a question and introduction

Seamus

Junior Member
So, my name is Seamus, and I am fairly new to rc flight, but have been involved in surface craft (boats and cars/trucks, even 1 tank) for some time.

I am interested in one of your designs David, the Slinger. I have most everything I need, I just wanted to know if my motor/esc/prop/batt combo would work. The specs are:

3128 outrunner brushless 1300kv motor
20A brushless esc
8x6 3 blade prop
11.1v 800mAh 20c battery

the Tx/Rx are an already bound unit, 4ch Tx and 6ch Rx
I also have any control rods and servos I need... I bought a bunch of extra stuff when I got my 750mm Airfield Hurricane...

I love what you guys do, and have a passion for inventiveness, I'm already working on a biplane design of my own, lol... Once I get it done I will share with you all...

So, there's my first post, assuredly not my last... I will fix up my profile too, thanks in advance for the help and info, and here's to many years of fun flights and happy accidents!!
 

xuzme720

Dedicated foam bender
Mentor
Welcome, Seamus! I think the motor you have listed is much larger than you need and the battery is much smaller. Ideal parts list for this plane is here. Scroll down until you get below what comes with the kit.

The combo you have there might work if you are careful about the CG but I think you are going to be disappointed with the flight times...They will be short.
 

Seamus

Junior Member
I don't know about the sizes being different and all, being fairly new to this, but I do know that all my electronics are matched for each other and on a plane about the same weight, I can also always play around with props n such to get what I want out of it... besides, those are what I have so I don't have to go find new equipment, so I kinda have to use that stuff for whatever I do make... I dunno, I will finger it out I'm sure!!
 

xuzme720

Dedicated foam bender
Mentor
If that's all you have then by all means give her a go! Like I said, as long as you mind the CG and make sure it's where it needs to be, it should work.
 

tramsgar

Senior Member
Hi, and welcome. If you can get the CG right and your amps draw with that prop is below 20A, then why not give it a try? Good luck!
 

Seamus

Junior Member
it was all in the now destroyed Hurricane I bought... will be replacing it too... Should have listened when I was told that warbirds are NOT for learning on... ehh... live and learn and fuel the flight desire even further... not bad for a crash landing, I have all of about 5ish minutes in the air, and it felt awesome, now I am going to be building my own stuff to save on repair costs and all... the motor, 20A esc, props were all matched in the kit.

I'm looking into 2 bladed props right now because in my experience, yes, very limited, I destroyed nearly 8 prop blades in the process of setting my plane up, a slight bump causing the nose to dip was a new prop, cut throttle or not...

I was reading an article about props and it said if you go to a 3 or 4 blade, you should take 1 away from the first # (diameter) and add 1 to the 2nd # (pitch) so I assume that goes in reverse if going to a 2 blade...

I currently have the 3 bladed 8x6;
I am going to buy some 9 and 10 x 5 and 6 (9x5, 9x6, 10x5, 10x6) 2 blade ( I may even go to 9x4 and 10x4 as well as x7)

Thankfully props are cheap and I can get several sizes at once for testing....

as I am still learning a lot and new to this end of rc, I don't mind the lower flight times because my longest was 2 minutes and it felt like an eternity, I know that as I improve my skills I will want more, but that's a battery for a different day, also I have 4 batteries right now so I have more than ample flight time for me...

Thank you all for the help and welcome, I hope to get better flight times and pics soon!!
 

tramsgar

Senior Member
Good thing you take your Hurricane's death the right way! Before you start experimenting with different props, you may want to get an amp meter (maybe one of these that measures peak amps) and hook it up so you don't overload your motor or esc by mistake. If not, don't try a bigger prop than what came with the Hurricane if you want to go safe. Good luck!
 

Craftydan

Hostage Taker of Quads
Staff member
Moderator
Mentor
Seamus,

Think of it as an investment.

Not gonna be your last plane, right? Unless you're leaving the hobby in disgust, definitely not your last motor.

Picking up a *small* number of props close to the size you want (size up or down from the diameter, size up or down in pitch) can be handy later for future planes.

There have been a few props I picked up to try out on one plane that were all kinds of wrong for the airframe. Later stuck it on another airframe, and made that motor perform like a dream. Unless you never buy a plane/motor that size again, you'll likely use the props that won't work now.

Also, don't be surprised if that 3 bladed prop isn't as good as it seems. If it's running efficiently, it will need a longer 2-blade prop to take it's place, but most motors in the mid-to-high kv range can't use a 3 blade well because it spins too fast -- each blade can't get clean air because it's eating the wash from it's neighbor ahead of it. Just be prepared for the 9" props to be pulling higher watts than expected. Having an 8x4 or 8x6 on hand might be useful.

BTW, that's a nice unit for keeping track of capacity, but what Tramsgar was pointing out is a watt meter -- like:


These connect between your battery and motor, and give you a sense of the current and watts flowing. point is, if your battery is drawing 20A and your ESC is rated to 20A, it will likely let the smoke out. Similarly if it's drawing 150W at 2/3 throttle, and that's what your motor is rated to, pushing to full throttle will overheat the motor. What you've ordered is good to have to tell you when you should have landed, but won't tell you when you've over-propped or over-motored your power system.

The HK010 is a nice unit, have one myself, but there are many others like it, just as good.
 

xuzme720

Dedicated foam bender
Mentor
The prop selection you stated should be fine. The Wattmeter or amp tester of choice is just an extra measure of safety and is a good way to be sure of a new setup, and can help with finding the "perfect" setup.
 

tramsgar

Senior Member
Seamus, by "larger" i lazily meant bigger diameter, higher pitch or more blades. Comparing drag between different number of blades, sizes and pitches can be a bit tricky, and there are other factors like the airfoil of the blades, different makes et c. I usually check ecalc to get a viable selection before trying on the bench. There are surely other tools for that, also. Feels silly to burn stuff on the bench, imho.
 

Seamus

Junior Member
ahhh.. thanks, I wasn't sure, I am not stopping now, I have taken a bit of time to design up and build a delta using elevators and ailerons rather than elevons, payday is 2 days away for my orders and honestly, I am giddy a bit... I have rekindled a firey passion inside myself that I have needed for a while, combining a few elements I enjoy, flight, creativity and rc... cant wait to write up my article on the SM-13 (my delta design)
 

Seamus

Junior Member
will get some pics up, but I had my maiden today, went ok, bought a duster speed build and some gear from lazertoys and have no prop to keep playing with for a week or so... withdrawals...... :/