Help! Limited Electric Knowledge

eights

New member
Alright, so admittedly I have *very* limited electric knowledge at all. I am coming from the nitro world and have a few questions regarding motor/esc's. I picked up a 'Raven 30E' balsa plane for dirt cheap (see pics) at my local hobby shop, it just needed a couple of minor repairs and some electronics. I was gifted 2 'Turnigy' motors and 2 esc's (see pics) and I am not sure if either of these will work. One is a 2836-1000 and I have no idea what the other one is it has no verbiage on the motor except 'Turnigy Aerodrive' (orange-ish motor in pics).

When I bought the plane there was a piece of paper inside with how the previous owner had it setup. They were using a 3542-800kv 625 watt motor w/ 13x6.5 prop (4 cell 2200/2600maH lipo). Now I guess my question is for all you brilliant minded individuals, will either one of these motors I have, be enough power to fly? If so, which would be preferred, what size prop and lipo should I be running as well? Any help is GREATLY appreciated!

Cheers,

Brad

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The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
welcome to the forums Brad! What is the weight of the plane? First thoughts is that yes, it will fly, but It's hard to say without knowing how heavy the plane is. It looks really great though!
 

eights

New member
Thank you very much, and thanks for the quick reply. With all the servo's in (no motor/esc/battery) its about 3 - 3.5 lbs. This is an older plane that I don't think is made anymore (I couldn't find much online about it) however I did mange to find a specs page that says 1150 - 1250g (roughly 3lbs). I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Brad
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
That what you have there is a nice 3D plane, I like it. Welcome to the forums. I would say that the 2836 would be a bit small for the plane and especially using a 30 amp ESC on a 13x6.5 prop. You may want to go to a 45-60 amp ESC to handle the loads if you are a decent 3D pilot. That 2836 will fly the plane and get it in the air but might be a little underpowered... might.
 

Flying Monkey fab

Elite member
Not knowing the weight of the model it’s hard to say with authority but it looks like you’re going to need a bigger motor and ESC. The ESC you have is a 30 amp most planes that size fly between 70 and 100 amps on six cells
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
Not knowing the weight of the model it’s hard to say with authority but it looks like you’re going to need a bigger motor and ESC. The ESC you have is a 30 amp most planes that size fly between 70 and 100 amps on six cells
There you go, this guy knows how these planes fly, I was being modest in the specs it looks like lol
 

eights

New member
Battleaxe, FlyingMokey: Thank you for your input as well!. After posting this I finally found a spec sheet (listed below). Which answers the majority of my questions I believe, however still unsure if either of the motors/esc's will be enough for it. Guess there is only one way to find out :)

SPECIFICATIONS:
WING SPAN:49"(1245mm)
LENGTH:46"(1160mm)
FLYING WEIGHT:1150-1250g
MOTOR:3714/870KV (not included)
ESC: 40A (not included)
Propeller:13*6.5E, 13*6 (not included)
Battery:3S 2200MAH 20C (not included)
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
I agree with @Flying Monkey fab, I think you will need a larger motor. The 2836 is a defiant no, at least if you want to fly 3D. It's possible this motor would get it off the ground. It would be good to measure the orange motor hard to tell the size from a picture. The numbers 2836, should be the diameter and length of the stator, inside the motor, not the outside of the can. That is 28mm diameter and 36mm long. I suspect the orange motor is larger and will draw more than 25 amps.

I also suspect the spec's you found are the minimum for a decent flight. You will want more power for any 3D maneuvers.
 
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The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Check out the line of emax gt motors on the emax website. They have good motors for good prices, and I don’t think you will need to spend over $30 for one. You can get flitetest’s esc for $45 and then I think you will need either a 4s or 6s battery. I think you will be looking for 8-10 pounds of thrust. Correct me if I am wrong anyone. There should be a thrust chart for the motor.
 

eights

New member
All, Thank you so much for all your help! I was afraid the ones I had gifted were going to come up just shy of what I needed. Much rather be over powered than underpowered. Again, thank you all its greatly appreciated!
 

FlyingMonkey

Bought Another Trailer
Staff member
Admin
I found these specs for the Raven.



This Raven 30E is designed using the latest construction methods and come with quality accessories to help complete the build. The result is clean and crisp breaking of lift as you enter the stall. This reward is awesome low lift performance when doing such things as hovering, harrier, and most other low speed high angle of attach maneuvers. The model includes features one would expect from a far more expensive model.

SPECIFICATIONS:
  • WING SPAN:49"(1245mm)
  • LENGTH:46"(1160mm)
  • FLYING WEIGHT:1150-1250g
  • MOTOR:3714/870KV (not included)
  • ESC: 40A (not included)
  • Propeller:13*6.5E, 13*6 (not included)
  • Battery:3S 2200MAH 20C (not included)
  • RADIO:6CH/4S (not included)