Voltage Regulator

[swale]

Infact this reminds me...absolutely shameless plug lol

http://www.rcheliaddict.co.uk/sale/9...ml#post1001368

[George J]

On my Rave nitro and the 2nd Rave I'm now putting together I've been using Gryphon Vega reg with pin flag switch and Gryphon Autobooster, works perfectly.
If however you're electric then either Gryphon Quasar hv (Swale above has one for sale at a good price) or on my 700 DFC I'm using a Gryphon Agena 45v BEC and run it off one 6s pack, DO solder it on the right pack though (ask me how I know!)
Basically I've run Gryphon regs or BEC etc on my last few helis and have had zero issues as they are great products.

[aro03]

I'd like to add some info, pics and performance data to back up what Swale has said. I will do a full review shortly after i finish my testing. I actually started these tests a year ago way before i came across the HV2BEC. I was unsatisfied with the voltage sagging exhibited by the Gryphon 7075LMT and WR Hercules Super BECs under load.

I bought myself an HV2BEC when i saw Mikado's data. The independent test data show that it is the highest performance power supply you can buy, sustaining voltage to your RX and servos better than a 2S lipo or any other BEC/buffer combo.

The HV2BEC comes in three versions (Fullsize, Mini, Alu), all of which share the same internal design. The Alu is simply a Mini in an aluminium case. There is also a nice realtime OLED monitor available which docks with all three versions. This BEC is designed specifically for the demands of large electric models and requires a 10S-18S input.

P1010814.jpgP1010816.jpgP1010821.jpgP1010830.jpgIMAG0181.jpg


In my most recent set of bench tests I simultaneously measured servo movements and BEC output voltage. My test rig consists of Synergy E7 with 3x JR8717HV servos and a Vbar silverline with pitch pump set at 50. Data was acquired by a simultaneous A/D converter sampling at 50kHz. The figure below compares BEC output voltage during a single full range movement of the swashplate from full negative to positive pitch (+/- 12.5 degrees). The result is clear. Only with the HV2BEC is the system actually running at 8.4V:

result.jpg

It is worth noting that the voltage transients i have measured when running on the Quasar/WR BECs do not yield brownout conditions in flight, or warning errors in the vbar log. Without adequately resolved measurements, you may not realise that your supply voltage is sagging.

I have also performed measurements in flight using telemetry logging. These confirm what is observed in the bench test data. As Swale mentioned, I believe that there is a noticeable improvement in the response of the helicopter during hard stops and 3D manoeuvres when flying on an HV2BEC.

The manual is available here

[Guest]

If you run a direct 2s setup I can appreciate voltage may alter more than a regulated voltage however will there really be a noticeable performance issue? Unless your lipo is due for a salt bath it's still going to supply fairly high voltage throughout the flight nothing like your Gryphon graph results. If you have a sad/tired lipo then no matter how good a reg is it can't put out what it can't take in. I appreciate that if a reg is poor at maintaining output voltage then you will get sub par performance from your equipment.

Reg vs Unreg but good to see in reg terms the real winners.

MJ

[aro03]

I will update my data to include a thunderpower G6 2700 mAh 2S lipo measurements shortly. A 2S lipo is a good choice for a power supply.

However it will not run your HV servos at constant 8.4V. For example see here.

Do 2-3V power supply transients make a noticeable difference in performance to most people? I won't make any assumptions about this. If anyone would like to see for themselves i have two ALU units on loan from the designer of the HV2. I am happy to let people test fly these, just send me a PM.

Hopefully this isn't coming across as pushy, i only want to offer people accurate data which they can use to make informed decisions about the products they fly.

After my tests showed how good the BEC is, i decided to get in touch with the designer (Linus) to try to help bring it to the UK market via my retail sponsor. I believe it is a well engineered, good value product. In this respect i am affiliated with him but I paid full retail price for the HV2BECs i am currently flying and would do so again.

[Guest]

Unregulated lipo will by its very nature of the setup vary voltage throughout the flight but its good to see on Mikado's web it's a solid solution. Some BEC's are clearly not up to the task on tests/paper and the HV2 deserves a closer look for some setups. Setup plays a big part as well as servos are not made equal. My Futaba HV/MKS seem to take little current for example compared to Align HV and JR8717's, no logged data going on mah put back in after a flight.

The other thing to think about is how you get the power in your setup. Often the servos are connected to a FBL power bus. Take a mini Vbar some setups only provide one path of power in to the unit, JR/Futaba plugs max at 4 amps I believe from memory, split power or Y lead then got 8 amps. Full size prob get 3 paths in 12amps.

The only time (touch wood) my power system wasn't robust enough was 5-6 years ago, Futaba BLS451, Scott Gary Reactor X, Vbar (thirsty on power then), cost me a Trex 700 and managed to cut the servo's in half!! That's when I went direct lipo :-)

MJ

[trillian]

This BEC is designed specifically for the demands of large electric models and requires a 10S-18S input.

---Just want to point out, the OP was asking about RX power for a nitro helicopter, most likely using something like Align 610 servos, so not electric and not HV.