QUESTIONS ON DATA LOGGING

[bkc77]

Hello, Im new to large electric helis, I have only flown 450 size electrics and my other nitro helis. I hear a lot about data logging and see charts posted all the time. now I am not a total noob, but I have limited experience with the larger electric power systems. I am now looking to get a 550-600 class heli, and have a few questions.

-To those who have used both the eagle tree and castle ice esc, what is the major differance between the data they collect?
-Is one more user friendly to a beginner?
-Is data logging really needed or is it more for trouble shooting?
- Any other pros and cons you can think of?

Thanks,
Brian

[latte]

I have both, and I have to say an external logger is way better.

When I am done for the day, I simply take my eagletree with me inside, plug it in, and read the data. The eagletree software also have this playback feature which I find very interesting to watch, especially with video of the flight.

To extract the data from the Castle ESC, I have to disconnect the throttle and plug it into the castle link, so either I must have a laptop, or bring the heli inside. I dont like to do that, as it stresses the connector. They said to come with a solution with a special y-cable to make it easier, but I dont think they have come with anything yet.

I use the eagletree a lot, and also with a powerpanel, makes tuning my engines soo easy! With this thing, I dont think I will ever have problems to tune an engine. Simply the best tool to have together with nitro. I love to have hard facts and know the temperature.


I also have the extender for electric rpm, but have not come around to put in on my Compass 6hv yet. But will soon.

[bkc77]

Thanks LATTE, I never even thought about using data logging on a nitro ........I feel kind of dumb right now.
I have always used an ir temp gun on the head when tuning a nitro, or finger on back plate, but I too have wondered about temps while flying.
In the original post I was referring to electric helis, but I am glad you brought up nitro.
I assume that you only need one EAGLE TREE for all your helis?? or is it too troublesome to rig up all sensors while switching from one heli to another?
keep the info comming

Brian

[latte]

Np!

The temp sensor is cheap, so I have one on each of my two nitro birds. But I usually only keep the logger and the sensor on the heli when I am tuning. Once satisfied, I take it off, so it wont be a victim of a crash. This way I can lend it to my friends which also wonder about in-flight amp-draw etc.

So I think it is enough with one eagletree unit. It is not much work to swap it around. Its like 1 zip tie and a few connectors.

[ahahn]

Originally Posted by latte

Np!

The temp sensor is cheap, so I have one on each of my two nitro birds. But I usually only keep the logger and the sensor on the heli when I am tuning. Once satisfied, I take it off, so it wont be a victim of a crash. This way I can lend it to my friends which also wonder about in-flight amp-draw etc.

So I think it is enough with one eagletree unit. It is not much work to swap it around. Its like 1 zip tie and a few connectors.

I've got both, and both have their advantages.

With the ET, you can add external sensors (like gps, altimeter, airspeed,....) while the CC ICE is basically limited to ESC-like functionality.

However the CC ICE tells you what your overhead is (how close you are to full throttle) as well as current draw etc. That is very useful when you are running a governor. The ET can't tell you the overhead. My Ice 50 and ET agree quite closely on amp draw and voltage, but some people have had some issues with the accuracy of the ICE measurements.

I had the ET first, but really like the added info I get from the ICE. If I were just starting, I'd go for the ICE, since it is no more expensive than the non-ICE Phoenix ESC's, but gives you the amp and power draws. Those are pretty important things to know if you are worrying that you are stressing the battery, motor, or electronics.

CC offers a "Y" connector so you don't have to unplug the throttle connection from the ESC to the receiver. But it is true that you need to bring the heli in or the PC out if you want to get the data out.