I am getting ready fly my 28% WH Edge and decided to install voltage regulators as an added safety precaution so here is my question.....should I use 5.4V regulator or a 6.0V regulator? I am using FUTABA receiver and a 6V/ 1650mH battery pack. Is there an advantage of using one or the other, or does it not really matter. PLEASE HELP....... Thanks
Shawn

Most people will tell you that using a fully charged 6v battery on a reciever won't hurt the reciever.. I have done so and I think that I actually blew two of them in two separate planes.. When you fully charge a 6v you can get up to 6.8v(at least I have seen this with mine).. The more volts the better power and speed you will get out of your servos but I think I over did it on mine.. Especially if you have an older reciever I would say regulate your battery down to at least 6v so that a fresh battery wont fry the Rx.. This is my opinion and you will hear many..

Most of the current receivers on the market will handle more voltage than most think. However, none of the manufacturers will warranty any of their products if run at a voltage over 6.0. Using a freshly charged 6 volt battery, unregulated, will instantly void the warranty, but the receiver should handle it just fine. The choice is yours. If you need to dial in a specific voltage that's not 4.8 or 6 volts, I suggest a Fromeco SuperReliaswitch. You can adjust the voltage output from 5.1 to about 6.3 volts as needed.

As an aside, I know of people that have been using 8.4 volt lithium batteries throughout their system, unregulated, for the last 7 years with no adverse issues. I neither condone nor condemn this practice. This was for informational purposes only.

To answer your question of 5.4 volt or 6 volt:

6volt would be prefered so you get the additional torque and speed, but it depends on the brand of regulator you use. Most regulators will become passive if the source voltage drops below the regulated voltage. If this is the type regulator you have then go with 6v. Otherwise I would go with 5.4.


Passive(stops regulating and allows source voltage through the regulator when the source voltage drops below the regulated voltage.)

Dan, give me a call today when you have time at either my work 601-634-4297 or cell 601-415-4445 phone.


Bobby

If you plan to buy regulators might as well take the plunge and get lithiums at $25 ea http://fromeco.org

I don't know where you are getting this information Pat, but Futaba rates servos at 6 volts, and if you tell them you are using a 5 cell pack for your receiver they will STILL honour their warranty. I know this for a fact, since I have done this exact thing. A regulator is not needed and simply adds another point of failure in the system if you are running a 5 cell pack. Yes, the hot off the charger voltage is almost 7 volts, but the pack has a NOMINAL voltage of 6.0 volts, and this is what Futaba is talking about when they rate a servo at 6 volts. I can't speak for other manufacturers, but I am quite convinced that they would be of the same opinion, in fact, I've seen JR branded 5 cell flight packs!

Jim

I own a 5 cell 6v JR Nicad and I think it fried my Airtronics Rx... Maybe if I would have let it sit a while and discharge down to 6.4 or so I would have been ok..

I have used 5 cell batteries unregulated for years with no ill effects. For simplicity I would run a dual 2700 MAH nickel metals through dual switches into a single RX in a 28% bird. I see no need to run regulators unless you are running lithiums.



Shawn

I also have run 6v batteries in Futaba RX with no problems and I still run a couple of them,,but I think if you gonna spend the money in regulator I would get the Li-ion batteries too!!! so you regulate the 7.2v to like 6v, the Fromeco 2400mah are only like $27 which I think it's really good price for a li-ion battery,, and you can fly a lot with one charge!!!!