RE: DA-50 won't draw fuel
I had similar problem and the reason was that the choke was not closing completely. It was actuated by a servo and the linkage was not setup correctly. Being in the back of the motor, encapsulated behind the firewall, it was not an obvious problem as it was hidden. That was on an airplane I purchased. Also, the first start of the day when the motor is dry is very difficult. I originally used a 3 line tank but recently changed into a 2 line. I located a 'T' connector as close as possible to the carb, so that when I fill the tank, it also fills the line. The carb then has to draw fuel on a much smaller distance, which helps to get it wet faster and with less flips. Hope it helps.
Posted on: 9/29/2008 12:25 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8001874

RE: Problem caused by cowl ?
Hello Belgian (from another Belgian fellow in Florida!) I had similar problem with my YS63 (old one) in a Flip3D. It was getting warm inside the cowling and the problem resides in the regulator getting stuck and dying while hovering, with the negative results it produces. I envisioned creating an airflow over the regulator but ended-up removing the cowling completely, since then no problem. That's why the newer YS63 (and others) moved the regulator to the front where it has plenty of air. Hope it helps Ben
Posted on: 8/26/2008 2:28 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "YS Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7888175

RE: 2.4GHz mistery glitch
Check for corrosion or bad contact in your connector. My first impression is a low voltage going to the servo, either in the power side (red/brown) or on the signal (orange), which means that the servo doesn't get the constant pulse length continously.
Posted on: 7/17/2008 4:28 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7741830

RE: Large packs... Check this out!!!
$5 per cell when you buy 1,200, not bad! I like seeing them in the plastic bag. I treat mine like explosives, trying to avoid shorts by individually wrapping them. Any explosion so far? [:)] What kind of charger will you use to charge the 32 modules? Good luck, keep us updated please!
Posted on: 5/29/2008 12:58 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7555582

RE: how to power for cellpro charger
I modified one of my old PC power supply.
Posted on: 5/16/2008 12:50 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7503537

RE: YS140FZ valve ajustment screw + nut
Troy, thanks for your answer, I will stay with the standard 3mm nut. I have a YS63 and 110 as well, never had any problem there, so maybe my fault for sure for under-tightening it.
Posted on: 5/13/2008 5:12 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "YS Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7492011

YS140FZ valve ajustment screw + nut
My YS140FZ quit in flight yesterday due to the intake valve adjustment nut becoming loose. - Is there a trick to prevent that, other than super-tightening it. - Anybody using a 3mm lock-nut on this? Enough clearance? Resistance to heat+fuel? Thanks Ben
Posted on: 5/12/2008 1:08 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "YS Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7486794

RE: Extreme composite Pro-Line
For the gentlemen of Kaohshiun in Taiwan, Please tell you friend to get rid of the standard Futaba servo arm on the elevator, especially when using a ball socket. I lost my pattern plane when the plastic failed around the ball socket screw. $2,000 down due to a $0.25 part.
Posted on: 5/1/2008 4:54 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7444736

RE: Charging A123 Batteries
I wire my A123 batteries with 2 separate pigtails using JR connnectors. Brown is the negative, Orange is wired in the middle of the 2 cells (3.3 V) and the red is the positive (6.6V) I remove the connectors from the plastic housing and solder them as I had corrosion and increased ohmic resistance in there. I use 2 JR Heavy Duty switch, and I cut the orange wire going between the switch to the receiver (you don't want to feed 3.3V in there!) I charge and check the battery normally through the switch charging jack using my CellPro charger. When the charge is done, I plug something in the switch charging jack to remember that I did indeed charged this battery. This is to avoid going to the field with a model which I forgot to charge.
Posted on: 4/11/2008 8:55 AM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7365138

RE: Questions on A123 Batteries
I discharge my A123 (2s - 6.6V) from time to time using my Triton, setup to 2A discharge and 5V stop. I go flying, make my 4 flights, come home and discharge them so I know what's left in there. I do that every 3 months or so. I find that I roughly use 200mA per flight, meaning that the discharge is about 1300mAh on the Triton. I then use the FMA Cellpro charger and it puts 2100mAh back in. I am using switches with charger port and when done charging, I hang a small plug in there with red tape to remember that it was recharged. They hold the charge for a very long time, so all my fleet is ready to go at all time.
Posted on: 4/9/2008 2:38 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7356744

RE: A123 solution for rx pack
One quick word of caution about the 1100mAh packs. They only have 2 welding point on each connector bars, meaning that with motor vibration those might become a weak point. The 2300mAh have 4 and are more robust. I generally solder directly the wire to the button on the 1100, removing the bars. You have to be quick in order not to damage the cell. Just my $0.02, do as you want.
Posted on: 4/4/2008 1:36 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7332420

RE: lockouts on spektrum ar6200 2.4ghz
The corrosion in the crimp is also a reason of concern. I could not hold knife edge on my 33% Extra and trace the problem to one of the switch connector being corroded. Since then, I use A123, double all my cable from the battery to 2 switches and into the Rx. Most importantly, all the connectors are reduced to a minimum and the ones remaining have the crimp soldered.
Posted on: 1/4/2008 4:55 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6853884

RE: A123 for glow starter
YLF, Thanks for the suggestion on the ignition starter using the A123 cell and the diodes. I did not even think about doing that but it make so much sense now! Using a Dean connector is also a great idea. Thanks Ben
Posted on: 1/1/2008 6:58 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6838312

A123 for glow starter
Another usage that I found for my A123 is as a starting pack (4 cells) for my Sullivan starter. The 4 cells fit comfortably inside the Sullivan battery holder. High current means plenty of torque for the starter, and the lack of self discharge means that you don't need to recharge it every week before going flying! Ben
Posted on: 10/31/2007 4:54 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6563873

RE: First time A123 battery RX pack
Here is a quick schematic, hope it helps.
Posted on: 10/31/2007 2:20 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6563262

RE: First time A123 battery RX pack
Here is what I did: - use a 2 cells A123 pack - solder 2 standard servo pigtails in parallel (black to the -, red to the + and orange to the middle point) on the battery - use 2 switches for redundancy (I used the heavy duty JR). plug one of each pigtail into each switch - between the switch and the connector going to the RX, cut the orange wire to prevent the mid-point voltage (3.3v) to go to the receiver. With this, you can use the charge connector on the switch to recharge your battery. I use the CellPro charger with a custom made connector. Another thing to realize is that the standard servo connectors are rated for 3 Amps, and having a bunch of digital servos on a single connector might not be a good idea. That's why I'm using 2 in parallel.
Posted on: 10/30/2007 5:07 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6559453

RE: Make your own servo extensions?
Attached is a picture of a JR HD connector which I took apart after realizing that there was close to 1 volt drop accross ( 0.5 in each connector). As you can see, the wires in the crimp area were corroded. After using some flux and soldering the crimp area, the voltage drop went back to almost zero. You have to use very little flux and soldering, and hold the connector vertical to avoid the soldering to get into the connector area. The point is that the connectors themselves are gold plated and give a good connection. The crimp, on the other end, can get bad with time. Since then, I am soldering EVERYTHING I can. Ben
Posted on: 9/28/2007 1:32 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6424931

Hot refueling - should it be banned?
We recently opened our field to jets, but most of us don't know anything about them. It was mentioned to us that hot refueling (refuel while turbine is still running) was something done by some pilots. To us (club BOD), this seems extremely dangerous because of the fire risks and we passed a safety rule to prohibit such a thing (and made this true for ALL aircraft as well). 1) Is this true that hot refueling is a regular practice amongst jets? 2) Is the jet community in agreement that this is a dangerous practice and should be prohibited? Thanks for your input.
Posted on: 8/9/2007 8:52 AM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "RC Jets"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6215547

RE: Is my a123 battery dead?
Dick, what current are you using to discharge them to 2 volts? Also, I suppose you mean 2 volts per cell, right?
Posted on: 8/8/2007 2:32 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6212524

RE: Alpha4 no startup message
Mine stopped working the same way and, as I am in the electronic business, I opened the box to check inside. The only thing wrong was the large electrolytic capacitor which had dried with the time (my garage gets warm in Florida!). I replaced the capacitor by something roughly equivalent, closed the whole thing and it worked like day one. The only tricky part witht the assembly is the flat connector ribbon for the keypad, which is using some crappy support to keep it in place. Opening the box was a big disapointment as the inside is a 'garage work' mess, but hey, it works well!
Posted on: 8/1/2007 4:24 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6184431

RE: Triton wants to false peak
I have the same problem of early stop while charging. I think it has to do with the peak sensitivity and the quality of the connections. A drop of 0.015V on a single 1.2V cell is minuscule and any slight connection problem will create it. Simply moving a cable, connector or sometime just breathing on it might do it ;>) For me, the Triton is only good for discharging batteries!
Posted on: 4/20/2007 9:19 AM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5743921

RE: Cell Pro 4s and a123
Go to the FMA website, look under the Cellpro and you will find the pigtail connector. There's some wiring instruction in there.
Posted on: 3/9/2007 2:47 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5535777

Heat shrink blower damaging the A123?
I was just doing some 2 cells pack yesterday and using my heat gun on the heat shrink tubing. The temperature on the outside was too hot to touch and my question was if this could damage the cells. I read somewhere that we should not exceed 140 degrees F or the battery will be damaged. Is this only true for heat coming from charge/discharge, or is it also for external heat?
Posted on: 3/6/2007 8:45 AM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5518474

RE: A123 as receiver pack - no fly voltage?
I have the same question, but I'm not sure there's an answer yet. This is in my view the key drawback to those packs when used for Rx. I think that you have to monitor the number of mA that went in during the charge, and then cross your fingers that at least the same amount will be able to get out.
Posted on: 2/15/2007 6:58 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5424278

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions
Hi Evan, hope that all is well with you. I am also looking into those A123 for my Rx packs. Seems like a very good option to me and the only negative I can find is that the discharge curve is so flat, you can't get a feeling on how deep you are in the discharge with your loaded voltmeter (like you normally do on the Ni-Mh or Ni-Cad). Sounds like you'll have to trust the indication from the charger with the mAh that went in. Ben in Boca
Posted on: 2/13/2007 7:06 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5414785

Discharge voltage - with load or no load?
A recently found a major difference in the discharge method between my Triton and Alpha 4: - the Triton will discharge until a specified voltage, while measuring the voltage under load. - the Alpha 4 will also discharge until a specified voltage, but will actually stop the discharge from time to time and measure the voltage then (while no discharge current applied). This means that for a same cut-off voltage, the Alpha 4 will actually discharge the battery deeper than the Triton. The difference of mAh between the two approaches is quite substential (~300 mAh on a 1,950 mAh Ni-Mh 5 cells battery using C5). That had me puzzled for a while and I am now scratching my head on which one is the right approach. Ben
Posted on: 2/1/2007 9:40 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5356699

RE: Capacity & Cycling - What are you getting?
Hi Bob, I bought 2x5 cells pack from NoBS and 3x5 cells pack from Radical, about 1 month apart. I formed them on my triton - 3 cycles disch/charge - 200mAh charge, 400 discharge - set the charge limit to 3000mAh. Never got more than 1850 out of them, even after pushing 3000 in.
Posted on: 1/29/2007 8:00 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5342771

RE: Capacity & Cycling - What are you getting?
I recently decided to replace all my 1650mAh NiMh batteries. I looked for lower internal resistance and bought 5 packs of the Sanyo HR-4/5FAUP 1950 NiMH from noBS batteries and Radical RC (5 cells). I made the initial charges to form them (3 times each) but I cannot get anything more than 1850mAh out of any of them. I'm not too happy about this and wonder if those are 'old cells'. I'll be interested to see what others have from those cells. Ben
Posted on: 1/29/2007 7:07 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5342466

RE: Spektrum DX-7
Quick question: Our air field is located in a county park and has another location reserved for RC surface Cars a bit less than a mile away. Because of the distance, and the trees between the two fields, I would assume that a transmitter at the air field will not 'see' another transmitter at the car field and that both might therefore synchronize on the same channel. I know that the DX6 and DX7 are using 2 channels at the same time, so it will take 2 surface radios on individual channels to jam the signal (low probability but yet, not zero). I also know that the binding means that the receiver will ignore the other signal coming from the surface transmitter (that alone is a good thing!). But, when the airplane is in the air, and flying close to the surface Tx, is it fair to say that there is a risk for it to shut down and go to fail-safe? Thanks to let me know what you know/think. Ben
Posted on: 1/7/2007 8:46 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5228159

RE: Dual Receivers & Dual Batteries Instalation?
Battery #1 -> switch #1 -> Rx #1 = Left aileron, right elevator, throttle Battery #2 -> switch #2 -> Rx #2 = Right aileron, left elevator, rudder Connect an extension (red and black only, cut the signal wire off) between the 2 receivers. When powering up, turn switch #1 on and check power to all servos, turn off switch #1 and turn on switch #2, same check, then turn #1 back on. This setting is used on many large scale aircraft and 1) spread the load over 2 receivers when using many servos 2) provide Rx redundancy, enabling to save the plane if one goes down (seen it done). Ben
Posted on: 12/7/2006 6:54 PM by Author "BocaBen" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5087990