parrot drone battery #

LiPo batteries aren’t like just any other batteries. They require special care for them to last longer. And one of the ways to maintain them is by discharging them when they’re not in use since they should never be stored with a full charge. 

The Parrot Anafi smart battery has an auto-discharge function that discharges the battery to 65% within 12 days. After 12 days, the battery hibernates (enters wintering mode) to prevent further discharging. 

However, if you try to use the battery after these 12 days or so, it will appear dead, but it’s not. All you need to do is connect it to a power source and perform a hard reset by pressing and holding the power button for at least 15 seconds. The battery will run green lights, then red lights, to show that the update is complete. 

After doing this, you will be able to use your battery. You can also activate it using the trickle charging method, where you induce some charge using the charger.

Parrot Drone battery issues #

Like most drone batteries, the Parrot Anafi and Parrot Bebop drone batteries experience some functioning issues. But most of them are easy to fix. Listed below are some of the main issues.

Bebop charger flashing red #

Some users experienced a situation where the charger flashed red, which means that the battery wasn’t charging. There’s no one definitive way to fix this, but some tricks have worked. One user tried placing a working battery in the charger, then quickly replaced it with the battery that wasn’t working. 

Another user kept unplugging and plugging the charger into the power source until the flashing stopped. Remember, when the battery is charging, the charger should be showing a solid red color.

If your batteries aren’t charging, we also have a detailed guide on fixing the Parrot Bebop Battery Not Charging issue.

Parrot Anafi battery won’t charge #

There are many reasons why a battery could not be charging. The battery could either be dead, or the charger could be damaged. But most Anafi users experienced issues with the cables. So, the best way to fix this is to get better, higher-quality cables.

Another common issue is the batteries flashing red, which can be fixed through the hard reset I mentioned just above, or through a firmware update for the battery.

Parrot Drone low battery alert #

The Bebop and Anafi drones have a low battery alert that appears on the screen when the charge is about 20%. When it’s too low, the drone also initiates an RTH feature that allows the drone to fly back to the takeoff point. If it can’t make it, the drone may also trigger an auto-landing where it lands wherever it is.

But it’s your job as a drone pilot to monitor the battery levels since you may not have enough time to fly it home by the time you get the warning. If this happens, you may end up losing your drone.

How to do a firmware update for a Parrot drone battery #

The firmware update for the battery came as a surprise to most users since they didn’t expect that batteries need to be updated. But they are intelligent batteries and have their own system. This update process can also help to fix dead batteries.

 To update them, perform the following procedure;

• Download the firmware update on your app.
• Ensure the battery is attached to the drone and connected to a power supply through a USB-C cable.
• Once you get the update prompt, click on it and go ahead with the update.
• You can also access the update menu by clicking on the Drone icon in the app.
• You’ll get a prompt also to update the battery.
• Do the same for all your batteries.

NOTE: On the Bebop, you can update the firmware for all components through the app. Just click “Update” in the app, and it will update to any available versions.

How to store a Parrot drone battery #

Storing your Parrot drone battery correctly is essential to ensure the proper functioning and prevent damage. Before storing, make sure that the battery charge level is between 20% and 50% to avoid damage. 

Also, the environment where you keep the battery should be dry, well ventilated, and with temperatures not exceeding 75 degrees. However, you need to ensure that the battery has no puffing or punctures before storing and it’s not near any heat source. Also, remember to use a flame-resistant bag for maximum safety.

What are the causes of Parrot drone battery damage? #

The leading causes of battery damage include 

• Fully discharging of batteries before recharging them
• Drawing too much charge from the battery at once or exceeding the discharge rate.
• Leaving a battery in a charger
• Exposing the parrot drone battery to high temperatures
• Poor battery storage
• Using a damaged charger to charge your battery
• Charging your parrot drone battery with different types of chargers.
• Charging your battery near flammable materials.
• Failing to wait for your battery to cool down before charging. 

Avoiding these types of incidents will help ensure your Parrot battery works well for its full lifespan. 

How to increase the flight time of a Parrot drone battery #

The battery life of your drone determines how long you can have your drone flying per session. It also determines what you will achieve. No drone operator would want their battery to go down while they are in the middle of capturing a once-in-a-lifetime shot. To prevent such occurrences, you need to maximize the flight time of your battery.

There are two ways to try to get the most out of your battery on each flight, and they include some steps to take both before and after the flight. Both of them will help you avoid mistakes that affect the battery life of a Parrot drone battery. Here is a deeper discussion of them.

Before the Flight #

It will help if you take the time to plan for your flight by doing the following.

Check the weather #

The weather conditions can determine the lifetime of your drone battery. Unfortunately, not many drone operators are aware of this. For instance, when the weather is windy, the drone motors have to do a lot of work, and as a result, your battery will be drained faster. 

On the other hand, when the weather is too humid, the weight of your drone will increase and efficiency will decrease, hence overworking the batteries.

Make A Shot List #

This applies to professional photographers who have a lot of shots to capture. Making a shot list will help you streamline your planning. This concept also comes in handy in maximizing the battery life of your drone. Have an estimated time of how long each shot will take.

Eliminate Excess Weight #

The weight of your drone is a factor when it comes to any Parrot battery. Heavy drones tend to use more power; hence the battery gets drained faster. Therefore, it would help if you removed any accessories that are not necessary for the flight session. You can either remove the propeller guards or filters. On the other hand, if you conduct a test flight, you can withdraw your camera if you don’t plan to use it.

During the Flight #

Here are some additional tips you can apply once your drone is in the air. They will ensure your battery remains in good shape.

A Test Flight #

This is a tip that every drone operator needs to know. Taking a test flight helps in the optimization of your shot list by stringing together multiple locations. This means that you won’t have to fly your drone back and forth when taking those shots or recording your video. With the flights reduced, your battery can often last for the whole shooting session.

Make Use of Your Shot List #

Sticking to the shot list we talked about previously is helpful. It will prevent time wastage as you try to establish where the next location should be. In addition, you will not spend much time on the area, thus preventing battery drainage.

Take Double or Triple Sets of photos #

Sometimes photographers realize that they didn’t capture what they intended after bringing the drone down. They have to relaunch it for accurate shots, and this means more battery power consumption. However, they can avoid this by taking multiple or triple photos and choose the best when editing.

The tips mentioned above are significant ways of increasing the battery life of your drone. Here are some additional tips that will come in handy and ensure you are getting the most out of your drone.

• When using the parrot battery for the first time, charge it fully.
• Fully charge the battery just prior to each flight, rather than at the end of the previous flight.
• Ensure you always carry the battery in a bag with fire protection.
• Stick to the stated charging time as per the instructions.
• Don’t store a fully discharged parrot battery.
• Wait at least 20 minutes after flying for the battery to cool down before recharging it.

How to know when to dispose of your Parrot drone battery #

There are many ways of disposing of a battery, including immersing it in water for ten hours. Here are signs that tell you it’s time to get rid of the Parrot drone battery:

• When the terminals are bent. This may cause short circuits
• Swelling, damage, or leaking. Also, any battery with dents or cracks should be disposed of.
• Over 200 charging cycles.
• When it is crashed or has had a hard impact.

How to dispose of a Parrot drone battery #

You can dispose of your drone battery in many ways, but you need to ask yourself if the methods are safe. Here are some of the safest methods you can use

• Discharging – You can discharge the battery using a high-quality balancing charger.
• Salt Water Method – Even though this method is slow, it is the most effective. It is also easy and safe. Chemically, saltwater is a great conductor of electricity, and therefore it will completely discharge the battery. In addition, this method is ideal because salt is an excellent neutralizer of lithium.
• Light Bulb Method This method allows you to discharge the batteries by powering LED lights with the battery. Eventually, it will fully drain the charge from the battery.

Conclusion #

Like most RC devices, Parrot drones use LiPo batteries that should be handled with extreme care – from charging them to discharging them and disposing of them. And as we’ve established, each battery will also have its own issues based on how it was manufactured. 

I have discussed all there is to know about the batteries used for the Parrot Anafi and Bebop drones. Remember to always check your manual for special instructions. I realize some users experience unique issues that Parrot or other drone experts have not addressed. Hopefully, they will work on that in future updates.