4A BEC / Voltage Regulator (6-18V Input, Adjustable 5, 6, 8.4, 12V Output, XT30 Connectors)

Tech Terms

In the world of R/C hobbyists, this component is known as a Battery Eliminator Circuit (BEC) for how it eliminates the need for additional batteries when a project’s components require different voltages.

To the electrical engineering crowd, meanwhile, this type of BEC is known by several other names. One is “switching regulator." A switching regulator is more efficient than other regulators, including linear ones. And within the world of switching regulators, it’s specifically named a “buck converter” because it opposes (“bucks off”) voltage from its input.

Buck converters themselves are sometimes called “step-down converters” or “step-down voltage regulators.” As the name implies, this sort of voltage regulator specifically regulates voltage down—and not up—from input voltage.

Tech Tip

Incoming voltage (accepted via the BEC’s XT30 input) must be at least 1V above the selected output voltage, set at 5V by default. You can change the voltage provided by the BEC’s XT30 output to either 6V, 8.4, or 12V by moving a jumper included in the BEC's side.