Hi

I have an EleBee Flying wing that currently has a 400 speed brushed motor + NiMH. The current setup is shown in the photos.

I have found this setup to be extremely underpowered and lacks endurance. I would like to really try for some serious speed and endurance.

I want to upgrade to Brushless+LiPo setup. I am unsure of suitable battery and motor sizes.

I will need to buy a

- speed controller
- batteries
- motor
- charger

Has anyone got any recommendations? Just some general sizes, current ratings, mAH ratings etc.

Cheers

dydx

Get onto puffin models website - its all there - if you need more email John Emms (the boss) to get all you need,
Dave.

Don't pay for a name when it comes to motors. Try the Tower Pro 2408-21 (BP21) from aeronuts.com or other sites. Combo it with a 30 amp speed controller (more than you need...the motor will draw about 12 to 16 amps) for under $40 as a combo deal. This motor pushes the Stryker very fast but doesn't give it unlimited vertical. Try a 7x6 APC Slow Flyer prop on it and at least a 2000ma 10C 3 cell lipo. Not sure how big your wing is so don't know if these size packs are too big for it. If you want even more power and speed try the 2409-12 (people call it the 12T) motor also made by Tower Pro. It will draw close to 30 amps on an 8x6 APC E prop and thus needs something like a 2200ma 20C 3 cell lipo ($32 from Hextronix...look for a link in the Power Sources forum under "Best Lipo Prices"). As for a charger, I like the Celectra lipo charger. I'd also pick up a Blinky balancing card that will fit most pack's balancing plugs...$25. These motors alone are around $10 to $15. Speed control is around $29.

My first palne was a wing running a 400 brushed motor and 1800 mah nim battery, just barley enough power to fly the thing. Bought the 1.8kv Xtra brushedless motor at Hobby people when they had their yearly sale for $20.0. Now it flys around 80 mph yet still does not have unlimited vertical...almost though.
The 1.8kv brushedless motor coupled with the 1800 mah nim battery is about as fast as you can get using the nim battery pack, anything bigger i would need to go lipo. Most people around here use a max of 3 kv on their wings, and they fly so fast it pretty scarry at times. A friend of mine uses a "Mega" 3 kv on a 36" wing and its the fastest elec i have ever seen...

Ok thanks,

That has given me something to look at. One thing I have found annoying is the conflicting standards of brushless motor performance.

I have seen some advertised as "400 speed brushless" and others advertised with a Kv rating.

What is the conversion between the two?

The BP21 is a perfect replacement for a brushed 400 but will give you much more speed and power than a 480 or even a 540 canned motor from my experience. The 12T motor is a Mega killer from what little I've read.

Check ebay and look for a brushless motor in the 2000kv to 3000kv range, you should be able to pick up a nice outrunner for less than $25 shipped to your door. I also recommend you get at least a 30amp esc, wellgard makes good quality esc units that are very affordable. http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id...2&pid=A3227673

The two motors below have the correct mounting pattern and dimensions to replace 370-480 brushed motors.

2000kv brushless motor:
http://cgi.ebay.com/B20-40-26L-2200k...QQcmdZViewItem

3000kv brushless motor:
http://cgi.ebay.com/B20-30-31S-3000k...QQcmdZViewItem

Don't go beyond 3000kv with that airframe you will just end up with a tiny prop beating dead air and pulling to many amps.

Smaller brushless motors are cheap and don’t require allot of amps but have low power output.
Larger brushless motors are expensive and use lots of amps but have loads of power output.
In general a motors amp capability equates to its output capablility.

The final goal is to find a motor that meets your thrust/speed requirements while keeping amp draw low enough that you don’t end up spending a fortune in heavier/high capacity batteries.

Just pay attention to the watts/amps of the motor and the kv rating. Just remember with direct drive motors lower the kv rating less rpm for speed but more torque for swing a large prop, higher the kv rating less low end torque but more rpm to spin a small prop really fast. Kind of like the gears in your car.
Lower kv = bigger prop, higher thrust
Higher kv = smaller prop, higher speed

kv means how many RPM the motor will turn per volt with no load.
100kv @ 10 volts will spin 1000rpm
1000kv @ 10 volts will spin 10,000rpm
3000kv @ 10 volts will spin 30,000rpm
3000kv @ 10 volts with a 5x5 prop might spin 25,000rpm and use about 20 amps
3000kv @ 10 volts with a 6x4 prop might spin 20,000rpm and use about 30 amps
More load (larger prop) more amps the motor will use
Less load (smaller prop) less amps the motor will use

My thunder tiger velocity wing has unlimited vertical and has awesome speed with a 3000kv outrunner and 1800mah 11.1v lipo. When I'm running the 2200kv outrunner the speed isn't quite as fast but the amp draw is much lower for long flights and I still get unlimited vertical performance.