ORIGINAL: bvmjethead
Here are the reasons I chose the Powerbox....
1. battery redundancy.
Available using 2 packs in parallel. No other parts needed.
2. voltage regulation for each battery pack.
Available using supplied regulators if using lithium. Not needed if using NiMHs. Extra parts not needed.
3. switching done electronically and not dependent on an actual plastic switch. ANY failure of the switch, the switching fails in the open position.......theoretically
Dual switches eliminate this as a worry. But there are also "failsafe" switches available that do not require a powerbox.
4. complete isolation of the servos and leads from the receiver through ferrite chokes.
Never had the need for this. So it solves a problem that does not exist. Did you need servo isolation before?? Have you had problems that servo isolation fixed??
5. servo signal amplification
Were you having a problem with this?? I have never seen a problem with a weak servo signal. SO why solve a problem that does not exist??
6. servo end point and center point programming.
Matchbox works well when I need this on multiservo installations.
7. voltage monitoring visible ON the aircraft, no pulling out a battery meter and plugging in to read the batts voltage level. Average and lowest voltage seen during the last flight is visible at the touch of a button.
OK, kind of nifty. But since I do not use voltage as my primary indicator of flight time it once again solves a non-problem.
So of your 7 points, only one really seems to be even a little intersting (#7). I know these are the latest greatest, but once again, they clearly appear to me to solve a whole host of problems that no one has documented actually exists. Show me the data!! Show me that the things these devices do are really needed. That's all I ask. Otherwise it is all just sheep marketing.