power distribution board

[ketanco]

does my drone have to have a power distribution board or i can just achieve the same result only by connecting cables?

also i read somewhere that the contact points of power distribution board must be gold plated for maximum efficiency. is it true? if so are all the commercially available power distribution boards gold plated?

 

[cootertwo]

Uh, no, yes, no, I dunno..............
If you can connect, (good solder connection) all the ESC wires, red and black separated of course, along with one extra wire each, for the battery connection, great. But it is usually one big hunk of wires. And if you need power for anything else, like video trans etc. there will be more wires. That's why a power distribution board is usually used. You can make your own from copper strips, or like I did on one build, use 2 strips of 14 gauge wire about 3 inches long. One end going to the battery, and then solder the ESC wires along the 2 strips, evenly spaced apart, and placed somewhere on the rig where they won't be touching anything else, or laying on a carbon fiber board. Be aware that power distribution boards come in different sizes and current ratings.

 

[ketanco]

thanks a lot but one question. when you say you built your custom board with 2 strips, how is only 2 wire enough for those many connections?

 

[cootertwo]

I also have 2 small wires (red & black) soldered on, for my FPV transmitter. On the other side of this board, I have the 2 power wires from the battery soldered onto the 2 strips of wire you see here.

 

[ketanco]

ok thanks a lot