Voxl m500 temperature durability

[TasnimBas]

Hello,

I'm planning to use my Voxl m500 in an industrial setting where the ambient temperature goes up to 80 °C. I searched online and on the website, but I couldn't find the answers to the following questions.

1. How much variation in temperatures would the drone be able to sustain?
2. What is the temperature coefficient of the drone frame?
3. What is the temperature sustainability of the onboard cameras?

Thank you so much in advance.

[Vinny]

Hi @TasnimBas
I'll try to help you.
In summary, you need to test based on your use cases. Our drone, as a reference platform, can be put under so many situations of software and hardware loads, we cannot answer all thermal questions with certainty unless it is tested in the conditions you require.
That said,

1. We do not know of any limit of temperature "variations" that would be a problem. The key thing is the ABS max of all the components. The electrical hardware components mostly are 0C to 85C, but a few are 70C, and many are above 125C. As the main CPU gets hotter, it will throttle down speeds automatically to maintain temperature limits, so what could happen, for example, is reduced frame rate of your cameras. You can use the "voxl-inspect" tools (please see the software user guides to be sure of correct spelling and usage) to monitor many performance attributes during your tests, including temperature and usage statistics, to let you know how well everything is doing.
2. We need to get back to you. I have asked our Mechanical Engineering team.
3. Same as #1 above. The image sensors we sell are all typically 0C to 85C, but a few have 0C to 70C (junction) for perfect image capture/generation. So, not all parts specify ambient, hence why it is imperative to test, and as part of that testing, check your image quality to see if it meets your specs.

[Vinny]

Hi @TasnimBas
Can you please clarify question #2? Our ME is not sure what you are asking for.

Also, they did point out an important part about all drones you must be careful with. Most LIPO batteries cannot operate in that extreme of a temperature. You will need to have some additional mechanical enclosures to protect your battery. Here is a good brief overview of batteries that can help guide you: https://genstattu.com/bw/

Hope this helps!

[TasnimBas]

Hi @Vinny
Thank you so much for your prompt response. This helps a lot. I will be reporting back on my testing results here.

[TasnimBas]

Hi @Vinny,

Regarding Q2, each material has a constant called the temperature coefficient of resistance that symbolizes the resistance change factor per degree of temperature change. So I was wondering if your team was familiar with the temperature coefficient of the drone frame at any given Celsius. If not, then that's fine. The answer I got from you is enough.
Also, thank you for pointing out the LiPo concern. We will have to design a cooling container for the battery.

[Vinny]

@TasnimBas Glad we can help.
Our team says this: "The injection molded plastics from the S500 frame are advertised as being glass-fiber reinforced nylon", so not sure if that helps you, but we do not have a material spec sheet to get the temp coefficients you are after. Maybe that description can get you close!