Contributed by: Greg Covey | Published: November 2003 | Views: 171516 |  Email this Article
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Review by: Greg
Covey
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RC
SMOKE is a division of
Regin
HVAC Products, Inc.
273 Canal Street, Suite 222
Shelton, CT 06484
800-RC-SMOKE
www.rcsmoke.com
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A
smoke system for glow or electrics? You bet! My .60-size
Graupner
ShowFlyer 3D model airplane not only runs on quiet
and clean electric power, it also has a remotely-activated
smoke system that is safe to use.
The
RC Smoke cartridges from Regin HVAC Products have
earned a reputation all over the world for safety
and reliability. A complete range of non-toxic smoke
products are available for your personal sky writing
needs in rich white or colored smoke.
The RC Smoke system is designed for outdoor use on
R/C Model Airplanes, Cars, Boats, Snow Boards etc.
The cartridges are available in a wide range of colors,
and several different sizes that affect smoke volume
and duration. They can be ignited before take-off
by a match or lighter flame or remotely activated
by electronic igniters. The RC Smoke cartridges are
available in White, Red, Blue, Green, Orange, and
Yellow colors.
In
slow flying planes like the electric parkflyers, slowflyers,
and gliders, the RC Smoke can be activated during
flight by one of the electric start fuse kits sold
at RC Smoke.com. The focus of my review will be in
creating a remote control activation for these electric
start fuse kits in a plane designed for electric flight.
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RC
Smoke offers several types of smoke cartridges and
holding pods
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smoke cartridges come in two different styles; RC104
(left and center) and RC105 (right). The RC104 cartridge
can range from 1-3 minutes of smoke delivery depending
upon length and the PC105 cartridge can range from
1-4 minutes depending upon length. The length can
be cut with a fine-tooth saw or Dremel tool. The thicker
RC105 cartridge can produce much more smoke volume
than the thinner RC104 cartridges. The color orange
is dominant in a blue or overcast sky setting. |
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Two RC104
wing tip cartridges
on a Kavan Wingo |
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The
Wing Adapter Mounting kit (RC900) weighs only 1oz with
an RC104 cartridge. By adding a smoke trail to each wing
tip, you add about 2oz to the total flying weight as shown
on the Kavan Wingo.
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One RC105
cartridge on
a Kavan Wingo |
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using the Belly Tank Adapter kit (RC910) with one
RC105 smoke cartridge, you add about 3oz in flying
weight. Note that the smoke volume is much thicker
using the RC105 cartridge. |
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Electric
start fuse kits are
available for either cartridge
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Igniter
assembly diagram |
The
RC920 (left) Electric Start Fuse kit is compatible
with the thinner RC104 smoke cartridges and the RC930
(right) Electric Start Fuse kit is compatible with
the thicker RC105 smoke cartridges. The kits come
with igniters, fuses, and appropriate size plastic
caps for the corresponding smoke cartridge. A 9v battery
is all that is needed to activate the igniter.
The smoke cartridge is prepared before flight by assembling
the electric start fuse kit. It is a simple 4-step
process that makes it easy to use micro clips to apply
the ignition voltage from an external source. The
fuse aids the entire cartridge in getting started
and the custom plastic cap holds everything securely
in place.
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used a 1-1/8" micro smooth clip set from Radio
Shack (p/n 270-373) for my project. A box of 10 clips
costs $2.69 and they are re-usable. |
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The
RC910 Belly Tank is mounted on a piece of thin plywood.
For
the remote activation project, I used my .60-size, 7.7lb,
Graupner ShowFlyer 3D airplane. It has a 60.5" wingspan
and a powerful MaxCim 13Y brushless motor that delivers
1200 watts to the APC 20x11 e-prop.
I
mounted the RC910 belly tank to a piece of thin plywood.
This would become both my method of attachment to the
plane, using Velco strips, as well as a safety firewall
for added protection.
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The
Great Planes ElectriFly Electronic On/Off Switch was
used
activate the smoke. |
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To
activate the Electric Start Fuse Kit, I used the Great
Planes ElectriFly Electronic On/Off Switch sold at Tower
Hobbies. This Switch is very small and lightweight
making it perfect for triggering the smoke system with
an extra receiver channel. It can handle 6-12 cells (7.2V-14.4V)
and the 35 amps continuous rating greatly exceed my needs
to power the electric igniter.
I
decided to connect it to one of my 10-cell flight packs
in the Graupner ShowFlyer using a plug-in adapter that
I made from two Dean's Ultra plugs and a Tamiya connector.
This allowed me to tap into the voltage of a 10-cell pack.
The current draw is so low that it does not affect the
receiver or servo performance during the ignition period.
The BEC feature must be disconnected assuming that you
already have receiver power from another source. I hooked
my Electronic On/Off switch to receiver channel 5 because
my plane had no retracts.
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The Great Planes Electronic On/Off Switch has its own enable
slide switch that can be used to arm the smoke system after
power has been applied to the receiver. After measuring an
initial turn-on "glitch" voltage whenever enabling the Great
Planes Electronic On/Off Switch, I decided that it was best to
connect the micro clips to the fuse last.
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A
2-pin, non-polarized, connector and cable ran through
the wing to the cartridge
I
ran power from the igniter fuse to the Great Planes
Electronic On/Off Switch via a plug-in cord that had
the Radio Shack micro clips on one end and a Dean's
2-pin connector on the other. Note that polarization
is not important here and the wires I used were larger
than needed for the low ignition current.
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The RC
Smoke cartridges from Regin HVAC Products worked very well with
my remote ignition scheme. The cartridges appeared to be safe
with a very docile burn and little to no discoloring of the
bottom of my plane. The variety of cartridge colors and sizes
offer flexibility in usage for a range of plane sizes and weather
conditions.
Whether
you use a remote activation scheme like I did, or, you simply
light the cartridge on the ground before take-off, the RC Smoke
system adds a new dimension of fun for your demo flights and
club gatherings.
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