Power system guide for the POWER POD to be used on the swapable series.

[Donnerweer]

Hi guys. I'm extremely new to rc and have little to no knowledge about the electronics, but im in the process of bulding my first scratch build plane the Old Fogey.I want to build most of them and love the swappable idea.
I love the slow gentle flyer idea and would probably pursue that route. I need to go and buy a motor and prop(s) to use on my power pod.What should i get?
I have a MAC8 18A ECS and 2x 3cell 11.1v 3cell 1300mAh batts
Im going to buy a new transmitter soon but this is what i have at this moment.
I live in South Africa and im hundreds of miles away from my closest hobby shop, so i need to go and buy stock. Please advise.

 

[schuttkerk@yahoo.com]

I need help also. Right now I don't feel comfortable buying anything except Flitetest Power Packs. (One day I'm going to flood the market with Flitetest screwdrivers.). Local hobby shop fellow told me that kv determines the power of the motor, (like more kv = more power,)but that doesn't make sense when a Mini Speedster has a 2200kv motor recommendation and a regular Speedster has a 1000kv motor recommendation. There must be some number on the motor that indicates that this motor is for "slow/big plane" or "fast/big plane" or "slow/small plane" or "fast/small plane."

 

[quorneng]

The power of a brushless motor is basically determined by its weight (the copper, iron and magnets). The kV of a motor determines the voltage at which it will produce its maximum power.
Using weight alone can be a bit difficult so most manufacturers state the maximum current (Amps) the motor can stand the the Voltage (or the number of cells) that is suitable to achieve it.
How much current the motor actually draw is entirely dependent on the prop it is coupled to. Too big a prop and it will burn out, too small and it will not generate it maximum power.
This is a bit simplified but you can see there are several variables. Picking the right combination from scratch takes quite a bit of experience.
It is much better to start with a 'recommended' set up for the particular plane (motor, prop, ESC and battery)

 

[Craftydan]

Donner,

Welcome to the forum!

It's hard to pick a motor for you without knowing which stores you can get to affordably in SA. I'll make a few HK recommendations, but otherwise here's what to look for . . .

Overall, a good rule of thumb is 100W/lb (~220W/kg) for "mildly aerobatic" -- general sport flying. A little more or less is fine, but it's a good target

In an Old Fogey, you're looking for a motor capable of delivering 100-200W -- less may fly fine but won't have much oomph, more will be on the heavy side. kV for a given voltage sets how fast . . . general trend is higher kV, higher top speed/lower thrust. no rule of thumb here, but anywhere 1000-1500kv should be fine.

Suggestions:
Turnigy 2730-1300 -- the classic "blue wonder" knockoff. A little light on power, but a solid motor typically recommended for older and smaller FT planes -- will work with most mghty minis, and the smaller regular sized planes

No-Name 28-22 1200kV -- an unbranded version of the motor sold in FT's B-power pack. cheap workhorse, but be prepared to buy the prop adaptors and bullets

D2822/14 1450kV -- solid motor on the faster side.

Those motors have recommended props, I'd go with the recommendation for the one you pick.

 

[schuttkerk@yahoo.com]

Thanks for the info. I'm getting a better understanding. I appreciate the 100W/lb rule.

Any clue as to what the digits 2822 indicate?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[schuttkerk@yahoo.com]

2822

Ah, diameter and length in mm.

 

[RAM]

Painless360 has a lot of good videos explaining this stuff.
https://youtu.be/uLutMoh4Ttg?t=108

 

[schuttkerk@yahoo.com]

Thanks to all for the advice.