JetAwithPrist

What are your feelings on 4.8 volts vs. 6.0 volts for an airplane?

Flyfalcons

I have a friend who flies 6 volts unregulated. The servos really go crazy after a charge, and I would not want to subject my servos to that kind of abuse. I just stick with 4.8 since all my chargers are set up for 4.8, I can use a Voltwatch, and my servos don't jump around like they are on Speed. If you go with 6 volt at least get a regulator.

Vince

My Feedback: (1)

Depends on what your after. If you fly IMAC, or TOC type of aerobatic large planes, the 6.0v will give you greater servo speed and torque, at the expense of run time. If you are a sport, or scale flyer, there is IMO little need to go to 6.0v.

Vince

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

I find that the extra speed and power allows me to use less expensive servos and get the power of some of the expensive servos.

sfaust

My Feedback: (11)

As previously said, if you are flying aerobatics competitively, or want more performance in your sport airplane, then 6V does offer some advantages. If you are flying scale, and/or are happy with the performance of a current setup on 4.8v, there many be no need to go with 6v.

The best part is, that its very easy to try out and see what you think. Just swap the 4.8v pack for a 6v pack of slightly greater capacity, and go fly it. If you like the difference, keep it. If you don't even notice the difference, then staying with 4.8v packs might be the best bet.

With 6v, you should get snappier performance from the same servos. They will respond faster, and will have more torque. Using a 6v pack will also use up current about 10-20% faster, which is why you should increase your capacity by about the same margin when moving to 6v. Buy using 6v, you are also helping to reduce the voltage loss of your entire electrical system by starting with a higher voltage.

There is usually a significant voltage loss in the wiring in all planes, and going with larger gauge wire and 6v packs helps reduce the effects. You won't actually see 4.8v at the servos in a 4.8v system, but will probably seen something much less. In a 6v system, you will probably see somewhere above 4.8v, but less than 6v because of the same voltage loss. It really depends on the size of the wire used, and how many connectors and Y extensions are in use.

Regulators are not required, nor really recommended, as they reduce the reliability of the overall electrical system. They have more components, added failure rates, and can introduce RFI into the system in some cases. I know Futaba and JR state that 6v systems are fine for their current receivers and servos, and most IMAC pilots have been flying 6v packs for many seasons without regulators without any issues. So, for all practical purposes, adding a regulator just because you want to go with 6v packs is really unnecessary, and does in fact reduce the reliability of the electrical system.

I am not trying to say that regulators are not built well, or have a higher than normal failure rate. Only that adding more connections, circuits, and components with their own failure rates increases the likelihood of a failure for the entire system. If you took a battery and put 100 switches between it and the receiver, you have significantly increased the likelihood of a failure. If you want to keep the overall reliability high, you don't want to add anything unnecessary between the battery and the receiver, unless it provides redundancy which will actually increase the reliability.

Using a single battery, one switch, and one receiver is more reliable than a single battery, a switch, a regulator, and one receiver. However, by using two batteries, two switches, and two regulators, and plugging each into the single receiver, you have actually increased the reliability of the overall system. And even better, is the same setup but without the two regulators, which is even more reliable. Tradeoffs in costs and reliability.

With that said, if you will be fast charging at the field, and wanting to fly right after a charge, you may need to use a regulator. You can install the 6v packs, and see if you get the jitters after your normal field charge or not. Then you can determine if you should use a regulator or not. If the plane typically sits for a short time after a fast charge, the voltage dissipates enough to avoid the problem. But if the plane doesn't sit, or if the electrical system is very efficient, you may get the jitters. While the jitters won't hurt anything, you wouldn't want to fly it that way, or leave the system turned on if you notice it. Typically, the jitters stop after a couple minutes of system on time, or after sitting for a half hour or so.

JetAwithPrist

thanks guys,

I have a battery pack with a bad cell, and i may get 2 cells and try it as a 6v. I dont normally field charge so my battery packs sit for a while before flying. I like the idea of just giving it a try and seeing if i like it. If i dont feel i need it can always take one cell back out.