Originally Posted by goldguy

soldering......the worst part about this hobby imho.......David

One thing about 'E' power, you have to learn to love soldering........[/QUOTE]

Oh, I thought that's what paper clips were for, then you can make changes with out that HOT iron...
Seriously, soldering is one of the most important things when it comes to Electric flying.. Make sure you have a 10Watt and a 30Watt iron for those tricky joints, and lot's of heat shrink..
Frank.... Flew my 1/2A Dallaire Sportster yesterday at our club competition... Flew flawlessly, even in the wind and got first place in the event...
Then, all heck broke loose, flew my CubDart, much to the enjoyment of the other members, and then, flew the (Toublesome) NutBall, EPP one, for one more chance.... It flew! Only I noticed the fus stick had a BAD downthrust in it too... But, with percerverience, I flew it... Whatta show!!!! Loops, rolls and even a flat flight!! But, all gear stripped out of it now and into the Artboard one... Now, when is the wind gonna die for me to test this one?
Some pics of yesterdays shennanigans from the contest...

Originally Posted by goldguy

soldering......the worst part about this hobby imho.......David

One thing about 'E' power, you have to learn to love soldering........[/QUOTE]

I'm trying Frank, I'm trying

Well, soldering isn't really such a biggie. We can all do pretty well at it
if we exercise a bit of patience. Though I did sometimes have to wrestle
with those little Deans connectors. Then I found a clamp that would hold
it in the right position. It got easy then. It's a reasonable challenge
to face in the heart of retirement. Now I spend my time converting
$tree foam board into nutballs and darts. I've also been working at my
scientific acumen and am starting to excell at the conversion of beer, wine,
and Jack Daniels into urine. Having fun in South Carolina. By the way, a
Blue Wonder on a 20" Nutball is a great way to spend the pre-cocktail hour.
Warm regards, Jim

Originally Posted by Jim Hatch

Though I did sometimes have to wrestle
with those little Deans connectors. Then I found a clamp that would hold
it in the right position. It got easy then.
Warm regards, Jim

Hi

I use a pair of pliers with a rubber band around the handle to hold the jaws closed - works a treat

BTW what size prop do you guys recommend on the 1500KV blue wonder on 2 cells?

Cheers Frank

Hey Frank,

My blue wonder is 1200KV. It loves the GWS EP8040 direct drive props. No heat
problems on 2s or 3s. Warm regards, Jim

Originally Posted by paulo810

This could easily be mistaken for a NutBall but it's a Hoot circa 2005.

Good news for those still flying brushed, it's powered by a Johnson 250. Join the fun!

Here's the thread.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316794

Which of course is a repeat of this... http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...&page=33&pp=50

Bill

Originally Posted by Jim Hatch

I've also been working at my
scientific acumen and am starting to excell at the conversion of beer, wine,
and Jack Daniels into urine.

Now that's funny! I'm having to now wipe the spray of beer that came spewing out of my mouth when I read that off of my laptop, but it's funny just the same!

Originally Posted by frank48

Hi

I use a pair of pliers with a rubber band around the handle to hold the jaws closed - works a treat

BTW what size prop do you guys recommend on the 1500KV blue wonder on 2 cells?

Cheers Frank

lol...that's EXACTLY what I do.

- Jeff

Hey Wolleybugr,

With that handle, I'd expect to find ya flipping a flyrod rather than twitching the
transmitter controls with your thumbs. LOL!

Make sure you dry off that keyboard and air it out well. Your better half will get
ya for surfing under the influence. Warm regards, Jim

Jim Well done with the maiden.

Just passing on some the good advice other people have given to me.

soldering......the worst part about this hobby imho.......David[/QUOTE]

I use 2 crocodile clips fixed to a small block of wood. I just pushed a nail into the end where the wire would normally go and secured with solder. I then used chicken wire U shaped tacks to fix to the wood block with one set with the jaws facing up (ideal for holding bullet connectors) & the other at 90 deg. The jaws are big enough to hold anything from 2mm bullets to full size Deans. I just clamp the block in my Workmate or use a Mini Ratchet Bar Clamp. When soldering Deans I always fit the corresponding male/female as this keeps the pins in line should things get a little hot.

I'm sure none of this is new but hope others find it helpful.

Cheers
Andy

Soldering is simple.

Cut wires to be soldered to the plug the same length. If this is on a battery don't short out the battery by cutting them both at once but cut the wires one at a time.

Twist the wire strands together and make a good end for soldering. Make sure all wire strands are the same length.

Strip just enough of the insulation off the wire to expose the wire the length of the tab to be soldered to.

I clean the tip of the soldering iron and remove the build up from previous use with fine sandpaper or a little emery cloth. It is easier if the iron is hot.

Always flux and get the right amount of solder on each part to be soldered before soldering them together. Flux is the magic ingredient. Flux is like a wax that melts and vaporizes as you solder. It sucks the solder into the wire and makes the solder want to stick to the plug tabs. Flux makes the solder flow. Flux both the wire and the plug tabs to be soldered. I use more flux than most but I am confident with the joints I solder.

This is the point you decide how much solder you want in the connection. It doesn't take very much solder. More is not better especially on a circuit board.

Don't hold the soldering iron. Put the soldering iron in a vice and bring the work to the iron. Most of our parts are so small it's easier to do it this way. It's like having three hands. I also do better if I am sitting down and resting my elbows on the table. It makes my hands more stable.

On small plugs I will plug the plug to another plug to act as a heat sink to keep the plastic parts from melting.

Put your heat shrink tubing on the wire If you forget you have to unsolder and re-solder the connection which can make an ugly connection.

My favorite soldering iron is a 30W pistol styled soldering iron sold at Radio Shack.

Bring the wire and plug to the iron instead of the iron to the wire. I usually place the wire on the tip of the iron and wait for the solder to liquefy and then touch the plug to it and lift both off as soon as the solder flows together.

Look for any stray solder or wires that might be connecting the tabs being soldered to. Stray solder can short the plug. If there is any question of the integrity of the solder joint I will do it over at this time.

Slide the heat shrink over the connection and shrink it with a lighter. If you are soldering a plug on a battery, solder and heat shrink the first connection before starting the second to prevent accidental shorting.

Most people use too much solder and most people don't use flux.

Originally Posted by paulo810

This could easily be mistaken for a NutBall but it's a Hoot circa 2005.

Not really, may look the same, but one big difference......no elevons.

Just beat the foo out of my first FFF build. Might build another one but I found that it liked to go nose high in even a slight breeze. I thought the CG was too far back but it's already very nose heavy. I have to fly with a little reflex as it is.....I added about 5 degrees down thrust....maybe it needs more?

When there was no wind it was a pleasure to fly....nice slow passes or wild and crazy loops...pretty cool.

The NutBall is going to be my next build and I was all set to place my order with HC tonight for some Hextronik 24g and 16g motors, esc's, lipos, and a bunch of other stuff and when I started to order props, I got confused.
GWS props have numbers on them that start with "DD", "HD", and "RD". I understand what the numbers mean (9070=9x7) but I don't know the difference between the DD, HD, and RD. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks