| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 899.1 | glow driver | TONTO::SCHRADER | Buddy can you Paradigm? | Tue Feb 21 1989 09:37 | 40 |
| >
> I've searched high and low in this conference and found almost nothing
> about glow plug drivers, in particular about what they do for me and
> the theory of how they work --- are they constant current devices,
> chopped [high] voltage devices, or a combination of one of these with
> resistance measurement capability?
>
About 8 or 10 years ago RCM or MAN or somebody ran a construction
article for a glow driver. What I know about the subject comes from
that article.
A glow plug driver senses the plug's resistance to determine how hot
it's glowing. The circuit trys to keep the plug's element glowing at a
certain temperature as measured by the plug resistance (lets call it
the "setpoint"). If it's not glowing hot enough (a flooded engine for
instance) then the plug's resistance will be lower than the setpoint
so then the voltage and current are raised to try to get the plug
temperature up to where it should be. Once the plug clears it will
start glowing too brightly, the plug's resistance will go higher than
the setpoint, so the voltage and current are dropped to drop the plug
temperature back to the setpoint. This adjustment happens within a few
milli-seconds so a plug that clears doesn't have time to burn out
before the drive is reduced. The plug could be driven by either a
voltage source or a current source, the circuit could be either linear
or chopped, and there are a number of ways to measure the resistance.
The actual design would depend on where you wanted to make your
tradeoffs. If I were designing one then I would use a chopped voltage
source.
One point is that not all power panels are also glow drivers. A lot
are simple constant voltage sources. And actually a constant voltage
source isn't that bad. With a constant voltage source, when a plug
floods it's resistance drops, the resistance drop increases the current
which helps to clear the plug.
!
--+--
Glenn Schrader o___<0>___o CSS::SCHRADER
* * *
|
| 899.2 | I'LL TAKE A DRIVER 10-TO-1.... | PNO::CASEYA | THE DESERT RAT (I-RC-AV8) | Tue Feb 21 1989 10:31 | 14 |
| GLENN,
Yeah, but a constant voltage is nearly useless for starting inverted
engines, especially _wet_ ones. I use a C&D Glo-driver and it burns
out the flood almost instantly. My Sonic power panel also has a
glo-driver but I find that, when a starter is used in conjunction,
the voltage to the plug drops considerably making it hard to start
unless you crank up the voltage and risk burning up the plug.
|
| | 00 Adios, Al
|_|_| ( >o
| Z__(O_\_ (The Desert Rat)
|
| 899.14 | Try Jomar Products!! | PEE47::COX | So Speedy, how do we get zeez brains? | Fri Mar 03 1989 14:47 | 12 |
| One product line you might want to look at is from Jomar. They have a
neat little onboard glow plug driver that I've used with my FS-48.
Mine is hooked to the throttle servo with a T connector so that at zero
or low rpms the plug is lit and as the throttle is advanced it turns
off. The same device can be used to run other functions like lights,
rockets, camera, etc. any application where you need a switch operated
by either a seperate channel or slaved to a channel like the throttle.
--|-- Happy (con)Trails!
(O)
_______/ \_______ Scott Cox
|
| 899.15 | E.GAS | MPGS::PERCUOCO | | Wed Mar 08 1989 15:56 | 19 |
| I just installed a "World Engines E.G.A.S. (Electronic Glow Adjustable
Switch)" into my Goldberg Cub, on a Enya 90 4-stroke and it works
great!!!! No need for an external glow driver and it's safe. It gets
the Enya idle way down so your plane doesn't want to taxi as it would
without it. It has a little adjustable pot in the device and there
are no mechanical linkages like most I've seen. You can adjust the
glow to come on at any position of the throttle throw. The nicad
will give you about 10-12 minutes or so of continuous power. It really
is a bargain and easy to install. I would suggest using 18 awg.
wire when hooking everything up. I modified my ni-starter charger
to accomodate the EGAS also. I think Indy RC has them for $24.00!
It's a dollar more than the Great Planes glow system that uses a
electro/mechanical linkage but it's alot more efficient and easier
to install!! A must if you decide to install such a system! They
also make an EGAS for radial engines.
Tom
|
| 899.16 | More info please.... | VTMADE::SOUTIERE | | Thu Mar 09 1989 11:53 | 12 |
| Tom
Does this system have an external charging jack so you don't
have to disect the plane?
You also mentioned using 18awg wire. Doesn't it come with the
proper wire?
And lastly, do you have a number to call to order one of these?
My 4stoke OS90 will be inverted in my Chipmunk, and the plug
is at an angle going towards the prop. Its too close for comfort
as far as attaching a plug wire, so I need an on-board system.
Ken
|
| 899.17 | ..Here goes.. | MPGS::PERCUOCO | | Thu Mar 09 1989 13:41 | 38 |
| Ken, 0
When I first saw the ad for the EGAS, I called WORLD ENGINES
to gather some info... The only thing you get from the distributor
is the EGAS itself. I called INDY RC, who carries the EGAS and told
them what I needed. I ordered the following seperately.
1.2v nicad battery
charger & jack (was out of stock)
locking glow plug connector
"Y" harness
I went to radio shack and got the compatable male/female connector
for my ni-starter charging jack and spliced it into the cable.
The plug on the EGAS is not a futaba type. It fits the world
engines EXPERT radio...Like an FM connector. You can change the
connector though. The "Y" harness fits the connector on the EGAS.
The wire length on the EGAS is real short. You have to wire and
extension on.......sound like alot of work but it's not. The charging
jack worked out great! You can mount it right on the plane.
I didn't know what kind of a locking glow plug to get so I told the
girl at INDY I had a ENYA 90-4stroke and she sent the proper plug.
Tell the person taking your order that you have an O.S. whatever,
and they'll send you the appropriate locking plug wire!
I don't have alot of room either from my prop to the plug but it
worked out perfect.
What I would suggest is, do what I did. I called the INDY information
# (317) 846-0766 and tell her you want an EGAS, 1.2V nicad battery, a
"Y" harness. You can try and get a 1.2v battery charger but they might
not have it. Like I said, if you have a ni-starter with a charger, you
can splice a connector into the charger. The EGAS will solve all your
problems and it's alot safer that sticking a ni-starter or external
plug wire close to a spinning prop.
Good luck...
Tom
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