can a 1.3 cloverleaf fit in the equipment bay?

Originally Posted by imdone

can a 1.3 cloverleaf fit in the equipment bay?

Yes. The X8 maiden FPV flight I posted a few weeks back, was with a 1.3 CL antenna
inside the back of the equipment bay. Tx still outside though to keep it cool.

ian

Here's a fairly methodical X8 flight with telemetry, demonstrating the power required
for various modes. Min sink, 35mph, 45mph, max climb, top speed.. etc.

FPV - X8 telemetry flight (17 min 10 sec)

News heli was orbiting around the area in the first part of the video. I didn't
spot anything interesting on the highway for em, so assume they were watching me.

It was so brutally slow to overlay the OSD info that way, that I missed the hard cuts,
so the video feels a little raw. Oh, and keep in mind that my X8 is a bit battered
and has flight camera, video Tx and antenna all outside the fuse so should be able
to make an X8 more efficient than this. My guess is with a clean one, cruise level
at maybe 6.5A (3S pack).

ian

Thanks for that video,Ian. I like what you did with the osd overlay
love how the x8 glides what is the auw on that flight,do you know?
And are you gonna do same tests with 4s?

Very helpful video - thanks for sharing!

AUW with 3S 5Ah pack is 85_oz (2.4Kg).
I have no need to mess with 4S. Doesn't need to be any faster. For long flights, I'll
probably run parallel 3S 4Ah packs.

In my 2nd flight this evening, I did a fast launch and climb to 2000_ft AGL (at about 1250_fpm)
and used 1450_mAh. I'm still trying to find the right balance of throttle and climb rate for
best efficiency. Pretty sure max throttle isn't it, but it still gets up there plenty quick.

ian

This is a random question I know, but I'm just running some sums...

Presuming you power everything off your main 3S flight battery, could you please say how much current is being pulled when your X8 is just sitting on the ground, but everything is powered up ready to go e.g. ESC, vTX any other auxiliary electronics?

Originally Posted by Ian Davidson

This is a random question I know, but I'm just running some sums...

Presuming you power everything off your main 3S flight battery, could you please say how much current is being pulled when your X8 is just sitting on the ground, but everything is powered up ready to go e.g. ESC, vTX any other auxiliary electronics?

Look at the current at any point in the video when I'm gliding, motor off. That's what the FPV gear is drawing.
The any2any regulator is about 125mA by itself.
I've loaded this one down with more extra gear, than any other plane.
ESC, any2any BEC, 5V BEC, 5V camera, 12V Sunsky FOX800 vid Tx, 5V microphone, DL Rx, FY30A, ezOSD + current sensor.

ian

Originally Posted by Daemon

Look at the current at any point in the video when I'm gliding, motor off.

Good point - thanks!

Took the X8 out again today.
All pre-checks done, failsafes, range check, control surfaces & hinges, prop and motor mount, throttle (& thr cut) things secure...all good.
Lovely sunny day, 30 deg C, 5 knot sou'wester...perfect.
Big green freshly mowed grassy flying field.

Walk out to the middle.
Plane now overhead, arm outstretched, point the nose into the breeze, and take the throttle cut off and run the throttle up one more time, then back off again.
I take one last pause to think about launch angle, reflex, throttle, and feel the plane overhead buffeting gently in the breeze.
Ready to take off.........

Then unexpectedly...BAM, full throttle, what the hell is going on. The stick is still on zero.
Bloody hell, I've got three fingers holding a 2.2 meter, 3.6kg plane over my head pulling 800 watts and the other hand is busy holding the transmitter.
I cant put the transmitter down because of the neckstrap. Hmm...what to do?
I try the throttle stick, no change, but the elevons are working properly.
I kneel down (one arm still in the air) and put the RC Tx on my lap, now I can unclip it.
I turn the transmitter off, knowing the failsafe is set to zero throttle, no change, turn it back on and still no throttle response.
Something has locked up, elevons are working.

Prop is still going flat out.
A 14 inch cam folder pusher doing maybe 8000 rpm looking to slice up whatever it comes in contact with, still balancing above my head and connected to me by 3 fingers that are fast losing grip.
Got 2 hands now so I can lower the plane now and turn it around, so the angry end is pointing away from me.(Remember, you cant put this plane down with the motor running)
I crouch down with it and try and work out what is happening.
I try a few other things, no reaction.
The second last thing I try is popping the hatch and pull the throttle plug out of the signal buffer.
The ESC didnt stop, what the...
Only the battery was connected to the ESC now, and it was running flat out.

The ESC had gone to full throttle and then locked on when the signal input was zero throttle, and showed no control after that.

Last thing, I pulled the battery plug with one hand, whilst still hanging onto the plane with the other hand.
That was the end of that.
I reconnected everything and tested it and it didnt re-occur. Everything was working fine. Not that I would ever trust this ESC again.

If this had happened 3 seconds later who knows how it may have turned out.

So goodbye Turnigy, people have warned me in the past, I stopped using your motors a while back but your Plush ESCs have served me well so I stuck with you. Not any more, this was not the first failure, but was way too close.

I am moving back to quality.

Luckily, today no damage no injury, but it was close, so people please remember to be cautious with your toys. Something like this could have ended up very differently..
I am happy to still have a fully intact X8 (with a belly full of very expensive electronics) in the garage tonight.

Its all fun isn't it.

Edit: Sorry, a bit long....again.

wow....you got me on the edge of my seat.. that was a scary read... glad everything went well and all fingers intact! i just bought a plush, so hope i dont get that glitch with mine.
oh man..

Yikes! I glad it turned out good.

Originally Posted by RolandS888

The ESC didnt stop .

Yes, it is sad story w/happy end.
Something like this happened to me 3 years ago.
And after that I had never used ESC w/included BEC, only separated.

Yes I agree, the BEC was not used in this case, red wire was disconnected and power was coming from elsewhere.

WoW!! What a story! Man, I feel the panic for you! I would have been sweating bullets. Sheesh. Yeah, you gotta respect the power of todays brushless sytems combined with LiPos.