Beginning of the end

[mewsikman]

It looks like its the beginning of the end of mixture screw and needle valves forever and this is the engine..... its a computer controlled engine.... Here is the site if you dont believe me http://www.ripmax.com/item.asp?itemid=L-OS19230&ItemsPerPage=100&selectedtab=080&Category=080-010-170

[DavidH]

Yes that engine has been around for several years. Nothing new there.
If you look at the specs you will see the problem for heli use. 9000 rpm. Most heli engines turn at least 16K plus rpms.

David

[mewsikman]

Sorry first time I have ever seen one

[Ivan]

I would not call it the beginning of the end, rather a new beginning.

After being an automotive technician for several years, I have come to the conclusion that I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever own a carbureted vehicle again. Mind you I can make a Quadrajet sing and a Holly growl like no tomorrow, and they are fine for race cars, but for my own car, it is EFI all the way. I really like the part about turning the key and it starting every time, regardless if it is -30º or 115º in the shade. Fuel ecomomy is greatly increased, and reliability is astronomical.

If and when model engines get to the point vehicles have, we will be so spoiled. I am looking forward to that. :YeaBaby:

[MarkD]

The problem is that the brains that control the engine add extra weight - not so much an issue with 1/2 ton of car but on 3Kgs of heli and space it could be a problem.

Also I would rather spend £100 on a duff engine then the £400 on the control system should/will fail :p

And as another point - how much does the software cost to tune the said engine??

[Ivan]

Umm, what about governors, gyros, regulators and the like. I don't think a control unit for an engine is going to cost as much as the typical addons a modern heli has already. It may add another ounce, which is less than most people add in weight with aluminum "upgrades" to their helis.

I don't think failure is going to be a problem either, since modern electronics are fairly bulletproof, as witnessed by the other electronics with which we entrust our expensive toys. Receivers, gyros, governors, transmitters, and a plethora of other devices we commonly put on our helis have a very low failure rate.

As far as expense, I have to agree with you there. They will be expensive, but we can fly without gyros, and the cost is never counted against them. Also, when I started flying helis governors weren't used much, and the Futaba GV1 wasn't even invented until a couple years later, but now days, most everyone has them, and don't count cost against them. I can speculate, but I may be proven wrong, that the cost of an engine controller will be part of the package. I would guess that electrics will become the supercessor, though.

Anyway, it is hard to imagine having an engine that runs more reliable than todays engines, which are pretty spectacular compared to my first model engine, a Fox .15X.

[robbin wilham]

its a way to get the epa involved in rc ,having experience with fuel injection auto and computers it would cost thousands to get a set-up to run right ,if you were using throttle body inj. then you wouldnt need mass air flow,and intake plenum, but you would still need a miniture throttle position sensor ,and crank angle sensor ,temp sensor,egr valve,and a oxygen sensor,not to mention electric fuel pump and electronic control module,these are just a few of the requirements for fuel injection and being a 2stroke it might need more if it would work ,it would work better on the 4stroke but just think of how hard it is to get cars to run proper all the time ,i am a true believer in fewer parts fewer problems,and think of all the parts ive listed how much weight would it all weigh,thats just my insight ,no thanks i will keep my reliable needle valves and if they become unreliable then i will spend $15 on new ones and be as good as new again. :thumbdown:

[DavidH]

its a way to get the epa involved in rc ,having experience with fuel injection auto and computers it would cost thousands to get a set-up to run right ,if you were using throttle body inj. then you wouldnt need mass air flow,and intake plenum, but you would still need a miniture throttle position sensor ,and crank angle sensor ,temp sensor,egr valve,and a oxygen sensor,not to mention electric fuel pump and electronic control module,these are just a few of the requirements for fuel injection and being a 2stroke it might need more if it would work ,it would work better on the 4stroke but just think of how hard it is to get cars to run proper all the time ,i am a true believer in fewer parts fewer problems,and think of all the parts ive listed how much weight would it all weigh,thats just my insight ,no thanks i will keep my reliable needle valves and if they become unreliable then i will spend $15 on new ones and be as good as new again. :thumbdown:


Has nothing to do with EPA. Just a way to make the engine run more consistent and produce max power at all times.

but you would still need a miniture throttle position sensor ,and crank angle sensor ,temp sensor,and electronic control module

Engine pictured in first post has those things. The control module is not pictured. It is the same size as a GY 502/611 control box or the GV1 control box.

David

[Pinecone]

All my EFI cars start and run and make lots of power. No problems, no tweaking, no fuss, no bother.

Topping out at 333 HP out of 3.2 L. All because of electronic controls.

For RC heli, no EGR required. Carb Smart already does mixture by head temp, but O2 sensor is even better.

And there is a make it yourself EFI system for cars that you can tweak all the settings using your laptop.

And nice thing for helis, you can make full throttle slightly richer than mid range for better cooling, and still get a nice idle.

I agree with Ivan, modern systems are amazing, compared to the old days. I had dual 40DCOE Webers on a Toyota. I probably had a $1000 in main jets, air correction jets, emulsifier tubes, etc, and this was in the 70s, when $1000 was some serious money.