When it’s chilly within the winter, your LiPo batteries endure — you’ll see extra voltage sag, much less punch, and noticeably shorter flight instances. The chemistry inside merely doesn’t carry out effectively when temperature drops. The answer? Heat your packs earlier than flying. iFlight simply launched a heated battery case designed precisely for that function, making it simpler to maintain your batteries within the optimum temperature. After testing, I can see why this may turn out to be a helpful winter accent for some FPV pilots.
Study flying FPV drone within the chilly winter on this information: https://oscarliang.com/fly-fpv-winter/
The place to Purchase
Get the iFlight Heated Battery Case from these distributors:
Specs
- Enter Connectors: XT60 and USB-C
- Enter Voltage:
- DC (XT60): 7.4V–30V (helps 2S–6S LiPo/Li-ion)
- USB-C PD Enter: 9V/12V/15V/3A, 20V/5A (100W Max)
- Heating Energy: Max 50W
- Temperature Vary: 30°C–60°C (adjustable)
- Show: HD TFT shade display screen
- Temperature Monitoring: Sure (inside case)
- USB Output Energy:
- PPS: 3.3V–11V/3A, 3.3V–16V/2A (30W Max)
- PD3.0/PD2.0: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/2.5A, 20V/1.5A (30W Max)
- QC3.0: 3.6V–20V (30W Max)
- Dimensions: 313×255×118 mm
- Weight: 883g ±5g
What Is the iFlight Heated Battery Case For?
This isn’t only a case — it’s a purpose-built heating answer for LiPo packs. Chilly LiPos don’t simply lose flight time — additionally they sag more durable below load, making your quad really feel sluggish. The perfect working temperature for LiPos is round 30°C–35°C, and this case can deliver your packs as much as that vary earlier than you are taking off.
Construct and Design
From the surface, it seems like an ordinary zippered equipment case. Inside, nevertheless, is a black plastic temperature management module constructed into the lid.
The management unit incorporates a show and three buttons for menu navigation and altering settings. The display screen can show the present temperature, goal temperature, enter voltage, and cutoff voltage.
On the underside of the management unit, there’s a plug that appears like a steadiness connector, it offers energy to the heating parts.
Inside, there’s a mesh pocket for smaller equipment.
The case presents beneficiant storage, able to becoming 20 6S 1000mAh LiPo batteries. The inner area is roughly 29x20x10cm
Powering the Case
You’ll be able to energy the heated case in two methods:
- XT60 Enter (7.4V – 30V) — Works with 2S–6S LiPo or Li-ion packs.
- USB-C PD Enter (situated on the correct)— Works with a PD-capable energy financial institution or wall adapter (100W Advisable).
Additional USB Energy Output
The left-side USB port is a 30W energy output — helpful for charging your cellphone and GoPro. It’s additionally helpful for dumping charged LiPo power into your units on the finish of a session so no power is wasted.
How It Works
Since there’s no handbook within the field, I’ll attempt to clarify how one can function it. Observe that this isn’t the official instruction, simply my private expertise how I exploit it.
Turning On/Off
Maintain the center button for two seconds, then maintain once more when prompted.
To energy down, repeat the identical course of.
Setting Cutoff Voltage
On the house display screen (the place you see 2 bins), use + or – to set cutoff voltage.
Necessary: When the enter voltage drops beneath the cutoff voltage, the heated case will beep, but it surely doesn’t cease heating, so you need to unplug battery manually to stop over-discharge.
Coming into Work Mode
On the house display screen (with 2 bins), press the center button to enter work mode (with 4 bins).
If you happen to keep on the house display screen (two bins), it powers down after just a few seconds.
Disabling Cutoff Voltage Alarm
Press + and – collectively to mute briefly.
Setting Goal Temperature
Maintain center and – buttons for two seconds, then modify with + or –. It’s in Celsius by the way in which.
Efficiency Testing
Voltage Accuracy
The enter voltage studying appears to be barely under-reported. For instance, when my battery was at 25.0V, the case displayed 24.7V. At 20.5V, the case learn 20.3V. This small discrepancy isn’t an enormous challenge in my view — it simply means you may get a low-voltage warning a bit of early. Nonetheless, it might be good if the voltage may very well be calibrated or made extra correct from the manufacturing facility.
Energy and Present Draw
When the case is heating:
- 6S battery enter: 2.23A at 25V (~55.75W)
- USB-C enter: as much as 55W (20V, 2.75A)
A totally charged 6S 1000mAh pack may present round 20 minutes of steady heating, however in real-world use (with a average temperature setting), the heater cycles on and off as soon as the goal temperature is reached. In winter (say 0°C), with the goal set to 30–35°C, a 6S 1000mAh pack ought to simply final over an hour.
Temperature Accuracy
Temperature readings are fairly correct. In comparison with my thermometer:
- Thermometer: 26°C → Case: 27°C
- Thermometer: 43°C → Case: 44°C
Observe that the temperature sensor is situated contained in the management unit (black field), so temperature management is predicated on that time’s studying.
How Quick Does It Warmth Up?
With the goal temperature set to 60°C, I measured the temperature each 5 minutes. The thermometer was positioned in the course of the case (not touching something) and linked to an exterior monitor so I may report readings with out opening the case and shedding warmth.
- Begin: 26°C
- 5 min: 37°C
- 10 min: 47°C
- 15 min: 50°C
- 20 min: 50°C
The heating fee is spectacular — an 11°C enhance within the first 5 minutes and one other 10°C over the following 5 minutes. Heating from 0°C to 30°C would seemingly take solely about quarter-hour at this fee.
Nonetheless, the temperature plateaued at 50°C as a substitute of reaching the 60°C goal. That is seemingly as a result of the temp sensor is situated within the management unit which already hit 60°C (probably attributable to additional warmth from the voltage regulator), inflicting it to prematurely cease powering the heating parts, despite the fact that the air temperature contained in the case was solely 50°C.
This isn’t a deal-breaker for me, as I wouldn’t warmth LiPos to 60°C anyway for security causes.
Freezer Take a look at – Temperature Holding Capacity
It’s at the moment summer time right here with room temperatures round 26°C, so to simulate winter circumstances, I examined the case in my freezer at roughly -10°C. I set the goal temperature to 35°C and left the case inside for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, my thermometer confirmed the interior temperature holding regular at 31°C, which is kind of good given the intense chilly.
Limitations
No product is ideal. Listed here are just a few minor drawbacks:
- Dear for what it’s
- Doesn’t robotically cease discharging when voltage drops beneath the cutoff voltage
- No directions included
- Enter voltage can’t be calibrated and reads barely low (not an enormous deal)
- Temperature unit in Celsius (°C) solely
Conclusion
Not gonna lie — at $59.99, the value for this straightforward heated iFlight battery case feels a bit steep. You would most likely construct one thing comparable for much less. Moreover, for a lot of pilots, it’s not an important accent (I’ve personally been flying for a decade and not using a battery heating case). That stated, in case you’re severe about efficiency — particularly in chilly climate — this case is a good comfort merchandise that works proper out of the field. It retains your batteries heat and at optimum situation throughout your flight session.
Get the iFlight Heated Battery Case from these distributors:
It’s additionally extra versatile than it seems. Along with storing and heating batteries, it may well operate as a battery discharger, letting you safely deliver down the cost of absolutely charged LiPos you determine to not fly. Simply bear in mind: it gained’t cease discharging robotically when it reaches the cutoff voltage. It could beep to warn you, however it should proceed to empty your battery till it’s fully lifeless. You will need to manually unplug the battery when the alarm goes off — so it’s necessary to solely use this case when you find yourself round.