During installation on my jets, I always load check the last connector, the one that the servo plugs into, for each channel.....I repeated that on my Kingcat today using 2 Hangar 9 Load Testors set at 2 amps each for a total draw down each elevator servo wire of 2 amps and 4 amps total out of the battery pack.....as noted above, I use only dual 18 gauge wire from the battery, into 2 parallel 18 ga wire HD switches, and then into 2 separate ports on the RX..no regulator..no Y wires are used......18 gauge wires are used out to the servo connection....total length of 40 inches

Measurements with a fully charged 5 cell---3500maH Nicad pack revealed resting voltage of 6.57 volts......after applying 2 amps to each of the servo wires, for a total draw from the pack of 4 amps, the voltage dropped to 6.47 volts at the end of the servo wires......voltage at that time on my on-board IC4 voltmeter, hooked into the RX bus was 6.49volts....a neglible drop, or maybe even calibration error......

I believe a 2 amp load is a good test for an 8611......my resting current/servo with the plane sitting on the ground is about 325-350 ma and with a 3 kilo battery resting on the elevator, which basically stalls the servo, it approaches 2 amps......

I think typical flight current usage, both continuous and transient, is overestimated, which explains why thousands of flights have been completed on jets using only a 5 cell regulated pack and a single switch, using 22 gauge wire from the battery to the servo, including BV on his heavy iron.....

On a typical flight of my KincCat, most of the servos are near idling current when in level, unaccelerated flight....even with a high G turn or pull to vertical, the rudder, and ailerons are in near-streamline trail, with only the 2 elevator surfaces showing significant current draw, and by my estimation, somewhere between 1 and 2 amps/servo, depending on the G-loading in the turn.....even if it hits 5 amps/servo for a few tenths of a second, the voltage drop would still be less than a volt.......still no problem

My experience with full scale aircraft, especially the Pitts Biplane is that only finger tip and toe tip pressures are required on the ailerons and rudder, with the exception of knife edge flight, where the rudder becomes an elevator, controlling AOA and G-load on the airframe.....the only control that really needs a strong arm is the elevator.....

This is reflected in the low total current draw out of the 5 cell, unregulated pack of 400-450maH/12 minute KingCat flight, switch-on to switch-off......with about 1/2 of that representing idling current any time the switch is on.....which, in my experience, is more than adequately handled by a stout 5 cell/3500maH or dual 1800 maH unregulated packs, dual 18 ga BAT wires, dual 18 ga HD switches, dual RX bus inputs, and 18 ga wire to the servos....

I have no problem with the PowerBooster concept, but they all add additional complexity to the install and take up space which is often at a premium, with the unintended consequence of additional potential points of failure.....


Tom