Optipower Backup Guard

[TheBum]

I got the Ultra Guard installed in my 7HV today and my DX9's telemetry alarm adjusted. I ended up shortening the backup power wires because there was a bit too much to bundle. Crimping on the new connectors was a bitch; the wire appears to be 20AWG and the silicone insulation just would not go inside the holes in the housing. As a result, I ended up mangling the "rear" of the housing and I'm not 100% confident of the job I did.

As others have reported, I had none of the brownout issues by wiggling the sticks on the bench as I had with the Scorpion BUG. I'm a happy camper.

[J_Rig]

Testing 2 units tonight, on the bench only; now they are powered down (long press) and red led blinking keeps blinkin....forever it seems : why ? ( button does nothing )
Another question if I may; is the lipo connection* necessary to unplug other than for long term storage...I have to plug/unplug just to get it ready again...(?) ( make it see receiver voltage )
*ie guard lipo itself

Thanks!

EDIT GOT THESE TO WORK AS ADVERTISED : DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID WRONG

[maarset]

I still have mine on my logo 600SE. Got mine on the pre order. So far it has been working flawlessly. Don't even think about it. It just works.

I fly it at least once a week so I gave not bothered with putting the 2S pack at storage level. Am I ok doing this?

Mike

[acidla]

1 week will be ok mate. If longer then I would put it to storage mode to keep IR low.

[OPTIANDY]

I still have mine on my logo 600SE. Got mine on the pre order. So far it has been working flawlessly. Don't even think about it. It just works.

I fly it at least once a week so I gave not bothered with putting the 2S pack at storage level. Am I ok doing this?

Mike

No problem at all Mike, we suggest a month is fine leakage current is low, you can of course just unplug lipo and it will stay at 8v which is max charge it goes to.

Andy

[maarset]

No problem at all Mike, we suggest a month is fine leakage current is low, you can of course just unplug lipo and it will stay at 8v which is max charge it goes to.

Andy

Thanks Andy.

[Planehazza]

Andy, noticed a couple of things today I'd like to ask your advice on if possible?

1) Use with remote glows - today when starting my G4, the Gryphon Auto Booster drawed enough current to drop the voltage by 0.5v, triggering the optiguard. I was able to replicate this with ease. My only workaround is to boot up, start the engine and then connect the opti guard to the Rx. I plan on adding an inline switch to make this easier. Any thoughts on how I can prevent this?

2) When in flight, the LEDs flash when doing hard climbouts and stops - the ALIGN servos are obviously dropping the voltage by > 0.5v under load. In this scenario, the LEDs aren't flashing constantly to indicate that the opti guard has kicked in. Is this something I should be concerned about?


Thanks!

[Mark_T]

2) When in flight, the LEDs flash when doing hard climbouts and stops - the ALIGN servos are obviously dropping the voltage by > 0.5v under load. In this scenario, the LEDs aren't flashing constantly to indicate that the opti guard has kicked in. Is this something I should be concerned about?

This just indicates that you are momentarily dropping by 0.5V and the Optiguard is stepping in to protect you from the voltage drop. As long as it is only momentary the alarm will not trigger.

It would be better if your voltage didn't sag that far under load, but it really isn't all that hard to get a 0.5V drop when using Align servos so personally I wouldn't be too worried if the alarm is not triggering.

The glow problem is an interesting one. I've not yet tried the Optiguard with my SwitchGlo, but I'll do that when I get back to the UK next week.

[Planehazza]

This just indicates that you are momentarily dropping by 0.5V and the Optiguard is stepping in to protect you from the voltage drop. As long as it is only momentary the alarm will not trigger.

It would be better if your voltage didn't sag that far under load, but it really isn't all that hard to get a 0.5V drop when using Align servos so personally I wouldn't be too worried if the alarm is not triggering.

The glow problem is an interesting one. I've not yet tried the Optiguard with my SwitchGlo, but I'll do that when I get back to the UK next week.

Yeah the align servos aren't the most efficient. I'll see if my Rush does the same next time I get to fly it. I haven't flown it since fitting the opti guard.

[Planehazza]

Sorry for the early bump. Anyone else experiencing the issues I mentioned above? I'm wondering if the 0.5v tolerance needs to be upped slightly, to 0.75-1v. I'm surprised that the auto booster makes it drop the amount it does, but alas it does it 95% of the time. Only just mind. The surge current of flicking it on seems to drop the voltage for a split second by about 0.6v, obviously enough to trigger the optiguard backup.

[Mark_T]

I was going to ask if you'd figured out how low it actually goes, so thanks for the detail.

I'll be back home on Tuesday, I'll test with the SwitchGlo and see how low that one goes.

What are you using as a power source?

[Planehazza]

I was going to ask if you'd figured out how low it actually goes, so thanks for the detail.

I'll be back home on Tuesday, I'll test with the SwitchGlo and see how low that one goes.

What are you using as a power source?

30C-60C 2500mah A123 pack. Ds610 for cyclic and ds650 on the tail.

[Mark_T]

Thanks, I'll test on Tuesday with the SwitchGlo and the Align 2-in-1 so that should cover the most likely situations where people are using an on-board glow driver.

Once I've got an idea what the various voltage drops are it will be easier to suggest ways around the problem.

[Planehazza]

Thanks, I'll test on Tuesday with the SwitchGlo and the Align 2-in-1 so that should cover the most likely situations where people are using an on-board glow driver.

Once I've got an idea what the various voltage drops are it will be easier to suggest ways around the problem.

Thanks mate, appreciated. I'm tempted to simply add a switch the line that goes from the optiguard to the Rx so I can force the unit to stay off until I'm ready to go. This will mean that the auto booster won't cause any early triggers.

[Mark_T]

Thanks mate, appreciated. I'm tempted to simply add a switch the line that goes from the optiguard to the Rx so I can force the unit to stay off until I'm ready to go. This will mean that the auto booster won't cause any early triggers.

Although that would work, it does remove some of the simplicity and certainty from the device as you do have to remember to turn the switch on. Also I really don't like switches

I do have an idea or two that could possibly be implemented in firmware, but I need to know what the range of voltage drops are from devices of this type on different power sources before making any suggestions.