Seagull, Innovator EP

[Chris C]

ive just seen this thread and id like to add ive just got a innovator 2 days a go

[Chris Chaplin]

Hi, Guys, Me again, Just setup my innovator with  new GWS 3024/8t on a 11" prop, Battery is 3S 2100 Lipo. ESC 60amp,  Flys well, 4.5mins flight time.  which is fine for now.

Ive also got a GWS T6, 4ch warbird trainner, YELLOW & RED, using a gws bl2215 outrunner, 10"x6 Prop / 3S 1800 lipo and 18amp esc. nano servos,  looks great, will fly it next week , I hope.  any on else got one of these.  

Cheers Chris.

[Louis Benjamin]

hi chris

I used a thunder tiger 25bl outrunner to start with on the innovator with a 11 x 7 prop. It seemed to be drawing far too many amps and the flight times were similar to yours. A 11 x 5.5 was slightly better but i eventyally found that fitting an e-flite 25 obl motor with a 11 x 7 apc prop gave me around 13 minutes on full-ish power.

[Chris C]

guys what prop could i use on my innovator i have a 1290kw motor and a 2500mah lipo so what prop size could i use?????

[Chris Chaplin]

what motor brand is it and could you let us know the watt power rating.

  i`m using a 11x7 prop on my innovator, motors is rated at 350 watts @1200kv on 3S / 2200 lipo, I get around 5/6 mins flight time 10 mins if i use 2x 2200 lipo in par. eg 11.1v / @ 4400mah.

hope this helps

Chris Chaplin

[Chris C]

Thank you for the info

the motor is a kms quatum brushless motor

[Peter Wood]

Birdy

 

Just reding your article on Innovator and notice byou mention the clamp meter. I know you only measure on lead, is the current 3 x meter reading, or does it alter like an ac motor with 3 x root 3 of current. Have you compared it with a wattmeter. I know watts is voltage x current

 

Peter

[Andy Harris]

That cheap clamp ammeter may work.  Measure the current on one of the leads going to the motor, because that will be AC.  Then use 1.73 x amps x volts to get power.

 

You may get no reading because the ESC/motor work on a very high frequency compared to mains 50Hz.  50Hz is what these meters generally work on.

 

I have a DC clamp ammeter, these are generally more expensive, I think mine was £60.  For models, I prefer to use a watt meter because I can see all the values in one place.

 

Andy

[Peter Wood]

Thanks andy. I measured the current on my apprentice and noted it was a bit low, but am going to buy an Innovator, and have quite a large motor so am going to select the prop to suit the motor, so if I change your 1.73 to 2 to error on the same side, then 400 watts, is going to read approx 20A on a 3 cell battery.

 

Peter

[birdy]

Hi peter,

I bought the clamp ammeter thinking that I could measure dc current with it, but alas no. I do not actually have a innovator, but something which is similar called an ultrafly tutor 32e.

My understanding of brushless motors is that they apply full voltage to certain coils in the motor, chosen according to the wires the voltage is applyed to, for varying amouts of time, and that therefore makes me think that therefore the current displayed from the ammeter would be the actual current drawn.

Look at Andy's post though 'cos he seems to know what he is talking about.

 

birdy

[Peter Wood]

Birdy.

 

I have just found my Wattmeter, and used it in conjunction with the Maplins Clamp meter.

 

Obviously measuring round one lead of the motor, not battery. The clampmeter read 20A, the Wattmeter read 5.6, that gives total current of 16.8 Amps. Which gives a factor of 1.19. So it is safe if you want Total Amps, it is just over 3 x clamp meter reading.

 

I personaly find it easier to use a clamp meter than a watt meter, as you don't need so many leads.

 

I am sure that if someone wants to be on the safe side, he can make up a graph or table with clamp meter amps and watts, ( Watts = amps x 3 x 1.19 x Volts)

 

amps is read on clamp meter and volts is the lipo voltage

 

Another approximation for my example  Watts= 5.6 x 1.19 x 10 = 199.92 Watts.

 I have assumed a 3 cell lipo gives approx 10v on load

 

[Olly P]

If you need an multi-meter, there is a company called 'the range' in the northwest, they have a few stores, I know they do multi meters which seem fine for our applications for about £5.

 

I intend to collect one tonight...

[Peter Wood]

I have had a few successful flights but I needed about 40a to take off. I put in a larger battery 3200 and larger wheel and it took of great in 1 inch long grass. Flew great but hit the top of Rugby post, which dented the wing. Quite easy to repair, but the nose sectionis almost written off. Does anyone have detailed pictures of the nose section. Or can I buy a nose section separately. The complete fus is nearly half the cost of the plane.

 

Peter

[buster prop]

Getting back to the Innovator EP, I flew mine the other day. 280W from a 3S 3200 35C battery into a GWS 3020/8T motor (850KV) through a Dualsky 40 Amp ESC and an 11 x 5.5 APC prop. This gives enough power for a trainer at just over 90W/Lb although It needed 3/4 throttle flying level circuits and figure 8's. I use Spektrum gear with an AR500 receiver, have mixed in some rudder with the ailerons to help the plane to turn. Flies well enough for me but I landed it after about 10 minutes as this was its first flight with a new battery. Still flying ok but the voltage was down to 11.2. Yes, I think the Innovator EP is a good trainer which flies well with a relatively cheap power train.