by hedderick » Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:57 pm
In case anyone is interested, I have been using a Lipo battery in my EC12 for about a year now. The RMG winch is fed directly from the lipo, whereas the Spektrum receiver and other servos (3) are powered through a 3 amp, 6 volt voltage regulator ($15, weight .3 oz). This is a very simple step up to install and there are several advantages:
1) The RMG winch requires a momentary 20 Amps (yikes) each time it starts to turn. No Nimh battery can put out this type of amperage, so the whole systems sees a momentary voltage drop... 97% of the time, this is no problem, but it can cause the Spektrum reciever to drop out and then you lose control. I've put a volt meter on the system and with a lipo, the voltage is rock steady, not choppy like with a Nimh
2) The RMG is VERY powerful and FAST with a Lipo (8.4 volts is the initial voltage of a two cell lipo)
3) The other servos are run at their max voltage of 6 volts and the voltage is very steady, so the rudder, in particular, is always very powerful, even in heavy air.
4) Once a lipo is charged up at home, it does not bleed off power while sitting idle. So when you go to sail, you always have 100% charge.
5) Lipos do require a special charger and they are more expensive
6) The lipo in my boat is velcroed high on the keel side, so it doesn't get wet. It only weighs 2 oz.....
7) My boat has not gone up in flames yet, nor am I concerned. Lipos can become very hot if rapidly discharged or charged, but in our boats that is never an issue.
If anyone is interested, the installation can be seen at Palm Beach Gardens.......Yellow Boat #38
Richard Hedderick