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Ed Anderson wrote:
Good point, Rusty. When is too much performance really too much {:>). I would certainly be interested in a light weight, inexpensive variable pitch prop. Heck, I even developed a controller for an electric prop that you could preset "optimum" prop rpms for take-off, climb, cruise and descent. Unfortunately it never got tested and the intended prop is apparently now in limbo.
I also think variable pitch is the way to go. CS requires way to much power and extra hardware, with the attendant weight and maintenance, for it to be a real net benefit to our light aircraft and relatively slow speeds.
My dream VP prop would have a battery powered motor. The battery would be charged by a small solar panel built into the spinner. Not much charging ability, but the handful of battery on my drill will run for an hour or two with no problem. The pitch would only be changed a few times in flight, never long enough to give the battery a serious workout. Pitch setting could be controlled by some sort of Bluetooth setup, or be self-contained. The self-contained method would require a retractable reflective tab just behind the spinner. The tab would complete a beam/detector combo. With the tab out, the microprocessor would control the motor to adjust the prop to the proper RPM based on the beam pulses. With the tab retracted, the microprocessor wouldn't detect a pulse and would turn the motor off. Several tabs/detectors could be implemented to set various RPMs.
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,|"|"|, Ernest Christley |
----===<{{(oQo)}}>===---- Dyke Delta Builder |
o| d |o http://ernest.isa-geek.org |
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