darticus

My problem is that my plane, electric, will shut down in flight, on occasions, and crash from a 10-15 foot start off height.
This sounds like the problem as listed by HH.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Articles...ArticleID=1855
Still wish they explained this better. I disconnect the receiver while operating than connect and the receiver led blinks on receiver. They say this means it has quick connect. Seems like motor must be turned off than on again. I just unplugged and plugged the receiver in again. Maybe I took too much time. It seemed like the motor didn't start until turned off and on but servos seem to almost continue to work. Can anyone explain this procedure better? Because you have to turn the throttle off than on again it seems this is why a plane can crash from 10 feet up if not done quickly. Ron

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

You need to give us more info on your setup. What motor, esc and battery. Which receiver. The blinking led indicates you had a voltage brown out which causes a reset and to reconnect. Things like not enough battery for your motor and such can cause this problem.
Edwin

darticus

I think a fully charged battery of good quality will avoid brown outs.
My thought was at 10 feet off the ground a shut down can be costly as time is needed to throttle down and up again, its not instant start, there is a delay so a crash is evident from 1 to 10 feet off the ground. At 100 feet you can throttle up again and be ok. Also at 100 feet your servos will work and you can glide down a bit. and get the throttle going. I usually fly in small areas only 10-30 off ground so my best bet is to have good conditioned batteries and full charge so I don't get a voltage drop out and avoid crash. It usually occurs on take off when I must make the turn only 20 feet out on a climb. Must be TOOO Much drain on an older battery. Will watch and use new stuff and test. Thanks Ron

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

Not necessarily true. If you dont have enough ma, when you go to full throttle the voltage can sag even if you are fully charged. That would cause a brown out. You have to size the battery to your power system. Cant get away with using just any battery. A really nice tool for testing your system is a watt meter. I flew electrics for a few years before I got one. Really helped me a lot.
Edwin

darticus

I have a watt meter but how would I use it to check? Ron

Edwin

My Feedback: (2)

Install the watt meter between the battery and the esc. It will tell you watts used, current, voltage, and should capture the maximum on each of those. Mine is the watt meter (brand name). It alternates between the static measurements and the peak measurements up to 60 amps. This will help show you if you are within the specs of the equipment you are using. For instance, if you peak at 42 amps using a 30 amp esc, that would be pretty bad. Even if you have a 40 amp esc you are working too close to the maximum operating range for that perticular esc and it wont live long. I try to size my systems to about 80% to 90% of its rated current. OR, if the esc has a heatsink on it like you would use in an edf setup, put the heatsink in the airflow which will enable you to get a little more out of it. But only up to its rated output. Even then, I still try to size my systems at 80% to 90%. Also keep in mind that the connectors have to be the right size also. A connector that is too small will drop voltage too, creating the same problem you are seeing. That is why we need to know more about your setup to help you. AND another thing, (just remembered this cause I got bit by it recently), the bec can cause the same problem you are having. I was using 4 HS55 servos on an esc that I suspect could only handle 3. I upgraged from a 20 amp to a 40 amp esc, used a different receiver and solved that problem.
Edwin

darticus

Thanks for that great help.Ron