ECU : Engine Control Unit

Specifications

  • 2 versions available* : ECU-N and ECU-G

  • Input voltage 4.5V to 6.5 V

  • Power from receiver

  • Current usage 10mA plus the servos (larger servos can take 500mA)

  • Maximum servo arm movement 140-180 degrees (varies according to the servos)

  • Safety Neutral : If the radio transmitter loses the connection to the receiver, 5 seconds later the ECU sets the servos to neutral position.  This stops the model until the connection is restored 

Items Supplied

  • ECU Control Unit

  • Cable to connect receiver to the ECU

Additional Items Required

RC receiver (powered by a 4.8V-6.5V 2500mAh)

Two servos together with cables to connect them to the ECU

*Which ECU should I choose : ECU-N or ECU-G?

For steam models using a separate reversing mechanism to select forward and reverse directions it’s generally accepted that we bring our boat to a stop by reducing the steam supply to the engine and then select neutral.  When we want to move again we select forward or reverse, increase the steam supply and off we go.  That’s exactly what the ECU-N does.

But, if you’ve been moving forwards, you just need to reduce the steam supply to bring your boat to a stop. You don’t need to select ‘neutral’. So, the ECU-G leaves the engine in ‘gear’ so that, when you want to move forward again, you just need to increase your throttle.

The only time you need the reversing mechanism to operate is when you’ve been running in one direction and you want to change to the opposite direction. That’s exactly what the ECU-G does.

By minimising the number of ‘gear’ changes we can dramatically reduce wear on the reversing mechanism. Also, many of us will have experienced occasions when changing from neutral to forward or backward direction, the ‘gear’ doesn’t engage, at least first time. So we then have to toggle from forward to reverse, back and forth, in the hope that we will eventually engage the 'gear' we want.  This clearly causes additional wear on our reversing mechanism, to say nothing of the prospect of leaving our treasured model boat adrift!

Related Products :

There are no rights or wrongs.

Both ECU versions do the same job : they both improve the ease of reliably controlling your model by combining two controls : throttle and direction of engine rotation, enabling you to confidently control your model using one channel. The choice is yours - we’re sure that you’ll benefit from and enjoy whichever unit you choose!