Solved Powering FT Simple Storch

[Inq]

My current setup seems to be underpowered for the Storch. I can barely climb and there is no way I can do the stunts shown in the videos. In fact, I think I could very easily get behind the power curve and get in a bad way and auger-in. According to the build page, I have a slightly smaller than recommended motor. I have a

A2212, 1000Kv
30A ESC
10x4.5 Prop

versus the recommended...
2217/7 1200kv
25amp Speed Controller
10x4.7 prop

Maybe I'm not too savvy yet on the differences, but these don't seem that different. Certainly nothing like a A3536 being 50% bigger in diameter and 300% longer. What are some of the motor/ESC/Prop combinations you all are using that can do the near 3D stunts with the Storch?

Thanks.

 

[BrickPlane]

Just thinking out loud, but you've got a motor that is smaller, lower KV, and a proo with less pitch. That all together must be enough to cause the problem. I wouldn't have expected a huge difference, but I'm not well versed on the nitty gritty of motor specs.

 

[Inq]

Just thinking out loud, but you've got a motor that is smaller, lower KV, and a proo with less pitch. That all together must be enough to cause the problem. I wouldn't have expected a huge difference, but I'm not well versed on the nitty gritty of motor specs.

You may be right, I just wouldn't have thought the differences would be that great. Here is where he takes off with at the end of the build video and actually hangs on the propeller a little later.

Mine takes at least 10 yards to take off and it can barely climb out.

I just checked the weight... ready to fly:
without the battery 718 grams
with 2200 mAhr battery 884 grams.
Seems comparable to the plan's weights.

 

[XSrcing]

Have you calibrated the ESC to make sure it is giving you full throttle?

 

[Piotrsko]

Well you could see if thrust is more than it weighs, but napkin engineering says you are significantly less thrust than specified

 

[Inq]

Have you calibrated the ESC to make sure it is giving you full throttle?

Ahhhh... didn't know there was some way to do anything to it. It's the cheap, commodity job...

 

[luvmy40]

Power up the radio, set throttle gimble to full up, power up ESC/receiver, wait for beeps then lower the throttle completely, wait for beeps. ESC calibrated.

 

[Flyingshark]

My current setup seems to be underpowered for the Storch. I can barely climb and there is no way I can do the stunts shown in the videos. In fact, I think I could very easily get behind the power curve and get in a bad way and auger-in. According to the build page, I have a slightly smaller than recommended motor. I have a

A2212, 1000Kv
30A ESC
10x4.5 Prop

versus the recommended...
2217/7 1200kv
25amp Speed Controller
10x4.7 prop

Maybe I'm not too savvy yet on the differences, but these don't seem that different. Certainly nothing like a A3536 being 50% bigger in diameter and 300% longer. What are some of the motor/ESC/Prop combinations you all are using that can do the near 3D stunts with the Storch?

Thanks.

I think the motor's the weak point of your setup. FliteTest now recommends a 10x4.5 prop when you go to buy the Storch kit on their store, but they think it should be attached to a C-pack's 2218 1180kV motor. You're essentially flying a plane designed for a C-pack with a B-pack.

Based on my own experience with other planes of a similar size, I do think a plane like that would feel very underpowered and more like a trainer than a 3D-capable plane, so you'll definitely need to change something to get the extra power you want. Calibrating the ESC is great first step like others have suggested, but if that doesn't solve the issue, I would swap out the motor for something bigger.

 

[Foamforce]

Coincidentally, my first plane, a few months ago, was a Storch with that exact motor and ESC from Amazon. I managed to fly with it, but it was underpowered. It definitely contributed to my first few flights being difficult, particularly at takeoff where I had a lot of problems with tip stalling due to not going fast enough. I upgraded to the C pack (radial) motor from FT and it just about leapt off the ground after that. Night and day difference.

The 2212 with 3 cell gets about 802g of thrust.
http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/view/206

Vs about 1156g with this 2217.
http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/view/243

Pretty big bump, although I think the radial might be even bigger, like a 2218.

 

[Foamforce]

Incidentally, I also got the kit that had both the CW and the CCW props. After I broke my CCW prop and while I was waiting for new props to arrive, I reversed my motor and used the CW prop until it broke too. I don’t recall it handling noticeably different, but I was brand new. The FT props are way tougher than the cheap props that came with it. The cheap ones break with almost any ground contact, whereas the FT ones take a direct hit before they break.

 

[Inq]

Coincidentally, my first plane, a few months ago, was a Storch with that exact motor and ESC from Amazon. I managed to fly with it, but it was underpowered. It definitely contributed to my first few flights being difficult, particularly at takeoff where I had a lot of problems with tip stalling due to not going fast enough. I upgraded to the C pack (radial) motor from FT and it just about leapt off the ground after that. Night and day difference.

The 2212 with 3 cell gets about 802g of thrust.
http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/view/206

Vs about 1156g with this 2217.
http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/view/243

Pretty big bump, although I think the radial might be even bigger, like a 2218.

Thank you for the information and those links. I was having trouble trying to rationalize differences. With that site, I can better predict what I need/want.

 

[Foamforce]

Thank you for the information and those links. I was having trouble trying to rationalize differences. With that site, I can better predict what I need/want.

Fwiw, the 22 part of 2212 is the diameter of motor stator and 12 is the length. So the 2217 is the same diameter but is 42% longer, which closely matches the 44% increase in thrust.

 

[Inq]

Coincidentally, my first plane, a few months ago, was a Storch with that exact motor and ESC from Amazon. I managed to fly with it, but it was underpowered. It definitely contributed to my first few flights being difficult, particularly at takeoff where I had a lot of problems with tip stalling due to not going fast enough. I upgraded to the C pack (radial) motor from FT and it just about leapt off the ground after that. Night and day difference.

The 2212 with 3 cell gets about 802g of thrust.
http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/view/206

Vs about 1156g with this 2217.
http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/view/243

Pretty big bump, although I think the radial might be even bigger, like a 2218.

Those links work fine for me, but every time I try to, "Find A Motor" and do a search for another motor, I get an error...
www.flybrushless.com is currently unable to handle this request.
HTTP ERROR 500

I tried it several times over a couple of days and I tried registering and I never got the confirmation email. Is there a trick?

Thanks.

 

[Foamforce]

Those links work fine for me, but every time I try to, "Find A Motor" and do a search for another motor, I get an error...
www.flybrushless.com is currently unable to handle this request.
HTTP ERROR 500

I tried it several times over a couple of days and I tried registering and I never got the confirmation email. Is there a trick?

Thanks.

I got the links to the specific motors from AltitudeHobbies .com so I never actually tried searching directly on that site. The search looks broken, but Browse by Manufacturer works. Choose Suppo, which seems to be a common manufacturer of the budget motors.

 

[Bayboos]

Hi guys; I'm sorry for late input, but please let me add my two cents about the Storch's power requirements:

The power setup used in this video:

- hexTronik 24g outrunner (~80W)
- GWS SF 8x4 prop
- Plush 12A ESC
- 1600mAh 3s LiPo

More details can be found in the video description.

Good luck, and have fun!