What would be the best starter for small motors?
Small glow .049-.020 - .010 and small diesels -.25cc-.6cc

Candidates I've found include Sullivan micro starter, Miller mini starter, Old Astroflight 1/2a starter, and Lite Machines starter.

Which are the smaller of above?

Thanks!

I have used both the Lite Machines and the Sullivan Cricket(my current one) and both have been great, cant comment on the others, I think LM will go under if they dont reinvent the small heli,,their electric heli (Corona) is the most popular,,, and there is just toooooo much competition for them...Rog

I have the green Sullivan and it works nicely.

I've used all of the above and have owned 2 Millers and 1 Sullivan.
I like them in this order:
1. Miller - Similar to the Astro. Recessed button. High quality silicone rubber inserts with replacements available; wont burn marks into plastic spinners. Very good customer service. My first one had the older switch that gave out after 3 years of steady use. I called Miller to buy a new one and they said they would repair the original for free. I didn't feel like shipping it back and figured that I had gotten my money's worth already, so I paid for a new one.

2. Astro Flight

3. Lite Machines/Norvel

4. Sullivan Cricket - The bearings overheated on mine after a few weeks, but I may have had a dud. Not as nice feel and switch as the others listed.

The Sullivan and Astro Flight are the smallest, but they all use the same size motor. They are all too powerful for anything under an .049.

Check out this thread for a simple, home made .020 starter.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=2011857

Bipe, the motor in my sullivan burnt out real quick, too. As you noted in the old thread, it's a standard size 540 motor, so I stuck a new one in there from a failed electric airplane attempt from the age before lipos. Seems like the new motor was from a kyosho glider or something similar. Anyway, the better quality motor has lasted several years without a burp. I think the desire for more profit got in the way of a superior product. It's got more torque and RPM now, which makes it useful up to a .15. (doesn't the package claim that? It sure didn't deliver before.)

Where does one get a Miller starter?

I use to have this page up on my website, but I haven't had that site for a couple of years now. Anyways, here's a homemade starter.

Before we get started, I know we've all seen construction articles in our favorite magazines on how to stuff a car motor and a battery pack into a cylinder of PVC or cardboard. These methods are nice, but I like the simpler things in life. Club member Danny Drennon cut through the quick on this one. He too uses a 6 cell car pack along with the Sullivan 1/2A starter cone. He found that the Sullivan cone fits perfectly into a 1/2 inch PVC cap that in turn is screwed to a prop adapter for a 05 can motor. The prop adapter is only a couple of bucks and the can motor, which doesn't need to be an expensive unit, can be had under 20. The battery pack is also priced around $15. Buy a pair of Female Tamiya connectors, the battery will probably come with the male side on it. You'll use one to hook to the motor and the other to charge the battery with. The rest of Danny's starter can probably be had around your house. Me, I had to buy the cone, the cap and the prop adapter, the rest I had on hand. Here's a drawing of the completed starter

Miller R/C Products
159 GREENE STREET
PO BOX 425
KENWOOD, CA 95452

PHONE: 707-833-5905

I've attached a picture so you can see what one looks like.

Ah, thanks Bipe. I'll hafta give 'em a call today and order one. Don't know that I'd use it all the time, but it'd make break-in a heckuva lot easier.

Bipe --

Nice to see you posting more regularly -- I always figure when you're not around as much, the coding must be going well.

For the electrically challanged, what motor size and voltage would you recommend for the .049 - .061 engine sizes?

andrew

Yes, it's been very busy lately, which is great, but I don't get much building done.

The regular 1/2A starters all seem to use a 540 buggy motor, like Clean is using and Patrick put in his hornet. Most run on 6V to 12V.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXGN28&P=ML
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXHPS4&P=7