Electric Dilemma !
 

Hi!

I've become addicted to this hobby recently and this is my first post.
I fly electrics.

I’m a beginner with about 2 months flying experience and I live in Dubai, here electrics aren't quite heard of & the 2 decent hobby shops in the city provide for IC planes.
I have 2 PC-9 EPP kits lying at home that my Bro left me before he went off to Canada. I've built one and it flies great ( have to drive 2 hours to the hillside to get to some slopes.)I learnt to fly on a friend's electric trainer and so i dont own an ESC or a motor/prop setup .The radio equipment i have is a Futaba Skysport 4ch system. that ive installed in the Slopie.

Problem #1:

I want to convert one or both of my PC-9s to electric.

So i went looking for a decent speed 500 setup and came across
the Hobby-Lobby sale.
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/jetibrushless.htm

A Jeti "Phasor" 15/4 Brushless Motor and Jeti JES 30-3P Motor Controller each for 78$.totals up to 156$.
thats just about the MAX i can afford.
The planes have a 50 inch wingspan and I was looking for motor setup that can pull a 42-50oz (1200 -1500gms) plane with authority.
A direct drive with this motor seems appealing.

But !
I'm not sure if i should go ahead and make the purchase beacause with the added cost of battery and a peak charger I'll be stretching it.

Just want your opinion on what i should do.

Heres Problem# 2:

After a LOT of hunting on the net

i came across this :
www.parkflyers.com/html/viper.html

Its a viper twin flying wing. and the combo includes the 2 speed 400 motors,a 35amp ESC and battery for 149$ .
This has everything that i probably need ( except the elevon mixer) .

So what do i go for ?
:
1. a cheap can motor/gearbox setup for the PC-9s with an ESC and a 1700mah stock NiCad. ( have an mabuchi RS-540SH lying around.. btw are these RS540's any good??)

2. the brushless direct drive setup.

3. The Viper twin package.


-I'm not that worried about crashing beacuse the advantage of living in a desert country is LOADS n LOADS of soft SAND.
I've seen planes nose dive into sand dunes without much or any damage.

Appreciate any help !!

Electric Dilemma !
 

IF you go with the Viper.. YOu can get a 3-channel radio that has a mixing function and a receiver and servos for around $110... That's a bout the same price as buying the servos and receiver seperate...

Electric Dilemma !
 

The RS540 motor won't cut it on this plane, IMHO. Even geared, you're limited to about 7 cells, and that's not enough for a ~3lb plane. 10 cells will give you just about twice as much power, plenty for this size plane. A Jeti might do it on 7-8 cells, but it's also about 30% more efficient.

This might be a project suitable for the Kyosho Endoplasma motor. It'll handle 10 cells.

Ultimately, the decision's yours. If you want GREAT performance, it might be in your best interest to get the Jeti, and save up for batteries. It'll take you a bit to get the motor mounting sorted out, so you've got some time before you can go flying.

Electric Dilemma !
 

Hobby-lobby is having a sale on their Jeti brushed controllers. You may want to check those out if you go with an Endo setup. I'd expect to pay around 200 for the setup.

Since that's pushing it, I can see a brushless setup being an even bigger problem. If you really want to go brushless, take a look at the Hobby-lobby Axi outrunner motor + controller combo. The price is about the same, and you can spin a bigger prop without even considering a gearbox. I'd go with an AXI 2820/10 or the 12 turn version. Anything less and it will be suited for very sedate flying. BTW, I'd consider getting the jeti advance controllers for better part-throttle settings. Good luck :D