Ok, so after about three years of waiting, watching, and reading, I am ready to make my move. I got a job a couple months ago, and have been saving my hard earned money, well a lot of it , and am going to be ordering my plane parts. First I am going to order everything for the plane itself, then the video equipment. I have had plenty of time to go through Hobbycity.com, configuring my plane. Here is what I have come up with so far.

The motor: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=3885

I chose this motor because it seems to have just the right ratings, and weight. I plan on swinging a 7x4 or a 7x5 prop on a 3s battery. I know 7 wont normally fit on an easystar, but I am going to mount the motor outside the sleeve on a firewall that will insert into the motor house in the foam. Because the motor will sit further out, at the angle it is, it should clear an extra 1/2 inch from the tail section. 1/2 because its a total of an extra inch, divided by two for each side, just in case that came to mind.

For the speed controller, I want to go with: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=2165

I wanted to go with 30A, but every other ESC is out, and plus, I like the added security of the 40A. Other than that, nothing else, just a good ESC, seen plenty of em at my airfield, and people love them. I think I will grab the Programing card while I'm at it.

For the servos: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...?idProduct=662

These I have seen many people use, and have only heard great things about them. I'm going to order some extras because they are so affordable, and Might as well have extras. The 9g servos should be plenty fine for this plane, and the 3A BEC I think is also plenty for a few of these little servos.

Battery: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6306

Going to pick up a few of these. Once again, I have heard many good things about theses, and seen people that love them. They are perfect size, and 3s, and affordable

Charger: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6463

I did want an Accucell 50W charger, but its out of stock, along with all the other Accucell chargers. Unless it comes back in stock when I order, I'm going with this one. It seems just as good as the Accucell, people report good accuracy and reliability, and It should be able to handle charging two of my 2200's at once using a 6s adapter.
Another bonus is a battery monitor screen that not only displays voltage of the cells, and the battery overall, but has an alarm when the voltage is low enough. This will be placed in front of my camera, as I can not afford an OSD until later.

Then of course the Airframe will be the, you guessed it, the Easystar. I want to get the camera pod off Rangevideo.com When I order my camera gear for pan/tilt.

I can not believe after three years of waiting, its finally going to happen. I cant wait until the people at my airfield see this, its going to blow them away , as I have not met anyone here who has even heard of FPV. By the way this is my first electric build. I have been flying Glow planes for about a year and a half now.

Now I want to hear what you all think, and any suggestions. I plan on making this the thread for the whole project, so keep watching.
I find it exciting that I will finally be involved with this amazing hobby with so many of the interesting people in it. Its amazing how often when going from site to site, and watching all these videos, how small the world can really seem, as I see a lot of the people know each other from place to place.

Hi
I suggest to keep things simple and use this one
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=5203
No modifications, just glue it in place of the original Speed400 with UHUPor, or similar contact adhesive.
With the stock Gunther prop it can lift almost everything you can add to the Easystar!

I was actually looking at that motor second to this one. I might just go with that one instead. Even in the comments for that motor, I can see that a lot of people are using that for their Easystar.

Well, since you asked for suggestions, here's mine...

Not trying to fault your choices but I would go with a 2000kv inrunner like pdemon suggested.
Easy to fit, no mods, and plenty of power.

I fly my EZ* with a HiMax 2815 2000kv in runner, APC 6X4 prop and it works great!

Servos.... I have a couple of those HXT900 9gr. servos and mine stripped quite easily.
For the EZ* it's hard to beat the HiTec HS-82. They fit perfect, (unlike the HXT900) and servos are not the place to go cheap IMHO. (They are, after all, what you use to control the plane)

LIPO Charger... I think you cannot get better than the FMA Cellpro chargers.

I have the Cellpro 4 and I won't use anything else. Excellent and safe charger.

http://www.fmadirect.com/Detail.htm?...306&section=45

Just my 0.02....

Good point on the servos. I will only be needing two servos, so it wont add up to be that much. Thanks for the input. I will be getting the hitec servos for the planes control. Still sticking with the hxt for camera servos though.

If your going to use 900mhz stay away from HXT900's, they jitter badly, and are subject to serious interference.

Good one Scolen3,

Shame the Accurel 6 being out of stock
Even the turnigy 420 at $23 would have been a great choice for charger.
All these charges work on 12v dc input, so you need to get a transmformer, or cheap computer power supply to power them for home use obviously.

2000kv motor, yes good choice.
Plush 40 esc, yes good choice ( make sure it gets airflow )
programing card, yes good choice
Lipos', flightmax, yes good choice, for $2.70 more, these killa lipos will really increase your flight time and available power. http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=9394


Battery monitor
Screen in front of camera, good idea, make sure it LCD, and not LED.
The led screens dont sync well with the camera refresh rates, you wont be able to read the figures, it will be a jumbled mess, lol.



Servos,
HiTec HS 65 all round is good, you wont strip those, nor do they have glitching problems like the HXT's do.
The HS65's being small, can easilly be burried in the tail for rudder/elevator
Cheapy 9gram servos on pan/tilt do not last long, especialy the tilt servo.


Finally, no harm in carving out some of the tail of the EZ* where the prop would hit, this will allow a bigger prop, a half inch wedge out of the tail will give you another inch of prop.


good luck

Scolen3, good to see you have done your research prior to placing your Thread - makes a change from the usual "best plane?" / "what FPV gear?" questions!

Think carefully about the placement of your items on the EasyStar, as your configuration NOW needs to be perfect later, when you then add your FPV components. R/C Radio components need to be placed as far away from your Video Transmitter as possible, to best (help) prevent interference.

Will be the same for your GPS (if you intend to implement an OSD) Again, GPS module should be as far away from Video Tx as possible, for best reception.

I owned a nice new EasyStar, which I flew perfectly for weeks. As soon as I added FPV components, on it's next Two flights out - the plane got trashed beyond repair.

Not knowing the underlying cause 100%, I'm presuming it was either ESC overload or severe interference caused by Video Tx (dramatically reducing radio range).

Its good that I am getting all this input, its helping me work out the bugs of the system before I even buy the parts. A while back I had asked if it was possible to add the flight gear now and fpv gear later, I don't have a lot of money to buy everything at once. I heard just taping the fuse together will suffice for temporary use, so I will probably do that for now.

Also, I have seen some peoples comments on this before, but I want to hear from some of you. Would you recommend aileron mods for the ez?

And I see a lot of people add carbon spars to their wings. If I do this, I would want one maing one for the wing right, then a tiny one for the tail?

Originally Posted by scolen3

Also, I have seen some peoples comments on this before, but I want to hear from some of you. Would you recommend aileron mods for the ez?

I understand Ailerons will help a good deal if you intent / do fly in windier conditions.

HOWEVER as an alternative you might want to consider adding a Gyro?
The Gyro will stabalise your plane across its axis, helping keep it fly level (depending on how the Gyro is oriented). You can then spend more time focusing on your flights/missions.

I attached a Camera to my EasyStar and flew it both without, then with the Gyro fitted. Watching the video recordings later, there was really no comparison - almost as if the video was from 2 different planes!

Originally Posted by scolen3

And I see a lot of people add carbon spars to their wings. If I do this, I would want one maing one for the wing right, then a tiny one for the tail?

My EasyStar didnt have any Spars to strengthen the wings, even when loaded with FPV components (including a 2nd battery onboard to power the FPV).

With this configuration it flew well and never suffered - even one flight in winds upto 25mph - I watched the wings flex quite considerably, but the plane never let me down.

Heres my setup: I recommended it to a coworker and wrote it up in a neat list. It has everything you need except the R/C transmitter and receiver.

Plane: Multiplex Easy Star: http://www.hobby-lobby.com/easystar....hQueryId=90986

Brushless Motor: This will give you a few seconds of vertical performance- http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=5203

Brushless Electronic Speed Control (ESC): http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...eed_Controller

Cheap 9g servos if you need them (Can be used for Rudder / Elevator, and Pan/Tilt of Camera):
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=8995

2500 mah Battery for Motor / Receiver:
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=9348

500 mah Battery for Camera/ Video transmitter:
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...00mAh_2S1P_20C

Cheap, very useful Battery monitor:
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...y_Monitor_2-6S

Lipo Battery charger:
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...alance/Charger

Great video transmitter/receiver combo:
http://www.nghobbies.com/cart/index....roducts_id=102
Upgraded 8dbi Patch antenna for Receiver:
http://www.nghobbies.com/cart/index....roducts_id=303

My video glasses:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=220362975372

My CCD onboard camera: Cheap and works great:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Panasonic-Co...3A1%7C294%3A50


You will need a 5v regulator for this camera:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062599

Convenient pod that snaps right into the plane and houses the camera and transmitter: (I made my own though out of cardboard and foam and saved some $$.)
http://rangevideo.com/index.php?main...roducts_id=106

Remzibi’s On Screen Display: You just have to join the forum and private message him (Remzibi) that your interested. Then send him paypal of $117 and you should have your OSD within 2 weeks.
Here is the entire thread about this system: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=921467

Here is a video from one of the users (everyone is very happy with the system thus far):

Remzibi OSD Test flight (9 min 58 sec)

Total Price:

~$650

Originally Posted by scolen3

Ok, so after about three years of waiting, watching, and reading, I am ready to make my move. I got a job a couple months ago, and have been saving my hard earned money, well a lot of it , and am going to be ordering my plane parts. First I am going to order everything for the plane itself, then the video equipment. I have had plenty of time to go through Hobbycity.com, configuring my plane. Here is what I have come up with so far.

The motor: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=3885

I chose this motor because it seems to have just the right ratings, and weight. I plan on swinging a 7x4 or a 7x5 prop on a 3s battery. I know 7 wont normally fit on an easystar, but I am going to mount the motor outside the sleeve on a firewall that will insert into the motor house in the foam. Because the motor will sit further out, at the angle it is, it should clear an extra 1/2 inch from the tail section. 1/2 because its a total of an extra inch, divided by two for each side, just in case that came to mind.

For the speed controller, I want to go with: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=2165

I wanted to go with 30A, but every other ESC is out, and plus, I like the added security of the 40A. Other than that, nothing else, just a good ESC, seen plenty of em at my airfield, and people love them. I think I will grab the Programing card while I'm at it.

For the servos: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...?idProduct=662

These I have seen many people use, and have only heard great things about them. I'm going to order some extras because they are so affordable, and Might as well have extras. The 9g servos should be plenty fine for this plane, and the 3A BEC I think is also plenty for a few of these little servos.

Battery: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6306

Going to pick up a few of these. Once again, I have heard many good things about theses, and seen people that love them. They are perfect size, and 3s, and affordable

Charger: http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...idProduct=6463

I did want an Accucell 50W charger, but its out of stock, along with all the other Accucell chargers. Unless it comes back in stock when I order, I'm going with this one. It seems just as good as the Accucell, people report good accuracy and reliability, and It should be able to handle charging two of my 2200's at once using a 6s adapter.
Another bonus is a battery monitor screen that not only displays voltage of the cells, and the battery overall, but has an alarm when the voltage is low enough. This will be placed in front of my camera, as I can not afford an OSD until later.

Then of course the Airframe will be the, you guessed it, the Easystar. I want to get the camera pod off Rangevideo.com When I order my camera gear for pan/tilt.

I can not believe after three years of waiting, its finally going to happen. I cant wait until the people at my airfield see this, its going to blow them away , as I have not met anyone here who has even heard of FPV. By the way this is my first electric build. I have been flying Glow planes for about a year and a half now.

Now I want to hear what you all think, and any suggestions. I plan on making this the thread for the whole project, so keep watching.
I find it exciting that I will finally be involved with this amazing hobby with so many of the interesting people in it. Its amazing how often when going from site to site, and watching all these videos, how small the world can really seem, as I see a lot of the people know each other from place to place.

Go get em my friend.

And when you are all setup, lets sync up and do some flights. Im in Redmond, Wa...PM and we can get in touch...

Cheers,

Originally Posted by mavacpjm71

Go get em my friend.

And when you are all setup, lets sync up and do some flights. Im in Redmond, Wa...PM and we can get in touch...

Cheers,

Oh yes, I will keep in contact. I have been looking for someone around here that flies FPV. I will probably have the final project done within a month or two.

Originally Posted by jetstreaming

I understand Ailerons will help a good deal if you intent / do fly in windier conditions.

HOWEVER as an alternative you might want to consider adding a Gyro?
The Gyro will stabalise your plane across its axis, helping keep it fly level (depending on how the Gyro is oriented). You can then spend more time focusing on your flights/missions.

I attached a Camera to my EasyStar and flew it both without, then with the Gyro fitted. Watching the video recordings later, there was really no comparison - almost as if the video was from 2 different planes!



My EasyStar didnt have any Spars to strengthen the wings, even when loaded with FPV components (including a 2nd battery onboard to power the FPV).

With this configuration it flew well and never suffered - even one flight in winds upto 25mph - I watched the wings flex quite considerably, but the plane never let me down.

My question is how well does the gyro work with using the rudder alone. Also, do you have it on just one axis? What would you say is most important, roll or pitch? I was looking into getting gyros a while ago, but they can be costly, and I was thinking ailerons would be required. I thought all the added weight would not be good. I really don't know what is too heavy or not, though I have a general idea, this is my first FPV, much less electric plane too.

I decided I will post further details about the planes planned configuration to clear things up a bit.

For the video gear, here is what I have planned. I want to order a majority of my parts from rangevideo.com.

The camera will be the sn777, as I have heard wonderful things about this, and the videos from this camera have amazing quality. Plus It can see ground and sky fine without a lot of color deterioration and exposure issues. It is a bit pricey though at about $140. The kx171 was also an option, good camera at a lower price.

Transmitter, 900mhz 500mw, mainly because far less interference, and better range. I have heard that 2.4 interferes and can be interfered easily, and it does not penetrate through obstructions as easily. I think I will go with the 3dbi omni antenna, as I have heard its a fair improvement over the stock.

Standard receiver will suffice for now, using an 8dbi patch.

Ground station will consist of a box or container that can fit everything and be transported easy. I want to keep things as simple and organized as possible, but I don't think I will be able to avoid all of the clutter of a decent FPV setup.

The screen will be a small TV or portable dvd player inside of a black, small garbage can, or box. I don't know if I can afford well over $200 for a good pair of goggles atm. Pan will be the normal rudder stick, and tilt will be a three position switch on my radio, this should be fine for now, I see a lot of people on the forums use this control scheme.

Power to the ground station will be from a 12v lead acid battery setup, I already have a couple, and everything runs on 12v anyways. This will work fine for the TV or dvd player if I can find one that uses a 12v DC input, if not I might get a cheap inverter of sufficient wattage from harbor freight near me. An inverter might be nice anyways, as it will allow me to run my camcorder off a power cord rather than the smaller battery that it has.

One question I really have is this, I have read a thread about placing patch antennas on the ground vs a tripod. Apparently the signal is far better and clean when it is placed near the ground, I think it acts like a grounding plane? But is it possible to get the same effect mounted on a tripod, by making an artificial grounding plane?