I am trying to set up my Intel Nuc as the Onboard Computer for using DJI OSDK on my Matrice 100. I am looking for suggestions to find a way to power the Nuc from the Matrice.
In the beginning, I connected a DC-DC voltage regulator to one of the XT30 ports to get 19V and power the Nuc. It worked okay for a while and I was able to fly the Matrice outside using OSDK. But it has suddenly stopped working now. When the Nuc tries to boot into Ubuntu, it shuts down abruptly.
In short, use separate power source for Onboard PC and sensors.
Typically sensors and PC such as IR or LIDAR or NUC draws power heavily. If the current changes, the sensor value will change (which is bad). The PC will need a safe margin of voltage e.g 16 to 21. A sudden gust wind can cause the drone to output thrust power at a maximum which might lower the voltage for couple secs. In this case, PC might gets shut down or provide wrong calculation output ( e.g false odometry output)
So adding a stand-alone small size 5 cell battery should give you stable performance. Here I cant promote a specific commercial item. For my project, I bought the battery from Hobbyking to do the job for onboard PC and Kinects. You can search there for the battery that suits your need
PS. don't get DC to DC converter, typically it is very low efficiency and prone to power disturbance. I use typically raw battery and BEC(for 5V or 12V Sensor such as IR sensor and Hokuyo LIDAR)
