Ion hover current?`

[Tabbytabb]

Has anyone thrown a clamp on meter or whatmeter onto their Ion to see what kind of current you are getting in a hover?

I am hovering mine around the front yard a bit and getting shorter flight times then I expected.

I understand that their are lots of variables (blades, gearing, etc) but I was hoping to hear a baseline measurement.

I hovered for about 9 minutes and used 4.79AH out of my 6000Mah packs.

This is with the stock gearing running 100% in idl1.


I was hoping to try the 60T gear I got in the mail but it has one chipped and one deformed tooth so it isnt turning freely.

I am hoping that going to 60t will help reduce current draw in a hover(should in theory. ALso the motor is getting warmer then I would have expected, 155 degrees. Both packs and speed control stay right around 100.

THanks for any input

Tabb

[ChrisS]

Hi Tabb

If you are using the 55 tooth layshaft gear your full throttle hovering current should be around 25 to 27 amps. The 52 tooth will be 3 to 5 amps more.

If just hovering, go ahead and slow down the speed control a bit. It is looking like the new 77 amp speed control is much more thermally robust than the earlier prototype models (see Shannon's experiments with the GV-1). I would think you should be able to slow the thing down to where it is pulling something less than 20 amps...in a hover. Be carefull here as the speed control will heat up, and over a long time period may thermal off... This will not hurt it at all, but will leave you to auto down. In a hover, no big deal. If you do get to where you thermal it off, increase your throttle percentage 5% and try again.

The 60 tooth gear will definately pull a good deal of current consumption out of the system. I'd expect 5 to 8 amps less than the 52 tooth in a full throttle hover.

Oh yeah, if you are going to do a lot of hovering type stuff with the model, I'd recommend you build a little shroud that directs air flow better from the fan to the motor. I have always just used a piece of cardboard to do this.

Chris

[Tabbytabb]

Chris, thanks for the info. What you are saying sounds good. Nice to hear the speed controller is fairly robust.

My friend suggested that we put an EDF 50 ducted fan on the thing for cooling in a hover, not a bad Idea as that thing moves some serious air.

A shroud would work good also.

Are there any more 60T in stock?? Mine had quite a chunk out of it and has a point where the teeth are a little misshaped and it makes the geartrain really rough and binds in one spot.

Thanks for the info

Tabb

[ChrisS]

Hi Tabb
Call the shop today for the 60 tooth gears. I think there are some left yet. I think you will find the fan that comes in the kit should be adequate once you slow down the motor.
Chris

[WayneR]

Tabb why the 100%? We have been running 80% in idle 1 and 85 in idle2. Idle 2 has a V curve going from 85 To 100 . Just curious.

[Tabbytabb]

Wayne, Only reason why I ran 100% was that I wasnt real familiar with the Hacker speed controller so i didnt want to let the smoke out of it :) I was just slowly testing different things and taking temps.

Now with the info I have I realize I can tone it down on the percentage a touch without heating the esc up.

Chris, I called and no more 60's :( You have any idea what kind of timeframe we are looking at?? Also any possibility of larger then 60T??

Thanks
Tabb

[ChrisS]

Hi Tabb
That is solid reasoning on the control settings...they should always be treated as an on/off switch untill you know better. I'm not too sure on the ETA of the 60 tooth gears, I think we did get some 58's in just yesterday though, perhaps you could try one of those.
Chris