Electronic engine governor?

[BioHazard]

I just stumbled across this thing:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Align-T-rex-600-700-Engine-Governor-RCE-G600-USA-Seller-/190481013715?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c598d9bd3
I guess it's an engine governer for RC helicopter use. I wonder if we could adapt this to bigger engines for generator use? It says the RPM range is 10500-21000, and uses two magnets for pickup...I wonder if you added more magnets you could trick it into spinning slower? What type of servo would you use in combination with this to open a throttle?

Any other electronic engine governer I've seen is about 10 times as expensive. I tried downloading the manual from more than one website but the link won't work...

[injin man]

Here ya go, already been done. These are made by Woodward. This guy
has just about every bell and whisle on this engine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb_oBSNgp6o

I saw a link that led back to SOMRAD, thread by veggie IIRC but I be
darned if I can find it about someone with an electronic governor.
The drawback is that electronics mounted to things that vibrate tend
to fail at some point, usually when you really need them. I do like the
idea though.

[BioHazard]

Yeah, I've seen the woodward governors...but big $$$$. This little RC thing is only $50.

[wiebe]

It must work ok i think,
Look on forums like rcgroups/rcuniverse .
I have that suggestion made many time,s and take a normal futaba servo ,must be good .not to expensive.
And mount it with a cable .of the engine.

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_index.asp
Nice and very cheap store ,look only for in stock stuf ,
They have ledstrips and other nive stuf[lipo,s]

We buy a lot of my rc stuf there .

[injin man]

Ouch, just looked to see if they had anything on ebay and whoa!~ those are
definitely not hobby stuff.

So not being an EE, what would one have to do to apply a servo control to
the governor on a 6/1? I plan on adding a 12v starting system/alternator so
I'll have a way to power it.

[Ronmar]

Ouch, just looked to see if they had anything on ebay and whoa!~ those are
definitely not hobby stuff.

So not being an EE, what would one have to do to apply a servo control to
the governor on a 6/1? I plan on adding a 12v starting system/alternator so
I'll have a way to power it.

Well first you need a way to trigger it at a pulse repetition rate within it's operating range.  Second, you disconnect the governor linkage where it attaches to the fuel rack, and connect the servo linkage in it's place.  You will have to select a crank throw that gives the desired rack movement within the limits of both the servo and the unit controlling the servo.  IE: the servo may be capable of 90 or 180 degrees of travel, but the governor/controller may only allow 30 degreees of servo travel.  I am just using these numbers as an example.  You will need to build a bracket that holds the servo firmly so it's movement can move the fuel rack.  It takes very little force to move the rack on a 6/1, so even a small airplane servo should work OK.  Next I guess will be the setup for a desired operating RPM.  I have never looked at these things so I am not sure how they are setup, but since it is designed to control a model aircraft engine in flight, I am guessing there are some inputs from a aircraft radio to allow it to change modes remotely, to transition from idle to flight RPM and back...

As a failsafe, you should probably have a spring large enough to pull the servo to idle/fuel cutoff and shutdown if the controller fails.  This would of course necessitate a servo large enough to hold against this spring force without burning out.  But since model servos are available from the size of your thumbnail to the size of your fist and larger, this should be fairly easy to come by.