Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/03
Page Numbers: 14,15
,

Worth a Closer Look

Vibe 90 3D Helicopter

Made specifically to perform at the limits of 3D helicopter flight, the Vibe 90 has been designed from the championship Vigor platform and includes carbon frames.

The Vibe 90 features many redesigned and upgraded parts to handle the incredible loads of today's flying styles. The new hardened main shaft, with its heavy-duty autorotation assembly and newly supported bevel-gear hub, has also been beefed up.

The revised control system features an upgraded high-cyclic swashplate, a one-piece CNC 3D center hub with O-ring dampeners, composite blade holders, control arms, and a new adjustable flybar/blade-ratio system.

On the tail, the rotor hub design, hub case, pitch lever, and control lever have been upgraded, and the helicopter now includes a carbon tail control rod for improved actuation.

  • Street price: $1,099.99
  • Horizon Hobby Distributors
  • Address: 4105 Fieldstone Rd., Champaign, IL 61822
  • Tel.: (800) 338-4639
  • Web site: www.horizonhobby.com

RIGrunner

The RIGrunner is a convenient and safe way to run 12 VDC field-charging equipment. With one unit you can operate multiple chargers and battery coolers from a car or field battery—no more clip leads, messy binding posts, frayed wire connections, black tape, or short circuits.

Each unit is a 13.8 VDC power panel that uses Anderson Powerpole connectors (aka Sermos). Standardize all of your 12 VDC connections using Powerpoles: they are color-keyed, polarized, and genderless.

Key features:

  • Each outlet may be used at its full rating and is individually fused with easy-to-find automotive ATC fuses.
  • All fuses have a blown-fuse LED indicator to show short-circuit problems instantly.
  • All models are conservatively rated at 40 amps total (with any outlet good to 40 amps).
  • One-year parts-and-labor guarantee; you pay only one-way shipping for warranty service—no warranty charges.

For more information and pricing on all RIGrunner models:

E-Plus Gold Li-Poly Packs

The high-output e-Plus Gold packs are currently available in three sizes: 5S2P, 4S2P, and 3S2P. More sizes will be introduced soon. All packs have a 50-amp continuous capacity with bursts to 70 amps.

Features:

  • Wired for the exclusive Duralite Stay Balance Module, which ensures each cell and parallel cells are balanced.
  • Built-in air spaces between cells for cooling.
  • Exteriors strengthened with carbon-fiber plates.
  • Precision construction: solder joints and cell matching done with care.

For pricing and further details:

Matt Chapman CAP 580 ARFs

Great Planes has announced an exclusive license to produce scale RC models of the CAP 580 flown by full-scale aerobatics performer Matt Chapman. Available in a sporty .46–.70 size and an International Miniature Aerobatic Club-legal 1/3-scale version, these models offer scale looks and high performance for intermediate and advanced pilots.

Common features:

  • Built-up, all-wood construction with MonoKote covering
  • Painted fiberglass cowls and wheel pants
  • Hardware packages and step-by-step, photo-illustrated instructions

1/3-scale CAP (International Miniature Aerobatic Club-legal)

  • Wing span: 99.5 inches
  • Wing area: 1,885 sq. in.
  • Weight: 28–30 lb
  • Engine: 85–120 cc gasoline
  • Street price: $749.99
  • Note: Fuselage offers two locations for the aluminum tube that joins the main wing halves, allowing adjustment of wing position to achieve proper CG for the engine size used.

Sporty .46–.70 size CAP

  • Wing span: 55.5 inches
  • Wing area: 562.5 sq. in.
  • Weight: 6.75–7.5 lb
  • Engine options: .46–.61 two-stroke (7.5–10.0 cc) or .52–.70 cu. in. four-stroke (8.5–11.5 cc)
  • Street price: $199.99

Poly Quest PCM Guard and Li-Poly Batteries

Reports about hazards associated with Li-Poly batteries are beginning to diminish as modelers learn safe charging and discharging techniques and as new charging technologies catch on in the hobby industry.

Shulman Aviation (Don Shulman of the Shulman family) has introduced a new line of limited Li-Poly battery packs under the Poly Quest brand.

Battery pack specifications:

  • Configurations: 2S, 3S, 4S, and 5S (nominal voltages from 7.4 V for 2S up to 18.5 V for 5S)
  • Capacities: 300 mAh to 8,000 mAh
  • Load capability: generally in the 10C–12C range

The test pack (2S1P, 880 mAh) is rated at 12C, meaning it should accept currents up to about 10.5 A. What differentiates these packs is that each cell’s output is accessible from the outside of the case via a proprietary multipin connector. A special connector/harness (item PQ-MPT-2) lets you access each cell in the pack using a red plastic JST connector.

PCM Guard safety interface:

  • The PCM Guard is an electronic module that attaches between your charger output and the Poly Quest battery pack.
  • It contains the mating half of the multipin connector and monitors each cell during charging.
  • If the cells remain roughly balanced, a red LED on the PCM Guard stays lit. If a cell reaches 4.35 V before the others (indicating imbalance), the red LED goes out and charging is terminated.
  • Using the special cable and connector, you can then measure each cell’s voltage and manually charge any low cell(s) until balance is restored.

Usage notes and future outlook:

  • The Poly Quest pack, access cable, and PCM Guard are intended for use with a regular Li-Poly charger. If the PCM Guard detects imbalance, you must manually charge individual cells to correct it.
  • Future chargers will likely provide separate outputs for each cell, allowing automatic per-cell cutoff as each cell reaches full capacity, resulting in balanced packs without manual intervention.
  • For now, Poly Quest products provide an alert and allow corrective action.

Test results:

  • A deliberate imbalance test (one cell at 25%, the other at 75%) caused the PCM Guard to cut off charging when the higher-voltage cell reached 4.35 V. The lower-voltage cell was then charged to match the higher cell, restoring balance.
  • Capacity tests on the 2S 880 mAh pack:
  • At 1C (~880–900 mA) measured capacity was 930 mAh.
  • At ~5C (4.0 A) the pack warmed somewhat; measured capacity was 790 mAh.
  • At ~10C (8.0 A) the pack got considerably warmer; measured capacity was 760 mAh.
  • Note: these tests used a constant-current discharge. In flight, throttling reduces average duty cycle compared to a constant-current load.

Recommendations and cautions:

  • Use the matching PCM Guard for the pack type (2S PCM Guard for 2S packs, 3S for 3S, etc.). That part of the process is not automatic.
  • The Poly Quest pack assembly and multipin connector are high quality, and the PCM Guard functions as claimed.

Shulman Aviation is to be commended for importing this Li-Poly safe-charging concept for the U.S. hobby market.

  • Shulman Aviation
  • Address: 1140 Citrus Oaks Run, Winter Springs, FL 32708
  • Tel.: (407) 359-1020
  • E-mail: [email protected]

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.