left seat

I just finished a Sig 1/4 scale piper cub that is powered by a OS 160 Gemini twin cylinder engine. I just installed a Sullivan onboard glow igniter system. It is powered by two rechargable 1.2v 2700 ah nimh AA batteries wired in parallel. I don't know how to install a charge lead so I don't have to unplug the AA pack to charge and check voltage. Ideally I would like to put a charge plug on the side of the plane where the switch for the glow igniter is. Since the glow igniter lead goes into the throttle input on the receiver would putting a charge port for the AA pack have any affect on the receiver charging while connected?

init4fun

While the specs do say it'll run from 1.2 volts, are you sure 2 AA batteries in parallel are gonna be able to deliver enough current to light two glowplugs?

From Sullivan's website;

"Onboard Glow Plug Driver. This glow driver features your choice of quick and easy one button set point programming or automatic operation.

The plug received power at any throttle settings. The set point is stored in memory until changed. The green LED light indicates burned out plugs by flashing on the panel. The unit doesn’t require a Y-Harness, just plug to receiver, throttle servo and to any 1.2V to 12V battery. Only weighs 34g."



I use "ElectroDynamics" on board glow drivers and they use much bigger cells, "C" sized VS AA, that as an added bonus come prewired for charging.....
(this pic is the battery/wiring kit only, the unit itself is a small black box)

LLRCFlyer

Two 2700 mah NIMH batteries in parallel should produce 5.4 amp-hours of capacity. Given that a glow plug typically pull about 3 amps and there are two plugs, the draw should be about 6 amps total. 5.4 amps capacity / 6 amps load yields a "run time" of 0.9 hours, or about 54 minutes. The glow driver should be wired through a micro switch on the throttle servo so as to only turn on at low throttle (idle) so it is only "on" during engine start and at idle to keep it from flaming out. So, unless you spend all your time taxing, this set-up should work just fine. If it is wired to run continuously, then a larger battery would be needed if you intend to fly for more than about 45 minutes per flying session.

jaka54

Hi!
Why using a battery at all?! That engine runs and idles just perfect as it is on 5% nitro and 18-20% oil , OS F glow plug and 18x6 APC prop.