Iam building a 4* sixty with a 2.4GHz receiver and want to install a LiPo battery as a source of power. Can you please recommend a voltage regulator to use (Ihave digital servos if it makes a difference)? Also, what size LiPo would be adequate?

Thanks

I use Fromeco regulators.....

but honestly in a 4* (great plane!)  I would just use a standard Ni pack.....

I use 5 cell 1400 -1600 packs for glow planes....

nice and simple.

The LiPo is an option, but you would also need to remove it from the airframe when ever you charge...

I wouldn't use a lipo in a 4 Star......the 4 Stars are pretty tail heavy your battery will be buried up front....don't charge lipos in the plane...we had a good fire at our field last week from a lipo...the plane was a total loss as the overhead almost was too

The only reason why Iam considering a LiPo is because of some of the low voltage issues on 2.4 receivers that Ihave been reading about. My thought was to go with a 2-cell LiPo and regulate it down to ensure Ialways have enough voltage at the receiver (basis what Ihad read this was even more important with digital servos.)

Iactually have a 4.8V1100 NiMH pack that Iwas originally going to use. If the general consensus is that this will not cause any problems, then Iwill just use that.

Get a 5-cell (6V) NiMH pack if you're worried about low voltage brownouts. With standard servos and a properly sized 4-cell pack, I doubt you'll have any problems (I haven't). I use NiMH packs made from 4 or 5 A cells in my planes. The A cells have a much higher current draw capability than AA cells. I get my A cell packs from cheapbatterypacks.com . They have a custom battery pack maker on their website, you can choose the cells you want, the configuration (brick, stick, side-by-side, etc), the wire gauge and the connector type.

The only way you have a low voltage concern(other than a for real discharged battery) is if you have Spekltrum/JR receivers from a year ago or more and have not sent them to Horizon for the firmware update. Read the Horizon bulletins and it is easy to see if you have updated firmware. Basically, with the transmitter and receiver powered, momentarily turn off your receiver and then turn it back on. If the lights in the receivers blink, you are good.

I think he means the Futuba R6014 recevier <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><u>"Signal output voltage" </u></span>it is the only receiver that Futaba puts out that has a <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><u>signal output voltage </u></span>at 2.7 volts. I have one make that two of them. Has nothing to do with the operating voltage of the servo as far as enough power to make the servo work. Just affects the servo if the signal voltage is tow low for the servos you use. Most servos out there that have been made in the last 3/4 years will work just fine. To check if it works.just hook up your servos to this receiver....if they work without any problems on the ground then they will work in the air as well. You can find this information at the Futaba support forum ..

Actually my comment was of a general nature related to 2.4 systems. Ihad heard (possibly incorrectly), that all these systemswill shut down power to the receiver temporarily, long enough to have a problem if the model is too close to the ground.

Ihave a Spektrum Tx/Receivers and did some more research after Iread the posting from airbusdrvr; all my receivers do have the latest firmware so Ishould be OK. I will just go ahead and use my 4.8V battery pack.

Any system will if you don't have a battery to provide sufficent power and capacity.

The older Spektrum receivers were known for brownouts causing a reset time of a few seconds. The newer Spektrum receivers supposedly have upgraded firmware that reduces reset times to 1/2 a second or less.

As Barracuda said, any receiver can shut down due to a brownout if you don't have a properly sized batt pack for your setup. The long Spektrum reset time just exacerbated the issue.

pkh,

Thanks for the insight, but let me clarify something:assuminga 4.8V battery back has a sufficient charge, would there still be reason for concern? Icertainly undertand the issue if the batterywere low on charge, causing the voltageto dropbelow the shut-down setting of the receiver.

You mentioned this could be an issue without a "propperly sized battery pack." Given the system information that Ihave provided, can you please make a recommendation of what type/size of battery to use (what Iam planning on using is a 4.8V1100 NiMH pack, the servos are all digital)?

i use a 600 mah nicad on my spad which has futaba 617 fasst receiver and futaba 7c. i only put about two or three flights per flying session on it. it has standard servos. i bought a 5 cell nimh 1600 mah for a plane with digital servos.

If you have digital servos, I'd recommend getting a 4 or 5 cell pack made from A size cells or 4/5 A size cells (not AA). I'd only use AA cell packs with standard servos. In general, if you are using digital and/or high torque servos, get A cell packs, they have a much higher current draw capability than AA cells.

Here's a link showing several different cell sizes. The Elite 2000 is a 4/5A cell that will make a good pack for running digital and/or high torque servos.

http://www.cheapbatterypacks.com/?si...&amp;chem=NIMH

Partially true. If you have Spektrum/JR receivers bought prior to a year or more ago you could have the original firmware. But even the oldest ones that have been sent to Horizon for firmware update function just like the latest "new" receivers. The oldest original receivers, if updated, function just like new ones.

Thanks everyone, Iordered a 5-Cell pack just to be sure.

I never said you couldn't update the firmware in the older Spektrum receivers.