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electric start

3K views 21 replies 7 participants last post by  Dan 
#1 ·
has anybody ever used or no anything about the electric start nitro engine...are they are waste of time or is there some merit in them.....a rotostart and glow plug are bloody heavy items to cart around in ones pocket when the rc action strays alittle away from camp
 
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#2 ·
that would be sick.. especially on 3rd channel..



flick a switch.. and it starts!!
 
#3 ·
I think its possible with the traxxas Ezy-start sytem.



Just have to hook up some sort of resistor to lower the voltage for the
glow-plug when you start everything. Eg. 3rd channel pressed - elec.
motor kicks over engine whilst glowplug is heated




That would be cool. I should give it a go with my tmaxx
 
#4 ·
i think the ofna ld3 offers both shaft and electric start there is a picture in new rc driver and it looks like it uses a small amount of current to heat the plug.....i was wondering if it was all on board or if it still required you to attach a glow igniter...dosent look like it does...any one familiar with this type of setup
 
#5 ·
Personally I dont like the idea of added weight to the truck .....



I agree with the roto being a pain in the bum to lug around so I went
to pull start (see the roto v's pull start thread elsewhere on this
site)



For onboard electric start u would have to have a few decent sized
cells on board, aswell at the electric motor ........ say, an extra 400
+ grams or so .... no thanks.



Saying that, it would be simple to do I guess, if you didnt mind the extra weight.
 
#6 ·
i agree with the weight.. but im not in for the racing etc..

i wont do it.. coz i usually have a bag full of fuel on my back.. and it never turns off..





but i think its cooll





THIS IS my 500th post
im no longer an R/C Apprentice
 
#7 ·
i have to agree the added weight is a big issue and i can see the merits of the pullstart over the rotostart........not a big issue i just thought the idea of some type of "electronic ignition" is a viable option. maybe the manafacturers can deliver a super light wieght motor and cell pack somewhere down the line
 
#8 ·
meh.. i say forget about it for 1/8 or smaller..





1/5 4 or some bigger ones.. then yes..
good idea.. but anyway.. they usually run with a spark plug for
gasoline of the drip
 
#10 ·
judd said:
i have to agree the added weight is a big issue and i can see the merits of the pullstart over the rotostart........not a big issue i just thought the idea of some type of "electronic ignition" is a viable option. maybe the manafacturers can deliver a super light wieght motor and cell pack somewhere down the line

There are kits where you attach a nicad cell permanently to the glowplug via a little circuit that turns on when the engine is not max-revving... helps with slow speed idle too.


Single subC only weighs about 40g.
 
#11 ·
zoomer said:
judd said:
i have to agree the added weight is a big issue and i can see the merits of the pullstart over the rotostart........not a big issue i just thought the idea of some type of "electronic ignition" is a viable option. maybe the manafacturers can deliver a super light wieght motor and cell pack somewhere down the line

There are kits where you attach a nicad cell permanently to the glowplug via a little circuit that turns on when the engine is not max-revving... helps with slow speed idle too.


Single subC only weighs about 40g.

Yeah but the motor and batteries required to turn the engine over are a real weight addition.
 
#12 ·
think he meant having the benefits of a pullstart without needing to carry glowstarter ie. just walkup & tug like a victa mower. Wouldn't be a bad idea either.


Someone was selling a little dynamo/alternator that runs off a model engine. Could be useful to top up the glow cell and/or the RX pack. But all that extra complexity is really asking for hassles.





Fully self-contained onboard electric start... is PURE LAZINESS.
 
#14 ·
Same reason as why they don't have built-in starters on F1 cars... ditto the Ferrari F40LM. All that extra deadweight (battery, starter) hampers performance.


Extra weight puts more stress on frame and powertrain too - making it more prone to premature failure. (yeah, I just looked in the mirror too).


I'm as lazy as they come
, but not when it affects performance.
 
#15 ·
zoomer said:
Extra weight puts more stress on frame and powertrain too - making it more prone to premature failure. (yeah, I just looked in the mirror too).


I'm as lazy as they come
, but not when it affects performance.

LOL... sounds like something my wife would say... especially that last bit.



I guess that's the difference between us mate, I'm not worried about the weight as I don't race... but I agree that weight will hamper performance. Only my solution would not be to make things lighter, but rather get a bigger engine.


More power!!
 
#16 ·
Bah. Unless you race then your really just wished you raced complaining about weight




I bet if the savage had of come stock with a fully featured onboard starting system it would be a different thing.



 
#18 ·
Skidd said:
LOL... sounds like something my wife would say... especially that last bit.



I guess that's the difference between us mate, I'm not worried about the weight as I don't race... but I agree that weight will hamper performance. Only my solution would not be to make things lighter, but rather get a bigger engine.


More power!!

Not just racing defeats, but excess weight also puts a lot more strain on suspension & drivetrain. When you're jumping the whumps, landings will be much harder and the shocks take more beating.


And when you add more power... the drivetrain is even more overtaxed.






Lucky you don't fly RC, Skidd.


Me & you,our planes would never get off the ground...



(I'm the type who slathers EPOXY onto the balsa fuselage, making it 2x as strong. And 4x as heavy).
 
#19 ·
zoomer said:
There are kits where you attach a nicad cell permanently to the
glowplug via a little circuit that turns on when the engine is not
max-revving... helps with slow speed idle too.


Tetherd racers use this idea, but there is power 100% of the time on the glow plug, not just sometimes.



Zoomer, do you think there would be any side effects from running a
permant power supply to a larger nitro motor for long runs. The
tetherd racers only last around 5 mins max a run.
 
#20 ·
Trader said:
Bah. Unless you race then your really just wished you raced complaining about weight




I bet if the savage had of come stock with a fully featured onboard starting system it would be a different thing.





I disagree. I like to watch the weight of my savage, I dont really like
adding stuff to it that isnt needed. Keeping the weight down means less
moving mass, less potential for damage. faster acceleration means
bigger jumps in shorter un up, great for bashing in places like
quarries and construction sites.
 
#21 ·
Dan said:
Zoomer, do you think there would be any side effects from running a permant power supply to a larger nitro motor for long runs. The tetherd racers only last around 5 mins max a run.

Tethered racers might not be glow engines, but real spark ignition.


Someone once had an RC mini petrol engine too with spark ignition - it ran off its own rechargeable power source. Some oddball company that I haven't heard about since.


I know guys that have tried that on little 12 engines & 21 in 1/8ths. You need to retune it slightly to suit, but there's no known sideeffects. Can't even say plug life isn't dramatically reduced in any way.... could be worth a try.


Definitely idling is much improved!
 
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