7
Sep 07 - New gadget madePowerHow by Jan Bassett
7
Sep 07 - New gadget made
There was no free receiver connection on the Easy-Jet so I needed a 'Y' lead or a separate supply to run the HowFast logger. The HowFast and HowHigh require a supply between 3.2V and 12V and they draw a mean current of 1.3 mA with a peak of 6mA when the LED flashes.
I therefore decided to recycle the single LiPo cell from my old micro-copter (a PicooZ copy) into this role. This cell has a capacity of 170 mAh so will power the units for over 100 hours.
I crimped a couple of servo pin terminals onto the battery leads and fitted them in a housing. The connector was stuck to the battery with double-sided tape and the whole thing was then put in a heatshrink sleeve to protect it. The resulting pack is 22 mm x 14 mm x 10 mm (0.86" x 0.55" x 0.39") and weighs 2.8g (0.1 oz.).
The weight of the pack is about the same as a typical 'Y' lead so there no penalty for using the pack if there is no spare receiver pack or it is impractical to get to the receiver.