background image

 

 

 

Connect fuel 
valve to bottom 
connector 

Connect gas valve to 
bottom connector below 
airspeed input 

Turbine battery 

 
All the components ( starter, glowplug, ECU, fuel pump etc) are powered by a single 6 cell 
battery which is connected directly to the ECU. 
 

Caution

  It is not permitted to under any circumstances to fit a switch in the battery cable. 

 
The ECU power supply is switched on automatically when the receiver is powered on. During 
each flight (duration 10 minutes or so including start up and cool down sequences) the battery 
has to supply 300-400mAH. On the early 1250 mAH batteries, a recharge every 3 flights is 
necessary. Later batteries are of 2400mAH capacity and can power 5-6 flights maximum. More 
often is preferable for safety.  
 

Charging the turbine battery 

Under normal circumstances the turbine battery should be disconnected for charging, however, 
leaving it connected and using a Y-lead is acceptable as long as the charger does not reverse 
the supply for testing the batteries charge level.. Under no circumstances should the charger be 
connected to the ECU without a battery being present. 

 

Attention:

 As of the ECU Software version 5.00J you can, within the Limits Menu, select  the 

type of battery. The available options are NiCad (minimum of 2400 mAH) or LiPo (minimum of 
3300 mAH).   The standard setting is NiCad 
                    

Fuel/fuel supply 

 
Suitable fuels are Kerosene or Jet A-1 aviation fuel to which turbine oil must be added at the 
rate of 5%.  
 
Approximate formula 1 quart oil to 5 gallons kerosene. 

 

Special turbine oil should always be used as lubricant e.g Aeroshell 500 or Exxon turbine oil. 

  

 

17

Summary of Contents for SPH5

Page 1: ... Copyright JetCat USA LLC July 2007 Instruction manual V5 0 ECU JetCat SPH5 JetCat USA LLC 4250 Aerotech Center Way Building G Paso Robles CA 93446 805 226 8700 Voice 805 226 8742 FAX www jetcatusa com MADE IN GERMANY 1 ...

Page 2: ... Buyer acknowledges that the start up procedure for the Model Engine cannot be safely done without an assistant Buyer expressly agrees to use an assistant who is thoroughly familiar with the Model Engine and its operation as set forth above on each occasion when the Model Engine is started up d Warning to Bystanders Buyer acknowledges that injury or burns to bystanders could occur during the start...

Page 3: ...E ARBITRATION SHALL BE BINDING AND JUDGMENT ON THE AWARD RENDERED BY THE ARBITRATOR MAY BE ENTERED IN ANY COURT HAVING JURISDICTION BUYER EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGES AND WAIVES THE RIGHT TO FILE A LAWSUIT IN A COURT OF LAW TO HAVE THE MATTER DETERMINED BY A JURY AND TO APPEAL BUYER S AGREEMENT TO THIS ARBITRATION PROVISION IS VOLUNTARY THE PARTIES HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE FOREGOING AND AGREE TO SUB...

Page 4: ...g b The Model Engine has been damaged from external causes such as crash damage foreign object damage weather Act of God improper electrical connections or connections to other products not recommend for interconnection by JetCat USA c The Model Engine is operated for commercial or institutional use d The Model Engine serial number has been removed defaced or altered 9 If a problem develops during...

Page 5: ...TARTING GAS DIAGRAM 22 FILLING THE STARTING GAS TANK 23 MOUNTING THE TURBINE 24 POWER SUPPLY 25 CHARGING THE BATTERY 25 GLOW PLUG 25 GROUND SUPPORT UNIT GSU 27 GSU CONTROL PANEL DESCRIPTIONS 27 GSU SWITCH DESCRIPTIONS 28 GSU LED DESCRIPTIONS 28 THE LED I O BOARD 29 JETCAT ECU VERSION 4 0 INTRODUCTION 30 SETTING UP THE ECU 31 CALIBRATE THE TEMPERATURE PROBE 31 SETUP FAILSAFE MODE AND LEARN RC 32 SE...

Page 6: ...F THE HELICOPTER SO AS TO SET THE HEAD SPEED ACCESS IT BY ENTERING THE TURBINE LIMITS MENU AS BEFORE THEN PRESS LIMITS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY AND RELEASE 51 U ACCEL R1 51 0 225 51 U IDLE R1 51 0 45 51 U ACCEL R2 51 0 60 51 U IDLE R2 51 0 45 51 NICAD CELLS 51 6 51 NUMBER OF NICAD CELLS POWERING THE ECU LEAVE AT 6 IF USING 2 LIPO CELLS 51 RATIO TURB ROT 51 9 73 51 MAIN GEAR TO MOTOR RATIO ADJUST BY PRES...

Page 7: ...R KEYS THIS WILL CHANGE THE SHAFTHIR1 VALUE WHICH WILL IN TURN ALTER THE ROT VALUE SET THE SHAFTHIR1 VALUE SO THAT THE ROT VALUE EQUALS THE HEAD SPEED YOU WANT IF YOU ONLY WANT A SINGLE HEAD SPEED SETUP THEN THE AUX CONNECTION IS NOT USED 51 TROUBLESHOOTING 53 REASON FOR SHUT DOWN 54 MAINTENANCE 56 RESET THE ECU TO THE FACTORY DEFAULT VALUES 57 PARTS LIST 59 OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES 59 7 ...

Page 8: ...sories Study the material step by step and ascertain how to install operate and maintain your turbine engine If you are unsure about anything re read it again DO NOT OPERATE THE JetCat engine BEFORE YOU HAVE READ THE MANUAL AND FULLY UNDERSTAND EVERY PROCEDURAL DETAIL Should you still have doubts or questions do not hesitate to contact JETCAT USA for further assistance Once you are accustomed to h...

Page 9: ...lways exercise caution around the hot parts of the turbine to avoid burns The outer case at the turbine stage and nozzle reaches 450 500 Celsius while the exhaust gas may exceed 720 C Assure that the fuel is mixed with approximately 5 synthetic oil Use only synthetic turbine oils available at local airport fuel suppliers or from JETCAT USA Never run the turbine in a closed room or an area near any...

Page 10: ...e the main and header tanks are full Be certain the starting gas release valve is closed before filling the starting gas tank Turn on receiver switch Place the model with nose into the wind Start turbine After Stopping the Turbine Turn model into the wind Stop turbine After the cooling process approximately two minutes turn off receiver switch After each flying session open starting gas release va...

Page 11: ... in on the front ring while pulling the tubing out ALWAYS use a gasoline compatible stopper Silicon stoppers swell and leak Check your fuel filters every ten 10 flights You may be surprised how rapidly they can clog up The filter is installed with the O ring located toward the fuel pump 1 Extremely Important Use caution not to pinch o ring when assembling filters Clean any aluminum dust off and lu...

Page 12: ...nd run the fuel pump manually For this purpose use the Test Functions Menu selection Pump TestVolt This test opens the fuel valve and acts as a speed control for running the pump Extremely Important Pump Test allows the fuel pump to operate without the turbine running However if the fuel feed line is not removed from the turbine during this procedure it will become flooded with fuel When this occu...

Page 13: ...prominent role in the RC scale helicopter world These turbine engines have the same working principles as the full scale turbine systems Core gas turbine 2nd stage turbine Exhaust pipe Fan Speed sensor of the output shaft Connect to Exp on the ECU gearbox The ECU controls the unit partially through the measurement of the rpm of the second stage turbine If the sensor for the second stage turbine is...

Page 14: ...gle the fan blade with the magnet in it above the sensor it will show a fan rpm reading It is a good idea to check BOTH magnets are being detected by the sensor Rotate the fan rapidly and the display will switch to indicate the fans rpm If you wiggle the fan blade with the magnet in it above the sensor it will show a fan rpm reading It is a good idea to check BOTH magnets are being detected by the...

Page 15: ...ektronik schaltet sich automatisch EIN sobald der Empfänger eingeschaltet wird Jet tronic Info Min Max Change Value Item Select Menu Run Limits Manual Standby Man Ignition Ignition on Pump running OK Reset Remote GSU phone cable Telefonkabel LED I O board RS232 Adapter PC GSU ground support unit Programmier und Anzeigegerät Airspeed Sensor air pressure Staudruck static pressure statischer Druck op...

Page 16: ... unten Glow plug Starter device Fuel pump Outputs are unfused max 12A Fuzzylogic Microcomputer Control Jet tronic II P80 To turbine 3 wire cable Zur Turbine 3 adriges Kabel Fuelpump Kraftstoffpumpe Gas valve Propane Fuel valve 1 or 2 connections to the Rx Fuel pump ...

Page 17: ...mum More often is preferable for safety Charging the turbine battery Under normal circumstances the turbine battery should be disconnected for charging however leaving it connected and using a Y lead is acceptable as long as the charger does not reverse the supply for testing the batteries charge level Under no circumstances should the charger be connected to the ECU without a battery being presen...

Page 18: ...with petroleum Fuel system lubrication system connection diagram Reducer filter Caution Mount this pipe at least 5cm from the engine exhaust pipe and secure it so it cannot possibly touch hot parts Gearbox lubrication connection Fuel feed from pump 18 ...

Page 19: ...ubing 4mm except as noted in out Fuel Pump Kerosene Shut Off Valve Safety Petcock open before starting turbine Filter BVM UAT 1 4 inch section of 4 mm tubing acts as an adapter for large BVM UAT tubing BVM UAT supplied tubing BVM UAT supplied plug The UAT is available from JetCat USA LLC or Bob Violett Models Florida 407 327 6333 19 ...

Page 20: ...ine can be filled with fuel during the following adjustment procedure Æ Danger of a Hot Start Switch off ECU and plug in GSU RC transmitter is not being used Press and hold the key Change Value Item on the GSU and switch on the ECU Release the Change Value Item when the display of the GSU shows the following Pump start volt Uaccelr1 By pressing the Run key will run the pump at the current start vo...

Page 21: ...running an unusual long time and not picking up RPM If this time is too long 10sec the ECU will terminate the start and show an Error message AccTimOut or Acc Slow acceleration too slow Pump start voltage is adjusted too high If the pump start voltage is adjusted too high the turbine maybe supplied with too much fuel during start up This could result in heavy flames behind the turbine Æ turbine RP...

Page 22: ...tubing to turbine 4mm tubing 4mm tubing Starting Gas Shutoff Valve On Board Starting Gas Tank Petcock Starting Gas Vent Plastic Barb To Offboard Gas Fill 4mm tubing One Way Festo Note markings Keep Line Short Coleman Powermax Starting Gas Filter 22 ...

Page 23: ... This is accomplished by changing the Gas Flow percentage to a lower value in the Limits menu Start by lowering it in 10 increments until it smoothly ignites This should be adjusted with a full tank of gas each time Watch the exhaust gas temperature each time you make an adjustment The turbine will over heat if the amount of starting gas is too low When a good adjustment is achieved it should work...

Page 24: ...e glow plug must be in the vertical position when mounted in your model 75 of engine rotation from the glow plug at top dead center is the allowable deviation Secure the engine using four metric mounting screws and lock washers that are provided with brackets Connections to the Turbine To ECU Glow plug starter motor 3 core lead To ECU temp and rpm sensor connection Auxiliary gas propane butane con...

Page 25: ...y If you use Lithium batteries we suggest unplugging the ECU at the end of the day to prevent over discharging Charging the Battery Do not charge the battery with a quick charger using negative discharge pulses when connected to the ECU This will destroy the electronics of the ECU The only recommended method is to disconnect the battery from the ECU and charge it directly If you are absolutely sur...

Page 26: ...f you have been enjoying good auto starts and suddenly you notice that your turbine does not start immediately on the first starting gas cycle check the glow plug The plugs last so long that we sometimes forget that they can finally wear out 26 ...

Page 27: ... OK LED green or Keys scroll within a menu or through different menus Keys also work for changing turbine parameter Change Value key for altering turbine parameters in conjunction with the keys Select Menu key for selecting different menus in conjunction with the keys Hotkeys Directly enters the menu named on the corresponding key Ignition runs starter for testing or for directly starting turbine ...

Page 28: ...change the indicated value If the value is admissible to change a small arrow appears in the display before the value If the indicated value cannot be changed e g current RPM or temperature the display will indicate that the Value Item cannot be changed GSU LED Descriptions Color Name LED On LED Blinks Yellow Standby Man Starter Motor engaged Red Ignition On Glow Plug is on Red Pump Running Fuel p...

Page 29: ...ameters back to default when powered up These procedures are described later Illustration 1 Explanation of the Lights on the LED I O board These LED indicators are identical to the GSU LED s excluding the red ignition on Color Name LED On LED Blinks Yellow Standby Starter Motor engaged Red Pump Running Fuel pump is on Glow Plug is defective Green OK Reset Turbine running throttle control active 1 ...

Page 30: ...y features but still retains the basic menu structure and operation similar to the previous ECU The most significant new features include Programmable failsafe time out Starting gas purge Optional Windows compatible computer interface Expanded set of test functions Expanded set of diagnostic functions Ability to start the engine directly from the GSU without the transmitter The Hitachi H8 micro co...

Page 31: ...Your engine should be at approximately room temperature 21 C Press and hold the Select Menu key on the GSU then switch on the power Remark Instead of pressing the Select Menu key on the GSU the little key on the LED board can be use instead The three LED s first show the following blinking sequence LED Blink Sequence Standby Man Yellow Pump running Red Ö Ö Ö Ö Ö OK Green The Display of the GSU wil...

Page 32: ...rs throttle channel for low throttle low throttle trim and full throttle set to 100 travel This is the value that is set into the transmitter s failsafe The light gray bar is a reduced low throttle low throttle trim travel and full throttle set to 75 This is the value that will be taught into the ECU If the throttle input to the ECU is between 75 for low throttle low throttle trim and 75 for full ...

Page 33: ...displaying an If you turn the transmitter back on the will disappear If the does not appear when you turn off your transmitter the fail safe is not programmed properly 21 0 0 6 9 OC You can verify the failsafe parameters by accessing the RC Check Menu Press and hold the Select Menu key on the GSU and by pressing the key until the RC Check Menu is displayed Now release the Select Menu key Time in F...

Page 34: ...Jet Tronic ECU can be used for the first time you must program the failsafe and learn the throttle stick and optionally the auxiliary control positions of your R C system To accomplish this complete the following steps 1 Connect the ECU servo cable to the receiver The THR cable connects to an auxiliary knob or switch channel The turbine runs in a governor mode that automatically compensates for pi...

Page 35: ... low Next press Select Menu or the LED I O board switch again This will store the R C system s pulse width for immediate shutdown of the turbine The green OK LED will turn off and the red Pump running LED will illuminate This indicates that the shutdown data has been set correctly The GSU display will read Æ Throttle channel Idle position Throttle Trim to maximum 6 Advance the throttle control cha...

Page 36: ... the three position AUX channel 8 ECU Version 5 10E will ask for the 3 positions for the AUX switch which will allow 3 different head speeds It will automatically set up the 3 options on R0 R1 and R2 See page 50 for full details on this set up Right now you need to have a 3 position switch set to give 3 different servo positions eg for normal idle up 1 and idle up 2 Connect the Aux wire to the rec...

Page 37: ...blink in a continuous sequence of yellow to red to green Bring the throttle stick to the idle position changing the LED blink sequence to green to red to yellow continuously The turbine is now ready to start 5 Advance the throttle stick to its maximum setting and the turbine will start 6 Once the turbine begins to accelerate the throttle stick can be returned to idle position As soon as the turbin...

Page 38: ...ly from the GSU The former Manual Mode has been removed in the v4 0 ECU Therefore a new Manual Control Mode with the following features are included The turbine can be started directly from the GSU While pressing down the Manual key press the Ignition key to start While pressing down the Ignition key press the or key to incrementally increase or decrease the turbine s RPM While pressing down the I...

Page 39: ...mediately be switched off manually by bringing the throttle stick and trim to their minimum positions Automatic Cooling Process After the turbine spins down from Manual Off the starter motor will periodically spin the turbine rotor if the Exhaust Gas Temperature is above 100 C This happens at regular intervals for about one minute or longer 39 ...

Page 40: ...tion in the RUN menu Explanation of the Turbine States Table 1 Value Explanation Standby START AUX switch positioned to the Start Standby position throttle trim at maximum and throttle stick at idle The LED chase sequence is started from green to red to yellow continuously When throttle stick is advanced to the maximum position the starter motor engages to spin the rotor When RPM reaches a pre pro...

Page 41: ...low plug turns off The red Pump running LED turns on and will stay illuminated as long as the pump operates Accelerate In this condition the fuel pump and starter motor voltages ramp up to accelerate the turbine to idle The yellow Standby LED will illuminate during this period Starting gas is shut off Under normal circumstances the turbine will ascend to idle RPM The starter motor then disengages ...

Page 42: ...ollowing parameters are met Turbine speed less than 800 RPM EGT is less that 100 degrees C Once these conditions are met turbine proceeds to Off Run reg Turbine in the normal running state the throttle will regulate turbine rpm During this operant condition the green OK LED will illuminate indicating that pilot has control RUN regulated continues until the turbine is switched off 42 ...

Page 43: ... 10 and a delay of 3 seconds Usually triggered by a flame out 8 BattryLow Battery pack is dead Cell voltage is 1 0V 9 10 LowTemp EGT dropped below the minimum value A dislodged EGT sensor can trigger this shut down 11 HiTempOff EGT exceeded the maximum range 950 C 12 GlowPlug Defective glow plug 13 WatchDog ECU processor was locked out usually from static discharge or voltage spike in power supply...

Page 44: ...and hold the Select Menu key and use the keys for selecting Note this method is the only access to all menus Change Values Items In order to change an indicated value press and hold the Change Value Item key while using the keys to alter its value An arrow will appear in front of the value if it can be changed Important Note for Min Max and Info values 1 After the turbine has started and stabilize...

Page 45: ...t sequence of the engine the OC will be over written with all the different states during the start process until the engine is at idle green LED is on The battery voltage will change to pump voltage as well When the engine is in the RUN State the display will be as follows 610 0 0 0 6 0 0 RPM in thousands 1 M Set RPM This is the RPM equivalent to where the throttle stick is currently positioned P...

Page 46: ...urrent turbine state Current RPM The Min Max Menu The Min Max menu is used primarily for diagnostics purposes All of the following variables may be reset manually by pressing the Change Value Item key on the GSU Although the display will indicate that the values cannot be changed it will reset the Min Max values Value Explanation Upump Max Upump Min Maximum pump voltage Minimum pump voltage MaxTem...

Page 47: ... will be displayed 2 If the battery voltage drops under 1 1V Cell the display will read WEAK Red Standby and green OK LED s will blink simultaneously at a rate of twice per second Starting the turbine is not possible until the battery is recharged If the turbine is already running and the battery warning function is enabled the warning function will be activated 3 If the battery voltage drops unde...

Page 48: ...e last run Last MinPump Minimum pump voltage during the last run Last AvgPump Average pump voltage during the last run Last FailSafeCnt Number of failsafe conditions during the last flight Last FailSafeTim Time in a failsafe condition The Statistic Menu Menu parameters are for informational purposes only and cannot be changed Value Explanation Totl Run Time Total turbine running time excluding sta...

Page 49: ...ug voltage Default 2 100 volts GasValve Test Test starting gas valve FuelValve Test Test fuel valve Temp AD Temperature value and offset Analog Converter value and offset The LIMITs Menu The LIMITs menu allows the operator to adjust the following parameters of the turbine within the allowable values according to the performance requirements of a particular model Value Explanation Minimum RPM Turbi...

Page 50: ... to during a failsafe time out period Range Minimum RPM to Maximum RPM Drain GasTank If enabled after turbine is started and throttled up the starting gas valve will open draining the tank Default Disabled Off Limits Menu continued StartUp Mode This function allows for different engine start procedures for multi engine models The possible methods are Sequence Start the engine by moving the throttl...

Page 51: ...til you reach maximum rpm Set this at 165 000 The governor will control the engine rpm but if you load the rotor head up the turbine may need to reach this rpm Press the key to scroll through until you reach ShaftHiR1 55 000 or some other number The 55 000 is the rpm of the secondary turbine and will be reduced by the gearbox Below that you will see ROT 1650 or some other number and Tail 7422 or s...

Page 52: ... and hold CHANGE VALUE and press repeatedly and the AUX CHANNEL FUNC will eventually read RPM SWITCH ON Release the CHANGE VALUE button Repeatedly press the button until you get back to the SHAFT HI R0 When you press it again you will see SHAFT HI R1 and again it will show SHAFT HI R2 Turn on the transmitter and put the switch selected for the speed change control in either the slow medium or high...

Page 53: ...ght red Replace defective glow plug Glow plug element must be extracted by at least 1 8 inch two coils See page 25 Starting process fails Turbine is still too warm Cool Down not yet completed Low battery or faulty connection Glow plug defective red Pump running LED blinks Three conductor cable for starter motor and glow plug disconnected Wait until SlowDown sequence is finished The green OK LED wi...

Page 54: ...wood mount with a layer of foam tape and Velcro between the body and the ECU If the plane has a glossy finish and the failure happened directly after the wheels left the ground spray the tires with an anti static spray available from electronic or hardware supply stores Reason for Shut Down There are three ways to diagnose why the engine flamed out 1 In the info menu the LAST OFF COND variable wil...

Page 55: ... state code How to diagnose a shut down from the saved data Symptom Engine shut off state Possible Reason Engine quits with a trail of white smoke Low RPM or Fuel Fail Code 7 99 times out of 100 times this is caused by air in the fuel system Make sure there is no leaks in the fuel system and most importantly get all the air out of the fuel filter The fuel filter should not be hard fixed to the pla...

Page 56: ...and solvent When the turbine is not running the starter may be tested by pressing the IGNITION key on the GSU Check your fuel filters every ten 10 flights Each JetCat has a prescribed maintenance interval After approximately 25 hours the engine should be returned to JETCAT USA along with the ECU and fuel pump for service The total running time of the turbine can be accessed and monitored through t...

Page 57: ... the GSU then switch on the power Remark Instead of pressing the Select Menu key on the GSU the little key on the LED board can be use instead The three LED s first show the following blinking sequence LED Blink Sequence Standby Man Yellow Pump running Red Ö Ö Ö Ö Ö OK Green The Display of the GSU will also show the message Release key to learn RC Keep the Select Menu key pressed during this blink...

Page 58: ...Standby Yellow Pump running Red Ö Ö Ö Ö Ö Ö OK Green The Display of the GSU will change to the message Release key to Reset system Æ now release the key The display will indicate that it is saving system data and then will return to the default showing RPM and temperature 58 ...

Page 59: ...ting Gas Tank 2 Fuel Starting Gas Filters 2 Ball Cock Valves 2 T Nipple Connectors White Nylon 1 4 to 3mm Nipple Brass 1 Starting Gas Probe Black Nylon 1 Charge Connector 1 Standard Engine Mount 1 Manual Optional Accessories A1029 RS 232 Adapter with Windows software A1045 FOD Screen static shield A3011 BVM UAT Header tank 59 ...

Page 60: ...Copyright JetCat USA LLC 2001 2007 60 ...

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