Question Categories:
Basic Electric | LiPoly Batteries | Speed Control | Helicopter | Airplane | General | Shipping & Billing
Basic Electric Questions
- How does the Receiver (Rx) get power? The receiver gets its power in one of two ways: from the speed control・s BEC (Battery Eliminator Circuit), or from a separate onboard battery pack, usually a 4 cell, 4.8-volt NiCad battery.
- My Electronic Speed Control (ESC) is plugged into the battery channel on my receiver and the servos work, but the motor does not. Why? The speed control needs to be plugged into the throttle channel. With Hitec radios, this is channel 3.
- Everything is hooked up according to the instructions but nothing works. Why? Check to make sure your radio transmitter and receiver are on the same channel, and that you are getting power to both. Also, make sure that the connector from the speed control to the receiver is plugged in correctly, not backwards.
- How do I install capacitors on my motor? As always, be sure to follow the recommendations in the instructions. As a general rule, a capacitor will solder to one of the motor terminals and "ground" to the case. Most motors will use at least two capacitors: one from each terminal to the motor・s case.
- What is "polarity?" The particular state, either positive or negative with reference to the two poles of an electrical circuit.
- What does mAh mean? It stands for "Milliamp Hours". "Amp Hours" is a measure of capacity, or the amount of power a battery can hold. 1000 Milliamps per hour equals one Amp hour. Most aircraft batteries use Milliamp hours to measure their capacity.
- What do the numbers on my motor mean? It depends on the brand. In many cases they usually give some sort of info for the particular motor. For example, an AXI outrunner uses a six-digit code: 41/30/16. The 41 stands for the Stator diameter. The 30 stands for the length of the permanent magnets, and the 16 stands for the number of winds on the armature, which will also determine the RPM per volt for the motor (Kv).
LiPoly Batteries Questions
- My lipoly pack won・t charge, is it defective? It may be defective. Many chargers will not charge a pack that is below 3 volts per cell, based on the voltage you set for the battery. Check the voltage and make sure it is above the 3 volt per cell threshold.
- My lipoly pack is puffed, what caused this and can it be fixed? Several things can cause a lipoly cell or pack to puff or swell:
- Over-charging, amperage set too high.
- Over-voltage on the charger, cell count not set correctly.
- Pack was out of balance before use (one or two cells puff rather than the whole pack).
- Over-use, battery was put under a load that was higher than it・s recommended maximum discharge rate.
- Over-discharging, below 3 volts per cell.
- Can I leave my lipoly unattended during the charging process? NO! Never leave a lipoly battery unattended during the charging process.
- Where should I charge my lipoly battery? Charge in a container that can contain a fire.
LiPoly Cautions and Procedures:
- Always use a battery charger that is compatible with and designed for use with your LiPoly battery.
- Never charge at a rate (amperage) higher than one times the capacity of the battery pack in Amp hours. Ex. A 1500 mah battery will need to be set for a 1.5 amp maximum charge rate.
- Always use a Lithium compatible speed control and make sure it is properly programmed for Lithium battery operation with a 3 volt per cell low voltage cut off.
- Never discharge a Lithium pack below 3 volts per cell (example: an 11.1 volt 3 cell should never be allowed to drain below 9 volts).
- Never leave a battery pack connected to a speed control or other electrical device. Some will continue to discharge the pack even with the switch in the OFF position.
- Always check battery voltage before charging or flying if you are not certain it is within specs.
- Do not attempt to charge a Lipoly that has been over-discharged and is measuring less than 3 volts per cell. The battery will be damaged.
- Always recharge after flying, and store the batteries fully charged.
- A balancer is recommended to keep lipoly batteries in good shape by matching the voltages of each cell.
Speed Control Questions
- How do I know which speed control to use? You will need to know approximately how much amperage the motor will pull. You will also need to select a speed control that can handle the voltage you plan to run the motor with. Check the manufacturer・s specs for amp draw and voltages.
- How do I program my Jeti Advance PLUS speed control using the Program Card? Move the blue plastic jumpers next to the desired settings. Take the receiver connector from the speed control and plug it into the upper right hand plug of the Program Card where it says "controller". Connect the motor. Plug the flight battery into the power inputs on the speed control. For BEC versions, turn on the on/off switch. For "Opto" versions, plug a 4.8-volt battery into the upper left hand side of the Program Card. You will hear a beep, then you can unplug everything and install the speed control in the airplane.
- What・s the difference between an "Opto" and a "BEC" controller? "Opto" stands for Optically Coupled. Opto controllers do not have an internal BEC and can handle higher voltages than BEC controllers. An external BEC unit or separate 4.8 volt receiver pack must be used with Opto controllers. BEC controllers generally handle less voltage but have an internal power supply that powers the receiver and servos by using power from the main flight battery.
- What・s the difference between "Brushed" speed controls and motors and "Brushless" speed controls and motors? Brushed speed controls and motors refer to motors powered by Direct Current (DC). Brushless speed controls and motors operate on a form of Alternating Current (AC), similar to house current. Brushed motors use brushes to transfer power to the spinning electromagnet armature that operates in a permanent magnet field. Brushless motors do not have an electromagnet armature, rather the windings stay stationary (stator) and induce their power to move the permanent magnets. In a brushless motor nothing touches except the drive shaft riding on ball bearings, and the efficiency and power are typically much better.
Helicopter Questions
- All the servos work, but the rotor head will not turn and the light stays red, why? The throttle trim and throttle stick must be pulled all the way toward you and the transmitter must be ON before the control board will initialize.
- The light on the helicopter flashes red and green and nothing works, why? Check to make sure the transmitter has good batteries and that it is turned ON. If that does not work, make sure that the radio crystals are plugged in as well.
- I turned my transmitter off and the helicopter goes crazy. Why? The transmitter must remain ON at all times when a remote controlled aircraft is in operation. If you turn it off, you will no longer have control of the aircraft. Follow this rule: the transmitter always gets turned ON first, and gets turned OFF last.
- The tail spins wildly on my helicopter when I try to take off, what do I do? You have one of two problems: either the gyro is defective and needs to be replaced, or the reversing function on the gyro needs to be switched to the other position.
- The tail rotor servo on my Falcon 3D slowly creeps to one side when not in use? This is actually normal with a "heading hold" gyro such as the one included with the Falcon 3D. This will happen when the helicopter is not flying, but will automatically start working once the helicopter gets going.
Airplane Questions
- What does CG or Center of Gravity mean, and how do I find it? Every airplane has a particular center of gravity. This is the balancing point on the main wing where the airplane will balance level. The CG is very important. Shifting the CG fore and aft will change the flying characteristics of an airplane. Every airplane has a CG that is proper for stable flight. Get it wrong and the airplane may not even fly, or will have undesirable flight characteristics. Look for the CG recommendations in the airplane・s instruction manual. It will generally give you a location measured from the leading edge of the wing at the root near the fuselage. Mark this spot on each side and then pick the plane up with your fingertips directly at this location. The airplane needs to balance level. If the tail drops, shift weight forward by moving heavier components like the battery. If the nose drops, shift weight to the rear of the airplane.
General
List of common RC Hobby terms and their meanings:
- CG - Center of Gravity
- mAh - Milliamp hour
- 15C, 20C, 30C, etc. - Discharge rating of LiPoly batteries. 15, 20, and 30 are multipliers and "C" means capacity in Amp hours. To calculate maximum amp load, divide the battery・s capacity (mAh) by 1000, then multiply by the multiplier. Example: a 1500 mAh battery with a 20C rating will give you 30 Amps max.
- Fixed Pitch - A fixed pitch helicopter cannot change the pitch of it's main rotor blades in-flight. Lift is increased or decreased by changing the speed of the main rotor.
- CCPM - Cyclic and Collective Pitch Mixing
- RPM - Revolutions Per Minute
- BEC - Battery Eliminator Circuit
- Kv - Stands for RPM per Volt
- Amps - Measure of Current
- Volts - Measure of Current・s Strength
- Watts - Measure of Power
- Inrunner - A brushless motor who・s permanent magnets spin inside the electromagnetic stator・s field, they look a lot like conventional brushed motors.
- Outrunner - A brushless motor who・s permanent magnets spin around an electromagnetic stator.
Shipping & Billing
- When will I receive my order? Normally, your order will be dispatched within 24 hours on our business days after the payment is cleared. The shipment usually take 3 - 15 business days to Worldwide. The shipping time may vary, depends on receiver's location. Please allow 1 business days plus a transit time of 3 - 14 business days to receive your order.
** Transit times are estimates supplied by the Postal Service. We do not guarantee them. Shipping time is often loger to remote areas & certain countries. (eg: Italy : 2-4 weeks) - How about Customs Declartion? Your item will mark as GIFT and under its value. Normally, we will mark the Value as USD$ 20 or below. We are NOT responsible for any import tax, customs fees. Please check with your local tax authorities before buying item.
- I have bought more than one items, can you send them in separate package? Yes, please write your request on "Special Instructions or Comments About Your Order" on checkout page.
- How much does overseas shipping cost? We ship worldwide use the same shipping rate.
- Do you take PayPal? Yes, We do. We take MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover via paypal. You can also mail in your order with a personal or certified check.
- Do you accept bank transfer? Yes, We do. Handling fee for bank is USD 7. Please email us for ask for our Hong Kong Bank information. email: sale@ecpower.com.hk
- I see my item in stock online, why hasn't it shipped yet? Our website updates many times daily, and will immediately update when an out of stock item is received. Your package will be sent out in the order that it was received. In some cases it takes a little while to get them all out.
- All of my items said they were in stock, but I just got a confirmation email that says "Out of stock". What happened? There was most likely a stocking error. When the shipping department tried to fill the order, none were found on the shelf. The item will be backordered and shipped once we get it.
- What is shipping insurance? For shipping without insurance, we will not take any responsibility for parcel lost damaged, or stolen mail during delivery. Please pay for INSURANCE to avoid these situations. ONLY buyer who pay for INSURANCE will have TRACKING NUMBER.
- I didn't get a tracking number, or don't have an email address for it to be sent to. How do I get my tracking number? Not all packages have tracking numbers. If your order ships via EMS, FedEx or DHL it will, and an email will automatically be sent to you. However, if you fail to receive the email it may have been stopped by a spam filter. Check this first. If you still did not get it, let us know and we will be more than happy to get the tracking number for you (contact Shipping) and give you a status report.
- I ordered some small parts online but haven・t seen them in 14 business days. Is my package lost? The package is most likely not lost. Give it just a little more time. It can sometimes take a little longer than a regular ground shipment. (Normally, the shipping time is not more than 21 business days.)
