Boy am I confused. I thought I would put together a system and do a little electric flying so I started doing some research. The more I looked into motors, batteries, speed controllers, the more confused I got. Motors seem to be rated by volts and amps, Speed Controllers by amps and # of Cells, Batteries by volts and mAh and I have no idea how Transmitters are rated. Whats the trick? Whats the code? How do you know what goes with what?

I suggest you start researching some electric PLANES that suit how you want to fly and look at the power systems used in them. Very general questions like how does everything fit with everything else are almost impossible to answer.

Anyway it's not really a good idea to start by looking at the detailed specifications of the internal parts. First decide what you want to do then find out how other people have done that. After this you can start worrying about the bits and pieces.

Steve

OK, so it's to complex for a answer here but it's all just electronics, so it has rules and I'm going to learn them eventually so I might as well learn them up front. Is there anywhere on the web which spells it out (i.e. this size motor needs this size ESC needs this size battery needs etc.)?

go to: www.ezonemag.com and click on "FAQ" in the left column. That should answer most of your questions.

Franz,

Some advice I can give is to quit trying to look at the big picture. Even experts don't look at the big picture when outfitting an electric plane.

Keeping it simple:
Start with the battery. That's where the power comes from, not the motor. A battery is made up of multiple cells, each cell having a nominal voltage of 1.2V. So, when you see the term "8 cells" for example, you can easily translate that to mean "9.6V" and vice versa. Generally, electrics are referred to in terms of cells.

The battery is what provides the Volts and Amps to fly the plane. Key to powering an electric plane is figuring out how many of each you need. Once you have that information, choosing the motor is an exercise in shopping. Simply choose a motor that is rated to handle the Volts and Amps you determined earlier.

Understanding simple electronic concepts like series vs. parallel, Volts, Amps, Watts, and Ohm's Law are key to designing your own electric power systems.

The best way to learn is by doing, as Steve Lewin alluded to. Everything will be confusing until you see it all in action, hence the recommendation to start with a proven setup, just to see what goes into a successful design.