Glow to Electric Conversion Power System Calculator

Step 1: Determine Weight Goal

The target weight should be determined using the Wing surface area, and the desired loading based on thetype of aircraft.

Step 2: Determine Power Goal

The next step is to determine the desired performance level. There is a rule of thumb we use for thiscalled “watts per pound”. The basic idea is that the general performance characteristics of a modelcan be predicted as follows:

Step 3: Determine Current (amps) Goal

The next step is to determine the desired current draw. This is done based on the battery cell capacity,and the desired duration:

Step 4: Calculated required number of battery cells

This number of battery cells required is determined based on the Power Goal and the Current Goal. Volts = watts / amps.Each cell effectively provides approximately 1 volt, so we need 1 cell per needed volt. Based on the number of cells,we can also determine the approximate weight of the battery pack:

Final Step: Calculate target weight of aircraft without battery packs

Now we can determine how much the aircraft should weight without the battery packs. This should be veryclose to the weight of the glow-powered aircraft.