RE: Phoenix Video Adapter Requirement
Thanks Handiman, ended up on a Mac Book Pro & running Phoenix on a VM (Parallels), will run ok, just not high res. Shame there are no sims available for Mac.
Posted on: 9/13/2012 1:41 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Flight Simulator Software"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11226947

Phoenix Video Adapter Requirement
My current notebook runs Phoenix really well, it has an NVIDEA GeForce GT330M. Just looking at a new notebook computer but the ones I like all have Intel HD Graphics 4000 & I don't know if this will run Phoenix ok & not sure where to find out. Phoenix site says that you need a minimum of ATI Radion 9800 or NVIDEA Ti4200 with 128MB Video RAM. Anyone tried this?
Posted on: 8/12/2012 4:21 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Flight Simulator Software"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11190780

RE: Contra Rotating Propeller Drive for f3a 2m Pattern Planes
Hi Tony, Thanks for your input to the thread, much appreciated. PeterP and I are good friends and both considering moving into a ContraDrive, I saw Silvestri's setup in Portugal in 2009 and was very impressed although it was quite noisy. Indeed I was surprised it passed the noise test, looks like Brenner has developed an excellent system to overcome this issue by all accounts. Would you have any data log files for current draw using your latest setup? I'm interested in better understanding the load on the system. All the best, Simon
Posted on: 2/8/2012 9:17 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10950800

Judging Guide Query
Reading through the 2012 FAI F3A Sporting Code I was interested to see that there is now weighting given to key elements of judging, viz: geometry ~50%, smoothness and gracefulness ~25%, positioning ~12.5%, size ~12.5% (Rule 5B.4.) Therefore geometry is worth about 5 points per manoeuvre, smoothness & gracefulness is worth about 2-3 points per manoeuvre, etc. So my comments/concerns are as follows: 1. The Code gives very little guidance regarding deductions for smoothness and gracefulness, just Rule 5B.9 which highlights radius extremes and inconsistent speed. To compound this issue the examples in Rule 5B.13 dont mention this criteria at all, seems odd for a criteria worth 25% of points awarded, you would think there would be at least one example. 2. How can the percentages given have any meaning when the examples given in the aformentioned 5B.13 ignore them entirely. For example positioning is rated at ~12.5%, say 1-2 points per manoeuvre. The tenth example given in 5B.13 is a perfect spin performed 45% off centre which is assessed as being worth a 6, therefore 4 point deduction, due only to being off centre. If positioning is only worth 12% how can the score for the manoeuvre be reduced by 40%? To me it makes no sense having the weighing given in the Code, it just confuses the issue. Surely the judge watches a manoeuvre and deducts points based on faults observed if positioning is off 45% it is worth 3-4 points, if the geometry is off so badly as to loose 8 points then 8 points are deducted. In what circumstances would the weighting make a difference to how a judge scores? On a related issue, attached is an abbreviated Judges Planner that I developed and have updated. The concept is to use it when briefing judges or during training at the flight line as I thought it might be helpful. Any comments appreciated.
Posted on: 2/2/2012 11:19 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10941384

RE: Integral CG question
Yep, that CofG in the manual was Jason Shulman's setting which was aggressive to say the least and I think he moved this forward later on. A setting of 165mm rings a bell for me but it was a while back since I set it. There is a thread in this forum (the Integral build thread) that works through a bunch of CofG settings, Chad Northeast had his dialled in pretty well and I think mine was the same as his. For what it is worth the other think many people changed (including me) was wing incidence, the factory set was 0 degrees, I installed a set of wing adjusters and ended up at +0.7 degrees, very happy with this set up.
Posted on: 10/18/2011 1:57 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10771723

RE: F3A World Scores
double post
Posted on: 8/2/2011 2:34 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10650815

RE: F3A World Scores
[quote]ORIGINAL: Paul_BB Note that Dominique Strauss Kahn is already at work around the world, but he is not that good at aerobatics, well at least not at RC aerobatics. :) [/quote] Excellent, loved that one!
Posted on: 8/2/2011 2:33 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10650814

RE: F3A World Scores
[quote]ORIGINAL: 4u2nv-RCU Those look like really fun sequences!! I crashed my little stick plane twice!!LOL [/quote] Please dont write stuff that funny, I just spat coffee over my keyboard!! Great line & I know exactly what you mean. How these guys come out and fly unknowns this hard so beautifully is just incredible. I saw the finals in Portugal and was amazed, was also fortunate enough to see the Tucson Shootout a few years back and felt the same way. Just grea to watch these guys do their thing so well.
Posted on: 8/1/2011 3:41 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10649968

RE: F3A World Scores
Are the unknowns posted anywhere? Would love to read through them. Ahh, just ignore this one. They are on the page that is linked to the results in the first page from this Topic, guess I should have looked first!
Posted on: 8/1/2011 2:07 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10649826

RE: Aussie team world champs blog
Hi Glenn, Good Luck to each of you for the Muncie event, wish I could be there watching you all compete. Is there an event for Juniors at this world's that James is competing in? Look forward to reading about your success in the next few weeks! All the best, Simon Atkinson Ps. Couldn't post to the blog, probably an issue at my end.
Posted on: 7/16/2011 5:50 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10623610

RE: Latest Testing - Contra Drive
Hey Tony, congratulations on getting such a great system into the air. I have only seen one aircraft with a contra-rotating system in the air and I thought it was particularly noisy. How do you find the noise levels of the setup? All the best, Simon
Posted on: 3/30/2011 7:13 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10433640

RE: power supplies
Hi Joe, I have never seen the Iota PSU but it looks like it has at least one connector for the 13.6v output. I would connect the biggest wire you can (say 10AWG) from there into a pair of banana plugs or use a power strip unit as seen on p1 of this thread. You then plug in your chargers to the output of whichever you have installed, this way the components remain stand alone and you can always take out any that have a problem or you want to use in another application. Just make sure that everything is well ventilated so things remain cool, I note that the Cellpro chargers get quite hot when they are charging 10 cells at 5 amps (up to 210W). If I am charging at home I leave my charge box in the middle of my garage concrete floor (ie. non-combustable) in the event that a battery goes pear-shaped. The only other mod I think is needed is to put batteries being charged into a lipo sack to decrease the risk of something going seriously wrong. All the best, Simon
Posted on: 10/20/2010 8:22 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10082237

RE: NEU 1515 2Y/1515 3D
Hi Jarvis, You might want to check your motor and ensure it has a P42 gearbox on it. When I received my Neu 3.5D it had a P32 gearbox on it which was totally unsuitable for pattern use due to the play in the gearbox (ie. the prop wobbled), it has since been retrofitted with a P42 and is much better. You might also want to periodically check your motor pinion, a number of them have come loose. I note your 3D is 1360kv while your 2Y is 1100kv, if you are going to use one of them choose the 3D and prop it back a bit. The Neu F3A is 1300kv so your 3D is closest to that in performance. The lower kv motor don't seem to be fast enough in the air for pattern. For what is worth I would go with your Axi, less fuss and more reliable from my experience.
Posted on: 10/15/2010 12:29 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10069609

RE: REGULATOR FAILURE
I agree with getting rid of regulators, just one more thing to go wrong. However, rather than switching to LiFe maybe switch to HV servos and run everything direct on 2S LiPo that's my plan for my next plane.
Posted on: 10/12/2010 10:13 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10065150

RE: Aeroworks 50cc QB Mustang??
Thanks for that Curt, I was hoping to set one up with 10,000mah 10S 2P batteries so I could use my F3A packs doubled up. I agree that 12S would be better but don't want to have yet another size of packs to maintain (too many different types already). I'll write to XPS to see if I can get some more details and pics of the set up.
Posted on: 8/26/2010 7:57 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9962133

RE: Aeroworks 50cc QB Mustang??
This sure is a beautiful aircraft. I would love to do one in an electric version. I saw a picture & comment in a magazine that a guy called Scott Badhe has built one with e-power but i can't find any details of him or his Mustang. Can anyone point me in the right direction please.
Posted on: 8/26/2010 1:11 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9960507

RE: do's and don'ts
Great points made above, a couple more: DO use an arming plug to isolate the main battery(ies). DO measure the load on your system when you fit a new component so as not overload. DO warm your batteries when they are cold ie. get them to at least 20 deg c (70 deg f) DO check your batteries before EVERY flight. DON'T fly if the sound from the motor changes - there IS something wrong DON'T discharge below 20% remaining capacity These are all lessons learnt by me or my friends the hard way!
Posted on: 8/23/2010 8:20 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9955167

Phoenix Canary Trainr as Electric
Greetings gents, I was recently given a Phoenix Canary ARF as a gift, quite opportune as I need one to train my son and haven't had a trainer for some years. All of my planes are now electric but I haven't had anything this size electric previously. I waas thinking of a Motor/ESC combo from Hobby City to keep within a budget. Any thoughts on what would work with this in mind. The Canary is a 61" wing span trainer designed for a 40-46 motor. I was hoping to go 5S as I have have a bunch of 10S packs for F3A and I thought I could use some of the older packs that are no longer suitable for F3A. All the best, Simon
Posted on: 8/21/2010 7:58 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Glow to Electric Conversions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9950471

RE: Carbon E props, what’s your experience?
I have an Integral that was flying with a APC 20x15 and a APC 21x14, I switched in a Rasa 21x16 folding prop. It drew roughly the same current but the performance was distinctly better in the verticals. I like the folding props, it seems to me that they maintain the line in a snap better, maybe due to the fact that they can displace slightly during the rapid autorotation? Figures recorded (with the same battery packs, new Rhino) were: APC 21x14 39.2V/69.7A/2735W/5865RPM APC 20x15 39.1V/70.5A/2750W/5980RPM Rasa 21x16 fold 38.9V/71.0V/2758W/6075RPM
Posted on: 8/9/2010 8:29 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9922385

RE: Have F3a aircraft design reached its limit
Excellent question Rhilluk. I suspect that for most of us, new designs don't make a lot of difference to our ability to either fly most manoeuvres or the scores we achieve; that a quality pilot with an older design will still outfly a lessor pilot with the latest and greatest equipment. I was privileged to attend the Australian Masters last year when Jason S was out here, he was flying a borrowed aircraft (John Payne Cyclone) with a 140RX and out flew everyone, it really showed me what you can do if you get the basics right, makes all the rest much easier. Keeping your wings level, effective throttle management and maintaining a consistent distance don't need a better/newer aircraft just better discipline. Of course if you want to be competitive at an international level you will want every last improvement in design and equipment to give you an edge and I think all these changes moving forward will be incremental. Nevertheless, I, like many others involved with the discipline of F3A, love to try new things and will therefore tend to move the latest and greatest. My biggest issue has been a lack of personal discpline to stay with one aircraft and get the best out of it! My prediction for the biggest changes will be batteries getting lighter while maintaining a higher voltage under load.
Posted on: 8/9/2010 7:51 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9922288

RE: Moving to Electric - Which Chrager to Buy?
[quote]ORIGINAL: hezik It does. The Hyperion tells you the IR of a pack as well. [/quote] Thanks for that hezik, I have had the Duo charger for several years and never knew it measured IR! I checked it out when I read your post and sure enough it was there, brilliant. Appreciate the info. Simon
Posted on: 7/27/2010 4:35 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9892236

RE: Moving to Electric - Which Chrager to Buy?
[quote]ORIGINAL: hezik I find this a bit of a moot argument. First you state the Hyperion's aren't efficient because of the balancing, which you see as a downpoint, and next you advertise a charger that takes even longer to charge a battery, because it's limited in current. At the field, I charge my (8s) packs (5000mAh) in under 30 minutes. With a Hyperion Duo. Were I to charge them with a cellpro at 4A, it would take me close to an hour. I charge at 2C. If i were to charge at 5C, I would have my packs charged in about 15 minutes. I do agree with you that charging time doesn't scale with charging power. If a pack takes an hour at 1C, it doesnt take 6 minutes at 10c, to put it shortly. The Hyperion packs perform better when charged at 5C as oppose to 1C. I do find the charging through the balancing port an interesting approach, and I do think that's the way we should go, but the limited current because of thin wiring has to go before it'll be truly interesting. Note that if your packs are out of balance that either they are worn out, or you discharge them too much, or at too high rates. An F3A pack that is used normally, should hardly have any disbalance. [/quote] Don't get me wrong Hezik, I like my Hyperion chargers and they have served me well, the inefficiency (maybe the incorrect term) is that they are dischargers while they are charging, seems inefficient to me. I totally agree that you can charge packs much faster using the main leads I just don't often have a requirement to do so but of course different people / different requirements. I disagree that if you charge them faster they perform better, my experience is that they perform better when warmer, I do not see any logic in the charge rate improving the performance of the pack other than they would be warmer if charged faster. If your assertion is true I would love to understand this better, can you advise further? Personally, I warm my packs if the temperature is lower than 25 degres or so, the difference in performance of a cold pack is measurably lower than that of a warm pack. Lastly, I have had two new packs (cheap Flightmax) be well out of balance and took ages to balance up using my Hyperions through several charge cycles. I put them both on a friend's Cellpro and they balanced up very quickly. After charging them on the Cellpro several times they seem to have repaired themselves and kep their balance much better. All the best, Simon
Posted on: 7/27/2010 7:04 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9891170

RE: Moving to Electric - Which Chrager to Buy?
Hi Amram, The Cellpro charges at different rates according to the current state of each cell, I'm not sure if it uses internal resistance as a measure, I thought it was based on the voltage of the cell, presumably measured under some kind of load the charger applies but I do not know the actual methodology. I have found it to be effective. Neither the Hyperion nor the I-Charger work this way, they both charge through the main leads and discharge to balance through the balance leads. I looked at plenty of chargers on the market but only found the Cellpro that charges individual cells. Interestingly the Cellpro also provides an IR measurement which I like however the Hyperion does not have this feature. Simon
Posted on: 7/27/2010 6:47 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9891159

RE: Moving to Electric - Which Chrager to Buy?
Hi Amram, I have been running the Hyperion Duo chargers for some time, excellent performance but because they charge through the main leads, while simultaneously discharge through the balance leads (like most chargers), they are not terribly efficient and can take some time to balance up a pack that is out of balance. I recently purchased a pair of Cellpro 10S chargers having looked at their performance for some time. I bought them because you can charge through the balance leads at up to 4amps which if fine for most of the time. The key thing here is that the main leads aren't charging a cell that is mostly full, while the balance leads discharge the same cell (so that all of them can be boughtup to the same level). Rather each cell is individually charged - much better in my view. Note you can also use the main leads to charge faster if you like. I note that others in this thread have said they have had problems, I'm not sure what they have been but the only issue I have had so far is the internal fan on one of the units stopping but this is easily fixed so not really an issue for me. In terms of charging at faster rates, like 2C, I can't really see the point. I find with four packs and a pair of chargers I can fly continuously all day as the average interval between flights is around 30 minutes and packs take less than an hour to charge. Note that your packs are normally 90% recharged after 30-40 minutes as the final 10% takes a lot longer to complete the charge. The other thing to think about is your power supply. It is essential that you purchase it after you have made the decision as to what charger to buy as some, like the Hyperion Duo, can take higher voltage (up to 26V) while others, like the Cellpro, have lower voltage limits (16V in this case). Don't be like me, the number of power supplies I have is scary! Good luck with whatever you decide, electric flight has made a significant improvement to me and my enjoyment of my flying. Simon
Posted on: 7/26/2010 7:50 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9889814

RE: Judging Guide
New version attched to first post with updated snap comments.
Posted on: 7/24/2010 6:00 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9885828

Judging Guide
Greetings Gents, I reckon there is an opportunity to help our judging to get more consistent and accurate so I have developed the attached abbreviated judging guide for your thoughts and feedback. I was thinking of something kept to two pages that judges could keep with them on the flight line and maybe CD's could use to emphasise or focus on specific points in their briefing. Hopefully I have distilled the key bits out of the FAI guide (a 70 page beast) into something people find useful. Every detail can't be specified in a short guide but I'm looking for feedback to improve it. Note I've made some assumptions about deductions that aren't specified in the FAI guide and so would love to have discussion on this. All the best, Simon 25 July - Version 2 attached, snap rules updated
Posted on: 7/24/2010 5:19 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9854695

RE: power supplies
ID of boxes are 330(L)x330(H)x250(D)mm. Note that lid is included in this, lid is 70mm high.
Posted on: 7/24/2010 7:39 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9884917

RE: power supplies
Yep. Case, PSU, extra plugs, internal stand offs and fan covers all from Jaycar. Fans from a PC supplier and wire from Hobby City. I'm now building a second one for one of the guys. Neat solution as I can fit four 10S packs in the end section and charge them by just switching the wires across. Put the lid on and everything is neat and tidy in one box.
Posted on: 7/21/2010 10:02 PM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9880004

RE: Judging Guide
Thanks for the feedback guys. Larry, the rules for F3A are the same the world over and judging in Australia for all classes follows the FAI guide, I don't know of the differences in NSRCA/AMA classes, I figured they would be much the same as the FAI. I totally agree that judges can't look at the guide during a round and it would be unfair if they changed their interpretation in judging manouvres during a round. My concept was that in could be used in CD briefings and then kept with the judges folders as it may be useful to refer to it between rounds as this shouldn't be a issue for competitors. I think it could be useful to improve the accuracy of judging in our local comps over a period of time. mjfrederick, thanks for your comments on the snap, makes a lot of sense - I'm just not sure I could see/measure the amount of rotation between not seeing a break and autorotation beginning! Maybe the solution is "I didn't see a break but it looks/rotates like a snap to I'll just take a point or two for that". Seems like a reasonable solution. Appreciate the input. I must admit that when watching the finals of the WC's in Portugal last year I struggled to understnd how they scored some of the snaps I was watching, what you are saying gives that much better context. I think the FAI guide could be cleaned up a little in this regard. All the best, Simon
Posted on: 7/21/2010 3:19 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "RC Pattern Flying"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9878307

RE: power supplies
Well spotted Rendegade it is designed for storing LP's, looked for an appropriate box for ages but couldn't find one the right size. This one came from Jaycar, I picked up the last two they had. Why you would want a camouflaged LP container I don't know. Lucky all my LP's have been converted to MP3 now! Simon
Posted on: 7/21/2010 2:07 AM by Author "twoturnspin" in the forum "Electric Pattern Aircraft"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9878259