John,
I'm glad you made your 1st order and got started back into CL. I think you will really like ECL flying. :-)
You don't have to worry about the BEC. All the ESCs in our small CL size have the BEC included. But yes, you need one. If for some reason you don't have one, then a very small 4.8V batt will supply the power to the timer for a long time. ... Dean may have someting to say about this, but if you buy a CC or Jeti ESC in our sizes you will have the BEC included.
There are several ECL systems that will work well. I happen to use the most tested system out there (my guess is a combined well over 1,000+ flights on it by several of us).
You can see my complete setup, including ESC and Timer settings here on Roberts excellent Forum:
http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=8625.0This ECL setup will work great in a Brodak ARF/ARC P-40 like mine or in a Cardinal, or my Extra 300L, or any plane in this size and weight. If your takeoff weight is over 65 oz then you may want to try a larger system.
We are all waiting to hear the details of Igor's World Championship 2nd place ECL plane. You may want to copy his setup, but I think some of his stuff is custom made by him. Igor is a good example of High IQ + Skill = World Class Success! :-)
We are all very proud of Igor's success, proving the viability of ECL at the World Class level!!!!!