Jump to content

MattyB

Members
  • Posts

    4,546
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    10

Everything posted by MattyB

  1. MattyB

    Electric Cars.

    It is, but that is still an exceptional mileage to get out of a set of tyres. I can only assume you must do a lot of very straight motorway miles and not a lot else! I am a pretty gentle driver and the most I’ve ever got out of a set in the UK is about 35k, not sure our roads would allow any more than that tbh. I actually had two tyres die prematurely shortly after COVID, they went out of shape and cracked due to a combination of cold weather and lack of use.
  2. Ok in that case I would go for an aileron equipped glider straight away, as a r/e(/f) thermal soarer may just bore you.
  3. If people believe that a) the new limit is pointless/over the top, and b) there is no chance of enforcement, they won’t change their behaviour. Just human nature I’m afraid.
  4. MattyB

    Electric Cars.

    This is literally the very best feature of driving an EV IMO. I’ve done just under 1k so far, and the alloys still look super clean with none of that horrible brake dust hanging in every nook and cranny. Cleaning the wheels on the car used to be my least favourite job, so I didn’t do it that often which meant my alloys on the old car were in a pretty bad way and would have cost a lot to put right…The wheels on this car should never suffer that fate!
  5. MattyB

    Electric Cars.

    No, I’m saying that everyone I know who owns an EV or hybrid with regenerative braking makes massive use of it when they drive their car. This is because a) it’s fun, b) it makes driving super simple and relaxing, and c) it maximises the range and efficiency of the car, giving you extra miles for free. Would it change your driving style permanently in all vehicles? I’ve no idea, though I did nearly overshoot the first junction of the journey in my wife’s manual Jazz the other day after I forgot it didn’t have regen! Different cars are set up differently. Mine has relatively strong regen as std in B mode, but if you just breathe on the brake pedal (not actually enough to engage the brakes, just light up the brake lights) it engages an even stronger level of regen that will decelerate the car pretty quickly. I don’t generally use this though, as with a bit of planning taking your foot out at the right point with the std level of regen is enough. As you go slower the amount of regen does drop away a little, but it’s well capable of bringing you down to 1-2mph, the std “auto creep” speed. At that point all it takes is a tiny breath on the brake pedal to bring the car to a full stop if you can’t roll the junction due to other traffic. It took me ~20 miles or so to really optimise the technique, but I can now drive it on one pedal 99% of the time whether in full EV or hybrid mode. PS - Although my Passat is not a truly 1-pedal machine, I have driven a Leaf, and in e-pedal mode the regen on that will absolutely bring you to a full halt, and pretty quickly too. I found it so strong it was initially a bit tricky to drive smoothly, but I’m sure you’d get the hang of it in 20-30 miles or so. It certainly seemed very efficient (>5miles/kWh for the test drive I took on a mixture of roads).
  6. MattyB

    Electric Cars.

    Literally nobody I know with an EV or hybrid with regen drives like that. Once you have one and realise how effective the regenerative braking is, people start to drive differently as using it well in urban driving and stop start traffic conditions can give big results. Around town based on some basic tests I reckon the regen is worth about 0.4 miles per kWh, or just over 10% (my car is a PHEV so is obviously not as efficient in full electric mode as the best pure EVs). The biggest problem most EV and hybrid drivers have is keeping their brakes from seizing due to lack of use; I am consciously doing a couple of hard braking events each week now in the Passat to keep the pads and discs in good condition, as they are barely ever touched in normal driving.
  7. Ok… so you said earlier that you already know how to fly; what is your experience level on powered models? Are you solo standard on an aileron power model?
  8. Agreed. Apparently there have been issues with signage too which have caused confusion… https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wales-20mph-speed-limit-roads-b2413611.html
  9. MattyB

    Electric Cars.

    Switching from a 2013 Passat diesel to a 2016 PHEV Passat in August cost me £25 for an additional 3 months, but the car is worth 4x what the old one was so that feels pretty reasonable - doesn’t sound like the battery is baking in much extra cost in this instance. I guess I will find out for certain at renewal time in Dec…
  10. One small addition… On the slope, I always prefer ailerons as it enables you to pick Ip a wing quickly during the landing phase if needed. Personally I find r/e models boring and be-dimensional on the slope - if they are all you can get to fly that day you’d have been better challenging yourself off the flat instead, but if there is any level of decent slope lift available, ailerons make flying a lot more fun.
  11. The need for ailerons is nothing to do with the tail type. There are many factors that will influence the decision - flying style, class rules, pilot experience, aspect ratio, etc. - but tail type is not one of them. If you want a relaxed, easy to thermal model for lower wind conditions, stick with R/e (plus flaps if class rules allow them). If you want to fly in a wider range of conditions, throw in aerobatics every now and again when sport flying and/or class rules allow it, go for ailerons.
  12. Perhaps a slight misunderstanding here… the default in Wales in all built up areas is now 20mph: “We have introduced a default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads across Wales. Restricted roads are usually located in residential and built-up areas where there are lots of people. They often have street lights on them, placed no more than 200 yards apart.“ So yes, the 20mph policy is absolutely country wide, but you are correct that 30s previously in place that were not in built up areas can remain. Local authorities can also grant exceptions in built up areas which you can see here. However, it looks like very few exceptions have actually been granted at this point though; the vast majority are still in process. Based on that and your description of the 30mph roads you were on, I suspect they were in the “not built up” category.
  13. On R/e on the flat I always prefer a traditional cruciform tail, as they are easier to build and trim. On the slope I like V’s as they are hardier against slope abuse and you generally don’t need the rudder that much. Even so, the aerodynamic “advantages” of V’s are largely theoretical imo, especially at model sizes.
  14. It’s not just in towns it’s everywhere there used to be a 30 across the whole Welsh nation!
  15. Is that charging in the TX, or via your charger?
  16. Yeah, I have heard about that, and frankly couldn't believe that any club would do so but there you go. Presumably they had forgotten the days when we all used 35MHz and you could always use pretty much any TX and RX together, bar the single/dual conversion bit.
  17. If it is setup similar to @Peter Jenkins pack described above with a PCB charge board under the heatshrink, you'd think it would do. For the money Spek are charging for these I'd certainly expect that!
  18. 99% of motors at the value end of the market are rebadged. I wouldn't criticise Overlander per-se for doing that, as they aren't being enough to be designing and manufacturing themselves. Just be aware that unless you are buying a higher end motor like a Hacker or Axi, it's highly likely the product you are purchasing is a rebadged one that you can get cheaper from the likes of AliExpress, but without the UK support. You pays your money, etc.
  19. Read the instructions first Ernie. They aren't the easiest to understand, but as far as I can tell you do need to configure the lithium batt type first from "User set program". Don't start charging without conducting this step, or you could overcharge the pack. And definitely check the starting voltage before you begin, as that will be a good indicator of the cell chemistry (I am guessing it is going to be 3.6-3.7V/cell, but lets see).
  20. Yep, it's all there in the manual, seems pretty clear to me... Choose the nominal cell voltage for your pack from "User set program" (in green below), then go back and initiate the charge via "Program select LiXX Batt" (in purple): http://manuals.promodels.be/Plus Power 80 manual_ENG.pdf
  21. What is the model number of the pack? The one I linked above is a lipo ewith a nominal voltage of 7.4V; that model number is SPMB4000LPTX. You can see it printed in the pic:
  22. Well aware of that, I was just pointing out that Spektrum's version of inflation seems to be more extreme than most of the other manufacturers of RC gear. It is unfortunate for those who bought into this ecosystem when it was far more affordable, as now they are pretty much operating at Jeti/Core levels of pricing, except the quality of the TXs is not the same.
  23. PS - Want a laugh? Check out how much Spektrum charge for a 2S 4000 Lipo pack these days...! https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/80400/
  24. What is the nominal voltage of the pack? If you can charge it to 4.2V/cell, then it's safe to use the standard lipo programme. If its an LiFePo4, lithium iron phosphate pack (as@Phil Green notes) then you'll need to use the appropriate programme as they are only charged to 3.6-3.7V/cell. Simplest answer - please post links to the your charger and the battery pack in question then we can answer with more confidence.
  25. Yes, all that info is in the RCG thread linked above. Simply search the thread for the model name of the PSU you have/are intending to buy, and the instructions will pop up if they are there. There's also lots of conversion videos on Youtube; again just do a search with the PSU name.
×
×
  • Create New...