KXH121

My Feedback: (20)

Gents,

What Battery and ESC combo would you recommend for the Y/A Starfire with a Stumax 110/52 fan? The AUW of the Starfire without batteries is 12lbs.

I have talked with Stu and I was originnaly going to use the XPS 6500Mah 6s rated at 45c for a 12s power system but he advises against that. I was also going to use the Castle Creations 110 ESC and I was also looking at the Scorpion 120 ESC. The Scorpion is hard to locate due to being re-engineered. The new ESC version is due out in May 2010 according to the website.

Hyperion is my next choice of batteries and I was looking at the Hyperion G3 VX 5500Mah 5s x2 (35c) for a 10s 5500Mah 35c set up with the CC 110. Any thoughts?

BTW, I am using the JR 12X to guide this project. Thanks in advance for replies/advice/schooling/comments!

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

I have a Stu Max in my Comp ARF Spark.. I run 11s 30c 5000 mah thunder powers. I get 3600 watts 85 amps and 6:00 flights

I think your going to be 14 to 15 pounds with your starfire... I would run 12s 35c Hyperions 5500 mah (love my hyperious more power and cheaper)
you may need to run 3x4s to make it fit..don't think you'll get 6s bricks in there...

I think you'll see 4500 watts.. so throttle control will be need to not smoke the motor
your going to pull 100 amps ... the 110 hv should be fine but cut a sqaure in the exhaust tube and put one side of the heat sink in the airflow..
don't put in on the inlet side... you also may want to add a bvm naca duct to blow on the ESC for more cooling

A CC 140 HV wouldn't hurt if you have the extra cash.. I don't know about the scorpion ESC but love there motors

hope that helps

KXH121

My Feedback: (20)

Thanks Ron,
I got an update from Stu and he says about the same thing. He had me confused with another "Ken H" and thought I had an earlier version of his Fan thus the advice to stay at the 10s level. He recommends I go with 12s 5000Mah rated at 35c. I will take a look at the CC 140. I re weighed the Starfire and it is coming out as 10 lbs 2 oz without batteries so I expect it to weigh close to 13lbs with batteries. Thanks again

Ken H

gunradd

My Feedback: (9)

I would try and really go with the CC140 bro. Its a much better ESC. You don't have to worry anymore with it. Also you might want to send a PM to Ksonn He did one of these and he can help with the batt placement. I know he used thunderpower saddle cells so two 5 cell packs and one 2 cell pack. Good luck !

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

Gun,
I agree with the CC140

But the thunderpower are such good batteries at 45c on 12s he'll blow up the Stu Max that's going to push it over 5000 watts
but I do think he could run 10s 45c thunderpowers and be fine... right close to 4000 watts.. maybe even 11s.. but 12s 45c is melting time for the Stu Max

Stu is working on a solution for high power setups... but for now about 4500watts is the max I'd want to see

KXH121

My Feedback: (20)

Thanks for the input.
I checked online for the CC 140 and located the CC 160 for nearly the same price. Some places wanted $305.95 for the 140 and $319.95 for the 160. I searched and was able to locate the CC160 for as low as $270 on several sites. I think I will spend the $270.00 and go with the XPS 5000Mah 35c 6s packs. The Neumotor 1915-1y in the Stumax should be able to handle that. Any thoughts?

gunradd

My Feedback: (9)

The ice160 is a sweet controller! It has all kinds of trend monitoring.

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

That sound great to me
You may also want to consider the Neu Energy 25c 6500 mah pack. All my friends on the boards tell me these packs are way unrated and put out 35c kinda power at a dirt cheap price.
I'm going to get a set to try myself...also the 45c 6500mah xps

This nice part about 6500 mah packs is your going to get a longer flight, more power and they stay cooler... but comes at the cost of being a pound more than the 5000mah

The Starfire is a clean airframe so with throttle managment I think 5:00 minutes will be do able at lets say 4500 watts... but you'll have to use good throttle control
peg it at 100 amps and the party is over in 3:00 minutes

You could run 3x 4s 25c 6500 mah that would give you like 6:00 to 7:00 minutes .... almost all electras run 6500 mah but they also can pull 120 amps and 5000 + watts

something to think about ... but the 5000mah will keep you nice and light for better performance... it's all take and give

RAPPTOR

My Feedback: (41)

Ron101
scorpion dyn-e-max set up ,outrunners need different esc? ice vertion? [8D][8D]

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

Nope the scorpion is running on a CC110 HV in my plane with 12s 30c 5000 at 95 amps
if I go up in C rating then I'm going to need a bigger controller.... CC ICE 160 HV
But that's only to not exceed the max amps of the CC 110 HV other wise it's been working great

RAPPTOR

My Feedback: (41)

THANKS ..

johnrmartin

Where are you getting the ICE 160HV for $270?

John

*edit* Nevermind, I found it on Horizon but I would have to backorder it.

bigjimflyer

has anyone put those xps 6 cell bricks in a maverick. if so how.JIM

KXH121

My Feedback: (20)

The ICE 160 Amp from Castle Creations has been ordered. They were out of stock for awhile but are out now for around $270.00. What are you guys thoughts on the Hyperion dual charger? I still have not purchased batteries but I am leaning towards the Hyperion 5500mah 5s times 2 for a 10s 5500mah setup. I believe that will do for the time being. The Starfire is built and I will be painting it over the next few days. Thanks for any help.

gunradd

My Feedback: (9)

The hyperoin charger is pretty good but I prefer the cellpro 10. It will run right up to around 30 amps if you have the power and charge both batts at once in around 1 hour. It has internet updates and batt trend monitoring program also if you hook it up to a laptop.

About the mavrick you should try and get the packs that esprit models sells they are the same size as the saddle tanks. I use the thunderpower batts from BVM and they are also saddle type batts and they fit fine in my BVM viper.

KXH121

My Feedback: (20)

OK, Update time.
I received the Hyperion batteries about two months ago and I went with the 5400 Mah 5s rated at 35C. As of yesterday and today (June 18-19) I have done several taxi runs on pavement and all I could get out of the 10s 5400 Mah was about 15-20 mph (guess). At this rate I will need about 900 ft of runway and lots of flaps and half my battery power to get off the ground. Here is what I have:

- YA Starfire, all up loaded weight with batteries is 14lbs 3 oz
- Castle Creations HV 160
- 2 ea Hyperion 5400 Mah 35C 5s
- Stumax 110-52 mounted on cg
- smooth stock inlets
- BVM Maverick Mylar thrust tube assembled according to instructions
- 3 ea Dubro wheels with no binding and super smooth rotation on Spring Air retracts.

I am at a loss as to why this aircraft lumbers on the ground (pavement) and won't even budge on grass. My son suggested we reverse the fan wires and check the harness for continuity. Reversing will collapse the thrust tube (oops) and the continuity is good on the stock CC harness for connecting two batteries in series.

The Batteries were both charged at the 1c rate using the Dynamite charger/balancer twice for each battery. When fully charged the batteries read 20.1 V and maxed out at 5700 Mah (+- 50) and all 5 cells were pretty much in balance. The only thing I did not do is try to move the fan farther back.

I am thinking of buying an additional 5400 2s Hyperion "Booster Pack" to have a 12S 5400 Mah (35C) system. I am also wondering to I need to program or fiddle with the ESC to see if it is holding the fan back from doing its job. I did notice that the throttle on my 12x maxes out at the 3/4 mark and advancing the throttle any higher does nothing to increase the thrust/sound etc.

Any thoughts or suggestions will be welcome and thanks in advance for the help.

stumax

The fan is a pusher, so you'll need to turn it around so the rotor is at the back. Also, I think with a 14lb AUW you'll need 11-12S to get the power up to about 4kW. Use an 87mm dia exhaust opening with all of this fixed up and it will go very well. BTW, make sure you measure the power as I think 12S Hyperion 35C cells may be a bit too much for it. Actually, turn the fan around, put an 87mm exhaust on it and measure the power with 10S and let me know what it is. I can then tell you whether it will be OK or if you may need a bit more. some of the earlier motors had a slightly higher kV and 11S Hyperion cells may be enough if yours is one of those. I checked my database and I think yours is a later motor which should be OK but I'd like to make sure to save you from melting a motor.

KXH121

My Feedback: (20)

Thanks Stu!!!!! I figured I was doing something wrong, I studied the instructions for quite some time then let out a big Duh!!!!.


I tore out the old adapter at the inlet exit into the fuse and I plan on moving the fan back about 2-4 inches. I found a neat heavy plastic/mylar type straight tube that my zip ties came in that fits over the nose portion of the fan. It is kind of snug but goes on tight and the tube before cutting was about 11 inches long and clear. It is pretty rigid and not too heavy. Food for thought for future installers of this fan. One thing I did notice a thing about the Starfire and that is the inlet exit is about 6 inches in diameter and a step down "cone" had to be made in order to mate up with the fan lip. I know the absence of a step lip is important and should be as smooth as possible.

Thanks again for the help and when all goes well I will report back. If any additional batteries are purchased it will be a 5400 Mah 1s (35c) to match the twin 5s Hyperions. Is the brand match up as critical as matching Mah/Burst rating? Later!!

stumax

Ken, for the inlet adapter, I'd just roll up a tube out of thin glass sheet with perhaps a couple of carbon tows wrapped around it. The original inlet will have a spinner shroud in order to give access to the spinner for starting. Best idea is to fill this up and perhaps put a cone or streamlined fairing there to smooth the flow out. Don't connect it with the nose cone of the SM110-52 as you need to keep the inlets sealed up and airtight, and you need the airflow from the inlets to pressurise the hole in the nosecone for motor cooling, this is very important. As the Starfire was made for a Dynamax, the inlet dia will be 5.25", that's no problem as you say you can move the fan aft and have a simple connector to connect the fan and inlet.

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

No Stu, not another backwards Stu Max
There is a small learning curve with the 110-52... I had to do a few things wrong at first also
but once working you will just love the fan so much.. I fly mine weekly must be near 75 to 100 flights and not a problem at all
Read the instruction through a couple times, Stu has some really great tips

Just roll up your own thrust tube from lite mylar and get the exit dia. to 87mm like Stu says... and in front on the fan air tight

Here's my Stu Max in action:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sRhYfqX9-0&feature=fvw[/youtube]

lrb75

My Feedback: (12)

KXH something is wrong with your batteries or your charger. The batteries should be at 21V at full charge 4.2V/cell. Which charger are you using?

KXH121

My Feedback: (20)

Hi Irb
I stand corrected, the batteries were at that level and the cells were 4.2 with 1s at 4.19 and 5s at 4.21, the other 3 were 4.2. Pretty much the same with the second battery. Voltage was slightly above 21V for both packs, (I wrote 20.1 and should have said 21.0 +- .5V). I am using the Dynamite 8amp AC/DC charger from Horizon. Batteries were charged at 5.4 amp or 1c.

No complaints with the batteries, I put the fan in backwards. I bought the Fan back in Oct and have been working on and off on the project and forgot (neglected) to read the instructions thoroughly. From my Internal Combustion DF days, the fan looked good with the impellers forward instead of aft. Thanks for the reply.

KXH121

My Feedback: (20)

Oh...before I forget, Thanks Stu for the reply both to my private email and to here on the web. Your help and support has been superb!!! I am nearly done with the refit and I need to visit the local hobby shop tomorrow to pick up the mylar for the inlet adapter. I measured the thrust tube exit and it is exactly 87mm as suggested. I also moved the fan back but I am waiting for final adjustments of the adapter before I secure the fan in. The CC ESC is a pretty neat match up so far with your fan. I remember you told me there were some concerns with using the CC 110 so the CC 160 was my next choice, again so far it seems to be doing its job even with a backwards fan. Thanks again Stu and more to follow.

speed is life

Ken,
Some observations on the SM110-52

ESC timing advance = Low
87mm exhaust is what I've used when the SM110-52 is in my Maverick, even as small as 83mm will be fine

For sure test your system on 12s with a suitable wattmeter (like an E-Flight) or a clamp type Ampmeter that is good to at least 120Amps.........the "Astroflight" wattmeter won't hack it at these Amp levels
You will be OK as long as your full power is at or below 4500watts, if you show more then just be aware of the need for some throttle management where it comes to full power.
As well, a 60 second idle power after taxi-in and before shutdown really does help stabilize any heat load in the motor. 

Mike Pope and Al Gutman will be thrilled to know that you have joined the elite "backwards Stumax" Club[X(][:@]

Cheers,
Mike Warren (Stumax salesman extroairdinare)
Performance-EDF.biz

gunradd

My Feedback: (9)

I have been pushing my stumax over 5000 watts and she is holding up well so far. But like Mike says I use a lot of throttle management.