@Thewierd1, great info!
Just to clarify, the UBEC is basically a step-down (buck) mode DC-to-DC converter. There are lots of versions available from a whole bunch of sources. The Photon uses a buck converter to generate its own 3.3v! As @Hootie81 points out, cheap versions of these (any buck or boost converter) tend to be noisy on their output which is not good for the Photon’s own converter. Using good quality units, like those from Pololu, Adafruit or Sparkfun or by adding filter caps as @Hootie81 suggests is really vital to “safe” operation. 