What KV will the motors be to support 14S?
With the new battery. What is the impact on weight, flight time, thrust, etc?
We’re estimating about 6 weeks after the end of the pre-order to get everything in and begin shipping. Full disclosure, based on the current amount of orders it will take us a few weeks to get everyone’s shipped out.
The new motors are 150kv
@Pdwhite can probably better explain the impacts of the new batteries and higher voltage but there will be a slight improvement in flight time.
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Weight will increase by about a 1.5lbs with 4 Batts and flight time will increase about 13% or so. Thrust will be about the same.
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Can you tell us more about the optional BMS? Is this something you guys developed custom for OpenPPG or something you found that is compatible? How does it hook up? Does it have a display? Does it shutdown the system or just give warnings?
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The BMS is a custom modular design that is communicates with the controller via the Frame PCB/hub. (It does have its own buzzer and external LED support for alerts). The firmware is still being written but initially we plan on just alerting the pilot and not shutting down the system. Expect alerts to be focused around too high or low cell voltages and high temperatures etc. It wont handle charging and discharging.
There will be lots of flexibility on how much authority we want to give the new electronics. We will be tweaking and improving all of it with updates as we get feedback and continue testing.
It’s important to reiterate that new BMS and the new hub are big steps for us towards our vision of a revolutionary flying experience. However, as mentioned in the release notes not every feature will be available initially and we always appreciate help with firmware and testing.
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More like a BWS - Battery Warning System 
Cheers
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That’s the way it should be! I don’t want to have sudden unexpected power shutdowns. Not that I would keep flying but it gives you a few seconds if needed to adjust your approach.
I think the most important piece of information while flying is to know the voltage of the lowest individual cell.
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How long are the pre-orders typically open for? I saw that things should begin shipping 6 weeks after the pre-order closes.
I was planning to construct my own frame using the CAD data, (I have a waterjet and machine shop at my disposal) but instead opted to purchase the kit. Been reading through the forum like crazy. Great community you guys have here. Eager to get started building one!
I believe they said 2 weeks of open pre order time
Thanks for the reply.
Will there be any photo updates like for the frame changes
How frequently do new batches come out? If I were to order one at the end of the year will it be a newer version? What will the delivery time be like then?
There are small evolutions being made with each batch from suggestions and issues found by members as well as the developers Zack & Paul doing their own updates. Next batch will vary on many factors the biggest one I think is being how long to get the last one out and then 2nd, the time needed to implement how many changes/updates for the next Ver.
Approx 2 batches a yr I think so far - Should be another in the fall sometime if the trend continues.
Batch 4 is looking really good with some solid updates made - almost wishing I had held out for it!! But that is life in an on going evolving open source endeavor. No regrets on my batch 3 order:grin:
Cheers
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Yes, I think the 14s KV150 motors will improve flying time! At 50% throttle it should be 10 A less and at full throttle even 40 A less than the 12s KV180 motors. Real life feedback will tell us!
These are just my estimates…
At level flight it could go from 120A to only 100A power consumption!
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The only way to compare two systems with different volts is to look at watts (amps x volts) not just amps.
The new system will be more robust because of the lower amps but the power consumption in watts will be the same. The only efficiency gain will be from heat losses which will be minuscule.
Flight time will be longer because you will be carrying more cells.
Yup you are right…
Not easy to compare, but if you reduce the amps for the same thrust then the system is just more efficient.
Run_time(min) = Capacity(Ah) / Current(A) x 60min/hr
KV180 12s system 44000mAh:
Capacity: 44 Ah
Current: 120A
Run_time = 44/120 x 60 = 22 min flight-time
KV150 14s system 44000mAh:
Capacity: 44 Ah
Current: 100A
Run_time = 44/100 x 60 = 26.4 min flight-time
This would be a 20% flight-time increase… Not sure it is realistic, but a good step to better efficiency!
The 20% increase is because the battery is 20% bigger. That’s not an increase in efficiency but an increase in capacity.
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