canadagoose

My Feedback: (2)

I'll say first off that i don't know anything about powering a plane electrically but want to start in on electrics by finding a suitable motor, speed control and battery for a small 34" span 26" long plane that i'm building called the Beagle Pup. I think the weight should be around 22 oz. Attached is a photo of the plane so far. I think it was originally designed for a Cox .074 to a .10 glow engine with a prop size of 6 -7 inches. This plane will be going on some foam floats for float flying. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

gleebs

If you want to get into electric flight you may want to consider getting motocalc. If you are planning a flying weight of 22 oz chances are: an eflite 450, 20-25 amp esc, Apogee 3c 1500 would give you unlimited performance. For a more docile plane you could do: E-flite 400, 20 amp esc, Thunder power TP1320.

Slo-V Flyer

That E-flite motor + ESC combo is what I would have recommened, too for that weight category. Though, CanadaGoose, you mentioned "floats" so my guess is the extra drag will require a little more available power than say a normal wheeled plane. So I'd stick to the Park 450 outrunner to be sure, and a 3-cell lipo, or alternatively a minimum of 2/3A sized 8-cell nimh battery, like the Great Planes Electrifly 1100mah stick pack or better quality. Try anywhere from 9x6 to 10x7 inch APC props to see what best powers your place *safely* without reaching the motor or more importantly, lipo-battery's amp limits at full throttle.

The Park 480 outrunner wouldn't hurt either. It's a killer motor with almost 250 watts maximum power compared to the Park 450 motor's ~150 watts.

One bad thing about the E-Flite motors is their slightly higher price, especially if you wreck one.

The Park 400 outrunner is $59, Park 450 is $65, the Park 480 is $69. The E-flite 20amp brushless ESC is about $40, the new 25amp version is $45 at my local Hobbytown USA. Of course, there are countless manufacturers to choose from. E-flite is just one that I have good experience with.

Try Maxamps.com for some inexpensive lipo batteries, or even some Nimh packs.

But DO try to use Motocalc to get some theoritical power/amp/performance numbers rolling so that you know what kind of setup to expect without too many nasty surprises from the start.

Fliprob17

With floats will the plane be heavier than the projected 22oz? If you get up around 26-27oz I would go with the E-Flite Park 480 BL 1020kv outrunner motor. Should have plenty of power. I would then go with the E-Flite 40amp (V2) brushless ESC. Better to be a little over in amps than cut it close. It will allow you to play with prop size a little more as long as the motor does not get too hot. Maybe like slo-v said, start around a 9x6 and you could go all the way up to an 11x7 or so depending on plane performance. Just stick with the E props for Electric flight. I would then go with the Thunder Power 11.1volt 3 cell LiPo 2100mah. Longer flight times with more mah.

canadagoose

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for the reply's guys, this really gives me an idea what to look for. I will also see if i can get motocalc. This plane is actually going to be for my 12 year old son, he really wants an electric plane instead of a loud and messy glow engine powered one. I have been watching others flying electric powered planes and would really like to give them a go too.

Mooney_driver

Hello Canadagoose.

It looks like your Beagle Pup came out pretty good as
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14231939
and
http://tjlewis1.rchomepage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=69
indicate..

How did it fly? Are you flying it with skiis now? If you think it was originally for .074 where did the original plan come from? Is that a variation of the RCM #359Beagle Pupplan from the RCL-68 issue (whatever RCL is)?

AltaTed

I'm new to RC flying and just getting started. I see motocalc referred to and need as much info to learn as much as I can on these wonderful things. Where do I find motocalc? I'm a retired EE/ME and understand just enough to get into trouble as I begin the adventure into RC flight.

I want to do it right and have my first bird, a foamie RTF Cub type to start and a bunch of component's ordered for a model I have on the drawing board. This forum is great to get educated but things like "programing ESC's " and the equipment to do so I have yet to find. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Altated
Ferndale, WA

Dr Kiwi

http://www.motocalc.com/motodown.htm

You get a 30-day free trial, then it is the third best $35 you have ever spent on the hobby (after your Wattmeter and tach).

You can also get DriveCalc (free): http://www.drivecalc.de/