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[sparkey]

  I have already said the regulator just reduces the voltage from 11.1 (usually 12+ volts) to 5-6 volts,I have used this system for over 18 months now and had no problems, a lot of boat modelers seem to see electric's as an after thought and their inner's of their boats are a complete mess and they wonder why it stops in the middle of the lake,as I say there is no fool proof system and a lot to do with taste,if you have a layout that works for you don't change it,I am just throwing a few idea's into the ring and adding to the debate as it quite an interesting topic,will post a photo of inside of one of my boats to give you some idea,Ray      

[inertia]

However, my understanding of the brownout problem is that a BEC (aka Voltage Regulator in most cases) has limited current capacity compared to a rechargeable battery.

By definition a Battery Eliminator Circuit (aka nothing else) includes a voltage regulator which taps into the main power supply to the motor(s) in a model and reduces the voltage of the "tapping", thus eliminating the need for a separate receiver battery.
Ray has used a voltage regulator to drop the voltage of a separate pack i.e. without reference to the main motor power source. In that application it isn't a Battery Eliminator because it doesn't eliminate a battery.

Achtung! Pay attention! Risten propery! I will say this only once..................

ANY power source has a limited current-carrying capacity, whether it's a battery or a voltage regulator. My point is that if your primary power source is the only one for the whole model then that is bound to be more prone to causing brownout events if only because there is no alternative supply. The more power-hungry devices you add to it then the more that risk becomes. THIS IS NOT ROCKET-SCIENCE.
I had less problems explaining quantum mechanics to my ten year-old grandson than this.............   

DM

[Steve Dean]

Time I chucked my hat in the ring. Many of you have seen my 1/12th trawler at various shows and events round the country. It has one 12 Volt 9 Ah battery that powers the motor (via ESC) and a separate 12 Volt 9 Ah battery that powers all the auxiliaries (lights, radar, smoke, sound effects, etc) AND a separate NiMH battery that powers the RX. It has run on hundreds of occasions and never a glitch.

Most of you have now seen my Alien in his rocket ship. The two stern drives (pods) are powered by their own 12 Volt 9 Ah battery and again all the effects ( it has masses of LEDs ) are powered by a separate 12 Volt 9 Ah battery AND once again the RX has its own NiMH battery. It has performed with no radio related problems under duress in extreme radio frequency environments, i.e at Brighton Modelworld with a very high number of transmitters turned on.

I am a dedicated Spektrum user and wouldn't dream of doing anything other than giving the RX it's own dedicated battery supply. Some of you will have seen the demo runs that I did with my new catamaran hull at Mayhem at Wicksteed a few weeks ago. This has twin custom built Lehner motors ( 7 HP each ) powered by LIPO batteries that could power a small planet ! BUT and this is a big but, the Spektrum RX is powered by a separate 2S LIPO pack. This thing is capable of exceeding 100 MPH and I wouldn't dream of using a BEC.

Now, to keep things in perspective, if you build models that are a bit more modest (no dis-respect suggested or intended) then there is nothing wrong with using a BEC. However, if you intend to power things that pull lots of current (i.e switching on a water pump, smoke generator, etc) remember that when your single battery is required to deliver lots of current and it struggles to do so then its voltage will dip. It is this that creates the situation known as a Brown Out that can cause receivers to try and 'reset'. If you are playing with your little model on the local duck pond then very little harm can come from this situation. However if you are at a big show (or very busy lake) with lots of models in operation then its a different ball game. (or should that be pool game!).

Hope this is helpful.

Steve.

[chas]

I always use a seperate rx supply. Why? Because of the oldest and best rule there is, if something can go wrong it will. Battery running low, weeded prop, = brownout with bec. Sudden acceleration, amps peak, = brownout.
 Model failures at the lake mostly fall into 2 catagories, low batteries, and poor instalation. I learnt the hard way  and made the mistakes, when I should have known better.

[barriew]

There are of course times when there is no option but to use a BEC


Barrie