inav/docs/Battery.md

Battery Monitoring

INAV has a battery monitoring feature. The voltage of the main battery can be measured by the system and used to trigger a low-battery warning buzzer, on-board status LED flashing and LED strip patterns.

Low battery warnings can:

• Help ensure you have time to safely land the aircraft
• Help maintain the life and safety of your LiPo/LiFe batteries, which should not be discharged below manufacturer recommendations

Minimum and maximum cell voltages can be set, and these voltages are used to auto-detect the number of cells in the battery when it is first connected.

Per-cell monitoring is not supported, as we only use one ADC to read the battery voltage.

Supported targets

All targets support battery voltage monitoring unless stated.

Connections

When dealing with batteries ALWAYS CHECK POLARITY!

Measure expected voltages first and then connect to the flight controller. Powering the flight controller with incorrect voltage or reversed polarity will likely fry your flight controller. Ensure your flight controller has a voltage divider capable of measuring your particular battery voltage. On the first battery connection is always advisable to use a current limiter device to limit damages if something is wrong in the setup.

Naze32

The Naze32 has an on-board battery divider circuit; just connect your main battery to the VBAT connector.

CAUTION: When installing the connection from main battery to the VBAT connector, be sure to first disconnect the main battery from the frame/power distribution board. Check the wiring very carefully before connecting battery again. Incorrect connections can immediately and completely destroy the flight controller and connected peripherals (ESC, GPS, Receiver etc.).

CC3D

The CC3D has no battery divider. To use voltage monitoring, you must create a divider that gives a 3.3v MAXIMUM output when the main battery is fully charged. Connect the divider output to S5_IN/PA0/RC5.

Notes:

• S5_IN/PA0/RC5 is Pin 7 on the 8 pin connector, second to last pin, on the opposite end from the GND/+5/PPM signal input.

• When battery monitoring is enabled on the CC3D, RC5 can no-longer be used for PWM input.

Sparky

See the [Sparky board chapter](Board - Sparky.md).

Configuration

Enable the VBAT feature.

Configure min/max cell voltages using the following CLI setting:

vbat_scale - Adjust this to match actual measured battery voltage to reported value.

vbat_max_cell_voltage - Maximum voltage per cell, used for auto-detecting battery voltage in 0.01V units, i.e. 430 = 4.30V

set vbat_warning_cell_voltage - Warning voltage per cell; this triggers battery-out alarms, in 0.01V units, i.e. 340 = 3.40V

vbat_min_cell_voltage - Minimum voltage per cell; this triggers battery-out alarms, in 0.01V units, i.e. 330 = 3.30V

e.g.

set vbat_scale = 1100
set vbat_max_cell_voltage = 430
set vbat_warning_cell_voltage = 340
set vbat_min_cell_voltage = 330

Current Monitoring

Current monitoring (amperage) is supported by connecting a current meter to the appropriate current meter ADC input (see the documentation for your particular board).

When enabled, the following values calculated and used by the telemetry and OLED display subsystems:

• Amps
• mAh used
• Capacity remaining

Configuration

Enable current monitoring using the CLI command:

feature CURRENT_METER

Configure the current meter type using the current_meter_type settings here:

Value	Sensor Type
0	None
1	ADC/hardware sensor
2	Virtual sensor

Configure capacity using the battery_capacity setting, in mAh units.

If you're using an OSD that expects the multiwii current meter output value, then set multiwii_current_meter_output to 1 (this multiplies amperage sent to MSP by 10).

ADC Sensor

The current meter may need to be configured so the value read at the ADC input matches actual current draw. Just like you need a voltmeter to correctly calibrate your voltage reading you also need an ammeter to calibrate the current sensor.

Use the following settings to adjust calibration:

current_meter_scale current_meter_offset

Virtual Sensor

The virtual sensor uses the throttle position to calculate an estimated current value. This is useful when a real sensor is not available. The following settings adjust the virtual sensor calibration:

Setting	Description
current_meter_scale	The throttle scaling factor [centiamps, i.e. 1/100th A]
current_meter_offset	The current at zero throttle (while disarmed) [centiamps, i.e. 1/100th A]

There are two simple methods to tune these parameters: one uses a battery charger and another depends on actual current measurements.

Tuning Using Actual Current Measurements

If you know your craft's current draw while disarmed (Imin) and at maximum throttle while armed (Imax), calculate the scaling factors as follows:

current_meter_scale = (Imax - Imin) * 100000 / (Tmax + (Tmax * Tmax / 50))
current_meter_offset = Imin * 100

Note: Tmax is maximum throttle offset (i.e. for max_throttle = 1850, Tmax = 1850 - 1000 = 850)

For example, assuming a maximum current of 34.2A, a minimum current of 2.8A, and a Tmax max_throttle = 1850:

current_meter_scale = (Imax - Imin) * 100000 / (Tmax + (Tmax * Tmax / 50))
                    = (34.2 - 2.8) * 100000 / (850 + (850 * 850 / 50))
                    = 205
current_meter_offset = Imin * 100 = 280

Tuning Using Battery Charger Measurement

If you cannot measure current draw directly, you can approximate it indirectly using your battery charger.
However, note it may be difficult to adjust current_meter_offset using this method unless you can measure the actual current draw with the craft disarmed.

Note:

• This method depends on the accuracy of your battery charger; results may vary.
• If you add or replace equipment that changes the in-flight current draw (e.g. video transmitter, camera, gimbal, motors, prop pitch/sizes, ESCs, etc.), you should recalibrate.

The general method is:

1. Fully charge your flight battery
2. Fly your craft, using >50% of your battery pack capacity (estimated)
3. Note INAV's reported mAh draw
4. Re-charge your flight battery, noting the mAh charging data needed to restore the pack to fully charged
5. Adjust current_meter_scale to according to the formula given below
6. Repeat and test

Given (a) the reported mAh draw and the (b) mAh charging data, calculate a new current_meter_scale value as follows:

current_meter_scale = (reported_draw_mAh / charging_data_mAh) * old_current_meter_scale

For example, assuming:

• A INAV reported current draw of 1260 mAh
• Charging data to restore full charge of 1158 mAh
• A existing current_meter_scale value of 400 (the default)

Then the updated current_meter_scale is:

current_meter_scale = (reported_draw_mAh / charging_data_mAh) * old_current_meter_scale
                    = (1260 / 1158) * 400
                    = 435

Battery capacity monitoring

For the capacity monitoring to work you need a current sensor (CURRENT_METER feature). For monitoring energy in milliWatt hour you also need voltage measurement (VBAT feature). For best results the current and voltage readings have to be calibrated.

It is possible to display the remaining battery capacity in the OSD and also use the battery capacity thresholds (battery_capacity_warning and battery_capacity_critical) for battery alarms.

For the remaining battery capacity to be displayed users need to set the battery_capacity setting (>0) and the battery to be full when plugged in. If the battery_capacity setting is set to 0 the remaining battery capacity item in the OSD will display NA and the battery gauge will use an estimation based on the battery voltage otherwise it will display the remaining battery capacity down to the battery_capacity_critical setting (battery considered empty) and the battery gauge will be based on the remaining capacity. For the capacity thresholds to be used for alarms the battery_capacity_warning and battery_capacity_critical settings also needs to be set (>0) and the plugged in battery to be full when plugged in. The battery capacity settings unit can be set using the battery_capacity_unit. MilliAmpere hour and milliWatt hour units are supported. The value are absolute meaning that battery_capacity_warning is the battery capacity left when the battery is entering the warning state and battery_capacity_critical is the battery capacity left when the battery is considered empty and entering the critical state.

For the battery to be considered full the mean cell voltage of the battery needs to be above vbat_max_cell_voltage - 140mV (by default 4.1V). So a 3S battery will be considered full above 12.3V and a 4S battery above 16.24V. If the battery plugged in is not considered full the remaining battery capacity OSD item will show NF (Not Full).

For the remaining battery capacity and battery gauge to be the most precise (linear relative to throttle from full to empty) when using battery capacity monitoring users should use the milliWatt hour unit for the battery capacity settings.

Example configuration

set battery_capacity_unit = MAH         // battery capacity values are specified in milliAmpere hour
set battery_capacity = 2200             // battery capacity is 2200mAh
set battery_capacity_warning = 660      // the battery warning alarm will sound and the capacity related OSD items will blink when left capacity is less than 660 mAh (30% of battery capacity)
set battery_capacity_critical = 440     // the battery critical alarm will sound and the OSD battery gauge and remaining capacity item will be empty when left capacity is less than 440 mAh (20% of battery capacity)