I bought a used batch 4 with 4 bonka 6s’s and fired it up for the first time today
I used two bonkas for my initial hookup test both of which were charges to “storage”
When I flipped the main switch on the controller showed me 22v. I thought the storage charge was 23v so am I missing something or is it just a rounding/display issue
2 when I deactivate the motors (double click to activate/deactivate ) the rig issues a periodic beep and the motors seems to twitch a bit along with the beep. This continues till I activate again or till I switch the main power off. Is this normal? (Both the beep and the twitch)
My first full throttle test showed me a draw of 95/96 amps, however I did not feel a lot of thrust, ie with the motor on my back I did not have to push back at all. Is this what I should expect with an X4? If this is not normal what would be the best way to test my thrust and what should I look at to troubleshoot the thrust issue
What voltage numbers should I consider as a 50% or a 75% mark as I am evaluating remaining battery power/flying time
I weigh 160lbs and fly a BGD wasp 25m if that provides any value to the numbers
That’s one battery. You need to connect them in series pairs. Your voltage should be double that.
Sounds normal to me from your description.
Hook those batteries up in a series pairs and your amp draw will almost double as well. At full charge I’m seeing 240+ amp draw. I have six cell packs. It’ll definitely push you over of you don’t lean into it.
The voltage drop isn’t linear so it’s hard to say exactly what 50% is. I’ve been charging to 4.15v per cell which my chargers show as 95%. After a ten minute flight the controller shows 38%. My chargers report 3.85 volts per cell.
With four packs (two pairs) at your mass, you’re safe to fly for 15 minute with a five minute cushion. Fly shorter flights and you’ll get more cycles out of your batteries. Fly one flight too long, much over 20 mins, and your batteries will be done.
Thank you
Any suggestions on what resources to use for measuring thrust? I have been flying trikes and I used hanging weighing scales to hook one end to the trike frame and one end to a static object when I did that with the trike. Im hoping to foot launch with the X4 and wondered what a good way to test/measure thrust would be.
I’ve never tried to measure the thrust itself. It can be calculated based on the amp draw and measured voltage. This will give you the total power input.
Say voltage drops to 42V at full power and amps are 240. These numbers are on the low side of what I see on the controller when climbing out. That’s 10kw. roughly equivalent to a 13hp ICE. That’s tons considering that full power is available right away.
Just did my first full power tests and have come severely lacking in thrust
Here is my hookup
Looking at the motor from the back (opposite side of harness)
Top left cw
Top right ccw
Bottom left ccw
Bottom right cw
I have 4 bonka 6s batteries charged to 4.2 V in 2s2p
The controller shows me a 50v full charge and on testing I can reach 250 plus amps on full power tests
However I feel I am generating less than 50 lbs of thrust (I do not have a thrust testing mechanism and am going by gut feeling right now)
With the motor strapped on my back it did not take me much effort to keep my weight against it at full power (I’m really small so it should easily overwhelm me I think )
The logo from the props should be to the front! You have them in the wrong direction - there is a video from Paul on YouTube. Be careful as well with the direction since some have a different setup what motor goes CW/CCW! Your CW/CCW setup is correct but you have to mount the corresponding props… You can not use photos from other owners because you don’t know how there setup is.
