SEA DUCK... 3s or 4s???

[menus666]

I have ordered a SEADUCK speedbuilt kit and a power pack C twin from great hobbies(because I'm canadian)

Is it better to fly with 3s or 4s??

Does I need some modification to make it better??

I have see on a other post someone have put reinforcement in the wing. Does I realy need it??

Sorry for poor english

 

[Mytmerc83]

The emax motors for the "C" pack are good for 2 or 3s I myself would not try them on 4s, but maybe others have.

 

[menus666]

ok thank you!!

 

[J Bergsmith]

I fly mine on a 4s 3200, and it's a lot of fun. I have to try it on a 3s, should be plenty though.

 

[kevparang]

Sometimes 4s can be bad, they made overheat your electronics and that will be either a fly away or bad stuff, but both have power.

 

[bitogre]

Sometimes 4s can be bad, they made overheat your electronics and that will be either a fly away or bad stuff, but both have power.

That should only be a problem if you are using ESCs not rated for 4s or from a manufacturer that does not include proper margins. It can also be a problem if you do not provide sufficiency cooling with proper air flow. I do think the Power Pack C is good quality so 4S should be fine if you make sure the ESCs have reasonable air flow (which the Sea Duck should provide enough so long as you put the ESC in with the heat-sink side of the ESC up).

 

[Mytmerc83]

The motor it's self is not rated for 4s check it out, it will heat up too even in the open air. If you push it pasted about 27amps that motor gets very very hot that is from real life experience.

 

[bitogre]

The motor it's self is not rated for 4s check it out, it will heat up too even in the open air. If you push it pasted about 27amps that motor gets very very hot that is from real life experience.

Oops, missed that. Yes, if you want to go 4S, you really should get motors that can handle the 4S or you may end up having to do a deadstick landing.

 

[Mytmerc83]

Or worst it burns out your ESC and you loose power and control on your newly built guinea pig. And you watch it death spiral into Mother Earth. Ask me I know, have the video.

 

[localfiend]

The motor it's self is not rated for 4s check it out, it will heat up too even in the open air. If you push it pasted about 27amps that motor gets very very hot that is from real life experience.

Motors, especially lower KV motors like the 1100kv C packs really don't care about battery voltage. You can run a C pack motor on 4s or 5s without overheating if you use the right sized prop. Some higher KV motors could run into problems with higher cell batteries, but that has more to do with the motor spinning too fast for the bearings to handle than power.

So, the C pack motor doesn't have to have a 4s "rating" to be able to be safely used with a 4s battery. I run mine all the time on 4s with a smaller prop when I want more airspeed.

ESC's on the other hand can be another story, especially when they have built in BEC's. BEC's can overheat very quickly if you use a higher cell battery than what they're meant to handle.

 

[Mytmerc83]

I fly both the guinea and sea duck on 3s 3200mah battery. I get about 8 mins of fly time and have all the power these planes need. I'm not saying you can't run 4s it not rated and there for could cause issues. I did do a little bench testing early on on this motor it will not run a 6s 4400mah not even for 30 seconds, the pole were black and it let the smoke out. But it still turned(after the smoke cleared and it cooled down) and the ESC which was a 80 amp was fine. I think if I remember I was running a 6x6 prop I'd have to look it was a long time ago.

 

[kevparang]

Yes, make sure you have airflow inside of it.

 

[Cooter3690]

Josh mentions in the build video you can use a 4s as long as you drop the size down to a 9x4.5 prop. Check out the speed built options, it's even listed as an add on. I trust his judgment but I'm wondering what size I could go up to without making it too heavy. Anyone have experience with a battery bigger then the 2250 mah that's on the store?

Update: I built it and flown it on a 4S battery using a 9x4.5 prop and it worked out great. Haven't had a problem with over heating at all and it has globs of power.

 

[Winglet]

I fly mine on 3 cells and it is plenty of power. The ESC's would be very hard to replace once the airplane is built. I decided on 3 cells mostly because I didn't want to have issues with the esc's or motors. It is a great airplane!