PowerForce VRLI2
| Reviewer | Ashley Davis |
|---|---|
| Review Date | 14th August 2007 |
| Manufacturer | FMA |
| Supplier | Aurorra |
| Model | PowerForce VRLI2 |
| Unit Cost | £52.88 |
Packaged regulator
Rear view
Front view
Mounting plates
Rear close-up
Front close-up
Specification
For battery types Lithium Polymer (LiPo), NiCd, NiMH
Nominal input voltage 6.0VDC to 14.4VDC
LEDs versus selected input voltage (Vi)
Green LED on at >Vi – 0.1V
Yellow LED on between Vi – 0.1V and Vi – 1.4V
Red LED on at <Vi – 1.4V
Nominal output voltage Regulated 5.0 or 6.0VDC (switchable) at 10A continuous,
maximum 0.15V output dropout
Maximum output current 10A continuous at 7.4V input
Circuit board dimensions 2.54 in. (64.5mm) L x 1.44 in. (36.6mm) W
Clearance reqd. inside aircraft 1.05 in.
Weight: 75g
Overview
The Powerforce regulator is designed to be a very high power regulator and it's specification can power up to 23 standard servos. However, in a helicopter the requirement is to power four high power digital servos. The Powerforce can deliver 10 amps continuous with only a 0.15V drop out.
The unit is quite big (certainly much larger than the standard T-Rex 600 stock regulator) but it is definitely designed to deliver far better voltage hold at high amps. Being quite large the unit is also a fair bit heavier than the stock supplied regulator.
The unit can be configured to run off of several different voltages and the supplied instructions give very clear directions on how to configure the regulator to handle different voltage supplies. The 10 amps continuous is specified for a 7.4 V input voltage (2S lipo).
Putting all of the specifications to one side for a moment why would you want to install this onto your machine? The answer to this is that if you are running fairly standard digital servos and I'm not doing aggressive 3-D flying then you properly don't need it. If you are an aggressive 3-D flyer and are also running digital coreless high power servos then running this regulator makes a lot of sense. The standard align regulator will definitely drop voltage during high amp loads, this slows down the servos and reduces the responsiveness of the model. The Powerforce is specifically designed to handle high amp loads and not drop voltage. This keeps the servos running at their optimum speed and power.
Taking into account that the Powerforce may have to deliver 10 amps continuous it has dual output to the receiver allowing 5 amps to flow on each output. Each of the five amp outputs plugs into a spare channel or battery port on the receiver.
The unit has a single LED which shows lipo status, green for OK, orange for getting low and red for do not fly. The LED is reasonably visible in flight although it is not a high intensity LED seen on some lipo monitors.
Installation
The power force is designed to bolt directly into the side of an aircraft or potentially mount onto the carbon frames of a helicopter. I found the installation quite difficult due to the limited space available in a T-Rex 600. However, once fitted it is very solid and probably adds strength to the side frames.
Fitted regulator
Fitted regulator
| Pros |
|---|
| Superb power handling |
| Very configurable for different input voltages |
| Dual output to the receiver |
| Cons |
|---|
| Large physical dimensions |
| Heavy in comparison to the stock regulator |
| Slightly fiddly to install |
Conclusion
I have run this regulator in my T-Rex 600 for several months and it has never caused me any issues or concerns with regard to the power delivery to the receiver and servos. My machine runs on 6 V and it is clear from my own measurements that the voltage does not fluctuate when putting all of the servos under load.
I would not recommend this regulator for beginners or sports fliers as both of these two groups are unlikely to be using high-power servos or flying aggressively enough to overload the stock regulator. For aggressive 3-D fliers I would definitely recommend this regulator as it is well over the required specification and therefore servos will get the required voltage without any issues. This allows the machine to run and glean maximum performance from the installed electronics. It is therefore unsurprising that the Szabo brothers are using this regulator in their T-Rex 600Ns. This is also the regulator used by Trevor Burley on his T-Rex 600E that gained him 3rd place in 3D Masters sportsman 2007.
Recommended for aggressive fliers with digital servos, not recommended for beginners or sport fliers.
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