Help with an external receiver battery pack

themajik1

Monkey/Bear Poker
Mentor
Okay guys, I am having some issues finding out how to wire a large scale electric plane with a external receiver battery pack so I do not have to rely on the main battery for powering the receiver. Can you guys help? I am doing this so I do not have to worry about the ESC having issue or if I were to lose power. Just precautionary but I do not want to lose this plane.

I hope the question makes sense...
 

aiidanwings

Senior Member
Or get one of these

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__16375__4_x_AA_Battery_Holder_Rx_Pack_.html

Or buy a battery holder from Radio Shack and crimp on a servo connector.

That will give you 6v with alkalines or 4.8v with NImH.

Just plug it into an empty servo slot on your receiver. No empty slot? Get a Y adapter.

I use one all the time on the bench for testing receivers and servos.

Back in the day, I used 9v parallel with connectors ripped from toy walkie talies. I forgot about that until your post.
 

themajik1

Monkey/Bear Poker
Mentor
Well, thanks guys, but I guess I did not explain myself well enough.

I have a Castle Creations Phoenix Ice 100 ESC. I would like to add a external battery, (either a lipo or LIFe) and a switch so I can turn off the receiver battery when not in use. I would like to know how to wire it up correctly without burning anything up. I will be using a 5 cell Lipo 4800-5000mah for the motor only, and thought a 2 cell lipo 1500mah 20C or a LIFe 1300mah 6.6V 20C would be good for the receiver.

I am not sure how to set it up, but was told that the Castle 10amp BEC would do the trick. All the help has been and will be appreciated...
 

robschonk

Senior Member
They should work fine.

Here are a couple of HKs

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/..._5C_LiFePo4_Reciever_Pack_USA_Warehouse_.html

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/..._40C_LiFePo4_Receiver_Pack_US_Warehouse_.html

Make sure your charger is compatable with LiFe batteries.

Connection is still the same. Use an open channel connector on your receiver. You'll have to rig a SPST switch on the red wire to turn it off, or use one of these

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__36959__Receiver_Switch_USA_Warehouse_.html
 
Last edited:

pgerts

Old age member
Mentor
Well, thanks guys, but I guess I did not explain myself well enough.

I have a Castle Creations Phoenix Ice 100 ESC. I would like to add a external battery, (either a lipo or LIFe) and a switch so I can turn off the receiver battery when not in use. I would like to know how to wire it up correctly without burning anything up. I will be using a 5 cell Lipo 4800-5000mah for the motor only, and thought a 2 cell lipo 1500mah 20C or a LIFe 1300mah 6.6V 20C would be good for the receiver.

I am not sure how to set it up, but was told that the Castle 10amp BEC would do the trick. All the help has been and will be appreciated...
The castle 100 ICE contains a 5A BEC and you do not want that to go parallell with the 10A external BEC.
One way to fix this is to remove the red wire from the ICE 100 going to the receiver. I would use a needle to carefully remove the red middle wire from the 3-pin connector and tape it back to the cable in case of need another time.
The BEC connector should be connected to the battery port on your receiver (you do not tell any model on that), but any spare input on the receiver will do just as good as the bat connector. In case you do not have any spare receiver channel, you can use a Y-cable.
 

themajik1

Monkey/Bear Poker
Mentor
pgerts, that is what I was looking for... Yes I forgot to include the receiver model, which by the way is a Spektrum 6210 with the satellite.

I think I have it figured out now, so a big thank you to all who answered...

I will post pictures when plane is complete. Writing an article on the build and will film the maiden and all.

Oh and yes I do have a charger that will charge the LIFe batteries robschonk.

Thanks again!!!