Maybe in my ignorance I have missed it. None of the systems I have seen have a switch that disconnects the battery from the rest of the electrical system in an airplane. Most seem to rely on unplugging the battery. Is this correct?

Ed S

[Credence]

Yep, that about sums it up.

Switches are always good to avoid if you can, they're just another thing inline to fail.

Failing mechanical switches are one of the biggest causes of "lockout" crashes from what i've seen.

[rcpilot]

Yes, that is correct. Mostly because, it adds weight and also since the current draw is high, if the switch is not upto the task, its another thing that can fail.

However, micro switch can be added in a small plane where the current draw is not that high.

Thanks for the answers.

No switch is something I will have to get used to. Every RC plane I have ever owned had a switch. So the regular on/off switch that comes with a radio system would be a bad choice, correct?

Ed S

[STO]

Hey Ed. I believe the main reason for not going with a switch as we have in our trusty glow planes is that, and this is particularly directed at lipos, the batteries are not kept in the plane after use. With BEC features on ESCs there is no need or reduced need to have a flight battery to power the receiver etc.

Since the batteries are not charged in the plane there really is no need for a on off switch.

By the by I have an Eflite 25 size J3 Cub that I plan on flying at the field this year if I can get the rest of the gear I need....as you are no doubt discovering electrics at the outset are fairly expensive. Though I did get two Appogee 2500Mah 3s lipos from Zebra hobbies for the price of one so that was sweet.

Best of luck on your electric project and see you at the next meeting, Old Son....

[tommy321]

Originally Posted by Ed Smith

Thanks for the answers.

No switch is something I will have to get used to. Every RC plane I have ever owned had a switch. So the regular on/off switch that comes with a radio system would be a bad choice, correct?

Ed S

Yes... I'd be leary of using the standard Receiver switches for anything more than roughly 5amps.

Most speed controls have separate battery connections from the like that goes to the throttle channel on your receiver. So even if you installed a switch to your receiver (depending on how you've hooked up the system) you could be still powering your speed control and motor but not the receiver.

There are ways of hooking up kill switches for savety on larger electrics where the batteries may not be quickly accessible, but most of us actually used shorted connectors to do this since switches for these currents are really heavy.

Tom

....as you are no doubt discovering electrics at the outset are fairly expensive.

That is right. And I thought Pylon Racing was expensive!

Ed S