19
ELECTRIC MOTOR SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS
●
The motor gets HOT! Do not touch it during or right after
operation.
●
When working on your plane, remove the propeller if the
motor batteries will be connected.
●
Always remove the motor batteries when charging.
●
Follow the charging instructions included with your charger
for charging LiPo batteries. LiPo batteries can cause
serious damage if misused.
●
Once the motor batteries are connected the electric motor
can start at any time. Make sure the fail safe is set on your
radio to prevent the motor from starting if the signal is lost.
●
ALWAYS
unplug the motor batteries fi rst.
●
NEVER
switch off the transmitter with the motor batteries
plugged in.
●
WARNING:
Read the entire instruction sheet included with
your motor batteries. Failure to follow the instructions
could cause permanent damage to the battery and its
surroundings and cause bodily harm!
●
ONLY
use a LiPo approved charger.
●
NEVER
use a NiCd/NiMH peak charger to charge a LiPo
battery.
●
NEVER
charge in excess of 4.20V per cell.
●
ONLY
charge through the “charge” lead.
●
NEVER
charge through the “discharge” lead.
●
NEVER
charge at currents greater than 1C unless the
battery is rated for a higher charge rate.
●
ALWAYS
set the charger’s output volts to match the
battery volts.
●
ALWAYS
charge a LiPo battery in a fi reproof location.
●
NEVER
trickle charge a LiPo battery.
●
NEVER
allow the battery temperature to exceed 150° F
(65° C).
●
NEVER
disassemble or modify the pack wiring in any way
or puncture the cells.
●
NEVER
discharge below 2.7V per cell.
●
NEVER
place the battery or charger on combustible
materials or leave it unattended during charge or discharge.
●
ALWAYS
KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.
●
NEVER
charge the battery in the plane.
●
ALWAYS
remove the battery from the plane after a crash.
Set it aside in a safe location for at least 20 minutes. If
the battery is damaged in the crash it could catch fi re.
●
If the battery starts to swell, quickly move the battery to
a safe location, preferably outside. Place it in a bucket,
covering the battery with sand. Never use water to try
and put out a LiPo fi re.
WARNING:
For brushless electric motors, never have the
motor battery connected to the ESC without the transmitter
turned on – after each fl ight (or any time after running the
motor),
always
disconnect the battery
before
turning off
the transmitter. And when ready to fl y (or whenever running
the motor for any reason), always turn on the transmitter
fi rst before connecting the motor battery.
Also make certain your failsafe is programmed correctly
so in the event the receiver ever loses signal (or, if you
inadvertently turn off the transmitter before disconnecting
the battery or vice-versa) the motor will not turn. Follow
the instructions that came with your radio control system
to check and set the failsafe.
The recommended RimFire .80 is rated for 52A constant
current and 65A surge current. Powered by a 6S LiPo on
an APC 14 x 10E it draws about 55A static and momentary,
maximum peaks of about 53A in the air, but averages a
little less than 30A through a “normal” flight. This is an
absolutely safe and conservative propeller choice and flies
the Kaos well – it can be zoomed around boring holes in the
sky, or flown like a classic pattern plane executing graceful
maneuvers with conservative throttle management. Vertical
performance is unlimited or virtually unlimited. With an APC
15 x 8E the Kaos becomes a rocket, but maximum, in-flight
peaks rise to 62 – 63A (right up against the maximum surge
current limit). Over the course of a typical flight, average
current may still be around 30A, but could be as high as
40A if flown aggressively. The 15 x 8 is still a viable propeller
choice, but due to the higher current spikes during full-
throttle application proper throttle management must be
used so as not to overheat the motor.
With either prop, typical flight time may be as low as 4
minutes or over 8 minutes depending on how aggressive
and active you are with the throttle – more power means
shorter flight times.
In any case, use a flight timer initially set to a conservative
time (4 minutes for example). When the timer sounds, land.
Resting (unloaded) voltage should not be below 3.75V/cell.
When you charge the battery note how much capacity it took
to recharge (indicating how much was used for the flight).
Strive to use no more than 80% of the battery’s capacity.
Adjust your timer according to the voltage and capacity
used for the flight.
CAUTION:
Never run the motor on the ground for more
than a few seconds. Otherwise, you may overload the
motor, battery or ESC.
NOTE:
The recommended servos consume approximately
5 mAh per minute during an average flight. For a typical
7-minute flight that would be approximately 35mAh per
flight. With the recommended 2S 1100 mAh LiFe battery,
you should be able to get over 10 flights between charges
and still use less than half the battery capacity. Keep your
own notes and records to find out how many flights you
can get between charges.
