ORIGINAL: krashkart
I have a typical 1500 mah 4.8v pack.
My project is an Ultra Stick 40 with 7 standard servos. I got to thinking about the drain on the battery. I am running a Spektrum receiver.
Would I be wise to upgrade to a 6v pack with high mah capacity or would that be overkill?
If you have a few 4 cell 4.8V 1500mAhr packs and you're concerned about capacity and redundancy then connect two of those packs in parallel to your receiver via a "Y" lead.
Thats doubles your capacity and provides real redundancy; A 5 cell 6V pack does NOToffer redundancy or a safety net of any kind.
But if you feel you want/need the higher voltage, then opt for the 6.6VLiFePO4 packs that are now available. A 1800mAhr or 2100mAhr pack will provide around 2hrs of flying with that Ultra Stik if you are a relaxed pilot and let the plane do the flying and you the guiding. But you must remember to recharge when voltage drops to 6.4V. They remain at 6.7 to 6.6V for around 90% of their capacity. Once you get to 6.5V you have less than 15min flying time left.