quietflyer

My Feedback: (1)

I have a Kavan starter that exhibited intermittent operation recently and then stopped working altogether. I suspect it has something to do with the switch or brushes. The starter has been used for a couple of seasons and a Kavan power pack holder was added last year to house a 4S lipo. I see that parts are being offered for the starter. Is the starter user serviceable or does it have to be shipped to Sig? If user serviceable, are there any instructions or exploded views available? I have searched the Sig and Kavan websites, and the various forums with no luck. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,

RACE 66

This should get you in the ballpark. Kavan Starter Brushes

It depicts how to change out the brushes along with a link on a parts explosion. Hope this helps.

Mike

Note: I see your out of Surry. Come on down and fly at the field.
Here's our clubs website: www.bellaircflyers.com
Our spring clean up is this coming Saturday.
Were about 30 minutes south of the border.

Jesse Open

The Kavan is a good little starter. I did the battery on mine a bit differently from the one in the linked How-To.

706jim

I owned one of these many years ago. I liked the small diameter (easy to hold) but the rpm was limited compared to a Sullivan. And because I was using it with a belt to start boats, I found that the plastic bearing wore radially due to the side loads on the starter. I had no idea these were still available.

Jesse Open

quietflyer

My Feedback: (1)

Mike, thanks for the link. I did consider the idea of joining bellair but not sure if it is a hassle crossing the border with rc planes and the FAA registration.
Jesse, that is an excellent battery mount. Nice piece of machining! Is it commercially available? I am using the plastic Kavan holder for the Lipo but I disassemble it to charge the battery

RACE 66

It's not a hassle on your r/c equipment crossing the border. We currently have 7 members from B.C. that travel down, in fact one fellow is from North Van. bout' a hour's plus travel time and he comes down allot during good weather. As for the UAS registration, you would need to make application for that. Come on down to the next meeting. It will be at the field now for spring and summer ops. Go to the website and scroll down all the way to bottom of page, we have a link on UAS information and how to apply. Give me a call, I am listed under officers link contacts, under president or you can all our Treasurer as he deals with the Canadian memberships all the time. Your MAAC card is good to fly here also. It's reciprocal between AMA and MAAC.

Jesse Open

Thanks quietflyer. It is a "one of" that I made about 5 years ago. The nice thing about the gear reduction type starter is that they draw less current .The single LiPo battery lasts for quite a while. Once you mount the battery to the starter it is hard to go back. This is a Sullivan that I originally converted to NiCds, then to LiPo. I moved the witreleads internally from the rear to the front. Also removed the factory grip switch. The switching now is done by the aluminum lever which activates a 70 amp relay. The battery is a pair of 2750 mah 3s LiPo witred in parallel.

706jim

That is a nice bit of machining. Somebody else with access to a machining center!

Jesse Open

RACE 66

That just not right, you paying a hundred for a Bridgeport, tack on another zero, and you wouldn't be getting this note !
Yup, a mill and a lathe the sky is the limit on those industrious tools.
Mike

quietflyer

My Feedback: (1)

Mike, I will try to make it to one of the meetings and take it from there.
Jesse, another great lipo holder design for the Sullivan. I wish I had those machining skills and knowledge!

I opened up the Kavan starter, cleaned the brushes, the armature , and the "dust" inside the case. Upon reassembly, the starter worked for a few seconds, went intermittent and then stopped working altogether. Next step would be to actually take apart the brushes, wiring and check for any intermittent connection. The brush activated by the red switch lever seems a little shorter than the opposing one, but I could be wrong. I have attached some pictures for reference.

quietflyer

My Feedback: (1)

armature after cleaning


brush on left is activated by the switch lever
Sorry, pictures didn't come through,will try again.

RACE 66

Seeing the bottom photo, and the brush on the 'left' tells me couple of things to consider.
1. The brush is well worn.
2. That that brush is so worn, that the spring tension holding the brush to the commutator is not strong enough to 'hold' the brush onto the surface firmly.
This would indicate that current flowing from the brush to the commutator is not enough/ or intermittent, thus the 'intermittent' working of the starter when engaged.
Suggestion, obtain a new set of brushes and springs, install. Most likely that will solve your problem.
Mike

Jesse Open

The commutator looks to be in good condidtion. (Do not sand it!) Hard to tell about the brushes but they don't appear all that bad, especially to the point where they are not working. If you have a voltmeter or a 12 volt test light, check for power right at the brushes with the battery hooked up and the switch on.
I would almost bet on a broken wire or a bad switch. If there is not power I can give you some more trouble shooting tips. If there is power, then by all means try new brushes.

quietflyer

My Feedback: (1)

Took the brushes out last night,checked continuity in the wiring, checked Lipo wring, tried different Lipo pack, still no go. On reading the SPA website link and examining the pictures there, the worn out switch activated brush looks similar in length to the one in my starter, so I ordered a new set of brushes.
Thanks for all the help. I will post an update later.

quietflyer

My Feedback: (1)

A quick update on the starter repair.....
The brushes came in yesterday from Radical RC and a quick switchover had the starter running again!
Thanks to all who pitched in with their help.
I am attaching a picture of the old and new set of brushes to give an idea of the wear.

quietflyer

My Feedback: (1)

New set of brushes on the left and old ones on the right. The bottom right brush was the one activated by the red switch lever and shows more wear.

Jesse Open

quietflyer

My Feedback: (1)

Jesse, actually that margin of wear took a while. On further reflection, I realised that I have been using it for more than a couple of seasons and not as I had initially stated. I had bought this starter from Hobby Lobby so it has been a while. Time flies when you are having fun! Kavan has a great product in this starter as it's light, compact and has lots of torque to even turn my Zenoah G26 and DLE 30.

Jesse Open

I hope it didn't sound like I was slighting the starter. It is very well made and thought out. I like mine a lot and it is about 20 years old.
The "margin" issue is actually a very good design feature. The motor doesn't self destruct when the brushes wear as so many other brush type motors can. The motor got intermittent then stopped before the commutator was damaged. That is an excellent design.

samh54

My Feedback: (9)

I like your lipo holder,did you make it yourslef of buy it somewhere?can you give me some info.I have two of these kavan starter.
I like to have a lipo holder too.
thanks

Propworn

My Feedback: (3)

Things have changed and are still developing between the US and Canada as to what will be required for Canadians to fly their models in the US. I contacted the AMA directly and this was their answer.


When operating your aircraft in the United States, you must follow all the rules for recreational fliers laid out in USC 44809. I included a summary below. Please note that this includes visiting the FAA's DroneZone portal and completing the process to fly under "The Exception for Recreational Flyers" while flying your aircraft in the United States. The FAA will consider the certificate issued to be a recognition of ownership rather than a certificate of U.S. aircraft registration.

Rules for Recreational Fliers:

1. Fly only for recreational purposes.
2. Follow the safety guidelines of an FAA-recognized Community Based Organization (CBO).
3. Fly aircraft only within visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft or a visual observer co-located and in direct communication with the operator.
4. Give way to and do not interfere with any manned aircraft.
5. Obtain prior authorization before operating and comply with all airspace restrictions when in controlled airspace (Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E).
   • Receive this authorization via LAANC or DroneZone.
6. Fly at or below 400’ in uncontrolled (Class G) airspace unless authorized by the FAA to fly higher.
7. Take The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) and carry proof of test passage once it is available.
8. Note: TRUST is currently expected to be released by the end of 2021.
9. Have a current FAA registration, mark your aircraft with the registration number, and carry proof of registration with you.
   
   
   Please let me know if I can further assist.
   
   
   
   Best regards,
   
   
   
   [img]file://C:\Program Files (x86)\Qualcomm\Eudora\Embedded\image002.png[/img]
   
   
   Chrystal Pearson
   
   Government Affairs Representative
   
   Academy of Model Aeronautics
   
   (765) 287-1256 ext. 236
   
   modelaircraft.org
   
   
   

RACE 66

Yes, things have changed somewhat since this link was started. Still, with information that is coming out just about weekly, it sounds like there won't be a drastic change
in order to fly in the states. Just a little more bolly hoo paperwork to have fun. Fortunately the powers to be have helped in mitigating some 'radical' ideas that was early in the game and now, hopefully common sense has come about, especially with "line of sight" and "fixed wing" aircraft at your local field.