P3P battery heaters

[kenjancef]

Next weekend I'll be on a frozen pond in New Hampshire with my P3P. I see the "official" DJI Battery Heater, but not sure I like that it takes up to 7% of the battery to warm it. I was thinking of just getting a rechargeable hand warmer and throwing them in a cooler. I have 3 batteries.

Any thoughts either way?

 

[solentlife]

Hand warmer into a small 6pack beer cooler bag ... you can find these insulated bags in supermarkets / camping shops ... Make sure bag ... batterys are all warm from inside house and close it up.
Put the hand warmer inside a glove or similar to prevent overheating battery.

Keep it closed unless actually taking battery out - and only take out when actually ready to plug in to AC ... close bag and put back in car ... or wherever out of the wind and cold.

If you had more time to order :

Turnigy Programmable Lipo Battery Warmer Bag (12v DC)

Runs of the ciggy socket in car or any 12v source ...

Personally I don't like the DJI way ... I'm one who values every mA in my batterys !!

Nigel

 

[kenjancef]

Hand warmer into a small 6pack beer cooler bag ... you can find these insulated bags in supermarkets / camping shops ... Make sure bag ... batterys are all warm from inside house and close it up.
Put the hand warmer inside a glove or similar to prevent overheating battery.

Keep it closed unless actually taking battery out - and only take out when actually ready to plug in to AC ... close bag and put back in car ... or wherever out of the wind and cold.

If you had more time to order :

Turnigy Programmable Lipo Battery Warmer Bag (12v DC)

Runs of the ciggy socket in car or any 12v source ...

Personally I don't like the DJI way ... I'm one who values every mA in my batterys !!

Nigel

Dang, that's a pretty cool bag... I check HK, they have it in the US warehouse. I need it for January 25th, so maybe I can get it by then. I have one of those heavily insulated lunch bags that would work with a heater, but may get this. Would you think 3 P3P batteries would fit?

 

[WV. Rootman]

Would it be better to use a fire proof battery case. One thing for all.

 

[solentlife]

Dang, that's a pretty cool bag... I check HK, they have it in the US warehouse. I need it for January 25th, so maybe I can get it by then. I have one of those heavily insulated lunch bags that would work with a heater, but may get this. Would you think 3 P3P batteries would fit?

I can fit 2 in easy ... 3 is a tight fit ...

But what I do as I have 3 ... when I take one out for flight - I put the third one in ... in just a few minutes - its warm .. well before I need it.

I have old 3S normal LiPo's I use when not plugged into car ... it doesn't need much power ...

Nigel

 

[solentlife]

Would it be better to use a fire proof battery case. One thing for all.

The LiPo bag I linked to is also a LiPo Safe Bag ...

No bag or case unless its an ammo can is fire proof. They are all Fire Retardation items ... slowing down the spread so you can act....

Nigel

 

[alokbhargava]

Internal battery heating is quicker though it utilizes battery charge. External heating takes long time , few hours, to warm it up to the cells inside. Just heating on the surface is not good enough.

So the best way for external heating could be to store the batteries for long in heated room and carry them out in insulated bags.

 

[Numone]

I have the DJI heater, which I used a couple of weeks ago in -2c conditions. It heated the battery in about three minutes and used 3% and had almost no effect on flight time, albeit I always bring it back at 20%...

 

[kenjancef]

Internal battery heating is quicker though it utilizes battery charge. External heating takes long time , few hours, to warm it up to the cells inside. Just heating on the surface is not good enough.

So the best way for external heating could be to store the batteries for long in heated room and carry them out in insulated bags.

For this case I'll be in a hotel room. I bought a rechargeable hand warmer, since I can use that for other purposes. So just before leaving I'll throw the batteries in an insulated lunch bag with the heater, put in a glove, and go. Supposedly the heater lasts about 6 hours, so I can even do it an hour before leaving.

 

[solentlife]

Each has their own way ...

The argument about external or internal heating is mute really - because the battery if placed in example my suggested heater bag - is warm before it goes in ... and the bag maintains it at good temperature without need for power from the battery itself.
Even if battery is placed in cold - it takes very little time to warm ... certainly less than an average 15 min flight on another battery ... in -15C - I have never had a cold battery for next flight ... certainly never taken hours !!

An aspect that seems to get missed - Safe Bag ......... even a Picnic Bag is better safety than a Hub warmer ... which has no fire retardation in event of problem.

Nigel