When it’s chilly within the winter, your LiPo batteries undergo — you’ll see extra voltage sag, much less punch, and noticeably shorter flight occasions. 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 objective, making it simpler to maintain your batteries within the optimum temperature. After testing, I can see why this may develop into 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 coloration display
- 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 resolution for LiPo packs. Chilly LiPos don’t simply lose flight time — additionally they sag more durable underneath load, making your quad really feel sluggish. The best working temperature for LiPos is round 30°C–35°C, and this case can carry your packs as much as that vary earlier than you’re taking off.
Construct and Design
From the skin, it seems like a typical zippered equipment case. Inside, nonetheless, 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 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 gives energy to the heating components.
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 may 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 Really useful).
Additional USB Energy Output
The left-side USB port is a 30W energy output — useful for charging your telephone and GoPro. It’s additionally helpful for dumping charged LiPo vitality into your units on the finish of a session so no vitality is wasted.
How It Works
Since there’s no guide within the field, I’ll attempt to clarify learn how to function it. Be aware 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 (the place you see 2 packing containers), use + or – to set cutoff voltage.
Vital: When the enter voltage drops under the cutoff voltage, the heated case will beep, however it doesn’t cease heating, so you could unplug battery manually to stop over-discharge.
Getting into Work Mode
On the house display (with 2 packing containers), press the center button to enter work mode (with 4 packing containers).
If you happen to keep on the house display (two packing containers), it powers down after a number of seconds.
Disabling Cutoff Voltage Alarm
Press + and – collectively to mute briefly.
Setting Goal Temperature
Maintain center and – buttons for two seconds, then regulate with + or –. It’s in Celsius by the best way.
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 for my part — it simply means you may get a low-voltage warning a bit early. Nonetheless, it will be good if the voltage might 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 might present round 20 minutes of steady heating, however in real-world use (with a reasonable 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
Be aware that the temperature sensor is situated contained in the management unit (black field), so temperature management relies 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 related to an exterior monitor so I might document readings with out opening the case and dropping 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 improve 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 as a result of further warmth from the voltage regulator), inflicting it to prematurely cease powering the heating components, 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 Check – Temperature Holding Capacity
It’s at present summer time right here with room temperatures round 26°C, so to simulate winter situations, 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 inner temperature holding regular at 31°C, which is kind of good given the acute chilly.
Limitations
No product is ideal. Listed here are a number of minor drawbacks:
- Dear for what it’s
- Doesn’t mechanically cease discharging when voltage drops under 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 could possibly in all probability construct one thing related for much less. Moreover, for a lot of pilots, it’s not a necessary accent (I’ve personally been flying for a decade with out a battery heating case). That mentioned, in the event 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 carry down the cost of totally charged LiPos you determine to not fly. Simply bear in mind: it received’t cease discharging mechanically when it reaches the cutoff voltage. It could beep to provide you with a warning, however it would proceed to empty your battery till it’s utterly lifeless. You could manually unplug the battery when the alarm goes off — so it’s essential to solely use this case if you end up round.
