Help! Wiring up electronics for the first time, and need some help.

[Mckee]

I got most of my kit the other day for my MIghty MIniPBY, but this being my first scratch build I didn't order everything quite right. I am planning on running both motors on a single channel. My receiver is a Spektrum AR637T. The paperwork says channel 1 is throttle. I assume I need a y-harness this this one or the heavy duty version, is that correct? Next question is about the battery. I ordered this which looks like it has a "deans" plug on it. Do adapters exist or should I return it?

 

[Pieliker96]

Those Y-harnesses should work. Make sure to snip the middle (red) wire going to one of the ESCs so that their integrated voltage regulators don't get angry with each other and blow up - I'd recommend doing this on the y-adapter side and insulating the loose ends with tape.
Adapters do exist, you'd be looking for a XT-60 Female to Deans Male adapter.

 

[Mckee]

Great, thanks. Turns out I bought 2s batteries and I need 3s, so I have to return them anyway. Am I right that the "C" rating of the battery is the safe discharge rate cap? If so is a 25C sufficient?

 

[Arcfyre]

Assuming you have a 6 channel TX to go with that RX, you can program the system to use channel 1 and channel 5 or 6 for throttle. That would save you from buying that overpriced Y harness you linked. Additionally, running your ESCs in different channels will allow you to program differential thrust, which is super useful on a seaplane.

Yes, there are adapters for deans to xt60 or whatever. However, this is a bandaid fix. I would highly recommend that you get a decent quality soldering iron and learn how to solder your own battery and ESC connectors. Not only does it make for cleaner installations (less adapters and wiring) but it also vastly increases your available selection when shopping for batteries and speed controllers, as you don't need to get ones with the right ends already attached.

 

[Pieliker96]

Am I right that the "C" rating of the battery is the safe discharge rate cap?

Yes. Multiply the battery's capacity in amp-hours (divide milli-amp hours by 1000) by the c-rating (use constant loading, not "burst" ratings) to get the maximum amperage you can safely continuously draw from the battery. This can be compared with the motor's datasheet (if present) for the current draw given a particular prop and cell count.

 

[Mckee]

I've designed a lot of DC systems, but nothing this small. All the stuff I worked on was big. 1000s of amp hours/Kw, and monster cabling. I am still coming up to speed with all the gear.

 

[Mckee]

Assuming you have a 6 channel TX to go with that RX, you can program the system to use channel 1 and channel 5 or 6 for throttle. That would save you from buying that overpriced Y harness you linked. Additionally, running your ESCs in different channels will allow you to program differential thrust, which is super useful on a seaplane. Snip...

I unfortunately don't have a decent transmitter yet, but a better transmitter, and differential throttle are very much on my list. This hobby is expensive to get into.

 

[Bricks]

I unfortunately don't have a decent transmitter yet, but a better transmitter, and differential throttle are very much on my list. This hobby is expensive to get into.

What transmitter do you have?

 

[Mckee]

The Spektrum MLP6DSM