What Is VCC on PDB? Let’s Find Out!

So, you noticed that VCC pad on your PDB. And you have no idea what it is for. And what should you do with it?

So, are you interested to know what is VCC on PDB?

VCC is actually the Voltage Common Collector. Simply, it is the Supply Voltage for all electronic circuits. So, basically, the PDB likes to retain VCC from the battery so it can read the voltage of your battery. Then record the output on the OSD. So, what VCC does is it depicts full battery input.

Not sure yet? Do not worry! In this guide, we discuss in detail what VCC actually means. Plus, included some additional tips that you will find super useful. 

So, keep scrolling and find out!

What Is VCC on PDB?

VCC refers to Voltage Common Collector. To put it simply, VCC is the Supply Voltage for all electronic circuits. It can be presumed as the standard LIPO battery Source Voltage.

The PDB prefers to retain VCC from the Battery. This way it is able to read the voltage of your battery. Then report the output on the OSD.

Sometimes, you might need to wire the VCC up for it to work. You may have to wire it with the ribbon cable. 

Some VCC may not need to be wired up. For example, in case you are using a ribbon cable combined with the Matek PDB. Then, it is not needed. Since its Ribbon cable already has it.

But as mentioned above, there are some VCCs that require you to wire up. If you are using one of those, you will easily find sources to help you with the process. 

Our recommendation would be to check out the Matek website. It has a detailed discussion on how to wire up with ribbon cable. Or without it.

How Is VCC Measured?

So can you figure out at what voltage you are running the VCC? It would be really useful especially when you are running off batteries.

There is a reference called “bandgap reference” that is practically a 1.1V voltage reference.

If you read out the value related to the VCC, then doing some simple maths should do the trick. However, if you have a multimeter, then measuring the voltage will be easy.

Here are some recommendations if you don’t have one-

So let’s see how to go about measuring VCC Via The Bandgap.

Let’s suppose you read out an ADC value “x”. Here x = 1.1V.

With the 5V as VCC, this value will be approx 1100/5000 × 1023 which equals 225.

Whereas with the 3.3V as VCC, you would expect the reading of 1100/3300 × 1023 which is 341.

More generally it is 1100 / VCC multiplied by 1023 = x.

If you solve for VCC, you will get VCC = 1100 / x × 1023.

So, this is the way you can measure the VCC.

Quite simple, isn’t it? At least simpler than comparing Kittyhawk vs airmap vs b4ufly aloft.

Is There Any Difference Between VCC And VBAT?

This is one of the major questions most people have. People often confuse one with the other.

So, here we are to solve your confusion. Read the answer below.

Well, there is certainly a discrepancy between VCC and VBAT.

VBAT is where the voltage is run and operated for voltage monitoring. VCC itself is the battery voltage. So, as mentioned above, you have to run VCC to VBAT.

Moreover, VBAT is the input to the voltage sensor. And it doesn’t supply voltage. 

On the other hand, VCC basically indicates full battery input. You will find a pad marked VCC. It carries and transmits the full battery voltage (IE).

Suppose, you use a 3s battery. In that case, your VCC pad will carry about 12.8 volts. That too, with a completely charged battery.

There may be times when you wish to monitor the voltage. In that case, run a positive and negative from VCC to the VBAT terminal. Or you can just run it from the direct battery connection as well. 

Are VCC and 5C the Same?

So, hope you have gotten a good idea about the VCC. Pretty simple, much like figuring out an Opto ESC.

Now, let’s have a look at another common question. See whether VCC and 5c are the same.  

VCC is just the supply voltage for the electronic circuit. It actually depends if we are talking about the VCC for the PDB. It depends on whether the 5 Volts regulation transpires on the ESC or PDB.

It is not unusual that the PDB possesses BEC voltage regulators. So, that sums up to VCC=VBAT. And in other setups, the VCC= 5V, since it is the ESC that holds your regulators.

However, it might not always be the case. And VCC may adopt a range of voltages.

For example, VCC on the Arduino can be 9 volts. But it can run through any regulator to output 5 volts on the 5 volts pin.

VCC is generally the voltage which PDB is powered from. That said, when the VCC is connected to 5 volts, then it obviously will be 5v. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is VCC the same as VBAT?

No, they are not. Vbat is the input to the voltage sensor and it doesn’t supply voltage. And VCC normally depicts full battery input. Also, a pad marked VCC transmits full battery voltage. So, suppose you run a 3s battery. So your VCC pad would transmit 12.8 volts if the battery is fully charged.

What is the difference between VCC and VDD?

In the electronic circuit, the VCC is basically the supply voltage of that circuit. VDD is the operating voltage of your chip. The C in VCC implies the voltage of the access circuit. D of the VDD implies the working voltage inside your device.

Is VCC DC or AC?

The VCC of any bipolar junction transistor tends to be the DC voltage. And it is equipped with the collector of your transistor. VCC is a significant voltage while biassing your transistor. As it specifies how much that AC signal could be amplified in the transistor.