ORIGINAL: Old Man Mike
Ok guys, I spent some time today testing with a thermalcouple attached to one of the motors and a temperature monitor mounted to the battery platform (see attached). Here are the results:
No Motor Protectors after 1 min flight (average of 3):
- 11 F deg rise at end of 1 min
- 17 F deg rise (peak) aprox 1 min later after motor shutoff
With Motor Protectors after 1 min flight (average of 3):
- 14 F deg rise at end of 1 min
- 21 F deg rise (peak) aprox 1 min later after motor shutoff
After looking more closely at the the motor design, I can see that the real cooling comes from the air passing thru the motor. Heatsinking the motor case does very little to cool down the temperature of the motor windings and magnets since there is a high thermal resistance between those components and the case.
This is a valuable observation! A can of Dust-Off might help significantly prolong motor life.
ORIGINAL: Old Man Mike
By the way, I was able to fly inside my 8' x 8' test area for a continuous 5 mins with the motor protectors. I could only do a little over 1 minute without the protectors due to higher instability (I need to understand if this is due to the added weight at each motor or if there is some aerodynamic effect of the tubes that increase the stability).
Hmm, I don't know. Flying is 95% subconscious, and it might just be the new gear is giving you a bit more assurance. Learning to fly is like learning to play a musical instrument. You have to consciously analyze the process at the beginning, but eventually you have to get your conscious mind out of the picture in order to progress further. You DO have to observe, but as Sky High says, "You don't have time to think". It's a weird thing when one day you discover you already know how to fly if you can just get out of your own way. The musician hears a musical phrase in their head, and their fingers play it. The 3-D heli pilot thinks of the whole maneuver, and not each movement of the sticks. But in both these cases they practiced endlessly until they didn't have to think about it. Yitzak Perlman would practice his violin scales while watching television - heresy!
I think your best bet is to learn to use the Ti and practice outside in calm conditions. Land and rest every couple of minutes, even if everything is going fine. I think you'll find it's much easier hovering at waist level over grass because you won't be fighting your own vortices, and if you panic, just chop the throttle and land. Do what builds your confidence, even if it's just hovering nose-out for hours, but try to get a little more control each time you fly. When you use Ti, take a small thin board, like masonite, and when you set the thermal levels (throttle down & right), do it on a level spot out in your yard, away from the driveway and house. This will reduce the amount of trimming needed. You already know how to fly, what you need now is just a little more confidence.
Cheers,
Bruce