Electric Flight - July 2013

Wiring

Secure the power and ground wires within each wing panel. Since this airplane features foam wing panels, I cut a long, 1/16-inch- deep slot into each wing panel and inserted the power and ground wires into them. At the wing root, I soldered a Micro Deans connector so I could plug them into the speed controller. To keep the installation process neat and tidy, I decided to route the wire with the Micro Deans connector with the aileron servo lead and used a zip-tie to hold all wires to one another.

The smoke emitter is ignited with a fuse connected to the power wire leads. The fuse must be easily replaced because the smoke cartridges are replaced after each use. The fuse has two wires marked red and white (white for ground line and red for the power lead). I drilled two 1/16-inch holes in each cartridge mount for the fuse wires. After threading two 2mm bolts in each hole, I stripped the power wire back about 1/2 inch and wrapped the wire around the head of one bolt. Then, I did the same for the ground wire around the second bolt. I soldered the wing wires to the bolts to complete the circuit.

Power for smoke

The power to ignite the smoke cartridges comes from a 10-amp
speed controller for brushed motors. I also added a switch to the
power line between the speed controller and the battery connec-
tion. This prevents the system from igniting the cartridges should
the transmitter switch be in the wrong position. I used an E-flite
10-amp speed control and removed the red power line on the servo
extension receiver, as the aircraft is powered from a different battery.

Programming

Charge up both a flight battery as well as a battery for the smoke system. Turn your transmitter on and plug in the smoke battery. I used a 3-cell 325mAh 11.1V Thunder Power LiPo pack. Use a multimeter to determine the on/off positions of your gear switch, as well as the safety switch for the speed control. Don’t connect the fuse just yet. Verify that there is no power at the two 2mm bolts at

Shown from left to right: the fully assembled smoke emitter, an electronic igniter, a fuse, and a plastic cover to keep all contents contained.

The power and ground wire have each been soldered to a 2mm bolt. At the opposite end of the bolt, one is to wrap the igniter wire around each bolt. This makes it possible to quickly remove the igniter after a flight.

The smoke emitter is ready for installation. The green circular component is a fuse wrapped within the inner diameter of the plastic cover, and this is where one also secures the igniter. After the plastic cover is installed, I opted to secure it to the emitter using clear tape.