bigplumbs

So now Hobby King seem to have got a very good lookalike of the Powerbox duel regulator switch for $15.............. Incredible price..... So do we think it will be any good.

First to say ................. I wouldn't put one of those in my jet gets one free

Or indeed cheap rubbish will qualify for somthing I am sure

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=16811


Dennis

bigplumbs

Just ordered one. It cost me the princely sum of £10 incl postage to the UK. I want to have a look at one

Dennis

AmishWarlord

My Feedback: (5)

No way I'd use cheap anything for a jet with a $3,000 engine in it.

I am however going to try out these 15A UBEC's for the giant sweet'n low stick. Going to use them with twin receivers and 2S 2000mah lipos. If they do good in the prop job then they will get to ride in the Panther.

Really though I don't know why jet guys don't test out thier gear in ugly sticks before putting them into a jet.

I quess it's "I'm a jet pilot now! No more prop planes for me!"

bigplumbs

Remember cheap is only a price does not necessarily mean that it is no good. Perhaps Powerbox buy theres from Hobby King

Jim Cattanach

It looks like a cheapo copy of a Powerbox sensor switch. The Powerbox version allows you to switch between nicad/nimh, life, or lipo. This one is for lipo only.
Still, if it works reliably, it's a lot cheaper than the Powerbox.

AmishWarlord

My Feedback: (5)

Most of this cheaper HK stuff is the same design as the "good stuff" but lower quality materials and NO quality control.

However I got this 90mm EDF in this week and it looks really good. Quality and fit seem OK. I need to take it apart and loc-tite all the screws and balance the rotor. They claim 6.1 lps static thrust. We shall see. Going to mount it in the Crusader II

bigplumbs

Looks good how much was that EDF

Dennis

Henke Torphammar

QC is the biggest problem!! Okey they use injectionmolded plastic instead of carbon fibre... that would be fine if they just woulkd have thrown the faulty ones in the bin.

Or the Spektrum recivers selling for virtually nothing, I would not be surprised if they were genuine Spektrum recivers... that did´t pass the spektrum QC, sold as bulk.

3d flip

You know the saying, buy cheap buy twice

AmishWarlord

My Feedback: (5)

$57.25 with shipping.


http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=14788

Couch Potato

and don't whinge and moan if you get hit for import duty, VAT and handling charge !

Not very keen on Chinese electronics.
Used to buy in a SMPSU from USA, it was great.
They moved production to India, it was bad.
They then moved production to China, it was bloody awful ! Looked like a blind dog with parkinsons had hand soldered the surface mount components, several times [:@]

Duncan

I wonder if Powerbox will stop HK from selling their products, now they are so obviously copying them??

bigplumbs

So 2 that makes it £20

bigplumbs

Heck I have bought so much from hobby king and so long as you keep the orders small the variouses taxes dont apply. They certainly dont apply at £10

HarryC

My Feedback: (1)

PB doesn't own that design, for example Multiplex makes a very similar one http://www.modelspot.com/safety-swit...batt-187-p.asp

Robrow

And the "twice" would probably include your high value jet [&o]

Rob.

siclick33

Do they? Or is there some sort of license agreement with Powerbox? I'm pretty sure Duralite used to sell Powerbox products with their own branding.

Edited to add photo.

bigplumbs

The fear that surrounds products that are priced at little money (I am deliberatly not saying cheap) is what allows the brand names to charge the high prices they do.

We should try and test these products in low value planes or indeed on the bench to see how they perform. I remember when people only wanted to buy thunder power batteries and Kontronic ESC's. I have used countless Turnigy lipos and many and varied ESC's and they have not let me down yet.

And think about it, Next time you buy a Powerbox switch........... Is that what is in the box or have they just had them made by Hobby King....... Makes you think doesn't it

China will take over the world 3 bilion of them you see no stopping them now

Dennis

bigplumbs

Look at that one £86 v £10 and who is to say it is any better ?????

Robrow

I am quite happy to pay the difference and give the good folks at PB and their stockists a healthy profit. Been using these PB switches for years with no failures so will continue to do so whether the cheap imitation is as good or not.

Rob.

bigplumbs

Each to there own I surpose.................. Interesting however . So if two things are the same and as good as each other and one is £10 and the other is £70 you would buy the £70 one............... Does that make sense or is it that you are just loaded

Dennis

3dean

dennis

sod the expense , yes of course we are loaded !

siclick33

But they aren't the same.

There is certainly a difference in the software as the Powerbox one has selectable battery types and low voltage indications. Whilst they might appear similar, how are you going to compare the quality of the components and assembly?

invertmast

My Feedback: (23)

Let see...

1. Pay the people who actually designed the product to begin with what they deem it is worth to cover their R&D expenses and give them some profit margin, so they can come out with other great products...

OR

2. Pay HK or some other Chinese company much much less for a copied design, that they do no R&D and/or very little QC to make sure it works as its supposed to, then let the original R&D company go out of business and loose another valuable commodity to this hobby b/c of Chinese manufacturers who have no problem copying patented and intellectual property...


I'll go with option #1

Gordon W

Page 4 of the Powerbox sensor instructions

http://www.powerbox-systems.com/shar...englisch_f.pdf

says they make a 5.5V version with Mpx connectors. So it seems likely that PB make the Mpx one.

Page 8 gives a reason why a cheap copy might not be as reliable.

Page 12 has a block diagram of the circuit indicating what’s inside the PB switch. Does the HK version have anything similar in their instructions which might show that it works in exactly the same way?

I’ve had a couple of the PB versions in my two (admittedly small) jets working for a couple of years now and like the fact that I don’t have to be suspicious of their quality.

FWIW I’ve had a dozen of HK’s 30C and 40C Turnigy and Zippy lipos, and the poor results and failures I had with them are the entire reason I gave up on high power (3.5-4kW) electrics and turned to Wren 44 Gold turbine and Saito FG-36 petrol power instead as being ultimately more cost-effective and more reliable.