dutchy50

Hello
I would like to know if somebody can explain the wiring setup for using one 2100 LiFe battery to run both receiver and electronic ignition through opto cutout switch?
Gas engine is in a Calmato.
Would like to keep weight down as much as possible.
Would like to get 4 x 10 minute flights per charge.
dutchy50

JohnB96041

Not a good move in my opinion. I would use the opto kill switch for the ignition and a nicad or NmHi battery for the ignition and use the 2100 LiFe battery with a regulator for the flight pack. I have 3 models setup this way and can fly 5 15 minute flights safely then recharge both batteries.

dutchy50

Hi JohnB96041
The engine is new and in the manual it states recommending 2S LiFe battery 13mAh 6.6V, max draw power at full throttle is around 450mAh and more typical average has been between 250-300mAh.
And yes will be running ignition through an Opto kill switch from my transmitter.
dutchy50

pilotpete2

Two batteries in a 10cc powered plane is not a practical plan when you consider the space that most models provide for an engine in that displacement.
A good IBEC, such as the Tech-Aero makes more sense. The IBEC weigh just a tad over 1/2oz. and a 2S LiFe at around 1800mAh and is very light.
I run a 2S 1800mAh LiFe in a 4 Star 64, powered with the 15cc Evo. I usually limit myself to 4 flights on a charge, and with the quickly top off the battery at the field, I could fly that model all day if I wanted to.
Pete

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

No trouble using a single LiFe up into 30cc performance planes with big digital servos here, but not sure of the question? What part are you having trouble with? It wires up like any other RC flight pack, but additionally there's the kill switch. The Tech Aero switch is a good one that wires up easily, but here we really don't need it's voltage regulation, so the Rcexl switch becomes an inexpensive option. There are a LOT of Rcexl switches in use. They're not quite as simple to install as they come set up to get their power from a separate source (a second battery). There, to use a single battery, you need to get creative, but the bottom line is that the red and black wires are the same ANYWHERE in the flight pack. There's a mod to install 2 jumpers on the circuit board to eliminate the need for the battery wire, you could make up a Y harness and plug both the battery wire and the control wire into the same receiver slot, or you could make up a male/male adapter to plug the battery lead directly into the receiver - so there's a few options.

Regarding flight times from a charge, I have a 20cc powered Revolver hot rod (6 digital servos, 5 of them over 100 oz torque) that is often flown 2 evenings on a charge (6-7 flights?) with plenty of left over capacity. It's using a single 2300mah genuine A123 and no, we're not talking about a plane that is taken up to fly laps. It's generally flown pretty hard....

dutchy50

Hello
I`m a bit confused about the specs that came with this kill switch!
I have the Rcexl Opto gas engine kill switch V2.0, can someone please tell me what is the highest input voltage these things can take? I would like to use a LiFe 6.6v. I am using a Rcexl Evolution 4.8v-8.4v operating voltage electronic ignition.
dutchy50

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

The "Chinglish" dirrections are a little lacking...
They'll handle up to 20v input. Just keep in mind the output voltage will match whatever is put in. There's no regulation with this switch. No issue with the voltages required by anything in the flight pack or ign. module.

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

If you want to save weight, take a look @ Gas-Glow thread here on RCU. No battery needed :-)

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I run two LiFe packs in the 10cc Meridian (1800 and 2100) and everything is fine. The packs are small in size ;plenty of space ,and they don't weigh much. I'm not a fan of one battery for both .
If there is absolutely no room for a second battery you can run both ignition and receiver off of one battery . Most Lixx receiver packs have two receiver plugs on them so one would plug into a mechanical slide/push-pull switch mounted on the plane and then the output of the switch would plug into the OPTO switch and then the OPTO switch output would plug into the ignition and of course the receiver plug of the OPTO would plug ito a port on the receiver that can be controlled by one of the transmitter switches(on-off).
The other receiver plug of the battery pack would plug to into a second mechanical slide/push-pull switch mounted on the plane and the output of that switch would plug into the BATT port of the receiver.
Limit the first fight to 10min and then come in and recharge the pack and see how many milliamps went back in and then you can calculate how many 10 min flights you can safely get on a charged pack. Don't just measure the voltage as LiFe packs have a flat discharge curve and the voltage will remain constant as the current delivered drops as the pack discharges.

mattnew

My Feedback: (2)

I've ran both with the 10cc, 2 battery pack configurations and 1 pack configurations

For the single pack I used a LiFeSource pack that has two male connectors, connected 1 to switch for receiver and 1 to opto-kill for engine. To date ( ~1yr or so ) I've had 0 issues with that setup. Similarly I've had 0 issues with the dual battery setup as well.

I was significantly more careful with the 1 battery setup though prior to flying... lots of range checks before I had the confidence to fly it.

pilotpete2

I've never understood the logic of having two batteries on board and no battery redundancy for the receiver/servos
Two batteries through two switches to the receiver, then the ignition connected to the receiver through an IBEC provides dual battery redundancy without the need for thee batteries. The single receiver and separate ignition battery has the downside that if anything happens to the receiver battery or switch, the engine will continue running at wherever the throttle was set at the time receiver power was lost, as no radio failsafes will be activated in this scenario. With a single battery/IBEC setup, at least you'll crash a little safer. Yeah, I know, that also applies to any glow powered plane, but having the engine quit with a dead receiver is a plus in my book.
Pete

mattnew

My Feedback: (2)

With the RC-EXL optical switch I have. Losing power to the receiver disables the "enable" on the optical kill switch and kills the engine automatically. Your engine won't run if your receiver doesn't have power to it.

the two battery setup is purely to isolate the ignition and receiver power sources from each other. Its a safety thing and if you have space , probably not a bad idea. If you don't have space/weight to spare though, careful setup of a single battery seems to work ok.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Regarding redundancy, I'll go you one better! All the redundancy you get with the setup above, along with a big boost in available amperage to the rudder, AND done without having to occupy a second receiver channel with the power lead coming from the second switch. Instead of running the power from your second switch to the receiver, run it to a Y harness placed between the rudder and receiver. Bonus will be less amperage passing through the receiver's power buss as well, as the rudder will pull directly from the second switch. This setup will still back feed the receiver buss in case of any type of failure on the part of the first switch and associated wiring....

pilotpete2

Good thought, especially since in many cases not having two open receiver slots open on a receiver results in having to Y into one of the servos. The rudder is certainly a good choice for those who like to fly knife edge, which I like to do... a lot!
Pete