Ignition question
09-05-2014, 08:05 AM
#101
My Feedback: (8)
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Washington, PA
Posts: 231
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here's how I look at the use of an IBEC on gas powered planes.
If I do have 2 batteries in any plane I fly, those 2 batteries will be in parallel to the receiver through individual switches for redundancy. With 2 batteries where one is dedicated to the receiver/servos and the other ignition, you have no redundancy. You also have a safety issue, where if the receiver pack or switch harness fails open, you WILL crash at whatever the throttle setting was at the moment power was lost. In contrast, in a single batter IBEC setup as I use in my small (15-20cc) models, if the battery fails and power is lost to the receiver, power is also lost to the ignition. A safer situation in my book, keeping in mind that with no power to the receiver no radio failsafe settings will kill the engine.
On my 30cc plane (biggest I fly) I feel that the two A123 packs through 2 switches to the receiver and an IBEC provide an increased level of redundancy without the need for three batteries. As far as the IBEC itself failing, well if it fails open in flight you're gonna be calling out deadstick, and if it fails to turn off the ignition, you'll probably find out when you go to kill the engine after landing, in which case you'll have to use the throttle kill, I do use both
A happy Tech-Areo user!
Pete
If I do have 2 batteries in any plane I fly, those 2 batteries will be in parallel to the receiver through individual switches for redundancy. With 2 batteries where one is dedicated to the receiver/servos and the other ignition, you have no redundancy. You also have a safety issue, where if the receiver pack or switch harness fails open, you WILL crash at whatever the throttle setting was at the moment power was lost. In contrast, in a single batter IBEC setup as I use in my small (15-20cc) models, if the battery fails and power is lost to the receiver, power is also lost to the ignition. A safer situation in my book, keeping in mind that with no power to the receiver no radio failsafe settings will kill the engine.
On my 30cc plane (biggest I fly) I feel that the two A123 packs through 2 switches to the receiver and an IBEC provide an increased level of redundancy without the need for three batteries. As far as the IBEC itself failing, well if it fails open in flight you're gonna be calling out deadstick, and if it fails to turn off the ignition, you'll probably find out when you go to kill the engine after landing, in which case you'll have to use the throttle kill, I do use both
A happy Tech-Areo user!
Pete
I have three 30cc planes and all are set identically as yours - 2 parallel batteries, 2 switches, 1 Tech Aero IBEC. Been flying that way for the last three years. My IBEC voltage is set at 5.0.
Been flying RC since 1985, the last 4 years I went to all 30cc gas. In that time the electrical items most susceptible to failure have been batteries and switches - just my own personal observations.
