BATTERY: Now that you have purchased the ign. module, you will need a good 4.8 volt battery pack 800 MA or larger. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE POLARITY CORRECT. Red wire is always positive and we always put the positive wire in the center of the Dean’s plug. If in doubt, check with a voltmeter; I have found new packs wired wrong. THE CENTER PIN on your radio plug is not always positive. Airtronics has the positive pin on the outside of the plug. THERE IS NO REVERSE PROTECTION on any of our systems now. While reversed polarity shouldn’t hurt the module, it could damage the sensor. Do not try and run the ignition off the same pack as the radio.

  We send most of the modules out without switch harnesses or plugs. Any radio switch harness will work, just make sure you have battery polarity correct before turning on the switch. When in doubt, check it with a volt meter. Some radios have “plus” in the middle and some don’t. Keep all the wires as short as possible and as far from any part of the radio as you can.

  We like to use a larger than 800 MA pack on the H.D. single or twin system. If weight is not a problem, use,a 1200 MA or larger pack. If you use one of the larger packs, make sure you use a charger rated for the battery pack. You must be able to charge the pack at least 10% of its capacity. A 1200 MA battery needs a 120 MA charger. You cannot leave your 500 MA battery charger on for a longer time and get the pack fully charged.

  We use a variable charger as you can set just the charge you want. If you get up in the morning and want to go fly and have not charged, you can crank up the rate for a couple of hours. A field charger is very handy too. Along with a proper charger. we couldn’t live without a good ESV. To check your battery pack you must use an Expanded Scale Volt meter with a 500 MA load. Sometimes we have as many as 8 aircraft at the field at one time. It is hard to keep track of all these battery packs. The Ace Voltmaster works very well.

 The early RCEXL ignitions have a sticker that says 4.8 to 6 volts. Six volts was two much for some of these systems. The newer versions of these ignitions have a sticker that says version 2. These are OK with 6 volts. I read on R.C.U. that some of the fliers were using two of the A-123 cells on the RCXL ignition; these cells hold 7.2 volts for quite a long time. I have tested these ignitions with this voltage and the case gets fairly warm so transistor has got to be running pretty hot. You are on your own if you use over 6 volts, any damage caused by over voltage is not covered by warranty. I have been flying the CHXL single ignitions on one Li Poly. This seems to work fine, the engine will start cutting out before the voltage gets low enough to hurt the single Li -Poly. Just do not forget to turn the ignition off or it will ruin your single cell. I am working on a warning for this. With 7.2 volts the battery drain is over 700 MA.

 I just have done some battery drain tests.
  All tests were done at 8000 RPM.A new single cylinder, Version 2 CHXL Ignition.
 7.2 Volts -725 MA
 7     Volts -675 MA
 6 Volts -650 MA
 4.8 Volts -475 MA
  3.7 Volts -375 MA
 3 Volts --300 MA.Very weak spark. I do not think engine would run.
  Under 2 volts Ignition dead. Ignition still working but Hall Effect dead. We have done test runs and the engines run fine down to 3.2 Volts.
 Why use any thing over 4.8 volts. Three Nickel Metal Hydride would probably be OK. 3.6 volts.



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