Where can I find info on converting a 40 size UCANDO 3D ARF to electric. I want enough power to be able to hover and torque roll. I know next to nothing about electric but I have heard that this is a good conversion project. Please if anone knows anything about this don't talk in ELECTRIC or give me formulas because I don't understand any of that. I want to know what motor, batteries. and easy to use charger that will get the job done. Also i need to know which lightweight lithium batteries to get etc. Thank you

I have been flying E exclusively for about 2 years.. I went from Brison 3.2's, 2.4's etc to small park flyers.. and it has been a complete blast.. However, I'm ready to get back into the bigger birds..

I have wanted to convert a UCANDO for a while.. However, I don't have the UPFRONT money to pay for it.. I can afford a $25 dollar gallon of fuel here and there.. the $300 dollar battery packs are hard to swallow on a flight instructors pay.

It's basically gonna boil down like this..

Mega 22/30/3 $115.50 @ MEC
MEC Superbox @ 4:1 around $60
16 x 10 APC E $7.50
6S2P 4000 MAH Kokam ( 2000 mah cells) Around $280 (might as well go ahead and add a second pack, as having 1 will drive you absolutly nuts - $280)
Phx. 80 $136

150 ounces of thrust ( over 9lbs), 6267 prop rpm
Static pitch speed of 59 mph
47.2 amps full throttle static

All per Motocalc, total system cost = $600 give or take a little. ($900 with 2 packs)

Saito 100 = $279
APC 16x4W = $15
30% heli fuel = $25 / gallon @ 1 gallon a month = $300 per year

Total glow cost = $594


A great thread you may want to check out would be

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ghlight=ucando

Exactly what I've been saying about converting .46 size and higher glow to electric. Too much cost!!! If you got the "jingle" and $$$ is no object, fine! So you spend well over $400 for the electric power system so you don't have to wipe down the plane. Until brushless and lipo batteries really drop in price, I don't see these conversions as fiscally viable.

Dave...

Dave-

I'm with you man.. They're very close to within reach, but I'm still in the "imma have to wait a year or two" bracket.. I mean, prices have come down alot in the last 1.5 years, but they'll continue to come down..

I'll get on the band wagon then. I love my parkies, I have some really nice models.. Edge 540, Pitts 12, Ultimate, etc.. I love them, just want the bigger stuff.

Tram, yep! Hopefully in a couple of years, these prices will drop like they have been. I have numerous electrics. Just about all of them have yer included can motor. I have a jeti brushless in an Omei sailplane. Man does that thing motor!!!! Plus, I plan on getting a couple of smaller brushless for a couple of GWS warbirds I have. I really would like to throw a brushless in a Twist or something like that but it is just not cost effective. Heck, brushless ESC's cost just as much as the motor does! And some bigger models like a Hog Bipe or Stearman
or monocoupe, the sound of a 4 stroke can't be beat.

Dave...

Ahh the Omei.. I think that will be my first sailplane.

That glow cost is $594 for the first year and $300/year for each additional year.

Lets say you are running a 12 oz tank so you get ~11 flights per gallon - $2.27/flight.
Lets assume that the LiPO's are good for a total of 500 cycles (who knows for sure?) so the $280/pack works out to $0.56/flight. Over the life of the batteries, the electric solution is MUCH cheaper. A total of 1000 flights for $560 worth of batteries vs $2270 for the glow fuel. Still cheaper even if the cells are only good for half that number of cycles.

What really bites is the fact that all of that cost is up front, not a gallon at a time!

I'm in the same boat; looking to electrify a Sig Rascal with enough power to fly it with some authority. Maybe next year!

Ross

but... how many of us can put 12 gallons/year through a single model!? I didn't burn half that much wth all my models combined flying every free chance I got this year.

and second, there is no way lipos in this application will get 500 cycles. I use lipos exclusively for my micro helis and indoor flyers, but they do not hold up to the 500 cycles/2 years rating. 1-1.5 years and 150-200 cycles under heavy use is much more accurate. (I have never even seen a lipo/liion cell phone hold up to that rating before the battery starts to fade!)

As far as the LiPo lifetime is concerned, they are getting better but I have not seen any really good studies about expected lifetimes or number of cycles. The 500 number has come up but I really think that this is pretty optimistic in a high drain application but even at 200 cycles, the cost per flight is less than glow (batteries vs fuel). If battery shelf-life is an issue, you might not finish the cells before they "expire" (refrigerated storage might help).

One nice thing about the batteries is that there is no need to reserve them for one plane. They are easily interchanged among multiple models - they come out for charging anyway.

As far as burning a gallon a month is concerned, I probably average more than that during the summer and a lot less in the winter - 12 gallons is a pretty average year on 40-60 size two stroke engines.

I am a proponent of e-flight and I think it represents the future of this hobby but I will likely wait a bit longer. Prices are coming down and quality and selection are going up. Although the technology may never "mature", I think choices will be a lot better in the next couple of years.

Ross