BatMon Removes Ordinary Drone Batteries’ Limitations for Increased Performance

This board allows pilots to see battery health and status on an OLED display, and transmit real-time data to their favorite platform.

Cabe Atwell
4 years agoRobotics

Hobbyists and pilots have a keen interest in the batteries that power their drones — how long it can stay airborne, how far they can travel, and having enough juice to power the electronics and onboard cameras, are all critical factors that are constantly monitored, or more accurately, guessed. Pilots without smart batteries equipped in their drones can suffer anxiety, especially when flying expensive equipment, but the BatMon aims to reduce those fears by turning dumb batteries into smart ones.

Developed by roboticist and RC pilot Eohan George, the BatMon connects to the drone and draws real-time feedback from the battery via SMBUS protocol, which is then sent to the user’s favorite flight platforms, such as Arduino, ArduPilot, and PX4. George designed the BatMon using a series of sensors that measure a battery’s voltage and instantaneous current using a high-speed ADC, which is then visualized locally on an OLED display, as well as on the user's flight controller.

Although BatMon can also monitor the battery’s temperature, it can’t provide information on individual cells and the changes to their voltage capacity at different temperatures, at least not yet. That said, it can be integrated on multi-cell lithium-ion and LiPo batteries, with two versions that can accommodate two to six cells, and six to 10 cells. It can even be easily shifted from battery to battery after their lifespans. George is currently crowdfunding BatMon on Kickstarter, with pledges starting at $40 for the two to six version and $150 for the six to 10 version, respectively.

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