Electrics
Greg Gimlick | [email protected]
A look at more interesting items at the NEAT Fair
NEAT STUFF: Okay, the title of this section is a pun intended, but it really does describe what is going on this month and in the electric community in general. I’m going to cover more of the stuff from the NEAT (Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology) Fair that there wasn’t room for in the feature and concentrate on the technical side of the show.
Companies are advancing the electric product line faster than any of us can keep up with, and that reflects a trend in the market — we got what we asked for. We just have to try to digest it all.
I have to thank Model Airplane News Editor Gerry Yarrish, who offered to share some of his pictures. The conditions this year made shooting photos incredibly difficult. If it weren’t for the cooperation among everyone trying to cover the event, it would have been impossible.
Data Acquisition
I’ve discussed the Eagle Tree Systems and BNP Products acquisition systems and I continue to use them on a regular basis. But at the NEAT Fair there were more home-brew systems doing incredible things than you can hardly imagine.
One such system was made by electric guru Keith Shaw and electronics guru Dave Hares using an Eagle Tree Seagull expanded to unbelievable limits. Keith and Dave designed sensors, adjustable firewalls, etc., to be able to measure the actual negative and positive G loads during flight.
This is an eye-opener when you see the stresses that asymmetrical loading puts on things. If you don’t think it happens on your airplane, you’re probably mistaken—especially if you’re flying big propellers on a 3-D–type airframe.
Everything in Keith and Dave’s E-flite Ultra Stick 25e, powered by an E-flite 32 motor and Phoenix-60 ESC, can be measured. They can log servo positions throughout the flight, along with the usual temperature, voltage, and amperage numbers, and also the G forces and GPS location of the flight.
If something happens to this airplane during a flight, there is probably a line of code somewhere with which Dave can tell you what, how, when, and where it happened, and to what extent. It’s modelers such as these who make cruising the pits so much fun, and they are all willing to show you everything you want to know about it. Great stuff!
Counter-Rotating
I’ve never seen so many airplanes with counter-rotating propellers as I did this year at the NEAT Fair. Put aside the fact that some or most were on models that never actually used such a system in real life; these were just “plane” neat accomplishments.
These systems are readily available from companies such as Maxx Products (www.maxxprod.com/mpi/newdevelopment.html) and Vision Hobbies (www.visionhobbies.com/1149857.html), which distributes the PJS 3D 550 R Double Brushless Outrunner Motor. Along with the off-the-shelf systems, there was Keith Shaw’s incredible Bugatti that uses a system he built for use with his AstroFlight motors.
Dan Landis always puts on a great show when he shows up, but this year he had some extremely interesting subjects. When I first heard his Kangke USA (www.kangkeusa.com) Monocoupe in the air I thought someone had brought an airplane with a throaty-sounding four-stroke in it. It turns out the model was powered by Himax 6320 counter-rotating motors, each paired with a Castle Creations HV-85 ESC, and the two controllers ran off one 10S1P 5000 mAh Tanic Li-Poly pack. Both propellers are 19 x 12s—one regular and one reverse pitch. Each motor is pulling approximately 70 amps. The radio is all Futaba digital gear—9451 servos and a 319 receiver—and a Tanic 2S1P 1550 mAh Li-Poly is used for the receiver power.
100cc Gas Replacement
If you’ve been around the electric-flight community for any length of time, you may remember the name Plettenberg from the days when we first got access to high-quality brushed motors. The company has been building excellent motors for a long time and has kept with that tradition by breaking into the Giant Scale/IMAC (International Miniature Aerobatic Club) power systems with incredible results.
Plettenberg’s new motor is the Predator, with triple ball bearings, 20 poles, an integral propeller adapter, and the ability to swing propellers as large as 30 inches, developing up to 12.5 kilowatts of power. These motors are distributed in the US by ICARE: www.icare-rc.com/plettenberg_predator.htm.
Speaking of Big
Dan Landis also put on a show at the NEAT Fair with his large-profile airplane. The Tunnel Vision from Chip Hyde Products (www.chiphyde.com) flies like a big foamie, according to Dan, but it’s an incredible sight to see in his capable hands.
The motor is an AXI 5330 FAI with a 20 x 12 Meizlik carbon-fiber electric propeller. It is pulling roughly 78 amps using a Castle Creations HV-85 ESC and a 10S1P 5000 mAh Tanic Li-Poly. The radio equipment is all Futaba, using the 14MZ transmitter with a 319 receiver and 9351 servos on everything, and employing a Tanic 2S1P 1550 Li-Poly for the receiver power.
Here is how this profile measures up:
- Wingspan: 80 inches
- Length: 74 inches
- Area: approximately 1,460 square inches
- Weight: 12 pounds
- Wing loading: 18–20 oz/sq ft
The Tunnel Vision was launched like a little 3-D airplane, with a helper holding it in a vertical position while Dan advanced the throttle and the launcher released it. Check out the videos in the RCGroups event forum: www.rcgroups.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=411.
Battery Breakthrough
I mentioned in the feature about the NEAT Fair that A123 Racing has what I consider to be the breakthrough development in the newest quest for batteries. I’ve been using the company’s cells and can’t help but be excited by the safety and performance so far.
I know that MA battery columnist Red Schofield will be doing more in-depth coverage of the chemistry and such, so I’ll leave that to the expert, but I’ll discuss using them in an application and what I’ve found.
These batteries’ format is a bit different because of their construction, and you can’t just solder to the ends of the pack like you can with regular battery cans made from steel. These are aluminum and require special treatment. They also come with tabs for soldering if you buy them directly from A123 Racing. Many people are buying DeWALT power-tool packs and tearing them apart to get the cells, but there are some disadvantages to doing it that way.
I’ve found what I consider to be the best route if you don’t want to buy the cells preconfigured from A123: Solderless Power Tubes from Model Electronics Corporation (MEC, www.modelelectronicscorp.com). The solderless power tube gives you a stick-style pack you may be used to using, and they fit nicely into a number of fuselage shapes and sizes.
You don’t have to do anything to the cells to get them ready if you get them from MEC because they don’t have tabs and don’t require careful removal and cleaning. I bought a 6S pack you can see in the photo, and it was ready to drop into the airplane.
I put it in my reliable Sig LT-25, powered by a MaxCim brushless system I’d been flying on a 16-cell pack of GP3300 NiMH cells. By putting in this 6S power tube the model lost a whopping 20 ounces! The power is the same or better as with the 16-cell pack and the duration is the same.
I know you're wondering how I can go from 3300 mAh to 2300 mAh and have the same duration, but that's what happens with the loss of 20 ounces. The voltage is a bit higher and the voltage drop under load is less. I'm sold on these cells in these solderless power tubes, and so far the cells have remained balanced through approximately 25 cycles.
Mounting Issues
Since the dawn of modern electric flight I've gotten more questions about how to mount motors than almost anything else. Manufacturers have finally figured out that modelers want options, and they've come up with some great ones.
When we started seeing beam mounts in models, I started getting a whole new batch of questions about how to mount motors other than what was coming with the airplanes. Everyone wanted more power, more options, and more answers.
The new GWS beam mount answers all those questions. This little beaut fits multiple brands of motors, and you can mount the motor in front of or behind the mount. Check out the details in the photo and you'll see how versatile this simple system is.
Final Approach
There is still a great deal left to talk about, but the post-show run-out. Thanks again to the SEFLI (Silent Electric Flyers of Long Island) club for putting on another incredible NEAT Fair and to the Bergen County Silent Flyers for their huge tent and hospitality, not to mention their seminars and all-around good times.
To the many modelers I pestered for photos and information during the show, all I can say is "Thanks; thanks an awful lot." MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
