David Gladwin

A simple LED voltage display installed in the Jet is an excellent indication if any servo is stalling or pulling too much current. I aways monitor mine when setting up the radio in any jet and monitor the display when I do a full control check prior to first flight of the day . Quick, cheap and really very good. Although rather more expensive, I cannot speak too highly of the MAS Voltage logger, it shows real time receiver bus bar voltage AND records and displays the lowest recorded bus bar voltage AND it will record and count even the smallest radio glitch/ hit. I have upgraded all my jets to this device and wouldn't fly without it.


As far as I know no one else makes a similar device. I have no connection with MAS other than as ahppy customer. The device sells in Australia for around $70, about US$38.
BRG, David Gladwin

Silver182

My Feedback: (2)

Hello Rod,
Knowing only a little about ohms law and less about whats available in the world of electronics today, I don't understand how you could show accurate current flow or draw unless everything is routed through your new unit. If that is the case having another thing that could fail, would keep me from using this new unit.

Tell me you have found a way to indicate accurate live current flow and not require your unit to be between my power supplies and all of my radio gear and or ECU in the case of the turbine. I am a fan of the Kiss principle ---- I really do like your C-volt meter, hoping to see one of these new current meters of yours.
Lee H. DeMary
AMA 36099

sfaust

My Feedback: (11)

Rod, I have seen an ammeter used many times at the field on the giant scale models. That is one of the was that I learned to check for stalling servos, binding, etc. However, they were always just volt/amp meters and not something installed in the plane. A connector was made up with JR/Futaba jacks, and the ammeter was in line. You could then hook it up between your battery and receiver for total draw, or in-line on any servo lead for a reading of the current draw on that servo.

I had a c-volt installed on my Giles which indicated a problem. I then used the ammeter to further isolate where the problem was, and it eventually lead me to a broken JR 8411 servo in a ganged setup on the rudder.

The C-Volt was the first indication, along with a much higher than normal current drain as shown with the loaded ESV reading. The ammeter then was the tool to isolate the servo.

They work hand in hand very well, and all my planes now have C-Volts in them. I should be asking to purchase stock, or at least a nice discount

C-Volt, don't leave home without them!

Gordon Mc

My Feedback: (11)

Although I somehow doubt that it's the principle in use in the I4c product, I seem to recall from long-ago electrical trade theory that you can determine (to some extent anyway) the current without inserting a meter in series.

The idea is that the magnetic field around a wire is proportional to the current flowing through it, so you can measure the field and derive a current measurement. This principle was used in some earth-leakage systems we used to have in South Africa (didn't need to know the actual amount though - it just cared whether the amount in one wire was the same as in another). You could probably create a system that uses a similar approach plus some measured baseline in order to give you an atual reading. Not sure how accurate it would be though, plus I'm sure it would be kinda large and combersome.

Regs,
Gordon