MattyB
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Posts posted by MattyB
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6 hours ago, Erfolg said:
I have also read that half the value of a EV is the battery. I am not convinced that many EVs are not overpriced. It suggests that a a typical £40,000 vehicle (often a low cost for an EV), that it cost £20,000 to build the rest of it. Then there is the EU suggestion that Chinese manufactures are dumping EVs as they are often much cheaper. Hmm who is doing what?
Not sure where you read that, but it is no longer correct. Li Ion costs have dropped dramatically in recent years as manufacturing techniques have improved , and even taking into account a small recent rise due to cost of materials (which I concede could be a major electrification challenge in the coming years, and not just to EVs unless they can get sodium batteries working effectively) the cost of your average 40kwh EV pack is $6-7k, or double that for a long range EV with an 80kwh pack.https://www.statista.com/statistics/883118/global-lithium-ion-battery-pack-costs/
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6 hours ago, Erfolg said:
I have just read that "Copart" that 50% of electric vehicles of low mileage EVs, exhibit battery damage. It is not clear why, other than these are low damaged vehicles. the ABI (association of British Insurers) has written that at present it is costing 33% more to repair EVs compared to IC vehicles. It seem that EV design has some way to go.
Sorry, but that needs a source - without one it just reads as Daily Mail FUD. Of course all batteries of every chemistry age to a degree, but levels in the latest EVs using are very low compared to early EVs - Tesla have posted figures saying they expect only 12% capacity loss after 200k, a performance that shows they will easily outlast the car in the vast majority of cases in the EU and US. LFP and other newer chemistries should be significantly better than that too. -
6 hours ago, Erfolg said:
I appreciate that regenerative braking is a good feature. Yet, it is not essential for energy efficiency. In my case I drive a diesel car, it averages 55 mpg. I am still using the original brake pads and tyres at 55, 000 miles. Driving style is important….
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. -
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.
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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.
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2 hours ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said:
One thing that's struck me is the cleanliness of the front wheels, suggesting little brake pad wear. The MG5 doesn't give true "one pedal" driving but I normally have regen at maximum and feather the brakes as it slows.
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! -
3 hours ago, FlyinFlynn said:
It's a brave new world!.... Are you saying no one will ever drive like that after driving an EV? I'm sure not everyone will take this on board and continue to drive in that manner.
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!3 hours ago, FlyinFlynn said:As you slow down regen must surely become less effective, do you never apply your brakes to come to a complete stop?
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).
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5 minutes ago, FlyinFlynn said:
EV's are typically heavier than their ICE counterpart so, if the brakes are used, it stands to reason the particulate emissions will be greater, however, regenerative braking will work against that but it depends on driving style, I often used to follow drivers who were either on the throttle or on the brakes with nothing in-between, that won't really allow regen to work.
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.
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2 hours ago, Alex Lit said:
MattyB. I never flew on slopes or on flat, i have only one glider and i'll fly it maybe next month, so now i don't understand what is less or more interesting for me. Building gliders is very interesting, but i hope flying will be too. Thanks for your opinion, i appreciate it!
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? -
18 minutes ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said:
Rather woolly wording - “usually”, “often” …
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
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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…
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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.
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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.
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2 hours ago, ron evans said:
This is not correct Matty B.
Drove to our club field yesterday,a 15/20 min trip crossing two valleys to get to the cub site nestling in a third.
All villages are now 20, as are the 4 schools on the way, but 4 of the roads linking the villages, with few houses and parked cars have remained 30.
So our council at least have not introduced a blanket 30 to 20 change.
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.
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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.
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54 minutes ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:
No one has mentioned one positive thing about the speed limit in these towns, is that people will keep away and if possible they will go somewhere else, and a few will abandon their cars for bikes.
It’s not just in towns it’s everywhere there used to be a 30 across the whole Welsh nation! -
3 hours ago, Ernie said:
It's good, I think, maybe, very good I put it on charge as far away from anything that could concievably ignite, but close enough that I could hear the wee bleeper, and BINGO, a whopping 8.1V shows on the tranny Thanks all
ernie
Is that charging in the TX, or via your charger? -
15 minutes ago, leccyflyer said:
Possibly due to being scared off by barrack room lawyers who caution about not using the manufacturer's supplied battery. It's highly unlikely that they are of significantly better quality than those available from third party sources. I recall a mention in the magazine of a club which had banned the use of aftermarket receivers, only permitting transmitter-receiver pairs from the major manufacturers, so no Oranges and Lemons allowed.
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.
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1 hour ago, Jake Bullit said:
Does it not charge in the radio set to lipo
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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!
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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.
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8 minutes ago, Ernie said:
Hi again The battery is the one shown in Martins car pic. And, I wasn't sure about LIXX, sounds a bit naughty. If LIXX is ok, I'll go for it, and have the pompiers (our firemen) ready
ernie
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).
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12 minutes ago, Shaun Walsh said:
According to the manual it should charge Lipo, Life and LiIon battery types.
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
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Just now, Ernie said:
Hi Martin and Phil, and thanks. The charger is a RC plus power 80. I've got the wee book, with its tiny chinoiserie instructions, but no mention of Lithium Ion. The battery has Spektrum Lithium Ion 7.4V transmitter battery pack written on it...
ernie
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:
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1 minute ago, Shaun Walsh said:
"Other brands are available" as the BBC would say.
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.
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Some questions about F5K or similar
in Gliders and Gliding - General Discussion
Posted
Aerofoil choice is incredibly complicated, and can’t be looked at in isolation - you have to consider it alongside all the other factors in the overall design to achieve what you want. You also need to be able to build it straight and accurate. If you are building traditionally and want an all rounder to do a bit of everything I would suggest maybe S3021, E205 or (if you are more interested in slope aerobatics) E374 or MH32. The latter will be harder to build i wood though.