Jason Arnold

G'day Guys,

Does anyone know if a commercially manufactured arming plug/pin set-up is available for electric pattern models?

Here in Australia most, if not all, electric pattern models use a Deans connector glued to the side of the fuse. I have a couple of concerns with this technique firstly because the Deans connectors are only rated to about 50 amps and secondly the insertion and removal process must put a lot of strain on the fuse side.

What are others using?

It would amaze me if there was not a product available.

Cheers
Jason.

patrnflyr

My Feedback: (7)

Yes, there is one made by MPI and you can find it here: http://www.maxxprod.com/mpi/mpi-21.html

I have no personal experience, but it looks great. It is listed at the bottom of the page as product #6970.

It is made with Dean's pins and Anderson power poles. My only concern would be with the huge amps that we use, would it hold up?

Hope this helps...

John

shannah

My Feedback: (5)

Just use a bullet connector. Run one line out of the fuse, install a bullet connector on the line and run it back into the fuse. Easy.

lsjpeng

MPI arming switch works OK. But it is using 14 gauge wire, and dean connector does not hold very high current. If you're running 60-70A current, I will suggest something else.
In our area, most people use Astro Flight Zero lose connector. Pix shows Jon Carter's setup for example. Hope this will help.

Luke

f3a05

Not commercial, ugly, but safe,easy,and effective:

5.5mm bullet connectors; male from the esc permanently through the side, female from the battery passed through on each flight.
Little discs of rubber sheet backing the holes, to prevent leads chafing...

Jason Arnold

G'day Luke,

That connector set-up looks to be better than a Deans current wise. They are rated at 100 Amps peak which is more than enough. Looks like it has more area to mount it too.

With electric models taking off at all levels, I'm surprised that more companies haven't taken the plunge to produce an arming plug/pin. Perhaps it's only a matter of time.... Perhaps it's an opportunity???

Thanks for your help guys.

Cheers
Jason.

ofremmi

Hi
I learnt about one device the other day, from Emcotec. It contains spark suppression and the on/off function is by means of a magnet. Take a look here :http://shop.rc-electronic.com/e-vend...11&c=764&p=764

Jason Arnold

G'day Ola,

Now that looks like a great product! Made for the purpose.

Cheers
Jason.

Jim Schwagle

My Feedback: (1)

The Emcotec, looks nice but at 65 Euros not cheap. If you have a large electric you already have lots of money tied up in it so I wouldn't imagine that would be a problem. But for smaller, cheaper electrics pulling 40 amps or less on 4 or 5 cells, this is somewhat overkill in terms of complexity, size and certainly cost. Notice that the switch is connected to a device placed between the battery and the speed controller. The "device" resembles a speed controller in size. I wonder if the fail mode for it is to cut the circuit. It is also good for 60A continuous and 120A burst, so for the really large electrics, it still is too small. It does, however, do away with the spark upon connecting the battery. I suppose it's something I'd spring for.

Just noticed the price includes VAT, so that will be about 10 Euros cheaper here in the U.S., still not cheap but...... hmmmm. Exchange calculator says $67 before shipping.

WOW. Just found out shipping is just as much as the item to the US. $70 to ship to the US.!!!!!! $137 total. That's too bad.

Jason Arnold

Hi Jim,

For F3A the 60/120 amp version should be more than enough. They also have a 120/240 amp version.

To my mind this is a superior and safe solution. It looks professional too which is important for me. The fact that a magnet is used to actuate the switch is a big plus. Far less stress will be placed on the fuselage side with the arming and disarming process. It also eliminates the spark when batteries are connected which is something that really irritates people including myself. This anti spark feature should make your connectors last far longer and improve their reliability too.

I have got one of these switches on the way from Germany so I can report about how good it is. It looks great on paper so far.

I'm told they have been on the market for about 12+ months. I was also told that most of Emcotec's dealers don't know of it's existence... Surely that's just bad marketing...[&:]

Cheers
Jason.

shannah

My Feedback: (5)

The biggest problem I see is that it is listed as weighing 45g. Breaking your ESC/Batt wire and adding a bullet connector only costs you the weight of the connector and maybe an additional couple inches of wire in weight.

wattsup

My Feedback: (1)

shannah, I really like your idea the best. Simple, straight forward & reliable. Regards___TNWalker

EdgyEdge540

This place seems to have it in the US:

http://www.hkm-models.com/Emcotec.html

its the last product on the page with three variants.

Silent-AV8R

I bit the bullet and ordered one of these. I have used Emcotec equipment in the past and it is extremely well made. I ordered the 120A version, but they sent the 60A instead. When I asked about using it in an F3A plane they said that many European pilots use the 60A in F3A planes, so I am inclined to give it a try. The 120A burst should cover it for me.

It is much smaller than an ESC, at least an ESC used in a pattern plane. It is 1.2 inches wide and 1.5 inches long. It is 0.3 inches high. So we'll see how it works. I very much like the idea of being able to install my packs and have the power to the ESC dead until I turn it on.

Sadly I did not know that HKM-USA sold these. I did not have a great ordering experience with Emcotec Germany this time out (been great in the past). I've sent HKM-USA an email to see what his stock status is and I'll let you know when I get an answer.

1bwana1

Judge,
You are like a trout, you can't resist those cool, shinny, complex, high tech gadgets. This is a common Liberal trait. LOL. I think I am going to copy Steve Hannah's simple bullet connector system I saw at the Riverside contest. Safe, light, no parts to fail, and cheap. Cheap, and simple is a common right wing trait. LOL.

shannah

My Feedback: (5)

As I learned many years ago from my engineering mentor, Simplicity takes effort.... Complexity is a snap.

Silent-AV8R

Did you not see the cool green LED???

Now tell me if it gets any more simple than that?? [&:]


Oh, and it has a red flag that say "move before flight" How cool is that??

And Mr. Bwana, I am curious what you might think of this product, I'm thinking of getting one but cannot decide on blue or silver. Which do you think goes better with my eyes??

http://www.fromeco.org/Products/04FR...b/Default.aspx

KeithB

My Feedback: (1)

Pretty cool indeed, however, I'm surprised that it takes six Phillips head screws on the mounting ring to hold it on to the side of the plane. That's more secure than my motor!

The 45 grams (1.5+ ounces ) is a deal killer for me, too bad because it looks really cool.

Keith B

Silent-AV8R

I guess I am not sufficiently weight obsessed. FWIW mine is 1.5 ounces on the nose with 5.5mm plugs installed. For me the safety aspect of being able to disarm the power to the ESC outweighs (pun alert!!) the concern for an extra ounce or so of weight.

Steve's plug idea (or similar) is certainly the lightest and easiest way to go, if you don't mind wires hanging out side your plane [:'(]

I agree with the mounting plate. They used this since they had it on another product intended for use in giant scale gasoline powered planes. They also make a very small pin actuated version which I discovered after getting mine.

And HKM-USA can get these. He does not stock them but places orders fairly frequently.

1bwana1

Judge,
I love the Wolverine Switch, I use it on all of my large planes. It is a moderate piece of technology, and is acceptable to all Americans. I can't tell you which color goes with your eyes, I've never seen them because you always wear sunglasses. The silver goes with everything, but "Blue" is your kind of color.

1bwana1

Steve,
Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Pascal.

"I apologize for the length of my letter. I would have made it shorter, but I didn't have the time. ...".

shannah

My Feedback: (5)

I must set the record straight on this however. The external arming plug is not my invention. I saw it, liked it for its simplicity and copied it. It's been around a long time.

Silent-AV8R

Very good!![&:]

Jason Arnold

I'm now using the Emcotec arming switch and can confirm that it's a very good product. It's far simpler than plugging in a jumper, is spark free when connecting batteries and the LED in the magnet socket clearly indicates when the ESC is armed. Weight is very low but would not be as low as a couple of bullets and an extension wire etc. IMHO the benefits far outweigh (no pun intended) the weight penalty which I would estimate is ~20 grams.

Regards
Jason.

Silent-AV8R

FWIW, I got a chance to fly my Abbra with the Emcotec installed. No issues and no performance difference that I could tell. It does not warm up during flight either.

It was very nice to put the packs in and button everything up until I pulled the plug just before take off.

Not sure that this is "the" way to go, but it is a very nice way to go, especially if you like shiny things with cool blue lights!!