Other RC Parts & Components

The Sport BEC is a high capacity switch mode BEC (battery eliminator circuit) for RC models.

One of the main features of the Sport BEC is that it can provide two levels of voltage to your servos. A small switch on the side of the Sport BEC lets you choose either a 5 volt output, or 6 volts for greater servo responsiveness, speed, and torque. This is great for RC helicopters, which need the servos to operate as fast and crisply as possible.

The Sport BEC connects to your electric system between the ESC (electric speed controller) and the receiver, so that you don’t need to disable your ESCs BEC. Just plug the Sport BEC in and fly.

Many ESC BEC ratings are inaccurate, because the capacity of the BEC goes down as the pack voltage increases. This means that your servos might not be getting enough power if you use a high voltage battery. The Sport BEC eliminates this problem and is capable of an output voltage of 3.5 amps when using up to an 8 cell battery. This is enough current to power up to 8 standard servos or 6 digital servos.

The Sport BEC can power almost every kind of model aircraft servo, including digital, standard, and micro servos. If you are using the Sport BEC with micro servos, be sure to set the voltage to 5 volts, or consult the servo owners manual. Some micro servos can be damaged by 6 volt power.

The Sport BEC has been designed to minimize radio interference, but we recommend that you place it at least 2 inches away from the receiver and antenna.

Use the Sport BEC to power the radio system of your nitro conversion plane, robot, or other RC vehicle. It also makes a great replacement for the low current BECs built into most ESCs.

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Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
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The CellShield voltage cutoff is an advanced lithium ion and lithium polymer battery voltage cutoff for use with RC models.

Unlike other types of batteries, lithium packs can become damaged if the voltage of each cell drops below their specified minimum. The CellShield voltage cutoff prevents this from happening, by constantly sensing the the voltage of each cell. If any cells are in danger of being over discharged the CellShield triggers an immediate cutoff.

The CellShield voltage cutoff features a variable voltage cutoff, adjustable by a small dial on the back of the unit. The cutoff voltage can be varied from 2.5 volts to 3.5 volts, so you can use the CellShield with most lithium and lithium polymer batteries.

The CellShield voltage cutoff automatically detects how many cells your battery pack has. This lets the device know how to balance the pack during discharge, so that no cell gets over discharged. The cutoff voltage is also adjustable via a small dial on the back of the unit, so you can adjust the setting for different battery packs. The voltage cut off can be adjusted from 2.5 to 3.5 volts, which will protect most lithium and lithium polymer batteries.

Please note that if you use Thunderpower brand batteries, a 2 mm to 0.1 inch adapter is required, because the CellShield uses a different pin layout than Thunderpower connectors.

Use the CellShield voltage cutoff to protect your lithium polymer and lithium ion batteries in your RC models.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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Choosing what brand and type of connector to use with your lithium polymer battery is a decision that is often overlooked and not given much thought. Although it will mostly come down to personal preference there are few things to keep in mind when choosing what connector to use.

1) How much current (Amps) with the connector handle?

The current rating is probably the most important feature to look at for the connector. Before choosing your connector you should ensure that the current rating on the connector is higher than the estimated current that your system will be drawing, so if you know you will be drawing 20 amps from the battery, it would be safe to use a connector rated at 30 amps. Using a connector that is rated at a lower current than you are drawing may cause the connector fuse together and possibly short out causing damage to the battery, speed control and other equipments. You should be able to find the current rating on the connector from the manufacturer or supplier.

2) Are there any special tools I will need to install it?

Most connectors can be easily soldered to the wire leads on the battery and speed controller. However some connectors such as Anderson Power Pole connectors require special crimping tools for installation.

3) Can it be accidentally plugged in backwards?

For batteries it is a good idea to choose a connector that is polarized, so there is an evident positive and negative on the connector and it can not be plugged in backwards. A good example of a polarized connector is a Deans Ultra Plug. Non-polarized connectors such as bullet connectors are good for connecting motors due to their small size however are not a good choice for connecting batteries as they can easily be connected backwards causing damage to the battery and electronics.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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Castle Creations manufactures the popular Berg 72MHz micro radio receiver (RX) in four models. These are the hard case Berg4, the lightweight Berg4L, the programmable 7 channel Berg7P with vertical pins, and a version of the Berg7P with horizontal pins.

Berg 4

The Berg4 microstamp receiver is one of the most resilient micro RXs available. Its case is full cavity injection molded, making the Berg 4 Channel receiver virtually bulletproof. The internal circuit board is actually fully integrated within the mold material! The Berg 4 can even withstand being stepped on! This receiver combines a hard case with a solid feel, reliability, and top of the line noise rejection. The RX-4CH Berg4 72MHz micro receiver provides solid performance in harsh indoor RF environments, while parkflying, and at the flying field even in .90 size airplanes. It’s full range and True DSP filtering allow use in any 4 channel operation from tiny indoor electric models to full-blown glow planes.

Berg 4L

The Berg4L is smaller and lighter than the hard case Berg4, and just as reliable! When you want the lightest receiver but aren’t willing to sacrifice quality, this is your 4 channel receiver. The RX-4CH Lite has all the same reliability, solid feel, and noise rejection of the other Berg receivers by Castle Creations, but in a minimalist’s dream of a small and light package.

Berg 7P – Vertical

This is the Berg 7P programmable 72MHz receiver with vertical pins (RX-7CH VP). The Berg 7p can be used with the Castle Link (Phoenix Link) for unprecedented control of its numerous programmable functions.
Programmable Features and Functions:

• channel mapping – assign any channel from 1 to 9 to the 7 outputs of the Berg 7p (it has seven output channel ports, but you can replace any of them with channels 8 and 9 using the Castle Link)
• adjustable servo response rate
• real time slider control on screen to set your fail safe servo positions and view your transmitter’s signal outputs as you move your radio’s control sticks
• Fail-Safe Mode

The Castle Creations Berg 7p receiver not only gives you these truly useful innovations in receiver function, it is also easy to use! Using microprocessor driven True Digital Signal Processing (TDSP) and Transmitter Signal Recognition (TSR) functions, the Berg 7 ensures flight after flight of glitch-free operation!

Berg 7P – Horizontal

The Horizontal Pin version of the Berg 7P is the same as the vertical version, except that it allows servos to be plugged in from the side instead of the top. (RX-7CH HP)

Where To Buy Castle Creations Berg Receivers

Draganfly Innovations www.rctoys.com is the best place on the ‘Net to buy Castle Creations Berg receivers because they offer FREE SHIPPING within North America on all Castle Creations products! Order online or call 1-800-979-9794 today.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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Practically all radio controlled vehicles have rc servos onboard. Those servos need power. How are you going to provide it?

The most common is to equip a glow-powered vehicle with a 4-cell NiCD or NiMH battery pack plugged into the receiver. This works, but certainly has its weaknesses; namely weight and limited scalability. A better alternative is to use lithium batteries because of their low weight, long run times and high power output.

Electric-powered vehicles commonly use the electronic speed controller (ESC) to divert a little bit of power to the receiver and servos. This works as long as the battery voltage is not too high and the servos are not too powerful.

These two methods don’t work in all cases, but they do suggest solutions that will. One solution is to equip a battery that is dedicated to powering the radio system, and this is controlled by a voltage regulator. The other is to leech the power from the motor’s battery through a battery eliminator circuit (BEC). These dedicated devices can supply the exact voltage you desire, and can handle any situation.

Voltage regulators take in a slightly-too-high voltage (6V – 13V, though it varies) and send out a voltage that the servos are happy with.

Indeed, you are often given the choice of a few voltages in the range servos can accept (4.5V – 6.0V). More voltage makes the servos faster and stronger, so using the highest voltage your servos are rated for is a simple way to maximize their performance.

The most common battery to power a voltage regulator is a 2-cell lithium polymer, like the Thunder Power Pro Lite 2s1320 or the Thunder Power Receiver Pack 2s3400. These Li Poly batteries are used because they are extremely light and have no self-discharge.

Battery Eliminator Circuits (BECs) take power from the main battery and reduce the voltage for the r/c receiver and servos. BECs are for electric-powered vehicles, rc helicopters, rc airplanes, rc boats and some versions can handle high voltages (up to 50V). This means your R/C vehicle can operate with only one battery.

There are a few important things to look for while shopping for your next rc radio system power solution. Specifically, pay attention to specifications on input voltage, output voltage, and output current. Because these devices exist for all sizes of remote controlled vehicles, it is very easy to buy one that is too large or too small for your application. Get the size and model right, and you’ll be confident in your servos’ performance and consistency. It’s a good feeling.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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You want to measure the power system of your electric rc helicopter or remote control airplane. This article discusses why, what you can measure, and how you can measure it.

Or maybe you don’t particularly want to measure your aircraft’s power system. But you should. Why? Because you spent money on your power system, and you might not be getting everything out of it.

What Is An Electronic Power System
Your power system is a combination of propeller, motor, speed controller, and battery. Each of those is good at something. Are you taking advantage of that? A 25A speed controller (for example, the Castle Creations Phoenix 25) in a 7oz foamie drawing 5A is not being used properly. By measuring your electric power system you can discover mismatched equipment and correct it. In this example, a Phoenix 10 ESC would save weight.

It’s a complex universe; you’ll never understand it all, but you don’t need to. Humans have figured out that numerically describing a few things is good enough. For us electric modelers, the numbers we use describe electric current flow (unit of Amps, A), electric potential (unit of Volts, V), and temperature. We’ve found it best to measure current and voltage with a wattmeter, and temperature with an infrared temperature gauge.

Wattmeter
A wattmeter is connected between the battery and the speed controller. Among other things, it displays the voltage and current. You should mentally note the voltage and current readings while the aircraft is at full throttle, and write them down after you’ve disconnected the battery.

Current And Voltage
The current reading should be within the limits of the speed controller, battery, and motor. The voltage indicates how your batteries are performing. Usually you can confirm your battery is adequate by noting that current is below the battery’s rated max current (For Thunder Power batteries, this would be the continuous rating, not the burst rating). This rating generally says ‘this battery model is approved for this use,’ whereas voltage says ‘this battery is performing as expected’ or ‘this battery can’t handle this.’ As a rough guide, your lithium polymer battery voltage at full throttle should be above 3.3V per cell (i.e. a 3s lipo should be above 9.9V).

Temperature
The temperature gauge is used to tell you the temperature of your motor and batteries immediately after a flight. For both, the key temperature is 60°C (140°F). Both should be under that temperature. Above this temperature, lithium polymer batteries are permanently damaged, while motors lose efficiency and become dangerously close to demagnetizing and burning the windings. However, being too cold isn’t ideal, either. Cold is a sign that the motor isn’t being properly used (i.e. it’s too big), and cold batteries don’t put out as much power as 50-60°C batteries.

Tips
An electric expert is someone who puts together a power system that is slightly conservative. He’ll test and measure that system, and then prop up based on those measurements. The second prop will perfect the power system: currents will be near every component’s limit, and temperatures after a flight will be ideal. At that point, every component will be played to its strength. Thereafter is the fun part that we call flying.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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