SwitchGlo Pro Simplifies Your Nitro
Posted on December 14, 2009 by aaronredbaron
Every model powered with a Nitro engine uses a glow plug. Whether its a car, plane, helicopter, or boat, lighting the glow plug is universally similar among all models. A glow plug is kind of like a light bulb; a small electrical current runs across a filament and causes it to glow with heat. In the case of the glow plug, that heat is just enough to light the fires in our tiny alcohol burning engines. Unlike a spark plug which needs a burst of electricity timed properly for a spark, the glow plug stays lit the entire time. Once you start the engine, a glow plug no longer needs electrical power to do its job. SwitchGlo is a product which mounts to your model and powers your glow plug off an auxiliary channel on your receiver. Having the glow plug igniter self contained on the model reduces support equipment you have to remember to take to the field, and greatly simplifies getting the glow plug lit for models with poor access to the plug.
Features
If you want to be able to activate the SwitchGlo manually, or if you don’t have a spare channel to dedicate for its use, an optional remote push-button is also available. The SwitchGlo uses a ground lead which gets mounted to the engine, such as the backplate, and a positive lead which connects to the tip of the glow plug with an alligator clip.
The Original SwitchGlo was similar, but didn’t offer any adjustments. On this Pro version, four tiny dip switches on the unit can be manipulated to select the features you want;
- Select between a 15 second or 60 second glow
- Servo reverser to flip the on/off function so it can be set up for use with a Y-harness
- Turn off the transmitter trigger if you only intend to use the push-button
- Turn off the buzzer
Testing
The SwitchGlo Pro arrived tightly packaged in a clear snap-shut container. Instructions are printed on the back of the product information insert in the packaging, and a high quality sticker is included which is actually cut out and comes on a piece of transfer tape. Before installing the SwitchGlo Pro, I got out a servo driver to test the unit and familiarize myself with it on the bench, and to help illustrate the installation. With the servo driver connected to power and the glow plug ground connection temporarily fitted to the glow plug itself with electrical tape, the SwitchGlo ignited the glow plug in addition to putting off a buzz to confirm the glow. I was able to select the 60 second glow option so it stays on longer and the rest of the settings were left alone. I installed the SwitchGlo on my Thunder Tiger Raptor 50 Titan SE, and mounted the ground to the backplate. With an 8 channel receiver, I still had a dedicated channel open to use for the SwitchGlow despite the other 7 being filled up. With the alligator clip firmly clipped where it could not short out on the body of the plug, I put the system through one last check before going flying. Now, I simply flip the switch assigned to the SwitchGlo when I’m ready to fire it up, and that lovely buzz tells me I have glow. If I don’t hear the buzz, it tells me either the alligator clip came off, or my plug is dead. Having the plug stay lit for 60 seconds is nice in the winter, as it helps the engine stay running at an idle as it warms up.
Every Plug Needs A Glo
Even if you have a high voltage receiver system, the SwitchGlo can handle up to 9 volts input,allowing it to work with the latest radio systems. For airplanes with cowled-in engines this is a very welcome device, and if your engine is mounted inverted it could be used with a mix to come on at low throttle to prevent the engine from dieing. Any time a glow plug engine is used in an RC model, the SwitchGlo can be installed to power the plug off the onboard 4volt to 9 volt radio system. Having on-board glow is one of those things you learn to love with use, once you get used to it being there, you never want to go back!
Click here to go to the SwitchGlo website for more information
