RCU Forums - View Single Post - Single 2s Lipo for turbine and RX for Jetcat P20
Old 03-25-2016, 03:12 PM
  #3  
Len Todd
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Baldwin, MI
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I run 5700 mah 2S Lipo on the turbine. When my V10 ECU sees a low voltage, it fails to start the turbine. That happens typically after about 6 or maybe 7 starts and flights. When it fails to start, the start cycle gets about half way thru ker.full mode and shuts down. When I put in a fresh battery, it starts. If you can get a start, power-wise you should be good to go. Once you get past the start, turbines appear to be using little mah.

On my system, a failure to start happens after ~ half the mah of the power source is used up. At that point, there is still plenty of voltage and mah there to run a Rxer and servos. However, I always use two separate batteries for a Rxer. In the past, I have put a scope on gas planes and seen various spikes on the power system's CDI circuits. I have never scoped a turbine to see what it generates. I just assumed RF was potentially there and separate the power systems.

Guess whether or not you use one battery for all power depends on how much you want to risk the plane and turbine. Given that I am typically stuck adding weight to get a good CG, I don't mind that weight being the second and third battery for a Rxer. Your situation appears to be a lot different. So maybe the weight savings is worth the risk.

Of course, you could scope the power circuits and look for the RF, ... just to be sure. Might take a UHF scope or Station Monitor to see everything that could potentially impact the Rxer. But if you do not see symptoms of stray RF on the ground, you probably will not see them in the air either, at least until the voltage drops. But then, I suspect that the typical failure to start would preclude that situation.

Just my thoughts! Personally my SOP is if I can afford to take the risk, I try typically try. Then once I get the 5 test flights in, I figure I should be good to go even where there are other people around.