RCATS: Smart Lithium Glow Driver

Light 'em up

How many times have you searched frantically through your flight box for a charged glow driver after your main one has died? It happened to me a few times, and the sad part is that I hadn't charged the main driver, so why did I think I had charged my backups? Needless to say, I hadn't; they were as dead as my main glow driver. I had to rely on the kindness of my fellow fliers to provide me with a charged glow driver to get my plane back in the air.

This new RCATS lithium-powered glow driver is perfect for a guy like me; it's powered by two lithium-ion cells to achieve 4400mAh of capacity. This means that the charge on the RCATS glow driver will last about a year with normal use before it needs to be recharged! I can do that! Now I charge my glow driver every time I replace the batteries in my home smoke detectors-every spring and fall (an easy way for me to remember). Now, I'm the guy at the field who offers his glow driver to the fliers whose drivers are dead.

The RCATS Smart Lithium glow driver measures roughly 2¾x5 inches and fits in my palm. The 30-inch core ends with a Du-Bro standard glow-plug clip that easily attaches to almost any engine's glow-plug setup. The translucent blue case houses all of the electronics and protects everything from fuels, oils and dirt. It has a built-in Li-ion charger with safety circuitry to prevent over- and under-charging. Simply plug in the included wall adapter, and the glow driver will be fully charged in 8 hours or less, depending on the condition of the battery. An LED light goes out when charging is complete.

To use the Smart Lithium glow driver, I first attach the glow-plug clip to the glow plug and press on the case area just above the "on" symbol. An LED lights up to show that the driver is on. From one to 10 LED lights simultaneously come on at the top of the unit to indicate the power level that the glow plug is using. Each light represents approximately 0.5 amp. The number of lights depends on the amps your glow plug needs up to a maximum of 5. I found that most of my plugs required only 2 or 3 amps. After about 60 seconds, the auto shut-off kicks in, and the unit turns off. This is an excellent safety feature, but it can become bothersome, especially if you're having problems starting your engine because you have to keep turning the glow driver on. A simple press of your thumb is all that's required to restore power to the glow plug, however.

The RCATS Smart Lithium glow driver could easily be the last glow driver you will ever need. Because of its long battery life, you will never have to worry about the starting power to the glow plug.

Price: $110. -John Reid

RCATS (408) 292-9794; rcatsystems.com.

Copyright Air Age Publishing Aug 2005
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