qspilotcmh

I am fairly new to electrics. Is there any websites or articles that take you through the ideal setup of an airplane? I found one article on Horizon Hobby but need more information.

I am going to buy the Aeroworks Extra 260 EP and I want the best and lightest setup possible. I have a Park 480 1080KV (currently in a Brio) and a new Park 370 1360KV, however I am not sure if either are ideal for this plane.

Thanks

Fliprob17

http://www.aero-works.net/store/detail.aspx?ID=294

This is the plane we are talking about correct?

They are saying that it comes in at 17oz. The park 480 would be big time overkill. The Park 370 1360kv would be borderline, but might be on the low side in terms of total watts/power, it may be worth a try since you already have it though. It should at least give you some borderline mild 3D, but not the unlimited performance.

Something with similar specs. to the Park 400 or Park 450 would be more along the lines of what the plane would require. The Park 400 is right at the specs. and the 450 would provide a bit more power than the specs. call for.

A big factor is the battery you plan on using as well. Are you going to run 2cell or 3cell?

qspilotcmh

That's the plane. I am not 100% set on that plane, however I have seen it fly with the Park 400 and it's awesome. I will probably be using the TP 11.1V 1320MAh battery. I am trying to find any articles or websites that give a good baseline for motor amps vs speed controller vs battery.

Thanks

Fliprob17

When selecting an electric power system ( Motor, ESC and battery) everything is based on total watts and watts per pound required. Total watts is figured by multiplying the battery input voltage x the motor draw in amps. The amp draw of the motor, greatly depends on the prop. selection, but you can at least ballpark when trying to select a power system based on the continuous and max. burst amp ratings provided by the manufacturer. Then you can simply prop. up or prop. down depending on testing, and what you actually need. The battery selection depends on how many volts are required, when multiplied by these amp ratings, to get you to the total watt number that will provide the proper performance level for your aircraft. You can pretty much select the motor, then couple it with the proper battery, and then just select an ESC last that matches the two in terms of specifications.

Here are some general guidelines for total watts:

70-90 watts per pound of aircraft - TRAINER/SCALE FLYING - 90-110 watts per pound of aircraft - SPORT/MILD AEROBATIC FLYING

110-130 watts per pound of aircraft - ADVANCED SPORT/AEROBATIC FLYING - 130-150 watts per pound of aircraft - EXTREME AEROBATIC/MILD 3D FLYING

150+ watts per pound of aircraft - ADVANCED/UNLIMITED 3D FLYING


So for an example - Let's say we have a 17oz plane (your case) that we want to pick a system for. Take the 17oz, divide by 16 to get pounds = 1.0625 pounds.
Now take the 1.0625 pounds and multiply by 150watts for Unlimited 3D Performance = 160 total watts minimum required for this model to acheive Unlimited 3D Performance.
So now you are looking for a motor that can at bare minimum deliver 160 total watts. For the battery, say as in your case, you want to use an 11.1volt 3cell, take the 160 total watt number and divide by 11.1volts to figure out how many amps would be required of the motor/prop., when paired with an 11.1volt LiPo = 14.4amps. So now you know that when using an 11.1volt LiPo, you need a motor that can handle 14.4 amps on a continuous basis, handle 11.1volts and be capable of 160 total watts. As for the ESC selection, you always want a good cushion in there so things run cool and nothing really gets stressed. Basically, you look at the max. burst rating for the motor in terms of amps, and add in some cushion. With this example, something equivalent to the Park 450 or Torque 20T-1030 in terms of specs. would do the trick. With a max. burst rating of around 18amps, a good bet for an ESC would be a 25 amp, that can handle a 3cell LiPo.

Hopefully this helps some

tcclong

I just bought that plane - it's on its way right now. A friend of mine just bought it as well and he put a Hacker A20-22L on it with the same battery you want to use and a Phoenix 25A ESC. It hovers with about 50-60% throttle, so it has plenty of power for 3D flying.

Xpress

If you want to hover around 40-50% for a plane that heavy, go with a Himax HC2812-1080. I absolutely love that motor. It will run fine on that setup. I always use an APC 11x4.7 prop on it, and it gets a bit warm on 3 cells, 2100mah, but it doesn't get any warmer. An upgrade for longer flights would be a TP 2100 mah 3 cell. I normally get about 15+ minutes of flying on it, and I've used it in about 6 planes, weighing from 14oz. all the way up to a 28oz. plane.

Ryan CSRC

We built a calculator made just for this purpose. On our website click on the Motor Wizard. It takes you through asking a few specifications about the plane then recomends a motor, battery, and esc.

Ryan Lefevre
www.CommonSenseRC.com
The Go To Guys For Electric Power