Electric IMAC Plane poll?

[Royster]

I think a generator is not a bad thing as most of the complaints we get is from planes in the sky not on the ground!

Just as in camping sites here you can run an extension cord from the geny to your charger if you dont want to bother other campers, but at a club with screaming glow engines it wouldnt be a problem.

[rmarsden]

	Quote: Originally Posted by gareth.ky
	Also if the 200Ah turns out not to be enough you kinda screwed. With the generator you can go get more gas.

For a quick field recharge I just run jumper cables from the big battery to the car battery and run the car for 30 minutes. The big alternator charges the battery faster than most battery chargers and the car is very quiet compared to most generators.

Our field, SEFSD, in San Diego is inside Mission Bay Park so we fly only electric aircraft. A generator would be the loudest thing around except for the jet skis, ski boats, Harley's, etc. cruising on or around the bay.

[rmarsden]

Charger efficiency: just checked one of my Hyperion 1210i chargers for effciency.

Volts in: 13.25
Amps in: 8.65
Power in: 114.6Watts

Volts out: 19.81
Amps out: 5.00
Power out: 114.6Watts

Efficiency = 99/114.6 = 86%

This is not quite as good as I had hoped but not terrible. The newer chargers when run from 24V will likely be a bit more efficient.

[BoneDoc]

I fly 50cc conversions, and I drive my generator to the field . Not the most environmentally clean option, but I have no pretense that I fly "to save the planet" .

[Judge]

And again, people have to keep in mind what we are talking about here. If all you need t do is charge your receiver and transmitter pack and maybe some foamy packs, then a battery is fine.

But when you start talking about charging multiple big packs in a hurry, then a generator starts to make more sense. It also depends on the pack count in your plane (or whatever) 1P or 2P and the cell count. Running a 10S2P set up that you need to charge in under an hour requires 2 chargers each pulling around 25 amp at their peak. Even a big battery can only do that maybe twice. Sure, you can charge fewer packs and/or charge slower, but in a contest you may not have that luxury.

So again, it really depends on what you are charging, how many of them you have to charge, and how fast you need to charge.

[powerlines]

My Bud has the 3DHS 87'' SHP. It's BY far the best flying plane I have EVER flown..

[sideways]

I'm going with the tried and true Hacker C50-14XL, with a Masterspin 99 from memory.
Running 2 x 5S (10S) in probably a 5000 mAh Zipp-H pack, maybe slightly bigger.

Everything is with the builder so i can't do pictures or anything.

The plane is a Tempest, designed by John Payne.
I'm having mine built ready to paint and cover, but you can buy them as a kit.

	Quote: Originally Posted by Haggy
	What plane and setup are you running - or planning on running??? Cheers Chris

[BoneDoc]

That will work on a pattern plane, but it's a tad small for a 50cc conversion.

[Radioactive]

Great combo, but not enought for imac... basic would be fine, as it's an open/intro class, so bring, and fly what you have!! I'd love to fly an electric 35% or larger for IMAC, but i do not believe we can get in two sequences;( without landing in between) , with current technology, especially if it was windy! I do believe we are inching closer with new Battery technology etc!

[sideways]

Not sure who said it was an Imac setup?.....It's a Pattern Plane.
He asked about it, I answered.....

There's actual not much difference in size between this and my Comp-Arf 2.1
The big issue is the weight. It's around 2kg lighter than your average 50cc plane.
I guess to be fair the scale planes have more drag.
But seriously, how much power do you need, this setup is good enough for many of the name-brand pilots in F3A.

My point is, if someone with more time than me built a plane like this, but moved the canopy back and added a cowl to make it look like an extra, all within the 10% rule, why wouldn't it fly? (Yes i know there's a bit more to it, but you get the picture)

And yes you could fly this plane in the basic class, but that would be unfair to the other competitors, . The only chance they would have is that i can't fly for St.

[BoneDoc]

Well, I don't even know where the "question" is?

The question of the thread is for IMAC, hence an IMAC plane, presumably a 50cc at the smallest. I wasn't refuting your claim, I was simply clarifying in case others would want to copy your setup for their 50cc conversions.

[rmarsden]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Radioactive
	Great combo, but not enought for imac... basic would be fine, as it's an open/intro class, so bring, and fly what you have!! I'd love to fly an electric 35% or larger for IMAC, but i do not believe we can get in two sequences;( without landing in between) , with current technology, especially if it was windy! I do believe we are inching closer with new Battery technology etc!

Much closer than you think. Here in San Diego, there are two pilots flying ~90 inch wingspan planes which easily complete Intermediate IMAC sequences twice and have been doing so for the past three years. One is a 2.3 meter Comp-Arf Extra 330L and the other a 30% QuiQue Yak-54 - flown by RayFulks and Pedro Brantuas. These will soon be joined by a pair of 101 inch QuiQue Yaks which should also be able to complete the sequence twice.

Their success obtains from using the right combination of motor and prop to provide optimum efficiency. The motors are Neu 2215 series with gearboxes. The props are custom made 28x20 wooden props. The high pitch on the prop allows it to turn more slowly to obtain the same pitch speed and thereby maximize efficiency. This likely has the secondary benefit of reducing P-factor since there is less angular momentum stored in the more slowly turning prop.

The two new planes will both be using Neu 2230 series motors with gearboxes. As soon as they fly, I'll let this forum know the results. I hope to see them both in our next EMAC on May 9 or at our SEFSD Spring Fling Exhibition May 15-17.