Glow Plug Voltage?

[J-S-Q]

What is the correct voltage for a glow plug driver? I have just installed a Gryphon Auto Booster. It has a jumper that you can set according to the input voltage but it doesn't seem to make a huge difference, with the range of output voltages being about 2.85 down to about 2.5v on the lowest setting (this is according to my multimeter). I thought the correct voltage is 1.2v so will I blow the plug if I run it at 2.5v? I haven't tried starting the engine yet but if I take the plug out and run the Booster it looks like it has a nice healthy glow but doesn't look to bright to me so perhaps it's fine at this voltage.

Thoughts please?

[GIXERMAN]

i would say 1.75v

[pchristy]

Forget all these fancy drivers! By far and away the best glow-plug power source is a good beefy single cell NiCAD or NiMH!

I use a "D" cell NiCAD which I've built into a plastic box with a car battery charger ammeter in it (0-5 amps, try Maplins!). It has proven to be superbly reliable, has started every engine I've had for years, and because of the ammeter, makes it easy to diagnose engines that are wet or dry in addition to blown plugs!

But you do need a good cell. Minimum "C" size, preferably "D"!

[J-S-Q]

Forget all these fancy drivers! By far and away the best glow-plug power source is a good beefy single cell NiCAD or NiMH!

I use a "D" cell NiCAD which I've built into a plastic box with a car battery charger ammeter in it (0-5 amps, try Maplins!). It has proven to be superbly reliable, has started every engine I've had for years, and because of the ammeter, makes it easy to diagnose engines that are wet or dry in addition to blown plugs!

But you do need a good cell. Minimum "C" size, preferably "D"!

Well yes, that's one approach but I really like the convenience of having an onboard glow driver activated either by a push button or a Tx switch. I've always used an Align 2-in-1 in the past so I'm used to this approach and don't like the idea of one more thing to charge/carry.

I'm wondering if the Gryphon unit is faulty? Five different jumper settings only giving a range of 0.35 volts seems a bit odd. The manual is very hard to understand (it's written in quite poor English) and it doesn't seem to give any info on what the actual voltages should be.

[pchristy]

The problem is that its not the voltage that's important - its the current. And that varies for different plugs. An OS8 is typically about 3 amps. A SuperTigre is about 4. The plug should NOT glow bright orange! It should be a cherry red. Any more will shorten the life!

That's the beauty of the single cell approach. A good cell provides 1.2 volts, but the internal resistance is very low, so it will light both 1.5v and 2v plugs without problems, let them draw whatever current they want, yet not over-light them. And its simple (which equals reliable!).

You will just have to put a "sacrificial" plug across your driver and adjust it until it glows a nice cherry red. And then don't ever use a different type of plug without re-setting it!

[J-S-Q]

Well, the first flight out today, the plug blew (brand new OS #8)! I guess the unit is faulty somehow so I'll have to see if I can get a replacement.

[trillian]

Forget all these fancy drivers! By far and away the best glow-plug power source is a good beefy single cell NiCAD or NiMH!

I use a "D" cell NiCAD which I've built into a plastic box with a car battery charger ammeter in it (0-5 amps, try Maplins!). It has proven to be superbly reliable, has started every engine I've had for years, and because of the ammeter, makes it easy to diagnose engines that are wet or dry in addition to blown plugs!

But you do need a good cell. Minimum "C" size, preferably "D"!

Yeah, after trying the switchglo pro, first having a faulty one and then getting it replaced and realising it wasn't all that convenient (for me anyway)
and then more importantly is the simple fact that as I have a bunch of helis I still have to have the little glo sticks anyway. So I have three
glow sticks with single batteries in them, they stay charged for a long time and just always work.

[J-S-Q]

Yeah, after trying the switchglo pro, first having a faulty one and then getting it replaced and realising it wasn't all that convenient (for me anyway)
and then more importantly is the simple fact that as I have a bunch of helis I still have to have the little glo sticks anyway. So I have three
glow sticks with single batteries in them, they stay charged for a long time and just always work.

Well maybe that's the way to go but I definitely like the convenience of onboard glow, especially with the added bonus that you can use a tx mix to prevent hot starts. This thing would be great if it actually worked correctly.

[sacko]

Take a look at the Prolux Glow Ignitor, bargain at £14.

The Pushglo is a really neat looking unit too.

The best solution I think will be the new perfect regulator with built in Glow Driver. It is basically a very well built 2in1.

[J-S-Q]

Take a look at the Prolux Glow Ignitor, bargain at £14.

The Pushglo is a really neat looking unit too.

The best solution I think will be the new perfect regulator with built in Glow Driver. It is basically a very well built 2in1.

I did think about the Perfect Reg's Trio but I've decided to go without a reg and am using a direct Li-Fe pack now, hence the requirement of a separate glow driver.

[J-S-Q]

Take a look at the Prolux Glow Ignitor, bargain at £14.

The Pushglo is a really neat looking unit too.

Yes, that Prolux unit looks pretty good. To be honest I thought I'd just bought the Rolls Royce of glow drivers with this Gryphon thing but perhaps I was mistaken.LOL.

Anyway I just emailed the shop where I bought it so hopefully they'll be able to help me out.

[J-S-Q]

UPDATE:

As it turns out, it didn't blow the plug! I was having trouble starting the engine so I took the plug out and tried it with another glow driver. I thought the plug was blown because the sun was really bright so I couldn't see any sign of it glowing but in fact I discovered when I got home that it was absolutely fine (should have updated that thread but I forgot). As for the high voltage from the Auto Booster, I emailed Gryphon about this and they said that the voltage is pulsing somehow so that on a conventional volt meter it will give artificially high readings but that this is perfectly normal. I have since used it with no problems at all so I now give this unit the thumbs up.