Keep an eye on your expensive model by just stirring the sticks and watching the LED's on the VoltMagic System!!
New EX version March 2011.
VoltMagic will MEMORIZE instantaneous low voltages DOWN TO < 3.4 VOLTS! Peak Low Voltage is the absolute lowest voltage. It shows if your switch, wiring, connectors, battery/regulator are really doing their job with your servo amperage. 4 or 5 cell NiCd or NiMh 4.9 - 7.0 Regulator / BEC 2 cell series A123 (6.6) 2 cell series Li (7.4) Averaged Voltage / Battery Gauge with 20 ranges Adjustable low battery warning Adjustable Peak Low Voltage ranges 1000 samples per second Glitch or Failsafe counting Calibrated within 0.015 volts Custom configure VoltMagic for your setup
-- 4.8 volt, 6.0 volt, 7.4 Lithium, 6.6 A123, or voltage regulator. There are 20 ranges for Voltage (AV). Two selectable ranges for Peak Low Voltage (PLV) record the lowest voltage. There's even Glitch or Failsafe detection.
Here are the details:
Averaged Voltage (AV) — An adjustable battery gauge, to indicate low mAH remaining in a battery, or incorrect output from a regulator. It shows a steady display of the current voltage. Each LED represents a 0.1 volt step. 4-cell Nixx, Regulator, 5-cell Nixx, 2-cell A123 and Lithium each have multiple ranges. One monitor for all applications, plus you can fine-tune the colored LED bar graph to match your system, and your personal preference.
Peak Low Voltage (PLV) — This is what indicates whether the electrical system is capable enough for the servos. Below a certain threshold, shows the lowest voltage at the receiver (or wherever it’s connected) in 0.1 volt increments [Table 2]. There are two ranges, Normal or Low, to select from. The Extended PLV feature temporarily shows an extra 0.2 volts of PLV range on the high end for an early warning, displayed on LED 5 if the switch VoltMagic is connected to is toggled quickly 5 times (after 1 minute of run time). The sample rate is ~1000 per second, the fastest on-board monitor available.
Overvoltage (OV) — For regulated systems, shows if the voltage went above a certain threshold [Table 2] which would indicate an overvoltage failure of a regulator / BEC. Glitch and Failsafe Counting — Selectable for Glitch (PPM) or Failsafe (PCM or 2.4 GHz with an adjustable failsafe). The counting is smart, so several within a short time period are counted as the same glitch. [Table 3] A glitch (missing or bad signal pulse) from a PCM or 2.4 GHz receiver indicates a fault (possibly a reboot). With a traditional PPM receiver, a glitch usually indicates a failure to receive the transmitters signal.
Data Logger — This feature plays back any PLV / OV plus any Glitch or Failsafe counts from the previous flight when the power is turned on. SPECIFICATIONS Application: Battery types: 4 or 5 cell Nixx (NiMh / NiCd), 2 cell A123 (LiFe), 2 cell Li (Lithium), 4.9 to 6.2 and 6.7 to 7.1 voltage regulators. 20 ranges for averaged voltage, each with 2 peak low voltage ranges. Input Voltage: 2.7 to 8.5 VDC Voltage Sample Rate: ~1000 per second Frame Rate: 12 to 23ms (for glitch & failsafe detection) Connector: Universal (Futaba, JR, Z). Accuracy: Calibrated within 0.015 vdc. Weight: 7.3 grams (1/4 OZ) NO switches or pots to fail, all configuration is via your transmitter.
Warranty: Two years
Peak Low Voltage (PLV) Modern servos for radio control are more powerful then ever, and they draw more peak current then ever too. A battery can have a good charge, yet the voltage can dip quite low. Voltage regulators have their limitations. There can also be excessive voltage drop in wiring, connectors and switches. There are no rules of thumb that always work to select batteries or regulators. Peak amps differ substantially between servos. Voltage drop under load differs greatly among batteries that have similar ratings. Regulators typically have amperage ratings, but what are the peak servo amps, and can the supply battery keep the input voltage sufficiently above the output? Can the regulator handle fast transient load changes of your servos? The only way to know how low the voltage really goes is to check it with a high speed monitor like VoltMagic. It is not uncommon for a pilot to be shocked at the peak low voltage after installing VoltMagic on a model that had been flying well.
Typically there are no symptoms, until something finally draws the voltage down a little further. A less obvious advantage of being warned about peak low voltage is that troubleshooting intermittent problems becomes easier when you can either rule out low voltage, or seek the cause of it and verify a repair before flying. Even if your setup is very tolerant of voltage drop, a unusual decrease might indicate a battery cell, regulator, switch, or connector going bad. Low range PLV works well in situations where the voltage drop normally runs high.
Another advantage is stirring the sticks on pre-flight. Quickly reversing the direction of servos produces current spikes (and voltage dips) that are similar to flying (but shorter in duration). VoltMagic has a very fast sample rate, so you'll likely catch peak low voltage problems on pre-flight.
2.4 GHz Under voltage on 2.4ghz receivers is notable for the time to re-link with the transmitter. XPS lists their voltage requirements at xtremepowersystems.net. The Spektrum receiver power requirements are detailed in this article at spektrumrc.com. To summarize this article, 3.5 volts minimum operational voltage. There are also guidelines and procedures for testing both current and minimum voltage to check that there is a sufficient safety margin. VoltMagic makes this kind of testing easier, and more accurate (because it's a high speed monitor that captures the lowest voltage).
You can also stir the sticks before every flight and check the peak low voltage (minimum voltage), plus it monitors while you fly.
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Manufacturer:
VoltMagic |
| SKU: |
VoltMagicEX
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| MPN: |
VoltMagicEX |
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