Glow Plug indicator.

[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

Hi Guys

Martin

Quite why it's called a 'buck' module I'm not sure but it's the one t'other Martin linked to a while back, and also in his last post.

Cassandra

Of course, this one's simpler still

 

 

One thing.

The buck module does have an led to show it's working. If it was covered in clear rather than black, you could see this through the covering

Just a thought

Jeff

[Martin McIntosh]

That buck looks interesting and I may well try one but I would still require a meter. Thanks.

[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

2 hours ago, Cassandra said:

Hi cassandra

 

I've gone for a modular approach, D cell or LiPo/XL4015 - optional indicator - glow clip. I don't expect to use the indicator very often.

So, what do you use as an indicator?

 

The LED doesn't work down at 1.25V.

Damn, would have been ideal for what I asked in the first post, ho hum.

 

Martin

If your going with the buck module from Bangood, get the meter at the same time, here.

Not the most accurate in the world, but pretty good for its purpose

Jeff

 

[Martin McIntosh]

Meter looks great but Banggood are currently unable to ship from CZ to UK. Damn.

[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

Martin

CZ is Czechoslovakia. Switch to shipping from China (CN) and you should be fine.

Jeff

[Martin McIntosh]

CZ is what came up on the link but shall try your suggestion, thanks. Will probably find a few other things on there whilst browsing and end up spending a fortune as usual.

[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

Martin

Me too, been there, done that.

You could order the buck module at the same time, but they're both free ship so it doesn't really matter.

Jeff

[Martin McIntosh]

Yes I shall out of interest in them. Cannot find my `plug into anything I like ` back up glow start so another would not go amiss.

[Peter Beeney]

May I add just another version of a glow driver to the quite varied collection listed within this thread. From just about the time I started tinkering with model engines I’ve always used a 2 volt lead acid cell with an extended lead connected to a glow clip, the schematic for this is very plane and simple, I like very plain and simple. A lead acid because as I remember it’s all I had to hand at the time; back then it was a wet cell; for a long time now it’s been an 8Ah Cyclon cylinder type which does have a nice reserve of capacity. Although I do tend to try and keep it topped up regularly, if lead batteries are discharged and then allowed to stand idle for a while the lead sulphate tends to harden and go high resistance which then can possibly make them difficult to charge.

 

The longer lead also enables the battery to be placed back behind the wing when it’s connected and as I always stand behind the model anyway it’s a simple matter to move it well clear as soon as the engine starts. As regards the indicator situation, in the rare event, so far anyway, that I have to start to wonder if the plug has blown I always have lurking nearby a volts/amps/ohms multimeter which I can connect as an ammeter or perhaps even slightly quicker just as a continuity check. I’ve always thought that many plugs are 2 volt working anyway; in the early days our LMS supplied Fox plugs which were 1.5V but I never had any problems with these either.

 

Also if I may be permitted to go a little off topic for a moment here, I’m a little bit nervous about those 4 mil power output plugs in the power panel and also the power supply batteries within the flight box too. This is loosely aligned with the rule of unexpected consequences and I have seen the outcome of a couple of fairly serious incidents related to these almost forgotten very basic items. Maybe it’s only on a once in a lifetime sort of time scale before anything goes seriously wrong but there has definitely been occurrences of the batteries and chargers causing problems. I think the only concern really is with the 12V 7Ah (or bigger) SLA batteries that folks use in their flight boxes, lithium’s are a different matter.

 

PB

[Martin McIntosh]

I have not seen a 2V plug for many years and even with a long lead you are pushing your luck not to damage the plug by burning off any coating. Todays` plugs are quite happy on 1.2V.

A 4mm connector will easily handle over 60A so even on a starter this is not a problem.

[Peter Jenkins]

4 mm bullet connectors are rated to 100 A I believe.  I use them on my 10S packs where I regularly pull 80-85 A with no problems at all.  Thats in the 2.8 to 3 kW power transmission albeit for only around 10-20  seconds each time.

[Peter Beeney]

My first glow motor was a Veco 19 circa 1960, no silencer back then of course but it did have a throttle with a baffle attached that covered the exhaust port when it closed. I was starting to try R/C after control line. A 1.5V plug, I can still remember struggling with the one and half volt dry battery which was not a great success but the lead cell was. So I’ve never seen the need to change really; and indeed if there had been any issues I’d have just added enough silicon diodes in the lead to fix it. I was only just adding to the comprehensive list of ways to light up a glow plug rather than suggesting how others might do it.

 

My little concern with the sockets is that they are not polarised and in special circumstances this can have possible repercussions. It’s early springtime and a modeller decides to check run his model in the garden so he sets it up exactly as he would at the patch complete with the restraint correctly in place. He holds the model steady behind the prop and applies the starter, the four stroke engine, a Saito as I remember, started instantly on a fairly high throttle setting so he instinctively let go and the model shoots backwards before his hand was out of the way.The engine was running backwards. Suffice to say perhaps that the ambulance crew decided on the spot to take him straight to a specialist trauma hospital 15 miles away rather than a new state of the art A&E just five minutes down the road and there they put his hand back together very well, albeit with some loss of feeling in fingers and thumb because of irreparable nerve damage. As he said afterwards, this could have only happened because he’d crossed the starter connections; and because model starter motors have permanent magnets instead of field coils if the input polarity is changed the motor reverses rotation. 

                        

As I said, undoubtably just a once in a lifetime occurrence; the result of a couple of conditions getting together at the same time. If he’d decided to put just a squirt of fuel in the tank instead of filling it I think it’s unlikely it would have been unable to start backwards anyway. Also I soon realised that although I don’t use a power panel I do use a 12V battery sometimes so I could so easily do the same thing. Perhaps it now may well be the case that my indicator could be a bright red flashing led if I connect the starter motor leads the wrong way round!

 

Stay safe..

 

PB

Edited August 18, 2021 by Peter Beeney

[Denis Watkins]

Useful post Peter,

The polarity can be safeguarded with the addition of a suitably powered diode in one feed cable

Whereby the starter could only run one way.

Similar styled banana plugs are easily entered into the wrong sockets, as you point out.

[Peter Jenkins]

Well, I've found that 2 strokes and 4 strokes can start backwards even when using a starter motor going in the correct direction.  The real problem was the throttle being opened too far when starting.

 

That having been said, we always started engines on full power settings back in my C/L days and all I can remember was having a cut flicking finger.

[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

Hi Peter

The scenario you describe could possibly happen but it would require a lot of other things to go wrong as well.

First of all, obviously plug the starter into the wrong sockets. Mine are always colour coded Red and Black, so a sudden attack of colour blindness.

Second, as Peter Jenkins points out, starting with the throttle too high.

Finally to have a motor that will actually run at high speed in reverse. Some don't.

There is an old saying:

However foolproof you make something, nature will find a better fool.

Me, I'll keep with the set up I have.

Jeff

 

[Keith Berriman]

Little bit of help please  just got delivery of the digital display unit as shown by Martin Harris as above 

No diagrams as such 

Assuming the larger wires are the amp circuit  and maybe the red black on the thinner wires are for voltage 

did put these across a 12 volt lipo  and all I  see is all digits lit up as " 0 "  but no actual voltage 

 

Does the voltage only show up when amps are being drawn 

 Many thanks for any response in advance 

[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

Hi Keith

i had the same issue with mine. Google search came up with this which I found to be a big help. Also, I have a unit up and running to refer to as well.

So, first question, do you want to run the meter from a separate power source, or the one you are measuring? The meter can run on 8v - 30v, and since my unit is powered by a 3s liPo no point in having an extra power source.

As you guessed, the thick leads are for the current you are measuring. Black goes to the current source, Red to the load.

The thin wires go to your power source, Red to +ve, Black to -ve. At that stage, you should have a current reading.

If you want voltage as well, you need to connect the thin Yellow wire to the load, the opposite side to where you have the thick Red wire.

That should get you up and running with both readings.

According to the wiring diagrams, if you're using a common power source, there is no need to connect the thin Black wire, since the thick and thin Black wires are connected internally. I connected mine up anyway, only so as not to have loose wires dangling.

Hope this helps. If need be I can photograph the wiring on mine. Might give you a better idea.

Let me know

Jeff

[Keith Berriman]

Thank You for the link very useful   What I am unable to understand is how are you driving a 1.5 volt glow plug from a 3 s lipo .  I was intending using my 5 amphr 1.2 volt nicad cell 

[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

Hi Keith

I'm running the glow supply through a dc-d voltage reducer, sometimes call a 'buck' module.

I use this one here.

Turned down to its lowest level, it gives 1.17v which is ideal for lighting up a glow plug.

My unit has 12v direct from the LiPo to run a fuel pump or starter, and separate 1.2v for the glowplug.

Sort of 'all in one' deal.
jeff

[Martin McIntosh]

JC, I tried your link but it comes up with nothing in the end.

[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

Hi Martin

Which link are you talking about?

If it's the one to the buck module at Bangood, works fine for me. If you're having an issue, go to the BG website and type XL4015 into the search engine, and you'll go straight to it.

Jeff

[Martin McIntosh]

It was the `click here` referring to the digital meter set up. Not important.

[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

Hi Martin, should have mentioned.

The link takes you to the web page, then scroll down to a button labelled 'Show More'. Click on that and you're there.

Jeff

[Martin McIntosh]

It works now, the site must have been down. Thanks.

[Keith Berriman]

Thanks to Jeffrey and his link to circuit  diagrams I have just had a rough bench trial run of my new glow driver set up using an old reciever pack and 1.2 volt nimh cell works as expected.  So have a new  box and will  get a new 1.2 volt cell and build a new unit 

Will post a picture when finished ( somehow the wife's decorating needs may take priority )

Happy flying to all