Can I do this

R

ram1000

Well-Known Member
I want to put a switch on my quad so I don't have to unplug so often. The switch says 6 amps at 110 volts. Will it work with my 20 or 30 amp ESCs?. What is the relation between volts and amps in this case?
 
GJH105775

GJH105775

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Moderator
I'd say it would burn the switch, especially with a load (very unlikely), but it also offers another point of failure.

Just figure watts and you should be fine as the voltage is DC and lower.
 
DJIdude

DJIdude

Drone-lover, DIY builder, and huge DJI fan
Yes, it should be perfectly compatible. The 20 or 30 amp ESCs are for peak motor usage, and that much current is not actually flowing through the switches and electronics. If you are using a 6000mAh or less battery, you should be just fine.

This is all my personal knowledge, and I'm not a professional, so I could be wrong. ;)

My motto:
"If you think you don't need a new drone, think again!" (You can't have to many drones)!
 
H

HDtallrider

Well-Known Member
I believe I would go with GJH105775's answer. He is in the electrical business and has never steered me wrong. Why chance it?
 
DJIdude

DJIdude

Drone-lover, DIY builder, and huge DJI fan
Yeah, when you're flying around several hundred dollars worth of drone, camera, and FPV gear, you want only the best, perfectly rated, components. I agree with you 100% on that point!
 
Jackson

Jackson

USA member at large
I want to put a switch on my quad so I don't have to unplug so often. The switch says 6 amps at 110 volts. Will it work with my 20 or 30 amp ESCs?
Click to expand...
Keep in mind unlike a light switch ( or on/off motor switch) you won't be switching under load which is how the amp rating is calculated. A closed switch can carry much more current than it's switching rating. There will be no surge of current and the arcing that occurs. I imagine it will only be a few mA to get everything in standby. When it comes to actual switching, DC is much harder on contacts than AC though.

It also depends what exactly you want to accomplish. If you simply want to disable the quad and are using only one ESC BEC (or standalone UBEC) for your 5V to power the FCB, you could use an inexpensive small switch (FCBs use very little current to initialize). And with no power to the FCB the RX is also 'OFF'.
 
GJH105775

GJH105775

Off and on
Moderator
Jackson said:
Keep in mind unlike a light switch ( or on/off motor switch) you won't be switching under load which is how the amp rating is calculated. A closed switch can carry much more current than it's switching rating. There will be no surge of current and the arcing that occurs. I imagine it will only be a few mA to get everything in standby. When it comes to actual switching, DC is much harder on contacts than AC though.

It also depends what exactly you want to accomplish. If you simply want to disable the quad and are using only one ESC BEC (or standalone UBEC) for your 5V to power the FCB, you could use an inexpensive small switch (FCBs use very little current to initialize). And with no power to the FCB the RX is also 'OFF'.
Click to expand...


True that under load is what is usually calculated for, but you can have the switch get hot and fuse, or get hot and flip if it melts the mechanism that holds it closed. I tried a 200 amp DC switch on a load of 260 amps DC (no load until after switched) and it ended up making the switch weak, to where vibrations or jolts would flip it.

So at least you should test it or use some type of relay, again with a small risk of power loss during flight.
 
R

ram1000

Well-Known Member
Jackson said:
Keep in mind unlike a light switch ( or on/off motor switch) you won't be switching under load which is how the amp rating is calculated. A closed switch can carry much more current than it's switching rating. There will be no surge of current and the arcing that occurs. I imagine it will only be a few mA to get everything in standby. When it comes to actual switching, DC is much harder on contacts than AC though.

It also depends what exactly you want to accomplish. If you simply want to disable the quad and are using only one ESC BEC (or standalone UBEC) for your 5V to power the FCB, you could use an inexpensive small switch (FCBs use very little current to initialize). And with no power to the FCB the RX is also 'OFF'.
Click to expand...

Very good information there! I hadn't thought of all those points. Any way been flying it like that a few times and no adverse effects, so its staying on the quad. One time I set the fail safe software on this thing ( Naze32- using baseflight) and when I tried it it came dowm good but kept motors spinning at its set rate. This would have made it very hard to turn off without that switch. I have disabled fail safe since then.

I'm building a 330 quad with some 960K motors that I will be using a camera on after I work out the bugs and I put the same switch on it. I am using the Naze 32 clone with a barometer so I can set an elevation on it. If that works I may change my racer's FCB board to the same one...
Thanks
 
R

ram1000

Well-Known Member
Thanks, looking through this I see a question that I had tried to get an answer before: what is the difference between a 3 axis FCB and a 6 axis FCB? I notice that many of the real cheap micro quads have a 6 axis system while the bigger units seem to have a 3 axis board...
 
Jackson

Jackson

USA member at large
I think the toys are just combining the 2 types.

The hobby grade FCBs have 3-Axis Gyro plus 3-Axis Accelerometer.

Maybe?
 
GJH105775

GJH105775

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Moderator
Jackson said:
I think the toys are just combining the 2 types.

The hobby grade FCBs have 3-Axis Gyro plus 3-Axis Accelerometer.

Maybe?
Click to expand...
That is correct, as there are only 3 possible axis's in a 3D plain they are combining the two sensors to make their number 'bigger'.
 
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