Introduction; What It Does; Benefits - RC watt's up WU100 User Manual

Introduction

1 INTRODUCTION
Thank you for purchasing the Watt's Up or Doc Wattson power analyzer. We are confident
you will find it to be an indispensable addition to the tools you use to make your hobby
more enjoyable.
While emphasizing RC modeling applications, this manual applies to the myriad
applications to which the Watt's Up or Doc Wattson meters can be applied. While the
Watt's Up model will be referred to, the Doc Wattson is the same with the exception of
some the parameter ranges covered.
Your Watt's Up watt meter and power analyzer is an easy-to-use precision instrument for
measuring and calculating the electrical parameters the hobbyist of electronic devices
needs to get the most from their projects.
1.1

What it Does

Watt's Up measures current, voltage and time and from those measurements calculates
peak current (Amps), peak power (Watts), minimum voltage (Volts), power (Watts),
energy (Watt-hours) and charge (Amp-hours) values for you, in real-time, for the circuit in
which you connect it.
1.2

Benefits

With the advent of electric power for models the hobbyist can now investigate and tune the
performance of their model in ways not possible with the traditional internal combustion
engines. With Watt's Up it is now easy to determine things like:
Flight time

Current through an ESC and motor

ESC, BEC and motor efficiencies

Charge put into and removed from a battery and the performance of battery

chargers
Battery health

Presence of peak currents that can damage components

Presence of voltage sags that cause components to operate out of specification

Why power is lost during acrobatics or extreme conditions

Effect of gearing and propeller size and shape on power consumption and battery

currents
Effects of modifications, age and damage on many electrical system components

Clever RC hobbyists will, no doubt, discover new applications to further improve electric
model performance.
With Watt's Up you can stop wondering what's going on with your electric model and get
answers that allow you to apply science to your hobby. The precise measurements you
collect will help you fine tune your model to get all the performance that you paid for.
We know you are anxious to start using your Watt's Up and ask that you review this
manual first to get the most out of its capabilities and inform you of relevant safety
issues.
Enjoy learning Watt's Up!
"Watt's Up" & "Doc Wattson" Watt Meter and Power Analyzer User's Manual
3
RC Electronics, Inc.