[NSRCA-discussion] Arming Plug/Receptacle Problem

Mon Feb 9 13:01:25 AKST 2009

The big difference I've seen since I've been flying electric is I've pissed my caller (my wife)
off. If I tell her one more time to not stand in front of the airplane or near the propeller I think
she's going to shoot me ! Maybe I'm a little over cautious but I've seen a couple of electrics
get away from people by accident at my local flying field.

--- On Mon, 2/9/09, Ron Van Putte <vanputte at cox.net> wrote:

From: Ron Van Putte <vanputte at cox.net>
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Arming Plug/Receptacle Problem
To: "General pattern discussion" <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
Date: Monday, February 9, 2009, 2:56 PM

No offense taken.  I have noticed several differences between the "care and
feeding" of Glow vs Electric Pattern airplanes.  It is true that I
don't need a LOT of support equipment for my Glow airplanes, but I do need
to haul fuel, fuel pump, starter, glow igniter and cleaning rags that I
don't need for my Electric airplanes.  However, I do need extra batteries or
charging gear if I plan on a long session at the flying field with my Electric
airplane and I spend more time charging batteries at home with an Electric
airplane than a Glow airplane.  I do have to be more careful in Electric
airplane operation, so that an airplane that's supposed to be safe won't
bite me because I did something I shouldn't have done or didn't do
something I should have done.

Ron

On Feb 9, 2009, at 2:39 PM, Jerry Voth wrote:

> I've been lurking for a long time and after reading all the things
that one needs to do to successfully fly electric, it makes one wonder how
things would be if electrics were the norm from the beginning of powered R/C
models. It might go like this;
> 
> Hey guys, I just bought this little IC engine and I tried it on one of my
Pattern models and it works really well. "Look what it will do;
> 1. It has just as much power as our electric motors.
> 2. The only batteries you need are for the flight pack, glow igniter and
the electric starter if you don't like to flip by hand.
> 3. All you have to do is pump fuel into the tank, spin the engine with the
starter and fly.The tail gets a little oily, but what the heck, it's fairly
easy to clean up.(Switching the radio on first is a given.)
> 4. You don't have to haul a generator or an extra car battery around
to charge motor batteries."
> 
> Please don't take this the wrong way. It is tongue in cheek and just
an observation. I also have too much time on my hands these days.
> 
> JJV
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jay Marshall"
<lightfoot at sc.rr.com>
> To: "'General pattern discussion'"
<nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
> Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 1:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Arming Plug/Receptacle Problem
> 
> 
>> A 100 ohm resistor may be enough to charge the caps and make the ESC
>> "active". Bad idea...
>> 
>> Jay Marshall
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org
>> [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org] On Behalf Of Ron Van
Putte
>> Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 1:14 PM
>> To: General pattern discussion
>> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Arming Plug/Receptacle Problem
>> 
>> Good.  I will try it.  What wattage 100 ohm resistor?  Let's see,
>> doesn't sustained power equal voltage squared, divided by the
>> resistance?  If so, 42 squared, divided by 100 is 17.64 watts.
>> That's probably overkill, since the current surge is transitory. 
How
>> about a 100 ohm, 10 watt resistor?
>> 
>> Just thought of something:  With the 100 ohm resistor across the
>> arming plug receptacle, won't the ESC be on whenever the batteries
>> are plugged into the circuit?
>> 
>> BTW, what about Castle Creation's statement that the "spark
is your
>> friend'?
>> 
>> Ron
>> 
>> On Feb 9, 2009, at 11:55 AM, James Oddino wrote:
>> 
>>> Put a 100 ohm resistor across the arming plug receptacle.  Then
the
>>> capacitors in the ESC will charge without a spark as you connect
>>> the batteries.  When you connect the arming plug, no spark.
>>> 
>>> Jim
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Feb 9, 2009, at 8:08 AM, Ron Van Putte wrote:
>>> 
>>>> I have a problem which I am sure many other E-powered airplane
>>>> owners have that I'd like to solve.  I use an arming plug
to
>>>> connect the two 5S Lipo packs to the ESC.  On initial contact
of
>>>> the arming plug with the receptacle, there's a big spark
thrown.
>>>> Eventually the contacts on the arming plug and receptacle get
>>>> burned to the point where the electrical contact is very bad.
>>>> Yesterday I had to land my airplane deadstick because (I
think)
>>>> the ESC saw what it thought was low voltage out of the battery
>>>> that was actually due to the burned arming plug/receptacle
>>>> contacts.  BTW, I am using high-amp Anderson Power Pole
>>>> connectors, which are probably more susceptible to having the
>>>> contacts burned than would Deans Ultra connectors.
>>>> 
>>>> I have thought about putting a BIG capacitor in parallel with
the
>>>> arming plug, that would damp the initial current surge which
>>>> causes the spark.  The capacitor could be removed before
flight.
>>>> However, I'm wondering if there's a more elegant
solution.
>>>> 
>>>> Ron Van Putte
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> NSRCA-discussion mailing list
>>>> NSRCA-discussion at lists.nsrca.org
>>>> http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
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>> 
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> 
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