R/C Diary Pt. 29 “The R/C Micro World “

Oct 12/16

Another area of the R/C World has garnered my attention….namely micro sailplanes. Horizon has it’s very popular Mini Radian which weights in at 1.5 ozs. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with this lightweight bird but once again, I was excluded due to not having a Spectrum radio……grrrrr!

While cruising the RCGroups forums, I recently came across a new micro plane being put out by “Red” of Alien_Tech in California. It’s a balsa build….a “Woodie"….only 30” wingspan, called “The Micro Wandererer!” Red utilizes the Horizon Parkzone “brick” (combination of servos, receiver & esc, all on one board).

Once again I’ve run into the “Spektrum” wall again! Then I started to check out Hobby King and was surprised by the proliferation of new micro receivers, servos and motors. I have a good feeling that I am going to getting my feet wet in the micro rc world soon! In fact, I just ordered two of these micro birds! Depending on the internal system used and if built correctly according to the plans, it should come in under 45-50 grams!! I think that’s the weight of Monarch Butterfly!! Lol! Just kidding!

If you have read my previous renderings, you already know that I purchased a Futaba T10J radio and receiver. I have to say, it’s a solid, dependable radio, great for large scale planes & sailplanes. Of course, after I bought the radio, I got interested in DLGs and herein lies the rub…..the Futaba 3008SB receiver was just too large and heavy for the 10 oz (280 grms ) or less planes. I felt excluded to say the least. Bangood came out with a smaller receiver for the Futaba radios but it was meant for S-FHSS whereas the Futaba T10J that I’m using works on the T-FHSS system. I believe the Bangood receiver could be made to work but it was not ideal. Well, recently, I checked HK and found a new Orange receiver made specifically for the Futaba FHSS system!! Awesome! And the best thing is the price, only about $15 US or $20 Cdn! Very small and light……perfect. I’m going to order one & try it out.

OrangeRx SF400S Futaba FHSS Compatible 4ch 2.4Ghz Receiver with FS and SBus:

Features:
• Lightweight (3.5g)
• Compatible with FHSS 2.4Ghz air systems
• 4 channels
• 2 Output modes, Mode A and Mode B
• Supports SBus
• Compact design (37 x 18.5 x 5.5mm)
• Failsafe and battery failsafe
• Extremely low latency
• Fast frame rates
• Hops from frequency to frequency in a pseudorandom sequence
• Advanced algorithms create a secure frequency

Specs:
Type: SF400S
Input Voltage: 3.5~8.4V
Battery Failsafe Voltage: 3.8V
Dimensions: 37 x 18.5 x 5.5mm
 Weight: 3.5g

Next we have the sub micro servos from Hobby King! Just check out the specs! Man, they are tiny & cheap!!


HobbyKing™ HK-5330 Ultra-Micro Digital Servo 0.17kg / 0.04sec / 1.9g (US Warehouse)
Spec:
Weight: 1.9g
Speed: 0.06sec 60deg @ 2.8v / 0.04sec 60deg @4.2v
Torque: 0.12kg @ 2.8v / 0.17kg @ 4.2v
Dead Band: <4us
Plug: Micro JST - 1.25 Pitch

The arrival of the Micro Wandererer can’t happen soon enough as I am completely grounded at the moment. I’ve run into a wall of sorts trying to mount pylons onto tapered cf tail booms. It’s been driving me nutz to say the least. Everyone says just wrap the boom with sandpaper and sand in the grove into the wooden pylon. Every time I’ve tried this, the groove comes out uneven or off centre! So, currently, I am trying to fabricate a thin piece of aluminum into a collar with mounting tabs that I can fit on the boom and the stabilizer. I figure with this set up I should be able to make fine changes to get the alignment spot on. I’ve missed a lot of great flying weather during the last four weeks and I’m anxious to get back into the air!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog! It’s certainly has been a journey thus far! Please feel free to make any comments, feedback is always appreciated.

Cheers!

Lyle