Originally Posted by Jackson Stone

Gordks,

Was out flying the SSS last night to get a better feel of her flight characteristics. This thing has huge control surfaces and is actually quite nimble in the air. I am still bone-stock at this point. As far as extracting more power I plan to look into going to 4S as an option. My other planned additions are a new ESC with separate BEC, addition of the Eagletree sailplane module (airspeed, altimeter, temp, battery condition, audible variometer), a Canmore GPS logger, and an EPIC HD POV camera with a 168 degree field-of-view. The camera has a setting to take a picture every two, five or ten seconds. This allows the capture of a visual log at 2 second intervals that effectively condenses a minute of flight into a second of play. So an hour's thermalling flight would view in one minute. I want to be able to locate and work thermals with the Eagletree system and be able to plot a GPS course plus see the visual flight record. I can also use the whole system as a video platform and get amazing HD videos. For example to video flocks of migratory geese flying at sunset.

Hope to have the whole system operational this weekend.

Regards,

Jackson

Thanks Jackson,

Glad to hear that it can be a bit more than a lumbering beast! It looks just like the 1.4m version so I had hoped it would fly somewhat similar. It may be a good place to try out one of those MicroDan motors I hear so much about. Should be easy to mount in this thing since it seems the original motor is mounted the in the same configuration as the MicroDan. (I think) In any case I will be watching to see what results you come up with.

That Epic HD camera looks pretty good to me! I see it for $166 on Amazon. That is a LOT less than the Hero and it seems to be just about the same thing. And I like the form factor better than the Hero anyway. May have to order one of those.

StarHopper, at one frame every two seconds that is 30 frames/minute. Played back at 30 frames/second (the standard rate) it would play an hour's action back in a minute. Could be fun to play with! I think I have to have one.

Gord

Originally Posted by StarHopper44

Gords - I forget.....do you participate on (or just only read) the P2K (Phoenix 2000) thread?

No, I never even looked at that one. But now that I have, it looks pretty good! Seems to fly pretty well and even comes with a simple flap option. And of course there is that price thing. It is quite inexpensive! Particularly if it can be ordered from the States.

Thanks StarHopper!

Gord

OMG Gords - I thought you owned one already! If not, you GOTTA get one - it's Sa-WEET!
One you just put together, balance, take it easy on the motor unless you upgrade the ESC (ie, limit to about 30-40 second climbs) and for once just get sheer enjoyment out of a plane without having to fret & worry over it so much.

But my 'point' was gonna be about this one guy who's popped up recently, & I guess considers himself the world's expert on RC even tho .....well....he'll preach for an hour on something then ask the dumbest questions even a beginner would know. You know the type? He'll take some position on something, based on some assumption he's made, & write 20 long paragraphs on the subject....and all along his premise was wrong. Like one recently he starts off about curing the too-steep climbs by affirming "since the firewall mount is GLUED to the fuselage, there's NO WAY the motor's thrust angle can be adjusted!!!" The here comes the 20 paragraphs expounding on his knowledge, back thru & including adjusting the h-stab's AoA, overhauling the elevator system to get more surface & wider throws....yada yada yada. And apparently (re the motor & mount) never heard of a shim.

And that's just ONE example. Oh, and one other reason-to-love -- about everything anyone suggests to him or says "here's how I handle that problem"? "Oh, I used to do that ... many years ago ... been doing that a for a long time now... " or whatever, & more yada. Trust me, if you did read the board (I flat quit participating), you'd know exactly who I'm referring to. *LOL*

Oh, almost forgot -- The Point. He recently wrote a novella on why it's wrong to mix down elevator to throttle. Just thought you'd like to know the expert disagrees with you on that.
(Along with the thousands of others who do it too, I guess.)

Yeah you always get at least one "knowitall" at every club! I find them funny and humour them.
Sometimes though they actually get something right but how do you know what it real and what is fiction lol!!!???

True dat. As they say, even the blind hog finds an acorn now & then.

Added a li'l deco-trim to the Mm last night - see pic below. The flash badly washed out the color, & it's lots closer to the right red (ie the stripe) than how it appears here. The material I used -'Matte Finish clear Full Sheet Label for Ink Jet' by Avery didn't turn out as transparent as I'd wished (think Scotch 'Magic Invisible Tape') it's hardly noticeable from a few feet away - but still looking for something better.
Hmmmm....wonder if ya can print on that Scotch tape?!?

Originally Posted by StarHopper44

OMG Gords - I thought you owned one already! If not, you GOTTA get one - it's Sa-WEET!
One you just put together, balance, take it easy on the motor unless you upgrade the ESC (ie, limit to about 30-40 second climbs) and for once just get sheer enjoyment out of a plane without having to fret & worry over it so much.

But my 'point' was gonna be about this one guy who's popped up recently, & I guess considers himself the world's expert on RC even tho .....well....he'll preach for an hour on something then ask the dumbest questions even a beginner would know. You know the type? He'll take some position on something, based on some assumption he's made, & write 20 long paragraphs on the subject....and all along his premise was wrong. Like one recently he starts off about curing the too-steep climbs by affirming "since the firewall mount is GLUED to the fuselage, there's NO WAY the motor's thrust angle can be adjusted!!!" The here comes the 20 paragraphs expounding on his knowledge, back thru & including adjusting the h-stab's AoA, overhauling the elevator system to get more surface & wider throws....yada yada yada. And apparently (re the motor & mount) never heard of a shim.

And that's just ONE example. Oh, and one other reason-to-love -- about everything anyone suggests to him or says "here's how I handle that problem"? "Oh, I used to do that ... many years ago ... been doing that a for a long time now... " or whatever, & more yada. Trust me, if you did read the board (I flat quit participating), you'd know exactly who I'm referring to. *LOL*

Oh, almost forgot -- The Point. He recently wrote a novella on why it's wrong to mix down elevator to throttle. Just thought you'd like to know the expert disagrees with you on that.
(Along with the thousands of others who do it too, I guess.)

I will have to read some of that thread! Sounds like fun. Reminds me of someone (to be left unnamed) on another thread that were both were following for some time, but much worse. I do get a kick out of that sort of thing as long as I am not personally and can just drop the thread if it does start to get me steamed.

*** Ha! I just saw your post in the P2K thread mentioning the thread you left 'when the idiots took over'. ***

BTW, the original 1.4m SkySurfer is the plane I tend to fall back on for that fairly mindless, no worries, type of flying. That is why the 2.4m version really does call to me. I have seen some newer videos that make me think it will be quite similar. And one fellow has found that he does like it better with the CG moved back about 15mm. That might allow a lighter battery, with no lead in the nose, to keep the total weight down a bit and improve performance in light lift. I have sent a message to Readymade RC asking if he intends to carry the SSS. I would rather deal with him than Bandana Hobble.

Gord


Late update: Glad that dark feathered fowl allows me to ignore his opinions and mix down elevator with throttle since I only do it from half throttle up. He does seem to have a sense of humor about things anyway.

Well.....that's all bridge under the water now, & I've moved on. And yeah, it's better when you just get yer grin on & leave sleeping dogs lyin'.

Update on the Shiny Girl.....fresh in from the field & today, we cooked.
As in, the motor mount. Which was pretty surprising as I hadn't really pushed it for the ~10 minutes I'd been up, hunting thermals from ~100-200' AGL. Only had throttle pegged a couple of times, & only for about 10 seconds at a stretch - other than that I was deliberately keeping throttle at <80%. I wasn't making much altitude in my climbs becuz I'd mixed in some down elevator with throttle trying to smooth out some of the 'pitchiness' (don't use that word around yer ol' lady while she's in a bad mood - it's guaranteed she'll hear it as a completely different word!). I forget what I programmed - think it was 15-20% 1:1 (Tx is still out in the car so can't look) but whatever it was, it was a shade too much as, that held my climbing ability back unless I stressed the motor. Kind've a Damoclean sword deal there -- and even tho I was taking it easy, when I ramped up to climb back up the Mm was nearby & the motor just didn't sound right, so I cut throttle. After finishing a turn onto downwind leg I eased it back on & the prop only kicked over slowly a couple times so I chopped again, called out "Dead Stick" & brought 'er in.

After I cleared the runway as I was settin' her on the table I bumped the throttle stick accidentally & the motor started turning again, & first instant I thought "overheated ESC" but, then I caught the low grumbling sound the motor was making & knew it was turning too slow to be healthy so, tied down the stick & unplugged everything. Immediately noticed the spinner was leaning slightly down-rightwards, a li'l too much gap between rear & firewall so, grasped it & tried moving it around.....and move around it did -- a-plenty.

So, as a few drops of rain began to fall & the eastern sky steadily blackening ominously, I packed it in & came home to have a nice ice cold Brown & Black to ease both my extended stay in the outrageous humidity as well as the pain of hurtin' my Shiny Girl. And just my kinda luck, found there wasn't a single bottle of the ale in the fridge nor the house either.

Just ain't my day.

Originally Posted by StarHopper44

Well.....that's all bridge under the water now, & I've moved on. And yeah, it's better when you just get yer grin on & leave sleeping dogs lyin'.

Update on the Shiny Girl.....fresh in from the field & today, we cooked.
As in, the motor mount. Which was pretty surprising as I hadn't really pushed it for the ~10 minutes I'd been up, hunting thermals from ~100-200' AGL. Only had throttle pegged a couple of times, & only for about 10 seconds at a stretch - other than that I was deliberately keeping throttle at <80%. I wasn't making much altitude in my climbs becuz I'd mixed in some down elevator with throttle trying to smooth out some of the 'pitchiness' (don't use that word around yer ol' lady while she's in a bad mood - it's guaranteed she'll hear it as a completely different word!). I forget what I programmed - think it was 15-20% 1:1 (Tx is still out in the car so can't look) but whatever it was, it was a shade too much as, that held my climbing ability back unless I stressed the motor. Kind've a Damoclean sword deal there -- and even tho I was taking it easy, when I ramped up to climb back up the Mm was nearby & the motor just didn't sound right, so I cut throttle. After finishing a turn onto downwind leg I eased it back on & the prop only kicked over slowly a couple times so I chopped again, called out "Dead Stick" & brought 'er in.

After I cleared the runway as I was settin' her on the table I bumped the throttle stick accidentally & the motor started turning again, & first instant I thought "overheated ESC" but, then I caught the low grumbling sound the motor was making & knew it was turning too slow to be healthy so, tied down the stick & unplugged everything. Immediately noticed the spinner was leaning slightly down-rightwards, a li'l too much gap between rear & firewall so, grasped it & tried moving it around.....and move around it did -- a-plenty.

So, as a few drops of rain began to fall & the eastern sky steadily blackening ominously, I packed it in & came home to have a nice ice cold Brown & Black to ease both my extended stay in the outrageous humidity as well as the pain of hurtin' my Shiny Girl. And just my kinda luck, found there wasn't a single bottle of the ale in the fridge nor the house either.

Just ain't my day.

Sorry to hear that Starhopper. Bearings? Or did it move around real melted plastic like? For that matter did you reach in there and risk a burned finger to check it's temp?

Thanks for the reminder. My motor is making some not quite right sounds as well. I am quite sure it has not overheated, but bearings could be going I suppose. Need to check that before I take it back out.

Gord

Starhopper,

Say it ain't so! You know we all live in denial on this stuff. "Maybe the motor mount won't melt if I am just gentle with her." Oh well, now that the Sword of Damocles has fallen and you have Crossed the Rubicon to the Land of No Return its time to Wake Up and Smell the Roses!!!

Here's the good news. Once you have decided that you have to (a) replace the motor cuz its crap; (b) build your own motor mount cuz that was crap too; and (c) replace the ESC cuz that's crap as well (is there a theme here???), you realize that you are going to be OK. A little time online figuring out solutions and ordering parts and you will feel much better. I always do. Then the parts arrive and you spend an evening in surgery: nip, tuck, a little liposuction, two more nips and voila! A new Minimoa is born (drumroll please).

Once I got over the hurdle of building a new motor mount, replacing the motor and ESC, and remaidening I had a blast with my Moa and you will too.

BTW I had a blast today flying some new and old planes. Flew my new Dynam PBY at the local lake in the morning and evening with a friend who has the same plane. This is one sweet plane and a whole lotta fun. Also got in flights with my Bucker Jungman, Yak 54 and FunJet at my new RC club field. Got great video on the PBY and Bucker, so will have new videos posted on Vimeo this week.

Meanwhile, just shouting out to all my buddies on the Moa thread, especially Nigel.

Regards,

Jackson

Yeah, 'fraid it is so. Melted plastic, Gordo - the usual form of failure with this rig from what I've read in the thread. Haven't taken things apart yet to see what all's hppened but the motor moves around when manipulating the spinner side to side, etc.

I've only had the prop off once, & saw that rinky-dink setup they use with the threaded motor shaft, et al. First question I'd have (so's not have to spend a lotta time scouring thru the 2100 posts here) is, is there a concensus as to a good replacement motor, one that can handle the 3s LiPo's voltage w/o overheating + give it some kick, & retain use of the stock prop? I like the matching red so wanta keep using that if possible. What kind've prop adapter would be needed?

All the questions associated with a straight out firewall-motor mount & motor replacement, I guess, from someone who's been thru the experience? Some words of wisdom (with an equipment list *LOL*) would be highly appreciated.

Hi Jackson I bet the PBY was good fun, I fancy a flying boat sometime.
Had lots of great dlg flights yesterday, often climbing one thermal b4 it blew too far away and then cruising into the wind to find another, had about 6 10 to 15 min flights. Today its windy and raining again though lol.
Still pondering a new tx, turnigy 9x with er9x and frsky, aurora 9 and now I have been looking at walkera devo12s which looks very sexy. Decisions decisions!

Originally Posted by StarHopper44

Yeah, 'fraid it is so. Melted plastic, Gordo - the usual form of failure with this rig from what I've read in the thread. Haven't taken things apart yet to see what all's hppened but the motor moves around when manipulating the spinner side to side, etc.

I've only had the prop off once, & saw that rinky-dink setup they use with the threaded motor shaft, et al. First question I'd have (so's not have to spend a lotta time scouring thru the 2100 posts here) is, is there a concensus as to a good replacement motor, one that can handle the 3s LiPo's voltage w/o overheating + give it some kick, & retain use of the stock prop? I like the matching red so wanta keep using that if possible. What kind've prop adapter would be needed?

All the questions associated with a straight out firewall-motor mount & motor replacement, I guess, from someone who's been thru the experience? Some words of wisdom (with an equipment list *LOL*) would be highly appreciated.

This is the motor I put in mine. http://www.raidentech.com/24oubrmo970r.html

I got mine from HobbyKing a long time back but they no longer list it and it seems to be unavailable anywhere these days. The specs might at least help in finding one something like it. It has worked out really well. No overheating and enough thrust wide open to pull the MM straight up from a stall with the original 11 inch prop on 3S (but at a very leisurely rate). It was listed at 180 watts at HobbyKing but I saw 210 on the wattmeter wide open.

Gord

Gordks,

Check my previous posts for specifics on what I did to replace the Moa mount.

If I had to do it again I would focus first on the motor. Get a 1100 kv motor that can handle 200-250 watts. Then I would cut off the front of the Moa with a razor saw (which is different from what I did with my Moa but a technique I used on the Fox glider), install a plywood firewall that matches the shape of the fuselage oval, install the motor and tape the nosecone back on. This way you can easily access the motor if you have to in the future.

I like having good power for climbouts with a sailplane. The FMS ASW-28 will climb out at a 25 degree angle if I want to. I generally prefer a 15 degree angle and less than full throttle so that the climb is less stressful on the battery.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Regards,

Jackson

Uhhhhhhhhh........................................ ............oh, never mind.

T'anx Gordo - will check out that motor. What about the prop move-over?

Originally Posted by StarHopper44

Uhhhhhhhhh........................................ ............oh, never mind.

T'anx Gordo - will check out that motor. What about the prop move-over?

Well, that motor was almost exactly the same as the original, physically, and the prop fit exactly the same as on the original (a 3mm shaft). Even the same nut to hold it on. But again, I can't find it available anywhere anymore. As Jackson mentioned, an 1100 kv motor designed for 3S should do the job. Mine is a 1000 kv and is good for up to 4S so it works great with the original bigger prop. An 1100 kv would likely be better for the smaller prop on the new ones.