I thought I would put down a few words on my experiences with the Monster Power motors...I have a lot of planes, and most of them nowadays are electric. It generally costs a bundle to do large electrics, so I am always looking for ways to reduce the costs, without taking big chances on losing an airplane. Last year, I rolled the dice and ordered up a pair of Monster Power 46 motors. I set my expectations low...I had never heard much said about these on the internet or magazines, there were pretty much no flight reports around, so I had no real idea of what I was getting into. Let me say in no uncertain terms that I have been beyond pleased, and very surprised.
The motors come very neatly packaged, in tight form-fitting foam holders, in cardboard boxes. There is a sheet of motor specs inside, but not a lot in the way of instructions. A ton of accessories are included...there is a sturdy cross mount, a set of quality bullet connectors, a special collar for the shaft to keep it from sliding forward, a very brawny bolt-on prop adapter, a prop washer, a prop nut, a really nicely done anodized prop spinner/nut, and every bolt and screw needed to get it together. You can either use it as it comes, with a rear firewall mount, or loosen the allen grub screws holding the motor to the shaft and push the shaft through the motor using gentle pressure in a vice to reverse the mounting and mount the motor from the forward end. I think you will have to use a different prop adapter, though, as the included one mounts right to the front of the motor case with four provided bolts, and you may need a collet-style prop adapter that goes directly to the shaft. I do not know, I have not tried. It's really great that everything is included...I had problems before with motors I ordered from overseas having missing prop adapters, connectors, or screws, and it's been a real headache. That's not the kind of stuff you will find at most hobby stores, so you will spend your time arguing with vendors overseas to send you the stuff you need to mount your motor and make it work.
What really struck me, though, at first impression, was the quality of the machining. It's not cheap Chinese junk. It's Mercedes-class machine work. And the motor is anodized a nice blue color. Ball bearings, too. I'm an old-school engine freak, I have had everything from 1930's Brown Junior ignition motors to Jetcat turbines, and one of the bummers about most electric motors is they generally have a sort of purposeful, semi-disposeable feel to them, but these ones just feel different, they are a nice, QUALITY feeling piece of machinery, and I spent a certain amount of time just flipping them over and feeling the way they rotate, just like I would enjoy with a good glow motor. Sorry, I'm a motor nut, I can't help it.
I don't go in for all the weird new metal or plastic mounts they have nowadays for outrunner motors...I simply made up some 1/4" plywood boxes for mounting my motors, with a hole drilled in the firewalls for the rear shafts to protrude. My test bed was a new Nitroplanes P-82, and the electric conversion was dead simple, the longest part was making up the motor mounts. I mounted two TowerPro 70a ESCs right to the side of the box motor mounts I made up, no problems there, and used Exceed Fusion power 4000mah 5s lipos, one per side. 4s would have been enough for this plane, too.
There are no prop recommendations with the motors, but the specs for the entire line seem to match up with the E-flight Power series of motors, so I used E-flight's advice on prop choices. I picked something in the middle of the range, a pair of 13/8 APC props. Well...in the air, the plane has unlimited vertical, and is almost dead silent. Takeoffs are in 50 feet. The motors easily meet or exceed the power of a pair of 46 glow engines, only no noise, dead reliability, no fuss starting a twin. Many flights, zero service issues, the motors are still going strong.
Since then, I have tried some of the others in the range...some of them I have gotten airborne, others, the projects are still on the bench, but I have the Monster Power 15, 25, 46, 60, 110, and also a new 160 on the way, which I will be putting into one of the FlyModel F-86D propjets. The 110 is in a Sea Fury that is almost ready to go. I have flown the smaller ones(if you can consider the 60 small!) in a bunch of projects, and have had nothing but positive things to say. So, I'm really happy, as I am getting very high quality motors at stupid low prices, and not having to deal with ordering from overseas.
If you want to try a large electric conversion, you might want to give these a shot. Me, I have been very happy with what I have gotten, no complaints at all. And I'm a picky guy....
No comments:
Post a Comment