Will old electric motors ever have the fascination that IC engines do?

[Robin Colbourne]

There's a certain fascination in turning a diesel or glow engine over in your hand, or even starting it, if its got a tank.

IC engines appeal to all the senses:

• The texture of castings and smooth polished surfaces.
• Reflections and rainbow patterns as light diffracts off the machined face of the exhaust port.
• Aromas of fuel, burnt castor and, for the compression screw twiddlers, ether.
• Sound of an under-compressed diesel jumping between two and four stroke or a glow motor coming on song as you wind the needle one more click.
• Taste, err, well, who hasn't siphoned fuel or inadvertently sprayed it in their face?

Can electric motors, ESCs and batteries ever offer the same sort of appeal?

Will:

• the Graupner Speed 400 or 600 ever be discussed with the same affection as a Mills 75 or 1.3?
• there be an Oliver Tiger of the wiggly amp brigade?
• 'brushed motor only' events ever be a thing at Old Warden?
• rumours of a genuine, still-functioning pack of Sanyo SCR nicads spread like wildfire?
  
  

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

No.

[Brian Cooper]

Another NO here.

Also, old Lipos very definitely hold no appeal.

[Jonathan M]

Posted by Martin Harris on 25/10/2020 23:22:46:

No.

I think this is an excellent summary.

[brokenenglish]

Clearly No!
And you haven't even mentioned the fun of playing with old spark ignition engines...

The great thing about all this is that you can enjoy all of it. I had great fun with the 1937 Ohlsson in the video, but I also fly diesel, glow and electric. They all have their place. Electric is practical but any culture and interest are non-existant and I feel a bit sorry for those whose idea of aeromodelling is limited to that...

Edited By brokenenglish on 26/10/2020 07:46:57

[buster prop]

Here we go again!

[brokenenglish]

Posted by buster prop on 26/10/2020 08:08:24:

Here we go again!

Yeah, the bottom line is that electric motors just pull planes around the sky.
Fine, if that's all you want to do.

But i.c. engines are a whole culture and an interesting subject in their own right. Like any other subject, they won't interest everyone, and those varying degrees of interest will be reflected here...

[J D 8]

Going on what old engines are going for on the flee bay interest in them is high.

[Tim Flyer]

Agreed. IC engines are the more modern equivalent of steam engines which still fascinate those who can appreciate the engineering side of the hobby. I guess jet engines although much rarer due to cost etc still hold the same ‘engineering appeal’.

Old electric gear tends to swiftly head for the scrap heap/recycling centre however we still see some appeal for some old radio gear by collectors interested in the history of RC modelling.

[Matt Carlton]

There are a lot of people who collect engines, run them, tinker with them and never fly, or intend to fly a model.

Steam rallies are full of static engines burbling away. I cant see many folks sitting with an 12v car battery and an old starter motor just quietly spinning away.

But who knows.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Peter Miller]

NO!

When you think about it electric motors are all very similar. Round things with a shaft sticking out of the end. They do not have the huge variations in shape and design that an i.c engine has.

Now I am sure that there will be some people who will collect them...after all when you hear of some of the things that people collect it makes you wonder.

It is interesting to think back on engines that one has owned. The Oliver Tiger that burst into life when being flicked over after several months lying in its box on the residual fuel that had been left in the crankcase.

 The ED Baby that needed to be flooded with fuel to start but then ran like a dream, Normal starting procedure for that engine.

The Frog 50s that were almost impossible to start..One person found that you needed a 10" prop on a .5cc engine to get it to run. Once run in a bit it was fine on small props.

The fabulous YOWL of a Dooling 29 as it came on song.

The totally horrendous exhaust note of an OK Cub 29. The only exhaust note that still sticks in my mind in 75 years of engine running

And finally, the wonderful SuperTigre G21/29 speed engine that could be safely hand started on a 7X10 wood prop on 20% nitro fuel.

I don't collect engines but I do love them!!

 

 

Edited By Peter Miller on 26/10/2020 08:50:28

[sharpy1071]

I just got rid of a Taycol Supermarine motor to a collector who has several electric and hundreds of IC engines. He was keen to get his hands on the motor but that was a rarity I think.

[Engine Doctor]

??? No .

[kevin b]

It depends on how electric motors develop in the future and the attitude of "collectors".

If you had told a modeller in the early 50's that an ED Bee, or Mills in its box would be worth more than 20 weeks wages in 50 years time they would have told you not to be so stupid.

[brokenenglish]

Posted by kevin b on 26/10/2020 09:44:34:

It depends on how electric motors develop in the future and the attitude of "collectors".

If you had told a modeller in the early 50's that an ED Bee, or Mills in its box would be worth more than 20 weeks wages in 50 years time they would have told you not to be so stupid.

IMO, the question doesn't really concern monetary value or week's wages.

I had an ED Bee in the early fifties, and I wanted to keep it, just because it was interesting and great fun, and it's been that way ever since...

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Capt Kremen]

Having flown electric for close to 40 years, (previously Oliver Tiger, Merco, K&B, OS, Webra, Cox, etc. etc.), I take a more positive approach.

The likes of Mabuchi (= most brushed motors badged by everyone of the time e.g. Graupner SPEED 400, 500, 600 etc.), Unger, Geist, Keller, Plettenberg and Astro were/are trailblazing electric motive power pioneers which have opened up and made accessible powered model flight to far more than i/c ever did IMHO.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and a well engineered electric motor is a joy to own and operate.

Edited By Capt Kremen on 26/10/2020 10:05:32

[Jon H]

Not for me that's for sure.

I have a number of engines that are, objectively, rubbish. My Magnum 240v twin is the most obvious example as its no more powerful than a laser 155, but is much heavier, uses more fuel, vibrates like crazy, is less reliable, wont run if mounted inverted, and sprays oil absolutely everywhere. Honestly, its like a fountain of oil when it gets going.

But, i love flying it. The theatre of the thing is just great fun with its open rockers and pushrods combined with straight through exhausts for that v twin bark. Its also been great fun to tinker with and i have made new conrods for it, adjusted the compression a bit etc.

Im also a sucker for anything multi cylinder even though they are sometimes not as efficient as a single in certain circumstances.

[Peter Christy]

Electric motors may be convenient, but they have no SOUL!

Car manufacturers strive to make their cars as near perfect as possible (OK, and cheaply as possible at the same time! ). Because of that they are BORING!

Classic cars are often popular, not because they were particularly good, but because their defects gave them character!

IC engines can be cantankerous and rebellious, but they have CHARACTER! I have never heard anyone suggest that an electric motor has character!

Yes, I have a few electric models. Some of the fields I fly at are electric only. Electric is convenient for a quick "fix" at a local field. But for enjoyment, give me IC any day!

--

Pete

[Dickw]

Posted by Capt Kremen on 26/10/2020 10:01:44:

Having flown electric for close to 40 years, (previously Oliver Tiger, Merco, K&B, OS, Webra, Cox, etc. etc.), I take a more positive approach.

The likes of Mabuchi (= most brushed motors badged by everyone of the time e.g. Graupner SPEED 400, 500, 600 etc.), Unger, Geist, Keller, Plettenberg and Astro were/are trailblazing electric motive power pioneers which have opened up and made accessible powered model flight to far more than i/c ever did IMHO.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and a well engineered electric motor is a joy to own and operate.

Edited By Capt Kremen on 26/10/2020 10:05:32

I agree. I keep my early motors etc. in the same drawer as things like an ED Racer, AM15, DC Merlin etc..

Photo attached of a Keller brushed motor and some Geist folding prop blades from the mid 1980s, plus one of the first brushless motors and its speed controller from the early 1990s complete with the 5 core connector for the Hall effect sensor in the motor. The Hall effect was how they originally determined the rotor movements before they realised they could do it by monitoring the phase voltages in the ESC.

Dick

Edited By Dickw on 26/10/2020 10:32:07

[Nigel R]

They will, a bit, to a lesser audience, I think.

With electrics, is not much scope for fettling or tinkering, which makes them great for a reliable quick fix in smaller sizes. But generates less interest in the first place.

IC though, they are a thing in and of themselves.

[Peter Miller]

Well, I hope that some people will start serious collecting of electric motors because I have a NIB Irvine 05 5 turn Cobalt motor in its wooden box with card wrapper.

One day it might even be worth money!!

In the mean time here is one for the collectors

The Miller 19.from about 1974

[ken anderson.]

no from me, looking at an electric motor doesn't have the same fascination

ken anderson...ne...1...motor dept.

[Chris Walby]

Electric motors - IMHO no way as its a generational thing, as the Boss would say "glory days" and all that.

I don't think anyone one under 45 is really that interested in IC let alone something with a few magnets whizzing around with low power to weight performance. I fully expect IC will have long gone in my lifetime along with old electric stuff.

Example, we had someone donate complete models, BNIB 35 TX and other stuff to the club (father was a previous member) and those that picked through the stuff selected what they wanted. Just left some old IC stuff that no one else wanted....So I had the Laser 65, Jon said there are no spares + some advice, popped it in a model and it runs a dream. My point is that the older generation value things and the much younger generation don't as its of no interest to them.

My prediction is sell it now while there is still a market, because in 10 to 20 years time people will be collecting stuff that has USB ports on it.