by Albert Stall » Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:58 pm
You know, we are sailing boats here. Not flying RC planes. I've been flying RC for over 40 years and I can't remember one time when I lost a plane due to battery failure. Now remember that 40 years ago battery technology was not what it is today. But still I lost planes due to inattention or midairs or poor landings. But I truly cannot remember a loss due to low batteries.
What is the worst that can happen with our ships? Your stuck in the middle of the pond and can't bring your ship back. Well, look at it from a positive point of view......a nice swim won't harm anybody (don't do that in Florida) or you can beg that fisherman to get your boat back or you might be lucky enough to have a retriever boat at your beckoned call.
The point is, this whole issue is a non issue. A skipper knows his boat. As was said by Rick, shouldn't it be the skippers reponsibility to know his ship? All these safety circuits that cause the servos or winch to move in a given direction when your power goes low is all well and good but it ends up that it is a more expensive product for us to purchase and I don't think the advantages are worth the cost. And that doesn't include the vast amount of discussion that this subject has and probably will continue to generate.
But you guys know your ships. If the behavior is erratic or slow, you know you better get back to shore and check it out. Learn how to properly take care of your batteries-proper charging techniques, cycling, good quality cycle/chargers that create a "no worry" atmosphere..
<center><font color="blue"><font size="4">And most important, use the right batteries and wire size to do the job.</font id="size4"></font id="blue"></center>
Use a minimum of 20awg wire, keep the wiring short, seal the hatch with tape to prevent water entry.
I use 2700MA AA 6volt RX packs and 2700MA AA 4.8volt cells in my Spektrum Dx6i TX. That amazes me that the technology has changed so a 4.8volt TX supply will last a day of sailing. It is rare that I have to change batteries during a day of sailing.
When I first started sailing EC12's, my RMG 250DL winch was wired using the standard connections. I quickly learned that for me it was not a good thing. After losing power due to the internal regulator, I quickly rewired to the alternate connections. There is no reason, as far as I can see, to regulate the voltage. All the components we use can tolerate low as well as high voltage (up to 9volts) so why inhibit the low voltage side.
Sorry about the rant, let the skippers be reponsible for their ships.
Al Stall