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.
All targets support battery voltage monitoring unless stated.
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.
See the Sparky board chapter.
Enable the VBAT feature to enable the measurement of the battery voltage and the use of the voltage based OSD battery gauge, voltage based and energy based battery alarms.
vbat_scale - Adjust this setting to match actual measured battery voltage to reported value. Increasing this value increases the measured voltage.
Two voltage sources are available: raw voltage and sag compensated voltage. The raw voltage is the voltage directly measured at the battery while the sag compensated voltage is calculated by an algorithm aiming to provide a stable voltage source for gauges, telemetry and alarms. When the current drawn from a battery varies the provided voltage also varies due to the internal resistance of the battery, it is called sag. The sag can often trigger the battery alarms before the battery is empty and if you are relying on the battery voltage to know the charge state of your battery you have to land or cut the throttle to know the real, without load, battery voltage. The sag compensation algorithm simulates a battery with zero internal resistance and provides a stable reading independent from the drawn current.
You can select the voltage source used for battery alarms and telemetry with the bat_voltage_source setting. It can be set to either RAW for using raw battery voltage or SAG_COMP for using the calculated sag compensated voltage.
You can see an illustration of the sag compensation algorithm in action in the following graph:
Up to 3 battery profiles are supported. You can select the battery profile from the GUI, OSD menu, stick commands and CLI command battery_profile n. Each profile stores the following voltage settings:
bat_cells - Specify the number of cells of your battery. Allows the automatic selection of the battery profile when set to a value greater than 0. Set to 0 (default) for auto-detecting the number of cells (see next setting)
vbat_cell_detect_voltage - Maximum voltage per cell, used for auto-detecting the number of cells of the battery. Should be higher than maximum cell voltage to take into account possible drift in measured voltage and keep cell count detection accurate (0.01V unit, i.e. 430 = 4.30V)
vbat_max_cell_voltage - Maximum voltage per cell when the battery is fully charged. Used for the OSD voltage based battery gauge (0.01V unit, i.e. 420 = 4.20V)
vbat_warning_cell_voltage - Cell warning voltage. A cell voltage bellow this value triggers the first (short beeps) voltage based battery alarm if used and also the blinking of the OSD voltage indicator if the battery capacity is not used instead (see bellow) (0.01V unit, i.e. 370 = 3.70V)
vbat_min_cell_voltage - Cell minimum voltage. A cell voltage bellow this value triggers the second (long beeps) voltage based battery alarm if used and the OSD gauge will display 0% if the battery capacity is not used instead (see bellow) (0.01V unit, i.e. 350 = 3.50V)
e.g.
battery_profile 1
set vbat_scale = 1100
set vbat_max_cell_voltage = 430
set vbat_warning_cell_voltage = 340
set vbat_min_cell_voltage = 330
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
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).
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
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.
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
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:
- Fully charge your flight battery
- Fly your craft, using >50% of your battery pack capacity (estimated)
- Note INAV's reported mAh draw
- Re-charge your flight battery, noting the mAh charging data needed to restore the pack to fully charged
- Adjust
current_meter_scaleto according to the formula given below - 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_scalevalue 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
INAV includes an advanced power and current limiting system to protect your battery and ESCs from excessive discharge rates. This feature automatically reduces throttle output when current or power draw exceeds configured limits.
Power and current limiting helps:
- Protect batteries from exceeding their C-rating and getting damaged
- Prevent voltage sag and brown-outs during high-throttle maneuvers
- Extend battery lifespan by avoiding excessive discharge rates
- Improve safety by preventing ESC or battery overheating
- Comply with regulations that may limit power output
The power limiter uses a PI (Proportional-Integral) controller to smoothly reduce throttle when current or power exceeds limits. It supports two operating modes:
- Continuous Limit: The sustained current/power that can be drawn indefinitely
- Burst Limit: A higher current/power allowed for a short duration before falling back to the continuous limit
This burst mode allows brief high-power maneuvers (like punch-outs or quick climbs) while protecting the battery during sustained high-throttle flight.
Power limiting requires a current sensor (CURRENT_METER feature). Power-based limiting additionally requires voltage measurement (VBAT feature).
| Setting | Description | Unit | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
limit_cont_current |
Continuous current limit | dA (deci-amps) | 0-2000 (0-200A) |
limit_burst_current |
Burst current limit | dA | 0-2000 (0-200A) |
limit_burst_current_time |
Duration burst is allowed | ds (deci-seconds) | 0-600 (0-60s) |
limit_burst_current_falldown_time |
Ramp-down duration from burst to continuous | ds | 0-600 (0-60s) |
limit_cont_power |
Continuous power limit | dW (deci-watts) | 0-20000 (0-2000W) |
limit_burst_power |
Burst power limit | dW | 0-20000 (0-2000W) |
limit_burst_power_time |
Duration burst power is allowed | ds | 0-600 (0-60s) |
limit_burst_power_falldown_time |
Ramp-down duration for power | ds | 0-600 (0-60s) |
Note: Set any limit to 0 to disable that specific limiter.
| Setting | Description | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
limit_pi_p |
Proportional gain for PI controller | 100 | 10-500 |
limit_pi_i |
Integral gain for PI controller | 15 | 10-200 |
limit_attn_filter_cutoff |
Low-pass filter cutoff frequency | 50 Hz | 10-200 |
Protect a 1500mAh 4S 50C battery (75A max burst, 50A continuous safe):
battery_profile 1
set limit_cont_current = 500 # 50A continuous
set limit_burst_current = 750 # 75A burst
set limit_burst_current_time = 100 # 10 seconds
set limit_burst_current_falldown_time = 20 # 2 second ramp-down
Limit total system power for racing class restrictions:
battery_profile 1
set limit_cont_power = 4500 # 450W continuous
set limit_burst_power = 5000 # 500W burst
set limit_burst_power_time = 50 # 5 seconds
set limit_burst_power_falldown_time = 10 # 1 second ramp-down
Protect both battery (current) and ESCs (power):
battery_profile 1
# Current limits (battery protection)
set limit_cont_current = 600 # 60A continuous
set limit_burst_current = 800 # 80A burst
set limit_burst_current_time = 100 # 10 seconds
# Power limits (ESC protection)
set limit_cont_power = 8000 # 800W continuous
set limit_burst_power = 10000 # 1000W burst
set limit_burst_power_time = 100 # 10 seconds
When you exceed the continuous limit, the system uses "burst reserve" (like a capacitor):
- Burst reserve starts full and depletes when current/power exceeds the continuous limit
- When reserve is empty, the limit drops to the continuous value
- The
falldown_timesetting creates a smooth ramp-down instead of an abrupt drop - Reserve recharges when current/power drops below the continuous limit
Example timeline (60A continuous, 80A burst, 10s burst time, 2s falldown):
Time Limit Reason
---- ----- ------
0s 80A Full burst reserve
5s 80A Still have reserve (using 5s of 10s)
10s 80A Reserve depleted
10-12s 80→60A Ramping down over 2 seconds
12s+ 60A Continuous limit active
Three OSD elements display power limiting status:
OSD_PLIMIT_REMAINING_BURST_TIME: Shows remaining burst time in secondsOSD_PLIMIT_ACTIVE_CURRENT_LIMIT: Shows current limit being enforced (blinks when limiting)OSD_PLIMIT_ACTIVE_POWER_LIMIT: Shows power limit being enforced (blinks when limiting)
Enable these in the OSD tab to monitor limiting during flight.
-
Find your battery's limits: Check manufacturer specifications for continuous and burst C-ratings
- Continuous limit =
battery_capacity_mAh × continuous_C_rating / 100(in dA) - Burst limit =
battery_capacity_mAh × burst_C_rating / 100(in dA)
- Continuous limit =
-
Test incrementally: Start with conservative limits and increase gradually
-
Monitor in flight: Use OSD elements to see when limiting activates
-
Calibrate current sensor: Accurate current readings are critical - see "Current Monitoring" section above
-
Tune PI controller: If limiting feels abrupt or causes oscillation, adjust
limit_pi_pandlimit_pi_i:- Increase P for faster response (may cause oscillation)
- Increase I for better steady-state accuracy
- Decrease if throttle oscillates during limiting
- Power limiting is part of the battery profile system - each profile can have different limits
- Both current and power limiting can be active simultaneously - the most restrictive applies
- Limiting is applied smoothly via PI controller to avoid abrupt throttle cuts
- The system uses instantaneous current/power readings for responsive limiting
- Set limits to
0to disable a specific limiter while keeping others active
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.
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)
Note that in this example even though your warning capacity (battery_capacity_warning) is set to 30% (660mAh), since 440mAh (battery_capacity_critical) is considered empty (0% left), the OSD capacity related items will only start to blink when the remaining battery percentage shown on the OSD is below 12%: (battery_capacity_warning-battery_capacity_critical)*100/(battery_capacity-battery_capacity_critical)=(660-440)*100/(2200-440)=12.5
Up to 3 battery profiles are supported. You can select the battery profile from the GUI, OSD menu, stick commands and CLI command battery_profile n. Battery profiles store the following settings (see above for an explanation of each setting):
bat_cellsvbat_cell_detect_voltagevbat_max_cell_voltagevbat_warning_cell_voltagevbat_min_cell_voltagebattery_capacitybattery_capacity_warningbattery_capacity_criticalthrottle_idlethrottle_scaleturtle_mode_power_factornav_fw_cruise_thrnav_fw_min_thrnav_fw_max_thrnav_fw_pitch2thrnav_fw_launch_thrnav_fw_launch_idle_thrfailsafe_throttlenav_mc_hover_thr
To enable the automatic battery profile switching based on battery voltage enable the BAT_PROF_AUTOSWITCH feature. For a profile to be automatically selected the number of cells of the battery needs to be specified (>0).
In this example we want to use two different type of batteries for the same aircraft and switch manually between them. The first battery is a Li-Po (4.20V/cell) and the second battery is a Li-Ion (4.10V/cell).
battery_profile 1
set bat_cells = 0
set vbat_max_cell_voltage = 420
set vbat_warning_cell_voltage = 370
set vbat_min_cell_voltage = 340
battery_profile 2
set bat_cells = 0
set vbat_max_cell_voltage = 410
set vbat_warning_cell_voltage = 280
set vbat_min_cell_voltage = 250
In this example we want to use two different batteries for the same aircraft and automatically switch between them when the battery is plugged in. The first battery is a Li-Po 2200mAh 3S and the second battery is a LiPo 1500mAh 4S. Since the INAV defaults for the cell detection voltage and max voltage are adequate for standard LiPo batteries they will not be modified. The warning and minimum voltage are not modified either in this example but you can set them to the value you like. Since we are using battery capacities only the warning voltage (kept at default in this example) will be used and only for triggering the battery voltage indicator blinking in the OSD.
feature BAT_PROF_AUTOSWITCH
battery_profile 1
set bat_cells = 3
set battery_capacity = 2200
set battery_capacity_warning = 440
set battery_capacity_critical = 220
battery_profile 2
set bat_cells = 4
set battery_capacity = 1500
set battery_capacity_warning = 300
set battery_capacity_critical = 150
Profile 1 is for a 3S 2200mAh Li-Po pack (max 4.20V/cell), profile 2 for a 3S 4000mAh Li-Ion pack (max 4.10V/cell) and profile 3 for a 4S 1500mAh Li-Po pack (max 4.20V/cell). With this configuration if the battery plugged in is less than 12.36V (3 x 4.12) the profile 2 will be automatically selected else if the battery voltage is less than 12.66V (3 x 4.22) the profile 1 will be automatically selected else if the battery voltage is less 17.20V (4 x 4.3) the profile 3 will be automatically selected. If a matching profile can't be found the last selected profile is used.
feature BAT_PROF_AUTOSWITCH
battery_profile 1
set bat_cells = 3
set vbat_cell_detect_voltage = 422
set vbat_max_cell_voltage = 420
set vbat_warning_cell_voltage = 350
set vbat_min_cell_voltage = 330
set battery_capacity = 2200
set battery_capacity_warning = 440
set battery_capacity_critical = 220
battery_profile 2
set bat_cells = 3
set vbat_cell_detect_voltage = 412
set vbat_max_cell_voltage = 410
set vbat_warning_cell_voltage = 300
set vbat_min_cell_voltage = 280
set battery_capacity = 4000
set battery_capacity_warning = 800
set battery_capacity_critical = 400
battery_profile 3
set bat_cells = 4
set vbat_cell_detect_voltage = 430
set vbat_max_cell_voltage = 420
set vbat_warning_cell_voltage = 350
set vbat_min_cell_voltage = 330
set battery_capacity = 1500
set battery_capacity_warning = 300
set battery_capacity_critical = 150
You can change the control profile, automatically, based on the battery profile. This allows for fine tuning of each power choice.
feature BAT_PROF_AUTOSWITCH
battery_profile 1
set bat_cells = 3
set controlrate_profile = 1
battery_profile 2
set bat_cells = 4
set controlrate_profile = 2
The estimated remaining flight time and flight distance estimations can be displayed on the OSD (for fixed wing only for the moment). They are calculated from the GPS distance from home, remaining battery capacity and average power draw. They are taking into account the requested altitude change and heading to home change after altitude change following the switch to RTH. They are also taking into account the estimated wind if osd_estimations_wind_compensation is set to ON. When the timer and distance indicator reach 0 they will blink and you need to go home in a straight line manually or by engaging RTH. You should be left with at least rth_energy_margin% of battery left when arriving home if the cruise speed and power are set correctly (see bellow).
To use this feature the following conditions need to be met:
- The
VBAT,CURRENT_METERandGPSfeatures need to be enabled - The battery capacity needs to be specified in mWh (
battery_capacitysetting > 0 andbattery_capacity_unitset toMWH) - The average ground speed of the aircraft without wind at cruise throttle needs to be set (
nav_fw_cruise_speedsetting in cm/s) - The average power draw at zero throttle needs to be specified (
idle_powersetting in 0.01W unit) - The average power draw at cruise throttle needs to be specified (
cruise_powersetting in 0.01W unit) - The battery needs to be full when plugged in (voltage >= (
vbat_max_cell_voltage- 100mV) * cells)
It is advised to set nav_fw_cruise_speed a bit lower than the real speed and cruise_power 10% higher than the power at cruise throttle to ensure variations in throttle during cruise won't cause the aircraft to draw more energy than estimated.
If --- is displayed during flight instead of the remaining flight time/distance it means at least one of the above conditions aren't met. If the OSD element is blinking and the digits are replaced by the horizontal wind symbol it means that the estimated horizontal wind is too strong to be able to return home at nav_fw_cruise_speed.
This features aims to compensate the throttle to get constant thrust with the same throttle request despite the battery voltage going down during flight. It can be used by enabling the THR_VBAT_COMP feature. This feature needs the sag compensated voltage which needs a current sensor (real or virtual) to be calculated.
It is working like this: used_throttle = requested_throttle * (1 + (battery_full_voltage / sag_compensated_voltage - 1) * thr_comp_weight).
The default thr_comp_weight of 1 should be close to ideal but if you want to tune this feature you need to find the difference in throttle value to achieve the same thrust (same power) when your battery is full and when your battery is almost empty then set thr_comp_weight to (empty_battery_throttle / full_battery_throttle - 1) / (battery_full_voltage / battery_empty_sag_compensated_voltage - 1)
Example:
If the drawn power is 100W when the battery is full (12.6V) with 53% throttle and the drawn power is 100W with 58% throttle when the battery is almost empty with the sag compensated voltage being 11.0V thr_comp_weight needs to be set to this value to compensate the throttle automatically:
(58 / 53 - 1) / (12.6 / 11.0 - 1) = 0.649
Known limitation: it doesn't work in 3D mode (3D feature)