HobbyKing Universal Heater System

 LasseK 581 points

I guess you could wrap it around your (glow?) engine and heat it that way. But you would be bending and stressing the heat element to get it around the cylinder, who knows how long it would last. I think it's mostly intended for semi-fixed installations.

 450flyer 63 points

No there is no voltage cut off. I had it completely flatten a 3s 2200. I bought a 2/3s low voltage alarm that plugs into the balance port. That works fine. Just for the record I use a 2s 5000 battery

 Darrell 2 points

Thanks for the info, would make sense that it did have it but the voltage alarm idea works to. I think I will try that. Thanks again

 LasseK 581 points

Can't see the video, I just get a message about thsi video being private, sorry!

 cmavr8 24 points

Sorry about that. Anyway, turned out the unit was defective, HK refunded me :)

 LasseK 581 points

All is well then, no worries! :-)

 Gerben 521 points

Just enter your email-adress in the 'stock arrival' field and HK will let you know when it's back in stock :)

 LasseK 581 points

There are two heating "blankets".

 Gerben 521 points

On 12V the heater would draw about 70W. If you have a current limiter you could set the current at 4-5A and the power supply would regulate down the voltage appropriately.

 Crank 3 points

I would'nt run it on 12v "as is". Get's way too hot. But if you mod the pads to be connected in series you would reduce the current to 1.7A, and the pads will be more happy. :) Still get's more than enough heat. Hope this helps.

 LasseK 581 points

Considering that at least two people state that 3S gives way too much heat, I imagine that the thing would burst out in flames with 14.4V! I think you need to get the voltage down to 8V. I use it with a 2S 5000mAh LiPo, which generates a suitable amount of heat for my transmitter glove. It would seem that inside a somewhat insulated box, 2S voltage and this heater would keep your LiPos warm enough. I also would make sure the LiPos are physically separated from the heating elements, considering possible temperature sensor failures with element overheating as consequence. HTH

 StreetDragster 5 points

Hi, thanks for your answer, but i think i didn't explain myself properly. I'm not looking to run it full power at 14.4v, i just want to make sure i wouldn't overload the electronics by having an input voltage of 14.4v max. I actually would set the thermostat low as needed to keep the lipos as warm as needed in the car.
Thanks for the tip on keeping the heating elements seperate.

Matt

 LasseK 581 points

OK, I was a bit unclear too. I hear an on-off sound (a click) from the thermostat when it is working, so I don't really think it is regulating on an analog level, but rather in a full blast on, completely off mode, regulating the medium power to be in accordance with the dial. I'm not 100% sure about this (haven't measured), but it's something you really should check because if this is right, then while the thing is switched on, you really have full blast on 14.4V, so the heat will rise very quickly! Just in case eyh!

 LasseK 581 points

OK, I measured how it actually operates: When only the red LED is lit (connected to the battery but thermostat off), there are zero volts over the heating elements. When the thermostat turns on (yellow LED lit), there are 6.7V over the heater, with a battery voltage of 7.4. So with 14.4V you should get something like 13.7V over the heater, which translates to around four times as much power! So if 3S already is a bit much, chances are the whole thing will just burn up with 14.4V.

 StreetDragster 5 points

Thanks very much for looking into that for me Matt

 Gerben 521 points

Hi Matt, This item is perfect for creating a Lipo heater box. My heaterbox based on these pads has seen a lot of use over the past year (I fly F5B hotliners where we always preheat lipos). There's a thread on the build, check out RCGroups in the airplane> high-performance section and search for 'lipo heater box'. **** rcgroups **** /forums/showthread.php?t=1459652&highlight=lipo heater box (remove the spaces). Works in a running car too, no problem. Gerben

 Crank 3 points

Just tried it in the car today.... WAYYYY too hot. The alu.foil or whatever it is on the top started shrinking, and smoke coming from it.... :p

 LasseK 581 points

Hey Crank, I assume you ran it on the car battery, i.e. 14.4V or so? Gerben made a suggestion about using a brushed ESC and a servo tester. To me that sounds downright smart, and pretty cheap too (so maybe that would work for you). HTH

 LasseK 581 points

With emphasis on the smartness and not the cheapness, sorry about that phrasing! :-)

 Crank 3 points

Hi Lasse. Yep, around 14V. :) Have the items for that kind of setup laying around (bought them for that exact use), but just felt like testing it for melting ice on front windshield of car one morning. LOL. I believe it would've worked to just connect the pads in series to, seems ok on 12.6V on different setup. Phrasing non taken. :)

 Gerben 521 points

Hi Crank. You need to stick the thermostat to the pads themselves, on the foil side, near where the hwires inside the pads run. The thermostat will then avoid overheating of the pads. Even better is to put the pads between 2 plates of aluminium to spread the heat. That's how I've been using them for a long time now without problems (check my thread on 'heater box' at RC Groups in the High Performance section for some images.

 LasseK 581 points

I guess you could use a PWM power regulator instead of the unit with the temperature sensor, but that means buying a whole other type of unit. If you check the discussion above this one you see that the regulator is of on-off type, with a regulation of the mean temperature being close to what you want, so I really can't see a simple mod to get what you want. HTH

 Gerben 521 points

I don't understand the question? The tempsensor feeds back into the thermostat, where the potentiometer in the thermostat determines the on/off temperatures. So both are needed to cotrol and set the desired temperature.

 LasseK 581 points

Gerben, you are right. But I interpret the question like so: "Can I somehow regulate the power to the heater directly with this unit without using feedback from the temperature sensor", but that is not possible since this is an on-off regulator, which uses the temperature sensor to get the average power correct for the set temperature. If the unit would have been a pwm regulator instead of a simple on-off one, then it would have been possible to do without the temp sensor.

 Gerben 521 points

If you want PWM regulation just get an old brushed speedcontroller hooked up to a servotester (or get them at hobbyking,pretty ccheap). Easy enough.. Gerben

 cmavr8 24 points

Hey Gerben, have you tried that? Are you discarding the blue heater box completely? Just connecting the Brushed ESC to the heating elements directly? thanks

 rob 28 points

hi gromuluss, i soldered the pads in parallel and bind it with a 2200mAh battery and the thermostat on 30degrees. Now I get a constant heat in the glove of 25 degrees. The pads become about 45degrees max (not burning hot for your hands). I have about 1hour and 15 minutes of heat on a 2200mAh (with 3,4V left on the cells). Putting two batteries parallel you get about 2,5 hours of comfortable heat (and some extra weight around your neck :-)) No change of melting things or burning your hands. On the bottom of the glove i have put a piece of thermobag that is used in supermarkets to keep things hot or cold. It reflex the heat and keep the heat a little more inside the glowve. The pads I have put next to each other on the bottom of the glow. Using velcro. Hope I have helped you

 gromuluss 219 points

Thanks Rob That's excellent time I have 6x2200 mah 3s packs so that should be plenty of time.

 Tank1 279 points

James not sure what your did mate but i've been using mine in my TX glove now for a good couple of years and never had a problem with it,plus i put my heat sensor as close as i can to the pads but not on them,i doubt many people would want to crank this unit up to the max as some might do,a bit of common sense always help when using electrics and IMHO i thought it was well made for the price,so now when i go out and fly in our winter i have nice toasty hands,not hot but nice and warm when i set the temp to around the 30 degrees mark.

 david 18 points

use a liposaver

 2stroke 83 points

there is no way unless you makes some from nichrome wire, plus you may overload switching device in controller

 18turbo 165 points

Nope, will drain as far as it can. Also fyi, a 2100mah 3 cell 25c made it quite warm but also dumped out the battery quite quickly.

 Dorulet 77 points

No but i managed to squeeze in a lipo alarm.There is enough space in the control module for this one: PRODUCT ID: HKing-3S). Note: soldering skill required :)

 450flyer 63 points

use a 2s 4000 mAh. Works well. also use a plug in battery monitor to keep an eye on the battery. With that mine works fantastic.

 devid 11 points

io consiglio di usarli con 2s fanno molto caldo

 Chowdher 23 points

Nope - but you can swap the heaters into series and that will give you twice the time and 1/2 the draw and still produce great heat.

 rob 28 points

Thanx, how can you put it into series. I'll credit

 Chowdher 23 points

Here's a link that should set you in the right direction. (In the picture, substitute the heating pads in place of the batteries, and the output up top will be the input from the controller. www.link

 rob 28 points

Hi Chowdher, thanks again. I can imagine how it works and I'll give it a try. I don't see a link: only ****link

 gromuluss 219 points

i got a idea Just short out your lipo pack and you wont need the heater unit HA HA

 Chowdher 23 points

That would work too...

 brushless boy 7 points

short out a lipo yes you wont need the heater unit because you wont have hands to use it on lol.
these heater units are tramendous from what ive been told so im considering on getting myself one for the price you cant go rong so why not it keeps hands warm in winter when out racing rc truck's,boat's,plane's etc so i recommed this to everyone *)

 Dorulet 77 points

Yes you can put it in your pocket it is quite small. It is smaller than a pack of cigarettes.

 Deathman 9 points

But is it safe to stick it in your pocket................ If the gloves burns you can throw it away but in your pants it´s hard to throw them away :)

 Gerben 521 points

Sounds like a very bad idea. When the thermostat sensor somehow is not connected to the pads (it can fall off easily), the heating wires reach temperaturs over 80C, which could result in serious burns.
Bad idea, don't do it!

 rob 28 points

you cannot put it in your pocket. The control unit which you see ont the photo is as small as a cigarette package, but the heating strips (that give the actual heat) are 2 strips with aluminium about the size 20cm x 4 cm and they become very very hot. Even white the temp. on 30 degrees. You will burn your hands.

 Chowdher 23 points

All I did was make an incision next to one of the heating lines and installed the thermostat. Have had zero issues with heat control. Also, if its still too hot for you, re-wire the leads in series...

 rob 28 points

Hi Chowdher, thanks for answering. I'm not an technician (also no two lefs hands) but I don't understand the solution. For me serie and parallel is always confusing.

 Chowdher 23 points

Hi, If you google series vs parallel circuits, you'll find a wealth of information that should help you out. Right now, you're wired in parallel. You'll need to cut the wires and do some soldering to make them into series. I'm sure once you see it you'll be able to make it happen.

 rob 28 points

thanks. I have seen it and give it a try.

 rob 28 points

Hi Chowdher, I managed it (indeed easy to do if you understand it) and it works very very good for my transmitter glove. Temperature around 50 degrees on the path (not burning hot) and a 25 stable in the glove. Thermo on 30 degrees. On a two batteries parallel binded :-)))(3s 2200mAh) I get 140 minutes of comfortable warmth with still 3,5V left on the cells. I want to credit you for this perfect idea but HK disabled the feature..? I'm now contacting support why? It think the discussion support is better then the HK support. I'm a so called 'elite member' so I can inform the director (!?). See where it gets me.

 Chowdher 23 points

Hi Rob, Glad it all worked out for you! I'm getting ready for some winter flying. The glove will get definitely get some use this year.

 viper2003 26 points

bad idea. Hands heat = condensation in a close enviroment, the worst friend for the electronic of transmitter...

 rob 28 points

Hi Viper, this winter i'm flying with the heater and transmitterbag. Sometimes for 2 a 3 hours. Just warm hands and no condensation. I can also see / read my transmitter display through the 'window'. That would be impossible with condensation. It's the same as flying in summer.

 Dorulet 77 points

Probably yes, but no, i would not recommend that. This device usually outputs about 5 amps max. Your wire cutter would probably require more. I have a wire cutter and i use a standard PC power supply to power it (at 12V). The deluxe version would be a laboratory power supply station that will offer more control.

 vayavaya 49 points

Thanks four your answer. Good Idea to use a pc power supply.

 Gerben 521 points

No it will not. This is just a relay, controlled by a thermostat. The thermostat is too slow to follow the heating up of the wire, which happens very quickly. Better off to regulate your temperature by the length of wire and supply voltage. Use An alligator clip on one side of the wire and slide it to make the Nicrhome wire shorter untill you reach desired temperature.

 NumnutChriS 472 points

No, it turns on and off. Better use an brushed esc and a servo driver instead. The HK 20A brushed esc should do fine. Usually you need 1-5A depending on what kind of wire you choose.

 gustyk 7 points

I did exactly the same. I also added velcro in the back of the heater pads so they don't slip. In addition, i created a little pocket to place the box inside the mitt to avoid moving the potentiometer accidentally and get burnt.

 Gerben 521 points

Just get a little lipo-watch and add it to the balancer plug. Switch off when the alarm sounds. They're pretty cheap anyway.

 Sloperdude 1309 points

Thanks gustyk and Gerben. Both had good ideas. I'd have given you both credit if I could have.

 Chowdher 23 points

You could also switch the pads into series... 1/2 the current - still smoking hot...

 PILOTERO 36 points

Not a big dischargue is needed for this item. You can use a 15 or 20C lipo without problems *)

 18turbo 165 points

mine was draining a 25c 2100 pretty quick, I'd choose something a big bigger than 1000 unless you plan on using it at a low setting. Be sure to use its temp sensor.

 450flyer 63 points

I put a watt meter on mine. 3s 2200mAh set at 40° ant i ulls 60W and 6A only while it is getting up to temp then shuts off. My battery is only 15C and OLD!!! I will run on 1000 mAh battery but you will have to charge/change it regularly! 20C would be ample.

 450flyer 63 points

S**** my previous comment! i get 15min out of a 3s 2200 15C. if you use a lipo make sure you check it regularly, i killed one with my first outing! I have ordered a Low Voltage Alarm.

 Gerben 521 points

Why would you want to run this off a lipo? Run it off your 12V power supply or car battery when used as a tyre heater. When using as a transmitter glove heater get 2 packs of 3S5000mAh and run in parallel. A voltage alarm is a good idea also. While heating it draws between 6-8Amp, so a small lipo will be drained pretty quickly.

 lechat 33 points

yes, you can. Don't forget for put temp sensor in the engine, for stop heating, when it reach 80C. But careful, stock heaters are not intended for such high temp, it can make a smoke:)

 RC-Powerbus 8 points

Is even used for heating up the lipo's to a certain temperature, ut than a thermosenser is extra fitted for not to overheat. This all to get a better performance out of the F5B Hotliner drive unit To heat up a methanol motor? Should work. Don't heat up to much 15 to 25 degrees Celcius would do. My OS 46AX starts best when 'cold', heated it's a dog to start...

 Gerben 521 points

Yes that would work perfectly. You may wish to add some velcro as it might be too long to fit around a nitro motor. do NOT forget to hook up the temp sensor or the heating pads will melt thenselves.

 Mamoulian 6 points

It depends on where the thermostat sensor is located and what is the supply voltage.It is best to 3S and sensor near the patch

 Gerben 521 points

The heater comes with 2 heater patches.

 Gerben 521 points

I used these for a Lipo heater system, check out the thread on RCgroups, in the High Performance section. As standerd it has about 7 degrees hysteresis, with just 2 extra resistors this can be modified to only 1.5C. Works great, have been using the heatr box for almost 6 months now, every weekend (always heat my lipo's to 35C, flying F5B). Regards, Gerben

 Dr.Tom_CRO 137 points

can you describe the procedure please? because the 7C is way too much for direct skin contact... I would like it to be more precise... thnx

 Gerben 521 points

Hi, The procedure is described in the thread on RC Groups, I've included an image where it shows the littler modification, which involves adding just 2 resistors. Can't really add direct links over here, but try this without the blanks in the middle: ***********rcgroups. www.link

 Dr.Tom_CRO 137 points

thanks, found it, but if i do exactly like you did, the hysteresis raises! 25k on the right and 3.5k on the left. pin raised. but different pcb(yellow, and slightly different markings on the chip itself...) any ideas?

 Gerben 521 points

Hmm, that didn't work. Pop over to RC Groups, High Performance section and do a search for Lipo Heaterbox. Should come right up. Hope this helps.

 Gerben 521 points

Not sure if you have a different PCB. I assume the thermocouple/sensor is placed right against the heating coils on the pads? Might wish to try a 50 or 100k on the right, might possibly help. If that doesnt work I'm out of ideas unfortunately.

 BrotherBloat 1 points

I spoke to the lovely customer service and they are scheduled to be back in stock in mid May 2011. To be honest - I am waiting for mine and not cancelling the order, because I know I will eventually need it in the winter! :)

 Gerben 521 points

Just be sure to setup an email alert so you get notified when it's back on stock.

 Sawdust 1605 points

Mine too vasy, almost everything written on the bottom of the box relates to them being used as tyre warmers. That should please the car guys who were wondering :)

 kdawgdinner 263 points

yeah, same with mine. this is the biggest rip off from hk for me ever. it doesnt even fit in the transmitter glove. RIP

 Gerben 521 points

Be very sure to attach the seperate sensor to the warming pads or they will reach over 80 degrees C, which may cause burns and will (partly) melt the pads. You can guess how I know...

 brushless boy 7 points

it does not fit in your transmitter glove because there is 1 made for this heater system that has to be purchased separately its specially made for for the heater system

 vasy1 605 points

Draws 55.5 watts/4.75 amp and idle and 102 watts/ 9.6amps when heating on 3s lipo.

 kdawgdinner 263 points

agreed

 fantasiiio 113 points

In cooolds days (-20 to -30 celcius) you need this kind of heater, or staying at home is another good idea.

 DannyB. 54 points

Had a max amp draw of 6.9 using a 13.8V power supply...

 ASD-Modellbau 13 points

Perfect for hot food delivery *o)

 BrotherBloat 1 points

definitely - I look forward to taking this to the field and keeping food warm while driving, then switching to keeping hands toasty :)

 Aaron 86 points

You could heat your lunch with it *)

 Fusion 480 points

I agree. I would have killed for that when i had my motorbike in winter. Would of stuck it down my jocks...lol and maybe one on my back/neck.

 kdawgdinner 263 points

dont get one. i got one and it doesnt fit int he transmitter glove it specificaly states ont he box that it is meant for rc tires. bigggest rip

 daniel_81 10 points

Hahaha i'm in OZ too abd i bought one lol

 ASD-Modellbau 13 points

Its perfect for pizza guys :o)

 bradlee 61 points

it wouldnt have a lipo cut off

 Aaron 86 points

Doesn't really seem like a big deal to me. I would be able to dust of my NiCads and finally get some use out of them.

 kdawgdinner 263 points

no it does not

 ASD-Modellbau 13 points

I use this one. www.link