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What Batteries Does the Airtronics Receiver Take?

Airtronics specializes in products for remote control enthusiasts, including receivers and transmitters to control RC cars, airplanes, robots and other devices. The company offers a variety of receivers with specifications to fit different devices; the receivers fall into two main categories based on the frequencies at which they operate. Receivers that operate at different frequencies are also powered differently.

Receiver Usage
- An RC electronics receiver attaches to the device being controlled and picks up signals from its corresponding transmitter. The receiver then relays the signals as commands to the device's servos, or motors, to direct the motions of the device. The receiver and transmitter operate at the same frequency; Airtronics receivers, like any other brand, generally range from two to eight channels, which determines the number of servos they can control.
Airtronics Receivers
- The two main categories of Airtronics RC receivers are those that operate at 2.4 gigahertz and those that operate at much lower frequencies of 27 to 75 megahertz. The majority of receivers listed by Airtronics at the time of publication are of the 2.4 GHz variety, with models available that are designed for different numbers of channels. Each 2.4 GHz receiver uses the same general type of battery; the specific battery required depends on the voltage rating of the receiver and the connected components.
2.4 GHz Batteries
- The proper battery for an Airtronics 2.4 GHz receiver depends on the classification of the specific receiver. Current models fall under three different frequency-hopping spread spectrum classes: FHSS-1, FHSS-2 and FHSS-3. FHSS-1 and -2 receivers require a battery with a voltage rating of 4.8 to 6.6 volts, which will be a 4- or 5-cell nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal hydride battery pack that attaches to the receiver by a small three-pronged female connector. FHSS-3 receivers require a slightly higher voltage rating of 4.8 to 7.4 volts, for which you need a 4-to-6 cell Ni-CD or Ni-MH battery pack or a 2S Lithium-ion polymer or 2S A123/Li-Fe Lithium-iron battery pack. Devices containing a higher number of servos use 6-cell battery packs.
Powering Other Receivers
- The lower-frequency Airtronics receivers in the 27-to-75 MHz category do not require a battery to power them as individual components, as they draw power indirectly from the power subsystem of the devices they are connected to through the microcontroller. These receivers do require frequency crystals, attached to the receiver, to tune it to the transmitter's specific frequency.

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