Fromeco Battery And Regulator Ballance

[All Thumbs]

I've got a Fromeco Battery system with adjustable regulators. Each regulator is set at exactly 6V. I've got two leads for each regulator going into a 945 receiver. When I turn on each battery switch independely, each activates the system at the set 6V's. However, when I fly the airplane for two, maybe three flights and recharge the batteries with the Fromeco charger when I get home, the light immediately goes out on one battery like it's fully charged with the other battery taking the normal amount of time to charge. Test the batteries and sure enough, one is at full charge, the other is lower as to be expected.

I've run Fromeco batteries before but I've used the Smart-Fly Turbo Regulator. With this system, the batteries always come down equally.

Anyone have any ideas as to why it's pulling off just one battery?

[bodywerks]

Hmmm...I was just commenting to a friend how very well my two batteries drain equally. I charged them a couple days ago and they were within 2mah of each other!
I would recommend putting a wattmeter in between the battery and regulator, turning on your plane and radio and quickly stir the sticks and make note of the volts and amps. Then do the same for the other battery and see if it is the same. If it is, then the charge circuit on one of the regulators is messed up. I never go that route, though - I have their micro pin-type switch and no external charge jack, so I always charge my batteries at the deans plugs. So long as both regulators are showing the exact same voltage and are able to push the amps without dropping voltage differently from oneanother, and you aren't using any sort of powerbox or battshare unit, there is absolutely no reason why your receiver wouldn't draw power from all four power input ports.

[Rolling Thunder]

Use a loaded battery tester and check the voltage coming out of each regulator under a load.

It is very hard to get 2 regulators the exact same.

[aviti]

I use a Batshare from Smart Fly that drains the packs equally. I believe it is a diode. According to Smart Fly it is nearly impossible to perfectly match the voltage on the regulators.

[warren cross]

John I have a battshare that is supposed to take care of that problem jive me a call.

[macanaw]

Hey John, I havent seen you since the St. George IMAC. I also use the Bat-share and it works like a dream. You will be supprised at how many more flights you get per charge when you put it in.

David

[Shawn Berkheimer]

John, I too use the Batt Share. What is happening is that the regulator with the least amount of resistance is feeding the system while in use. The Batt Share pulls from the battery with the highest voltage, as the voltage drops on the dominate battery it will switch to the next.

Shawn

[Flyinrazrback]

how do you use the bat share with 2 switches, 2 batteries, 2 regulators and 2 receivers, even possible?

[All Thumbs]

Dave... How's it hangn' dude? You got your thingie wrapped with just the right amount of wraps? You know what happens if you don't wrap your thingie correctly. You'll have premature... failer or the total sense of non performance or something like that. I gotta tell ya I really loved the toilet paper routine. I only wish I was there. Shawn, you've had your tail wheel between your legs... Haven't seen ya in a while. If ya want to sell your products, you need to get out and schmooze more. Take us ALL out to dinner and I guarantee ya we'll think about your products a little more. And, Thunder. See what happens when you get as good at building than flying? You seem to be planeless most of the time. Like the dentist says, you won't feel a thing. And super lastly, thank's Warren for the offer of giving me a Bat Share.

Okay guys, I shot off an e-mail to Bob Ritchey. If anyone knows what in the hell is happening here, he will!

I got another three flights today and the one battery didn't take one hint of a nose dive with the other taking the brunt of the burden. So, with that being said, I need to do something.. now!

Like I told Bob in the e-mail I sent to him, I've got like a million $$$ worth of gift certificates to Smart-Fly that I've gathered over this year's contest season, and it'll be likely I use them now.

Dudes.... All of ya.. Thanks for the quick responses regarding my question. I kinda knew the answer but wanted some reassurance from you guys.

[All Thumbs]

Okay guys.. If you can ever depend on anyone other than DA in this hobby, it's Smart-Fly. Here's what Bob had to say in answer to my question:

Hi John,
You say the regulators are exactly 6.0V but you need to have
them accurate down to 0.001V to share current. Regulators do
not play well together. The one that is set a higher voltage will
supply all the current while the one that is lower will just sit
by because it does not think that it needs to do any work. The
Fromeco regulators have a digital potentiometer in them that
has 128 steps. Because of the tolerances of the other resistors
you cannot match the regulators precisely. Mine work the same
way and I tell people they cannot exactly match them so they
will get uneven battery draw if they connect two into one receiver.
The TurboReg works because it has a BatShare built into to it
that feeds the single regulator. The BatShare balances the batteries
and draws evenly from them.

[matus777]

	Quote: Originally Posted by John Murdoch
	Okay guys.. If you can ever depend on anyone other than DA in this hobby, it's Smart-Fly. Here's what Bob had to say in answer to my question: Hi John, You say the regulators are exactly 6.0V but you need to have them accurate down to 0.001V to share current. Regulators do not play well together. The one that is set a higher voltage will supply all the current while the one that is lower will just sit by because it does not think that it needs to do any work. The Fromeco regulators have a digital potentiometer in them that has 128 steps. Because of the tolerances of the other resistors you cannot match the regulators precisely. Mine work the same way and I tell people they cannot exactly match them so they will get uneven battery draw if they connect two into one receiver. The TurboReg works because it has a BatShare built into to it that feeds the single regulator. The BatShare balances the batteries and draws evenly from them.

Question; What happens then when one battery runs down? Does the other one then take over or do you go into a failsafe situation? Is this really a redundant system or should you simply run one battery and disconnect the other (assuming no BatShare system)?

[matus777]

Anyone able to clarify this a bit more?