EQ 6 with reg and A123 batts

[Stu_D]

Ok here's the problem , I have been given a nice and new EQ6 with the reg on board but the batteries I want to run are only A123 type . I am worried they will not be a good match because their nominal voltage is only 6.4 to 6.5 volts .

P.S this will be going into a 3.3 comp arf yak so it is going to get worked pretty hard .

Please help .

Stu

[rrritchey]

Hi Stu,
The Eq6 is not the ideal unit to use with A123s because of the regulator but you can use them. You have to remember the BatShare that is built into the unit will drop 0.4V between the battery input and the regulator. You can set the regulator output to 6.0V and it will regulate as long as the batteries are above 6.6V. If they drop below that you will get a drop in the servo voltage but the regulator will still be working, it will not shut off. Also, if this is a 150cc size plane you have to use the Eq6 Turbo. Don't use the standard Eq6 on a 150cc plane. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Stu_D]

Thanks for that . I will go for the QE 10 .

Stu

PS , love the Smart fly products , next plane will make it number 5 so far with
all SF gear on board .

[james.l.hill]

Finally found the right forum for this question!! I have SF PE Sport with the Super Reg, I was going to use 2- used Lion 2600's for rcv& servos(8 Hitec 7955's , 1-70 oz. digi for throttle, in 33% Yak). After reading some posts here, I see some are saying A123's work OK with this setup, knowing the current limits & voltage drops with Lion, I would rather use A123's. I'm concerned because SF says their PE's are for Lion batts, but the Pro manual shows Nicd, Nimh, Lion&Lipo's ? Can I safely use this set-up?(A123's) Would you recommend the Super reg too with A123's, or should I leave it out and go with the battshare and 2 failsafe switches/charge jacks instead with the PE.

[rrritchey]

Hi James,
You can run A123s either straight to the PowerExpander Sport or you can use the SuperReg also. If you use the SuperReg set it between 5.5V and 6.0V, do not go above 6.0V unless you want your output voltage to drop some when the A123s get below 6.5V. You cannot use the failsafe switch on the PowerExpander Sport but you can use it on the PowerExpander Pro. Running the Pro and failsafe switch with the A123s is a good setup. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[james.l.hill]

Great!! I can use A123's! I was planning on using the pin/flag failsafe sw., I thought it connected to the Super Reg?? Again, I have the PE Sport with Super Reg module, 2 charge connectors & failsafe connector switch are on the Super Reg, right??

[nate428]

james, the PE sport does not have a switch plugin. you can use the switch on the super reg only. you can also use the 2 charge connectors to recharge and/or check batt voltage between flights. mine are used as a direct link to the balance lead on the a123 batt, so i can actually balance charge mine. my batt's have jr/servo balance leads and my cellpro has an adapter to jr/servo plugs.
the super reg is not needed unless you want to keep a constant voltage, a lower voltage to your servo's, and/or use it as a batshare/switch.
a123's run basicly the same voltage as a 6v nihm, so you can use them without a regulator. this is why they have such popularity.

[rrritchey]

Hi James,
With your setup the Failsafe Switch and Charge leads go into the SuperReg. If you have balance leads on your A123s and are going to use a balance charger, you need to put the balance leads to the side of the plane instead of the charge ports off the SuperReg.

[james.l.hill]

Cool, I'll go with the Super reg, since I have that I wont have to buy a battshare or any more switches. One more thing(seems there is always one more thing!) Rumor has it that for rcv's & lower load demands, you dont have to balance A123 cells, only electric motors & high current makes balancing necessary, True or False?

[crazyjoe]

I recomend cellpro for only $60.00 you can balance charge.

[nate428]

that's what i've read, so if you plan on charging around 10amp you may need a balancer. if you dont have a balancing charger you may want to invest in one that shows individual cell information or look at the duralite a123s.
http://duralitebatteries.com/flight/batteries-a123.php
(No external balancing required - Exclusive Duralite Stay Balance Circuitry built-in to every pack)
i would recommend you balance charge it weekly/bi-weekly, just to check the batt out. thats the reason i use a123 over nihm, to check the cells on my balancer. i know if i have a weak cell before its an issue.

[crazyjoe]

	Quote: Originally Posted by james.l.hill
	Cool, I'll go with the Super reg, since I have that I wont have to buy a battshare or any more switches. One more thing(seems there is always one more thing!) Rumor has it that for rcv's & lower load demands, you dont have to balance A123 cells, only electric motors & high current makes balancing necessary, True or False?

Check out post # 23 http://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/f...uestion-2.html

[rrritchey]

Hi James,
Fromeco told me a couple weeks ago it was absolutely necessary to balance charge the A123 batteries, no matter how fast you are charging them. They also told me they saw a huge difference between which balancers and balance chargers did a good job of this.