stevegauth30

Hi guys. I'm still new and learning about gas engines. I have a DLE 20 and am not a fan of not being able to kill it without first catching it. I bought a cheap little GP servo operated kill switch and am unclear on something. So it only has two wires. The package says one to the engine for ground, and one to the ign. Ok, so do I put that wire in between the battery and engine. I figured as much, but wanted to be sure before I just went ahead and tried and burned something out. Thanks for any advise or tips, Steve.

vertical grimmace

My Feedback: (1)

The kill you bought is for a magneto engine. For an electronic ignition engine you need an optical kill. Go to the Valley view website and look at the kill they offer.

Honestly, I do not use an opti kill on my DLE 20. I just kill it by dropping the throttle all the way down, like a glow engine. I do use opti kills on my larger engines from 30cc and up.

I have the same GP switch you have on a G38 engine and it works great as well. It is not designed for your EI DLE 20 though.

stevegauth30

Well that makes sense now. So in your opinion, I don't even really need it? That's all I've been doing till now is like you, kill it with low throttle . While I have your attention, where do you get your plugs for this engine? I've been looking for the NGK CM6 but can't find it. Not even on tower.small engine shop?are there any other brands that are good?i know every one says the DLE plug ain't even good for a spare, but I have 8 to 10 flights on mine with no issue. I still don't really trust it though after reading what every one else has been saying.thanks a lot for the answers. Steve.

vertical grimmace

My Feedback: (1)

The last time I bought plugs, I went to my local auto zone. They had to order them, but they arrived next day and were really cheap. Like $3 I think. I got 6.

Valley view has them as well. It might be worth your while to go to their website just to see what they offer in accessories.

I would try to go through your local auto parts store for the plugs though.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Auto supplies, being what they are any more, sometimes need an application in order to look up/find the plug. Tell them it's for a small Honda generator.....

stevegauth30

so the ngk plug and the dle plig are both labeled CM6? i just tell them i need ngk cm6? and thays a resister type plug i need, right? just to be certain. thanks, Steve.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

For safety on the ground you should have a kill switch on the plane . For electronic ignitions that can simply be a battery switch that will make/break the ignition battery to the engine ignition. In addition to that you could add an optic switch so you can have engine kill in the air in the event of a throttle malfunction. 
Yes that switch you have is used to ground a mag engine.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

For 18 bucks or whatever they cost, and they weigh next to nothing, an optical kill like an RC Excel is cheap insurance against servo failure, linkage failure, and if you set fail safe correctly they will also save you a fly away in the event of loss of signal

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

X2

stevegauth30

thats exactly what i want. no fly away or no fly into old lady. thanks for the input. opto switch it is then.

Bob Pastorello

My Feedback: (198)

X3

{General Editorial Observation - not targeted at anyone} - I've been in the hobby since the 60's.....running all sorts of glow engines, up to the big Supertigres....and until I ran gas engines, it NEVER, EVER, occured to me that a "kill switch" on them would be a good thing. Mechanical failures, pushrods, servos, mounts, etc. all pose the same risks as gassers. Yet, in the Gasser realm - and I include myself in this - I would not even THINKof running one without a radio-controlled, transmitter-based Kill device. Wonder how come we never felt so strongly about this on glow? A YS 140 with a 17" prop could cleave a LOTof meat....

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

LOL Bob!

I was about to bust out my 8 track picture till I read your whole post

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

You might also try asking for a NGK CM6 / 5812. 5812 also appears on the box and this number shows up in store listings more often than the CM6. Also, these are NOT resistor plugs. Most RC ignitions that use these plugs include a resistor in the plug cap and don't require one in the plug.

Whistling Death

I am an Opti Kill user too. I have them on every one of my planes.
I use the monetary switch on my radio for the kill switch and I will tell you why. I accidentally hit the kill switch on my radio one day and I couldn't get my finger back to the switch fast enough. I ended up sticking my Sukhoi in the top of a three.
Now that I use the monetary, if I hit that switch it snaps back on and the engine catches back up.

cloudancer03

My Feedback: (22)

If your simply flying and not flying at any sanctioned fly in isuppose you can do whatever works.but with an ele tonic igntion the guys are telling youto get an inexpensive optical kill switch I fly the 30 cc dle and prefer a kill switch operated from my tx.

futura127

My Feedback: (57)

Just buy the optical kill switch, cheap, works every time and like others say weighs nothing and easy to hook up.

stevegauth30

That's exactly what I just went and bought. Three of em. All my glow engines in the past, I just used the throttle cut on the tx , but that's assuming that the linkage ain't broke and the servo still working. Another quick question. The low idle is a bit odd. It will go down to like 3500 for about 10 seconds before it drops down to about 1800 to 2000. Is this normal?kind of hard to stop at 3500 rpm. Is it the crappy DLE plug?

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

In some racing venues they did. One way I remember was to run the fuel tubing to the carb through an eyelet. A servo would cause the eyelet to pinch the fuel tubing, thus starving the engine of fuel. I seem to remember there being some fuel shut-off valves being marketed too.

CR

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

If you have soldering skills you can use that switch. Just move the wire on the normall open contact over to the normally closed contact. OR you can set up the servo to hold the switch button down for ignition on. I've always moved the wire.

CR

littlera

I will ALWAYS use an optical kill switch on any gas engine. The electronic ignition affords a measure of safety not available with glow. In the case of loss of signal, even momentary, will kill the engine. You can kill it from the Tx too, in case of any linkage or servo failure. Not expensive, and affords great peace of mind for me.

ovationdave

My Feedback: (16)

I have used a standard servo, and had a simple switch attached to the side of the servo. I used a large servo wheel (which I have found no other use for) and made my own on/off "Cam" that allows me to kill the engine with either the plane mounted ground to the magneto, or the servo mounted-cam operated switch that I put on an open channel. Works great..........

Dave

m hargrove

My Feedback: (1)

Could just closing the choke work?

Bob Pastorello

My Feedback: (198)

My experience doing this was not so much that I "could" do it, as "should" I do it....mechanically and functionally, it works. Simple servo linkage setup to the choke arm on a spare channel.
However, if EVER used, restarting that engine is an exercise in endurance that taught me an electro-optical kill was much better. Plug fouled, etc.- wasn't good. Just my experience.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Steve, as you've seen there's a learning curve involved when going gas. The DLE 20 is picky on it's carb settings, and to make that worse, the ones supplied with the 4.8-6v voltage modules throw a curve at you. That module has a single "step" that advances/retards the spark at about 2200 rpm. The newest engines are supposed to be coming with a 4.8-8.4v module that has a more progressive curve.

So to your questions, first that plug is unpredictable. Most scrap it right away or as soon as ANYTHING gets wierd. It's capable of so many different problems, that's just proven to be a good move.

The other problem is known as "high idle hang". That timing thing on the earlier DLE 20 modules just makes the problem harder to figure out - a perfect storm if you will? So 2 things to help you get through this. First, if the idle is set a little high, like at 2000 or so, getting the engine down through that "step" at 2200 can be a PIA. The cure is to set the idle lower, like 1800 or so. The second is about the low speed mixture. If it's a hair lean it's going to do exactly what you're describing. It's hot, and it's taking it's sweet time cooling down. You can hurry or eliminate that cool down with more fuel - a richer low speed mixture. It generally will not take much. When tuning that low speed adj, many go for a smooth even idle, and that's going to leave you lean every time. A 2 stroke has a lumpy, unsteady idle when right. Getting used to that concept part of getting used to gas.

-Al

stevegauth30

thanks alot al. that sounds like some VERY useful info. my thing is, being my first gasser, and not really knowing much about tuning gas, im almost scared to even try. i dont want to loose it. i did how ever slightly richen the hs after someone gave me a technique for tuning it. i know i just need to get over it and tune it. i wwent through the same thing years ago with glow, and before long, i was great at tuning. thats why ive been asking so many questions. thanks again. steve