Batteries, An Education from Fred Marks

PatR · Feb 23, 2021

I've been using FMA Direct products since the year they were first hitting the market, and Ace R/C products well before that. The owner of FMA Direct is Fred Marks, and his history in the development of our hobby is something to hold in awe. In the linked article he provides a lot of information useful to anyone serious about battery powered radio controlled flight.

You just spent up to $250,000 on Drone Sensors-And saved $10 on a battery pack?

Fred Marks The Impact of the ASTM Standard on Batteries and BMS on Drone Programs The beginning for drones in the form we know today goes back to WW II as the DennyRadioplane. Batteries have always…

www.suasnews.com

DoomMeister · Feb 23, 2021

Nice article Pat. Good to see a post from you, it has been quite awhile.

7cyclops · Feb 23, 2021

Interesting. Took the time to read the whole thing. What a history. Makes you pay more attention to our batteries,and how we all need to learn more about them. There are still no guarantees, we are all in a risky situation. This is why we should not push the issue. Proper charging and know when to bring the drone down. After all the only indicator we have while the drone is in the air is to watch the voltage,carefully. For what the batterys are, what we use them for and what they cost there should be better standards, better info to the buyers, etc. so we have a better understanding of what we are paying for. I suppose that would raise the price too EH!
Thanks for posting Pat. Keith C.

AH-1G · Feb 24, 2021

PatR said:
I've been using FMA Direct products since the year they were first hitting the market, and Ace R/C products well before that. The owner of FMA Direct is Fred Marks, and his history in the development of our hobby is something to hold in awe. In the linked article he provides a lot of information useful to anyone serious about battery powered radio controlled flight.

You just spent up to $250,000 on Drone Sensors-And saved $10 on a battery pack?

Fred Marks The Impact of the ASTM Standard on Batteries and BMS on Drone Programs The beginning for drones in the form we know today goes back to WW II as the DennyRadioplane. Batteries have always…

www.suasnews.com

Hello Pat, I didn't you were still breathing considering where your located... Just kidding, what's the latest in you neck of the woods?

gwhuntoon · Feb 24, 2021

Great article. Glad they mentioned the Good brothers. Both grew up in Kalamazoo MI. They essentially invented the digital proportional servos we all take for granted today. Having a love of model aviation there were no radio control actuators at the time so they essentially invented some to manipulate model aircraft control surfaces.

If anyone is interested...

PatR · Feb 26, 2021

AH-1G said:
Hello Pat, I didn't you were still breathing considering where your located... Just kidding, what's the latest in you neck of the woods?

Not much really. Stirring the pot in some things, keeping my head down in others. Haven't had much to say about drone stuff lately, but keeping up with things in the back ground. The guy that wrote that article is directly responsible for the foundation of our autopilots. Because of him and another company (Eagle Tree) that designed/designs and markets telemetry systems and sensors the fixed and rotary wing RC communities obtained wing levelers, gyros, GPS way point flight plan capabilities, and autopilots. Some of Eagle Tree's sensors wound up in some pretty sophisticated UAV's.

PatR · Feb 26, 2021

gwhuntoon said:
Great article. Glad they mentioned the Good brothers. Both grew up in Kalamazoo MI. They essentially invented the digital proportional servos we all take for granted today. Having a love of model aviation there were no radio control actuators at the time so they essentially invented some to manipulate model aircraft control surfaces.

If anyone is interested...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.