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Prop size vs amp draw


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 Hi - I've just more or less finished a Hangar 9 Pulse XT40 and have a Dualsky motor up front, Turnigy 60 UBEC and 4S Lipo.

I ran this up to full throttle using an 11x7 APCE prop and got about 515 watts at 38 amps. I suspect I should really be using a 12x6 prop but would I get the same thrust for possibly less speed and would I be able to maintain the watts output? Ideally, I'd like to be drawing slightly fewer amps as my motor has a 40 amp limit

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well why do you suspect you need to change it ? -  if you change to a 12 x 6 the amps will probably be pretty much the same , and you will  get more thrust but less speed. As shaun says, the motor will unload in the air ( often as much as 25% or more, so you you should be fine at 38A static.
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According to the Hobson site, which a lot of folk have found useful - to turn a 12x6 at the same revs as an 11x7 needs around 20% more power, and the 12x6 will give around 40% more static thrust. The 6" pitch will, of course, result in a lower pitch speed, which may or may not be important to you dependig on the styleo f flying involved.

HTH

Mike

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But I doubt the revs will stay quite the same, despite the motors attempts to maintain its Kv.Of course without a wattmeter or similar, it is not possible to accurately say what effecxt the other prop may have.

What is the Hobson site Mike, sounds interesting ?

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Thanks all - I suspect my style of flying will be pretty sedate - the Pulse is a follow on from my trainer. The 12x6 sounds like it's the way to go, I guess I'll put one on the wattmeter and just make sure it doesn't fry my motor. Once airborne I would think I could throttle back quite a way and still get reasonable performance - running the 11x7 at full throttle was a pretty scary experience (uprooting trees, causing the tides to change etc...)

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Timbo

If you Google 'Thrusthp' that should find it. It is a downloadable (free) utility which will calculate the power required to turn a given prop at whatever revs, expressed in BHP and also gives the static thrust for the combination. I have checked it against a variety of combinations in th epast and in terms of power required it is pretty accurate. I don't have a set-up for measuring static thrust so I take that element on trust.

HTH

Mike

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Hi Sean - have you checked this for accuracy? I input diameter of 11, pitch of 7 and rpm of 12580 (motor kv multiplied by voltage?) and got a wattage figure of 910 on the s/sheet. I only measured 515 on my meter.

Maybe I need to input more parametres? 

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I am not sure this relates to electric flight at all ? Plus of course his calc are for power out, as opposed to our normal electric power claculations of power in ( Volts X Amps ).

I inputted the data from one of my own s/sheets and records , and the power was way off.  My Alienator on a 9 X 6 prop revved at 11000 and the wattage input was 488 as measured by my whattmeter, and 486 watts by maths

( Amps were 47 and volts were 10.4 )

This linked s/sheet with a 9 x 6 prop and 11000 rpm gave 233 Watts as power output. I know my Mega motor is better than 48% efficient !

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Apologies - it seems I failed to take account of ohm's law in calculating my motor's rpm - it would be nearer 11300 and the wattage then works out at 660 which is closer to what I read (but no cigar)

Interestingly, the calculation says a 12 x 6 prop should give 800 watts...

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