WOW !! Surprised the 180 starter didn't work. I've had success starting my 1.20 AX several times with the same starter, but it ate up the $20 dollar gel cell Torqmaster battery real fast. My local hobby shop owner Bill from the famous La Grange Hobby Center in La Grange, IL 60525 708-354-1220, turned me onto the "Minimax" geared starter and I immediately retired that 180 joke of a starter. The minimax blows the doors off the other starter and for $35 smackeroo's, you can't find better. That 180, that costs $15 or $20 dollars more, should turn that 75 no problem. You may have a bad battery but chances are that the 180 starter should be called a 65 starter. Get a geared starter and you should be good !!

I agree that engine starters are a lot more of a convinience than a requirement. But some engines just wont start with a chicken stick. My 91 4C for example. I usually dont carry my starter, if its a problem, others on the field have it. I chicken flip my engine a few times after choking, if it doesnt start then I use a starter. Most of these engines need to be electrically started only once in the day, thereafter they will handstart each time

Ameyam

I agree with ameyam in that many engines do not respond well to hand starting and some manufacturers reccomend electric starting only on some types so a well rounded flyer that is likely to have many various engines definately needs an electric starter and perhaps more than just one the meet the needs of a variety of engines.

Having said that Marshrabbitt you have have lots of excellent advice on the operation of an electric starter as well as the need for proper priming before using the starter and so on. You have two excellent starters that match any direct drive units out there. The only thing lacking is is voltage. If you supply only 12 volts the starter is hamstrung even if you use automotive or tractor batteries. Ugh, who want to lug one of those things around.

For our use what makes all our starters come alive is voltage, voltage is indeed king for our use.

You are lucky the ten dollar battery is back, it will spin your 75 heck for that matter a 120AX like there is no tommorrow:


On sale agine
http://www.harborfreight.com/18-volt-battery-67029.html

The coversion is so easy an nothing beats it for all around use.

Here is your Hobbico 90 among others of mine. There is an even an easier way to attach the battery to your Hobbico 90 using just a plywood plate and RTV that works well on ones I have done since this one for other folks.

John







having said that http://www.harborfreight.com/18-volt-battery-67029.html

John
what is the blue and yellow stuff under the 1st two starters.

Those are just balsa wood blocks carved to match the convex shape of the starter body with some crude paint on them. The block is RTV cemented to the top of the battery case and directly to the starter case with the switch off to the right side a bit in the normal location for starting the airplane with your right hand which everyone does.

It was just a very neat way of doing the addition very easy and quickly no matter what starter you have also thats another reason that this particular Harbour Frieght battery is a natural since it has a nice case with a flat top that lends itself to this. However they have another 12v drill battery that looks the same except it has a long protrusion on top that fits one of thier tools. This one would be more difficult to use.

As far as durability is concern I have dropped one of mine off the starting bench twice to the hard ground and it did not separate. If you use the RTV though you must let it dry untouched 24/30 hours.

John

Here are earlier pics of the same two when I was using a fancy rubber banded and bolted carrier and this is just not neccessary:

John,
I assume that the plug coming out the back if for the charger, is that correct?
Man, this is just the ticket.. My Father in-law is semi retired and works at HF a couple days a week, poor guy has no hobbies other then work.. But that being said, i get a nice little family discount on a already cheap price..

Yes that is the Deans Ultra plug female and all my chargers and patch chords use the male Deans Ultra plug.

Some of those Starters I originally set up the plugs so that you unplugged the deans from the battery to the motor to plug up the charger. My latest ones I am leaving the motor hot all the time and the female Ultra plug for charging is just paralelled into this line.

If at some point the switch fails with a welded set of contacts and the motor won,t stop then just just a tug on the blade connectors at the battery will shut things down.

John

Oh no, so many good ideas in this threat, too late for me.
 I had the same problem and bought a 6 cell Lipo, very expensive, to solve the problem. Now my OS 120 starts but my starter is as expensive as a park flyer, and it doesnt have wings[X(]

I have a couple of engines you can stick flip until the cows come home and you aren't going to start them until they have been started once and been warmed up. I have others that I can just choke and back snap them once, even during the winter and they fire right up.

Hey Lopflyers at least you don't crash the starter.

Gene
I mounted my HF battery the same way as John B.

Hey lopflyers its never to late. If one flys a really wide variety of aircraft it some becomes obvious that one size really does not fit all. I use to use That green Sullivan Half A starter on two AAA seven cell packs 16.8 volts and this did help it graduate from .049 up to about .10 and even at 16.8 if was still pretty wimpy for anything more.

This thread got me going agine and since yesterday I added the 18v red battery and this thing now is easily going to handle up to .25. A size aircraft you come to appriciate more and more as one ages and one I have a lot of.

One may ask why a selection of starters but agine one appricates the lightest starter that does the job with gusto thats possible. Even with the red battery this green Sully is much easier to handel than say my mondo for the YS's.

Hey John you got the starter upside down.

And life has not been the same since

I went by HF today on my road trip and picked up one of the 18Vs. It's a different model battery with a stick up pose so I will have to get creative mounting it.I opened it up and looked to see how it is set up on the inside, I can just solder on a couple of posts for quick disconnect and charging or just solder on an extra connector as a charge plus. This should be a trick and really should look like hell!!! Oh well, my starters aren't pretty girls anyway. As long as the motor goes zing I'm happy.

Oh man GB ya got the wrong one, more expensive to. It will work fine though ya just got get rid of that tower thing.

Here is the one you got:

http://www.harborfreight.com/18-volt...ery-93655.html

Here is the proper one, the one I linked to earlier in this thread:

http://www.harborfreight.com/18-volt-battery-67029.html

John

I took what they had in stock, I knew it wasn't the nice flat one sold on-line. When I opened it to look I saw they just used two metal tabs to run up the tower on both sides. Not hard to change out but there are also these two batteries inside the tower. The sort of screws up one of my bright ideas. I will figure out how to make it work or just take it back and have them order the correct one for me.Duct tape can work wonders!!!!!!!!

I have a Sullivan battery holder setup that I was never really happy with, so I adapted John's idea with the brackets already on the starter, some scrap auto door edge trim, 50 cents worth of scrap aluminum, and about five bucks worth of Lowe's stainless socket head screws...

I used rubber bands and have the battery set up so the charge side is on the bottom so I can just slip the charger on when needed. Seems charging is needed pretty often, I charged it then used it the next day, put it in my box and a week later took it to the field again, it wouldn't roll over any engines. It's fully charged again but I have the ground lead removed from the battery to see if it will hold the charge while in storage longer.

Thats great Trent, glad to hear you are enjoying it. You know I don,t think there has been one here yet that was not just a little different in the way the fellows attach the battery. Everyone is enjoying a personal touch.

GB The battery is only a Nicd 1300 Mah so naturally the self discharge rate is high and going a week after a days use and not charging is a little unrealistic. Of course you could use something like this Dewalt 18v battery and it would provide a greater period between charges, Its rated at 5000 Mah but its also 94 bucks.

When I am going out everyday I tend to charge the starter I am going to use every second day but that is predicated on how much use it received on those two days. Thats a varible that is widely varible from person to person.

http://www.factoryauthorizedoutlet.c...s%5CDC9181.asp

John