HK Power Distribution Boards

[Derek]

I'm having a strong feeling that my first quad will be a scratch build and most likely not a mini quad. I'm actually wanting a quad that is in the 450-500 class of quads. That being said, I was just looking at two Power Distribution Boards on the HK website and both are rated for 20amp esc's MAX. The 1200kv motors that I have my eyes on say that they are rated for 17amps Peak.

Will the Power Distribution Board be ok? I'm just asking because the "20amp MAX" and the "17amps Peak" are very close...I just don't want to burn anything up while I'm learning.

[Tony]

Well I'm not into quads yet bud, but I design pcb's for a living.. Tracks on a pcb do have certain limitations on the amount of current they can handle, based on width of track, thickness of copper. Etc.

If it's rated at 20amp and your pushing 17 amp through then I'd expect the pcb to get quite warm. If the 17 amp is just a peak current during extreme flying and is lower than this in normal flight then I would expect the pcb to handle this OK.

Pcb manufactures will always underrate there absolute maximum to protect the pcb. I always have to do this on certain boards I design... Just for safety sake..

Plus if the pcb is going to be exposed to airflow then I'd say you are ok with the 20amp one..

[Lee]

Yeh, you ain't gonna get to the peak A of your motors, and even if you did, it would be only briefly.

[Derek]

That's encouraging, guys! Thanks for that!

[Derek]

Would I actually need a power distribution board or can I just solder the black and red esc wires into a single junction?

[Tony]

You can just solder them together mate with some heat shrink around the joins, the DB makes it so much neater I've heard.. I've seen both solutions...

[Derek]

Thanks Tony!

I was pretty certain that I wouldn't "technically" need a distribution board. I'm seriously considering a quad build. They just look like a lot of fun. I'm not real concerned with "looks" on my first build. It's going to be very basic and most of the wiring would all be hidden but still easily accessible.

[Tony]

I definitely think the excitement is in these quads like, hence my reason to spend a great deal of cash on one...it's close on £500 with the fpv gear, but one thing I know for certain it will be setup properly with Lee building it for me..

[Derek]

I just found this PDB for mini's at HK.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... Lite_.html

Unfortunately, I don't see any dimensions. Would anyone know the estimated size of this board?

[Lee]

I have a feeling, they are the same dimensions as a KK2 board Derek.
Not sure though.

[Derek]

It's a shame that the dimensions aren't actually listed, lol.