RE: A123 Question
[quote]ORIGINAL: SeaJay Barracudahockey & K-Bob, I guess your views on always balance charging your A123s put me back at my original question, what kind of adapter do I need to make for the packs that I have? a couple of the packs have the 2 discharge leads, and then a single wire (Not balance plug, but single wire) My charger requires when balance charging, not only a balance port be connected, but also the discharge leads!!  I am running the HiTec Multi charger X2 charger!! Any ideas, diagrams, etc would be helpful..  Thanks, Guys!!   Craig. [/quote] Hey Craig, I see you are having trouble trying to get an answer on this...sometimes guys get busy with other stuff and it takes a while. I don't use this particular charger so I am not as familiar with it but they basically all work in a similar fashion. Many have a proprietary connector (molex) and almost all of them have adapters to mix and match across brands etc. Here is a link to your charger and I quickly reviewed the download of the manual (you may not have it): http://www.hitecrcd.com/products/chargers-setup-equipment/x2.html Page 26 shows all the various adapters that you would use to balance charge and the names of each. There was also a section on how to wire the balance leads if you were going to do that yourself...and there was nice flow chart of the chargers features by the way that I thought was very nice. Looks like a very nice and powerful charger by the way....hope this helps! Tom
Posted on: 9/18/2012 5:04 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11232151

RE: A123 Question
Cute little bugger though....
Posted on: 8/23/2012 12:28 PM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11203644

RE: A123 Question
Tazmanian Devil maybe? Sheesh...
Posted on: 8/23/2012 12:26 PM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11203641

RE: A123 Question
[quote]ORIGINAL: BarracudaHockey With my 50cc I burn about 300 to 350mah per flight with 5x 7955 and a throttle servo doing 3D, that's recievers and ignition. So thats what, 7 flights till dead? I fly 4 then charge, I usually put back 45 to 55 perecent of capacity. [/quote] Hey 'Cuda I'm sorry but can't resist. That is my experience...exactly...except I'm dead at 14 flights and recharge after 8 [:D][:D] Seriously though...this is the same as me; maybe I am a little lighter because I am not a big 3D guy. Good to know. Tom
Posted on: 8/23/2012 11:00 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11203555

RE: A123 Question
[quote]ORIGINAL: Taz_Hobbies I run a pair of 2300mah A123's in my 30cc MX2 for the RX and servos. I run 6 Hitec 5645 Servos and I can put over an hour, 60 minutes of ''ON'' time on those packs and barely put 200Mah back in them, meaning 100Mah for each pack. Doing the numbers, I should be able to fly for 23 hours before the batteries are dead! Maybe it's overkill for a 30cc plane, but it's nice to know that I can virtually leave the system on for hours on end at the field (adjusting throws, adding mixes, etc) and still fly enough to be bored without being in fear of reaching the battery capacity. [/quote] Well, I would say it is more a function of the number and type of servos you are running and not so much the cc of the engine (although bigger cc's usually come with more servos). Anyway, I don't know if you have ignition on the 30cc, but either way, 200mah on 60 minutes of run time seems out of whack to me given 6 servos. That isn't even close to my experience... Tom
Posted on: 8/23/2012 10:52 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11203547

RE: A123 Question
[quote]ORIGINAL: BarracudaHockey [quote]ORIGINAL: tomfiorentino [quote]ORIGINAL: BarracudaHockey You need to come down here, we have a week or two of winter where we have to wear light jackets to the field :D [/quote] Andy Griffith? I feel like you have been holding out on us with that one! Got a friend in Naples that complains the summer is too hot to fly; airplanes melt on the runway LOL. Tom
Posted on: 8/23/2012 7:27 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11203280

RE: A123 Question
[quote]ORIGINAL: BarracudaHockey You need to come down here, we have a week or two of winter where we have to wear light jackets to the field :D [/quote] Andy Griffith? I feel like you have been holding out on us with that one! Got a friend in Naples that complains the summer is too hot to fly; airplanes melt on the runway LOL. Tom...Tom Fiorentino; no famous connection with that name.
Posted on: 8/23/2012 3:44 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11203058

RE: Getting Sick of this!
[quote]ORIGINAL: rgburrill ARF- Almost Ready to Fly - something that takes less than a week to put together.  Actually the fastest kit I have put together was an Uproar in about 2 weeks. But the ''kit'' designation is actually perpetuated by the Chinese foamies.  To them an ARF has a motor and a kit does not.  [:'(] I like the ''-arf'' in the search and did not know ebay would take that. Oh, and the other overused and abused term on ebay is ''RARE'', meaning I rarely sell this.  And listing plans as RC aircraft is ridiculous - ebay should add another category. [/quote] If you go to advanced search you will see a box for words that you would like to exclude from the search. Then you can see that they show up as a "-ARF" in this case (minus ARF). Then you can save it as a custom search and just click on that from your myebay page. Over time, you keep adding things to eliminate and re-saving the search and it gets better and better with time. By the way, unassembled kits seems to be pretty close to what you are looking for...but stuff slips in there all the time. Plus, if you were listing and ARF to sell and you new that many people search using the word "kit" then you would put in your description "ARF kit"...so some of it is the sellers using words and phrases to maximize the hits they get on the items they have for sale. Oh well, have fun with it! Tom
Posted on: 8/7/2012 1:28 PM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11184590

RE: Getting Sick of this!
[quote]ORIGINAL: tailskid Kits should be noted as BYO (build your own) or something along those lines...ARF's should be listed as 'assembly required'. That ought to confuse us even more :) [/quote] Yea...until the build your own nomenclature offends the guy that happens to plant balsa trees from seeds, which he waters until mature, rough cuts, mills, dries and prepares nominal lumber from...all to be used in his kit! [X(][X(]
Posted on: 8/7/2012 12:34 PM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11184525

RE: nylon bolt extraction / removal
[quote]ORIGINAL: Charlie P. I usually just use a #11 blade as is. [/quote] No, no Charlie! That dulls them and it makes it much harder to get a clean cut on the cigar.... Tom
Posted on: 8/7/2012 9:41 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Tips & Techniques"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11184329

RE: Getting Sick of this!
[quote]ORIGINAL: AmishWarlord You need to do better searches. Try this sig,kit,-arf,-almost [/quote] Oh no! More bidding competition now! [:D] It's the only way around it though. It is just as annoying as helicopters in the airplane section. (No disrespect to the heli guys) Tom
Posted on: 8/7/2012 9:37 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Kit Building"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11184323

RE: Volt spy question
[quote]ORIGINAL: rgburrill [quote]ORIGINAL: JohnBuckner [quote]ORIGINAL: kuobin ,but the blinking happens only when i execresing,when i release sticks ,it backs to green. [/quote] Thats because the currant draw increases when you are wiggling those sticks and goes back to idle when you stop wiggling. As CGR suggested to find out which control may be binding a bit just wiggle them one at a time. Now to answer your question as to whether or not to ''go back to Nicd'' you need to tell us what is the battery capacity of your battery, not just the voltage. These days I only use five cell batterys (6 volt) and for an ordinary forty sized sport plane using a 2.4 system I prefer to use a minimum of about 1600 mah. John [/quote] 5 cell, 1600mah?  Just how did I survive with a 600mah, 4.8V NiCd?  Let alone fly 4 times per day without a recharge? [/quote] Hey....you can still survive on that today if you want to as long as you aren't running digital servos. Many guys have elected to pursue the performance gains of digitals and/or have exploited the longer run times and performance gains of higher capacity and voltage packs. But you can still survive on the 4.8 NiCd 600mah if you wanted to...no question. There are tons of ways to skin this cat! Tom
Posted on: 8/7/2012 7:27 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11184145

RE: Volt spy question
[quote]ORIGINAL: freakingfast Status lights are different from maker to maker, some may be sensitive(like my MPI) some may have a buffer. You just have to find out what's normal for yours, barring any problems. Even basic digital servos draw a spike of current when they are suddenly changing direction at speed, add to that four or more servos............ [/quote] freakingfast, So flicks of red don't bother you but they drive me to re-charge.... I probably should have mentioned that I am talking from an A123 perspective and I don't know if that changes your thoughts any. As you probably know, when those batteries go they go; fast! One flick of red and that is early warning for me. I'm not sure I would recommend something different, but the OP was talking NiMh and it is on a basic set-up so maybe I should have clarified my position. You stop at solid red by the way? Tom
Posted on: 8/7/2012 4:27 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11183973

RE: Volt spy question
[quote]ORIGINAL: JohnBuckner [quote]ORIGINAL: kuobin Today i connect a multi-meter to the battery,and then monitor the volt meter reading when i execrise sticks ,You know what?the volt reading never go below 4.8V even RED LED might blinks,Now I am wondering if the voly-spy is too senstive? [/quote] You know what Kuobin there has been lots of good response's here but its time to go fly its really as simple as that-just go fly. John [/quote] I wouldn't fly if you have red...the voltwatch sees things the voltmeter may not see. That is one of the benefits of using them! Many of them have a 4.8 volt, 5.0 volt or an A123 setting. Perhaps you have it set for 5 volts?? Tom
Posted on: 8/6/2012 11:59 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11183036

RE: Volt spy question
[quote]ORIGINAL: freakingfast {clip} Every status light type I've used blinks for the briefest of time the red light if I quickly circulate both sticks at the same time. {clip} [/quote] OK...and this means there is a problem. If it does this on a full charge, the battery is having trouble meeting the voltage demands of the servos. (ie. either binding, extensions too long, bad switch, too many servos for one battery etc. etc.) If it does it after some flying, the battery is getting low. Wouldn't you agree? I know you understand this stuff, but I just didn't want the OP to think that the readings he is getting are aceptable. And back to the OP...he has a 4.8 volt 2,200 mah battery. Should be fine but the same thing applies to him. If he is getting these readings on a full charge (and he knows the battery is good), then there is a problem. Where are you on this now Kuobin? Are you all set? Did you resolve the issue? Tom
Posted on: 8/6/2012 4:07 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11182586

RE: Volt spy question
[quote]ORIGINAL: Rodney If your Voltwatch (or clone of it) is dropping into the red when you cycle the sticks with a fully charged battery, you DO have a potential problem, not just a MAYBE. That means that for a few microseconds or more, the voltage at the point the Voltwatch is plugged into fell to a low value. If you are using a 2.4GHz system, this may be putting you in danger of a brown out condition. There can be several reasons for this, some of which are: Switch with high impedance contacts caused by wear, corrosion or contact size: a battery with a high internal impedance due to under capacity, age or ???; to small a gage wire between the battery and receiver or a defect causing a loss in cross sectional area of the wire somewhere along it's length; a binding servo; a servo being stalled at extreme position. If you are dropping into the red zone, I'd sure recommend that you find the cause if you value your plane. Properly used and evaluated, the Voltwatch is an excellent trouble shooting tool. [/quote] I agree with every bit of this except for one thing (and we had a thread on this before). In my mind, the jury isn't out yet on the brown-out comment. The Voltwatch/Voltmagic devices are great...I use them on everything. However, they are very sensitive in voltage measurement and they have a very high sample rate. As a result, they see voltage fluctuations that the receiver does not detect which adds to their early warning value in my mind. But I'm just not sure how long a voltage dip needs to exist before the receiver sees it and browns out. I can't remember but someone here had the ability to measure this and was going to do some testing. To make matters worse, I'm sure various receivers have different parameters for brownout. I think it is voltage AND duration that cause the brown out. No? Tom
Posted on: 8/4/2012 6:11 PM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11181115

RE: Most Blatant
[quote]ORIGINAL: Kaos Rulz LOL [/quote] +5
Posted on: 7/31/2012 4:08 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11175635

RE: chipmuck
I just read the other couple posts on this. Spiral airstream vs P-Factor. They are different. The aerodynamics forum has guys running around that can clarify this stuff in their sleep. But they are probably not looking in this section of RCU....plus I just noticed the title of the thread is "Chipmuck". Too funny when the fingers don't type what the brain for sure knows! The OP may want to append to a thread on P-factor over in aerodynamics; or start his own. In the meantime....stay on the rudder! Tom
Posted on: 7/30/2012 5:25 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11174276

RE: chipmuck
[quote]ORIGINAL: Gray Beard If you do a search here you will find a number of threads on P-Factor. According to my books it is the vortex effect from the air flow of the prop hitting the tail feathers. In MAN they have shown it with drawings. But that is just my understanding of it from what I have read. The left drift of a plane is most often mentioned as torque though but how much torque does one of our little engines really have. My two meter pattern planes are long enough that the P-Factor has no effect at all, they will just run out straight every time. Seamus?? I would think so but I'm no engineer so can't say for sure. Makes sense though doesn't it? [/quote] I'm with you on the spiral airflow hitting the vertical fin; not with you on P-factor. As to torque, I think it is just easier to rationalize it from that perspective. If the propeller represented on the right side of the spinner is decending into the forward airstream at high angles of attack it creates more thrust relative to the other half. That asymetry will "torque" the airframe around the vertical axis. I think that is what folks are referring to when they use the word torque. But still, I don't see that happening on take-off roll because the thrust is aligned fine as soon as the tail lifts I guess. Spiral airflow, on the other hand is there at all angles of attack and I would think shows up pretty good at take-off roll when it represents the bulk of the flow over surfaces etc. but then gets increasingly watered down in terms of its ability to effect anything as airspeed increases (ie. and we release that initial rudder input). Anyway, I could be wrong. I should be more sure of myself before I comment actually. If I get some extra time maybe I'll refresh and read on it. Cancel that. If I get some extra time I'm going flying! Thanks for your response! Tom
Posted on: 7/30/2012 5:19 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11174270

RE: chipmuck
[quote]ORIGINAL: Gray Beard Has nothing to do with it at all. The reason for pulling is called the P-Factor, the way the vortex wind is hitting the rudder. Most people will just call it Torque just to keep it simple. As mike pointed out, if you roll on throttle a bit slower and add some right rudder as needed it isn't any problem at all, it's normal for most planes. [/quote] Hey grey beard... P factor is asymetrical thrust that is created at high angles of attack; the spiral slipstream is different (that is my understanding anyway. Once the tail lifts in takeoff run (which is very quick) the forces are all aligned so I dont think p factor is the cause at that point anyway because angle of attack of the propeller disk is straight on with the direction of flight. Did you mean very intitially it is p factor? idk, I never really thought about it that much; called it torque! But I'm sure it has been kicked around here in the past. Heck, I haven't flown in so long I think I forgot how! Terrible summer for me.. Tom
Posted on: 7/29/2012 4:19 PM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11173726

RE: Throttle servo too close to ignition?
kumbayah my friends...kumbayah...
Posted on: 7/27/2012 9:36 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11171306

RE: Batteries, what the?
On the upside there is probably a lot less variation with the electrical demands of an ignition than say your servo set up. So this shouldn't be too hard to figure out. I know you stated that there is a change from your personal experience and history with this battery. But as an additional check, I would find out about what the DLE ignition uses in mah per 10 minutes or whatever...that should be pretty standard and someone here probably knows that answer from experience. It wouldn't matter what airplane the engine was in and it would be a good reference because everyone using that engine would have a similar experience (not much variation). Also, regarding your specific battery, I would record and verify capacity by putting it through 3 charge/discharge routines. It is either a capable little chemical engine or it isn't! What you are seeing with it now may simply be telling you that the battery isn't good anymore! Very good that you are aware of what is going on with your equipment and you may have caught an issue with your power system! Let me know should you get additional information, and don't "try" additional flights...it isn't worth the risk. Tom
Posted on: 7/27/2012 3:51 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11170973

RE: RANT: The
[quote]ORIGINAL: Azzir325 I assume it is all about the almighty dollar (or yen??) because if they were worried about customers, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I have to think since this is after all a WORLDWIDE market, there were thousands, if not tens of thousands, sold. [/quote] Yea....we know it is about the almighty dollar. Of course and in fact, if it were not about the dollar, the very factories and distributors we are angry at wouldn't exist. Customer expectation is a bottomless pit these days. It is unrealistic to expect a company to do anything that isn't profitable for them. Look, if great planes stocked all kinds of old ARF parts they would make the cost up on current ARF's thereby driving up price. To which we would all say...."Can you believe how much Great Planes is charging for ARF's these days!!" Can't win. I'm not arguing with anyone....but this just is what it is! This is just one of the drawbacks of the whole ARF thing. Tom
Posted on: 7/26/2012 9:56 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "ARF or RTF"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11170072

RE: Balsarite-Use ?
[quote]ORIGINAL: michpittsman I wouldn't cover an airplane without it. If you haven't used it, you probably don't know how well it works. Jim [/quote] +1 It is also great in and arond the engine compartment. For open cowl stuff, when you wrap covering around the front and trim it boy does it stick! Great stuff... Tom
Posted on: 7/12/2012 3:46 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11152291

RE: Throttle Servo?
Amen...now go fly the snot out of it! Good luck to you and have fun! Tom
Posted on: 7/10/2012 1:02 PM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - General"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11150272

RE: Throttle Servo?
Most excellent! I'll have to order one up! Very well written too, nice job. Thanks.
Posted on: 7/6/2012 12:17 PM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - General"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11145534

RE: Life battery packs
[quote]ORIGINAL: Goldenduff I think the question was at the end of their lives do they fail quickly or gradually lose capacit retention? [/quote] Goldenboy or Duffman [:D], You could be correct there...in fact I think you are! Which is a very interesting question. End of Life (EOL) for an A123; what is it? Nobody counts charge/discharge cycles (and if they do they have too much time on their hands), and I would think that the chemistry is still relatively new in our RC application for anybody to be having much experience with it...perhaps? I'm not sure what I would be looking for as a signal that the end was near... But boy, if EOL comes quick (no play on words intended) how the heck do we deal with that? I understand keeping an eye on mah used per flight and looking for changes in that number over time; I also understand a beginning of the season cycle procedure to verify capacity...but is that enough? I gotta do some reading on it... Tom PS To be clear: Cycle for capacity verification NOT cycle for traditional memory effect NiCd stuff etc.
Posted on: 7/6/2012 12:08 PM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11145525

RE: Life battery packs
[quote]ORIGINAL: darrolair {clip} Do you know, if they fall off at once? Do they deteriorate slowly? {clip} Darrolair [/quote] You can go to this link, scroll down half way and see the discharge graphs for the 2300mah A123's. And yes...the fall off all at once! http://www.hangtimes.com/a123_batteries_for_giants_faq.html Tom
Posted on: 7/6/2012 10:10 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11145392

RE: Throttle Servo?
[quote]ORIGINAL: BarracudaHockey The best way to troubleshoot issues like this is with an inline current meter such as this... http://www.horizonhobby.com/products/digital-servo-and-receiver-current-meter-HAN172 Its also the best way to set your plane up in the first place if you're looking for max throws w/o binding. [/quote] 'Cuda, I looked at the meter. From a practical standpoint, at what current reading do you determine the surface is binding? It might be a stupid question, but I would guess the extreme is obvious (ie. the current shoots up very high). Maybe the way digitals resolve, it's either binding or not. Is there any inbetween? Please let me know how you interpret the readings on the meter to determine something is binding. I think I would like to get one of these. Thanks, Tom
Posted on: 7/6/2012 9:46 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - General"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11145368

RE: Throttle Servo?
OK so we used handgrenades instead of preceision bombing to get to THAT answer... In summary: If you cook three servos that are all rated for 6 volts, on the exact same throttle set-up...the servo is binding and I really think you should focus on the pushrod assembly. You wouldn't happen to have the engine soft mounted would you? Or does the engine have excessive vibration and/or motion when it is running? Loose mount? Tom
Posted on: 7/6/2012 9:36 AM by Author "tomfiorentino" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - General"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11145354