Hi guys :)me of late,thinking of going glow way.just want to feel the roar n sound of a real engine and ofcourse bigger sized planes.but as must b already obvious,having flown a few electrics,im a complete newbie as far as glows r concerned.so kindly help me get started by listing the essential items to start off in glow.let me try listing of whatever i know of.kindly point out if im missing something.thx in advance.
1.a plane(Glow)including all its parts(propeller,landing gear etc);
2.An engine with glow plug;
3.silencer for engine;(wts a muffler,is it the same thing)
3.servos;
4.Tx n Rx;
5.carbeurator;
6.fuel tank;
7.fuel pump;
8.bec with receiver battery
9.glow starter.
thats all i can think of now...pls point out the missed items pls.

Hi ,
I was glow flyer  but converted to electric and  fly big 60 size  electrics think of these as well ( Photos enclosed ) .This is despite having many persons around to guide
You might get all these but I think you need to answer  a  few basic questions before taking the leap :
1) Do you have guidance and experience  to tune the engine ? Very important as if not tuned properly engine cuts could be dangerous for the plane as well as to others .
2) Do you have another experienced  flyer who can train you in glow as they are heavier planes that require proper guidance to fly
3) Do you have the ability/ facility  or help to repair the planes after a crash and for routine maintenance .Balsa plane especially glow when they crash requires considerable precision and patience to repair and mind you  in case of glows crashes are not small dinks and dents they a full fledged smash ups 
4) can you procure fuel methanol , Nitro and castor oil  easily at your place eg  in tamilnadu and few other states Methanol is a banned item  hence people have to pay a huge premium for  fuel or smuggle it from other states

Not meaning to discourage  but these are inherent problems  associated with flying heavier planes either glow or electric
Of course in the case of electric power systems Q 1 and 4 are  eliminated  as it is straight forward plug and play type but  Q 2 and 3 remain.

I am sure you would have thought of these issues  but just highlighting them as flying heavy planes is not like small electrics they can be dangerous and possibly fatal projectiles to others if there is no  experienced trainer around to help you learn to control and maintain them
You are again dealing with fuel components  which  are explosives.

The reason for me cautioning you is because the fact that you are seeking guidance for the requirements on the net  leads me to assume that there is lack of local guidance , pardon me if I am wrong in this assumption.

Sai

First of all, I would also strongly recommend against you trying this all by yourself for the first time.  But I see you have tried it earlier from your opening sentence, so this may be familiar to you.

When you are ready, here is the minimal list of items for a glow setup.

1. An airplane (an "ARF kit" would be good, it is a lot less work building it as compared to a plain "kit").  Obviously this includes landing gear also.  A .46 to .50 size "high wing" plane would be good to start with.

2. An engine that suits the size of the plane (again .46 to .50 would be recommended).  A typical airplane engine would come fitted with a carburettor, glow plug and a muffler (silencer).  You will need a propellor that suits the engine, and an (optional but highly recommended) spinner.

3. Servos

4. Transmitter and Receiver

5. Fuel tank, fuel tubing and fuel pump.

6. Receiver battery (a BEC is needed if the battery is of higher voltage than what the receiver and servos can handle).

7. Glow ignitor (also known as glow booster or hotshot).

8. Appropriate fuel.

9. Starter (with starter battery) OR chicken-stick.

10. Miscellaneous items like servo extensions and/or Y-cables.

Hi sai
thx there for that answer/question/answer/question .well ya u r right.theres absolutely no local guidance here in Itanagar.im doubtful if theres ny in the whole of northeast India .it was only through the www that i came to know about this wonderful hobby and it is still the same as far as sourcing of hobby stuff and information is concerned.n im afraid it will hv to b tis way for quiete some time to come,unless o'course people start following me like crazy.so u c the forums like these r my best bets!!nw let me try to answer ur questions.no i dont hv ny knowledge regarding engine tuning n stuff,but i think i might as well learn it from well...WWW
question 2 has been already answered in detail
no xperience in repairing,how could i hv that.im yet  to go glow
methanol..yes,castor oil..no probs here too.
u r right bout the safety thing.i'll tk utmost care.thank u.
rt now im flying a GWS estarter(BL upgrade with 1250 mah lipo) and a sapac t34 mentor.cant wait for the preordered blackhorse yak 54 electric from indianhobbies.also im almost done building the shockflyer Katana from rcforallin ;)ny advice

Please post the "Katana build tips" as a separate thread   

It is best to have one thread discuss only one specific issue.

Hi anwar
thx for the reply. that listing of various compnents of glow side of rc will definitely help .

hey guys i have always been confused about how glow components are connected and does a servo control the speed of the engine. can anyone show me an illustrated guide to setting up  a glow engines with pics. anyway i will stick with electrics and if i want to try out glow i can do that too so please can anyone post illustrated guide like this for electrics http://www.ampaviators.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=27

Quote from: nabam on June 10, 2009, 12:42:16 AM

rt now im flying a GWS estarter(BL upgrade with 1250 mah lipo) and a sapac t34 mentor.cant wait for the preordered blackhorse yak 54 electric from indianhobbies.also im almost done building the shockflyer Katana from rcforallin ;)ny advice

Hi Nabam ,

I would then suggest Go electric with the bigger plane at least that way you will avoid 2 of the 4 questions and learn to control larger and heavier planes  once you have  got sufficient  confidence and control , you can remove the electric set up from the same plane and fit an  engine to it or can get another plane for the glow. This will eliminate you having to concentrate on learning both engine tuning  and maintenance as well as flying since you are familiar with electrics .
I would prefer to handle  parameter at a time , may be being over cautious .
Eg. In case of going glow direct
1) Engine handling : Un known
2) Fuel Mixing : unknown
3) Flying heavy planes unknown

I would avoid  unknowns 1 and 2 which help me to focus on 3

My personal advice will be to start  LOW wing trainer  rather than the YAK . I think the Tiger 40 Or the MEGAFLY  or some similar low wing trainer will be a great plane to start with , knowing that  you have started only a couple of months back.

Sai

hey Sai
u got a point there."Learn to fly big planes withot having to worry bout engine tuning and stuff".ya i think i'll do that.after the yak,which is comparable to 0.25 cc i guess,i'll mayb go for a .40/0.60 size.first electric then glow,if the model survives the sure crashes,that is

Quote from: Pikle6 on June 10, 2009, 05:59:14 AM
hey guys i have always been confused about how glow components are connected and does a servo control the speed of the engine. can anyone show me an illustrated guide to setting up  a glow engines with pics. anyway i will stick with electrics and if i want to try out glow i can do that too so please can anyone post illustrated guide like this for electrics http://www.ampaviators.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=27

This is xactly wt i was brainstorming bout for quiete some time nw.For electrics we hv the ESC to kinda regulate the speed of the motor and thus the prop.Now how is this achieved on a glow plane.how does the engine connect to the inputs of the rx/tx.

Quite  straight forward :

1) Servo controls the opening and closing of the carb.
2) Throttle servo connected to throttle  channel on the receiver

So when you give throttle command the carb does what is required.

sai

thanks sai uncle now i understand it

May be a video will help 



Instead of moving the throttle linkage by hand, in a model it is done by the throttle servo.

You can see the air-intake hole in the carb opening and closing as the throttle linkage is moved.  The feedback tube from the muffler into the fuel tank causes pressure to build up inside the fuel tank, which causes the fuel to flow from the tank into the engine.

now that video made me understand better

Thx for the vid anwar.

.thanks Anwar, this video helped me a lot to understand engine techniques.

As this thread is pointed by the "Begineer, Start Here,  RCIndia Gems" I request for answer of a few question.


1. How the pipe from Tank to Engine continue to flow fuel during acrobatics, Or in simple, If the plane flips during inverted flight, how the fuel level maintained at the succion end ?
2. Hoe the air trapped inside muffler so that it makes pressure inside tank ?
3. How much pressure is maintained inside tank? How the fuel lines sealed ? Then what is the pouring gate closure (or fueling valve if any ?)
4. What may be the fuel mixtures like Here spoken as Castor oil, methanol but in sharma diesel site, they say Kerosin, Castor oil, Ether.
5. In glow engine, does the Carburator is only control for throttle channel via servo, ot other controls possible?
6. How we tune the Engine?
7 Is there an procedure for fuel mix ? or just Mix.
8. What is the possible source for fuels or you can say the commercial applications of the fuel components (Like Ether or methanol) so that we can search there. (Like Styrofoam or coro, we get at False ceiling supplier store).
http://aeromodelsupermarket.com/9-diesel-engines
9. Maintenance/safety checking if any?
10. Glow plug inspection/chenge procedure.
11. Glow plug Charger/starter details.
12. Use of chicken stick, Safety and accidents.
13. Prop matching procedure. (Power/RPM Vs Prop Dia/pitch).

etc. etc.
A few link will be helpfull.

Thanks

1. Suction end has clunk which helps fuel line to be always dipped in fuel irrespective of orientation of tank. Have a look at figure below.


2. A rubber tubing (pressure line) is connected from muffler to fuel tubing. Pressure is generated inside the muffler which is passed through this tubing to fuel tank. This pressure helps continuous flow from fuel tank.

3. I Don't have idea of pressure in numbers but this pressure is generated by hot gases coming out off combustion of fuel. Nozzles are provided on muffler as well as on fuel tank, engine needle etc. over which rubber tubing fits nicely.

4. For glow engine generally methanol and castor oil is used. For diesel engines kerosene, castor oil and ether is used.

5. Performance of glow engine depends on air intake and fuel intake. Fuel intake is controlled by needle. While tuning engine on ground, needle is set at a position where is engine runs smoothly providing maximum performance. Once needle is set, the power of engine is controlled by air intake using carburetor. Carburetor opening is controlled by throttle servo.

6. Start engine at about 1 1/2 to 2 rounds (For OS46 ASP52. may vary for other engines.) of needle open. run engine for a while to warm it up. Open full throttle. Start lowering the needle until maximum rpm is achieved(Use tachometer. if you don't have one then just listen engine sound for maximum frequency). Make needle rich by 2-3 notches from maximum rpm position. Engine is set. See if you are getting linear response from engine as you vary throttle from ideal to full. If you are not getting linear response then try to make it little rich/lean around maximum rpm position to obtain linear response.

7. Just mix methanol and castor oil in proper ratio, stir mixture well so that mixture become homogeneous. Filter mixture though filter paper to remove any impurity (I do this twice) and you are done.

8. Source for methanol and castor oil can be chemical shop. I guess few LHS also stock ready made fuel like klotz  etc.

9. Maintenance is necessary for longer life and continued performance from engine. Check for rubber tubing after every 5-6 flights. Make sure to keep carburetor opening close while not in use so that no impurity goes inside engine. Keep general cleaning of engine.
Keep yourself and others distant from prop when engine is running. Do not touch engine or muffler as it is started as it is very hot. Hold plane properly and keep your hand safe from prop while setting up needle.

10. Remove glow plug from engine and put glow booster. the coil at the bottom should glow if glow plug is working.

11. Best to refer to the product manual.

12. Always use chicken stick or starter to start engine. Do not use your hand. Always keep distance from prop and hot engine.

13. Refer to engine manual. Generally one should use higher pitch prop for speed and higher dia-lower pitch prop for 3D.