B.H. HANSON 260

A MODIFIED ZENOAH G-26 LIGHTER, MORE POWER!

I find that one of the most interesting aspects of the human condition-particularly the male human condition-is the need to wrench, tinker, tweak, finesse and beat more performance out of our inventions, regardless of what those inventions are. The B.H. Hanson 260 is no exception. This Zenoah G-26 with an electronic-ignition modification takes the already outstanding performance of a 1.Gci gasoline engine and moves it up a few more notches. You may ask, "Why mess with it?" To answer that, you have to understand Bruce Hanson, who is responsible for the research and development of the G-23 "marine" gas engine.

The B.H. Hanson Co. of Las Vegas distributes Zenoah G-23 marine, helicopter and G-26 aircraft engines and several G-23 high-performance marine and heli modification kits. Hanson's experience with the G-23 is unparalleled, and the company isn't losing ground on the G-26 now that it is here! B.H. Hanson is also a certified Zenoah parts and repair house.

Enter the Hanson 260 electronic-ignition engine. The man behind the conversion of the G-26 is Ralph Cunningham of RC Ignitions. Ralph has been converting magneto (CDI) engines to electronic-ignition engines for the past 16 years. In addition to his knowledge and experience with RC ignition engines, Ralph is passionate about building the highest-performance engines known to the hobby, including big-bore Herbranson and Quadra-Aerrow 200s used in Unlimited class races for Unlimited Scale Racing Association events.

As I mentioned in my review of the stock Zenoah G-26 (February 2004 issue), the G-26 produces power way up on the rpm curve. The factory shows the G-26 torque curve cresting at 9,000rpm. The Hanson 260 makes more rpm and squeezes a bit more torque out of the same engine with no internal modifications.

The 260 benefits greatly from Ralph's electronic-ignition system. It completely eliminates the flywheel and magneto-nearly 10 ounces for the pair-and uses the stock coil, a very reliable and high-quality standard in the Zenoah engine family. All that is required to run the engine is a battery pack and a kill switch. The omission of the stock engine parts reduces the engine weight from 54.6 to 44.9 ounces (without the muffler and battery).

The ignition system is comprised of a small circuit board, a machined collar with timing pick-up behind the propeller's extension hub and a few new wires. Because the stock aluminum backplate mount has a 2-inch-diameter hole in it, the 260 uses a lightweight aluminum cover plate installed on the interior side of the mount that covers the opening where the flywheel used to be. Because the flywheel has been eliminated, the stud end of the crankshaft that normally holds it has been ground off. The flywheel void now houses the ignition board, which is mounted on the inside of the new cover plate. The engine also has a 3-bolt safety prop hub that uses an 8mm bolt instead of a standard prop hub with a 6mm stud.

The new electronic ignition requires a 500mA, 4-cell AA battery pack to produce a spark. Although the elimination of the CDI parts sheds nearly 10 ounces, the modest addition of a few bits and pieces along with a 3.4-ounce battery pack restores a fraction of the weight savings. Ralph states that the ignition's energy consumption is nearly a steady 200mA draw, which provides more than 2 hours of running time per battery charge! That's much more time than I've seen the average modeler fly at the flying field.

The timing of the 260's electronic ignition is set at a maximum advance of 28 degrees before top dead center (BTDC). For starting, the timing is automatically set to 0 degrees BTDC. The Hanson 260 is as easy (if not easier) to start as the stock G-26. The brand-new test 260 ran immediately after priming. Subsequent starts were "first flip." Very nice!

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Without a doubt, there is something good cooking with the Hanson 260. The most impressive data is the nice rpm increase as exhaust restriction is lessened and the nearly equal improvement in thrust that ranges the span of propellers tested.

Although the Hanson 260 opens up the rpm envelope, the engineering of this unique 1.6 gasoline engine still stakes its claim in the 9,000rpm range. And although the approximate 1,000rpm increase in open-port performance that divides the stock and Hanson 260 engines is striking, the tests suggest that most of the "pulling" power still lives in a lower range (good news for you IMAC and fun-fly folks). For you speed demons, just throw on a Hanson tuned pipe and header and go for it; I'm sure the Hanson G-26 will twist the starch out of small-diameter, high-pitched props.

For certain, the modified G-26 substantially opens up the range of propeller choices while providing excellent thrust performance for a gas engine of its size. At 44.9 ounces-minus battery and muffler-I think you'll find this engine extremely accommodating, regardless of your intended use. The choice is yours!

Abell Hobby & Mfg. (406) 259-4882; abellrc.com.