Hands on: Matek PDB-XT60
As long as quality is decent, there is nothing better like "el cheapo" electronic components. Just like below $5 Matek PDB-XT60 Power Distribution Board with integrated 5V and 12V BEC. Preparing to build a new 220 racer I just got my Matek PDB from Aliexpress.
Quality, at a first glance looks good. Laminate nicely cut, soldering of BECs looks good. All pads are yellow (I will not say gold on purpose). According to specs, max current that can go through it is 5*25A. That is strange, since it has connectors for 6 ESC. So, let's assume it is 100A in total, and in a quadcopter configuration, each ESC can draw up to 25A. In case of hexacopter it would be 16A.
5V BEC is a switching step down with 2A max load, while 12V (0.5A continuous load) line is based on LM7812 linear voltage regulator. And that means the following: it does not makes any sense to use 12V BEC in case of 3S. With 2V dropout voltage of 7812, on 3S it would supply 10.6V on fully charged battery and 8V when LiPo cells are at 3.3V. On the other hand, FPV gear accepts voltage starting from 7V so, if needed, 3S can be used after all.
So far, so good. Now I wait for the rest of components to arrive. I hope soon...
I'm Paweł Spychalski and I do things. Mainly software development, FPV drones and amateur cinematography. Here are my YouTube channels: