Overpriced buffer? Or something else?
Introduction
Mikado VBar Power Backups are between 99 and 109 euros each, which is up to 4 times more expensive than some other buffer packs. Is this a Mikado ripoff, or something else?
How does a buffer work?
So how do buffer packs work?
These are usually just a few capacitors and circuit board. It plugs into the flight controller, and when the system powers up, it charges the capacitors over a short period. Then if you experience power drops or loss to the flight controller during the flight, the buffer kicks in and returns the power so you can keep control of the model until the capacitor voltage drops too low.
This normally gives 30 seconds to 60 seconds of control, which is more than enough to autorotate the helicopter down safely.
Some buffers are as simple as that, where they wait for a set voltage drop, normally half a volt, and then supply power.
Others do spike suppression where they act as a stabilising capacitor. They absorb sudden fluctuations and smooth out the electrical flow and prevent damage to sensitive components.
They may have additional features where LEDs flash or telemetry lets you know when power has been interrupted.
And if you want to turn it off after a flight, some have an off button, but more commonly you can deactivate it with a switch on the radio linked to a spare channel.
Do you need one?
Another important question is who needs them? If you trust your soldering and equipment, and you’ve been doing this for a while, you probably have your own opinion as to whether you do or not.
If you’re a beginner, running lower headspeeds and generally hovering around, it’s up to you again. If you have a battery unplug or BEC failure, the model will probably drop to the ground without much damage or risk of hurting you or anyone else.
However, if you fly hard and fast, push your equipment to the max, do demos, and more importantly, fly in front of the general public, it would be irresponsible not to run one of these packs. If you have a lead unplug, BEC failure, wire fatigue, it’s important to be able to keep control of the model and be able land it safely.
What’s different about the Mikado VBar Power Backup?
So what’s different about the VBar Power Backup?
You can read on the website about all the specifics on voltages, current, charge rates and protections, but in general it’s the same as the other buffers with spike suppression. However, it does have a few features that make it unique.
First off, it’s tightly integrated into the Mikado ecosystem. There is a VBar Control app you can change the settings and it writes events to the standard VBar log.
Then on powerup there is a delay before charging and the charge rate can be set. This stops the BEC from being overloaded when everything powers up at the same time.
It won’t let you spoolup if the buffer hasn’t charged to a set level. You can either wait a bit longer or lower the level.
The alerts also work slightly differently in that if power fails, it will only alert if the system is under load. So when you unplug on the bench, there are no alerts because no servos are being worked.
Interestingly it shows in the logs how much it’s had to support your system. Most of my models shows 40 to 80 mAmp after a flight. This is useful as you can check previous logs to see if things change over time.
And then there’s the one reason I use these backups. You don’t have to switch it off at the end of a flight. Because it’s integrated into the system, it knows when you’re not moving the sticks. So if you unplug and haven’t touched the sticks for 10 seconds, it deactivates itself. How cool is that?
This may sound like a small thing, and in reality it is, but it takes away small annoyances. There are no sudden alerts when unplugging, and you don’t have to remember to turn off. And that thing where you come back 5 minutes later to find the system beeping, that’s no longer happening.
Conclusion
I really like it and I think it’s worth it, but I fly a lot. You may find that the extra effort of pushing the off button or switch is a non-issue and you can save yourself some money by betting a standard buffer.
BTW, I wouldn’t recommend getting a button with a physical off switch. I find over time the button stops working and it gets really annoying having to press it repeatedly until it turns off.
I will be doing more reviews like this, so if you liked this video, subscribe to the channel for notifications when I post them.
Until next time.
