Drone Pro Off An Eps3

[stuartpengs 19]

Hi all,

 

battery issue is becoming a bit of a bind on the Drone. I'm one of those who likes to go a night without faffing about so need to get on top of the battery usage. The drone's a bit of a battery whore, best ones I've found are the Duracell Lithium Ion ones but at £7 a pair it's not a viable solution for this winter's usage. I've got a couple of made-up packs that use 5 AA rechargeable batteries but it still seems to have a bit of an appetite for them . Sooooo, I'm (or should I say an electronics company) are going to sort out a cable to run the drone off one of Pulsar's fab EPS3 packs. I use one of these on my thermal spotter and it will easy do a couple of full nights without a charge, and ping it straight onto the spare rail on the drone. Of course the snag is - Input voltage on Drone is 6v, output voltage on EPS3 is 11.5v (though I've metered it at 12.1v when fully charged). So I've asked the guy to create a cable that marries them together with something magical in between, I'm guessing some kind of voltage regulator with over-volt protection etc, though I'll leave that to them to decide. My only stipulations are that when I switch it on it doesn't fry the scope or rip a hole through space/time - I'm relatively easily pleased.

 

Question is, has anyone already tried this?

Edited September 19, 2016 by stuartpengs

[IanB 0]

Stuart, I have two Drones here, I also had an armasight battery pack to power them, I sold this on, its just extra weight in my mind and bulky on the scope. I buy the cr123 cells from amazon I think there around £11-12 for 10 of them, I just turn the drone on for the shot then turn it off, to be honest they last me ages like this, and its much more compact, I use the thermal for spotting vehicle mounted and handheld. Do you have a separate spotter to use?

 

PS if you wanted to use an EPS3 supply you could just make up a little convertor using a Buck regulator to drop it down from 12v to 6v, then use the associated female and male jack plugs to connect them up, should be easy about to do.

[stuartpengs 19]

Hi Ian,

 

thanks for the tips, much appreciated. I know what you mean regarding extra weight etc, I'm eager to have a good reliable back-up though so thought I'd give this a try. Yes I've got a Pulsar XD38s thermal for spotting. That's where I usually have the EPS3 on. If all goes well I'll be ordering another from you.

 

Thanks again.

[IanB 0]

I just take extra CR123's out with me now Stuart and I've never had issues, but I know what you mean about a backup.

[stuartpengs 19]

Well, it works. It outputs at 5.5v and has additional over-volt protection, and is relatively compact. The EPS3 and the Reg both fit into the pocket on the butt pouch (which is on there with some padding underneath to raise the comb for the drone anyway), so not had to put anything additional on. All I need now is another EPS3, which seem to have become a bit of a pain to get hold of. The one in the pic is being used by the spotter. I've ordered one from Micro Globe who advised a 72 hour dispatch . . we shall see. That said I have noticed a BIG difference in battery usage depending on the battery used. The one supplied and other similarly priced cheaper CR123s don't have anywhere near the longevity of say a pair of Lithium Ion Duracells. Trouble is at £7 a pair it's not really a good long term solution. I'll run the Drone off the new set-up with a pair of LI Duracells in my pocket. I'll do a test when I get the spare EPS3 and report back on how long it lasts before it runs flat. Lead only cost me a £10 so hopefully no more buying CR123s.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2016 by stuartpengs

[IanB 0]

Looking good Stuart, I take it the buck regulator did the trick.

 

These are the ones I use, last a good while, lithium and work out £1.25 each. So £2.50 and to be honest they last me a month easy, as I just turn it on for a shot then off.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-CR123-Batteries-CR123a-Pack/dp/B000KVZRK2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1475340455&sr=8-2&keywords=cr+123

[stuartpengs 19]

Hi Ian,

 

thanks for the link. Yes I agree only switching it on when you're about to take the shot is the key.

Edited October 1, 2016 by stuartpengs