Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (Full Version)

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cruzomatic -> Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 1:42:14 AM)

I've been flying a good while now and have never used a voltwatch until recently when a friend gave me one. I do have a Hobbico loaded voltmeter and do use it, but probably not as much as I thought I would. Anyway, just curious if you all use those Hobbico voltwatches.

I kind of like the idea of knowing whether go or no go with just a glance at the voltwatch.






DMcQuinn -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 1:54:04 AM)

I have used a voltwatch from time-to-time and they work well. Wiggle the sticks from corner to corner to put some load on the electrical system. You can see the voltage drop a little but you know that it is not too low to fly. I also use a loaded voltmeter after the third flight.



gaRCfield -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 2:08:52 AM)

I just bought one. Sometimes there will be days or even a week or two before I can get to a field, so Voltwatch will tell me if I need to charge; keeping the batteries charged all the time will create "memory" from what I am told-If you keep the batteries charged between 3/4 and full all the time, the batteries will think that that is all the capacity they have. Voltwatch will give me a better idea of where I'm at.



springhillflyer -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 2:53:51 AM)

i've got a voltwatch on all my planes....gives me great piece of mind cause i KNOW where my battery is at and never have to guess. so i figure the ten bucks you pay for one is well worth it when you consider the possibility of ditching your plane cause its outa juice.



Missileman -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 3:07:49 AM)

I have one on every plane I own.
Loaded voltmeters are fine and I do own and use one but Voltwatch is a quick check every single flight plus it also verifies your switch and battery connections to your receiver are good, something a loaded voltmeter won't due simply because you are taking readings directly from the battery.
This is one, some times heated, topic. You will hear both opinions here.



bruce88123 -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 4:01:40 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: FatOrangeKat

I just bought one. Sometimes there will be days or even a week or two before I can get to a field, so Voltwatch will tell me if I need to charge; keeping the batteries charged all the time will create "memory" from what I am told-If you keep the batteries charged between 3/4 and full all the time, the batteries will think that that is all the capacity they have. Voltwatch will give me a better idea of where I'm at.

Another Ol Wives Tale. In the good ol days batteries weren't as good as today and "memory" did exist enough to worry about. I keep my batteris on the wall warts 24/7 when not at the field and in almost 30 years have never experienced it.



Campgems -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 4:11:16 AM)

I'm addicted to them also. One on every plane. I too have a loaded volt meter and a expanded scale volt meter. As Missleman said neither one of them will tell you what your system is seeing, only what the battery looks like, and then not at a peak load like all servos moving. They also provide a great "ON" light, which is important if you are like me and sometimes forget to turn off the radio when you get back to the pits.



5focus -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 6:24:45 AM)

I just installed a Voltwatch on one of my planes. The idea of a quick look see to check the battery is slick. Low battery voltage is the nightmare of R/Cers. Alot of planes have gone in because of missed battery checks. Our club is trying to get our flyers to do a battery check before each flight. Now the bitter pill might easier to swallow with the Voltwatch.



bigtim -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 8:34:39 AM)

I definatly use one as a spot check to see where I am at,and to see what my charge status is I need to get a couple more for my planes.



Wild Foamy -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 12:08:00 PM)

i got a few

one on my trainer, one on my bossanova and one on the four star, just wiggle the sticks as mentioned previously and it should give you a general idea of battery condition

i run one on my HPI Savage aswell to help keep an eye on battery condition (im running a big 15kg servo and lights, so the hump pack can deplete quickly)



kid chuckles -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 1:38:12 PM)

Besides that they are cheap and provide peace of mind, they look cool under a tinted canopy. I have a couple with the pilot head that has dark visors on them and the lights reflect off the visors and just looks cool. Just turn switch on and you know right then if you need to recharge or not. That is pretty darn good. I also keep my batts. charged up alot. Even if your batt does develop memory and think it only has full to 3/4 charge that is usually more than you will use in a day. But mine I might leave plugged in for a 24hr. period and then not for a week or more and they are fine. Batterys are alot more gooder than they used to be lol.



Flying freak -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 2:18:54 PM)

I don't understand these things [&:]

the volt watch provides NO load so if you wiggle the sticks you will see the light drop again but thats nothing like in flight i mean unless you have a real binding issues.

Would it not be better to use a LOADED voltmeter so simulate and IN FLIGHT load not just servos moving on the ground with no air resistance.

Does no one else think these things might sorta give you a false impression that your good to go even though......

Steven



nobodytwo -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 3:04:27 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Flying freak

I don't understand these things [&:]

the volt watch provides NO load so if you wiggle the sticks you will see the light drop again but thats nothing like in flight i mean unless you have a real binding issues.

Would it not be better to use a LOADED voltmeter so simulate and IN FLIGHT load not just servos moving on the ground with no air resistance.

Does no one else think these things might sorta give you a false impression that your good to go even though......

Steven


Duh! [8|] You understand very well!



carrellh -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 3:10:12 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Flying freak

Does no one else think these things might sorta give you a false impression that your good to go even though......

Steven


If you check the voltwatch at the END of each flight it tells you what you have immediately after being under actual flight loads. That should tell you if you're ok for more flying.

If you check it before a flight it could possibly give you a false sense of security.

The voltwatch argument will probably still be going on when we're all dead. Another argument is cost. Voltwatch costs about 10 bucks per plane. A loaded voltmeter and lead costs anywhere between 20 and 40 bucks and should be a one time purchase.

I have a loaded voltmeter.
I have a voltwatch or two.
I have a few MPI switches with LED charge indicators built in. These are my favorite.



Rodney -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 3:23:54 PM)

IMHO the Voltwatch is much superior to a loaded voltmeter or expanded scale voltmeter for the following reasons. If you see the lights dance when you wiggle the sticks it is telling you that you have a potential problem in your plane as you are getting voltage drops at the receiver (you do have the voltwatch plugged into one of the receiver channels, right?) due to either to small a gage wire between the battery and receiver, a high impedance switch, a servo drawing excess current when excited or some other problem causing this voltage drop between the battery and reciever. It is almost as good as monitoring the voltage with an oscilloscope. When everything is properly installed and you check it at the end of each flight before turning off the transmitter and receiver, you can be quite assured that another flight is safe to do.



R/CBOONE72 -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 3:38:38 PM)

I use just voltage meter from the outside. I don't have any way to see in the airplane and I don't want it on the ouside of my perty airplanes either. I run alot of li-ion is my stuff anyway. And on my big stuff, I want to put a heavy load on it, not with moving servos though.



2HI2C -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 4:05:32 PM)

Never have used one. I Charge my Bty's before I fly.



somegeek -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 4:12:10 PM)

I don't use them. I charge between every 3-4 flight outta habit with exception of my smaller 1/2A 370mAh packs which get charged after two flights.

I run a 6V 1650mAh pack in one of my 40 size plans which is overkill but I bought this before I started considering weight as much. Can fly all day on it.

somegeek



dixielandsbigal -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 4:28:33 PM)

I like the voltwatches a lot. I have a bunch of them. but it is important to understand how a batt. works. You can't fully rely on that. It is cheap insurance though. I just bought 3 of them straight from china (knockoff brand) for $20 free ship.



Fastsky -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 4:47:58 PM)

I have one in my Sea Fury. At the beginning of the third flight of the day the Volt Watch read all green. At the end of the third flight, the Volt watch only had one Red light left on at the end!! I parked the plane and checked the batteries when I go home. One of the cells had reversed. If I did not have a Volt Watch I never would have suspected a bad battery after 3 flights!! Every new plane gets one now. Nuff said!! [:D]



cruzomatic -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 4:54:02 PM)

Interesting thoughts on voltwatches I must admit. Great points of view,,,



Gray Beard -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 5:08:47 PM)

I have A couple and use them. I have one on A Hots just under the wing and I tend to forget it's there. It's mounted just forward of the aileron so you don't really see it unless you bend down and look at it. I don't bend very well anymore so I wish I would have brought it out just an inch or two for my body ease. For the money they are an extra safty item and I like that. I still use my meter though before each flight after the second or third time up.



CGRetired -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 5:27:41 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Flying freak

I don't understand these things [&:]

the volt watch provides NO load so if you wiggle the sticks you will see the light drop again but thats nothing like in flight i mean unless you have a real binding issues.

Would it not be better to use a LOADED voltmeter so simulate and IN FLIGHT load not just servos moving on the ground with no air resistance.

Does no one else think these things might sorta give you a false impression that your good to go even though......

Steven


The voltwatch, by design, is always in the circuit when the receiver is powered on. That means it always monitors the receive system while under load. The load is provided by the system itself... receivers and servos, plus anything else you may have that is operating off of the receiver battery. Keep in mind that the voltwatch is plugged into a vacant receiver channel port so, by design it IS in the circuit.

And, yes I use them, religiously.

CGr.



RCKen -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 7:07:20 PM)

I don't use them myself. But I highly recommend that beginners use them. So, why would I recommend something that I don't use myself? I'll cover why I don't use them in a sec. But for beginners, and even seasoned pilots, the Voltwatch makes for a very easy to use system to monitor the health and conditions of your batteries. There is a lot of things that people learning to fly need to learn and take care of, so a system that takes the guesswork out of monitoring the batteries can't do anything but help the pilot. This may sound funny, but IMHO Voltwatchs actually extend a pilots flying day. Too many times I'll see a beginner fly three flights and then pack it in because they are afraid of not having juice left in the battery, whereas a voltwatch will show them that they do have plenty left. Another case are those that quit when the voltmeter reads 4.8 volts. If you quit when a voltmeter reads 4.8 volt (on a 4 cell pack) you are quitting with 60%-80% of the battery capacity REMAINING in the battery. The discharge curve for batteries like this is the batteries pretty quickly drop to 4.8 volts and then remain there for a very long period before dropping off. The voltwatch shows this condition of the battery by showing in the green and reassuring the pilot that they have plenty left.

So why don't I use them?? First, cost. It would cost my well over $100 to put a voltwatch on each of my active planes. Second, I regularly cycle my packs so that I know their capacity and replace batteries as the lose capacity. Third, I use an Extended Scale Voltmeter at the field. My meter puts a HUGE load on the batteries (1500 Mah) so I can get a great indication of what's left in the battery. I check batteries when I get to the field before flying, and then I check after 3 flights. After that I check after each flight to see what's remaining the battery. When it' drops below 4.8 v (or close the time I established by cycling the pack) I quit flying that plane. My days aren't cut short because I usually go to the field with 2-3 planes so I always have something to fly.

Anyway, that's my take on it. I think that Volwatchs are a great tool, but they aren't a necessity. It's entirely possible to get along without one and still get the most of out of your batteries and not risk flying when the battery is low.

Ken



Campgems -> RE: Voltwatch, you all use 'em? (3/16/2008 7:27:31 PM)

CGRetired summed it up very well.

I'll add one more thing. The loaded volt meters puts an arbartary load on the battery which may or may not equate to a nominal load your sysytem puts on the battery. It's kind of like liking your finger and holding it up to see which way the wind is blowing. They give you a rough idea of how your battery is performing under a load, but not how it is performing under the load it is expected to power.

Take two planes, one plane is a small 19 size trainer with three mini servos and the other is a 1/4 scale bird with retracts using seven large high torque servos. The small setup may draw 300ma max while the larger may draw 1500ma under a light load. Using the 300ma load found in some of the loaded voltmeters, will probably give a good load test on the small plane, but it isn't even sticking a wet finger in the air for testing the big guy. The batteries are different capacities and to assume you were getting an accurate reading using the same load level on different capacity batteries, is just fooling youself. Using a 300ma draw to test a system that draws up to a couple amps or more under extreme load is giving you a false sense of security also.

Don



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