Hello everyone.
I just finished the Behotec e-Tract user manual. For those who are interested in the product but not decided yet, this might be worth reading...

http://www.geohei.lu/olin/data/model...%20rev%201.pdf

Oli,
Are you also going to cover setting up the brakes etc from the HHT and the warning about using a switch in the power line?
Ian.

Yes I am. This will come in revision 2 with more details about the controller menu and setup procedures.
I actually made a mistake while writing the title. This manual is not a user manual for the moment but an assembly manual.

Regarding the maintenance tip for the screw jack, here is a link to the "miracle" product that I have been using on all my landing gear with 100% success for 10 years in desert conditions:


http://www2.dupont.com/Consumer_Lubr...ain_saver.html


The product shall be used with the straw and sprayed 3 times: 1 time with the gear down, then retract the gear and re-spay with the gear up, then extend and spray one last time with the gear down.
This will basically flush all the dirt/ dust and replace it with a thin film of dry Teflon wax that is designed to shed all dust/ dirt off.

This product used to be called "teflon dry wax lubricant" and was in a blue spray can a couple of years ago.
We have a few cans at our shop in Huoston for those who would like to try the product.

I received my Behotec e-tracts today and to be honest I am a little confused by the manual. It is translated horribly and I am still trying to figure out what safety precautions the author wanted to give us regarding the use of a switch in the power line. Can somebody please explain?

Strange is also that I found another manual on the Internet, this comes directly from Peter's website Altecare and can be found here: http://www.altecare.com/eline1english.pdf . In that file there is no mention of using or not using a switch in the power line.

I understood that it is recommended to connect the brake & steering input with only the signal and the negative wire, otherwise it would destroy the controller. But what about the actual signal input, this comes with a cable that has all 3 wires connected to it?!

Thomas

I dont see how this would work? The gear controller provides power to the steering servo? Or do you need to make up some sort of y harness for power? Doesn't make sense.. I have read everything i can find on these and see no mention of anything about not running receiver power in the servo inputs.

As far as a power switch, if you dont have an on off switch to the battery it will probably run the pack dead and ruin it within a few days.

What are you putting them in? I am looking ordering a set for a carf tutor.

I have a set on my Comp Arf Viper. I agree the manual is little confusing-or at least it was to me. As to the power switch, I didn't install one. I am just plugging in my battery when I get to the field and unplug it at all other times. I never charge any LiPo batteries in the plane and have to remove the battery to charge anyway so didn't see a big need for the switch. Maybe not the right way to do it but has worked ok so far.

As to the steering servo, I didn't even try to run it through the gear controller. I am just using a separate channel and a mix to control my high and low rate steering and also to turn off the steering servo when the gear is retracted. My steering is a pull-pull setup as there wasn't much room to mount a direct drive servo in the Viper.

The gear have worked great so far. I have the early version of the electric brakes and they are not as strong as I would like but I understand the newer generation may be better.

The bad translation is the reason why I have been re-writing the manual.

I believe that what Behotec wants to say is that one should not put multiple regulators to the RC input of the control unit/ power supply input of the unit. What they call "switch" in that manual is actually voltage regulator.
The controller need to detect a tension coming from the RC gear input as well as from the power supply input to switch ON.
So basically you need to connect the RC gear input with +, - and signal lines from the receiver.
Similarly, you need to use a separate Lipo 2 S battery as the main power supply for the unit ( ECU battery can be used if big enough).

The brakes/ rudder inputs shall only have the minus and signal wires connected.

Be also careful with the brakes output wiring. The label on the controller is a bit misleading. DO NOT connect the + line to the + connector as marked on the label. Just connect the outer wires as per the picture on the user manual.

The - and signal line is all you need for RC brakes and steering. The unit reads the +5 V signal only.
The power to the servo ( +6V or +7V ) is taken from the receiver power via the RC gear input.
The power to the retracts is taken from the Lipo battery ( power input ).

No, because the unit will shut down when the RC input voltage is 0 ( receiver switched OFF ). The idle current is very minimal.

Hi,
I connected mine using the leads supplied and an extra one for the steering servo. These were normal extension leads. Everything works as it should. Battery is a 3s lipo plugged in at start of flying with no switch. The steering servo will only work when the gear is down and as it retracts it centers and then turns off, so no need to have the rudder straight if crosswind takeoff.
Ian.

Ok Oli. If i understand correctly, the contoller is using the receiver power via the GEAR channel input to provide power the steering servo. So you are only using the ground wire and signal on the brake and rudder inputs.

Will it hurt the retract system if the positive lead on the brake and rudder channels is NOT disconnected?

You are right.

If power is coming from the brake and rudder channel, it might be a problem if these servo do not use the same regulator. This could get reverse current and damage the diode isolation.
However I have one of my Scorpions using a battery backer ( only one regulator supplying the receiver at a time ) and I have been flying it for 1 year with the brake lead on 3 wires without any problem.

We were testing this morning. The power from the GEAR channel input does NOT go through to the rudder servo output on the control box. We ended up leaving all three leads on the rudder channel input and pulling the positive lead on the brakes. Everything worked fine then. Didnt try anything with the positive lead on the brake input connected... These things seem to work well! They only seem to pull about two amps lifting the struts and then just for an instant.. One amp on the brakes looks like it would be a tire flattener...

CAREFUL !
If you connect the brake lines to a 3 lead chord with the positive lead on the middle of the plug, you will shortcut and fry the controller.
The brake line MUST be connected to the two outer pins on the plug. Nothing on the middle.

Revision 2 of the user manual is available in the download page of the product:
http://www.ultimate-jets.net/product...0-electric-set