[cncarinspector]

Hi Guys,

I am returning to flying after a hiatus and getting started in electric. Does anyone have any tips for a returning newbie? Anything from the best books to read, to chargers, radios, flight boxes tools etc. anything that would make my return easier.

Thanks

Ron

[Rod]

Ron, one of the better sources of information on Electric flying can be found at http://www.ezonemag.com/. Tie site is dedicated to Electric models and has an excellant section on FAQ that will answer many of your questions. It also includes many reviews on electric models, motors , batteries etc. There are some books available, one of the most informative is Bob Boucher of Astro Flight Inc. a book that it is a little dated but has excellant infomation on electric motors. Another good source is http://homepage.mac.com/kmyersefo/ a site that Ken Myers runs. As far as books, there are a number available, but the problem with printed material is that the electric model industry has been moving so fast that most books are outdated once thay come out of the printer's office.
One of the good sources is to frequent a number of the electric model pages and ask questions. RC Canada is a good place to start and then once you have zeroed in on an issue, track it down on this site or a number of the other Internet sites available.

[ron van sommeren]

For a rainy day.

* Presentation: de-mystifying Electric Flight
http://www.rcaircrafters.org/The%20Electric%20Show.pdf

* System wiring diagrams:
http://scriptasylum.com/rc_speed/_wiring.html
* LiPo pack and balancer cable wiring:
http://scriptasylum.com/rc_speed/_lipo.html

* Monthly Ampeer newsletter, on paper and online available. Excellent articles in the archives by e-flight pioneers Ken Meyers and Keith Shaw a.o.
http://homepage.mac.com/kmyersefo

* Brushless motor animations and simulations. Mostly outrunners but inrunners are just outrunners turned inside out.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216928

* http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3
-> Everything You Wanted To Know About Electric Powered Flight

* http://www.ampaviators.com
-> Beginner Guide

* http://www.ezonemag.com
-> Faq

* Choosing a power setup
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=739069
http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27019

* Current, voltage, Watt, battery-types and -C-rating explained
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=417868

* 'Dry' testing brushless motors after a mishap:
http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35216
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240993

* How to repair a brushless motor
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1079423

* Motor_rewinding_101, about poles, winds, delta, star
http://www.gobrushless.com
-> knowledge base
-> basic overview (1-5)

[Guest]

Best source of invormation is your local hobby shop (many of the GWS and Parkzone aircraft make good trainers without breaking the bank), as well as the MAAC website -- check out your local clubs and see if there's an all-electric club or group out in your neck of the woods.

If you were in Toronto, I'd recommend Pinnacle Hobbies, TEMAC and the Electric Model Flyers of Sourthern Ontario (emfso.org).

I'd recommend EMFSO's website as a starting point even though you're a couple of thousand kilometers away.

[ron van sommeren]

http://www.emfso.org/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qfo/ Quiet Flyers Ottawa

[BigBreeze]

Originally Posted by byrocat

Best source of information is your local hobby shop

Byrocat, not trying to be a smart@$$, but I disagree. I guess this depends on which hobby shops, but from my experiences, not so much....

[Guest]

If it were me I would check out the local club/s and observe who is working with electrics. Who is having the most success, matching power to weight, battery duration and dependability, who is the one the others seek out for help and advice? Have a talk with that person chances are he has narrowed down what is successful and available in reasonable ordering times. With any luck he may take you under his wing and help you through the early mistakes most of us make.

[ron van sommeren]

* E-book: Everything You Wanted To Know About Electric Powered Flight
http://homepage.mac.com/kmyersefo/ev...ng-e-power.pdf
Corresponding discussion:
http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31071

[Guest]

Yep I started playing with electrics several years ago read everything I could on the subject and quickly found out the review and articles were very subjective and only addressed a few products that were either on hand or supplied by the manufacturers. Most were fair in their evaluation a few were obvious fabrications meant to satisfy the manufacturer not the consumer. I bought recommended batteries that were relatively inexpensive and found them to be mediocre at best and many never did reach the advertised ratings. Life spans were as varied as the number of manufacturers.

I was one of the first in my club to move to lipos and it was a new learning curve altogether.

As to hobby shops being a big help I would have to say that would depend on the knowledge and integrity of the staff. I frequent Prop Shop Hobbies in Warren Michigan and the owner Matt Brubaker is very knowledgeable and his integrity is the best. After my self directed start with lipos and my varying success I found I owned a mish mash of products from more manufacturers than I care to name. I was interested in a more stable and consistent system. Matt took the time to put together several differing options for complete systems and it was my choice to settle on:

Thunderpower batteries and chargers complete with balancer
Deans Ultra and mini plugs for the battery connections.
4mm bullet connectors for motor connections to 70 amps
6mm bullet connectors for motor connections over 70 amps

Motors I like
Axi
Jetti
Hacker\
Some Eflight

Speed controllers:

Jetti
Hacker
Phoenix

The biggest challenge is to match up the battery size, weight, capacity and output with the speed control for the motor and prop you have chosen. It may be an added expense but a good tool like the Astro Flight Watt Meter is an invaluable tool to do this.

I keep my batteries inside a sealed ammo box you can purchase from a surplus store like Princes Auto. I line the box with door skin and make dividers to hold the batteries separate from each other. There is a wood tray that fits in the top of the box that holds batteries that need to be charged. When charged they go in the bottom storage area with the leads facing up. When they are at their storage charge like the indoor batteries are now they are stored with the leads facing down. I know at all times the state of my lipo batteries.
I now have modified my equipment into a fully integrated system where there is no miss matched items and everything is interchangeable even to the point of the Velcro on the batteries. The hook part always on the battery but never covering up the battery data label and the loop portion always in the plane, boat or car.

[mark_]

Buy a Mulitplex Easystar. Throw the stock motor in the garbage and upgrade it to a Six Series from Eflite for unlimited power and fun. easy to build and fly. More information than you can absorb here. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=975833

Great little plane. Let me know if you have any questions.