Hi folks, first post, excuse me. I'm working with a friend to build an electric paramotor and I'm in need of some guidance on the pile of parts that we've ammased. I hesitant to start plugging and playing, because, well, it's obviously dangerous! I don't know anything about these advanced systems and how they work. What we need is the ability to run full throttle or nearly, for as long as these 4 packs will last. Will need a throttle assembly as well, could be wired or wireless whichever is easier. Also need guidance as to what goes where, maximum wire lengths/gauges and general advice. Thanks in advance!

Nobody has anything for me? Maybe if this isn't the right place to ask I could be directed to another forum? This is somewhat uncharted territory in the paramotor world, although there are a few guys doing it.

Give it time.....its the weekend....im sure someone with the info you need will see your post.

Not sure what you have bought so cannot help much.

One thing I would be worried about is motors like these are not really suitable for low speed high drag flight as you would get with a paramotor. I assume it is man carrying?

I would seriously look into a belt drive or a planetary gearbox so you can lazily turn a much larger prop.

This has the advantage of increasing the efficiency too.

Not sure the best way of running a throttle, I am thinking a good quality servo tester could be adapted to act as a manual throttle for the ESC.

Yes some have used belt reductions, but another chap just used this small prop and had pretty good success. Normally we swing 48-52" props at around 3000 rpm. I'd be keen to find a belt or gear reduction someplace but I don't know where to look for something of that nature that doesn't weigh a ton.

Agreed, you will run into issues with generating the necessary thrust with such a small propeller.

Some tips for you as well:

-Get rid of the bullet connectors between the motor and ESC- solder these leads directly and insulate well with good heat shrink tubing- no electrical tape! Bullet connectors start to generate resistance when you're talking about these kinds of power figures.

-You are going to need a MUCH higher powered charger for those batteries. It appears that they are 8 cell 8000 mah packs (correct me if I'm wrong), but with you being limited to 50 watts of total output per channel, that means that you can basically charge them at a maximum of about 0.6 amps each max- this will take you probably close to 10 hours to charge each pack, and the charger has a safety timer that will cut off long before you reach that mark. Ideally, you should be using something powerful like an iCharger 4010 DUO which can charge at 1000 watts per channel. It's pricey but when you have big batteries at risk, it's much better to get a higher end charger that can do the job effectively and keep your packs healthy. You can charge them at 16 amps each (2C) and with a 48 volt power supply, they will be fully topped off in just under a half hour. If you don't want a supercharger, then an iCharger 308 DUO will do the job just as effectively- both are great chargers that work awesome, I have a 380 and a fellow club member has the 4010, both are working without issues.

-Bigger electrics demand much more attention to detail, make sure before you do any actual flights that you fine tune the system and know exactly what kind of current figures you are working with to ensure that the system is working within its limitations. when systems this large fail, it's generally very catastrophic. I would get someone that's very experienced with big electrical systems to help out to ensure everything is in check. Running a system like this at WOT all the time can be dangerous.

Originally Posted by paraninja

Yes some have used belt reductions, but another chap just used this small prop and had pretty good success. Normally we swing 48-52" props at around 3000 rpm. I'd be keen to find a belt or gear reduction someplace but I don't know where to look for something of that nature that doesn't weigh a ton.

Belt reduction is easy enough, it is two pulleys of different sizes and a belt. A decent machine shop can make something up to your specs for the same or less than an off the shelf product. Planetary reduction for electric motors are around but you will have to look away from RC use. Google in this case is you friend. Belt is probably the best way for the sheer simplicy, easy maintenece and lightness.

You have tiny battery capacity and a small motor for the task, you will need all the help you can get to improve efficiency and thrust, we are talking a 30 to 40. % increase here, these motors do not work well running as direct drive pusher motors, so you will not have a lot of choice in the matter.

As for chargers, I fly small electric models with batteries 1/4 the size of yours
and have many times more powerful chargers. I would also steer well clear of hobbyking chargers. Hobby king electronic products are generally quite poor quality and with something of this scale and seriousness, no ones life is worth saving 500$ over. we lost one of our model flying sites a couple of years ago after a paramotor accident, the guy cheaped out and made his own tandem harness, one dead and the other severely injured after it failed in flight.

I suppose first up you will need to make yourself a test rig with a way of measuring the static thrust and current draw.

Just done a bit of looking around, this looks like similar equipment to what you have bought, and the belt drive set up looks very much up for the job.

Electric paramotor 02 Assembly (1 min 53 sec)

Awesome thanks gents! Yes that guy did a nice setup, unfortunately he's Japanese and our languages are not lined up as well as I'd like.
Are you saying these motors don't push as well because they are designed to pull? That's a valid point. Also, as far as a test bench for thrust that's no problem, however an amp test seems tricky as this is pretty high amp stuff. My electrical knowledge is lacking although my dad might be able to help in this department.

In regards to safety I'd like to separate the discussion into two groups of safety scenarios. One scenario is that the unit stops working in flight and causes an "unintentional landing". In paramotoring this is an every day reality and we are well suited to deal with this. Any person who relies on Italian engines with their life is a fool, and this contraption will be classified in the same manner.
The second scenario is that something happens to the unit, through poor design, that causes a safety problem not related to flying or landing skills, like a fire or an explosion. These are the concerns I have with these large batteries and a fire in flight could be pretty unpleasant, but an explosion could be really unpleasant. What is the explosion potential of these batteries? Is there any protections built into the battery or controller?

Good points on the connectors, are these going to be connected in series correct?

Originally Posted by paraninja

What is the explosion potential of these batteries? Is there any protections built into the battery or controller?

Good points on the connectors, are these going to be connected in series correct?

I am biting on this as I have an aborted paramotor project. Ex skydiver and done some paragliding too.

Ok, batteries, liPo batteries are unsafe in general. Cheap LiPos are worse.

They do not explode as such, but they can catch fire and if they do, they will burn themselves out before you can put them out. An out of control fire in an aluminium box ( that will melt anyway at the temp these fires burn at) just behind your bum while at a 1000 feet is not something I would find pleasant. they are more likely to catch fire when charging admittedly.

RC models use them for the simple reason they have the highest capacity for the weight.

I would seriously look at moving over to LIFePo4 cells, these are super stable, super safe, and what is better is their life span is many times that of LiPos. A good LifePo4 cell can easily take 2000 charges, I doubt you will get more than an average of 100 out of those hobby king packs.

Downsideof LiFePo4 is weight and cost.

Can I ask what frame this is being bolted to or is that also home made?

Interesting. Yes a fire onboard would be a bad situation. And 100 cycles isn't very strong. I will research this and discuss with my partner.
The frame my friend got from China through alibaba and it's decent for the price. It was 600$ and comes with a gas tank but no harness. Gas tank isn't useful obviously lol.

This guys project is what made me think the small prop was viable option, he looks like a full size human and he's leaning on that motor pretty hard!

Homebuilt Solar Charged Electric Paramotor! Longer flight. Sunny Motor. (12 min 38 sec)

Hi, Everybody,

If you are looking for electric motor for paramotor, paraglider, hang glider, ultra aircraft, electric car, bike, i think you can try this excellent motor www.emotor.cc.
That quality is super great. They have 80100, 12090, 120100 size std, sensored version motors!!!

Hello, I working on electric paramotor project, and I have new items available in store for e-paramotor project: Electrical Motors (outrunner 15kWt to 25kWt, ESCs 350A to 450A for electric paramotor or hang glider projects: http://eparaglider.com/electric-para...ents-for-sale/

At this time I working on RC store: http://epowerhobby.com

Business located in USA.

?

Originally Posted by slowgto

?

Just Spam.