Re: Ultracapacitors for electric RC airplanes?

greedware@xxxxxxxxx wrote: 
Just curious if any company or anyone is using ultracapacitors
(sometimes called supercapacitors) for RC aircraft.

I searched around and couldn't find anything.

A 350-farad (not a typo) ultracap is light and small.  I don't think
they have quite the capacity of rechargeable batteries yet, but they
charge in seconds and weight almost nothing.  30 bucks or so each.  I
figure something like this would be very useful for RC airplanes.

350 F cap - 2 ounces:
http://www.maxwell.com/ultracapacitors/products/BCAP0350.html

Regards

The cap: (1/2)*(2.5V)^2*(350F) / (2*oz) = 547 Joules/ounce.

A 500mAh from SR: (1V)*(500mA) / (0.66oz) = 2730 Joules/ounce.

So my little speed-400 job with the 7 cell pack (weight = 4.6 oz) would have to go to a 12 capacitor array (weight = 24 oz), for an overall aircraft weight of 36 oz -- and that's before I build the switching motor controller that'll deliver the power to the motor?

Well, I suppose it'll crash less often, seeing as how it wouldn't get airborne.

--
-------------------------------------------
Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com
.

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