Battery backup system

[Cliff Chmiel]

I was at the field lastweek flying my E5, is flying great, One of the other guys asked me if i had a battery back system in it, and i do not. Now is there a good system out there? If my 6s shorts out will i still have control over the aircraft. I know nothing on this subject of backup system. Are they worth the money? Anyone used one? Thanks guys. Cliff in naples fl

[curmudgeon]

I believe your friend at the field may be referring to either the Scorpion Backup Guard or one of the more modern Optipower Ultra-Guard models.  I don't use them, but the Optipower Ultra-Guard models are more feature-rich and versatile (and more expensive) than the Scorpion Backup Guard.

[Mike Spano]

it is possible, but i only use them on fuel filled helis honestly. i think if you start running them with BEC's they can cause issues. i know the optipower is much "smarter" than the scorpion though and senses the voltage you are running, so i dont know if it would screw with a bec or not. but it definitely helps relieve the mind when running a RX battery.

[curmudgeon]

I don't know about the Scorpion Backup Guard, but I believe the claim to fame of the latest version of the Optipower Ultra-Guard is that it is compatible with BECs.

[Cliff Chmiel]

I could see it working on fairly easy on a nitro bird but electric, like you guy think problems with the bec. I just don't see it worth the risk

[Airbass]

I have been using Ultraguard on my E5 for 250 flights  without issues. It never engaged though.
The leds flash really shining.
I run the internal BEC so my fatal failure chain is pretty long (battery, main connector, whole esc )

[curmudgeon]

I have been using Ultraguard on my E5 for 250 flights  without issues.

Do you share the same Ultra Guard among the helis in your fleet, or do you use a separate Ultra Guard for each bird?

[Airbass]

The  E5 is my only ely above 450 size.  No, I do not share.
Maybe you could. You have just to strap it and plug it. No settings are required. Actually is a good idea

When  you disconnect the main battery at the end of the flight, it will trigger and you have to push the button to reset it. Hope this is not found annoying.

[Cliff Chmiel]

I think im still on the fence on this, maybe i will put in an old plane and do so testing, then see what happens

[Danny Dugger]

I run Ultraguards in mine, it's really a nice system. I was saved by a separate RX pack twice a while back on a heli that had a main power failure. Being able to auto down saved me a lot of money and frustration so I'm a believer in having a backup when using a BEC.