Hi all,

I have quick question, I have an Anker Power Bank (Anker Power Bank) that I typically use for recharging my Switch and phone on the go, but I was wondering if it could be used for providing backup power to my Googles?  I currently I have some FatShark Attitude V.5s and will be shortly getting the new Orqa Pilot goggles.  I did a search here and did not get anything back definitively. So I was hoping to hear if anyone has used one for that use before?? Don't want to plug it in and destroy a $500+ pair of goggles.

Thanks!

You're only going to get 5v out of the pack since the goggles don't do any QC or PD negotiation. My Fatshark Predatorv2 and HDO2 require 2s voltage (7.6v) so it would be too low for the Attitudes I would imagine. I know nothing about the Orqa line but would guess they are 2s voltage as well.

Some goggles takes 5V input like the Skyzone Cobra S/X, but not for the Fatshark you have. You might need to DIY some sort of 5V to 2S-3S step up converter.

Not going to worry about it, I will continue to use the 18650s. The Anker pack was 10000mAh so it would have been nice to have a backup option, but don't want to rig up something just to use it.

Yes, you can power your Fat Shark goggles using your power bank, even though it just provides 5V and the goggles need 7.4V.
It even still works with a power-hungry receiver attached to them.
Simply use this cheap 5V USB to 7.4V 5.5mm barrel converter.

This works, but is not very efficient, as the power bank first converts the internal 3.7V to 5V, which this cable then converts to 7.4V.
The conversion loss probably costs you half the capacity of the power bank, but you should still be able to power your goggles for hours with it.

There is a more efficient option once you have a power bank that supports at least QC 2.0:
Get a 9V QC 2.0 voltage trigger and solder a barrel connector to it.
They sometimes mix up orders and send you a (useless) 5V USB connector instead, so better measure the resulting voltage before doing anything with it.

I have recently ordered a different model for USB-C PD, which I haven't tried yet.

Those buck/boost based voltage step down/up converters are very inefficient and struggle to provide a stable voltage.

Loosing power to the goggles mid flight means either a damaged quad or a lost quad depending on how and where you are flying.

Best to use the right tool for the job. A 2S or 3S lipo is supported by most goggles and is cheap enough to not want to risk using a power bank.

Sure, a 2S/3S lipo is clearly a safer option. Some people might not have spare one around though. The boost converter can be a cheap alternative for those who have a power bank.
It of course comes with more risk. The goggles will not provide any low-voltage warning. The power bank will just do a low voltage cut off at some point and the world goes dark in a blink of an eye. It works reliably for me when checking the voltage indicator in between flights, so that I can stop when it gets to 25%.

I didn't trust the thing when I got it, so I made some measurements first to be on the safe(er) side.
It provides 8.4V at 82% efficiency at 100 mAh current draw. The efficiency starts decreasing when going above 500 mAh, down to 71% at 1000 mAh. The voltage drops linear with the increasing current, down to 8.05V at 900 mAh. After that it takes a dive because my power bank is limited to 2000 mAh.
My googles & receiver draw between 550 and 600 mAh, so I consider myself to be on the safe side there.
I didn't test if the voltage ripple had any negative effect on the video quality or range, but I didn't notice anything obvious so far.