Radio Control: Electrics
Bob Kopski 25 West End Dr. Lansdale, PA 19446
THIS MONTH'S TOPICS:
- The Electric Connection Service (ECS)
- Electric meets
- An unusual request from industry
- A very useful charging accessory
- Vintage RCers / RC Report magazine
- New Electric products
- Motor noise
Electric Connection Service (ECS)
Elliot Boulous P.O. Box 430, Morgantown, PA 19543 Tel. 1-215-286-5129
Elliot would like to meet other electric modelers in his area. I've met Elliot at past KRC meets and know he's a serious hobbyist.
Bob Keathley Rt. 14 Box 17-A, Gray, TN 37615
Bob is a member of the Johnson City Radio Controllers and wants to get started in electric. He's looking for some local encouragement and other enthusiasts.
I've received input from a number of readers—some who have connected through this column service—and I'm truly happy to hear of these results. Keep it happening, folks!
Electric meets
- KRC Electric Fly (11th annual)
- Date: September 15–16 (field access for early arrivals on Friday, September 14 after 12:00 noon)
- Location: Quakertown, PA field courtesy of Buc-Le Aerosportsmen club
- Notes: This is the largest electric meet in the country and possibly the world. The event is "all-fly," but scheduled contests this year include All-Up/Last-Down, Maxi-Flight, Most Rolls, and Most Loops. Cash prizes and plaques to fifth place. Awards include Best Kit Trainer, Best Original Design Aerobatic, Best Old-Timer, Best Gas Design Conversion, Pilots' Choice, and additional Saturday awards (Best Kit Aerobatic, Best Kit Sailplane, Fastest, Most Imaginative Kit Variation, Pilots' Choice). Famous KRC raffle and door prizes—with at least two complete, fully equipped, ready-to-fly planes given away. Saturday dinner/social planned.
- Southeastern Massachusetts Electric Fly (6th annual)
- Date: October 6–7
- Location: Cape Cod
- Events: Saturday — AMA 610 and 618, Most Loops. Sunday — AMA 611 and 628 (modified), Endurance. Surprise awards throughout.
- Info: Charlie Sylvia, 31 Perry St., Middleboro, MA 02346. Tel. 508-947-2805.
Charlie Sylvia is also behind CS Flight Systems, a major mail-order supplier to electric modelers, with over 800 items in stock.
Unusual request from industry (RJM Systems)
Bob Markie of RJM Systems is interested in hearing from readers who have developed ideas or designs that might be worthy of manufacture. RJM makes a broad line of products for the RC electric modeler (including speed controls and reduction drives) and is prepared to make business arrangements if a new product materializes. Contact RJM Systems, Unit 3, Sandy Hill Rd., Irwin, PA 15642 — tell him Bob sent you. You can also meet Bob at the upcoming KRC meet.
Charge-splitter (useful charging accessory)
CHARGE-SPLITTER SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM Sketch illustrates how solder lugs of "splitter" jacks are tied together. You want the two airborne packs charged in series, not in parallel.
One simple accessory I discussed previously (July 1985) deserves a revisit because many modelers now routinely use multiple interchangeable battery packs. The charge-splitter is a simple homemade wiring harness that permits charging two (or more) battery packs at the same time from a single charger.
Key points:
- The charger must be capable of charging a number of cells equal to or greater than the total number in the packs you connect in series.
- Packs need not have the same cell count, but all cells must be of the same capacity (same mAh rating).
- The packs are connected electrically in series, not in parallel.
- Any connector style may be used (use plugs and jacks to suit your needs). The example harness uses the round Switchcraft-type charge jack popularized by Astro.
- A small plastic container (a 35mm film canister is convenient) can house the input jack and wiring, with output jacks for the packs.
- The concept is expandable: three-way, four-way, or more splits are possible if the charger has sufficient capacity.
Important operational notes:
- All outputs must be either connected to a pack or shorted out. An unused open output prevents the charge current from flowing. Make a shorting plug to insert into an unused output to complete the circuit when not all outputs are used.
- The individual packs should be at the same nominal level of discharge (e.g., all "empty") before simultaneous charging.
- Example: An Astro 112 constant-current charger rated for 28 cells could be used with a four-way splitter to charge four 6- or 7-cell packs simultaneously (assuming cell counts and charger limits are respected).
You'll be amazed at how much more flying you can do with a few dollars of connectors and a little time to make a splitter.
Bauer impeller / Hobby Lobby products
Install a high-capacity motor in the Bauer BM-40-SE Electra impeller ducted-fan unit, and it will put out about 9 lb of thrust at 1,000 watts input. Motors like the Ultra 1600 or 2000, GT300/10, or Astro 60 can do it. Install everything in the Bauer MiG-15 kit, which features a lightweight fiberglass fuselage with interior ducts for the impeller and an obeche-sheeted foam wing. More details and other suitable planes are shown in Hobby Lobby's Catalog 16. The catalog is free; the products aren't.
Hobby Lobby addresses mentioned:
- 1624 Maple Ave., Hatfield, PA 19440
- 5614 Franklin Pike Circle, Brentwood, TN 37027. Tel. 1-615-373-1444.
Charge accessory revisited (continued)
The splitter example uses a round Switchcraft-type jack placed in a small box with wiring out to two output jacks. Packs can be in or out of models. If you add splits, you can charge three or more packs simultaneously. You could mix connector styles if that suits your needs.
Vintage RC and RC Report magazine
Vintage RC aircraft may not be strictly an electric topic, but they interest many readers—especially those who participated in the hobby long ago and are returning now, often because of electric. I regularly receive photos of the Midwest Esquire reworked as electrics.
The Vintage Radio Control Society (VR/CS) is dedicated to preserving the RC models and memories of the 1950s and 1960s. The VR/CS president is John Worth, the AMA's recently retired Executive Director and a regular at the KRC Electric meet. To get info or join VR/CS: Joe Beshar, 198 Merritt Dr., Oradell, NJ 07649. Annual membership is $15.
RC Report magazine is a newsprint tabloid-size monthly (about $10/year or $18/two years) and includes a monthly column, "Vintage Varieties," by Art Schroeder. RC Report covers many RC interests and is worth checking out; publisher address: P.O. Box 1706, Huntsville, AL 35807.
The VR/CS is hosting a three-day meet over Labor Day weekend for vintage RC designs. I plan to bring some vintage electrics and refresh my skills with escapements and other old equipment.
New Electric products
Hobby Lobby Catalog 16 lists several new electric items, notably the Bauer Elektro-Impeller (9 in. long, 4-1/4 in. diameter, 13 oz) and the Bauer MiG-15 designed for it (58 in. wingspan, 71.3 sq. in. wing area, approx. 9 lb). Catalog 16 fully describes these and many other electric products.
Motor noise — a current example
A recent flying session (Sunday, May 27) provided a reminder about motor brush noise interfering with radio receivers. I added cells to my Seniorita (from 14½ cells to a 18½-cell setup), taxied, and during takeoff the motor noise caused the receiver to glitch. I shut down and landed safely, knowing the culprit was brush noise from the higher battery voltage and a speed control that was not optically coupled.
At home I installed a set of chokes in the three speed-control-to-receiver leads and returned to the field—problem solved. Chokes are an effective measure against motor-generated RFI; see my December 1989 column for installation details.
Closing / Contact
Please send any comments or questions to the author at the address given in the column header. I respond to all incoming mail accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope (SASE).
Happy, Quiet-Power Landings, Everyone!
(Hmm — I wonder what that electric "turbine" from Hobby Lobby sounds like?)
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
