At CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Sony introduced a new Battery Station and announced the development of new accessories for its Airpeak S1 drone.
Along with the battery station, Sony is also developing a new battery pack to help with longer flight time and an RTK (Real-time Kinematic) kit with base station (this will be available later this year) to expand operational capabilities for longer flight times and precise positioning data.
The new Battery Station (LBN-H1) was designed for professional drone operators flying Sony’s Airpeak S1 drone. It provides convenient storage and transportation of up to ten Airpeak S1 battery packs (LBP-HS1) while providing intelligent and fast charging for eight battery packs (charging four at a time).
The LBN-H1 Battery Station includes built-in charging cables for two remote controllers (RCR-VH1) and is equipped with three standard auxiliary power outlet accessory sockets that can support a variety of accessories including 12V outlets that can charge mobile devices, cameras, and other USB accessories. The accessory socket cap can also be used as a stopper to prevent the lid from accidentally shutting due to wind or other factors while using this product.
The pack includes two charging modes based on the operator’s needs. This includes (QUICK) mode, for shorter charging time, which will charge up to four LBP-HS1 battery packs from about 20% to 90% in approximately 30 minutes and (FULL) mode, which will charge up to four LBP-HS1 battery packs from about 0% to 100% in approximately 55 minutes or from about 20% to 100% in approximately 50 minutes. A built-in fan automatically cools the batteries.
Up to eight battery packs can be discharged simultaneously whether the battery station power is on or off. Fifty percent (50%) mode can be used for long-term storage and will take approximately 17 hours to discharge from about 100% to 50%. Twenty-five percent (25%) mode for air transportation will take approximately 27 hours to discharge from about 100% to 25%.4
The Battery Station comes in a travel case with wheels and an extendable handle. It is approximately 21 7/8 in. (553 mm) H × 16 3/4 in. (423 mm) W × 10 1/4 in. (258 mm) D (including projecting parts) and weighs approximately 33 lb 8.2 oz (15.2 kg) (Not including battery pack, power cord, etc.). It is also certified UL62368-1.
Price & Availability
The new Battery Station (LBN-H1) will be available from January 19, 2023 at a suggested retail price of $2.899.99 USD
Pricing and availability for the new battery pack and RTK kit will be set at a future date.
Recent System Firmware & Airpeak Flight App Updates
Major system software (version 1.2.0) for Airpeak S1 and the Airpeak Flight app (version 1.4.0) was released in October 2022. These updates provide a pre-flight check screen display, shutter sound notifications, and zoom lens control. Mission Flight was also improved to offer support for a wide variety of use cases such as industrial applications for mapping or modeling.
