Alpha 180 glider motor options??

[Steven Butler]

Hi all

I am looking at acquiring an alpha 180 glider but it does not come with a motor etc. I have never ventured into electric flight so have no idea what I will need to complete the model.

I have a fusion elysium charger so can charge lipos.

Can anyone suggest a motor/esc/ battery set up and where I should go to buy.

Any help gratefully received

Steve

[Pete B]

Have a look at this thread, Steven. Quite a bit of info there - if you have any further questions, ask away!

Pete

[PatMc]

Hi Steven, I have a Protech Unlimited 600 which uses the same fuselage & tail as the Alpha but smaller span wings. It's faster & aerobatic rather than a thermal floater, however the motor mount problems are identical & IMO the same power would suit the Alpha.

 

I'm using one of these inrunners with 3s 2200 lipos, a 30A ESC & a Graupner 8x4.5 folding prop. This pulls around 26A for 270W so even though mine has been OK I would advise using a 35A or 40A rated ESC.

 

Here's a couple of pics of the battery & motor mounting method I use :

 

You will see there's a metal "strap" holding the motor to the supplied plastic fixing. Also you might notice in the first pic there's a black painted canopy/hatch which I made in fibre glass using a spring loaded catch to retain. The original canopy was a flimsy affair that was broken when I got the model & a common problem with both of these Protech models.

When I obtained the model (second hand) it came with a spare fuselage & tail unit. I've fitted this out for slope soaring with a dummy spinner & the servos well forward to help get the cg right. This one has a canopy moulded from a pop bottle that's permanently taped in place.

Here's a couple of pics showing the servos fixing & the model ready to fly in sloper mode.

 

 

 

[Steven Butler]

That is a very thorough reply. Thanks for the help guys

Steve