hobbster126

Hi,
I'm new to electrics but have a basic understanding on my set up. I have a pnp mini ultra stick, 450 outrunner, 20 amp esc (e flight), 10x6 prop, and a 2000mah 11.1v lipo by commonsense rc. I use a duratrax lipo charger set up for 2 amps and a great planes cell balancer. I had about 10 sucessful flights before accuring my problem. I went to charge my pack and the charger didn't recognize that it was connected, but it was. The plane was completely dead. I took out the pack to discover it was swollen. I got another new pack and charged it completely. Flew the plane then it cut off after 2 laps. Recharged thinking it ran down mysteriously. Now the motor cuts off after 1/4 throttle, but wont even hold any rpms. It revs up to about 1/4 power then cuts off. All of the servos continue to work fine, but the ESC gets warm very quick. Please help, dont know whats wrong, but I'm thinking its the ESC.

Thanks!

wedgewing

probably should have at least a 25 or 30 amp ESC and I have a 40 amp in mine. I am not going to bash the PNP (but I am tempted).

The MUS is not a plane you just tool around in the sky with. It wants to be flown fast and furious as I am sure you are finding out. With that you are going to be cranking it around a lot. PNP gets you the bare bones to perform, but I think it doesn't cover the temptation to want to rocket this plane around. doing so if going to fry things

With the PNP you are looking long-term at a motor upgrade (Park 450, Park 480) at some point, and that will also mean an upgrade on your ESC.

I run mine crazy with the Park 480 and 40 AMP ESC and have never had a puffer.

short term it does sound like you need a new ESC and a larger one.

long term you will soon drool for more speed and fury and only then will you shell out more cash for a 480 and 40 AMP ESC

hobbster126

Okay so then it sounds like the ESC to you then? I'm just really curious why my batter pack messed up, is that one of the symtpoms?

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

Bull feathers! The PnP came with a 22 amp ESC. I flew it that way w/2000 mAH LiPo and 10x7 APC-E for 2 seasons w/no probs. It does sound like something may have shorted out in the ESC however. Maybe one of the FETs went west. Hope he didn't leave it plugged in overnight, I hope. []

hobbster, check headsuprc.com for inexpensive ESCs. I have no interest; they've just sold me good stuff. I got a 30A from them that I'm still using.

CR

wedgewing

Bullfeathers then....I can eat them with a side of crow if it pans out.

Hey, If they build a product it will work..... My PNP panacea was broken when two engines on them went for guys we fly with. They never had trouble with the ESC because the motor did not last.

I just wish they could give you the Park 450, and not a "Park like 450." They really provide a 22 amp ESC with it?[:-]. I use that on my Gypsy....

Tough for me to comment any further because I am not a big fan of the PNP concept for the MUS or the MPXT, and I will leave it at that because the cost savings aspect seems to have gone out the window now that Horizon raised all the prices 30%

I really like the speed and I have to qualify that I went to the bigger motor, bigger ESC soon after. IMHO for all the bullfeathers that is worth you could get yourself a Turnigy 35-36C along with the Plush 40 AMP ESC for around $60 for both and it is even faster. A real growler

I hope hobbster126 figures out what is going wrong and I will just sit on the sidelines and not comment about the PNP....[sm=wink_smile.gif]

patnchris

Interesting......I've flown my PNP for at least two seasons and have well over 100 flights on it. Yes, it does come with a 22 Amp ESC. and 9.0 gram servo's instead of the e-Flight recommended 7.5 gram servo's.....The only problem I ever had was getting a prop shaft for the PNP motor. When it was first introduced, the prop shafts were on back order for a couple of months, so I switched over to a Park 480 and an 11 X 6 prop.....Still using the stock 22 amp ESC.....what I found was that no matter which prop I used, the plane flew worse than with the PNP 450. The danged Park 480 just made the plane extremely nose heavy and you had to fly it like a fighter jet to keep it in the air. I soon replace the Park 480 with a Park 450 and the plane started flying the way it used to......As soon as the prop shafts becamew available I switched back to the PNP 450 and an APC 10 X 7....While the PNP motor may look like a cheap imitation of the Park 450, it has performed flawlessly for over 100 (possibly closer to 200) flights. Over the years I have found that to really make this plane fly, nicely, I switched to an even smaller battery pack. By losing the weight it flys even better. Speed or vertical performance was never an issue, however, mine, with a PNP 450, 10 X 7 Slo Flyer prop, and a Thunderpower 3S 1320 pack, will actually hover at 3/4 throttle......and still give me 10 min. flights with some throttle management.....I say this, because this is the way I fly it....If you're one of those guys that the throttle has only 2 positions (stopped and wide open) , then you probably need to stay with the 2100 ma packs, and possibly a 25amp ESC....JMHO....Pat


on edit.......Yes, it does sound like you need a new ESC.....Get the E-flight 25 amp pro series and you'll not had any problems. I've found the Pro Series to be pretty bullet proof. Even if you over amp them, they shut down for a moment and then just come right back on.....AGAIN...JMHO....Pat

hobbster126

Thanks a lot guys for your respones. I'm going to call horizon and see what they can do for me, I'll be sure to let you know. I'm still curious what happend to my battery, does anybody know? Dead and swollen, but never overheated or overcharged.

patnchris

ESC shorted and over amped it....That's my guess...Pat

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

Good answer, wedge!

I was just playing.

Anyhoo my MUS PnP came with the 22 amp ESC and a "real live" Park 450. When I finally dorked it the second time there were not enough big pieces left of the fuse to glue back together. [] So I put the electronics into a Eflite Taylorcraft 450. The 450 flies it fine, even off the water. Still flying it.

Hay man, if you like the 480, go for it!

CR

P. S.: I like the Turnigy stuff too. I have one of their 60 Amp Plush ESCs. Had to do a little soldering but we're supposed to be modelers, eh?

wedgewing

Oh I know that...Me too

I saw the generic 450 on the MPXT and the MUS before and that was the one they had the prop shaft issues with. Hopefully they are upgrading you with the real Park 450 as that would be much better

I saw patnchris' comment on the nose heavy part when using the 480. I am too lazy to go back and get the stats, but that motor I think is just about 1 oz heavier.

I started off on this thing as a "trainer".....My neighbor said it was a gentle top winger[X(]..... The 480 I had on it buried it into the ground with proficiency and speed.... I glued it back together and was gun shy and always flew it with a little nose forward CG for some stability.

Over the last three years since I have flown them I have edged the CG back and tuck the battery (3S 2100 TP Prolite) back under the wing a little and I can fly it at walking speed. Working to progress to flying with a slightly aft CG allows so much better inverted and now the benefits of having the 480 allow me to almost 3D the plane in many cases. I have been flying it around in a cal-de-sac sized area with no stress and I gave up on adding flaps and such. I just don't need them with this bird.

I pasted the latest rendition of it because I have busted it up a few times flying low and having fun at the field. Owning it, has taught me a ton about building as well since I make sure to rebuild when some have said give Horizon some more cash. My MUS is a little rough around the edges now but still flies excellent. Throwing on that Turnigy and reducing the prop diameter and increasing the pitch has also made it a real blast and brand new pucker producer

I figure it has another season in her and as we just saw some snow flakes yesterday in the Cleveland area, I am going to fit it up with skiis and fly out of the back yard over the winter. This plane flies so well in wind I would not put another plane up in and I love having the extra power in reserve to help when the stick is getting battered around

Hope the PNPs work, get a better ESC and enjoy (Hey while you are at it get a bigger motor and have some more fun! )

Alabama Racer

Wedgewing mentions above that the Turnigy 35-36c and Plush 40A speed control is a good match for the MUS.
Is anyone familiar with the BPhobbies A2814-6? Does that look to be a comparable motor to the
Turnigy? Reason being is that the Plush speed control is on back order now, I am not too excited about
waiting for a backordered item from Hong Kong. BP hobbies has a 40A speed control that looks to be
in stock, about the same price.
brad

speedy72vega

Hi guys, one thing I would like to mention, has the plane nosed down onto the motor at all in any of those flights before the battery puffed? Maybe something went wrong in the motor that caused the overamping?? I would check with a watt meter after replacing the ESC and see what numbers you are pulling just to be sure.

On a side note, I'm running a Rimfire motor on my MUS, it's a 1250kv 200 watt motor running a 9x6E prop. It will run for well over 10 minutes on a 3S 2200ma pack, and it screams. I have a 2550ma pack also that I run in it on really windy days, the added weight makes it much more stable in flight.