RCU Forums - Elevator problems on my edge 540

Tom,

Just to make a point about voltages and servos, along with seeing the difference I'd like to add the following. It competely presumes that the euipment used is above the minimum required to perform the task.

If you take three planes that are equal in all aspects except the servos we will have a strting point. Using the fastest, metal gear analog servo that's available for regular r/c use at 4.8 volts, perfrom a 4 point roll as quickly as you can while still making positive stops. Watch the way the plane rolls. It will do the job, but it will be kinda "lazy" in the way it gets to each point. Increase the voltage to 6 volts on the same servo and you will see a marginal improvement in the roll performance and speed.

Now take the next plane and equip it with high quality digital servos for the ailerons and supply them at 4.8 volts and perform the same roll set. You will note an immediate improvement is the speed, accuracy, and crispness of the rolls. Increasing the voltage to 6 volts brings you to the point where those same rolls are starting to look very similar, if not exactly, as those performed by the "super stars" with their super planes. Provided of course, that the rolls were performed with the correct control inputs.

I've personally experimented in this area and found the above to be true 100% of the time. It gets even better with dual aileron servos in larger planes. With the right equipment, being provided an adaquate amount of voltage, you can indeed "feel the difference"

In any case, a servo that can handle 6 volts but is only provided 4.8 volts will under perform compared to the same servo provided 6 volts. Now if there is enough amperage and battery capacity to provide constant voltage to all the servos at the same time without a significant drop in voltage things get better still. That's where a lot of people fall down. They will have 6 volts, true, but the battery capacities will be too low in availble amps to maintain a constant current flow to all the servos when they are all working hard simultaneously. That's where the higher capacity batteries with their regulators come into their own.

As to the question regarding the superiority of li-ons... any battery with the correct voltage and amperage can do the same job as a different battery of similar voltage and capacity. The differences come into play with the weight of a battery and the duration that those batteries can supply the needed voltage. By themselves, li-ons are not that big a deal. But combine them, or better still, li-polys with their higher discharge capabilities, with other weight saving measures and it becomes worthwhile.