Stop going on about 'local hobby shops', ok? I dont have one. Didnt have one at my old address. This just isnt fair to taunt me.
Sorry...
Yeeeh I want the one Matt has
I don't know if you do. The one I have works, but probably isn't the best solution. Here's what I've found & learned:
I used an MPI Miracle Switch... modified. It no longer has the switch, and the thin leads (that claim to support the 20A peak/10A continuos) were replaced with a heavier gauge wire. There are two pots on the board. I played around w/ em in hopes it was an output adjustment, but they just set the cutoff/bypass. The sucker gets hot, so the actual regulator is held fast to my bot's aluminum body. As a preventative measure against acute power drops (that moment when a large number of servos is initiated), I have additional capacitors socketed into the servo ports. Wasn't sure how effective it'd end up being, but hasn't dead-band since. Take it as you will... I'm not claiming anything other than that. 
MPI makes another regulator that I haven't tried yet... it has adjustable output and a large heat sink. I should mention that both of these I'm talking about take up more space than the one Zembot has. That can be a big deal considering.
The regulator I'm using is mainly used in RC planes to safe-guard against crashing... even if the regulator fails, the current is bypassed around to keep it juiced until it lands. ...So if Rook's Pawn starts flying, we're all set. 
Subpilot (who's still at sea I imagine) turned me onto the TI DC/DC buck converters. They don't waste power by turning all the excess current into heat like the linear regulators do. I picked up a couple evaluation boards, but have yet to find time to work on 'em. ...Though here again, their amp rating is a little too low for all the servos I'm running.
The best saniero is to only regulate the microcontroller, and power the servos directly off the battery. BUT, the HSR-8498's can't hack it... they're not lying when they say 6v operating voltage (yes, I'm sure ). There's where Hitec's new servo line will shine. They're rated for 6v and 7.4v!
I have noticed a weird problem with the head flashing/not flashing. I’m working on that problem. Hopefully it’s horked code and not a characteristic of using Lipos or the regulator.
You're right, you'll want to adjust your code.
I know this has been mentioned elsewhere, but to save you from hunting.. the blinking LED is not a good way to ensure your Li-Poly's are safe form over-discharge. The circuitry for detecting low voltage should be pre-regulator, and have a cut-off/power-down. I don't have a cutoff on mine either... ???? (shrug). I did pick up a 10 increment LED indicator that'll visually display the voltage. I MUST keep an eye on it because over-discharging the cells even once starts a chemical reaction inside that is irreversible. Your battery will never be the same after.
Okay, I've ranted on long enough...Statistics: Posted by bauermech — Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:01 am
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Hi, 