rctom

I recently have been working with a friend testing new power options on a baby Edge. Our original goal was to identify a good yet inexpensive 26cc gas engine for this plane.

Unfortunately none of the gas engines we tried worked very well. So we had this plane sitting here ready to fly but without a power plant. This plane is extremely light and was originally meant for glow or electric, so this seemd like an appropriate time to try out electric power.

I found a manufacturer in China who can supply motors, speed controllers and batteries at very competitive prices.

I ordered a motor that they say is equivalent to a .91 glow engine, along with a 70 amp speed controller and 4 Lipo battery packs. The packs are each 4200mah 4s packs, nominal votlage is 14.8 v and they have a 20C rating. I am using 2 packs in series giving a voltage output of about 30 volts.

All I can say is wow, was I surprised. I've flown foamies and small electrics, but they are always plagued by problems with the teeny little servos and the fact that they are so light you almost have to fly them indoors.

Well this plane is different. It weighs about 9-9.5 lbs., I haven't weighed it since it changed from gas to electric but it seems about the same. It uses the same standard servos and the only change from gas power was the motor and batteries. It's turning a 15-8 APC-electrc prop.

This plane has enough power for unlimited vertical. Not rocket like, but it keeps on going. It's certainly perfectly adequate to fly IMAC basic and maybe sportsman and most 3D stuff. To be honest it has more power than the DZY-26 that we tested and is about 1000% easier to deal with. No mess, no starting, extremely smooth operation, no dead sticks, and I can get easily 14 minute flights with enough remaining for a couple go-arounds on landing. I haven't pushed it to see how much longer it will go, 14 minutes is well past the limit of my attention span. The batteries are warm but not hot when I land and i have had zero trouble with the setup.

There are higher power setups available at extra cost in $$ and weight. I think this one is just about right.

It looks like I can sell this setup for $450. This gives you the motor, speed controller, Y harness, and 2 sets of flight batteries. The motor comes with the necessary connectors and mounting plate and a prop adapter. I think this is ultra-competitive with other electrics and competes favorably with gas power setups. Given that there is no fuel cost and the airframe should last a very long time with zero vibration this seems to be a very economical setup.

My strategy has been to arrive at the field with 2 sets of fully charged packs (2 packs per flight). I fly once and then swap the batteries, at that point the first set can be placed on recharge. With a proper charging setup they can be recharged in about a half hour. Doing this you can fly all day swapping out the packs. Of course additional packs can be purchased but for me that would not be necessary.

TF

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

This has been a long time coming and something I had been hoping to see happen.

From a personal perspective I hold a similar attitude about most electric planes on the market. Too small to fly most of the time outdoos, serious coupling issues, fragile and rather ugly foamies, built too light and are fragile, or much too expensive for the propulsion if it had any size to the plane. I've always felt the "baby" series planes you have would be perfect cadidates for electric conversion if the cost of the propulsion system could be brought more in line with a liquid fueled engine.

Great to hear that it's finally been done since it will open up the options for many that don't care for gas or glow engines. Good job!!

sailing1

My Feedback: (134)

So if I am reading this right you could probably put together a Baby Edge or Extra Elecrtric for around $1000 or so with a spare set of batteries. I had about that in my Baby Edge powered with a used Evolution 26GT. The plane on the little gaser was maybe 1/2 lb more than your electric weight but that did not include the fuel. Was a great flyer on the Gaser but I can bet it would be an absolute blast on electric. If the power system proves to be robust and reliable this plane combo will really be hard to beat.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

What's nice is that it would be small and portable enough for me to carry in the back of the pick up where I would not do that with one of the larger ones. Since I work away from home I always end up leaving my planes at home. That leaves a big void in my week end plans.

rctom

So if anybody wants to try this out let me know, I have a few baby Edges left in stock and it takes me about a week to get the electrical stuff. I can get the cheap servos for it too, which would make for a very economical setup.

TF

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

I'll be heading north again in a couple weeks and could take some building stuff along to help pass the wide open time on the weekends. What tools and equipment I might not have I could obtain at the local hobby shop. One of the guys from the office works there p/t so I know they would order anything Plus I have one serious electric flyer in our engineering department I can steal ideas from....

apriliamille

My Feedback: (1)

hi,

this is interesting. no one in my area really does electric outside of the park flyers and profiles flipping around on the runway. wish i had broaden my horizons before i jumped to gas.
fwiw down the road i would be interested in this if it becomes an inventory available item from you. but with my current state in the economy i need to get my return's worth on my gas investment before shelving my gas products and going electric

BTerry

My Feedback: (8)

Hmm, this might be a good candidate for A123 packs. I happen to have an extra 20 cells lying around. They would be perfect. Tempting!

rctom

I don't think electric will replace gas any time soon. There is something weird about the quiet and about not going through an engine startup procedure. You just put the thing down on the ground and open the throttle and it's flying, just not natural.

BUt I do think it makes a nice addition, something easy to take along when traveling and that can be flown without a lot of setup or support equipment. I like having one to fly whenever I want to, and it's certainly welcome anywhere.

TF

roboto65

My Feedback: (30)

Hey Tom are you running a BEC with that or does the speed control have it onboard and is it rated for 4 servos?

rctom

I am not running a BEC, I use a separate 1100mah A123 pack for the receiver and servos.

TF

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

I would like to know what brand these electric components are if possible. I'm new to electric flight also but am wondering if you couldn't go with a 120 glow size equivalent, still use 8 cells and an 80 amp speed control to get more 3D performance. I like the Edge 540 and as far as I know nobody is making an Edge this size anymore. If they are I think they would be much heavier.

rctom

It's a brand if motor and speed controller from one of the many chinese suppliers, I doubt you would recognize the name. I suppose your idea would work, but don't know for sure.

Unlike with internal combustion engines, a bigger electric motor does not guarantee more power. You also need more watts flowing in, so more capable batteries might be needed. Only some experimenting will tell what exactly will happen. I have no way of knowing if these battery packs are at their limit without testing them on a bigger setup.

TF

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

I was at a place last night where experimentation in electric flight is the name of the game. I don't think I've ever seen more batteries, speed controllers, motors, fans, and electric aircraft of one type or another in one place. What is being done with this stuff is mind boggeling.

PropSpinner

My Feedback: (15)

Thanks for the response Tom. I really like the looks and size of these two.

I here what you're saying T.O.M. Our club added AC and DC to our shelter plus lower prices and the inovations in batteries has peaked my interest in electric flight. I love the convenience of this area of the hobby and I don't go home smelling like glow fuel and gasoline.

Crash N. Burn

I am looking to electrify the Extra. I was wondering if you could send me the tech data on the motor you used. I am looking into a 10s setup and could use your info as a starting place.

rctom

I wish I had some. It's a cheap cinese brushless outrunner, about 2" OD and weighs about 8 oz. Beyond that I have no details except that it's the equivalent of a .91 glow.

Sorry, I know it's pathetic but I'm just pulling things out of the air and in this case it worked pretty well.

TF

Crash N. Burn

Thanks anyway. When I get my system together I will post the details.

Crash N. Burn

RCTom
I was wondering if you had the empty weight of the extra available? If not what is the shipping weight?

Thanx

rctom

Not sure what you mean by empty weight. The components that come out of the box weigh about 5 lbs, maybe a little less. Is that what you wanted?

TF

Crash N. Burn

That is what I wanted. I guess what I meant was what the bare airframe weighs.

clovus

Hiya TF,

Mate, I know I'm jumping in late here but I'm keen to give it a go (if you still have a few setups available). Slight problem - I live in Australia. I know there is a Desert Aircraft not far from me if you can swing something.

Cheers
Clovus

apriliamille

My Feedback: (1)

hi,
ok my brain is ticking and im pondering a project either converting my current baby 260 or getting an edge (so i can say i have both) and doing a conversion

1st thing in my brain is

will this motor be sufficient?

http://www.innov8tivedesigns.com/pro...roducts_id=527

Crash N. Burn

The motor I am looking at to use is the Hyperion 4035B-14 on 8s 5000mah. Tests I have run shows it will make upwards of 1500 watts. The Scorpion equal is the 40mm series.
Here is the link:
http://www.innov8tivedesigns.com/pro...roducts_id=514

Crash N. Burn

Hi Tom,
I just received my Baby Extra. Everything looks good except there were no CF wing or stab tubes in the box. Covering looks great. Slight crushing to the box but no damage to the plane.

Thank You,

Ken