Originally Posted by Shimmy

I will be putting a Turnigy D2826-6 in my new Bixler1 kit. I have read here that some people reverse the motor mounting so that the motor is completely outside the foam of the plane.

Is this necessary? Is it recommended?

Thanks

Shimmy

I've got that motor on mine flipped around on the original motor mount can.
Then I burned a slot thru the housing below the motor and slid an 8" 'zip tie' thru and sinched the whole thing up. Rock solid and if I have to get it out I just snip the zip tie. Don't glue that mount in and don't use an 'inrunner'.

DJ

My motor gave up lately so I replaced it with a BC-2826/6 2200Kv. I used the motor mount that came with my Bixler to make a new one as shown in the pics. I used thin CA to hold it together and the the two sticks going through are kebab sticks.

Originally Posted by Sculptor

I've got that motor on mine flipped around on the original motor mount can.
Then I burned a slot thru the housing below the motor and slid an 8" 'zip tie' thru and sinched the whole thing up. Rock solid and if I have to get it out I just snip the zip tie. Don't glue that mount in and don't use an 'inrunner'.

DJ

Sculptor,
Could you post a picture of that. I think I understand, but a pictures worth a thousand words.

This outrunner mount should put the prop further from the fuse. Do you use a bigger prop ?

Shimmy

Originally Posted by Shimmy

I will be putting a Turnigy D2826-6 in my new Bixler1 kit. I have read here that some people reverse the motor mounting so that the motor is completely outside the foam of the plane.

Is this necessary? Is it recommended?

Thanks

Shimmy

It is probably better to have the motor outside so that it gets airflow for cooling.

Originally Posted by BGR

It is probably better to have the motor outside so that it gets airflow for cooling.

Easier from a maintenance point of view too.

Originally Posted by Shimmy

Sculptor,
Could you post a picture of that. I think I understand, but a pictures worth a thousand words.

This outrunner mount should put the prop further from the fuse. Do you use a bigger prop ?

Shimmy

Hi Shimmy, here are some pics. The knife I heat up with a tourch and plung thru foam. The prop is a 'Master Airscrew' 3 blade 7 X 5.
The set up is rock solid.

DJ

Originally Posted by koumou

Attachment 5289363

Attachment 5289364

Attachment 5289365

Attachment 5289366

My motor gave up lately so I replaced it with a BC-2826/6 2200Kv. I used the motor mount that came with my Bixler to make a new one as shown in the pics. I used thin CA to hold it together and the the two sticks going through are kebab sticks.

A wonderfully simple and effective solution! It is amazing what you can do without a machine shop and aluminum if you just spend a little time thinking about it. I might have put a couple of small pieces of dowel in compression in the gap to give it four points of support, but I suppose the foam itself tends to keep it from vibrating at right angles to the two dowels anyway. I would likely been well into the land of the unnecessary.

Gord

Originally Posted by Sculptor

Hi Shimmy, here are some pics. The knife I heat up with a tourch and plung thru foam. The prop is a 'Master Airscrew' 3 blade 7 X 5.
The set up is rock solid.

DJ

Attachment 5292001 Attachment 5292002 Attachment 5292003

That is another of those wonderful ideas that costs almost nothing at all, does the job extremely well, and that I probably would have successfully avoided ever having thought of. Love it!

Gord

Originally Posted by Sculptor

Hi Shimmy, here are some pics. The knife I heat up with a tourch and plung thru foam. The prop is a 'Master Airscrew' 3 blade 7 X 5.
The set up is rock solid.

DJ

Attachment 5292001 Attachment 5292002 Attachment 5292003

Thanks. This is much clearer to me now. I had it twisted in my head.

So the zip tie goes through the foam and through the reversed motor mount ?
I see that you use a 7 inch prop. That answers my second question.


I ordered the Bixler Kit. I hope that it comes with the motor mount.

Shimmy

Originally Posted by Shimmy

Thanks. This is much clearer to me now. I had it twisted in my head.

So the zip tie goes through the foam and through the reversed motor mount ?
I see that you use a 7 inch prop. That answers my second question.


I ordered the Bixler Kit. I hope that it comes with the motor mount.

Shimmy

No Shimmy, the zip goes thru the foam under the motor and tightens up the foam against the mount. The V2 comes with this can but the basic Bix has a stack of plywood pieces as a mount. I would glue those all thgather (ALL, if you don't use them all the screws will go into the windings, did that). But I'd still not glue it in.

DJ

For the folks that keep their fuselage halves unglued for access, how do you attach the horizontal and vertical stabilizers? I thought about doing Lafayette's mod (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=288699), but am worried that it wouldn't be very secure unless the fuselage halves are glued.

A bit of background: I'm using strong rate-earth magnets to keep the fuselage together (with tape along the seams). They click very nicely! I just hope the magnetic fields don't impact the performance of the electronics, namely the 2.4 GHz Rx for control.

Crashproofing the Nose of the Skysurfer/Bixler: I am sure this has been done by dozens of folks before, but just though I would refresh the idea with some improvements.

I wanted to solve 2 of the major shortcomings of the Easy star type planes we all love to fly: improve access to the hatch area and preventing destruction of the front fuse walls during nose-in crashes

I cut the hatch towards the nose a few more inches. Then I Gorilla Glued some ply walls to the sides. The poly GGlue expanded and fills around the foam and ply making it very stout. I then made a new hatch cover with plywood, which adds a third side to the plywood box. Retained with a bit of chopstick going into a hole in the nose cone, then velcro strap to the outside of the fuse in back. Also convenient for all my FPV electronics.

Now I have had some real nasty crashes lately. Yesterday overshot the landing zone and went headlong into a fence. With Zero damage! No compaction of the foam sides, as we usually see.

Note: the sides were already bent a bit from pre-reinforcement crashes

I wouldn't consider a front fuz that cannot take a huge crash a 'Major Shortcoming'. This is the problem with foamies, (particularly the Bixler/ez star) they all take so much abuse that people lose respect for them. I fly balsa models that are considerably harder and more challenging to fly than my hawksky but somehow I still crash my hawksky way more than my balsa glow planes.

Originally Posted by greedyg76

Lower temp = less amps = more flight time

How did you get such a nice clean cut?

I woulds suggest by using brand new Exacto clone knives rather than (even slightly) used ones. As those things are DAMNED sharp when new.
On quite a few occasions I've only just brushed my skin with with a new one and it's drawn blood.

Buy 100's of blades and replace very often - as they are 'cheap as chips' as that 'English Gentleman' (Scott?) on the Hobby King videos refers to EVERY item he 'reviews' for them!!

I only use the cheap plastic knives with the snap-off blades for not so delicate work.

-B!