hello...do the $20 opto kill switches have the fiber optic isolation of the ignition noise. ......my flying buddy says they don't ...i would have to get the more expensive version to get the fiber optic protection. ..........any advice?.....thanks....pault

Opto means optical. There is no direct electrical connection.
RCexl is made as fiber optical device

Some people just need to pay more.

The RC Excel switches work fine.

X2 or 3 or 4!
If there's any doubt, just consider that if anyone had a clue, it would be same people that build the ignition modules?

Paul, you get what you pay for. This one has optical isolation.
https://www.smart-fly.com/Products/I...n/ignition.htm

The others leave open the possiblity of coupling the radio frequency interference straight from your ignition module into your receiver. Like Clint Eastwood once said in one of his movies, "Do you feel lucky?".

Dan.

With all due respect, there are hundreds and hundreds of these in use. This forum being what it is, you would think that if there were a problem using these switches, that problem would be fairly widely publicized by now? It hasn't been. There's no luck involved here. They work. Use whatever makes you sleep well though....

+1 ..... I have used a couple of them for years with no issues. I am also using the Syssa IBECs in a couple of airframes and have a couple of Smart-Fly systems too. They all work.

Yep, I got 10 of my own gassers useing these swiches, and have my buddys with way more than me useing them.

The only ones I worry about are the new Hobbyking knox offs, At less than1/2 the price I say there not worth the risk. http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...ll_Switch.html



Im useing one of the smartfly ones in a TF Gaint P47 only becouse it was already in the bird. I have been thinking of pulling it out and selling it for 2 of the good old fathfulls.

The TECHAERO IBECs (aka Syssa IBEC) takes my vote. Once you use one of these and realize the total lack of RFI (electronic filtering), convenience and safety aspect, you will never go back. And only one battery to charge and maintain

Here's some good info regarding the use of an ibec and running everything off 1 battery. If real airplanes use redundency why not us? This come s from www.hangtimes.com
<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="3"><span style="color: black">*</span></font></div><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="3"><span style="color: black">Q: I have an 'IBEC'.. an ignition battery eliminator. Lets me run the ignition off the Rx pack. Do I need any special cabling on an A123 pack to make this work?</span></font></div><div style="text-align: center; margin: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="3"><span style="color: black">*</span></font></div><font size="3"><span style="color: black"><div style="text-align: center; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt">A: Over the past 30 years I've seen several 'ignition battery eliminator' setups come and go... they are usually a small module that sits between the switch and the Rx and port power to the ignition module. They don't normally require any extra connectors on the pack. Some have voltage step-downs to regulate power to an acceptable range for various ignition types. I haven't seen any of them that has cabling on them as large as our switches or packs.. and to work, the IBEC hasto pass power to your Rx through their circuit board, cabling &amp; connectors... another set of potential failure points.</span></div><div style="text-align: center; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt">-</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt">I won't use one and I don't recommend them. <span style="color: #ff0000">One of the more common failures on larger gas powered models is ignition modules</span>.. when the module shorts out from vibration and heat the ignition battery pack goes dead a few moments later.. leaving the pilot with an engine out 'dead stick' landing. </span><span style="color: #ff0000"><span style="font-size: 12pt">With an ignition battery eliminator,if the module shorts, more often than not the pilot is left without power for the Rx too. That's not a dead stick landing. That's a dead aircraft arrival, not arecoverable situation.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt">In all commercial RPV's, military drones, etc, the telemetry system has its own power supply, as does the engine ignition system and the crafts Rx/Servo system. Separation and redundancy.. in larger models, much preferred over combining systems on one pack.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt">- </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt">For the most part, folks that pursue the ignition battery eliminator attempt to justify it as a weight issue.. reality proves that concept as wrong-headed... lets look a small 30cc powered12 poundbird. 12 pounds x 16 ounces to the pound = 192 ounces. The plane likelycarries 20-28 ounces of fuel. An 1100ma 123 pack weighs 3 ounces. The three ounces won't have any material impact on the performance of the airplane.. however saving those three ounces could easily cost you the entire investment. Of course if your determined to save the three ounces.. you could put a tad less fuel in the tank when you fill up.</span></div></span></font>

Just so that there's no confusion, IBEC devices and optical engine kill switches are two different animals. I personally don't use a battery eliminator device. I run separate ignition and receiver batteries. But I do use an optical kill switch simply because I like the idea of having multiple methods of shutting down an engine.

Yes you are correct I hope that didn't confuse the OP. I use 2 batteries also with the ign battery hooked up through the RCXEL switch. Theywork great and have the advantage of killing your engine if your receiver loses signal, but be careful which switch you use on your transmitter, I saw a video where a guy hit his kill switch instead of his mix in a hover. Bad scene

All of my engines are soft mounted, up to 100cc. Vibration to the radio/airframeis nearly eliminated in my set-ups. I realize my stuff is more advanced than sport stuff; I always soft mount the CDI too. Perhaps I should have made that distinction up front to avoid confusion.

Having said that, there is NO reason sport planes couldn't benefit from proper soft mounting of the smaller gassies. These are add on devicesbut are not heavy at about 2-4 ozs depending on size. I typically use carbon balsa laminated firewalls instead of heavy ply which often completelyoffsets the weight added.

The TECHAEROIBEC is optically isolated from the radio

I shot a msg to Ed Alt ( the designer of the Tech Aero IBEC ) and asked him about the issue of a CDI failing with a direct short. Here is his response.



Hi Bill:

You’re the 2nd person to ask this tonight. I’ll tell you the same thing as I told the other gentleman. This has the advantage of being fact based, vs. “RCU forum expert” opinion based:

I’ve never heard of it happening. In the unlikely event that a CDI were to short, you are going to be headed for the runway immediately, because your engine will have already stopped. It might typically be a 30 second glide to get down. Even if you assume that you will be gliding for a full minute, at the 3A maximum current for the regulator in the IBEC, the most that you could drain from the pack is equal to 3/60 = .05Ah, or 50 mAh of battery capacity before touching down. If a dead short in the ignition module were to last much more than a minute , the regulator in the IBEC would probably reach thermal shutdown temperature. It’s really a very unlikely scenario to cause a crash.



Regards,

Ed

deleted

I agree, One 5500 Lipo runs the whole works with this unit and flying four years of hi-$$ scale planes with them.
Any direct short in the engine ignition will burn out a fail safe component allowing the receiver to work for a dead stick landing.

Iupoaded a demonstration video to YouTube a short while ago. It shows how things actually work with the Ultra IBECand a simulated shorted CDI worst case scenario. Sorry for the production quality being what it is, video making isn't really my forte.

http://youtu.be/eTgfkCZ5Dl8

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That is a relief to know we will be able to maintain control under a shorted curcuit.
Thanks for the video and a good product. http://www.tech-aero.net/Home

Now all we have to do is get a dead stick on the ground successfully.

another myth bites the dust....

Don't bet the farm on that one.... Some folks can be hit over the headby the truthlikeaclub and still won't budge from their long held beliefs....Back to the subject at hand!

You’re absolutely right. Hold on to that farm. That’s a cutesy video that shows what happens when everything works. What isn’t shown is what happens when it does not. A complex set of electronic components is being added to your RC system. It is called a single point failure mechanism and it is one you can live without. Another battery pack is all you need to keep your RC at the reliability level that the manufacturer designed in to it.

It's a matter of risk. To me it's less risky to use Ed's IBEC than to use one extra of the most risky part in a radio system...the battery. I buy the best batteries to begin with and care for and feed them throughout their respective lives. In return, they give back all they have. It's really that simple. No need to make it any more complex.

I know people that swear by redundancy. Some of the same actually had one battery die and the other saved the day. Can't help but ask the question why did the first die to begin with? That's all I gonna say onthis subject...time to move on to better things

BTW you can get the rcexel switch very cheaply from SDS http://www.sdshobby.net/opto-gas-eng...tch-p-649.html
probably not worth ordering from them  just for that, but in a combined order it's a good deal with combined postage

That link redirects to a crap site for me.  Why not buy it on here in the classifieds.  They are quite inexpensive.