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ElectraFlyer
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:38 pm
by gertcoetzee
With all the crank talk, the ElectraFlyer was mentioned. Have a look at the web site, and download the two .pdf articles.
Being as technically minded as your average bat, I have lots of questions, but will leave the debate open to Morph and others at first.
A couple of points though
$7500 for the battery. Somewhere it is mentioned endurance 1.5 hours. Battery rated for 300 to 500 cycles = R187.5 per hour and similar to 582 cost at the moment
Seems to be more like a way to get a hangglider in the air?
What about going the Prius way?
Variable speed drive for Electra flyer
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:29 pm
by ZULU1
Gert, the battery must be the expensive bit as the control electronics are actually off the shelf in every town in the country. Variable speed DC motors are simple pieces of kit. Assuming its DC (worked on 7 phase AC yonks ago) I am very interested in the power source, we need to pool resources and dig up more on this very interesting project.
"faka fire lapha lo wire"
zulu1
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 8:08 pm
by Aerosan
IMHO Ill never evr get into that
the fire by the wire can go wrong too fast ........ I think that Murphy must be an electronics engineer
Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:17 am
by smallfly
SUPER !
One should remember though that this is only the first of the type,
and has gone a long way to prove that this is possible.
At only 35 Kg i am sure the battery can be enlarged by at least 50%,
giving endurance of three hours.
Then, if you are a weekend flyer, there are always the option of
wind or solar chargers.You can also design the battery bay for easy
interchangeabillity, and have an extra set on charge while you fly.
I would realy like to see the performance figures !!
Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:45 pm
by gertcoetzee
Hello Gert,
Cells can be recharged in one hour but since the capacity is so large the controlling factor is the current available from a 110 outlet. Our 110 V charger is 1kw and takes 6 hours to charge the large battery pack. The 220 charger (3kw) can do it in 2 hours. 1.5 hour endurance is the max with a 200 pound pilot, the Stratus wing and no lift to help. A lighter pilot or more efficient wing will increase this figure. There is a power dial on the right lower seat tube which controls the electronic motor speed control. The complete unit including wing, trike, large battery pack and charger is approx. $20K. A detailed price list will be up on the site soon. This is a legal ultralight, part 103 and must be a single seat only. This wing is a slow flyer. The speed range is 25 to 45 mph. When your motor and propeller are almost silent it is most pleasant to fly slow. 50 or 60 mph of wind is loud and would defeat the purpose. No closer pics of batteries right now. We custom build these packs from individual cells for each trike.
Regards, Randall
www.electraflyer.com
Battery Chargers
Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 2:41 pm
by ZULU1
Gert, You can take a few grand off for the charger, spent years on SCR drives, you can get a standard control card off the shelf from Phasecon and build up a simple SCR panel very reasonably priced. Remember our standard outlets here are 16 amps, instead of the UK at 13 amps. I will willingly design the charger for anyone on the forum...
Big question whos the first to buy one ??
Zulu1
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:59 am
by smallfly
SCR Drive and charger will pose the minimum of your problems.
Your biggest problem will be to get a purpose designed motor and
BATTERY !! Nobody here mkes li-ion batteries that big,
or to customers requirements?
Batteries
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 9:04 am
by ZULU1
Thats the problem as we all know..maybe build it up from cells imported ??
zulu1
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:27 pm
by justin.schoeman
Buy a whole bunch a Dewalt 36V battery packs off ebay
. These are about the best lithium cells currently available.
To make them 'bigger' just run more in series/parallel.
Don't write off the charger as 'easy' though. Lithium cells have a rather complicated charging requirement, and the voltage of each cell in the pack must be individually monitored and controlled.
-justin
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:41 pm
by Morph
The big question is whether CAA will provide you with an ATF.
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:02 pm
by DieselFan
Morph wrote:The big question is whether CAA will provide you with an ATF.
If they don't know where the rudder on a trike is I dunno what they'll think when they ask for the fuel tank...
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 9:13 pm
by Boet
And then the motor will probably be replaced at 300 hrs??
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:00 am
by DieselFan
Boet wrote:And then the motor will probably be replaced at 300 hrs??
Not just that, can you imagine changing the spark plugs on this one, we'd need Demon with his monkey wrench / prop protractor.
and the idea of 2 strokes would be rubbing the engine twice either during a prayer or to warm it up.
Personally I would like the idea of a letric motor. Pitty about cost.
Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:41 am
by Quentin Ferreira
DOnt you get one srong enough for 2 people??
Quentin Ferreira
ZU-ATP
Newcastle