switch jack

[Kestrel]

It looks like Shredair is marketing the old Hollyday switch jack. Are there any others out there?

I won 1st place in RES class with my Majestic yesterday and destroyed it this morning. I had just checked the voltage, plugged the battery back in. Hooked up the neck strap, turned on the Tx, turned on the Rx, wiggled the sticks and spoilers. Everything worked. Put the canopy on, hooked up the winch line. I also moved the spoilers again as it is on the left stick and I am holding the radio in the left hand and the plane in the right. Wound up some tension and released. It was going straight up then after 50' or so it started angling off to the left in the breeze. I tried nudgeing it back to the right and it just kept going left, then more left, then straight down. Absolutely no control. When I pulled it out of the ground the switch was off. Turned it on and everything works just fine. Except the Majestic is history! The fuse,tailboom and one wing is unrepairable. The other wing probably could be saved. Second major crash.

The only thing I can think of is that I didn't have the switch on all the way. Far enough to make contact but not far enough for it to go past center and lock on. After launching it clicked back to the off position. As I understand it, the switch jack is a more positive switching mechanism plus has the little flag on it to indicate its position.

Damn, that was a decent flying model too!

[fledge]

i have had the same problem and now i have eliminated the switches in all my planes,deans sells a little charge jack that i use to just brake the curcit while not flying,its kind of like plugging in a key before i fly,,,,,the key is the male deans plug with both leads soldered together to complete the curcit. any switch is trouble in my mind fledge

[Kestrel]

Thanks for the suggestion. Any others out there? I had also considered eliminating a switch completely and plugging right into the Rx. But I don't really like the idea of pulling the wires apart all day either. Plus it still leaves the posibility of not being plugged in. I kinda like the idea of the dangling parts of the switch jack arrangement.

[pmpjohn]

With space at a premium and trying to save weight in my JM Glascraft Cosmic Wind I am using a small earplug jack as an on-off switch. This is the type found on small radios and disc players that close a circuit for the built in speaker and open that circuit when you plug in the head phones. Cut the red (+) lead of a servo extension cable and solder the ends to the normally closed speaker terminals. Install the jack through the fuselage and plug the cable between the ESC and Rx. A small piece of plastic rod with a red flag on one end acts as a "remove before flight" disarming key. Push it in the jack to open the contacts and turn the Rx off. Remove before flight to turn the Rx on.

[fledge]

pmpjohn explained it better than me earlier but his idea is the same as mine [deans] other than he removes ,rather than installing a key.

both ideas are the same but deans are a great connection [tinned] and there sold with a flange for flush mounting,about 2 bucks!! the only time you need to unplug your battery is when you charge it!!

as mentioned buy john, ,its the lightest good luck fledge:D