RE: Range of Spektrum's AR6100 Receiver (don't make the mistake I made)
[quote]ORIGINAL: Brian3006 ''Blah Blah Blah'' , Do you own shares in Spektrum or something ? . As I said before there was no brown out indicated by the LED's . Even Horizon said its signal loss. [/quote] I do not own Spectrum or any of its stock. I was just trying to help. If you prefer to just blame Spectrum I will stop trying.
Posted on: 11/2/2009 4:37 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9223067

RE: Range of Spektrum's AR6100 Receiver (don't make the mistake I made)
A BEC is a regulator. Who knows what the voltage/current specs are with those things. A micro servo can draw a high current if it has a high load. Stall one and see for yourself.
Posted on: 11/1/2009 9:49 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9221361

RE: Range of Spektrum's AR6100 Receiver (don't make the mistake I made)
[quote]ORIGINAL: Brian3006 Arhhhhhhh ''CRUNCH'' . Yep you guessed it I lost a plane today due to signal loss from an ar500 receiver. I have had Signal loss with this receiver before but after changing the position of the receiver and carrying out range tests all seemed fine . I was flying my little austars Beaver when at the flight line I was talking to another pilot about signal loss with this receiver and proceded to fly my plane up to around 300 ft when I was locked out , the receiver went into failsafe and came in fast and shallow , broke the wing and engine cowl and fire wall . After inspecting the plane there seemed to be nothing wrong with the electrics ,no brown out blinking and all flying surfaces were moving ? .... I think im going to sell my 2.4 ghz receivers and jr module and buy a synthesized module for my JRPCM9x... [/quote] What kind of batteries were you using? 2.4 GHZ receivers are microprocessor based and will not tolerate low voltage even for an instant. The voltage may seem to be OK but when you get in the air the increased load on the flight surface can cause the voltage to get below the critical point. The manufacturer may claim just a few milliseconds to reboot, but then the system must relock. The Spectrum system must find two open channels before it can relock. If you are using 4.8V batteries or ones that have high internal resistance you may have trouble that you cannot repeat with the system on the ground. Voltage regulators can exacerbate the problem. Try A123 batteries and heavy duty battery leads with no regulators.
Posted on: 11/1/2009 10:32 AM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9219851

RE: witch engine
A witch engine should be good for Halloween.
Posted on: 10/29/2009 4:55 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9212926

RE:
I just wish I could opt out of that magazine. There is rarely anything in there that interests me. I just need the license so I can fly at fields that require it.
Posted on: 10/29/2009 4:51 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9212916

RE: Range of Spektrum's AR6100 Receiver (don't make the mistake I made)
[quote]ORIGINAL: jwims01 QUESTION: Both of my AR 61100e ant. have ripped off . Does anyone know if it ould it work for me to just solder a long antennae like that one for carbon fuse? [/quote] Not likely to work. You had better send it back to have the correct antenna installed. Doubling the antenna may have worked for jwims01 but theoretically it should not help. The antenna is 1/4 wave dipole. Doubling its length makes it a 1/2 wave dipole and creates a severe mismatch with the receiver. It would be better to triple its length.
Posted on: 10/28/2009 5:13 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9210021

RE: How to convert an ATX power supply to rc use
[quote]ORIGINAL: JustErik I just bought mine two days ago. The part number is 274-718 and it looks like this: [img]http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2265157w345.jpg[/img] It still shows on their website. I wonder why your local store doesn't have it? You can probably find something similar at www.mouser.com . They have virtually anything electrical that you can imagine. [/quote] Our local stores no longer stock them. I used to get them there. They have discontinued a lot of things. I guess I could order them. What I really want is called Pamona banana jacks. Mouser and other distributors want to sell those in lots of 10.
Posted on: 10/25/2009 6:11 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9201280

RE: How to convert an ATX power supply to rc use
I went to two Radio Shack stores to get the banana jacks as shown in this thread. They no longer stock them. I guess Radio Shack is abandoning its roots. Does anyone know where I can find some of these?
Posted on: 10/24/2009 11:06 AM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9198279

RE: Radio control range
[quote]ORIGINAL: Druss [quote]ORIGINAL: dirtybird [quote]ORIGINAL: BuschBarber Now this is paranoia: ''That's not how I see it. I worry about people who lack skills/knowledge doing something to damage our hobby. I think many of us realize that we don't suffer from an extreme amount of government regulation, and are aware of how one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.'
Posted on: 10/23/2009 1:59 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9196274

RE: Radio control range
[quote]ORIGINAL: BuschBarber There is a highly respected Technical Institute in our area. A group of students involved in a UAV project came to our RC club for help. We checked with our local AMA VP and were advised that as an AMA club, we should limit our support to normal, line of sight, piloted flying, and steer clear of the UAV aspect of the project. We looked over the design of the aircraft they built, advised them as to how to improve it's structural integrity and linkages, helped them start and adjust the gas engine, and we even flew the maiden flight at our club field. Other than that, they were on their own. I have been personally training RC pilots for 31 years as have many of our older club members. There is a concern that Homeland Security, among others, may impose restrictions on our hobby if they deem our activities as a threat. This is not paranoia. [/quote] No I wouldn't say that is paranoia. You reacted like any reasonable group of individuals would. Now this is paranoia: "That's not how I see it. I worry about people who lack skills/knowledge doing something to damage our hobby. I think many of us realize that we don't suffer from an extreme amount of government regulation, and are aware of how one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch."
Posted on: 10/22/2009 11:43 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9195053

RE: Radio control range
I just wonder what kind of an answer M. Hill would have got from this forum. But you will say that was before 9/11. Apparently the terrorists have got what they set out to do. They have intimidated us to the point that we are afraid share information with each other.
Posted on: 10/22/2009 2:58 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9193838

RE: Radio control range
[quote]ORIGINAL: classclown ''The guy could be a PHD.''...... ... .. . The guy could be Magna cum loudly from the University of Al Quada for all you know. Your version of logic is why events like 911 occured. [/quote] Your kind of logic is called paranoia
Posted on: 10/22/2009 9:53 AM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9193195

RE: Radio control range
Possibly your version of logic and extrapolation lead you to an incorrect conclusion. The guy could be a PHD. I have met a few PHD's who would have no clue as to the way to contact the manufactures of such equipment. The guy asked a simple question. That is the way we all start. I think he deserves an answer, not a lecture. Are you so insecure, that you must prevent others from entering the profession?
Posted on: 10/22/2009 12:49 AM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9192622

RE: Radio control range
[quote]ORIGINAL: classclown Jocket, I was not surprised at T.O.M.s reply at all. My question to you is, how are you addressing the fact that if you pull this off, getting an rc plane to go 20 miles out of sight, how will your craft avoid other full scale craft. The way I see it, for asking the questions you are asking on a forum leads me to believe that you do not have a clue about what you are doing. Do you realize that other aircraft in the vicinity will not see your plane, or whatever it is you are planning to build, until it is too late? This is the reason that we have to test UAV's in controlled airspace at all times. Think about what you are doing before you send innocent lives to their deaths, and ruin it for everybody else in this hobby. [/quote] Egad. Do you really think this guy is going to get to the point of flying an A/C beyond the line of sight without encountering a multitude of regulations? All he is asking is where to buy a control system to do this. Any manufacturer would inform him of what he has to do. I think you can relax. He is not going to cause deaths and ruin our hobby.
Posted on: 10/21/2009 12:49 AM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9189959

RE: Radio control range
If you are serious in this project, this will help http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-060322-009.pdf The bibliography will give you much info to search
Posted on: 10/20/2009 7:14 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9189120

RE: Radio control range
I am sorry I sent you to that prude TOM. Nobody is going to send him to jail and ruin his career for telling you where to buy a long range control radio. I would assume such a manufacturer would inform you of the regulations you need to follow and the authorities you need to work with. I once designed such a system while working with Boeing. Its just a matter of picking the proper off the shelf components and integrating them. I just used the available amateur radio and R/C equipment. But that was a long time ago and the equipment I used is no longer available. In fact some of it was obsolete at the time(1973)
Posted on: 10/20/2009 12:31 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9188148

RE: Radio control range
The Boeing Co makes and sells RPV's. They can put you in touch with suppliers of long range equipment. There is a poster on the gas engine forum that call himself "tired old man". He works in the industry. PM him and he will be able to give you some information on the radios they use.
Posted on: 10/19/2009 2:35 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9185580

RE: Spectrum Lock Loss problem
[quote]ORIGINAL: yokomo_drifter [quote]ORIGINAL: rcairflr [quote]ORIGINAL: yokomo_drifter theres an a123 plant next to where i live, they also sell them to the public [/quote] Being close to the plant, do you get a discount price on the cells? [/quote] late reply.... being close, i dunno, but if you go to there website they only give an option to buy a developer kit but i believe going in you can purchase loose cells i plan on going this weekend and honestly for those flee-bay cheap china shoppers i do not recommend buying a123 cells/batteries overseas cause they ment to be in the usa most of them are not real and could be dangerous [/quote] I can recommend the batteries on ebay. As I said I have obtained about 100 cells from the Chinese sellers. They were at my door 10 days after I ordered them and were flawless A123 cells. They are real and not dangerous
Posted on: 10/19/2009 2:28 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9185569

RE: Radio control range
You could get an old satellite dish reflector and make a parabolic antenna for a 2.4GHZ system. That could theoretically give you the range of 20 miles. It would probably not be practical as you would have a real problem of keeping the A/C in the beam. It would not be illegal. You would not be messing with the RF equipment. Just enhancing it. Did you know the horizon is 16 miles away? You would need to be at a good altitude with the A/C.
Posted on: 10/19/2009 2:20 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9185544

RE: Is it Electric really worth the trouble ?
[quote]ORIGINAL: woodie yes, cycle life on A123s is longer, however, the energy density is still pretty poor compared to lipos. You need to run a 12S A123 setup to get close to a 10s setup with lipos. Overall weight of a competitive A123 pack is quite a bit more than equivalent lipo. But you can fast charge A123s and pretty much abuse them discharging and they keep on ticking...... Woodie [/quote] A 12s2p A123 pack would weigh 1lb more than an equivalent lipo pack. Is that quite a bit more for the size A/C they would go in? The cost on ebay is $144. It would take you about three years to wear them out if you averaged 1 flt/day. The cost of 2ea 5cell 5000ma lipo packs is $380 listed on ALLeRC for less than 1 year if you baby the packs and average 1 flt/day.
Posted on: 10/17/2009 11:38 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9181757

RE: Is it Electric really worth the trouble ?
Just to add one comment. If you use A123 batteries the cost of batteries goes way down as they last for up to 1000 cycles and you can get them from EBAY for about $7/cell
Posted on: 10/17/2009 2:14 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9180582

RE: Static thrust vs. Inflight thrust
If you are not wanting 3D flight the 1st priority is in flight thrust. Motocalc will give this. Motocalc will also tell you how it will effect your model in flight. For 3D flight forget inflight thrust. For it to hang on the prop, you need static thrust. If you have enough static thrust to do that you will have enough inflight thrust
Posted on: 10/17/2009 1:53 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Brushed/Brushless motors, speed controls, gear drives"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9180546

RE: Exceed Monster Power 160
Here is a Chinese made BEC that should work. http://www.rchotdeals.com/Products/rc/speed_controllers/S80A-HV.html I have used used BEC's from this firm and they work OK. They may be RF noisy though. I would recommend using 2.4GHZ
Posted on: 10/17/2009 1:43 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Brushed/Brushless motors, speed controls, gear drives"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9180537

RE: firewall mounted servos
They are small magnetic coils. You put them on the servo leads. You will probably have to cut your connector off and reinstall it if you use the ring type. You can also get the snap on type. You can also get them from your local Radio Shack. Note that they said you wont need them. They will sell them to you if you need a warm feeling that you have done something extra. In my opinion they are unnecessary on 72mhz and useless on 2.4GHZ.
Posted on: 10/14/2009 11:17 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9174288

RE: firewall mounted servos
[quote]ORIGINAL: Tony Hallo Most of the people that I fly with don't even know how to do a proper range check. I never see anyone range checking, they just go fly. When they have problems with an FM radio, the fix is PCM, when the PCM acts up, 2.4 is in order. No reflection on anyone here, just what I see at the field, I just wonder if this a western PA thing? Out of habit I try to mount the radio equipment as far from the engine as possible, never tried firewall mounting however I have seen others do so successfully. Do the 2.4 systems use a multiplex signal as did the older systems? [/quote] The 2.4GHZ module systems accept the PPM from the transmitter and convert it to a PCM signal that is transmitted to the receiver where the signal is converted back to PPM and sent to the servo as a pulse. It is a form of time division multiplex as is PPM and PCM. The non module systems are proprietary so they are not telling how they do it but I expect they just develop PCM direct in the transmitter and transmit that. They still have to convert it back to a replica PPM pulse in order to send it to the servo. With the bandwidth capability of 2.4ghz and the development of digital filters, the way is open for whole new radio types. We might even see true digital servos. The "digital" servos we have now are still actually analog servos.
Posted on: 10/14/2009 2:17 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9171591

RE: firewall mounted servos
[quote]ORIGINAL: karolh Because a 2.4ghz system is much more tolerant to RFI than a 72mhz some people believe that any slap dash type of install will work but it just ain't so. Using a 2.4 system requires that one takes the same usual precautions to ensure a safe and trouble free operation. Karol [/quote] Slap dash installations don't work for any installations but he is just talking about mounting servos on the firewall. Many people did that when working with 72mhz and had no problems. It mainly has to do with the quality of the ignition shielding. If you have a very dirty ignition system you are not going to be able to use any radio around it.
Posted on: 10/13/2009 5:53 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9170536

RE: firewall mounted servos
[quote]ORIGINAL: w8ye When we are talking about RFI getting into the servo signal wires, there's no material difference between 2.4 ghz and 72 mhz [/quote] Just what is RFI going to do in the servo wires? To go to the receiver it would have to get past bypass capacitors in the receiver. 2.4 ghz is very easy to bypass. The distributed capacitance between the wires is plenty to get rid of it. It will not have any effect on the servo even with 72mhz. When talking RFI there is a great deal of difference between 72 and 2.4ghz
Posted on: 10/13/2009 5:45 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9170519

RE: firewall mounted servos
If you are using 2.4ghz you are not likely to have any trouble. Range check and see for yourself
Posted on: 10/13/2009 12:52 AM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9168687

RE: Spectrum Lock Loss problem
Here is an article I found with google. Note that this co says it has manufactured A123's batteries from the start BEIJING (AFX) - China BAK Battery Inc said it has signed manufacturing agreements with PC and cellphone maker Lenovo Group Ltd and battery maker A123 Systems. 'These new manufacturing agreements validate the success of our strategy to increase our presence in traditional Lithium Ion applications by expanding our OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customer base and penetration while also partnering with leading edge technology developers,' said BAK chief executive Xiangqian Li in a statement. The strategic cooperation agreement with Lenovo calls for both companies to share resources in developing future products, BAK said. BAK has supplied Lenovo with Lithium Ion battery cells for cell phones since August 2005. The two firms will expand this relationship with the aim of developing new batteries for Lenovo in the portable notebook PC market. BAK also entered into a contract manufacturing partnership with A123 Systems, which supplies Nano-Phosphate Li-ion batteries based on technology developed at the Massachussets Institute of Technology. The two firms have collaborated since early 2005 on the design, development, and production of A123's first product. High volume production of these products has already begun, according to the statement. A123 batteries will be used in broad range of applications from power tools to medical devices and hybrid electric vehicles. BAK added that it raised approximately 60 mln usd in 2005 which enabled to to expand its manufacturing facilities. Cell phone battery cell production capacity increased to 22 mln pieces per month from 15 mln. The firm also said it established volume production capacity for lithium polymer battery cells, constructed a production line for new battery cells for the cordless power tool market, and began the implementation of a high volume laptop computer battery cell manufacturing line. 'These successes have enabled us to maintain a leading position in our industry, while winning new business and growing our base of international revenues,' Li said.
Posted on: 10/11/2009 4:44 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9164326

RE: Spectrum Lock Loss problem
[quote]ORIGINAL: rcairflr [quote]ORIGINAL: dirtybird You can get new A123 M1 cells direct from China for $7/cell on Ebay. I got 20 cells in less than 9 days after I ordered them. The green ones are new. [/quote] Just curious, are these true A123 cells or a Chinese Lithium nano-phosphate? I thought A123 were only produced in the USA by A123 Systems Inc. (now trading on the NASDAQ, symbol AONE
Posted on: 10/11/2009 4:22 PM by Author "dirtybird" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9164287