The world's first fuel-injected chainsaw

The chainsaws are equipped with a simple two-stroke internal combustion engine with a carburetor, the design of which makes no sense. But STIHL engineers went in a different direction - they decided to complicate things to improve performance. They applied fuel injection and electronic control of this process. What happened - I propose to see.

Chainsaw STIHL MS 500i

For those who do not come across this tool, at first glance, the chainsaw is no different from other products of this brand (the same color and compact dimensions). Only the tire is longer, which can speak of its power and professional use. And there is. What are the characteristics and how does this model differ from its counterparts?

Power 6.8 HP (5000 W). Recommended bus length 50 cm. But you can freely install the tire and 71 cm, the power allows. Weight - 6.2 kg. Fuel tank volume: 0.78 l.

For example, the younger model STIHL MS-180 has only 2 hp. (1470 W) with a weight of 4.7 kg. The MS 500i achieves the highest power-to-weight ratio of a chain saw: 1.24 kg / kW

Easy and confident starting of the chainsaw. To start, you just need to pump up gasoline, create pressure in the system with a manual fuel pump, primer:

The gasoline mixture is still the same - gasoline + oil. The changes affected only fuel injection and added sensors and electronic control.

At start and operation, the electronics, through a system of sensors, analyzes the engine temperature, the pressure in the engine and the injector injects the required amount of fuel. And also the process is controlled through the shaft knee position sensor. The controller will never allow the chainsaw to stall under load or to inject too much fuel at idle (the chainsaw will not reach critical speeds for it). It can also instantly accelerate, quickly gain momentum and create increased torque on the shaft.

Thanks to the electronics, the chainsaw starts confidently in any conditions. In the mountains with thin air, in frost or heat. Everything happens according to the algorithm of the electronic part, as in a modern car. A ring generator is installed to power the electronics. There is no need to adjust anything in terms of speed as in carburetor models. And the fuel consumption is 20% less compared to carburetor counterparts.

What are other news? New type of air filter (HD2) and its material. Adjustable oil pump (convenient in different conditions and for different tire lengths). The oil and petrol tank caps can be easily opened (fixed by half a turn). Chain cover nuts are not lost if accidentally unscrewed. Damping anti-vibration system of the engine and starting handle.

A good overview of this chainsaw is presented in the video:

And fly in the ointment, as they say. STIHL was disappointed with the price:

It is clear that this is a professional tool for fellers, sculptors or for competition in woodworking. But is that really the cost of electronics and new development? Injection technology in chainsaws is called the future in this segment of gas powered tools. But because of such a price, it will not come, at least for our buyer.

STIHL has models even with slightly more power, for example, a professional chainsaw - STIHL MS 661 (7.3 hp, weight 7.4 kg). Cost 74 thousand. rub. Or STIHL MS 461 (6 HP with a weight of 6.7 kg). Cost 40 thousand. rub. It makes no sense to wait for a drop in prices for advanced development at such a currency rate. In addition, it is possible that if the electronics breaks down, its replacement will have the cost of a new chainsaw.

The situation with this technology is similar to that when brushless motors were used in screwdrivers. To control which, an electronic control unit with a Hall sensor on the shaft was needed. Although this increased the characteristics, it led to an increase in the cost of the tool.

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Photos are taken from open sources, from Yandex. Pictures

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