I'm setting up my very first electric plane setup (though I have experience flying (slope)). I've spent hours searching aroudn to get this setup. I'm about to order off of hobbycity, I was hoping someone could just look over my setup really quick and make sure everything looks okay. I know none of this stuff is "good" but i'm on an extremely tight budget, college is coming in a few months!


I'll be using a 20C, 3s 11.1v, 2250 mah lipo- http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=5607

A supersimple ESC, 40a- http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6461

An HXT/Turnigy motor, 2900kv- http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=4197

And a 5x5 prop (anybody know where to get these? Can't seem to find them...)

If anything is/could be wrong, please let me know! It will all be going in a 36" mini xe combatwing (which I picked up for 30$ : ))


I wasn't sure if that's the right prop size...I dont' know how to measure the amp draw so I just guessed. If somebody could enlighten me here, it would be great.

The other thing is that they are out of 40a supersimples. If anybody has one, or a similar cheap/chinese esc they would be willing to sell me, I would love to take it off your hands.
I'm also not sure about chargers. Again, they have a Turnigy balancer/charger for only 5$, but it's also out of stock. So if anybody has one of these, or the more popular esky chargers that iv'e seen around that are very simliar, let me know and maybe we can work something out.

Although I'm not familiar with your plane, I'm thinking that your lipo and esc may be overkill?
The lipo is more suitable for a 40oz (47" +/- wingspan, 450'ish sq in area).
In other words, the lipo may be a bit heavy for your plane?

7ender:

Indicating the weight of your plane and HOW you want to fly (slow, aerobatic, 3D) will make a big difference in the motor/ESC/battery combination. If you are running a 5x5 prop with this motor you will get on the order of 22,000 loaded rpm and a lots of speed with a 30 to 40 oz. plane. If your plane is heavier or lighter, or if you want to fly slower, you may want to look at other motor options. Look for other people who have tried this particular motor on a particular prop and weight of plane. Use their experience as your testing ground. Otherwise you will need to perform your own motor/ESC/battery bench tests with a Watt meter to get the right prop and amp ratings. Some users on the Hobby City reviews indicate as much as 300 watts on 3 cells and 4.7 x 4.7 props. That translates to 27 amps.

I don't know why Hobby City rates this motor at 34 max amps and then recommends a 20 amp ESC unless these are burst vs. continuous discharge rates. If you draw 34 amps through a 20 amp Chinese manufactured ESC, even for a short time, it is guaranteed to smoke. With Hobby City stuff you should be running 20 amps max through a 35 amp ESC. If their motor ratings are to be believed, stay with the 40 amp ESC especially if you intend to experiment with more aggressive props.

Likewise, the battery data is confusing. The rating says 20-30C discharge rate. If Hobby City means that the battery can be continually discharged at 20C and burst discharged at 30C, then the battery may be more than you need. You might consider a 1800 mAh 3S 20C battery unless you just want the extra weight of the 2250 for longer duration flights. This will provide 1.8 amps x 20C = 36 amps which is more than enough for a motor drawing 27 to 30 amps.

Good Luck
Rick

Duh.........The man said Mini XE didn't he?...........He said that, he did!!

22 ounces for the XE.....thats light.

That motor ought to do the job in spades. I still recommend the 30-35 amp ESC and the 1800 mAh battery.

You can get the 5x5 prop here http://www.maxxprod.com/mpi/mpi-29a.html (A05050)
or here http://www.zagi.com/index.php?main_p...roducts_id=114

Good Luck
Rick

Thank you very much for the help!

Unfortunately I got impatient and got a 2200mah batter yesterday before I saw the 1800mah battery recommendation.

Hopefully it will still fly nicely. Looking at the props now!