Major New Product Release
 

After many months of development and testing we are proud to release the entire range of Taipan glow plugs in a second and all new format. This new range will not replace the existing range but rather will enhance it with an all new product.

It all started with our realization that many accidents or near misses occurred when a glow clip or glow driver came off and fell into the propeller of a just started motor or when an aeromodeller reached around to remove the glow clip from a glow plug immediately after starting.

What could we do to make this a safer operation ?? 

We started to develop the “Hard Wired” glow plug! By hard wired we mean a glow plug that is permanently connected with wiring that can be run to a second safer location for connection and disconnection to or from a suitable powering source. 

It wasn't too difficult to change the central connecting shaft to a threaded version or to find a suitable nut or lock washer. We did have to do some work to ensure a good seal which would not be compromised whilst finger tightening the nut in place. (In fact although in the packaging we warn that finger tightening is the only suitable method we have found that you can nip the nut up with long nose pliers without any damage occurring provided due care is taken not to overdo it). Over tightening can cause the central shaft to turn which will break the seal and possibly dislodge the Platinum coil. Take care as warranty will not be given in this event.

Although these new glow plugs cost a little more than the standard range it is we think well worth it from the obvious safety and convenience angles. 

Of course these glow plugs can still be used as normal glow plugs should you not wish to hard wire them into a particular model. Also there is more good news in the pricing which is very close to the standard plug pricing and in that the entire range is available for you now.

Taipan’s New  Hard Wired Glow Plugs

Cat No     Range      Identifier and Description of product.

T HB       Cool         Blue ring - Hot fuel - High nitro content fuels. High compression engines.
T HG       Medium   Green ring - Excellent R/C idle. Faultless throttle pick up. Medium heat range
                                coil
T HP       Cold         Purple ring - Competition use glow plug. Extreme R.P.M. engines and
                               Competition fuel
T HR       Hot          Red ring - Standard or FAI 80/20 methanol  and oil fuel.  Low compression
                               engines.
T HS       Medium    Silver ring- Specialty for Four Stroke Motors.
T HY      Medium    Yellow ring - High performance good R/C idle. Low nitro content fuels.
 

Even More Innovative New Taipan Products

At Taipan glow plugs we have decided to expand the range with a particular view to providing an alternative to some of the previous to our entrance to the market monopoly situations. We are proud to announce the following alternatives in all new heat ranges at what is we believe a considerable saving to all :

For use on Cox® 049 motors

Cat No     Range         Identifier and Description of product.

T CY       Yellow        Medium heat range Glow Head to suit Cox® 049
T CB        Blue           Cold heat range Glow Head to suit Cox® 049

For use on Norvel™ 049 & 061 motors

Cat No     Range         Identifier and Description of product.

T NY       Yellow        Medium heat range Glow Head to suit 049 & 061
T NB         Blue          Cold heat range Glow Head to suit 049 & 061

For use on G-Mark 03 motors

Cat No       Range        Identifier and Description of product.

T SG          Red           Replacement Glow Head to suit 03 R/C & U/C motors

Taipan glow heads offer several advantages over the original parts as follows:

1. The platinum wire in the Taipan glow head is of a heavier gauge making it a more robust product.

2. The centre post protrudes higher above the head to allow a standard kwik klip to be used without 
    the danger of a short circuit so prevalent with the original parts.

3. Flats on the top fins allow a standard crescent to be used to tighten or loosen the head.

4. The Taipan glow head is precision machined to alleviate the necessity to use a washer.

* The information on our glow head packaging recommends the medium (yellow) versions for use with fuels containing up to 15% nitro methane and the cold (blue) versions  for use with fuels containing over 15% nitro methane.

How does a glow plug work?

Contrary to what many have previously been lead to believe the following is an explanation of how a glow plug functions in a motor. The plug is initially heated by applying a voltage (typically 1.5 volts) to it. This is to cause it to glow so as to ignite the fuel at compression and start the internal combustion cycle. Once the cycle has started the power source can be disconnected as with the heat generated at combustion the catalytic reaction generated
between the methanol and platinum in the plugs coil becomes sufficient to keep the process going.
The catalytic reaction is a reaction whereby platinum will glow in the presence of methyl alcohol vapour. This will happen without any external power source being applied!

How do you select the correct plug for your application and why?

To do this you need to understand a little more of the theory behind the process. 
In glow fuel the catalytic reaction is generated between the methanol and platinum only. 
Castor oil, synthetic oil, nitro methane etc do not generate a catalytic reaction with the platinum. 
Next you need to understand that a certain surface area of platinum is required to generate a sufficient catalytic reaction to keep the internal combustion process going. Also it is necessary to allow extra surface area for the reaction to be great enough when it diminishes with the available methanol dropping as is the case at motor idle.
Simply put, cold plugs are manufactured using a thicker wire to give a greater available surface area to facilitate a greater catalytic reaction where less methanol is present in a fuel mixture. 
So! More nitro means less methanol which in turn means a greater surface area of platinum will be required to generate the required catalytic reaction. Correspondingly a lesser oil content can mean more available methanol and a lesser surface area of platinum would be required to generate a sufficient catalytic reaction.
Suddenly it all makes sense! To work out which temperature plug to use you need to know how much methanol is in your fuel not how much nitro or oil. As a rough rule of thumb 80% methanol or above use a hot plug (Taipan Red). 70%-75% use a medium plug (Taipan Yellow or Green [Idle Bar version]). 60%-75% use a cold plug (Taipan Blue). 65% or less use a very  cold plug (Taipan Purple).

Idle Bars
Again contrary to what many believe the idle bar on a glow plug is not necessarily what its name would suggest. It is in fact to stop any fuel not vaporized from dousing the platinum coil of the glow plug by dispersing it away from the coil.

Plated Coils are Poor Value
Why are plated coils not as good as platinum alloy coils? Plated coils suffer from very quick degeneration as the plating breaks down under operating conditions. As bits of plating come off the coil the plug is effectively becoming a hotter and hotter unit until in a comparatively short time it is no longer able to perform its function. 
Conversely a platinum alloy coil will still degenerate but as it is platinum alloy throughout, the surface remains as platinum alloy and the plug continues giving much the same characteristics for quite a very long time.

© Lion Electronics 1998
For permission to reproduce this write to - Lion Electronics, 8 Irwin Street, Bellevue. 
                                                                                        Western Australia. 6056.