Yes ....

Hopefully playing with it soon ( eer I mean testing it soon ) .

Why ?

1) First thing that comes to mind is testing props .
2) Testing motors
3) Gathering data

What kind of data ?

Well , things like propeller efficiency .. Say you want to find the most efficient prop for a motor / plane @ say a certain speed or RPM range .
So lets say you have a range / selection of 12x6 props and your simply want to know which is the best ? And or rate the props .
With a suitable electric motor you spin up the props to 10,000 rpm ( for arguments sake ) and you see what current the motor is pulling @ what voltage for a WATT's reading . As well you would note thrust . These two numbers can be used to calculate efficiency = The amount of energy to produce said thrust .

This sort of testing would generate data for working out things like , thrust , energy absorption , and efficiency . And these numbers can then be put against real world results in almost any application from control line racing to pylon racing or possibly some sort of endurance situation like solar powered flight .



Nope ! I wont be doing any of that ....
I just wanted one to play with / eer I mean I always wanted to test one .

Time to check some motor prop combinations .

Brushed 8520 on the 450x wing .

30,000 rpm static Im calling it 30 , it went a little higher . So it should wind out more in the air .
Certainly explains why it's a little noisy .

1103 on the 450x wing (2s)
prop is a 3.8x3
And around 50% throttle I saw 12,000+ rpm
At full throttle ( motor cooks ) I saw a peak of 17100 rpm
For a 8000kv motor , this certainly explains why the motor is cooking ..

6A+ / 17100 rpm / 8000kv = Over proped !
If you do the math , Voltage x KV = RPM
4v x 8000kv = 32,000 rpm ( potentially on paper ) 20 something would be more realistic .
Oh man ! What was I thinking .. It's 2s ...
8v x 8000kv = 64,000 rpm ... So 40 something K would be more realistic ,
I have ordered more props , I think they are 3x2 or some such ( smaller anyways )
Will be cutting down one of the props included in the kit , I will cut and cut till I see a 5A peak .

It's good to have a functioning tach !

UPDATE

The 2nd 1103 just died !
Looks like no more 1103 for me ..
I ordered a 1105 and a 1106 ..
And I thought this Wing might be Budget , the budget is Blown !

I am doing a AAA mod to one of my Favourite Tachometers .
I hate the button batteries because the Tachometer in question suffers from parasitic drain . So the batteries never last .
And changing batteries is a complete pain in the beehive .

AAA rechargeable Because
1) Voltage , rechargeable NIMH dont go over 1.5v , so two batteries should always be under 3v ( the button batteries are 3v )
2) Size , the battery case is much more friendly than the AA version ( been there ) . Batteries go in and out much easier .
3) Size again , I want to add a on off switch for the battery case ( switches ordered but not here yet )
4) Maintain a compact user friendly size

Bushleague mod !
There are 4 screws holding the plastic case together .
Once open you will see the button battery slot ..
1)There is a metal top cover , un solder it or cut it away .
2) The middle contact is NEGATIVE and the outside contacts are POSITIVE
3) Drill a hole in the rear cover for your battery wires
4) Feed the wires thru the back cover and solder to the contacts
5) assemble the tacho
6) I used double sided tape to attach the battery case
7) Because of the parasitic drain - remove the batteries when not in use / or fit a on off switch ( My plan )

This is my 2nd tacho thats been modified .
The first was AA , and it was a PITA because of the tight fit of the AA batteries in the battery case . So this time I have gone AAA because they just take batteries better . Also you want that on off switch so you dont have to remove batteries all the time .
There will be a short part 2 when the switches get here .
This is a very simple and effective mod ..
Just be sure to keep your voltage at or bellow 3v , fresh alkaline's might take the voltage too high .

450x Micro Wing ( 2s 1103 Brushless ) (4 min 34 sec)

Some more trim was required ..
The 450x just kept climbing , especially into the wind , and there was WIND !
Toward the end , the trim is close .

That little 300mAh 2s battery needs to come as far forward as possible ..
I may need to try a Zippy 350 , I have a few of those .

Turns tight , jittery ! Especially in the wind .. Wow , that wind really gusted well at times .
A heavier battery might not hurt .

The brushed 450 has a lot more down thrust ..
The launch certainly wants more power , but once in the air moving , you can throttle back and maintain speed .

1103 Motor ..
the 3.8x3 prop is too much for it ..
I saw some 6.4Amp at full throttle ..
And at this current level the motor wires and motor are getting hot .

Speaking of the motor wires , they are a little cheap and nasty .. ( break very easily )
So might pay to secure everything from moving .

When the wind eased , the 450x flew really nice .
I am happy with how this wing turned out ..
Still on 100% rates , Ail expo is now 35% and Ele expo is 60% ..
As mentioned , moving the CG a little further forward might not hurt .. ( Toward the servo leads )

I just got back from playing CG games with the 450x Micro wing . ( 2s )
Pictures taken after !

1) CG is somewhere between the Servo leads and the black mark .
2) Cut the throttle and let it crash = No damage ( It's just not that heavy )
3) It took a little work to get CG on and to trim .
4) I am using a 300mAh 2s battery
5) U just know ur onto the CG when the wing glides
6) Flying weight is 70.5 grams ( hmmm , smaller servos maybe ? )
7) 100% on rates and 30% Expo on ailerons and 50% Expo on the elevator .
8) Still might need a little less elevator ( More trim ) , but it is close !
9) Flies really well . Might fly with less than 25% throttle ( might ) Zooms nicely with 50% throttle .



Cheetah Glider

Took it out the other day , after some trim it flew real nice ..
It flew right into the top of a nearby tree .
Yeah , just as I was doing a turn a big gust came in and pushed it into the tree

I had to do the walk of shame home ! Get my 5 meter calamari pole , drive back to the park and poke it out of the tree . ( No damage ) Except maybe to my ego !

So it does fly , but is a little light to handle strong wind .

Oh for better weather ! ( Wind = Go away for a while - Hu ? )

Yes !
The first one was WLtoys F949 with a 8520 brushed motor .
But it is a two wing kit
So what to do with the 2nd wing ?

Brushless of course ..

Motor = RacerStar 1103 1-3s / props came with the kit
ESC = 6A EBAY job
Rx = FS2A from BG ( My Fav 4ch Rx )
Servos = ? I dont know , either 5g or 4.3g or something .

Been in limbo for a while waiting for a motor . Hopefully do 1:1 thrust or better ( I hope ) .
This motor seems to run fine . ( The first one was FUBAR )
Flying soon I hope .

HappyModel 0802 Brushless Motor (0 min 55 sec)

Unlike my 1103 , the 0802 actually runs !
Just a quick little video to show the 0802 running with the 5A 1s ESC ..
I made my own connector to bridge the motor ESC ..

I just need a mount for the little 0802 now ..

There is still a smaller motor to be had , the 0602 , but the weight is so close to the 0802 that ?
Oh well , if you like cute little motors , then you may want one .

So the motor runs 1s just fine . The ESC works .
Hmmm , aside from being really cute , what do I do with it ? ( Besides some testing after I get it mounted )

Mods to my Whip .

Was it maybe 15 months ago I got the Whip ? Anyhow I have a bad back and the whip was medicinal ( get me out and being more active ) . At one time my back was so bad I could barely walk 100 meters . Now I can walk a few Kilometres to a local park and throw the whip around for 30 minutes to 60 minutes and walk back home and not be in brutal pain . ( A little sore perhaps )

Anyhow , early on I came to the conclusion I needed a launch peg to make life easier on me ( less painful ) . Already I was noticing a lot of surface stretch marks on the wing . And I thought without strengthening I would surely rip the wing apart if I put in a lunch peg .

Modified wing :
I removed the plastic hardware , the centre of the wing was glassed ( lightest glass from hobbyking ) . I also glassed the tip I wanted to put the launch peg on . Glassing also was used to secure the carbon rods in the middle of the wing . ( Mine were lose and there was a lot of centre flex )
After glassing I used laminating film ( 0.04mm = lets get that right ) . I now had a really strong and much stiffer wing than before . To counter the added weight the plastic wing hardware was given the heave ho and I cut up an ice cream container to make some pads for the wing screws .
I also added a counter weight on the opposite wing tip ( not sure this was needed )
Now I had a wing I was sure would handle peg launching .

POD :
Strengthening the wing just meant that energy would...Continue Reading

no more

It's now a RC glider ..

https://www.banggood.com/100cm-Wings..._warehouse=USA

It's blowing a Northerly Gale at the moment ..

But early this morning I took it into the back yard for a quick and dirty CG check with a Zippy 350 .

It glided across the back yard like a dream and smacked the brick wall

I havent glued the motor , so no damage .

But looks very promising .

A-team Hannibal (0 min 15 sec)

https://www.banggood.com/custlink/DmvDLuaEWD = HappyModel 0802

Just came in the post .. Like 60 minutes ago .

1-2s , And it is sooo cute !

The 1103 pictured with it does not run , I have ordered another 1103 ( hope it gets here soon ) , the 0802 got here rather quickly ( Thanks BG ) .
I just got a 1s capable ESC so am looking forward to some testing ..
Just need some AAA carriers so I can mod my tachometer from button cell to 2xAAA .. ( Especially since I already butchered the Tach )

Wonder if this little motor will push the 450x micro wing ?
Some interesting tests to look forward too .. ( yes )

Super tiny only 1.9g
Double E-clip design, prevent Motor bell to flying off

Brand name: Happymodel
Item name: SE0802 1-2S brushless motor
KV: 16000KV, 19000KV 22000KV (option)
Shaft Diameter: 1.0mm
Configuration: 9N12P
Stator Diameter: 8mm
Stator Length: 2mm
Motor Dimension(Dia.*Len): Φ10.5mm*14.9mm
Terminals: JST1.25mm
No.of Cells(Lipo): 1-2S
Wire length(include connector): 40mm

https://www.banggood.com/100cm-Wings..._warehouse=USA

Remember this glider ? ( Maybe not - been a while ) Cheetah 100cm Hand Throw Glider

Motor Prop = XK A800
Rx = JoysWay Invader
Tx = JoysWay Invader
Servo = 5g I think ? or maybe 4.3g ? ( I forget )

Nothing is glued yet . I did gouge out the hole for the Rx , and after these pictures were taken I gouged out a hole for the 2 servos . ( Rud / ele )
The motor was done via Philips Head screw driver ..
I just poked a hole in the nose and gouged out a hole about the size of the motor ..
Yes , I did a fair bit of gauging today ..



Hopefully finished on the morrow .
A very budget'y build using left overs .

Yes , you know your getting old when FUN hurts ! ( My achy breaky body )

Its windy as all outdoors again , so what to do except window shop ( maybe spend some money ) .

Picture 1

Another Lipo powered FF glider , yes I had to buy it !

Picture 2

3D printed motor glider ( glider ? ) . No I didn't buy it , but available out of the USA on Ebay . Looks interesting .

With this windy weather , I should move on some projects ( but my body hurts ) . Hmmmm
I have that 1 meter glider , and the Tx & Rx from the Invader , + some brushed motors that should work with folding props .




Brushless 1s ESC
Yes , I want some ..
With all these new quad motors that can run 1s , you need a 1s ESC

https://www.banggood.com/AEORC-E-Pow...r_warehouse=CN = Came today ( Yes I got this one for myself )
https://www.banggood.com/1S-2S-7A-Br...r_warehouse=CN
https://www.banggood.com/1S-5A-ESC-F...r_warehouse=CN
https://www.banggood.com/XK-K110-K12...r_warehouse=CN

Hmmm , yes I want a brushless 450x wing that runs 1s ...
There is a video on youtube , a 450x wing running on a single 18650 . ( ??????? ) Not sure I like the weight !

But still !

Ok , there was some wind !
Otherwise it was a real DLG deal of a day !

I took my modified whip to the park ..
Even played in a few thermals when the wind backed off !
I am so tired , man I was there for a while .

That wind was playing with me , but when it eased off I was able to keep the Whip in the rising air . Unfortunately the sink hole tends to live up to its name and when the lift vanished the air became sink and the whip came down like a lead balloon .

There was just enough lift to tease me for quite some time ( keep me on the hook ) .
For better days !

Still , a good day at the park with just a tempting amount of thermal action .

Joysway Invader
Re- born / Darth Invader
But from this day forth to be known as the Crash Invader .

Joysway Invader maiden with Taranis Tx (3 min 29 sec)

The Crash Invader is sketchy to fly I have to say - yes in it's defence it was windy .
Once you cut the throttle the Crash Invader drops it's nose hard , and it took almost all the up elevator to keep it level ..
That factory CG recommendation might be a little sketchy .

Rates are 100% and Expo is 50% for both Ele and Ail .

After flying the Crash Invader with the Taranis Q x7 Tx , I really dont think the factory Tx ever stood a chance of flying the Crash Invader .
It looks nice ( Crash Invader ) , but darn it to heck folks there are much better wings out there .
Is the Crash Invader suitable for Noobs , no no no ! ( Dont even go there )
Did I have fun flying the Crash Invader , yeah I did ! It put a smile on my dial !
Would I recommend the Crash Invader ?
When Hell freezes over I would .
But if your looking to mod the Crash Invader ( like I did to get it to fly ) , then for experienced model flyers it could be a hoot .
And on that final I was pulling just about full up , and it nosed in because I relaxed my elevator stick just a little ( Got to watch the video )
I think that CG needs to move rearward . But it flies so sketchy !!!!
It has been glued again , function tested , and will fly again ..
Though I will move that battery back in the fuse and wait for some less windy weather .
It was 45kmh + yesterday , and tomorrow looks to be 24kmh + , so good weather for flying is a little rare right now .
In fact I was desperate enough to download WarThunder once again .. ( Love and hate WT )
Love the Game / hate the BS .

For the longest time I could not find a brushed ESC ..
Recently , they seem to be easier to find ..

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-...ushed-esc.html 20A
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-...ushed-esc.html 30A
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykin...ro-motors.html 1s 3A


https://www.banggood.com/Hobbywing-E...r_warehouse=CN - 30A
https://www.banggood.com/3_7V-1S-12A...r_warehouse=CN - 12A 1s
https://www.banggood.com/Micro-Mini-...r_warehouse=CN - 4A 1s
https://www.banggood.com/Hobbywing-E...r_warehouse=CN - 20A

https://www.banggood.com/AEORC-E-Pow...r_warehouse=CN - 5A 1s

So here is a short list of Brushed ESC's ( not saying thats all there is , just the easy ones to find )

The journey to the dark side begins

I pulled out the Factory Rx ( Rx and Tx will be re used for something else - budgety )
The brushed motor was given a connector !

Then I took the 20A brushed ESC and plugged it .

I just did a current / function test and everything works as it should .
Factory it pulled around 4.6A , and with the new ESC it pulls exactly the same ( around 4.6A ) Thats 2s folks .
Next I need to solder up a 4ch Rx , and the Darth Invader should be re born after it's near death experience .
Hopefully be test flown shortly as apposed to test crashed

Got some ESC's from HK .
I saw some brushless ESC's so had to buy them .
First is a 1s 3A ESC for brushless motors .. I will have to solder up some adaptor plugs for it so I can play with it .
The 10A brushless is for the MG800 , Hopefully fix the ESC issues it currently has .
The 20A brushed ESC looks to be some what variable in it's usability , will definitely have to read the instruction sheet .
Might be good for testing brushed motors ?

The brushed ESC's certainly will give me some options , that 20A one might end up in the invader . ( ?)

So with my R4 broken _ Video soon !
My Invader licking its wounds ( me too ) .

It was time to re-visit the FMS Vtail ( 800mm )
I really like this plane , but I really hate the factory prop .

So it was time to re-prop the FMS 800 .
The prop I chose to use is VIA HobbyKing .
A 4.5x3 which comes in a twin pack ( 2 folding props ) for under $5 Ozzi bananas .

A 50% throttle ( on tx ) I got 2.2 amp current draw and at full throttle I saw some 7.3 amp .
If mem serves the ESC is 6A , but giving a full throttle run for over 30 seconds the ESC only became warm .

Checking the thrust , Power to weight is very close to 1:1 at full throttle .

Hmmm , so at what throttle setting will the FMS fly ?
This prop seems to be better than the factory supplied one ( same as the Ezio ) , and I despise the factory prop .
Peak current draw on the factory prop was around 5A , so this new prop is putting on more load .
But if I can fly @ under 50% throttle ( 1/3 would be nice ) , then I will call it sweet !


UPDATE!

I checked the weather and there is a TON of rain on the way apparently .
So I rushed the the Football field for a fly .
And of course the wind picked up for me when I got there .

THE Prop !
What the factory prop did @ 100% throttle , this new prop does @ around 60% throttle .
I flew between 40% and 60% trying to keep to 50% most of the time .. ( 2.2A )
The wind kind of challenged my preconceived throttle settings !

A few times...Continue Reading

I don't know what to say = I'm just not good enough to fly it !
All I did was crash the Invader till I broke it !

Whats the problem ?
I can't play with the supplied remote .
Left stick is Elevator , right stick is throttle and aileron .
I simply can't do it .

It goes against every fibre of my Mode 2 brain .

Anyhow , when I got to my CG test spot , the wind started to pick up .
This kind of makes CG testing a little challenging with a new model .
Also the configuration of the Tx really messed with me ..
Every single time that something happened that required REFLEXES to correct the sticky situation = I just made it worse .
I lost count of the number of times I smacked terra firma with the Invader .

Currently the Invader is resting and being glued back together .
Will I try again = HELL NO !

I will remove the flight board and put it away with the Tx for another project where no mixing is required .
Just does not work for me in this wing - Might be ok in a glider .

I have already ordered a brushed ESC , so will pop in a micro 4ch Rx and just bind to my Taranix Q x7 .

So is there a gripe !
YES = The supplied battery is garbage ..
I tried to charge it and the voltage jumped all over the place .
I tried to discharge it and the voltage dropped immediately and the charger stopped .
Cant charge the battery , cant discharge it . = Junk ..

Yes = I hate the Tx configuration .. Just makes me feel icky all over .
...Continue Reading

So what interested me in the Invader flying wing .. ?

First there was price , $66 Bananas . $44.40 Green Backs
Second , the Rx ...
It looks to be a 3ch job and takes regular servo plugs .. ( Yes the Invader has servos in the wing )
Also it has a inbuilt ESC for brushed motors .. So the Rx itself looks to be interesting ( has a afterlife )
Just wondering what protocol the Invader runs , Rx has a bind button .
Third , it be RTF ...

So , is it all good , bad or ugly ?
I guess thats whats interesting , what ?

Part 2