FIELD TESTING OF THE GRAYSON HOBBY SSV2 MOTOR IN MY F18 V3

Hi everyone -

I tested another motor in my RCP F18 V3 testbed plane today, probably the last motor I will test for a while... :)

Today I tested the Grayson Hobby Supersonic V2 (SSV2) 2212-6 2200 Kv motorhttp://www.graysonhobby.com/catalog/gh221206v2brushlessoutrunnermotor-p-398.html which until yesterday was still on the RC Powers Master Parts List... :( But no matter, some folks might have one laying around or are looking at it as a choice for this plane.

In the plane, it performed very much the same as the RC Timer 2212-6 2200 Kv motor, on the bench it was a tiny bit more efficient in that it drew less amps for essentially the same thrust as the RCT motor, perhaps due to slightly higher quality bearings, but it is tough to argue the price as this motor is $23.99 and the RC Timer motor is less than $10.

At the field today I tested the 6x4 APC prop and the 6x3 EMP prop, I noticed only a slight edge in initial acceleration with the 6x3 EMP prop and other than that the performance was much the same, maybe a little more endurance with the 6x3 EMP prop based on how much I had left in my battery when I landed.

My plane today weighed 18.5 oz with the 1600 Mah battery, I used a Turnigy Plush 30A ESC and everything worked just great. Good little combo, but again for price and equal performance I would probably have to go with the RC Timer 2212-6 motor if I was looking for a motor in this weight and power category.

Not the prettiest looking plane, but still flies awesome!

Cheers,

Scott

RC POWERS MIG29 V3 AT 25 OZ WITH NTM PROP DRIVE 2700 MOTOR

Hi everyone -

I just finished up my latest Mig29 V3 with a paint scheme inspired by a paint job of a Mig 29 of the 28th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment which last flew the Mig 29 before being disbanded in 2009http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_Guards_Fighter_Aviation_Regiment. This unit fought with distinction in WW II and Korea and was awarded the Order of Kutuzov http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Kutuzovand six officers who served in this unit were made Heroes of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation.



I have not put any insignia or decals on it yet, the cold, wet weather and decals don't seem to get along right now...

After watching and admiring all the amazing things that Airflow from the RC Powers group has been doing with his heavy Mig 29 V3, it inspired me to want to see what I could do with it in a weight range between where Airflow is and where I am with my lighter German Mig. I also wanted to build it so that I could try out the NTM 2200 motor on a 7x4 prop when that arrives from HK (probably not til after Christmas...)

So my AUW with 2200 3S battery is at 701 grams/24.7 oz which is about 5 oz heavier than where I am with my German Mig. Most of the weight comes from extra reinforcement to handle the punishment of the NTM motors, the bigger motor, ESC and battery. 

My build -

• 6mm Depron with Kf4 airfoils made of paperless dollar store foam. Constructed primarily with Foam Tac glue with a few dabs of other types of glue here and there as needed;
• Power setup currently is the NTM Prop Drive 2700 Kv motor with 6x4 APC prop, Turnigy Plush 60A ESC, 2200 3S battery 45-90 C, I will also be doing some flying on this setup with a 4S battery. I just bench tested this motor and got 42.2 oz of thrust on a 3S and 54.3 oz of thrust on a 4S with the 6x4 APC prop;
• control surfaces are elevons, ailerons (switch selectable as spoilerons for slow speed/high alpha) and rudders. I'm using a 6 ch receiver compatible with my Turnigy er9x setup, elevon and aileron servos all have their own channels, rudders connected by Y harness;
• all leading edges bevelled and sanded as well as a good general sanding of the whole plane to provide as sleek an aerodynamic profile as possible; and
• paint is acrylic craft paint from the dollar store brushed on free hand to create the camo pattern. The camo is granite grey, tan and forest green, the nose cone is pewter grey.

My thrust to weight ratio should be about 1.7:1 with the NTM 2700 on 3S which is just slightly less than my German Mig and my wing loading is 8.6 oz/sq ft, compared to about 6.5 oz/sq ft on my lighter Mig. I am interested to see how the higher wing loading handles. One key thing that Airflow mentioned in one of his videos after he lightened his Mig up a bit was how it didn't have quite the same momentum in aerobatic maneuvers as did his heavier Mig with the Turnigy 3648 motor, so since I am going the other way, I am interested in seeing and feeling how this plane handles at a heavier weight.

Mods that I made from the stock build -

• opened up the prop slot back to give more room for the longer NTM motor;
• arranged my servos and pushrods so that nothing runs in a way that it will interfere with the prop slot so I can try the 7" prop on the NTM 2200;
• I cut two triangular vents on the sides of the fuselage and one each on the top hatch and bottom of the fuselage in the electronics bay to help maximize airflow over my components since with the 4S on the 2700 motor and the 7 inch prop on the 2200 motor will be pushing the gear pretty hard, I wanted to optimize airflow; and
• I enlarged the rudder surfaces by moving the hinge line forward about 3/8" of an inch.

Just back from the field after completing the maiden and starting the "dialing in" process of my new 25 oz Mig 29 V3. I also took my lighter 20 oz Mig to the field to do a bit of a "fly off" to see what difference if any there were in performance and handling.



Amazingly, the handling and performance even with a 5 oz weight increase was very similar between the two planes. I noticed with the heavier Mig and slightly lower thrust to weight, different motor and prop that the punch and acceleration was not quite as good as the lighter Mig, but I think top end speed was very similar.

The heavier Mig did require a little bit more pull in the turns with the higher wing loading, but was still exceptionally responsive and agile even with the extra weight. I would say the lighter Mig had a slightly faster "first step" response when put into a maneuver, but the heavier Mig caught up quickly and felt a little smoother through aerobatic sequences and turning. 

Initially I had to be a bit more cautious in turns as with the heavier weight I found it "carved" into the turns a little harder than the lighter Mig. Not that the lighter Mig feels like it is floating, but perhaps just a little more forgiving in the turns.

The heavier Mig carries it's momentum a little better through pitch maneuvers like loops and with the extra weight of the ESC just to once side of the centreline was more responsive in rolls, not by much, but a little bit.

Overall, the handling and stability in all speed regimes is excellent with the heavier weight, I tried a little bit of high alpha and it felt more stable at the heavier weight than lighter.

My CofG on this plane continues to be bang on 3" behind where the leading edge extension and the wing meet which I believe is maybe an inch behind the CofG on the plans. It trimmed up pretty easily, I moved the battery forward about 1/4" to get rid of any elevator trim and about 1/4" right of centreline to help compensate for torque roll.

So I am now excited for the weather to improve again, my window of flying closed too quickly today due to fog and heavy mist... in order to try it out on 4S. I will also eventually be trying the NTM 2200 on a 7x4 prop which will bring my thrust to weight ratio up considerably based on the thrust numbers Airflow got with this setup in testing, 58 oz of thrust versus the 42.2 I get with the 2700 on a 3S and 6x4 prop.

So both Migs are amazing, hard at this point to pick a favorite, the lighter Mig is perfect on dead calm days and I think the heavier Mig will be great when there is wind...

I managed to get some video shot of it flying, starting the "dialing in" process...:)

Cheers,

Scott

RCP F22 V3 MORE SLOW FLYING TESTING

I had my F22 out again a couple days ago doing some more serious testing on slow flying characteristics.  I have said before and Dave Powers has also said that the F22 does not like to fly so, but I thought I would try a couple different things just to see what happened.

There was a tiny bit of wind less than 5 mph, but it was there.  So when flying without spoilerons, I was able to fly at about 35-40% throttle without too much problem except when I went from a tail wind to a headwind, the plane would stop turning, stall and then roll opposite to the control inputs I had in!  Never had a plane do that before on me.

With spoilerons, I was steering (or trying to steer) with rudders and discovered very quickly that I either didn't have enough rudder throw (I am only using 5 gr plastic gear servos as I didn't really plan on doing any slow fly testing), or the rudder surfaces themselves are too small.

Here is some video of the flight

After posting the video, Dave Powers commented on the RC Powers website the forward swept trailing edge of the wing, forward swept ailerons and vertical stabs blocked by the body all contributed to it's inherent instability at slow speeds compared to the Mig29 and F18 V3s which are the opposite.  This makes sense as does the fact that the control surfaces are all so close together and if the airflow is "dirty" or non-existent, then they are probably all affected the same way at the same time, giving little control ability at slower speeds.  Just some of my theory anyway.

Bottom line, this is a muscle car and needs to be driven like one, not like Grandma's Buick going to church on Sunday, but it was fun testing!

Cheers,

Scott

RCP F22 V3 SLOW FLIGHT TESTING AND NEW MOTOR

Hi everyone -

I had my F22 V3 from RC Powers out for several flights in the last couple of days and have been pushing myself to try and fly slow (less than 50% throttle) without mishap.  I had been trying it with spoilerons at about 7/8" inch deflection with the SMJV2 motor setup which gave me an overall weight of about 23 oz.  I reduced the deflection down to about 1/2" and it seemed to fly pretty well at 35-40% throttle straight and level, needing a little more power in the turns to keep it steady.

It became basically a 2 channel plane then, no real elevator input needed to keep the nose up and stable, I was controlling speed and sink rate with throttle and turning the plane with rudder.  It was still a challenge and I had to be on it all the time, one little slip up in throttle management and the tail sank and it kind of "parked" itself in the sky.

Since I have been having such amazing luck with the Focal Price 2700 Kv motor with a 6x3 EMP prop in other planes like the F18 and Mig 29 V3s and the FRC Foamies Su37 MK2, I decided it was time to give it a try in my F22.  I basically would be getting the same thrust but overall weight would be reduced by 1 oz.  I had been hesitant to do this as I was really liking that 6.4 oz/sq ft wing loading that is working so well for me on all the V3 planes.  With the new motor and a 2200 Mah battery, my new AUW is 22.1 oz, wing loading is now 6.1 oz/sq ft.

It worked really well with the new motor I am happy to report.  I put a little more expo in the ailerons to smooth out the roll factor in turns and it handles even smoother now.  I flew it with an 1800 Mah battery and found that it almost felt a little bit too light for my liking, I just didn't have the nice "feel" that I like to have with this plane.

So, I tried a little slow flying with the lighter weight and lower wing loading and found it flew better without spoilerons at slow speed!  I was able to keep the power around 40% and with gentle aileron input it turned nicely.  It is still a challenge and I have to stay on top of it, it doesn't stay as stable at slow speed as the F18 or the Mig 29, but it is a nice challenge and looks cool as it cruises by!

So I need to do more flying and testing with the new motor and get it dialed in just right again and then hopefully do some more slow flying and get video of it.

Cheers,

Scott

RC POWERS F18 V3 "THRASHFEST" OR "CRASHFEST"... :)

It was a beautiful clear, cold day yesterday, so I took advantage of it and had an awesome day flying at the field with my FRC Foamies Su37 MK2 and my RC Powers F18 V3.

There was a bit of a breeze now and then, not strong, but swirling, so I put a 2200 Mah battery in my F18 to help with that which gives me that ideal weight of about 21.5 oz that seems to be "magic" for me.  So I decided to really put it through it's paces and luckily the RC Gods were with me as I had four "unscheduled" landings and the plane survived all of them!

Here is the video -

Looking back on all the planes I have flown that have been responsible for big "turning points" in my RC journey, this is the latest and greatest.  In fact three planes probably stand out as the most significant planes I have flown to get where I am today -

1. the RC Powers F35 V2, the one that started it all, heavy, not too pretty, elevons only and Kf2, the first parkjet I ever flew;
2. the RC Powers Mig29 V1, recommended to me by Jay and Greg from FRC Foamies to rebuild my confidence after writing off two of my nicer planes in one day, that plane though simple (profile construction and elevons only) is what really helped my flying skills "take off", I put hundreds of flights into that plane (built two of them); and
3. the RC Powers F18 V3, it has really helped me take my skills to a while new level in how low and close and I can fly to myself and know that the plane will do what I ask of it without biting back, it is truly one of the best (if not the best) all round parkjet I have ever flown.  The Mig29 V3 would be a very close contender, but the F18 V3 is probably my all time favorite.

Anyway, having said that, it is probably time to dust off my F22 V3 and take it flying today, time to push the skills even harder!

Cheers,

Scott

BENCH AND FLIGHT TESTING RC TIMER 2208/8 2600 KV MOTOR

Hi everyone -

Several weeks ago, I tested this little motor from RC Timer, works really well for planes in the 16-19 oz weight category. http://www.rctimer.com/product_112.html

This motor is quite light, 56 grams with prop, X mount and connectors installed.

I ran through the same series of tests as I did with many previous motors, I tested with a Turnigy Plush 30A ESC as 30A ESC is what RC Timer recommends, I tested 6x4 APC and 6x3 and 6x4 EMP props on low, medium and high settings on my ESC to find the best setup for what I'm looking to get out of this motor.

Here are the results

6x4 APC prop on 50% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 13.3A/155.8W/429 gr/15.1 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio 7.7:1, 1.1 oz of thrust per amp drawn;
• ESC at medium timing - 14A/167.3W/445 gr/15.7 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio 7.9:1/1.1 oz of thrust per amp drawn; and
• ESC at high timing - 14.3A/174.3W/431 gr/15.2 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio - 7.7:1/1.06 oz of thrust per amp drawn.

6x4 APC prop on 100% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 28.7A/332.7W/695 gr/24.5 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio 12.4:1/0.85 oz of thrust per amp drawn;
• ESC at medium timing - 29A/321.7W/720 gr/25.5 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio 12.8:1/0.8 oz of thrust per amp drawn; and
• ESC at high timing - 30.6A/335.5W/720 gr/25.5 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio of 12.8:1/0.8 oz of thrust per amp drawn.

6x3 EMP prop on 50% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 12A/138.9W/485 gr/17.1 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio of 8.7:1/1.4 oz of thrust per amp drawn;
• ESC at medium timing - 12.9A/149.4W/515 gr/18.2 oz of thrust/thrust to weight ratio of 8.7:1/1.4 oz of thrust per amp drawn; and
• ESC at high timing - 14.2A/164.8W/520 gr/18.3 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio of 9.3:1/1.3 oz of thrust per amp drawn.

6x3 EMP prop on 100% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 24.5A/266.2W/795 gr/28 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio 14.2:1/1.1 oz of thrust per amp drawn;
• ESC at medium timing - 28.8A/332W/805 gr/28.4 oz of thrust/14.4:1/1.0 oz of thrust per amp drawn; and
• ESC at high timing - 27.9A/329W/835 gr/29.5 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio of 14.9:1/1.06 oz of thrust per amp drawn.

6x4 EMP prop on 50% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 12A/140.7W/395 gr/13.9 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio 7.0:1/1.2 oz of thrust per amp drawn;
• ESC at medium timing - 12.6A/147.1W/410 gr/14.5 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio 7.3:1/1.2 oz of thrust per amp drawn; and
• ESC at high timing - 13.7A/160.5W/415 gr/14.6 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio 7.4:1/1.1 oz of thrust per amp drawn.

6x4 EMP prop at 100% throttle - 

• ESC at low timing - 28.4A/315.7W/663 gr/23.4 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio of 11.8:1/0.8 oz of thrust per amp drawn;
• ESC at medium timing - 29A/311.1W/671 gr/23.7 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio of 12.0:1/0.8 oz of thrust per amp drawn; and
• ESC at high timing - 31A/360W/675 gr/23.5 oz of thrust/thrust to motor weight ratio 12.1:1/0.8 oz of thrust per amp drawn.

The 6x3 EMP prop seems to jump out as the best prop for this motor on the bench, so I won't even bother testing the other two props.  What I did test at the field was the difference between high and low ESC timing as I was getting about 1.5 oz more thrust with high timing than I was with low, but at a higher amp draw.

Here is the video I shot of the field testing

I did definitely get a little more snap and thrust from this motor at high ESC timing, but the motor ran very warm, warmer than I like for the overall health of the setup, so I reverted to low, great performing little motor that definitely punches above it's weight!

I now use it in my FRC Foamies F35 600 which is about 16.5 oz, works awesome!

Cheers,

Scott

FRC FOAMIES SU37 MK2

I recently completed a lighter weight FRC Foamies Su37 MK2.  I had previously build an Su35 MK2, but built it way too heavy and it just never flew right, so I wanted to build this one much lighter

My build -

• 6mm depron with 4mm dollar store foam Kf4 airfoils, mostly Foam Tac glue with epoxy and Gorilla Glue (my new favorite combo for motor mounts) and epoxy for the control horns;
• 6 servo setup using RC Timer 9 gram nylon gear servos, elevons, ailerons (mixed as spoilerons, but I think I will delete this mix, not using it too much) and rudders;
• power setup is the Focal Price 2700 Kv motor with 6x3 EMP prop, a 40A Turnigy Plush ESC, 1600/1800 Mah battery, giving me good solid 5-6 minute flight times;
• all leading edges bevelled and sanded, paint is based on the Russian Flag colors of white, blue and red, used dollar store acrylic craft paint; and
• AUW with battery is 555 grams/19.6 oz which in calm conditions is a perfect weight for this plane.

I am loving this Focal Price motor again for this size of plane, gives me such awesome performance for not too much money or weight.

I did a fly off with the RC Powers Mig29 V3 and found the Su37 MK2 to be more nimble than the Mig, possibly due to it being 5.5" shorter and having a 1" shorter wingspan, but I think that the Mig is just a bit more stable overall.

I have shot a couple videos of it flying 

It is an awesome little plane with lots of versatility from a standpoint of power and control setups.

Cheers,

Scott

409 NIGHTHAWKS F18 V3

Unfortunately I have been getting way behind on my blog as of late, so time to play a little catch up!  I recently built another RC Powers F18 and this time gave it a nice paint job inspired by the 409 Sqn Nighthawks of the RCAF.  409 was the first Sqn operational with the CF18.

Their motto translated from Latin is "Midnight is our Noon", so I used blue and black to represent day and night.

I did a walk around/build video here to describe my build and techniques

I am really liking the Focal Price 2700 Kv motor with a 6x3 EMP prop for these V3 size planes, light, inexpensive and gives tons of power for acceleration, speed and vertical.  

Here is the flight video

This is an awesome plane, one of my favorite park jets ever!

Cheers,

Scott

FRC FOAMIES F35 600 BUILD COMPLETE

Hi everyone -

Playing a bit more catchup as I just finished up my 4th F35 600 build as I had recycled all my other F35s and wanted to have one in my "hangar".  I decided to go with a Vancouver Canucks inspired paint scheme.

I didn't quite make it at the weight I predicted, I was hoping for 16.5 oz with a 1600 Mah battery, but I ended up at 470 gr/16.6 oz, so not too far off!

My build -

• 6mm depron with Foam Tac glue and a little hot glue and epoxy when needed;
• Kf4 airfoils made from dollar store foam board;
• control surfaces active - elevons, ailerons and rudders on a six servo setup, 9 gr RC Timer nylon gear servos for the elevons and 5 gr HXT 500 nylon gear servos for the ailerons and rudders, so far no special mixes of any kind;
• Power setup - RC Timer 2212-6 2200 Kv motor with a 6x3 EMP prop, 30A Turnigy Plush ESC with timing set to medium (this was the best setup I found in my recent round of motor testing), battery is 3s 30-40C discharge;
• Using a 6 channel HK TR6A V2 receiver compatible with my Turnigy er9x radiohttp://hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idproduct=12901 elevons and ailerons each have their own independent channel, rudders are on a Y harness;
• I filled the larger grooves with scrap dollar store foam glued in with a thin bead of Foam Tac, all leading edges bevelled and sanded;
• Paint is dollar store acrylic craft paint, the black is actually done with magic marker from the dollar store; and
• pushrods are scratchbuilt with 2mm carbon rod, clevis from Hobby King and quick connects from RC timer.

I made a few changes from my last build, I downsized the rudders a bit as I found with the bigger rudders I had before that it was very sensitive in the yaw if I used rudders, it did some cool rudder rolls, but sometimes got too sensitive, so I downsized those a bit.

Since the grass will more often than not be wet now that fall is here and I may even end up landing on the snow at times, I put all my electronics up top to hopefully keep them dry and didn't cut out the lower electronics bay as per the plans.

I did put some cooling vents in the side of the fuselage behind the canopy to help improve airflow through the electronics bay up top. Where my battery is in the picture is pretty much neutral with the CofG on the plans, so the bulk of the weight is right around the CofG which will be very good for handling and aerobatics. I also tested it with a 2200 battery and I have plenty of room if I need to add a little more weight to help in the wind.


Hope to be able to maiden in the next few days and will get some video!

Flight video of my F35 600.  I have since swapped out this motor with the RC Timer 2208/8 2600 Kv motor, works great, about 11 grams lighter and lots of thrust with a 6x3 EMP prop.

Cheers,

Scott

RC POWERS MIG 29 V3 COMPLETE

Playing a little bit of catchup today, I maidened my German Mig 29 painted in JG73 colors a few days ago.  It flies amazing, at the weight I am, the FP 2700 motor is a great match to give me amazing acceleration, good high end speed and vertical.  I'm getting almost 6 minutes flight time out of an 1800 Mah battery.

I've also flown it for a few flights since then with a 2200 Mah battery and it handles the extra weight beautifully.  Not as fast, but with the battery moved back a bit closer to the CofG, it tumbles like crazy.  I now have the throws up to 100%, but left 60% expo on the ailerons and elevons and that seems to be the best setup for me as it helps me keep things smooth in the turns.  The 2200 battery definitely helps it stay more stable in the wind and gives me about 7:30 flight times.

Cheers,

Scott

BENCH TESTING OF THE GRAYSON HOBBY SUPER MEGAJET V2 (SMJV2)

Just finished up testing another motor, the Grayson Hobby Super MegaJet V2http://www.graysonhobby.com/catalog/ghsupermegajetv2brushlessoutrunnermotor-p-585.html

Initially I was only going to test it on the 6x4 APC, but decided to test it on the 6x3 and 6x4 EMPs as well since the 6x3 EMP has been giving me great results on some of the other motors. I used a Turnigy Plush 40A ESC and 3S batteries, but with a 45-90C discharge as these would be the 2200 Mah batteries I would put in a plane if I was to use this motor.

6x4 APC prop at 50% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 14.9A/178.8W/478 gr/16.9 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 15.5A/186.7W/530 gr/18.7 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 15.9A/195.2W/540 gr/19.1 oz of thrust.

6x4 APC prop at 100% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 26.9A/313W/770 gr/27.2 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 29.5A/342.8W/870gr/30.7 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 31.2A/376.6W/880 gr/31 oz of thrust.

6x3 EMP prop at 50% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 13.2A/152.4W/508 gr/17.9 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 14.3A/174.4W/590 gr/20.8 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 14.8A/183.6W/610 gr/21.5 oz of thrust.

6x3 EMP prop at 100% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 23.8A/285.4W/848 gr/29.9 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 27.7A/328.1W/1030 gr/36.3 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 27.7A/325W/1030 gr/36.3 oz of thrust.

6x4 EMP prop at 50% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 17.2A/212W/530 gr/18.7 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 15.4A/178.4W/454 gr/16 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 16.2A/198W/520 gr/18.3 oz of thrust.

6x4 EMP prop at 100% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 31.8A/385.4W/860 gr/30.3 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 29.4A/320W/780 gr/27.5 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 33A/378.8W/890 gr/31.4 oz of thrust.

As strange as it may seem, based on the numbers I tested yesterday on the SMJV2, it seems like the best performance would again be from the 6x3 EMP prop, that seems to be a very successful prop among the motors I have tested thus far. I am excited to put one on my plane (I still have the SMJV2 in my lightweight F18) and take it to the field for some more testing.

Anyway, going by the numbers I got in testing yesterday, the best results and the one I would put in my plane. Based on the quite low amp draw that I got, I may also try putting a 30A ESC in the plane to lighten the load a bit. The highest amp draw I saw for the setup I am looking at is 27.6, so I think my Turnigy Plush 30A ESC should be able to handle that.

I worked out some more numbers comparing thrust produced versus weight added by the motor and thrust produced versus amps drawn. The SMJV2 I have with prop, X mount and bullet connectors attached ready to go in the plane weighs 91 gr/3.2 oz.

Based on numbers I collected yesterday, this is the setup I would use, your numbers and preference may differ -

• prop I would use - 6x3 EMP;
• ESC timing I would use - high;
• at 50% throttle, this setup gives me 14.8A/183.6W/610 gr/21.5 oz of thrust;
• at 100% throttle, this setup gives me 27.6A/325W/1030 gr/36.3 oz of thrust;
• at 50% throttle, my thrust to motor weight ratio is 6.7:1 and my thrust is 1.5 oz of thrust per amp drawn; and
• at 100% throttle, my thrust to motor weight ratio is 11.3:1 and my thrust to amps drawn is 1.3 oz per amp.

Again, I am going to have to test this out some more at the field to see what happens with my plane, I am surprised by these lower numbers for a motor of this size, it actually seems very efficient with this setup. 

The next most efficient setup would be with the 6x4 APC prop at high ESC timing, but the high end thrust does not seem to be as good as I would have expected. The 6x4 EMP prop does not seem to be a very efficient prop for this motor at any timing setting.

Cheers,

Scott

BENCH TESTING OF THE POWER UP ZOOM 450 MOTOR FROM HEADS UP RC

Just finished up some more testing on another motor, the Power Up Zoom 450 from Heads Up RChttp://www.headsuphobby.com/Power-Up-450-Zoom-Outrunner-Brushless-Motor-H-225.htm

I tested on the 6x4 APC, 6x3 and 6x4 EMP props at low, medium and high timing settings on my ESC. I used a Turnigy Plush 40A ESC, but based on the numbers I got from the wattmeter I could easily use a 30A ESC to save a little weight. Again I tested at 50% and 100% throttle to determine best cruising efficiency and high end power and efficiency.

Here are the numbers for the 6x4 APC prop at 50% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 14A/166.8W 520 gr/18.3 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 13.2A/158W/515 gr/18.2 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 14.6A/172.1W/560 gr/19.8 oz of thrust.

6x4 APC at 100% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 25A/285.6W/820 gr/28.9 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 25.9A/291.5W/840 gr/29.6 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 26A/293.3W/830 gr/29.3 oz of thrust.

6x3 EMP at 50% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 13A/150W/590 gr/20.8 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 12.6A/147.5W/580 gr/20.5 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 13.8A/158.6W/580 gr/20.5 oz of thrust.

6x3 EMP at 100% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 22.3A/250W/848 gr/29.9 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 22.9A/253.8W/898 gr/31.7 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 24.9A/287.6W/860 gr/30.3 oz of thrust.

6x4 EMP at 50% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 14.5A/174.1W/522 gr/18.4 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 15A/177W/540 gr/19.1 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 14.8A/181.5W/534 gr/18.8 oz of thrust.

6x4 EMP at 100% throttle -

• ESC at low setting - 27A/309W/760 gr/26.8 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium setting - 28.4A/324.5W/792 gr/27.9 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high setting - 28.6A/319W/814 gr/28.7 oz.

I did a bit more distilling down of the numbers from my test today on the Zoom 450 motor and based on the numbers I got, this is the setup I would use. Please don't take it as the only setup to use on this motor, depending on your motor, ESC, etc, you might get better numbers than me, this is just what I got today and how I would run this motor in my planes.

I did some calculations based on thrust produced versus weight of the motor and thrust versus amps drawn to determine if the weight and efficiency of the motor produce good results for the overall performance of my plane. The Zoom 450 that I used with prop, X mount and bullet connectors weighs 87 gr/3.07 oz.

The setup I would use -

• prop - well balanced 6x3 EMP;
• ESC timing set at medium;
• at 50% throttle this gives me 12.6A/147.5W/580 gr/20.5 oz of thrust;
• at 100% throttle this gives me 22.9A/253.8W/898 gr/31.7 oz of thrust;
• at 50% throttle I am getting 6.1:1 thrust to motor weight ratio, but an excellent 1.6 oz of thrust per amp drawn, this is one of the best mid range efficiency results I have seen in all the motors I have tested; and
• at 100% throttle I am getting a 10.3:1 thrust to motor weight ratio and 1.3 oz of thrust per amps drawn, again a very efficient ratio and this is also the highest amount of thrust I saw in testing today.

I have tested and flown this motor in a few planes, it is a very solid and strong motor, I think the numbers with the right prop and ESC settings give great mid range performance and pretty decent high end performance compared to some other motors. After the 6x3 EMP prop, it is probably most efficient based on my data on the 6x4 APC and not very efficient at all on the 6x4 EMP, but again your results may differ.

Cheers,

Scott

PERFORMANCE COMPARISON RC TIMER 2212-6 AND TURNIGY D2826/6 MOTORS

Since these two motors, the RC Timer 2212-6 2200 Kv http://www.rctimer.com/index.php?gOo=goods_details.dwt&goodsid=116&productname= and the Turnigy D2826/6 2200 Kv http://hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idproduct=12919 are both very popular parkjet motors and are on the RC Powers Master Parts List, I thought I would do a bit of a performance comparison.

I have been distilling down the numbers even more on the testing that I have done thus far and have come up with some numbers to determine thrust produced versus motor weight added to the plane and thrust produced versus amps drawn. I may be off the mark, but I think the numbers of thrust versus amps drawn may be an equation of efficiency if I ask myself, how much power am I getting for energy consumed, the "best bang for the buck", so I will be publishing some of those numbers in this thread over coming days. There are interesting trade offs between props and timing settings, but I think the optimum setups (at least from the data I gathered) are easy to determine. And again, it is all based on how you like to fly, but I think most of us want to get maximum power output for minimum power input.

Anyway, I decided I would look at the numbers for the 2212-6 2200 Kv motor and the D2826/6 2200 Kv motor and give my opinion on what I would consider the best setup that I would use in my planes.

RC Timer 2212-6 2200 Kv (as you may have read in a previous post, I weighed this motor with a prop attached, X motor mount and bullet connectors also attached, exactly as it would go in my plane, the weight I got was 64 gr/2.26 oz) -

• prop I would use - 6x3 EMP;
• timing I would use on my ESC - medium;
• thrust numbers at 50% throttle - 542 gr/19.1 oz; and
• thrust numbers at 100% throttle - 825 gr/29 oz
• on this setting at 50% throttle, I get an 8.5:1 thrust to motor weight ratio and a 1.6 oz of thrust per amp drawn. This is the best mid range performance of any prop and ESC setting I get with this motor (the next best result I got was 1.4 oz of thrust per amp);
• on this setting at 100% throttle, I get a 12.9:1 thrust to motor weight ratio and a 1.2 oz of thrust per amp drawn. It is slightly less than the best thrust to amp drawn I got at 100% throttle (which was 1.3), but for the great mid range performance, I am happy to sacrifice a little bit of efficiency at top end.

Turnigy D2826/6 2200 Kv motor - motor weight is 67 gr -

• prop I would use - 6x3 EMP;
• timing I would use on my ESC - medium;
• thrust numbers at 50% throttle - 535 gr/18.9 oz;
• thrust numbers at 100% throttle - 860 gr/30.3 oz;
• on this setting at 50% throttle, I get a 8:1 thrust to motor weight ratio and a 1.5 oz of thrust per amp drawn. This is not the best thrust to motor weight ratio I got, the best was 8.5:1 on high setting, but the high setting on the ESC with this prop only gave a 1.3 oz of thrust per amp drawn, so not as efficient; and
• on this setting at 100% throttle, I get a 12.8:1 thrust to motor weight ratio and a 1.3 oz of thrust per amp drawn. I get a better thrust to motor weight ratio on low setting with this prop of 13:1, but the efficiency is down to 1.1 oz of thrust per amp drawn.

Anyway, I know these numbers can be a bit dizzying, but based on the data I collected, these motors are very similar, the 2212-6 is a bit more powerful and efficient at mid range power setting, while the D2826/6 gets the edge at full throttle by a small margin.

The difference in weight is negligible at 3 grams really, both will work well on a 30A ESC. The D2826/6 draws slightly more amps at mid range, but their top end amp draw on this prop and ESC timing is pretty much identical at 23.5/23.6 which is very good and should help both motors last longer even if you fly like I do and like to pound the throttle pretty hard. The RC Timer website says the 2212-6 should be able to swing a 7x3 or 7x4 prop, so swinging a 6x3 should be a little easier on the motor (it doesn't give a max current figure). The HK website says the D2826/6 is rated for 34A max current on a 7x4 on 2S or 5x5 on 3S, obviously with the 6x3 EMP I was well below that.

I think with the performance numbers I looked at these setups would give me the best overall performance from a standpoint of thrust and efficiency, with a few give and takes to get best overall performance from mid to high end throttle and would still allow both motors to run well for a long time.

I guess based on the numbers and that the motors are very close with these setups, it would come down to personal preference or what you had available.

Anyway, again, these are based on numbers that I collected, nothing overly scientific, they have certainly been very helpful to me in determining prop type, ESC size and timing setting and hopefully might help you try something that will allow you to maximize your motor's performance!

Cheers,

Scott

BENCH TESTING OF THE TURNIGY D2826/6 2200 KV MOTOR

Hi everyone -

Just finished up another round of bench testing on another popular motor that is on the RC Powers Master Parts list, the Turnigy D2826/6 2200 Kv motorhttp://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=12919&aff=46898

I have used this motor on several different light weight parkjets and it works very well. I tested it on three different props when testing my lightweight F18, but never played around much with the settings on my ESC to see what sort of thrust and efficiency numbers were being produced. Once again I found that this is another motor that seems to like the 6x3 EMP prop from a standpoint of thrust and efficiency. I have only ever used a 6x4 APC prop on this plane, but will now be switching to a 6x3 EMP. 

I tested on a Turnigy Plush 40A ESC as HK suggests this motor has a max current of 34A. I think from the numbers I got and also confirmation from Airflow on the RC Powers forums that I will be safe using a 30A ESC from now on to save myself a little bit of weight.

The battery I used was a 3S 30-40C discharge

Here are the numbers -

6x4 APC prop at 50% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 14.4 A/168W/500 gr/17.6 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium timing - 13.2A/153.1W/450 gr/15.9 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high timing - 13.8 A/164.7W/480 gr/16.9 oz of thrust

6x4 APC at 100% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 26A/280.9 W/720 gr/25.4 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium timing - 29A/335 W/750 gr/26.5 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high timing - 27A/299.7 W/745 gr/26.3 oz of thrust.

6x3 EMP at 50% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 13.1A/156.3W/550 gr/19.4 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium timing - 12.7A/148.8W/535 gr/18.9 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high timing - 15.2A/182.7W/570 gr/20.1 oz of thrust.

6x3 EMP at 100% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 26.8A/317.4W/870 gr/30.7 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium timing - 23.6A/261.7W/860 gr/30.3 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high timing - 23.7A/262.4W/860 gr/30.3 oz of thrust.

6x4 EMP at 50% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 13.6A/159.2W/550 gr/19.4 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium timing - 13.7A/159.5W/560 gr/19.8 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high timing - 14.7A/177W/560 gr/19.8 oz of thrust.

6x4 EMP at 100% throttle -

• ESC at low timing - 25.5A/298.4W/835 gr/29.5 oz of thrust;
• ESC at medium timing - 26.3A/305.9W/860 gr/30.3 oz of thrust; and
• ESC at high timing - 25.5A/287.5 W/840 gr/29.6 oz.

This is another small motor that seems to really like the 6x3 EMP prop from a standpoint of thrust and efficiency.  The thrust numbers are slightly lower at medium timing setting, but overall efficiency especially at high throttle are much better than at low setting, so I think I would run this motor on a 6x3 EMP prop and a 30A ESC and it would be a great power combo.

I also did a walkaround video yesterday on my newest Mig29 V3 to discuss my build techniques, etc.  Here it is.

For my next build I am considering another FRC Foamies F35 600, I just love that little plane, I am going to build it as light as possible and probably try out the RC Timer 2212-6 2200 Kv motor in it on a 30A ESC and 1600 Mah battery, I think that would be a good power setup.  I will again activate all control surfaces, but I think I will do something a little different with my vertical stab and rudder setup over the previous two I built with full controls.  Paint job will probably be in Vancouver Canucks colors since hockey season starts this week!  WOO HOO!  GO CANUCKS GO!

Cheers,

Scott