Bergen e-Magnum

[Greg Alderman]

OK...Will James thought maybe I should start a new thread for the e-Magnum...so...here it is...

The setup I am using right now it the following:

Radio:
Futaba 14MZ
Futaba G3 RX
Futaba GY-611
Futaba S9351 Servo's
FlightPower 3000mAh 2S2P RX pack
Duralite 6.0v Regulator with Switch with 5.3v stepdown for tail servo

Drive:
(2) FlightPower Evo20 5S1P 4350mAh (10S)
Actro 32-4 motor
CC HV110 ESC
90T main/ 13T pinion (6.92:1 ratio)
Custom Motor mount (designed and machined by Malorie! Thanks Mal!!!)

Blades:
690mm V-Blades (182.5g)
95mm V-Paddles
95mm V-Tail Blades

Right now all up flying weight is 11.5lbs...there is a lot of area's I can trim weight off as I go. The frames are pretty much solid blanks and could use a lot of material cut out, battery mounting plates are aluminum at the moment (will either change to G10 or get rid of them all together), will drop down from a 3000mAh RX pack to a 1800mAh RX pack...can lose almost .5lbs just by going to the 3700mAh batteries...hoping in the end to be around 11lbs with the 4350mAh batteries and 10.5lbs with the 3750 batteries...

Haven't had a chance to fly much since changing to a 13T pinion and to the CC HV110 ESC...I am using the HV110 in Gov mode with great results...I have the head speed governed down to 1950 and it holds that head speed very well...although during flight I was bogging down to around 1875 during tictoc's, etc...probably my crappy collective management! :arggg: I am getting about 6 minutes of flying with the 4350's and max current draw has not been above 76Amps.

Some things that I will be trying as time (and money) permit...

1) trying 12S with the Actro 32-4
2) changing over to the Actro 32-3 and using a 100T maingear that was designed for another project Chris is working on.


Overall I am very happy right now with how it is flying...still a lot of work left to make things lighter, get it all "Bergen" (yes I am using a couple of parts from another company...as I really didn't want to ask Chris to machine the 2 or 3 items I needed when they were available elsewhere already...when I really didn't know how it would fly... :D)

I am very much looking forward to converting an Observer over to electric soon!

Here are a few pictures of the e-Magnum as it sits right now...

[PaulH]

Overall I am very happy right now with how it is flying...still a lot of work left to make things lighter, get it all "Bergen" (yes I am using a couple of parts from another company...as I really didn't want to ask Chris to machine the 2 or 3 items I needed when they were available elsewhere already...when I really didn't know how it would fly...

Not all Bergen???? There goes your sponsorship... ;) heehee

[Greg Alderman]

Thanks Paul! Chris laughed at me too when I told him...but to buy $30 in parts from an outside source was a lot cheaper that machining a new part just to test a concept! :D

[heliplt]

Looks great, when can I buy one ?????

[JBajkor]

That looks great!
What version of firmware do you have in the CC110HV?
Could you please post your settings for the esc.

BTW, When you change to 32-3, would it not be easier to use a smaller pinion?
Joe

[Greg Alderman]

Joe...I am using the Beta 1.54 firmware on the CC...works great...also changed my Trex 600 over to the CC85 this weekend and it flew perfect in GOV mode also! as for settings...I can't remember exactly so I will have to connect up the castle link tomorrow and post then...I need to get my butt in bed...early morning tomorrow!

yes if I go to the 32-3 I will be installing a new 100T main gear that Chris just had made up for the Turbine Observer and a 10T pinion for 10:1 ratio...I hear that is what people are using on the Ion with great results...just got off the phone with Clintstone and he just put together an Ion with a Actro 32-3, CC110 ESC at a 10:1 gear ratio and he is getting 7 minutes of "clintstone smack" with 10S 4350 FP batteries...putting about 3300mAh back into the batteries after 7mins...

Heliplt...not really sure if it will ever be offered...but I bet if you call Chris B up and tell him you want one it could probably happen...so far the only thing I have really done is change the lower frames a little bit, make a battery plate, and ask Malorie to make me a custom motor mount...I can't wait to start playing with an E-Observer!!!

I have a low quality video of Chuckie flying the E-Magnum this weekend...will try to also get it posted tomorrow also...

thanks for the interest guys!

[heliplt]

The ship looks really great , It looks professionally built.
I was thinking that it would make a great AP ship. :smokin:

[Greg Alderman]

Heliplt...I was actually thinking about changing pinions, putting a EB gasser boom on it and running 810mm blades at about 1500 head speed as an alternative for those wishing to put there own camera mounts on an "EB Gasser" size electric...I have everything at the house to try it...think I would need to remove the canopy and place the batteries in the front on the bottom of the battery tray...

although...If I used the gasser "spacers" to widen the frame I bet I could get the batteries mounted inbetween the frames! hmmmm....more idea's to look into!

[rkeith2]

Greg,

That's a neat idea, I will fly that for sure.

[Greg Alderman]

OK...I just uploaded that video to Debian Dog's server...as soon as he comes back on line I have asked him to post the video of chuckie flying the E-Magnum last Friday in this thread instead of the video forum...

I just watched it again and it looks pretty good for a heli that still needs some weight trimmed off it!

[WayneBrown]

kinda like the owner of the heli?
hehehe I couldn't help it man..
When are you going on Terminal leave? and When you coming back down this way? I wanna check it out.

[Greg Alderman]

Very funny Wayne...I go on Terminal Leave on 9 Dec...not sure...probably in January at for Clint's b-day...

Can't believe I will be retired in less than 30days!!!! :smokin:

[Greg Alderman]

Joe...I also attached the "settings file" for the HV110...

but quickly here are the settings:
cutoff voltage: 30v
cuttoff type: soft
throttle type: Gov Low (still bouncing back and forth on this setting...in GOV High my throttle curve is 30%...in GOV Low I have the throttle curve set at 80%...seems to hold head speed fine in either setting???)
motor start power: custom 65
PWM rate: 13khz
throttle response: Medium (5)
current limiting: Insensitive
motor timing: Standard Advance
GOV gain: High (80)
spoolup speed: Custom (7)

I also setup the throttle endpoints as described in a thread over in the Electric MA forum:

The endpoints values that the CC ESC uses are fixed, so we must adjust the Tx ATV's to match. Will will use the ESC's beeps produced on entry to setup to do this.

1. blades off - just in case
2. adjust your Tx's THRO ATV's to 50%, assuming neutral is 50% - we want the THRO channel to produce center stick pulse width regardless of where the stick is
3. perform the following setup with no THRO curve (ie. 0 - 100 str line)
4. power up the ESC with the THRO stick in high position, the ESC should be seeing a mid-stick value and do nothing
5. slowly increase the THRO high ATV until the controller beeps indicating entry to setup mode - add a couple more clicks and you're done with high ATV (actual value may be quite low - vlaues in the 55 - 65 range are common)
6. disconnect the ESC
7. return the transmitter stick to bottom position
8. power up the ESC now with the Tx stick in low position
9. slowly increase the low ATV until the ESC arms - add a couple more clicks and you're done - again values may be surprisingly low depending on your tx your range could be anywheres from 65 -135.

This will have to be done again if you go from fixed to governor or vice vera, the range may be different between the two.

Hope this helps...BTW...I am now flying the HV85 in my Trex 600...I am using pretty much the same settings with the exception that I had to go to "GOV High" to get any head speed out of the Trex 600...the GOV mode is fantastic in this firmware version!

[JBajkor]

Thanks Greg,
I have a Shulze in my Bergan EB and do not like the startup. I have a spare CC110HV and will give it a try. My software is also V1.54 so I should be able to just drop the numbers in place.
Joe

[Greg Alderman]

Joe...actually you can download the file...unzip it and load the file to the HV110 through the Castle Link...

OH....and thanks for the nice comment...

The ship looks really great , It looks professionally built. :D

[DebianDog]

The quality was not that bad so I posted it in the video section anyway :p
e-Bergen Prototype - Charles Rosario - 34 megs Windows format (http://video.helifreak.com/?subpath=bergen&filename=e-BergenNov06Charles.wmv)

[Greg Alderman]

Been a while since I posted anything on the E-Magnum (had to do a little thing like retire and move to OH)...well...after seeing some other designs being posted the past few months...the E-Magnum has sort of morphed into a completely different bird. Essentially the morphing was needed because of the limited gear ratios available with the 90T main gear. With the unlimited gear ratio's now available I have changed over to the more widely used Actro 32-3...although I still plan to use the stump pulling 32-4 in the E-Observer.

After turning about 10 hubs to hold the pinion gear I finally got one that runs pretty true...although I am beginning to think the hub really needs to be made on a CNC machine...or my skills on a lathe need to improve! But...the adapters were the first thing I ever turned! (Thanks for the patience with me on the lathe Chris and Larry! You really can teach old dogs new tricks!)

Due to the bone chilling weather we are having here in OH I have only had about a 30 sec test flight with the new system...I really want to get some flights on the "new" E-Magnum as not only is the power train new...but I put a Logictech 6100GT gyro on the bird...so I can't wait to fly it!

Here are a couple of pictures of the new frames and power train...

[WillJames]

Sweet Greg. What ratio are you trying now?

[MarkWebber]

Sweet :glasses2: 30 seconds?? I've managed a full tank on my flybarless conversion. You must not be acclimated yet :D . Here's to better flying weather

[v22chap]

Mark
You must not be acclimated yet

I live only 4 hours from Greg and have lived here all my life and I still only got 35 seconds on my new E-Intripid gasser conversion on Sun. :lol:
And I'll raise a glass to better flying weather too. :hug:

[keith shaw]

Greg, keep us posted on the life cycles of your batt.packs. It would be interesting to know your cost per flight based on the initial cost to convert vs. # of flights before packs were no longer serviceable.

[Greg Alderman]

Keith...Clintstone is still flying hard on packs that have 250+ cycles through them! I am only up to 25 cycles on my packs...so it is probably going quite a while until I lose a pack!

My problem seems to be the ESC's! I had another HV-110 stop talking to the CastleLink...it is the 3rd one to do this to me...I have no idea what the problem is...but CC's customer service is awesome...they have fixed the ESC evertime free of charge...

[keith shaw]

Keith...Clintstone is still flying hard on packs that have 250+ cycles through them! I am only up to 25 cycles on my packs...so it is probably going quite a while until I lose a pack!

My problem seems to be the ESC's! I had another HV-110 stop talking to the CastleLink...it is the 3rd one to do this to me...I have no idea what the problem is...but CC's customer service is awesome...they have fixed the ESC evertime free of charge... Wow! Clintstone's flying Bergen?
Keul! Or is Clintstone flying the same batteries? Probably the latter in a MA machine. Either way, it'll be interesting to know the cost of the new battery technology and peripherals vs. the cost of the old tried and true, but messy :lol:

[Greg Alderman]

Clintstone's flying Bergen?


Haha! yep the MA Team Captain is secretly flying an E-Bergen on the side! :D Naw...his 10S 4350mAh Flight Power packs are what a was talking about!

[Greg Alderman]

Well...today I managed to make a pinion adapter that runs VERY true and tweaked it a little bit and got the entire Pinion assy running with a runout less that .002in...Soldered in my last and "spare" HV-110 (Talked with Bernie at Castle Creations about my problems and sent the problematic ESC back to Castle) and got a test hover in a few minutes ago...MAN! I am in heaven!!! The E-Magnum is smoother than it ever has been...

I think I am going to like this 2 stage set up! Right now I am running a final gear ratio of 10.1/1

Here is my "homemade" drill press and file made pinion adaptor! It started out as a 24T pully that I decided I wasn't going to use... :D