Miscellaneous

If you are interested in knowing all that goes on inside your R/C boat, whether it be for troubleshooting or fine tuning for best possible performance, the Eagle Tree Boat Data Recorder (BDR) might be the perfect tool for you! As soon as I saw this product I knew this could be a very useful tool for me, so I went to Eagle Tree’s website to read up on the BDR and see what it had to offer. After some review of the specifications, I decided to order a unit and try it out. The online ordering process was effortless, and the unit arrived at my door in a little over a week (keep in mind I am in Canada).

-BDR including RPM and Temperature sensor, USB cable and Software.

-EGT expander with thermocouple probe (to measure exhaust gas temperature)

-an extra thermocouple wire with ring adaptor to fit on sparkplug

The unit is surprisingly small, about the size of some receivers on the market today. It also comes with a USB do connect to a computer. The RPM sensor uses magnets that would normally be attached to the flywheel of a motor, but using our gas engines (Zenoah or similar), you can simply install the sensor to read RPM off of the magnets in the flywheel, thus simplifying installation. I used the probe sensor in the exhaust header (EGT), one TC sensor to read outside air, and a second TC to read head temperature. I did not test the pitot tube speedometer, but it is also supplied with the base BDR if you want to use it. I use a GPS for my speed measurements, but I just might install both someday, just to compare the accuracy.

What is neat about the BDR is that you also plug in your servos and the unit will monitor all movements of the servos, current, voltage, and record glitches if any occur. Add to this the fact that you are recording speed, RPM and temperatures of your motor, and you have a very powerful tool in your possession! You can also add features such as G-force monitoring and battery pack monitoring. Eagle Tree also offer Snap-on Ferrite Chokes, useful in filtering out interference, a must with gas motors.

The service I received from Bill Parry, owner of Eagle Tree Systems, was unsurpassed. He always took the time to answer my questions ( I asked him a lot of questions! ). I had a problem with one component that failed, and Bill told me he had never had such a failure with that component, yet he didn’t hesitate for one minute to replace it for me at no cost. I have nothing but good to say about Bill and Eagle Tree, and would recommend there products to anyone.

Here are some specs on the BDR taken from the Eagle Tree website:

Contact Information: