RE: GWS <span class=
[quote]ORIGINAL: MikeC557 I need to beef up the landing gear. I have a hacker 20-20L brushless outrunner on the front, a 3s 1320 lipo, I forget whose 25amp esc and two S-55 servos. The motor (obviously) and the battery are forward of the wing. The batt is "just" forward of the wing. The ESC is below the battery on the bottom of the fuselage. The stock landing gear just splays out on lading. I made some new gear out of 1/16 by 3/4 alum flat bar with two 3" foam wheels. That worked awesome... until I had a hard landing in some strong wind. The landing gear held up just fine, but the fuselage bent downward just aft of the 3/4 inch wide landing gear. Roughly speaking, the landing gear was mounted right in front of the wing. What have you done to beef up the landing gear, if anything. Anyone else? Thanks MikeC [/quote] Mike, The landing gear needs to be springy, as you found out. The solution is to use the original thin wire and use a cross brace at about 1/3 of the wire length (measured from the LG mount). This triangle structure will stiffen the LG just enough to not spread out. The brace can be anything (CF, balsa stick, another piano wire). For the joint you can use kevlar thread soaked in CA. Serban
Posted on: 5/10/2007 8:10 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5838204

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
Rhizzlebop, Come on, give us a sign you're still alive! Any new RC development? Serban
Posted on: 3/15/2007 2:25 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5565358

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
Rhizzlebop, Sorry, hadn't check this thread in a while and did not see your cry for help. The SS assembly should be straightforward. When you talk about aileron, you really mean elevator, isn't it? Ailerons are deflection surfaces attached to the wing. Which part of the horizontal tail is warped, the fixed one (named horizontal stabilizer) or the mobile one (elevator)? How severe is the warp? The fixed part will need a spar to strenghten it so the warp will not matter, as the spar will hold it straight. For spars, I used wood coffee stirrers, but bamboo skewers work equally good. Anyway, the tail surfaces can be cut again from meat trays or corrugated plastic or something else that's reasonably light (even balsa). Regarding the radio, you need to set the TX to match your CH56 F RX. You said that you finally managed to set the spectra module on CH56, but please check again. All you have to do is to unplug the module and, using a small flat screwdriver, to rotate the small yellow dials to show 5 (first digit) and 6 (second digit). Then, in the model setup phase (i.e. what you get when turn on the TX while pushing both EDIT buttons), you select AGCL, MODE 2 (i.e. throttle and rudder on the left cymbal and aileron and elevator on the right cymbal), PPM and SFT.N. This is because Futaba's shift is negative. B.t.w., you will control the plane with the rudder servo plugged in the aileron RX channel (#1), the elevator servo connected to the elevator RX channel (#2) and the ESC plugged in the throttle channel (#3). The RX has labels for its channels, just follow the above setting and make sure you use the right polarity (some plugs use brown-red-orange, some black-red-white; black is the same as brown and white is the same as orange). You always turn on first the TX and the plug in the plane's battery. Otherwise, if the RX doesn't get the signal, it may put out garbage signals, possibly turning on the motor. As TimePilot said, since you seem to have issues with the electrical setup, it may be useful to lay outside the plane all the plane's electrical components: motor (sans prop), ESC, RX, servos and battery. It helps with the debugging. Get back to us after trying what I wrote about the TX setup. Serban
Posted on: 3/3/2007 8:44 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5505316

RE: Bent slow stick fuse on my head - bend and trim tips?
You are correct in all comments you made. The wing too close to tail will make the SS fly strangely. Since this beast has a huge lift capacity, I would add some nose weight and slide the wing forward. Regarding the bent fuse, my sugestion is to saw off the fold and rejoin the two parts with a square dowel. If noting has to slide over the joint area, you should drive-in some screws too, otherwise use a good glue. The bent fuse is not worth straightening. Good luck with your re-maiden and may the RC gods give you some calm weather! Serban
Posted on: 12/27/2006 3:47 AM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5166725

RE: Ultrafly PC-9
Aaron, I think that that's what I have in mine (the cowl is screwed in and I'm lazy to remove it). The GB ratio is 6.6:1. Because I can't handle high speeds (I almost freaked out on the maiden with the kit-supplied 8x8), I'm using 9x4.5 or 9x6 APCs and the battery is a TP1320 3S. With this setup, I am very happy flier; the thrust is enough to hover the plane (mine is a little under 1lb) and the speed is OK for me. If you plan on glassing it, I think that you need to spin a larger prop but it is doable. Serban
Posted on: 12/20/2006 1:51 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5139578

RE: Broken wing.
Or you can use a polyurethane based glue (Gorilla Glue or Elmer's Probond or Loctite's Sumo Glue). Do not wet the surfaces (I bet that even in AZ there's some moisture in the air). Join the two parts and carefully cover both sides of the joint with mask tape. You will get a very light and strong joint that will be flush with the wing surface. Serban P.S. CA usually eats foam. There are some foam-safe CA types, but the joint will not be strong enough (long and narrow type). Epoxy or PU work much-much better.
Posted on: 12/17/2006 1:32 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5126677

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
The prop shaft is 3mm, the motor one is smaller, maybe 2.3mm. The prop saver goes on the prop shaft, hence you need a 3mm one. Make sure you get the 3.0mm; there are some fitted to slightly larger shafts (1/4" ). GWS is using metric and, due to the thread, the actual shaft diameter is a little smaller than 3mm where the prop saver must sit. The 1/4" type would be hard to fit and still keep it centered; you would have to use some sort of a sleeve to increase the shaft diameter up to a snug fit (adhesive copper tape works great for this purpose). Serban
Posted on: 12/2/2006 1:23 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5066243

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rhizzlebop Can someone tell me What diameter the prop shaft is, so I know what to order? [/quote] The shaft is 3mm. Yes, the TX and cable are good acquisitions. In the long run you'll be happy you bought them. You should go ahead and install the [link=http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html]FMS program[/link]. Good quality SlowStick models are available on the net (google for them). Serban
Posted on: 12/1/2006 3:06 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5062727

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rhizzlebop No offense to either of you guys, but I'm just gonna try and call and ask someone, cause one of you guys is saying male and the other is saying female and both of you seem to be certain. Maybe you are both right on your own respective plane models. [/quote] Again, Time Pilot is right. All these guys (cheapbatterypacks.com included) call the JST connector that goes on the battery the "male" one. So, make sure you ask to have this one on your packs. I never paid atention to how they label it. I was assuming (yes, assumption is the mother of all f**k-ups) that the JST connector naming follows common-sense; well, I was wrong. Serban
Posted on: 12/1/2006 1:47 AM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5060995

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
[quote]ORIGINAL: Time Pilot [b]But do check out the connector on that: That is a MALE JST plug. That's what you want for the ICS300 GWS speed control.[/b] [/quote] OK, I checked the TowerHobbies website and, to me, they got the gender wrong! According to wikipedia (search for "female connector" ): [i]The gender of a connector is determined by the structure of its primary functional components — i.e., the conductors of an electrical connector, or the load-bearing parts of a fastener — and not by secondary features such as covers, shields or handles that may be installed for environmental protection, safe operation, etc.[/i] Therefore, the connector with pins is the male (wrongly designated as female on tower's website) and the one with slots is the female one. Anyway, the rule of thumb is that the connector with slots is [b]always[/b] on the battery side, regardless on how its gender is designated. Rhizzlebop, You need indeed the packs with "male" connector, i.e. the one in Time Pilot's link. Sorry for the confusion I may have created. Serban
Posted on: 11/30/2006 9:37 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5060106

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rhizzlebop So, on my batteries, I want a "flat" pack where the cells line up side by side like soda cans in a narrow box? Obviously I have choices, I just don't wanna make mounting my battery more complicated than it needs to be. [/quote] In the SlowStick's case, don't worry about how to mount the battery, any method will do, including using just a rubber band. The stick fuse has lots of room to attach all sort of things to it, that's why it's one of the popular Aerial Photography platforms. [quote]Also, I don't see any Berg micro crystals on the tower site. [/quote] Try [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LL6947**&P=1]this[/link]. Regarding the charger, 800mA max. are more than enough for your 750mAh NiMH packs. Not enough though if later one you would switch to LiPo's. Serban
Posted on: 11/30/2006 2:26 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5058481

RE: park flyers and wind problems
Access, The SlowStick can handle some wind if you start modding it. Cutting the wing tips at the last rib will improve dramatically its wind handling; with this mod, it will be capable to fly OK in 5-10mph steady breezes without the plane looking like a kite. Also, are you sure it's not underpowered? A 6-cell NiMH pack is very little for a brushless (and even brushed) setup. Serban
Posted on: 11/30/2006 2:15 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5058442

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
Rhizzlebop, OK, so you'll finally get the single-conversion crystal for your GWS 6ch RX. Good. Regarding the battery, I do still have two 8.4V packs from the time I started with my SlowStick. One is GWS the other Sanyo. Both have the female connector, i.e. the connector that has two holes where the pins of the mating one will go. I guess that the connector with holes is the female one [;)] Anyway, it always makes sense to put the female connectors on the battery; this way, you can't accidentally short it, as it could happen if the two pins (the JST) or the two plugs (the UltraDeans) would stick out. Serban
Posted on: 11/30/2006 1:39 AM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5056814

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rhizzlebop GWS FM 72 MHZ PICO dual conversion CRYSTAL CHANNEL xx $12.99 (I believe I'm correct that I'm needing the dual for this spectra unit?) [/quote] Ehhhh, this is not OK. The crystal type (single or dual conversion) must match the TX type. It has nothing to do with the TX. Since the GWS receiver is single conversion, you must pick a single conversion crystal. I saw earlier today that the Berg one is only 0.1$ more expensive than the GWS one. Take the Berg one. I'd say pick a channel in the high-side range (55 to 60). [quote]Ok, that whole deal comes up to about $364 before any coupons. [/quote]. That's quite more expensive than originally thought, but you're getting more battery packs and the good quality TX. Make sure you let cheapbatteries.com know that you need the JST female connector soldered on them. Otherwise you will need to do some soldering yourself. [quote]**Is it worth it to pay 30 bucks for some cable to hook to my optic 6 tx to practice sim flying on my pc first? does this remote have that ability? [/quote] The Optic6 has a DIN connector that can be used to interface with a flight simulator. It would be very, very, very useful if you would spend a few hours practicing flying in the simulator before you ever plug in the plane's battery. The slow-stick is, well, slow and very forgiving; if you get 2-3 hours of simulation before your first flight, I am certain that you will not crash the real thing, even at the maiden. It's the first few seconds after take-off that matter. If you crash the plane right away, there is very little that you learn from that flight. The simulator will help building the correlation between the plane's attitude and the stick movements you have to make to get the plane to do what you want. I am using FMS (a reasonably good free flight simulator) and hook up my Optic6 with a home-made adapter (through the serial port). If you can't build electronic circuits, you need to buy the USB adapter (see [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJPC0&P=7]this cable[/link]). It's expensive, but I am sure that using first the flight simulator you will not need to buy so many spare parts (props, gear boxes etc) so it's sort of paying itself. Serban
Posted on: 11/29/2006 9:00 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5055761

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rhizzlebop I am gathering that you are saying, the Spectra type unit INCLUDES the receiver that will mount on the plane itself. [/quote] No, just the link you provided leads to a combo with RX and I was commenting on it. [quote]The one that says channel Module is the SAME as the spectra one without the bundled receiver? [/quote] No. The Optic6 TX case has a socket on its back. The Spectra Module is the black case thing that gets plugged in this socket (see the attached picture). It has some dials with which you select the channel. The channel Module is a black case thing that houses the circuitry (I assume a crystal and carrier oscillator) for just one channel. Since these modules are removable and compatible with each other, you can swap them in and out all you want. [quote]This link: http://www.newcreations-rc.com/ProductList.aspx?Categoryid=51&selection=product&displaytype=I&catlevel=2 Shows 6 different items regarding the Optic 6 transmitter. [/quote] Sure, they offer several combinations at different prices. [quote]It seems a little odd that Servos would be bundled with the transmitter. That seems a lot like if a tire store bundled head lights with tires. [/quote] They bundle the servos only if you select a "flight pack" combo. [quote] http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGZW3**&P=7 That seems to include some servos a TX, an RX, and a couple batteries? Does this RX run on a separate battery? [/quote] This was the link I was referring to above. It comes with the TX and a cadillac of a RX. The TX needs the battery, of course. The RX will not, as it gets the power from the ESC (through the same wires that control the throttle). [quote]This http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGZS6&P=7 looks like just a tx unit and I need to buy whatever receiver i want and a rx crystal. [/quote] That's exactely the one you want. Just the TX with spectra module and without an expensive RX. Get it and the GWS 6ch RX (negative shift, a.k.a. Futaba) and a crystal on the channel of your liking. Regarding which channel to pick (now that you can choose any), I can't provide an educated opinion. Maybe someone who's a member in a club can give a clue. [quote]This http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHCR7&P=7 looks like the tx, rx, one battery. looks to include the same stuff at the first link at tower above, except the servos AND the extra battery(whatever thats for). Does the first link at tower above include the crystal? It doesn't say it does, but it also doesn't say i need to buy a crystal as the third one does. [/quote] Skip this one. You just need a cheap RX and two servos. Good luck with your order and don't forget to use the 15$ off and free S&H coupon! Serban
Posted on: 11/29/2006 5:02 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5054739

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rhizzlebop Any reason why one site is telling me a required option for the optic 6 is servos and recommends the HS-55? Servos go on the plane right? Yes, I do need those. But normally, you shouldn't need to buy servos with a transmitter right? Is this HS-55 different than the NARO STD servos I've been including in my kit part comparisons above? [/quote] Rhizzlebop, The Optic6 with Spectra module provides both the TX and a high performance RX. I got the same deal a year ago when I bought mine. The RX alone is more than 40 bucks, so the bundle is a good deal. Of course, you will not need the GWS RX anymore, nor the single conversion crystal, but you'll have to get the recommended dual-conversion crystal on any channel you want :-). The HS-55 is a very popular servo, although GWS's Naro are pretty good too (GWS stands for Grand Wing Servo, after all). So you decided to buy from towerhobbies? They have a 15 bucks off and free shipping deal expiring November 30. Serban
Posted on: 11/29/2006 1:50 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5053988

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rhizzlebop Airplane: Slow stick 300 ARF Plane includes EPS300C-DS/BB motor, gearbox and EP1180 propeller. (doesn't say which gearbox) [/quote] It's right there: DS means 6.6:1 (see [link=http://www.allerc.com/eps300c.htm]eps300c[/link]). It seems that the most efficient prop is the 11x4.7 and not the 11x8. [quote]I can go to the GWS NARO +F/ HP ball bearing micro servos 6 additional dollars IF they are worth it. [/quote] Yes, it's better to get the BB servos. [quote]As far as the crystal, I think I am misunderstanding you. I am only picking one item that references a frequency and I'm getting the impression that something I've picked doesn't match up. I dunno what I have adjusted wrong here. Also, Is there a reason to not pick the ch 11 one? They are all equal to me, I am clueless. [/quote] The TX has a predefined channel that cannot be changed (unless you get a PLL-based TX, e.g. the Optic6 with Spectra module). The RX channel is given by the crystal selection. Therefore, you get first the TX and then select the RX crystal to match the TX channel. I'd say to either call them to make sure you get the right crystal or skip the crystal from the order and buy it later. Do you have a hobby shop nearby? [quote]Are the above two configurations basically the same? As I can see it, they are basically identical just different options. [/quote] The catch is that the flight pack (GW/CB667A/F) already includes a battery pack :-) [quote]As far as the 300 vs the 400 models. I remember seeing something about one being a longer lasting unit but less flexible on the voltages it can take and the opposite for the other. I don't know which was which now. [/quote] I think that the 400 model allows a wider range of battery voltage and may be suitable for 3-cell LiPo. Get the 300. [quote]I'm also gonna buy an extra gearbox per the recommendation and its ony 13 bucks, just need to pick a ratio. [/quote] The "D" type, 6.6:1. [quote]I tried going to the GWS site, its not loading the pages after google finds it. It goes to dead links. Not sure why. [/quote] Yeah, just noticed that too. [quote]Will I need any more "connectors?" or adapters, or couplers, or anything else to assemble this plane? [/quote] It looks like all have JST connectors (the two pin red ones). No need to solder anything. Do not know anything about the charger though, it was not obvious to me if it's a 110V unit or a 12V one. Serban
Posted on: 11/28/2006 9:32 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5051519

RE: Anyone else too afraid to use Lipo?
Amen to that! Maybe when LiPos were introduced, the vendors felt that there is less regulation about safety of an electric plane than e.g. a TuV-stamped notebook. After all, planes are expected to be crashed :-) Furthermore, I think that in RC the first LiIon's were used by a few enthusiasts who ripped the cells from notebook packs (I know I did it and still fly my SlowStick on 2 and 3 1600mAh cells from Sony and Samsung varieties, we have loads of these left around, no incident so far). Later on, some vendors recognized the market and started introducing high-discharge (remember when 8C was awesome?) LiPo packs. These crazy modelers like to take the risk, isn't it? Serban
Posted on: 11/28/2006 7:07 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5050902

RE: Anyone else too afraid to use Lipo?
Sorry guys, I have co-workers who are in the Power Tools battery charger/protection circuit design. and checked with them. There is no correlation between the charging rate (up to a reasonable limit) and either battery life or safety. These high-discharge cells (10C or more) can be safely charged at 2C. Key here are the cell temperature (a ballpark number is 130*C in the chemistry to start thermal runaway) and voltage limiting below a certain level (e.g. 4.25V per cell). The battery life is much more affected by the discharge rate; that's why a RC-grade pack will barely last 200 cycles, while the 1C discharge rate notebook cell will easily exceed 600. Of course, there is little benefit in charging at more than 1C, as the pack will reach sooner the voltage-mode charging and then take the same amount of time to finish the charging. E.g. a 1C charging will take between 75 and 90 minutes to complete from a fully depleted to a fully charged pack. Out of that time, the pack stays in constant current (the 1C) for maybe 45 minutes; after that, the voltage is kept constant while the charging current tapers off. If charging at 2C, the pack will stay in constant current for maybe 25 minutes, then it will taper off longer (it started from 2C down, not from 1C down) so the total charging time will be at least an hour. Doubing the charging current saves only 20% of charging time. My question was merely of finding out why the max. 1C charging rule is so entrenched among my fellow modelers. It seems that the vendors are pushing it to cover themselves as much as they can. After all, the RC area is the only field which uses LiPo packs that do not have monitoring and protection circuitry; that's the risk! The other fields, from cellphone batteries to portables to powertools to cars do have electronics that monitor the current, temperature and individual cell voltage; when something seems fishy, the current is cut and maybe a fuse is blown. In the RC field these are not economically feasible, hence the higher risk. Just ranting, Serban
Posted on: 11/28/2006 6:28 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5050701

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rhizzlebop I think I need to back off that optic tx unit cause it costs as much as everything else by itself. [/quote] This is because everything else is so damn cheap... [quote]Servos: GWS NARO STD MICRO SERVO (X2) [Would I gain from the NARO +F HP/BALL BEARING MICRO SERVO, IE it's only 6 bucks more.] [/quote] They should come in the TX combo. [quote]Speed Controller: GWS ICS300 SPEED CONTROL: FUTABA [futaba vs jr, difference? preference? Does this match the brushed 300 motor] [/quote] It does not matter. For peace of mind, choose the F one. [quote]Receiver: GWS NARO RECEIVER 6 CHANNEL /F [6 channel right? assumeing F means futaba-Brand?, ALSO what is th R6NII Receiver(its in the flight pack of the prebundled kit] Which/what is better? [/quote] It should come in the TX combo. For the SS you need only 3 channels, but it seems that the 6ch RX from GWS is better built than the 4ch one. [quote]Crystal: GWS FM 72 MHZ PICO crystal channel 11 [/quote] Again, the crystal channel must match the TX one. Are you sure you're going to get a TX on ch11? [quote]Battery Pack: 8.4Volt 7 cell 750 mAh NiMH Side by Side Battery pack? [/quote] That's fine. It should come with the JST connector matching the ESC. [quote]Airplane Kit: GWS Slow Stick 300 ARF [Why the 300 instead of the 400?] [/quote] Don't know why. It doesn't matter at this time. [quote]Transmitter: GWTXII/F/BLACK [This one is cheap and default in the kit section so I picked it. I can't justify the optic right now.] [/quote] Choose the combo. It comes with the TX, RX and servos. [quote]Extra Gearbox: Do I want the 5.5:1 or the 6.6:1 gearbox? [/quote] I am running mine with the speed 300 motor, 6.6:1 gearbox and a 11x7 APC prop and it's slow and easy. Time Pilot, any suggestions on what he should pick? [quote]Prop: Is the 1180 smaller than the 1260? Which should I buy? [/quote] First two digits are the prop diameter in inches. Second two are the pitch (how many inches is the prop advancing in one full rotation). Pick the larger diameter and the smaller pitch. The kit comes with an orange prop. Go to the GWS website and check their recommendations for prop selection as a function of motor size and gear ratio. [quote]Transmitter, Is Negative or positive better, does it matter, etc? [/quote] As long as it's the same as the receiver, no. What is the grand total so far? Serban
Posted on: 11/28/2006 5:56 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5050558

RE: Anyone else too afraid to use Lipo?
Guys, Just for my information, where did you get the idea that a high-discharge rate LiPo must be charged at most at 1C or else? It definitely sounds counterintuitive that you can discharge at 20C but can't charge at 1.5C. As with all Li based batteries, all it matters is the temperature. No heat, no runaway chemical reaction. Much more heat is generated in a pack when discharging at 20C than when charging at low C. Therefore? Thank you, Serban
Posted on: 11/28/2006 3:20 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5049955

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
walkermsg, For brushless you need a different type of ESC, one that has 3 wires for the motor connection. Your LiPo-ready ESC is probably one that cuts the motor when the battery voltage drops to 3V/cell (6V for a 2S pack and 9V for a 3S pack). A cheap brushless motor is the bphobbies.com's BP12. It comes with a stick mount (perfect for the slow stick). The brushless ESC's are a little more expensive though. Shop around, maybe you'll buy from overseas, where it's very cheap. Serban
Posted on: 11/28/2006 2:11 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5049708

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
Rhizzlebop, You're almost through. Just one adjustment: The radio link (TX + RX) needs to match. In US, the air RC band is centered on 72MHz and split in 60 channels. For the TX and RX to work together, they must be on the same channel, of course. You selected the Optic6 with a channel module. The RX must match this channel, so your selection of RX crystal is based on what the Optic6 module will have written on it. You probably have to call them to find out or just skip the RX crystal and buy it afterwards from your LHS. The GWS RX is a single conversion (SC) radio, make sure you select a single-conversion crystal (there is also this dual-conversion type RX, even for the same channel the crystal is different so avoid the dual-conversion crystals). For such a slow flyer, you can select the cheaper GWS crystal instead of the Berg one. B.t.w., the TX doesn't care if the RX is single or dual-conversion. Two things must match: the channel and the shift [the F (Futaba) or J (JR)]. Fortunately, the Optic6 has programmable shift, so it doesn't matter. Everything else (servo, ESC) doesn't care about shift. The battery, pick whichever is cheaper. The 750mAh is slightly heavier but the larger capacity more than offsets the weight and gives you longer flights. Both allow more than 10 minutes with a minimal throttle control (i.e. less than full throttle when not needed). The servo is a small plastic box with a three wire cable on a side and a fat and short shaft on top. When you move the TX stick, the TX transmits the movement to the RX which forwards it to the servo through the three-wire cable. The shaft rotates accordingly. If you connect a deflection surface to it (e.g. the rudder), you effectively move it with your thumb on the TX stick. Serban
Posted on: 11/28/2006 2:07 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5049697

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
Time Pilot, It looks like he doesn't even have the radio. In that case, he should buy a combo that gives the TX, a receiver and some servos, instead of cherry-picking HS55s. Rhizzlebop, The choices you face are twofold: power system and radio. The brushed motor (comes for free in the SS kit) plus an ICS type of ESC (Electronic Speed Controller, the part that transfers power from the battery to the motor while giving the pilot thrust control) plus a cheap NiMH pack cost little. You can throw them away once you master flying your first plane. On the other hand, the radio system does cost significantly more. The dreamstarter is around 90 bucks, the nice computer radio maybe twice. If you get the cheap one and later decide you want more, it's 90 bucks you wasted (unless you can recoup some by selling it off or give it as a gift to someone you care about). Regarding your linked quotes, I believe that the allerc one did include LiPo (on a brushed motor, hmmm) but not the TX. I actually couldn't select the radio combo and no separate receiver and servos, so I focused more on the other link. In the end, if all you have is 200 bucks and you think that this will be the one and only one plane (i.e. kidding yourself :-), then get the cheap one. Buy a replacement propeler (mabye a 11x6 APC), one full gearbox replacement and two-three shafts. You will need those. Serban
Posted on: 11/28/2006 2:16 AM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5048049

RE: GWS Slow Stick Survey
If you want to get in the cheapest way, you'll get the slowstick kit, the GWS15A brushed ESC, a 720mAh 9.6V NiMh pack and the DreamStarter GWS radio combo (comes with TX, RX, TX charger and a few servos). According to epyaya, these will cost you some 170USD. Unfortunately, I can't recommend a charger, as mine are all home-made. Beyond the cheapest alternative, if you plan on growing your fleet and improve its performance, there are two areas where the decisions matter from the start: 1) radio equipment. Maybe you'll want a computer radio instead of the 4ch GWS one. Good and not too expensive choices (<200USD) for a combo (TX, RX and servos) are from Futaba, Hitec and Horizon Hobby's DX Spektrum. The computer radio allows more complex setups, multiple model settings etc. 2) brushless motors and LiPo batteries. More power and lighter than the size-equivalent brushed motors and Ni** batteries. Quite more expensive though. The reason you should consider that from the beginning is that the brushless motor requires a matching ESC (i.e. you can't mix brushed motors with brushless ESCs and viceversa). Also, unless you spend the money on a universal charger, the charger needs to match the battery chemistry. So, think about what you want and come back with questions. Kind regards, Serban
Posted on: 11/27/2006 9:53 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5047074

RE: Ultrafly pc9 ok as 2nd plane?
Hey, As Clovus said, this low wing, no dihedral, fast plane is very different from a Slow Stick. But, if you feel you can do it, why not? I have a few suggestions: 1) before flying, invest some 5-10 hours of flight simulation with a reasonably close model. 2) when building it, don't use the provided APC prop (an 8x8 I think), use a low-pitch one (e.g. a 9x4.5). 3) try to keep it as light as possible. If it's heavy, it needs lots of speed to not drop off the sky and it doesn't glide. A full-house Brushless/LiPo setup should give some 15-16oz total weight. 4) reinforce the bolt area; otherwise, the first less-than-perfect landing will break the wing right at the bolt. 5) use very low throws, especially on the elevator. I am mostly a beginner, but after mastering the SlowStick, my second plane (that taught me ailerons) was the GWS Formosa, which is a plane similar to the PC9 (albeit a little larger and a little cheaper). As a matter of record, I own both and the PC9 is a better plane, still. Bottomline is, if you think you can do that, do it but take the time to train on the flight simulator and properly build the plane. Good luck, Serban
Posted on: 11/27/2006 1:33 AM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5043556

RE: Ultrafly PC-9
Mike, Just to keep the thread going, my PC9 is currently the favorite plane and I'm flying it every work day morning; for the past 3 weeks there was no wind whatsoever between 8:30 AM and noon. The plane needed some reinforcement around the bolt area; I glued there (with Gorilla glue) a piece of thin plywood and had no problems anymore. Mine is unpainted, only using the swiss red decals; as my eyes are not so good, the white and red make a good contrast with the blue sky. Its flying characteristics are wonderful, although I'm still nervous when switching to high rates. What made me take this plane was that I read it to be similar to the Formosa, which I loved to death :-( All I can say is that PC9 is almost in a different league, that good a feeling it gives. Serban
Posted on: 11/1/2006 1:38 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4942394

RE: 1500+ Watt MEGA-Zilla Stryker
Hello, Just a quick question: is it really safe to put two powerful packs in parallel? Beside their internal resistance and of the wires up to the joining point (both are small), there's nothing that helps balancing their current. This would mean that it's very likely one battery whill have to support most of the current while the other is simply unloaded and riding for free... When building packs that have multiple cells in parallel (e.g. 4s2p), you connect in series the paralleled unit cells. Each set of cells put in parallel is carefully matched for capacity and internal resistance. What I suggest to do would be to buy elementary cells (e.g. the 2200mAh ones) and charge all of them to 4.2V. If you have access to an electronic load, you could estimate the internal resistance by noting (Kelvin-wise) how much the cell voltage drops when you apply a sudden 5A (or 10 or whatever). Then you would pick pairs of cells with similar resistances and build your pack. Finally, before attempting using the pack for high-discharge rates, you should run a few complete discharging cycles at mild current followed by low current charging, so that the pairs of cells "get used" to each other. Serban
Posted on: 10/19/2006 1:05 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4888317

RE: Can you guys tell me about this ESC?
BEC means Battery Eliminator Circuit. It's a voltage regulator that takes the battery input and lowers and regulates it for powering the receiver and servos. The connection to the RX is done through the throttle plug (the outer wires are ground and regulated 5V). The name comes from the fact that you don't need a separate battery to power the RX and servos. Now, the problem with the BEC is that most of the time it's a linear regulator (i.e. it's behaving like a variable resistor on which the difference between the battery voltage and the 5V output drops). This means reduced efficiency and power dissipated in the ESC. The larger the input voltage, the larger the power dissipation. It's typical for an ESC supporting high input voltages (5s LiPo) to not have a BEC; the power dissipated while providing one Amp only would be (5*4.2V-5V)*1A=16W, which the puny ESC PCB can't handle. I can't comment on the performance of these ESC's; they look well built, but unless someone has first hand experience with them, just order some and try for yourself; I bet they're pretty cheap. Serban
Posted on: 9/6/2006 2:29 AM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4716119

RE: Sonic Combat Module Questions
The xport thingie is non-standard. A standard PPM to xport converter makes much more sense. There was some intense work by Mr. RC-CAM to do just that; google for it. Serban
Posted on: 8/11/2006 6:48 PM by Author "gigelus2k3" in the forum "Park Flyers & Backyard Flyers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4611623