Re: [RCSE] New to electrics with Zagi-400

["Tom Sheehy" <tsheehy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mike,

Do you know what type of battery you have?  Assuming it is the one which
came with your Zagi, it probably has a capacity of 500 mAH.

Assuming your battery was charged with your slow charger for 8 hours at
50mA, you would have only put in about 400 mAH, which would explain why you
only got 3 minutes of engine run time.  Most folks flying electric use a DC
fast-charger which can charge your pack at a higher rate and then have it
switch off automatically when the battery is full.  Depending on the type of
cells that are in the battery, you can charge them at varying rates without
damage.  For example, the 500A type of cells can be charged safely at 1A,
the 500ARs can handle 2-2.5A.

An excellent source of information for beginner E-Fliers is the Ezone.  They
have a variety of message boards and regular articles, and I think you would
find their E-Flight FAQ very helpful.  It covers all the basics of E-Flight,
including batteries, motors, charging, capacity, etc..

http://www.ezonemag.com

Another great source of information is the Zagi mailing list.  There is a
lot of helpful information on this list, as well as captured in the
archives.  You can find the Zagi list on eGroups, at
http://www.egroups.com/group/zagi

Let me know if you have any questions after checking out the EZone FAQ.  I
just went through all this a few months ago myself :)


-- Tom




----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Kovacs
To: soaring@xxxxxxxxxx ; zagi@xxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2000 8:17 AM
Subject: [RCSE] New to electrics with Zagi-400


Ok.  Everything works in my Zagi-400, but I am wanting
to learn the specifics of the battery.

I charged it last night at my meter said that it had
11.02 volts across it.  I ran it at about half
throttle.  The motor died after about 3 minutes.

Does that sound about right?  I charged it with a slow
charger (50 ma) for about 8 hours.

What should be about the max voltage after a good
charger?

I am in the dark about this electric stuff, so any
input would be beneficial!

=====
SINK NOT.  LIFT or LIFT NOT.  THERE IS NO SINK.

Mike Kovacs

Webpage:  http://www.geocities.com/j_m_kovacs
E-mail:   mailto:j_m_kovacs@xxxxxxxxx

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