RE: RC SKDIVING FORUM
as for his jumping career, I think it's at an end.. I may end up just buying one of your pre made jumpers, *micro skydiver* instead. *just the jumper, his arms and suit only, no chute as I've already got that... I keep breaking my home made guy too much throwing him around trying to get his chute to open at all.... so he's now a paramotorist.
Posted on: 4/6/2007 1:52 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5672847

RE: RC SKDIVING FORUM
no, the webcam I have now takes grainy, and undetailed pics. it'll be awhile.. *as before...* and I'm still undecided on whether it's a good idea to offset the motor or have it below the prop axle.... I also lost some parts, so I have to go and buy new parts, then sew up a flight suit for my lil dude... unless I can get one from you that's pretty baggy and has big sleeves.. *his paws are now permanently attached, making it impossible to clothe him with a jump suit that has too small sleeve openings....* I'm starting to give up on this project on being ever finished....
Posted on: 4/6/2007 1:51 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5672840

RE: Sneak peak of the NEW paraplane!
Whoa.. that's awesome!!!!
Posted on: 4/3/2007 1:59 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5657448

RE: jumpers and planes
That's a really nice chute there, Juan, X3 I got plain white, since I wasn't sure how expensive it would be to get a colored chute.
Posted on: 3/28/2007 2:57 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5628467

RE: RC SKDIVING FORUM
yikes, I'd better get some pics posted of my duel purpose skydiver paramotorist..O.O;;;
Posted on: 3/28/2007 2:53 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5628463

RE: jumpers and planes
Thanks, will try to, I might be chicken for doing this, but I will try Static Line drops even with the fact I have mounted a pilot chute to tug out the main upon drop.
Posted on: 3/25/2007 11:02 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5616698

RE: Skydiver with Static Line?
Hmmm.. so static line sounds like the best way to exit the plane then. I'll give it a shot then. that sucks to hear about the reserve chute failing.. XC
Posted on: 3/25/2007 10:59 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5616677

RE: The Beginner's Guide to Skydiving
Sounds like a good way to keep an organized log of each dive and whether changes to the skydiver helped or not. Also a good way to keep a log of friends you make too, and giving /recieving help on correcting skydiver problems. *be it dead batteries, broken servo gears etc*
Posted on: 3/24/2007 8:55 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5611397

RE: Safety switch ideas wanted?
Perhaps include that as an internal unit with a pull string switch? *build the skydiver as normal, but include the safety powerup switches and have them internal, *unless this was already discussed* so that they might not take too much away from the general appearance of the model skydiver.
Posted on: 3/23/2007 7:58 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5606769

RE: R/C Skydive Rally for 2007
Hey all, is it ok to ask if someone or a group, take vids, and photos of both the participants, the event, and the skydivers, and jump planes? Some of us won't be able to attend due to constraints, and it'd be awesome to see what went on with the 2007 event. a gallery of skydivers would be great too! *sees a whole bunch of them, but a group photo of the skydivers would be welcomed too!*
Posted on: 3/23/2007 2:14 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5603910

RE: The Beginner's Guide to Skydiving
Glad to see your contributions, Juan and Golden Knight. I need to take pics of my skydiver setup asap for use as idea starters for someone to build just the skydiver itself, then purchase a custom made canopy, or if they are capable of sewing, also include to scale PDF files of airfoils commonly used for a ram type canopy. *Instructions cont:* cont from step 3 Arms can also be straight out, or slightly bent at the elbow for more throw. There are several ways to get plenty of proportional steering control via the arm and the trailing control riser. Depending on your particular setup, you can thread the steering riser through the rear metal loop where all the rear risers are connected and then tied to the respective control arm. Be sure that it's set up so as not to bind or get tangled with the other risers in the group. You can also do a direct canopy to hand connection where the riser is literally tied to the hand itself. This may offer the least amount of throw, but experiment once you get the arms working to find the best canopy trailing deflection possible. You want to have the ability to do as FULL of a flare as possible just before landing to set your diver down gently. 4. Skydivers come in many different styles. from GI joes modified heavily to allow internal micro to inbetween micro and standard sized servos, to totally entirely scratch built creations with custom sewn diving suits, store bought or home made hands, heads, arms, and legs, and hollow or board type body. *board type bodies are merely a flat body with exposed servos and often set up so that loose clothing hides most of the internals unless clothing is removed for maintenance or battery changes to skydiver.* Depending on if you want your own, unique skydiver, (I certainly did, though I do respect and like the ones available all ready to skydive) or want a true tested hobby quality skydiver pre made and ready to go, there are many ways to enter this fun growing theme of RC 5 Canopies. Ok, I know I really suck at sewing, so the best way to go, if you do too, *not saying you do if you ARE good at sewing* is to purchase a premade canopy from one of many fine online manufacturers available online. The shipping costs sometimes are included in the total price, but may also sometimes be a seperate cost as well. If you are good at sewing, then research online or try creating your own airfoil cross section as large as you may need for your skydiver's scale and weight. As the manufacturers have said before, *Dave Naylor, GoldenKnight, and Juan, among the many* it's open on what size chute and airfoil type you may need. There are both sport chutes, *faster, manueverable* and slower ones, *still manuverable, but not nearly as fast, and are unable to cut through a rather windy drop as well as a ram canopy designed for a faster fall/glide. 6 Ask the helpful fans of RC skydiving within this forum and other forums where rcskydivers are mentioned. they may be able to provide additional helpful hints, tips, and ideas on creating or buying a skydiver. (Folks, definitely feel welcome to add onto this thread within this forum if you wish. The more info about skydiving, the better!) Some items folks might ask questions of: Servo extensions for drop boxes, or, cutting a hole in a drop plane, or creating a drop plane/buying one Recommended Engine sizes and airplanes that have tested true to enabling skydivers to become airborne Repairing a skydiver after a dirt dive and how to maybe reinforce weak spots or catch them during a DIY to prevent future damage Customizing a skydiver for personal tastes in appearance, and performance. Add ons to skydivers, such as smoke, night time glow sticks/batt operated lights making the skydiver itself a smaller payload carrying model and dropping streamers or even tiny parachuters How tos on adding on a micro camera to a skydiver, *belly mount, or head mount if possible. *the camera would be the head.* Padding a skydiver against a dirt dive if the skydiver design allows and what type of padding recommended. Packing canopies and setting up pilot chutes correctly for near trouble free openings. More to be added on. *to get really creative, even think about free fall control, and making actual Wing Suits for your skydiver. *caution, ensure that the wing suit does not interfere with the control of the canopy once the canopy opens.* Rocket power? If a guy can strap on minature jet engines and fly through the air via a flying wing strapped to his back, one could concievably make a model version and use model rockets to propel him through the sky for a short distance. *note: this may fall under regulations disallowing building radio controlled rockets in essence. Please do not proceed if this is at all not allowed in your area or country.*
Posted on: 3/22/2007 11:40 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5603495

RE: The Beginner's Guide to Skydiving
? How does one control a skydiver? @ There are a few ways. Folks may add these to replying posts below this to add to the finer details of skydiver control. @ to set up your radio for controlling a skydiver, the means I used personally, was a V tail allowing me to use the right stick to control the skydiver's turns and flare. I have a noncomputer gws dreamstarter tx that the rx in my skydiver *custom built myself* works with. *Directions for setting up control using a GWS tx *basic four channel* 1, Carefully open your TX *this will void your warranty if you go this route* remove the return springs from the right side joystick and save them. you can put them back in later on if needed. 2 purchase a V tail mixer board also supplied by GWS. There will be 4 connections. Two plug into the elevator and rudder pins on your RX. The other two are three pins for negative, positive, and signal. These are also listed as elevator and rudder. Plug in each servo and position them so that the servo horns are parallel with eachother and swing towards eachother from a horizontial. there should be a left and right setup. *pictures will be posted as soon as possible, please have patience. failing that, there is a thread detailing the inside setup of a skydiver's servos and related servo horns.* 3. Arms have a right angle to them *the somewhat simpler models* more advanced ones have a linkage setup allowing full throw. (to be cont as soon as I can provide pics and relating steps)
Posted on: 3/21/2007 10:45 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5598314

The Beginner's Guide to Skydiving
I thought this might be a helpful thread to kinda put all the info about beginning skydiving for new pilots Some commonly asked questions: ?what's an rc skydiver? @it's a scale version of the actual thing and is usually radio controlled. RC skydivers can simulate what real skydivers do, or they can be custom designed by experienced hobbyists to custom specs. ?Can one buy these things? @Yes, there's many online manufacturers of both rcskydivers and related products. *please feel free to post these websites in a new post below this and add in your own site if related to selling custom skydivers or commercial skydivers.* ?what's a Dirt Dive? @ A dirt dive is when the canopy of a skydiver fails to open. it can result in a broken skydiver, so some ground time will be required to repair your skydiver. A dirt dive for a real skydiver tends to always be fatal... ? How much do RC skydivers cost? They can be roughly 199 dollars (very small skydivers) to well over 400 dollars for a really well made, and established diver (midsize to giant scale) Custom divers may cost a bit more than your run of the mill skydivers with all custom heads/ bodies/ and sometimes canopies. ?How does a drop box work? @ there's several ways to create a drop box, sometimes even involving the plane itself. First type is a so called "box" that the parachute pack fits in somewhat loosely, yet allows the skydiver and pack to stay oriented while in flight. a single servo with servo extension or none *if a hole has been drilled into the plane fuse to allow a near direct hookup of the servo* allows the skydiver to be dropped on command. the servo arm either pulls a pin releasing a bungee cord slung over the skydiver to keep him in place, or is the release mechanism via a metal ring over the servo horn which slides off. The decision of dropping is left up to either the pilot of the plane, or if using a special setup, the pilot of the skydiver. A in plane drop box involves cutting a hole large enough in the fuse of the plane to set the pack in and strap in the figure afterwards using the servo horn release setup. Ensure that the drop box is as close or at the cg of the plane in particular. You're adding weight to the drop plane and it will tend to affect the overall flying characteristics. ?Are there ways to avoid a dirt dive? @There are some, but D/D are unavoidable due to: forgetting to turn on the Skydiver's RX or not doing a preflight check by wriggling his arms to confirm he's responsive to your TX. Other causes can be: a poorly packed chute, a chute that fails to open for any reason. or opening the chute a bit too late. *rare of course, as most skydiver pilots try to not open too low.. true for full size skydivers* You can lessen the probability of a D/D by following proper canopy packing and sometimes if the extra weight and complexity can be afforded, a back up *reserve* chute of some simpler design. Most of the time however, it's hard to tell whether you'll get a D/D or not. *some ideas for knowing if the skydiver RX is on: A led light up or audible rx beep that indicates power on. get into the habit of preflight by wriggling your diver's arms. if they don't move, the probability is that he's not switched on, or the rx battery hasn't been plugged in.* @I want to hold a skydiving competition, but I'm not sure of the proper layout for one where do I go for that info? *anyone can post a link to rules of a skydiving competition and the setup if they wish* I will post some links as soon as I can relating to this.
Posted on: 3/21/2007 10:29 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5598047

RE: Rogallo wing airplane?
I built my own rogallo wing based *kite* plane, what fun to fly!!! X3 if anyone wants, i can post pics of it here to use as reference. I've flown it both at a park and a flying field for regular hobbiyists, and have now, four or more folks wanting to build a rogallo wing like mine ^^
Posted on: 3/21/2007 9:54 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "Unusual R/C"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5597986

RE: jumpers and planes
Nice!!! wished I lived closer to ya, I'd be able to get some tips and a ride to the sky for my skydiver. *now nearly finished. I'm building his second pack,*the first one won't work as is...* I'm also making a custom made drop box that can be switched from plane to plane or even helicopters.
Posted on: 3/21/2007 9:49 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5597953

RE: Skydiver with Static Line?
*nods* I'll try your advice GeeW. Also, I am fashioning my own drop container which is transferable to most planes capable of carrying at least a lb and a half of payload. I am trying hard to make it so that by wiggling the skydiver's arms, he's released from the drop box with ease. *thus, the drop is controlled by the skydiver himself, not the pilot of the plane*
Posted on: 3/21/2007 1:51 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5593808

RE: RC SKDIVING FORUM
Good idea on recording drop heights there, Juan ^^
Posted on: 3/21/2007 1:44 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5593794

RE: RC SKDIVING FORUM
Thanks! I'm hoping to set up a simpler version of the standard target landing zone layout. *simplistic 20 ft wide circle of stakes with ribbons tied to the stakes to outline a bulls eye along with a 2 ft landing target for either highest or lowest points. *depending on which scoring system is used.* I'll probably end up no where near the twenty ft target itself, but I can try..
Posted on: 3/14/2007 11:35 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5563107

RE: polypropylene sheet and wing sheeting
(otherwise known as a Rogallo Wing ^^ ) a simple delta shaped wing that is composed of four stiffening rods or spars, and tyvek either glued or taped to the spars to create the rogallo wing. (old, early sixties, seventies and early eighties perhaps hangglider made popular back in the time. The wing was based off the experimental test beds for space craft reentering earth's atmosphere and gliding in a controlled manner back to a prechosen destination.
Posted on: 3/14/2007 1:25 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "S.P.A.D. Aircraft - Coroplast design"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5558507

RE: RC SKDIVING FORUM
What does the target landing zone look like and how should the landing target zone be set? can you use weighted down ribbon creating a generally large circle of sorts for the skydiver to descend to? *would look something like a bulls eye with cross hairs and stakes with listed meters away from the center circle *roughly 2 or 3 ft in diameter, no larger.*
Posted on: 3/13/2007 8:07 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5556812

RE: RC Skydivers in Virginia area
*reserve will be operated by the aileron mode on the left side of the TX so in case his main *built by Dave Naylor *very high quality!!* fouls up or doesn't open, I can hit the reserve *basic umbrella round chute* and have him float down to safety. *instead of *streamering* into the ground.
Posted on: 3/13/2007 3:49 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5553570

RE: RC Skydivers in Virginia area
Great news, got my lil guy's arms moving like a pro. now all I have to do is redo the pack system. *it won't work as is.. unfortunately.. XC* so I have to custom make a new pack to hold his rig. I am also putting on a reserve chute and a micro switch to switch the lil guy on. *will have a small LED to show that his rx system is indeed ON to prevent a free fall into terra firma..
Posted on: 3/13/2007 3:47 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5553567

RE: Anyone Else Have One Of These?
The only problem I had with a national geographic version of this land yacht, is that the front wheel doesn't respond fast enough. it's not a digital proportional system, and takes a while to turn either left or right. I figured out that it's a worm driven gear of sorts on a toothed ring with the nose wheel in the middle of that ring. To make it move faster, try taking out the stock motor gear setup, leave the wheel system in place, and then rig up a pull/pull servo *heavy duty* to it to allow for proportional, and more responsive steering. You will also have to change out the original rx with a hobby grade one and then figure out how to mount one other servo to run the main sail's boom, *there's a term for it, but I can't remember what it was* You basically zig zag back and forth to get around.
Posted on: 3/13/2007 3:26 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "Unusual R/C"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5553543

RE: Powered Parachutes
the chute on mine won't move. only the trailing edges will. *doesn't swing the figure itself from side to side, though that'd be a nice thing to do... if the servos were strong enough to do so with auw on the arms during flight. Problem is, the arms were set up roughly the same way that the skydiver's arms are set up in a model I referred to, and therefore, swinging the main body side to side, to effect a turn is not possible. *due to the fact the servos are not strong enough to, and they're too small for such loads.* I've gotten some opinions from others stating it might not be a bad idea to offset the motor to the side and then have the lipo centered below the pilots parapack seat.
Posted on: 3/13/2007 1:29 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "Unusual R/C"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5553345

RE: Skydiver with Static Line?
I aim to put a reserve just in case. I've had nothing but rather bad luck with non openings or partial openings leading to twisted lines and hard d/d's into the ground, the hood of a truck, (no damage to the truck thankfully,) I need to know, does it take more than a minute for the chute to open? because tossing my diver has had nothing but D/D's...
Posted on: 3/12/2007 1:29 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5548147

RE: Tiny RC Skydiver on the Cheap?
I'm in the planning stages for building a tiny 2 ounce skydiver with a foot wide chute. The chute will be of plastic *most likely the crinkly trashbag plastic* heat sealed around a rib former. The skydiver will use tiny pager motors for a bang on/off setup meaning it'll pull down only, and retract by means of very small springs mounted topside of the arms. I have setup the system so that it will accept lipo cells. there should be some available twin motor reciver boards you can use easily that come from rather cheap micro cars. All you have to do is ensure the range is sufficient, as some of these toy type reciever boards have poor ranges. I am hoping to use the AA board, which is already set up with two motors, and will have to see if I can figure out whether the AA turns with throttle off. if this is true, then all you have to do is push the steering lever from side to side to steer the diver. you will NOT be able to flare though upon landing, but this shouldn't be an issue due to the very light weight and wing loading of a 2 oz diver. I will post more as I work on this Diy project.
Posted on: 3/12/2007 1:06 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5548070

RE: constructing RC skydiver
*smiles* I've built my own DIY skydiver using a action figure with rather heavy mods. This however didn't mean removing the upper torso at all. I cut a large enough *hatch* in his backside, and slots on his sides for the servo arms to move through during operation. Though it takes alot of trial and error, I managed to get a good full throw *proportional, and using a V tail setup* the result is a cool looking and different non human anthro skydiver. The figure used is a 12 inch tall "Magnum" from K9 Corps not sure what the toy company is that used to make em, but his body was very well suited to fit the Pico Gws servos. I will post pics of him here and at RCgroups.com. I was able to fit not only a reciever, but also the V tail mixer board within the body cavity negating the need to put in a small, metal/wood/plastic torso in place of the original.
Posted on: 3/12/2007 12:58 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5548050

RE: Rival Car Dealer Shoots Down RC Blimp
I'm glad the shooter and the resulting damage was taken care of. Regardless of who is renting the airship be it someone you dislike, or competition, it's still considered destruction of private property/rental and will result in prosecution should the miscreant be caught.
Posted on: 3/12/2007 12:53 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "Unusual R/C"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5548031

RE: Skydiving-Dick Northam
my condolences for the much missed member of the rc skydiving pilots. The video tribute is and was a wonderful way to memoralize him and this hobby he loved and could take part in. Many successful drops to ya, Dick, even though I don't know you.
Posted on: 3/12/2007 12:40 AM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "R/C Sky Diving"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5548000

RE: Powered Parachutes
EdgePilot, tis good to hear you're heading into the World of Powered Paragliders, I am nearly finished with the motor pack and figure, All I need now is a combo balancer/charger, appropriate sized Lipo cell, and I am ready to hit the skies. A question I need to put forth here, is this: Should I offset the motor opposite of the torqe direction to prevent torquing out if the throttle is suddenly bumped to full? I have had much success doing the same thing with a geared GWS park 400 brushed setup on my kiteplane resulting in nearly 0 torque due to the motor being on the side of the prop axle rather than below or above it. If the motor should be *BELOW* the prop axle, *straight up and down configuration* Please advise if that would help too. I can always place the lipo pack to one side of the figure's fabric plastic supported seat to counteract the torque if any resulting in this particular setup.
Posted on: 3/10/2007 8:17 PM by Author "spinbotz" in the forum "Unusual R/C"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=5541897