I am considering using one on a DA-100.
Seems easy enough to install.

For anyone that has used this device I have a couple questions.

1- OK to use with regulated 6v?
2- manual switch for the IGN on, TX switch on, start the motor...
Do you kill with the manual switch or the TX for normal operations.

I guess what I am asking is this...
Is the TX switch always left on except for emergency shutting down of the motor?

This is the one I am looking at.

Hi Wayne,

I too am/was considering the same system... but then I read their FAQ

ANd that kindof threw me...

I REALLY like the concept tho...

To answer part of your questions, you use the manual switch for regular on/off... otherwise the device itself (past the manual switch) will drain your battery.

I liked the feature that if the transmitter gets turned off (or isn't on to begin with) the ignition is turned off too...

Thanks for the info...

Now its got me hesitating also.

Any other devices out ther that do the same thing?

Wayne

I've run one for over a year now with no problems on an unregulated 6v system (5cell). Normally we kill the engine with the optical kill and then shut off the manual kill and the RX switches. I have one for my DA-100 which should be up and running late June. Hope this helps.

Hall

Wayne,

I have two of these units. One is on an unregulated 4.8 volt system running a Taurus 3.2. The other is running a regulated 6.0v system on my DA100. Both have worked flawlessly. I always kill the engines with the transmitter and then turn off the manual switch.


Lenny

Wayne,
I recently installed one on a Hangar 9 Cap with a Brison 5.8. I LOVE it. Being able to instantly kill the engine by the radio has saved my butt a couple of times. I always use it to switch the plane off. No need getting near a spinning prop unless you have to.I would not hesitate to buy another.
Rusty

Thanks guys!

So noone has experienced the problesm described on their website that Mordib pointed me to?

Hall,
I see your in Livermore. Do you fly with Joe Hunt?
I will be in the area end of July visiting my family and Joe and I had talked about flying while I was there.

Wayne

No, I don't know Joe. He must fly at EBRC, I'm at LFE. Stop by and see us when you're in town www.lferc.org .

Hall

Last year at this time I installed an EDR in my 40% 3W Extra. It has worked beautifully ever since. QS150, 11 8411's with a 4131 on throttle and 6V nicads. I just ordered two more for my 40% Cap and 105" Edge. I too always shut the engine down from the transmitter and then the manual switch. See you soon_bob

I have a DA 100 on a Cap and have the throttle trim set up so I can kill the engine by sliding the trim down. Do any of you see any potential problems with this set up ?
TIA

Doug

No problem at all....

Unless your throttle servo goes bad. Imagine a 1/2 throttle flight for 45-60 minutes and your receiver battery is running low...

That's how I have my Edge w/ ZDZ80 setup now, but like the other guys have said, it sure is nice to have the ability to instantly switch off the power.

Should th eabove situation happen, you judge where you need to be for a decent glide path to the runway, and hit the kill switch... dead stick it in.

I've heard of guys having their planes get away on the ground, and those that have started their planes without the receiver on... throttles midrange or full... not pretty...

This item will NOT pass juice if the receiver is off... another aspect of safety...


I REALLY would like to get one, and now that I've heard several positive remarks, I might just do that...

For what its worth, I use a choke servo to kill the engine, but I can choke the engine via the TX also. I install the throttle and choke servo right into the engine compartment and by using the Fiber Optic servo extensions, I even use the ignition battery to power these servos so that nothing feeds back to the receiver.

Choke servo

Hey,
I was considering that switch as well. (DA-100 and 1/3 Extra) Some of the guys at our field say it's nothing but problems, but no one has one - so I don't know where that is coming from. They all use choke servos and I admit that it seems pretty simple and effective. I really don't see the need for an extra servo, and like the idea of the kill switch. Anyone out there with negative experiences?
RickP

I have a EDR switch in my newly finished 35% Edge and its great.
Even with choke or throttle kill there is no way to shut the motor down on a fly-away plane. if ones rx lost power then the servos are pretty well stuck at the last command.
On the other side I shut my Tx off to watch to engine quit and it didnt! Is the EDR unit not supposed to?

They say something like that.... maybe it won't ARM when the transmitter's off, but when it's going it won't cutout with transmitter missing...


Perhaps a good idea if you had a minor hit that turned off the momo...

I've got one plane with a throttle and choke kill, two others with fiber optic kill switches, and a couple with just the throttle trim as a kill.

I've never had a problem with the EDR Fiber Optic Kill module. They are installed on a 40% Carden Giles 300, and a 40% Carden Extra. With the ignition kill switch, I end up having three ways to to kill the engine. The ignition kill switch, the throttle trim, or the switch mounted to the fuse for the ignition battery.

With the choke and throttle setups, I also have three ways to kill the engine. The choke servo, the throttle trim, and the switch mounted to the fuse for the ignition battery.

My favorite method is the ignition kill, with the throttle trim as backup, and the physical switch for the ignition battery. This allows two ways to shut down the engine that are independent of each other, as well as a manual shutoff on the ground for the person holding the airplane which is also a positive shut off.

When using only the choke and/or throttle kill, you only have one method of shutting off the engine while in flight, which is carb/throttle related. I had an interesting 28 minute flight a couple years ago because my transmitter ignition kill setup failed (not the fiber optic variety) and I bypassed it for the day, thinking what are the odds of having the carb/throttle kill method fail as well. Would you believe, it failed also.

Basically, the muffler came off, which changed the engine dynamics enough so that I couldn't use the trim to kill the throttle. I've also seen motor mounts loosen up and cause a similar problem on other peoples planes, where they couldn't kill the engine either because the linkages didn't work properly. One resulted in the engine departing the airplane while in flight with the expected results, totaled. The other ended up with a high speed landing which resulted in significant but repairable damage.

Here is the full story from my web site...
http://host64.ipowerweb.com/~giantsc...min_flight.htm or at http://host64.ipowerweb.com/~giantsc...nical_main.htm under kill switches.

Because of those incidents, I always use two independent methods to kill it from the transmitter, along with the standard ground accessible fuse mounted switch. One method is carb shutoff being throttle trim and/or choke. The other being electrically driven on the ignition battery or magneto via a fiber optic setup or servo/switch setup.

Thanks sfaust...

GOod info and well supported...

I think I'll try one out...

One nice thing about electronic kill is when you use it to shut down the engine to adjust or check something I find my engine always starts first flip because the carb did not get flooded or starved.

I just ordered one.

It will be a while before the plane is RTF but I will let you guys know what I think.

Thanks for all the great info guys!

Forgot to mention in my earler reply. The Fiber Optic switches were used with 6v unregulated setups with JR receivers. At one point, I used a 4.8v setup for a short while. Neither setups showed any problems at all.

Mine will be used with a 7.2V Powerflite battery regulated to 5.7V

Wayne,

I have been using these for quite some time now with no problems.....All 3 of the units I bought are working flawlessly. I have used another brand and had 2 fail.
The most recent case that made me grateful was: I was flying my 3 meter fiberclassics Extra when we heard the engine start to make a detonating sound....Another club member yelled "Shut it off before it throws the prop" I reached up to the knob on the 10X and killed the engine ,gliding the plane in from a high altitude and then landing....We found that all 6 of the prop bolts had broken off of the DA-150..another few seconds of running the engine would probably have thrown the prop and spinner off destroying the plane in mid-air.. which would have been a BIG $$$ loss.
All I can say is Thanks to Electro-Dynamics for having a reliable product that works.....

Dave

For what it's worth, I have been using a choke servo for two reason, one it kills the engine instantly when applied, and the other is you can have a radio control choke where you don't have to put your hands in the wrong place if you know what I mean.

choke servo

While you are all for the Fiber Optic kill switch, mine is Fiber Optic servo extension to control these servos and they work great.

Dave,

WOW. Great story.

Whats the deal with the motor snapping bolts though?

I've snapped a few prop bolts myself. The last one was just after coming out of an elevator I was going to do a warm burner pass down the runway. The engine sounded funny, so I landed. I had sheared three bolts.

There are a couple reasons that the bolts will shear. One is if they are over tightened when the prop is installed. There is a torque spec for the bolts, but I forget what it is. I'll try to look it up and post it. Another is if the hole for the prop bolts are not drilled perfectly straight, you can add quite a bit of shear tension which would shear the bolt under stress.

I've found my usual reason for shearing a prop bolt is misaligned prop bolts. You can usually tell when you are installing the prop, and a few of the bolts are tight going in. Even with the accessory DA or 3W drilling jig, you need to pay attention to get the holes drilled straight and true.

A choke servo is great as roger stated. Makes starting very easy. I have my choke servo on the snap roll button on the 10X. I hold it while I flip the prop. When the prop pops, I let go of the choke button, and it just keeps running. Saves me from the flip, pop, flip again approach. And it provides an alternative shutdown for the fiber optic kill should it fail.