100cc Krill Katana E-Conversion pictures

[edible_engine]

Hello,

I have deiceded that as i am the owner of the most beautiful plane ever, i just gotta show it off. here are some specs :)

Krill 33% Katana
Hacker A150-8
Hacker Jeti Spin 220
FlightPower EVOLITE 5350 12s2p, total capacity 10700mAH
Mejzlik 27x12TH
Spektrum 9000 RX with 2x remotes
Powerbox Champion 40-12
FlightPower EVO25-3300 2s on RX
JR 8911 servos x8
JR Servo arms + SWB on rudder


Hope you like it

Ian

[spark007]

That is so cool, only question is how do do you charge something that big at he feild?

[edible_engine]

with dificulty :D

in all seriousness, i have more chargers than i know what to do, i am sorted

I usually charge in 12s 1p blocks, then join them into 2p

Ian

[somt1033]

Wow!
What a power system! What current draw do you have in climb out?

[sun.flyer]

Sweet pics. Ian.

Do you happen to have any power numbers on your setup? How about an AUW number?

Thanks for posting.

Tim

[edible_engine]

not a clue on weight or power i have nothing to measure either of them with. i guess its in and around the 30lb mark, power, around 8kW? its easily DA 100 power

[edible_engine]

oh, and i better thank the photgrapher Matt Palmer!

[karl k]

Can you not hook up a spin box to get your power readings?

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/jetispin.htm#SpinBox

Karl

[ditchit]

Awesome job and nice flying. I haven't got the balls to bring mine 30% Yak that low yet...but I'm workin on it.

[Jocke]

Very nice mate! good work, now we need some data and a movie ;)

[Technex]

How long does it fly for? Looks very cool!

[edible_engine]

thanks for all the compliments!!

it will fly for between 10-15 minutes, which equates to an average of 40-60A current draw, not bad considering my style of flight

video very soon i suspect, just getting used to her, only had 5 flights!

[Technex]

Whoa, that's one beast then!

She'll get better as the lipos break in a little, I find sometimes I have to get up to 15 cycles before they give great performance!

Thanks.

[edible_engine]

testing proves that most packs are at their peak at 3-4 cycles. trust me on that one, as i was doing the testing :)


If you are at any major shows this year, this will be flying. weston it will have a few solo slots, possibly at Wings and Wheels too. Might be missing out on hop farm much to my annoyance though

Ian

[NumbSkull]

Very nice bird!! What's the wings span on that puppy?


I like your flying style... only 5 flights, and your knife edging it a few feet off the deck!!!

Cant wait to see of video of it in action.

[awood12345]

Just don't plant it in like the heli. lol :P What happened with that by they way, you put on an awesome show and then I suddenly heard a whack. :confused:

That plane is friggin sweet! I arrived to late to see it fly which was a shame. Oh, and I'm not jealouse at all. :D

[blucor basher]

Beautiful!

[jason H]

with dificulty :D

in all seriousness, i have more chargers than i know what to do, i am sorted

I usually charge in 12s 1p blocks, then join them into 2p

Ian

Ian,

First off congrats dude, yes you are right, that shore is one hell'of'a sexy looking plane. I'm also in the process of building a bigass 'E'.

I just have one question that one else can answer really, you say that you split your packs up and charge them in 12s1p blocks. How do you go about having them balanced once both the 1p's are charge and hey are back to 2p??? I have read somewhere that ALL your cells MUST be in balance with one another over ALL your packs otherwise you run the risk of damage.

Is this common practise to charge your batterys in 1p blocks and join them up or is there another way???

[edible_engine]

Just don't plant it in like the heli. lol :P What happened with that by they way, you put on an awesome show and then I suddenly heard a whack.

ah yeah, well..... basically poor instal. i was getting big tail kicks for some reason (turns out i had half the teeth missing on the belt when i took it apart for repair), and that must have shook the reciever power leads out. it was a poor install and they were under tension. of course with no power, no flybar, and servos with a smooth gear train, it went full neg (which mechanically is about -18 degrees or something stupid) and planted itself in. i have got it going again, with Clubmans 3DX tomorrow, it came at a bad time!!





Ian,

First off congrats dude, yes you are right, that shore is one hell'of'a sexy looking plane. I'm also in the process of building a bigass 'E'.

I just have one question that one else can answer really, you say that you split your packs up and charge them in 12s1p blocks. How do you go about having them balanced once both the 1p's are charge and hey are back to 2p??? I have read somewhere that ALL your cells MUST be in balance with one another over ALL your packs otherwise you run the risk of damage.

Is this common practise to charge your batterys in 1p blocks and join them up or is there another way???

Hi Jason.

At the moment i am using a mixture of the Schulze 6-636 charger and Bantam PB6 balancers. charging as 12 cells and true balanced as 12 cells too. when you plug anything in parallel the cells level out. the schulze charges to pretty much the exact same level every time, so when you plug them in, each of the 12s pack level themselves out in voltage pretty quickly. if you plugged 2 vastly out packs you would get a spark from a quick charge/discharge

i think its the done method, its certainly the way im doign things :D


Ian

[edible_engine]

Very nice bird!! What's the wings span on that puppy?


I like your flying style... only 5 flights, and your knife edging it a few feet off the deck!!!

Cant wait to see of video of it in action.


thanks NS!!!

video soon i hope when i get the really ballsy stuff nailed, RH loops and the like, they take practise with a model of this size, ive only ever flown 2 meter.

this however is 102"

Ian

[firetrappe]

Congrats Ian, beautiful model! :cool: Flash gave me the heads-up about it a while ago and I thought he was joking :D . I love the sounds it makes when it rolls, absolutely awsome!

Any chance you'll be at Weston Park next month with it?

Si.

[edible_engine]

got some solo slots for it si, so i sure will be!

[firetrappe]

Great! See you there :)

A little birdie told me Chris C bought about £700 worth of lipos this week. I wonder if Giant E-Scale is going to be popular over here?

Noah, I saw some footage of you at the Nall this weekend, I didn't know you were into the big stuff too. Nice model BTW :cool:

Si.

[NumbSkull]

Hey Si,

Big or small... I'll fly it!!! I've been playing with the big stuff for about two years or so now with my biggest so far being an 87" 3DH Extra SHP. The big stuff just flies different/better, and always puts a big grin on my face!!

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the NALL. I would have really liked to of gone, but it's a long ways for me, and all those gas vapors would have bugged me the whole time I was there.. :D

I did go to SEFF, and bumped into Fred Midget while I was working on my 85" Kat, that might have been the video you saw. To bad it's such a trip between us and you guys, it would be a blast to meet up with you at one of these events!!!

[firetrappe]

Noah, my bad, it was the SEFF vid I watched. I'd just been watching the NALL vids of people dumping big planes in the lake and got confused :D

I agree it would be great to all meet up at one of the big events...maybe one day it'll happen :)

Si.

[MrFlash]

Ian,

Keep it wrapped up in bubblewrap untill Weston :p

It looks like my resident photographer :rolleyes: might be travelling to MotoGP / Superbikes or something with wheels so I might be in charge of the beast with the big lens.

I've got permission to shoot in front of the crowdline so prepare for a Leccy Kat photoflood. Si find out what a keygrip / bestboy / gaffer does and make a Press Badge.....Ian watch out for a Manc and Brummy borrowing yer lipos ;)

[flyinghamiltons]

Very nice!! Congrats on a serious machine!!

[Dogzilla]

That's very very nice.

[edible_engine]

Ian,

Keep it wrapped up in bubblewrap untill Weston :p

It looks like my resident photographer :rolleyes: might be travelling to MotoGP / Superbikes or something with wheels so I might be in charge of the beast with the big lens.

I've got permission to shoot in front of the crowdline so prepare for a Leccy Kat photoflood. Si find out what a keygrip / bestboy / gaffer does and make a Press Badge.....Ian watch out for a Manc and Brummy borrowing yer lipos ;)

great stuff, really look forward to getting some nice shots with it. weston is the perfect location for a decent photo shoot too. see you there mate!!

[txfly]

could you go 1p or is there a CG issue? imagine the "floatiness" at half the batt weight.

[mexico]

Any video yet?

[hornetflyer]

hello,

i know the evolite are a lower c rating......have you had any low cut offs???

[txfly]

my new 4270 evolites are 20c and weigh about the same as 3700's. holding up nicely in an 8s setup at 70 amps WOT

[edible_engine]

i could go with 1p batteries, they would needto be near the firewall, but its not an issue of balance, more of duration and voltage stability. at a guess this is a 170A setup or so, so a 1p battery would last all of 3-5 minutes, and the voltage would collapse with any moderate to high throttling.

As for them being "low C rating"....makes no difference. the "C" is very much a myth with this sort of power setup. Average current draw is only about 5C. this is where the EVOLITE cell really excells. compare an EvoLite and an Evo25, the lite WILL collapse faster, end of. The place where they seriously excell is holding their voltage under moderate loads. they hold their voltage very high under, say, a 10C load. this means in normal flight conditions we can expect plenty of power! flying for 10 minutes of my style of flight (lets say i know how to use power), will leave packs at around 43v ish, so plenty of time for flying!!!

Video very soon, when i get a bit more time to fly it, now logged 7 flights

Ian

[richard hanson]

i could go with 1p batteries, they would needto be near the firewall, but its not an issue of balance, more of duration and voltage stability. at a guess this is a 170A setup or so, so a 1p battery would last all of 3-5 minutes, and the voltage would collapse with any moderate to high throttling.

As for them being "low C rating"....makes no difference. the "C" is very much a myth with this sort of power setup. Average current draw is only about 5C. this is where the EVOLITE cell really excells. compare an EvoLite and an Evo25, the lite WILL collapse faster, end of. The place where they seriously excell is holding their voltage under moderate loads. they hold their voltage very high under, say, a 10C load. this means in normal flight conditions we can expect plenty of power! flying for 10 minutes of my style of flight (lets say i know how to use power), will leave packs at around 43v ish, so plenty of time for flying!!!

Video very soon, when i get a bit more time to fly it, now logged 7 flights

Ian
You may the consider the A123 setups at higher voltages -
cells are less expensive and far less fragile - and you can hammer em till they go dead in flight -- You could get a dual 12 pack for about --300 US - a little over 3 lbs tho-- A few guys are doing 55volt setups - the problem is the correct electronics to handle the setups- The only really big setups I know of are "factory specials" for demo flyers .
Your setup is very nice -

[edible_engine]

The only really big setups I know of are "factory specials" for demo flyers .

err, ahh, yeah :o



Ian Watson
FlightPower Lithium Polymer - Tech Support


;)

[mexico]

hahahaha


BTW - I fly A123 in a 74" Yak. I recommend against flying them until they are dead in flight. Makes setting up to land too exciting.

[richard hanson]

hahahaha


BTW - I fly A123 in a 74" Yak. I recommend against flying them until they are dead in flight. Makes setting up to land too exciting.
Ah that's the best part --

[mexico]

I came real close once. Landed fine. Didn't have enough power to even spin the prop let alone taxi back.

[txfly]

i think if a123 had a 3300 cell that would be the ticket. 1p=lite,but not enough capacity 2p plenty of capacity, but heavy

[mexico]

I hate sidetracking but I will just one more time - go in between 1p and 2p - that is 1p with a high cell count. The higher voltage will allow more moderate throttle use with good power. I run 14s1p on a 12.5 lb plane and get 6+ min of flight time.

[richard hanson]

I hate sidetracking but I will just one more time - go in between 1p and 2p - that is 1p with a high cell count. The higher voltage will allow more moderate throttle use with good power. I run 14s1p on a 12.5 lb plane and get 6+ min of flight time.
Yes - good setup - -IF---you can get a speed controller that will accept 55 volts -even better - th LiPo users equate amperage in A123 with usable amperage in Lipos --which is not the case as we know.
This is why I will NOT use LiPos they are simply too expensive and a A123 with higher voltage will beat em
A friend here does this: charge for 4-5 mins on 16 cells flies for 7-8 mins then lands, hooks up batteries - in the plane - when done , turns around and takes off
tryTHAT with LiPos --- But if you don't mind the extra cost , etc., with doing the lipos fine with me

[Jeffery]

doing the lipos fine with me

Glad to have your approval.

[richard hanson]

Glad to have your approval.
Happy to be of service ------

[edible_engine]

3300mah would simply not be enough, unless 2 minute flight times are your thing (just what i spent £4000 of my hard earned on....2 minutes). to get the 10 minute flight times i want, i would need at least 3p of your mythical 3300mah A123 cells, if not 4p!!!! add this to the 15s it would need, thats a massive 45-60 cells! no thanks, lipos are the way to go for me

Ian

[mexico]

My main reason for playing with A123's was the quick charge ability. That way I was able to get away with buying a single pack and saving some $$. At the capacity and voltage a giant scale plane like this needs providing BIG power to recharge at 3-4C would be a challenge. Lipos or gas is the way to get the high performance this plane deserves - no question.

[txfly]

3300mah would simply not be enough, unless 2 minute flight times are your thing (just what i spent £4000 of my hard earned on....2 minutes). to get the 10 minute flight times i want, i would need at least 3p of your mythical 3300mah A123 cells, if not 4p!!!! add this to the 15s it would need, thats a massive 45-60 cells! no thanks, lipos are the way to go for me

Ian

oh yah, i wasnt thinking about 3300 1p on your giant. -just for the typical 50 amp applications

[richard hanson]

wow - such animosity
well anyway I am glad you have what you wanted .
It still amazes me how everyone knows how stuf actually works without ever using it ---

[Jeffery]

wow - such animosity
well anyway I am glad you have what you wanted .
It still amazes me how everyone knows how stuf actually works without ever using it ---

Aren't A123 cells 2300mah? Ian is running 12S 10,000mah lipo and getting a certain amount of flight time. It would seem that you'd need 15S4P A123 to get similar voltage and capacity, no? So that's 60 cells, right? At 77g/cell, is that not 4620g of battery? That's over 10lbs of batteries. OK, just use half the cells and call it 5lbs, that's about 1lb less that 12S2P lipo and less capacity than 12S1P lipo. So you could use 12S1P lipo and be at 3lbs and have more capacity than 15S2P A123 at 5lbs.

We know you are enamoured with the A123 cell, as hardly a post is made that doesn't mention them, but they just ain't for everybody. Glad you like them, you can use them fine by me ;)

[edible_engine]

Well said Jeffery,

the thing that strikes me is this:

"t still amazes me how everyone knows how stuf actually works without ever using it"

now i may be wrong, and if so i apologies massivly, but what is your experience in 12s2p 10700mAh packs in a 100cc conversion with Hacker A150 and Spin 220? not a great deal i assume? so before you say i have no experince with things, ask that yourself.


Also, yes i am tied in with FlightPower, in fact i work for them. great for me aye? :D but also, you might just want to read this artical too:

http://www.flightpower.co.uk/News/open_article.asp?articleNo=548&parent=front


so before i go out and purchase 15.21s 4.65p A123 cells, weiging in at around 5kg, so 11lbs, i think i will maybe just see if my lipos will do the trick :)


Ian

[desert_flyer]

Ian - Did it occur to you that there are people reading these pages that actually have to buy Lipos using their own hard earned cash. For most of these folks, it is difficult to justify spending $1000 on Lipos that will be good for around 50-60 flights. Since you work in FP, you would do well to remember that these customers are essentially your sponsors.

Since I have a lot of xp with A123s in larger planes and helis I can tell you that 16S2P A123s would work nicely in this app with a lowly CC110HV. Sure, you can expect only 5-6 mins flight time, but that isn't a big deal when you can recharge in 10-15 mins. For those of us that want to fly more than once or twice a day, the A123s make sense on that basis alone.

[mexico]

I fly A123 cells in one of my planes, lipos in all others so I have nothing against either. But in all fairness to Ian this is his thread about his 100cc e conversion. He does not have to speak to customers or any budgetary issues here. He is generously giving us a peak at this very cool over the top project. That's all.

[MrFlash]

I totally agree with Mex. The thread is about top of the line ( and big bucks) equipment. Just because I cant afford to dosnt mean I dont like to read about it.

Keep up the good work Ian

[richard hanson]

The Krill model is nice -
but the "math" you guys use to compare A123 is not correct - You leave out % of actual usable power .
I have good friends with Electrics even larger and am pretty familiar with the setups required.
Anyway - It appears I stepped on your "infommercial"
Foolish of me.

[MrFlash]

..Foolish of me.


you back already...yawn :rolleyes:

[richard hanson]

you back already...yawn :rolleyes:
Brilliant reposte -----

[Technex]

Well, you can't beat the power to weight ratios of lipos :). Although the charge time on A123 is nice but you need a high amp charger/PSU.

[richard hanson]

Well, you can't beat the power to weight ratios of lipos :). Although the charge time on A123 is nice but you need a high amp charger/PSU.
Quite right on the total amps per pound -no question about it - however you don't really need a charger for the high voltage setups such as 55 volts - You can simply charge directly from the wet cell source - actually very fast n simple and everything stays cool - - I do use a charger on my own smaller models tho--
Understanably, this approach is not well known.
The setup in the Krill is very nice tho -

[Jocke]

How did this tread end up being about A123? the topic says "100cc Krill Katana E-conversion"

Its a very cool conversion with a top of the line 3D pilot doing the controlls, personally i would like more info regarding the setup such as performance data and temp readings after flight, also looking forward to the video!

Its also interesting to compare, Iand is flying 10min on the 10700 12s setup on about 7,5kw, im flying 10min with 11100mAh 14s setup on 15kw, i guess if Ian should try my Extra the packs would last... 4-6min ;)

[desert_flyer]

I notice that a lot of people flying these large Lipo powered planes live in N. Europe. Having lived in the UK for several years, I remember that the number of weekends in a year with good flying weather could be counted on one hand - actually one finger if you live in Manchester :D . Under these circs, a Lipo setup wont break the bank. But if you live in a place with 300 sunny days/year, it would be very expensive to remain competitive with a large Lipo setup.

Now Im not saying that it isn't nice to hear about these Lipo setups and I hope Ian thoroughly enjoys his airplane. But I am sure that many electric aficionados would also like to hear about A123s as an alt power source. As far as the charging goes, I don't see where the argument/problem lies. For the most part, the A123 and Lipos are charged using the same chargers. In fact as Richard pointed out, the A123s offer an easier route of just hooking up deep cycle batteries in series and charging through a wattmeter. Or with AC or a generator, use a PSU.

[Jocke]

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=722914


All about A123 in large scale ;)

[mexico]

How did this tread end up being about A123? the topic says "100cc Krill Katana E-conversion"

Its a very cool conversion with a top of the line 3D pilot doing the controlls, personally i would like more info regarding the setup such as performance data and temp readings after flight, also looking forward to the video!

Its also interesting to compare, Iand is flying 10min on the 10700 12s setup on about 7,5kw, im flying 10min with 11100mAh 14s setup on 15kw, i guess if Ian should try my Extra the packs would last... 4-6min ;)


I think you went the wrong way. On your packs he could fly 15 minutes.

[edible_engine]

bet i could try make it last 4 though :D

thanks jocke, when i have the chance video, data, temps and all that will be posted!

at the moment packs are comming out quite warm, i think this is just a cooling issue though

Ian

[Jocke]

Packs warm... combination of trotteling and cooling ;)

[ditchit]

I've got a question for Ian and any other big setup pilot out there. I would really like to know how you pro guys determine your flight time. I'm a great fan of using gadgets that flash an LED when the LVC is nearly reached. Hyperion seem to be the only guys with this system as part of their new ESCs. I have used a product from FlightPower that did same up to 12S but I don't see it listed any more. The one I did have quit on me after a few months but that could have been my fault.

Anyways, flying a 50CC conversion I'm getting a little tired of landing with a lot of capacity left or hitting the LVC and having to land deadstick. You pros can't be risking your big ships by guesswork or a stopwatch surely. What's your secret?

[edible_engine]

this is how i do it.

test flying, set timer for a short time, this time i had 7 minutes. now on the first flights this was taking about 4A out of my packs, meaning i know a 12-14 min flight time is poss.

now, i kept my timer at 7 minutes, but as i get used to the model, i worked out i was using about 6A of my packs as i work the power more. working that out, i set my timer to 10 mins, and flew 10 mins, thinking this will give me time to come around and land. yes it did, but batts were quite low.

so take a minute off this, my timer is set to 9 mins, and when it goes, its time to land.

its a combination of the timer, how much you put back into your packs, and some calculated guess work

[richard hanson]

this is how i do it.

test flying, set timer for a short time, this time i had 7 minutes. now on the first flights this was taking about 4A out of my packs, meaning i know a 12-14 min flight time is poss.

now, i kept my timer at 7 minutes, but as i get used to the model, i worked out i was using about 6A of my packs as i work the power more. working that out, i set my timer to 10 mins, and flew 10 mins, thinking this will give me time to come around and land. yes it did, but batts were quite low.

so take a minute off this, my timer is set to 9 mins, and when it goes, its time to land.

its a combination of the timer, how much you put back into your packs, and some calculated guess work
Your model is nicely done I said as much -
What you just mentioned however, is exactly why I decided to try (unnamed ) cells
Specifically the Lipos -if accidentally run low as you mentioned -often become degraded - This has happened with all the LiPos I have used. Mayb I just get poor ones ( TPower)
I would venture that if you perist in exercizing them over 75%-80% of rating - you will have shortened the life of them -

[mexico]

Why can't you just leave it alone already?

[richard hanson]

Why can't you just leave it alone already?
Why should I ? -I was frankly put off

[mexico]

How about giving Ian the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes things get lost in print as opposed to when they are spoken. Generally, build/conversion threads are used to share someone's experience rather than debating if what they are doing is the best way to do it. Maybe he was put off a little by our conversation about the merits of an alternate power source. Putting all that petty crap aside - the best reason to drop it is so we can all enjoy the sole reason we are on here - seeing and learning about things above and beyond what we have or know. I will probably never get to own a 100cc electric. On here I can gain knowledge and experience I would not get exposed to anyplace else. Let's just have some fun with toy planes - really big toy planes.

[richard hanson]

3300mah would simply not be enough, unless 2 minute flight times are your thing (just what i spent £4000 of my hard earned on....2 minutes). to get the 10 minute flight times i want, i would need at least 3p of your mythical 3300mah A123 cells, if not 4p!!!! add this to the 15s it would need, thats a massive 45-60 cells! no thanks, lipos are the way to go for me

Ian
This is what I referred to -
the corker is that the exercize was an infomercial.

[ditchit]

its a combination of the timer, how much you put back into your packs, and some calculated guess work

Thanks Ian but what still surprises me is that the onboard LVC LED type device hasn't taken off. With the pattern of throttle usage during every flight being different it's gotta be the only way to ensure you use the packs optimally. Is there any reason why FP are not listing that 12S LED device I referred to earlier?

[Technex]

I've always timed my flights, I've always had it pretty much the same everytime the ammount of mAH put back in.

Mind you this is for heli's not planes (not a plane guy). Which run a more constant Headspeed, but there is still a lot of load.


Those LED ones sometimes go off underload, hard to see etc, add weight and complication, it's just not worth it.

[MrFlash]

I suppose if youre doing a set demo / show flight youve can judge cutoff a little easier but I'd still be tempted too bring it in early just in case (and fit a LV indicator :D ) . Do any of the big lectric flyers use the the LV LEDs or are they all seat of the pants guys . Weve used the indicators on the helis like Tech but they're a bit of a swine to see in sunlight (although not a big prob in my part of the world :rolleyes: )

Whats the a150's performance like compared to a 100cc gasser, whats the throttle responce like and prop braking like ?

And the big Q ...are you going to be running Seba style smoke for the shows :D

[edible_engine]

please, richard, just let this calm down. OK i was boasting lipos up there over A123, i didn't name any brand, just the fact that for me, to get the ultimate high performance high duration 3D ship, Lipos are my choice. this thread wasnt written to advertise, it was purely to have a little show off of my pride and joy. now if you really want to carry on saying i am wrong and i should be running A123, go ahead, but i suggest that everyone else carries on this thread as i inteded, about the plane, not what is better. I do not wish to start a fight, but as mexico said, things can get lost in print, i apologise if i caused any offence, i did not wish to do so

Ditchit, im not sure which LED device you are reffering to? we only sell the Spartan Lipo Guard G4, but i have never felt the need to use it with the tx timer.

Technex, i have found the same with you, i fly larger E helis and E planes, and if using the timer, flight after flight, i will put the same mAh back into the packs within a few hundred mAh.

Flash, A150 performance is more than a DA100 on cans. the climb out is about the same as a DA100 model, but the model weighs about 4lbs more than what a DA100 powered 2.6m should be (My krill kit was over weigh as i started it, then the E conversion added about 1-2lbs more). throttle response with the Spin 220 is excellent. i can adjust it between 1-30 seconds or something stupid, i have it set to 1.5 second, which gives me near enough instant response unless i jam the power open, which i dont generally do. Prop braking is good too, i just keep the motor ticking over. And in answer to the big Q, ill think about it


Ian

[richard hanson]

Good enough--

[mexico]

Ian - is it my imagination or can you actually see the prop blades bowed a little in the pictures on page 1?

[ditchit]

Yeah, it was the Spartan Lipo Guard G4 Ian. It's subjective I guess. Some pilots are happy flying by time, others like me prefer something visual indicating they've got a couple of circuits to make a landing. Either way, it's good to hear your approach. Thanks. Will you be going to the Basingstoke electric event in September with this beauty? Think you were there last year weren't you?

this thread wasnt written to advertise, it was purely to have a little show off of my pride and joy.

Damn right...and anyone else who owned this Veyron of the skies would do that same thing. I'd have a picture of the damn thing on my favourite tea mug, t-shirt for the weekends, and in a gold frame above my bed. We need some video Ian.

[edible_engine]

thanks Ditchit! yes i will be at baisingstoke in september with this, but not sure which day to go. i have a comp called the German Acro Masters the weekend after, and i will need as much practise as possible for it, im up against the likes of jesky, leasberg, gernot, and all the big names.

Mex, i think its a trick of the camera, i can get all of 5mm of flex on the tips of that prop by hand, mejzlik make awesome props, 27x12TH

Ian

[mexico]

It may just be the pitch of the blades that makes it look that way.
Definitely a slick looking plane. Enjoy.

If I missed it in your report I apologize but is there anything special about the way the aileron hinge gaps are sealed? I don't see any gap.

[Jocke]

Im also timing my flights, once i have fifured out the flight time, i set the alarm after that in the radio. But i agree it would be good to have and indicator that tells the capacity, doasent Schulze have that now when i think of it!?!?

[ditchit]

It's just one day Ian...and you gotta be there because I think you guys are part sponsoring the event! Sunday 14th September. Put it in the calendar. I'll make sure to come over and say hello on the day. I'll be the one flying a small 30% Yak on an tiny A60 :( and/or an El Bandito.

http://www.electric.bmacuk.co.uk/

Dominic

[edible_engine]

if its one day i will be there!! as always we support this fly in, i was always planning to be there one day, but i thought it was 2 days!!

Mex, no, there is absolutely no hinge gap. its like a comp arf, its top hinged as part of the wing skin. there is a gap on the bottom of the wing, so it whistles when it rolls, lovely :)

Ian

[mexico]

I always thought that composite screech was kind of neat actually. I have watched that great video of Markus Rummer flying his Composite ARF Extra on twin Hackers and the ailerons screetched like mad.

[ditchit]

Agreed, it's a nice side effect. We heard it on some models at the Blackbush show in the UK. One of my fellow, apparently wiser club members was trying to tell me it was the "sound of the vortices off the wing tips". I couldn't even be bothered to argue with him. :rolleyes:

[edible_engine]

its quite amazing, with the relative lack of sound from the electrics, you only need to pull "up" in a banked turn and you hear a screech, its lovely :)

fast snaps are the best though, and rolling harriers!

[mexico]

I hope you don't mind my posting the link here but this is some good screeching and good flying. I love this video.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8688608738320363884&q=extra+xl+composite&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

[edible_engine]

i wasnt goign to post the first flight video, its very boring, but even with really dull flying, screeeeech!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMxggwzw1oA

[edible_engine]

please excuse my massive nerves, i was beyond bricking it!

[mexico]

Hehe. It looks and sounds glorious. And that field is awesome too. That first flight is always scary. Nice job.

[MrFlash]

please excuse my massive nerves, i was beyond bricking it!


I think I'd still be taxying mine in circles waiting for my thumbs to stop twitching.

I remember watching NFJ's Giles (noisy gasser :p ) and didnt have a clue for ages what was causing the screeching. Similar to ditchits experience, we were surrounded by lots of experts sprouting an opinion, from flexy engine mounts, prop noise, wheels and ermm..squeeky hinges. :D

[Technex]

Awesome vid, thanks for the vid, nice flying! Screeeeeeech! :D

[ditchit]

"squeaky hinges"....waaaaa ha ha ha ha......ouch...just dislocated my sternum was laughing so hard

[mexico]

I was never certain what made the screech. I had only heard it on composites. I always assumed it was the fiberglass aileron whistling but now I know. It's the squeaky hinges. Need a drop of oil.

[Dogzilla]

Agreed, it's a nice side effect.

Annoying as hell if you ask me. It's like the sound a cat would make having it's eyes gouged out.

[mexico]

It's like the sound a cat would make having it's eyes gouged out.

Exactly. Isn't it great?

[Dogzilla]

please excuse my massive nerves, i was beyond bricking it!

Wow so even good pilots get nervous on first flights?

I'm only just starting to practise 3D and so I'm not the best pilot ever! However on my first flights instead of getting nervous I just send the thing skyward as quick as possible! (obviously checking everything moves in the right direction first)

I've crashed too many planes to nerves so these days I don't give em time to get to me hahaha!

[edible_engine]

nerves arnt a factor with a small model, but this is my first 100cc model, and the all up cost is approx £4000.00. Not the easiest thing in the world to push that throttle stick up!!

Ian

[MrFlash]

Whats the rough cost breakdown on the main bits on something this size ?

ie basic airframe , motor, esc servos ?

[McFlymaster]

These builds are not for the budget minded...not implying that you are, however, you need to think "decent used automobile" in terms of the cost. I am very impressed with the flying on this thread given the investment...BUT the deal is you can't link them together...

I am almost ready to maiden a QQ 102 Yak electric. I am hoping to really enjoy flying this plane. I've already done an 85 in electric build which has gone well (3dhs katana), and now I'm moving up because the big stuff seems to fly better, and I like the simplicity of electric setups.

In my QQ 102 electric build I have the following on the tape
( people dealing in non US currencies will be apalled....worth the trip to get the stuff over here...)

the plane and dubro accessories -- approx 1100 USD with dubro hardware
the A150 motor -- approx 850 USD
the Spin 220 -- approx 700 USD
batteries -- 4x6 cell hacker xtreme v2 5000 mah 1200 USD
batteries -- 2x2 cell hacker xrteme v2 5000 mah 250 USD
(14 cell, 10000 mah setup)
servos -- hitec top end, 8 servos at 115 USD each, 900 USD
reciever -- AR9100 -- 250 USD (get all the recievers antennae)
reciever batts -- 150 USD
prop -- MJ 28x10 75 USD
spinner -- 5.5 in CF spinner 100 USD
matchboxes, 3 at 60 ea. 180 USD
spinbox to measure current and voltages -- 40 USD
miscellaneous stuff, servo leads, servo arms, and other various items which either get used on this project or the next...maybe another 150 USD.

So, I am sure I am missing something, but all in, similar build, in the US, I come to 5700 or 5800 USD... and that is with one set of batteries...two sets and you can add another 1500 if you are going top end.

Also, I am not including charging equipment.

So, the moral of the story is that you need to not care about the money and really enjoy pushing the boundaries of giant scale electric...which is what this thread is all about. I am sure I will be needing more batteries before too long.

So I congratulate anyone who is helping push the envelope, as this is what this forum is all about.

And, this is an excellent thread.

McFly.