I received the unit a couple days ago. I ordered RC-i 220e. Good for single and dual cylinder units. I have to say the presentation is excellent. The product seems to be of the utmost quality.

This unit has all the bells and whistles so to speak. I also ordered all to parts to retrofit a zenoah, including the light flywheel with built in mag for sensor. Now all I need is a little bit of time to get a boat retrofitted with the system.

My goal is to have a boat setup for the Northern Nats August, where I will put it to the test in real racing conditions. Will report back after that. I just have to figure out which boat now!

BTW, I don't plan on spinning above 20k, so I will most likely power it from the receiver battery pack, keeping weight and components to a minimum.

I will be experimenting with different timing maps...to try and optimize slow mill and top end simultaneously...time and testing will tell!

I too inquired into purchasing one for the 520 twin rigger project.

Like you, too be able in utilizing all the systems bells and whistles one needs test time and ample water access. Those two are VERY limited things these days.

** Very interested in what you think and find out with the system


** With a twin racing class engine requiring + 9Volts and capacity which will assume is close to Zenoahs G20 system is going to take likely 4000+ Mah rating which for ease of use & charging likely needs to be 8 cell sub-3 R/C car type packs ?
Use the new Lithium/Ion packs and correct charger likely to add near $150 to the conversion price ... Ouch !

Marc and Scott.

I am really not much into the electronics in a MGB.
So I wonder if this gizmo can make a 40 cc Blata run better or if it's something meant to be applied to a Zen if you want to go scientific? (Bells & whistles).
Anyway I consider just running my Blata as is for a start. The gizmo looks a little too hairy to me.

Cheers!
Woodie.

Woody, for more info on the " bells and whistles " you can see read more in the article on this site which this thread is linked to, but in short I was referring to the monitoring and failsafe opttions. www.modelgasboats.com/index.ph...2:tech-articles

Also the manual for the unit can be downloaded at this link: www.power-spark.de/index_en.html

Scott... technical specs here: www.power-spark.de/downloads/B...engl_2011_1.pdf


I'm extrapolating current draw to be about 1.5A @ 9V for a twin according to these specs. Considering most races last only a few minutes, I think a 2 hour reserve would be more than sufficient for a day's racing. So let's say a 3000mAH 9v pack. That's not out of the ordinary.

For 6v operation we'd be looking at 4000-4500 mAh packs if we go by the same logic... now that I will have to look into! I just might end up running a dedicated pack. We'll see.

Thanks Marc.

But to make it simple, please tell me: Will this gizmo work with other engines than the usual Zens?
You know: I'm the outsider with the (bastard) Blata.

Cheers!
Woodie.

Yes, it should work with most engines, as long as you can mount the magnet to the flywheel and the sensor to the engine in the correct position. Obviously the kit was designed around the Zenoah style engines, since these are by far most common in the boating community, but the manual states it should work similarly with other engines as long as the components can be mounted correctly. I would however contacting the manufacturer to confirm this before purchasing if such is the case.

*** one important thing to note however is that this unit is designed to use the secondary coil of the Zenoah engine, which in turn amplifies the voltage to feed the spark. It only replaces the pickup coil (the one closest to the flywheel). So if your engine has 2 coils then I think it would work. Otherwise I'm not sure you could feed it into a single coil engine. This would definitely have to be verified with the manufacturer of the Powerspark.

Just a thought, if you have to run a 9 volt battery for the ignition and a 6 volt battery for the receiver/servos why not just run one good 9 volt pack and a voltage regulator for the receiver/servos.

Dan

While a doable thing ... Redundancy in having both a separate radio gear battery and one for ignition requirements does IMO give a tad bit greater safety margin.

But then again with the "Power Sparks" built in low voltage safeties and fail safe functions, it may very well be the way to go !!

In application if voltage drops enough too effect radio gear it's best to have an engine that shuts down rather than continuing to run with no steering or throttle control !

Highlighted bold items just has this motorhead having to know first hand what may be possible with an ignition system that runs rock solid stable in BTDC timing spec no matter the rpm can do for overall performance ?

It is a known FACT that our typical Zenoah / RCMK 2 piece CDI ignitions degrade in holding there advanced @30* at 8K specs at higher rpm levels. My mind boggles at "What If" being able to hold 28/30* BTDC timing specs at 18K+ will do for peak power.
Let alone maybe MORE advance in lower rpm range for increased torque and then taking timing retarded or perhaps further advanced from there ?
It seems that this system has the potential to allow mapping of custom advance/retarded timing specs catering to application at hand ... damn this is cool stuff !!

Bit the $$-Dollar-$$ bullet and ordered up a system ... just gotta know !!