Brand new dead cells?
I just got 3 6-packs of Integy Intellect 4200 matched cells. After building the first pack I checked the voltage and it was a bit low, around 5V or so. It's sitting charging now at 1A and the voltage is about 8.64V after 1 hour. I then checked the individual cells in the other two packs, which have not been built yet, and half of the cells are reading 0V. [X(] The rest of the cells are reading around 0.7V to 1.0V. Are the cells actually dead?
Posted on: 6/23/2007 4:12 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6024635

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
I love me some good fiberglassing action. [:D] Just checking in. New job is keeping me pretty occupied and all. Very nice so far Mods. [sm=thumbup.gif]
Posted on: 12/8/2006 1:29 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5090874

M18 Drivetrain Concerns
I am wanting to get the new M18Pro and power it with the Mamba Performance system, which has the 5400rpm/V motor (I actually want to race this car, not go straight line high speed Wink ). My plan is to use a relatively small pinion gear since I won't need speed as much as cornering acceleration. For batteries, I am thinking about a regular 6 cell pack of 1200 of 1400s. As far as a servo, I'm looking at the Multiplex Mini Polo Digi 4. My main concern has arisen from things I've been reading on the various forums about the M18's drivetrain not being able to stand up to higher power. Will the Mamba system really tear up the drivetrain? There are some really bad reports about the driveshaft pinion gears getting chewed up. Are these gears available individually or do you have to get a full diff set just to get them? Also, what about the pins on the universals wearing into the adapters on the diffs? Most of the posts I've seen dealing with the topic of the extra power eating up the gears have said to use ball differentials instead of the standard gear diffs. I don't really see how this is a solution as the slipping of the ball diffs would just wear flat spots on the balls. Or, am I missing something in thinking about this? Thanks in advance!
Posted on: 12/7/2006 12:34 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "1/16th, 1/18th, Mini & Micro RC Cars"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5086704

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
Just checking in. Looks great so far. Those laser cut parts sure are nice. Makes me think of Sig kits, just throw some glue into the box and shake it around, and out pops an airplane. Speaking of, I need to finish building my Somethin' Extra... It's frustrating when things keep happening and get in the way of progress. Keep up the awesome work as usual! [sm=thumbup.gif]
Posted on: 11/21/2006 10:40 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5022495

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
Hey! Sweet work so far! Very impressive. Sorry I've been away for a while. I've moved and started a new job. I'm still settling into my new place and finally getting around to working on projects again. Of course, there is a RC car club where I moved to and now I'm thinking about getting involved in that. Jeez. These darn hobbies are so addicting! Keep up the awesome work. Can't wait to see pictures of the cut parts.
Posted on: 11/5/2006 3:12 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4958186

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
So, I finally found out what happened with the epoxy that I ordered and was apparently lost: It was shipped to my old PO Box because the merchant made a mistake, despite my reconfirming my new address multiple times and having it shipped twice. That's the last time I use him for anything. Anyways, I'm going to pick up one of the packages during lunch and return the other. The mystery is finally solved, 44 days after the order was placed and shipped for the first time.
Posted on: 10/5/2006 12:51 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4831779

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
Long time no update. I've been quite preoccupied by other things. Here's the latest news. The epoxy that I ordered a month ago has apparently gotten lost in the mail. [:@] The guy is shipping out another one to me via Fed-Ex, which should hopefully be here by the end of the week. Yea, a relatively lame excuse, but the next paragraph explains the big reason I'm not being productive right now. So, I received a job offer and have accepted it. [8D] I will be moving around October 16th, so I have been just a bit distracted from building the plane currently. It is not too big of a move being that I don't have a lot of stuff and I am only moving about 180 miles away. Even so, once I get the epoxy in it is likely that not much else will be done to the plane until after the move. Kind of an inconvenient time to get a new job, but in the long run it will be much to my benefit, as well as my hobbies. [:D] That's what's going on. Sorry for not having updated sooner. Once things on the plane resume I will continue the update posts on a regular basis, but that is likely not to happen until about a month from now. [:(]
Posted on: 9/27/2006 12:10 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4797674

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
That is a very unique way to substitute for washout. Good job! Speaking of covering the plane, are you designing it with one method more in mind than another? If so, which? I have never done a fabric covering on a plane, though I can't imagine it being too difficult. However, I would think that it would be heavier than a plastic film covering. Now that I'm thinking about covering, I'm already starting to scheme up ideas for a covering pattern/paint job, and I haven't even settled on the scheme for the plane I'm currently building! Anyways, keep up the awesome work. It will be nice to see a full 3D rendering once you have the SolidWorks modeling complete.
Posted on: 9/17/2006 2:51 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4757761

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
Okay, so I'm kind of stuck on the build right now because of two issues. First, I still have yet to receive the epoxy that I ordered almost 2 weeks ago, and I am at a point where I need it to progress. [:(] Second, I'm kind of in limbo right now about the job which I had an interview for a week ago today. They should be calling me on Friday at the earliest and let me know their decision. I'm still uncertain as to what I will decide to do if they do make me an offer. This, of course, has pretty much ground everything to a halt as far as the SSE build, purchasing the remaining parts/equipment for the plane as well as other things in my life. Talk about crappy timing. Bah. [:o]
Posted on: 9/13/2006 6:11 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4744680

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
Looking sweet! [sm=thumbs_up.gif][sm=biggrin.gif] The hinge design is really cool. I'll have to keep it in mind and maybe try modding a plane one day using that. Relating to what Sparhawk said, I too would like to be on the pre-order list, once you start making one that is. The project is still far from completion, I'm sure, since you still have to prototype it and likely change a few things. Keep up the awesome work!
Posted on: 9/10/2006 5:39 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4732671

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
ChuckW: Nice job! Just reporting in. The past half week has been rather busy so I have not gotten a whole lot done with the plane. I had a job interview on Wednesday and needless to say my mind has been consumed by more important thoughts than the plane. [:@][:(][sm=drowning.gif] As the plane sits right now, both wings are done, minus the root ribs, the T-Nuts for the motor mount have been installed, the motor mount drilled for the engine and I have the firewall, F2, F4 and the servo tray installed on one half of the fuselage. I will be joining the other half of the fuselage tomorrow. I'm in the process of finalizing the covering scheme in my head. I have yet to take the time to draw it out on paper or on the computer. Perhaps I will play around with that tomorrow. No pictures tonight. Sorry. Once I get the fuse halves together, I will take some pics.
Posted on: 9/10/2006 12:40 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4730471

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
More progress this evening. The left wing panel is basically done. The wing tip is being glued right now. Both fuselage doublers have been glued and came out nicely. I am filling in the precut mounting holes in the firewall since I am mounting the engine sideways and prefer to drill brand new holes. Three of the holes I filled in with pieces of stock from the firewall scrap since mounting bolts will be on or close to these points. The other two holes are being filled with a mix of balsa dust and wood glue. I used JB Weld to mount the T-Nuts for the landing gear. Not really all too big of a deal. I just got used to using JB Weld for metal parts from my rocket building experiences. Next up is to get the mounts drilled for the engine and start framing up the fuselage. I will totally finish the wings once I can get both W1 ribs epoxied on and then finish sand them. All of the fine little nit-picky stuff can be taken care of right before covering, ya know? [;)] Gotta get all the big stuff out of the way first.
Posted on: 9/6/2006 12:11 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4715796

RE: Glues
I personally use mostly CA. I will use wood glue when I'm bonding a big surface, such as a fuselage double or wing tip. Obviously, epoxy is used in the places where it is required. I have considered trying a build using exclusively wood glue. While I have developed ways of not getting CA on my fingers, the smell has been starting to bother me a bit, partially because my building space isn't as ventilated as it should be. One of the main things that has kept me from trying an all wood glue build is that I have no idea how I would maintain pressure on the surface when glueing something like wing sheeting, cap strips, turtle deck sheeting and other oddly shaped, curved sheets. Using it to glue ribs, spars, fuselage formers and the like is a no-brainer. Perhaps if I can find some more helpful information as far as how to evenly weigh down wing sheeting and the like, then I will try building my next plane with wood glue. It is definitely cheaper than CA, which would be nice.
Posted on: 9/5/2006 11:55 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4715741

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
Looks sweet! I'm starting to get really excited. Even if it would be too much plane for me to fly with my current skill level, I still want to build it just to have it look pretty until I can actually fly it. I am a bit more of a builder than a flier, but this thing just looks so freaking awesome.
Posted on: 9/4/2006 5:13 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4709667

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
ChuckW: Nice job! Definitely not bad for a first try at a balsa cowl. Post pictures once it's all covered. Here's the most recent update. I have installed T-Nuts on the inside of both W1 ribs and have sanded out a small recess in W1A for them. Also, the left wing is nearing completion and I should finish it up today. I am waiting for a new order of West Systems epoxy to arrive before I glue the W1 ribs on to both wings. I will also put a light coating inside the bays where the aileron servos are located at just to provide a bit of fuel-proofing should any exhaust get sucked into that area. Plus it will provide a little extra strength for the servo bays. That's all for now.
Posted on: 9/4/2006 4:24 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4709486

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
1080tommy: Good job! Enjoy the airplane. I'm sure I will once it's finished. Got the left wing panel jigged up. I will at least get the TE and LE in place today and start on the shear webbing. Should be able to finish the wing tomorrow. Okay, so an issue has arisen, though I'm not sure if it is all that major or not. I finished the right wing panel and got it all fine sanded and smooth. I then noticed the thickness of the trailing edge and compared it to the thickness of the aileron. The TE of the wing is about 1/16" to 3/32" thicker than the aileron is. I can't remember if this happened on any of my previous planes that had flat (non-tapered) ailerons. Will this be a problem or should I try and taper the TE on the wing some? Thanks.
Posted on: 9/3/2006 2:39 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4704902

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
[quote]ORIGINAL: Mods-R-Me Making a cowl is an excellent way to earn your fiberglass wings. Have you heard of [link=http://www.cstsales.com/tutorials.html]CST Composites[/link]? That's where I buy all of my fiberglassing supplies and they even have a tutorial detailing the entire cowl making process. If you have questions call their customer service and they'll issue even more pointers. If you want to make a balsa cowl I also have an article detailing how to do that, but you would learn more trying the fiberglass technique first. In RC, fiberglass is your friend [:D] Give it a try. You might like it, Mods [/quote] I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression, sorry about that. I'm definitely not a newbie when it comes to fiberglass. One of my other hobbies, which has stalled out for the time being, is high power rocketry. On the most recent rocket I built, I wrapped the entire airframe with fiberglass and vacuum bagged it. Not a quick job, but definitely fun. [:D] I have also built a rocket out of nothing but fiberglass components (commercially bought, I didn't make them). Pretty much the only things I haven't done with fiberglass are molds or something like a one-off custom cowl over a shaped foam core, which is what I'm going to do with the Somethin' Extra. And yes, I have heard of CST Composites and have gotten stuff from them before. [8D]
Posted on: 9/3/2006 12:03 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4703134

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still here. Stuff happened with my car (real, not RC [;)] ) and I've been dealing with it the past couple of days. With the long weekend, I'm hoping to be able to finish the wings tomorrow and Monday, and then start getting the fuselage on the board. As usual, I will post progress pictures when they happen. 1080tommy: Very nice SSE. Good luck with the maiden flight and please don't re-kit the plane. [;)] I'm getting nervous about flying mine once I finish it since I haven't flown a plane in a couple of years. But then again, I have been flying my helicopter some, so I would hope that I'm sensitive enough on the sticks by now. [8|]
Posted on: 9/2/2006 9:35 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4702600

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
Very sweet. Can't wait to see the final rendering, let alone a first prototype. By the way, I looked through the postings you linked to and also did some other research online about how to do fiberglass molds. It really doesn't look all that difficult, but I would imagine that the first few attempts would be challenging. I've actually started considering doing a mold of the fiberglass cowl I'm going to do for the Sig Somethin' Extra I'm building right now so I could reproduce it, not sure yet though. An initial investment for tooling gel coat, release wax and the various weights of cloth wouldn't exactly be cheap, but I'm sure it would be fun. Keep it up! [sm=thumbs_up.gif][:D]
Posted on: 9/2/2006 9:30 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4702576

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
The price range sounds just fine. I was personally worried that it might end up being twice that price. Speaking of fiberglass molds, I should look into how they are made. I've personally never done a mold, but I have done vacuum bagging, so I would imagine a similar amount of work is done and the skill levels are likely along the same line. Keep up the awesome work! [sm=thumbs_up.gif]
Posted on: 8/31/2006 10:28 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4693208

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
Great work. Looks like you're mowing right through. I have a question, though I suspect you probably can't answer it at this point. How much do you think this kit will end up costing? Wood is cheap, yes, but fiberglass molds jump prices real quick. I'm beginning to think that this plane may end up being out of my price range, but we'll see.
Posted on: 8/31/2006 12:31 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4692230

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
Pulled the right wing off the board today and trimmed and sanded the root and wing tip down. Came out very nice. I did have to go back and reglue a small section of center sheeting, but no big deal. I also put some glue fillets in a few areas just to be sure that a good joint was made. I got the wing tube glued in place using wood glue, and superglued the servo wire tube in place. While the board was empty, I made the ailerons. Problem is, I made two right ailerons instead of a right and a left... HAHA! [:D] Since the right wing is sitting aside right now so the wood glue can dry, I'm setting up the left wing panel. Once that's off the board, I'll finish the right panel while the wood glue on the left panel dries, and then go back to finishing the left panel. All a matter of planning ahead. However, one thing I didn't plan ahead for was how much CA I was going to need. I've already gone through a 1/2 oz. bottle. Should have gotten a slightly larger bottle. Ah well, I'll get one on Saturday. So far I'm quite pleased with how the kit is going together. Of course, being the worry-wart that I am, I'm worried about the joints being strong enough with just CA. Of course, I've built all my planes like this, yet it doesn't keep me from worrying. That's all for now. I likely won't get much done tomorrow since I have to go to rehearsal for a play I just signed up for.
Posted on: 8/30/2006 10:38 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4691750

RE: Sig Somethin' Extra Build
Nice build so far. It's fun to see someone else building exactly the same thing that I am right now. [sm=thumbup.gif] [:D]
Posted on: 8/30/2006 12:25 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4687799

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
Finished up the top part of the right wing tonight. Have a few tricks to detail. [:D] For putting on the leading edge sheeting, I first glued the front edge to the inside edge of the shaped leading edge as the manual suggested. Took my time to sand down some of the front of the ribs so I would get a relatively flush fit between the sheeting and the leading edge. Then, I sprayed some water on the outside surface of the sheeting and spread it around. No big trick there. Then, applied CA along the ribs and top spar. Here is the trick I used, shown in the pictures below (after the sheeting was on, I wasn't going to try and take pictures and install sheeting at the same time [8|] ). I took a piece of angle aluminum that I had, and held it down with a fair amount of pressure on the sheeting at the leading edge. I then slowly slid it back along the sheeting maintaining pressure and keeping a little bit of pull on the sheeting toward myself. I then held the bar in place above the spar and took my free hand and made sure the sheeting was making contact with all the ribs. It worked quite well actually. A trick for sanding the TE to match the slant of the ribs, though I'm probably not the first one to do this; use a large, heavy object, or some sort of block to hold the trailing end of the outside ribs in place. This way the whole TE won't go back and forth when you sand it. Also, having a vacuum cleaner handy is nice to get all the balsa dust off the board. So, I ended the night with all the top sheeting in place. I will pull it off the board tomorrow, trim down the overhang on the root and the tip, and proceed from there. By the way, lots of people on the forums talk about replacing the stock landing gear for the SSE. I'm assuming this is just for extra clearance, correct? I fly off of a rolled dirt runway, so I don't have to worry about grass. Right now I'm planning on trying an 11x4 prop initially as that is what my trusted friends at my LHS suggested, and I don't think that will have any clearance issues with the stock gear. Also, speaking of nylon bolts, are they used instead of steel bolts so that the gear will snap more easily if it is forced and not rip the mount out of the fuselage? I have thought about replacing the gear if it really is of benefit, but otherwise I just can't see spending another $30 to replace something I already have when I'm already having to get the Pitts muffler since I'm doing a cowl. Anyways. Cheers!
Posted on: 8/30/2006 12:13 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4687761

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
I've looked at Jett engines before, but haven't actually used one. I'm sure they are very nice and very powerful, but like I said, I'm not a speed freak. I just really like how the plane looks. I don't really think that twice the price of an engine for 4,000 extra RPMs is worth it for me if I'm not wanting to fly the plane as fast as it can go. If it will fly semi-fast (which I consider to be around 80-100 MPH) and handle well on a standard engine, that's more than enough to satisfy me. But then again, if I do end up doing this project (assuming it turns out well and you are satisfied with it), I may just save up and get a reverse rotating Jett just to make the propeller selection and mounting easier, since you are designing if for that type of engine. Another question while I'm thinking about it. I've only flown basic sport planes so far. How do models such as this one fly? I'm sure they are faster than sport models, but I'm talking about if they are really sensitive to inputs. My main concern is actually how they behave for landing, as in their general handling and if they slow down much.
Posted on: 8/29/2006 2:14 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4685008

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
Personally, I'm not that much of a speed freak. I just really love the design and looks of the Bobcat. I would definitely want to do a smaller engine on it, as long as it will still fly nicely. Thing is, I can't get a "standard" engine such as an OS or SuperTigre in a reverse rotating shaft that I know of, which brings up the whole issue of pusher prop selection again. Concerning a name for the plane, here are a few suggestions off the top of my head. I incorporated your name into a couple since it is your project. [b] MRM-Jet 90 Mod-Jet ModStreak Whiplash Backlash Rogue Wave [/b] Anyways, looks like you are doing an awesome job and I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
Posted on: 8/29/2006 1:09 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4684817

RE: Kingcat-Like Design and Build
Like many others I'm sure, I am very interested in this design. I have been yearning for a pusher prop kit version of the Bobcat for quite a while. I was personally hoping for something around .40-.60 size, and I don't really care to mess with retracts, but this design you are doing is probably the closest thing yet.
Posted on: 8/29/2006 10:42 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Extreme Speed Prop Planes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4684255

RE: My Somethin Extra Build
Didn't get a whole lot done today. This build is going slow. [:o] I'm normally much quicker than this. Perhaps it is because I'm just being extra perfect about every little thing. Also, I don't really have a whole lot of time in the evenings. All my free time is on the weekends. Anyways. Got the LE and TE glued on and started on the shear webbing. The shear webbing is really what is slowing me down right now since I'm measuring and cutting and sanding and checking and sanding more. At least it will result in a perfect fit. No special tricks were used, so just an updated picture of the wing.
Posted on: 8/29/2006 12:06 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4683024

Humidity while building?
I just had a thought. It has been really humid here recently due to all the rain we've had. On top of that, the houses here are equipped with swamp coolers, which means the house is loaded with moisture, so much so that the door frames expand (contract). My building area is downstairs in the basement, but that doens't keep the humidity entirely out of the air. Does anyone think that excess moisture will affect the balsa and potentially cause warping of the structure when it is finished and dries out?
Posted on: 8/28/2006 12:17 AM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4678530

RE: Whats on your building board right now.
Sig Somethin' Extra. Have a build thread going in this forum for it. First airplane kit in about 3 years or so, and only the 6th airplane I've built. Already thinking about what I want to build next. [:D]
Posted on: 8/27/2006 8:21 PM by Author "jinzo" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4677420