From the Lab January 1998

<h1 align="center"><b><font SIZE="+2">The First Annual New England New Years Electric
Flight Fly-In</font></b> </h1>

<p>On January 1st, 1998, a group 8 hardy electric flyers got together in Peabody, MA
(north suburban Boston) for the 1st Annual New England New Years Electric Fly In. The
weather had been planned to be calm, clear, 40 degrees F, with a layer of protective snow
on the ground. We got everything except the temperature, which was actually about 24
degrees F. A total of 17 planes were present, and I think all of them flew at least once. </p>

<p align="center"><img src="https://static.rcgroups.net/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/nyfly.jpg" width="469" height="261" alt="nyfly.jpg (34224 bytes)"></p>

<p>Attendees were:

<ul>
<li>Jim Sweeney</li>
<li>Juergen&nbsp;Horn</li>
<li>Jim Sarette</li>
<li>Kevin Pistey</li>
<li>Gus Stuart</li>
<li>Robert Buonfiglio</li>
<li>Peter O'Shea</li>
<li>Steve Kranish</li>
</ul>

<p>All of the scheduled events were cancelled, because everyone seemed to be more
interested in flying their planes than arguing about rules. </p>

<p>A good time was had by all. There were no crashes and no wrecks - I&nbsp;think the
broken wing bolt on my Elektro-UHU was about the worst damage suffered by any plane. The
planes included a Hobby Lobby Flame, Telemaster 40, Helio Courier, an Astro 25 powered
Skyvolt, my Astro 05 powered Skyvolt (which was a LOT slower!), Fast Eddie, Airtronics
Eclipse, GP Spectra, my Elektro-UHU and Fashion, and numerous others. I&nbsp;was very
impressed by the variety of the planes present. </p>

<p>The only publicity for this event was a posting to the <a href="/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/../../../pages/maillist.htm">EFLIGHT listserv</a>, so it is clear that the eflight
list is a very good way to contact other electric flyers. See you next year!<big> </big></p>

<hr>

<p><b><font SIZE="+2">Computer Radios: Can You Explain How Yours Is Setup?</font></b> </p>

<blockquote>
<p>After hours of testing and tweaking, you finally have your fancy computer transmitter
setup to your liking for your new plane. And then it happens - you realize that although
the radio is setup the way you want it, you are not sure of what you did, and you
certainly cannot explain it in detail to someone else. All that carefully entered
information is hidden in a lot of separate display screens, some of which are essentially
hidden, due to command inconsistencies. How do you get all that information <i>out</i>? </p>
<p>Some radio manufacturers provide a 'model data sheet' in the programming manual, that
allows all of the information to be copied from the display screens to a piece of paper.
My JR XF622 and XP783 radios have them, and I&nbsp;made a number of photocopies so I could
record the setup information for my models. Futaba manuals apparently include something
similar, but I&nbsp;have not seen one. The Hitec Prism 7X manual does not include such a
data sheet. </p>
<p>But the model data sheet really only records the transmitter settings, without making
it any easier to understand what the setup does. I&nbsp;really wanted a way to document
how a computer setup <i>worked</i>, so that someone else could understand it, and the
general setup could be transferred (manually) to a completely different radio. To do this,
I&nbsp;wanted to create a diagramming method that shows how a computer transmitter setup
works. </p>
<p>First, I&nbsp;needed some symbols for the typical functions in a computer transmitter.
These symbols are just my first attempt, so please look at them, and if you have any
better ideas, please let me know. </p>
<p align="center"><img src="https://static.rcgroups.net/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/symbols.gif" width="476" height="298" alt="symbols.gif (4651 bytes)" border="1"></p>
<p>The symbols above are: <ul>
<li>control stick </li>
<li>control trim </li>
<li>dual rates, with two positions, 0 and 1 </li>
<li>programmable mixer, with Primary and Secondary inputs. U and D boxes are percentage of
secondary input mixed in for up and down &nbsp;(or right and left) directions of stick
movement. Primary and Secondary inputs may or may not include trims, depending on
available functions. </li>
<li>summer, for inputs that do not use a&nbsp;programmable mixer. sums the stick and trim
inputs. </li>
<li>V Tail mixer, which is really a special case of programmable mixers </li>
<li>servo travel, as a percentage of total available travel. U/R and D/L boxes are
percentage of travel for up/right and down/left input (which may the output of
a&nbsp;mixer, rather than stick input) </li>
<li>servo direction, forward or reverse </li>
</ul>
<p>Then I&nbsp;made a drawing of the setup for the Simprop Fashion. This was not as simple
as I first thought, because what I had actually done, and what I <i>thought </i>I had done
were not exactly the same. </p>
<p>The JR 783 transmitter setup, in text, is: <ul>
<li>set transmitter to glider mode, and select V-tail, which assumes rudder and elevator
control </li>
<li>setup a mixer to mix aileron 100% into rudder, so you have control from the right stick.
</li>
<li>set servo travel for the left ruddervator to 50% up, 100% down, to provide differential </li>
<li>set servo travel for the right ruddervator for the same 50% up, 100% down effect </li>
<li>set dual rates to adjust total throw for aileron input to 12mm down, 7mm up </li>
<li>setup a mixer to mix (minus) elevator into itself about 33% for the down direction only,
to remove the differential from elevator control. </li>
<li>setup a mixer to mix throttle about 10% into elevator, so provide some down elevator
effect at higher throttle settings (this also requires a mixer offset) </li>
</ul>
<p>A diagram of the transmitter setup looks like this: (control flow is left to right) </p>
<p align="center"><a href="/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/fashdiag.gif"><img src="https://static.rcgroups.net/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/f_small.gif" alt="fashdiag.gif (22718 bytes)" border="2" width="132" height="100"></a><br>
<small><strong>Click on the above thumbnail to view the diagram</strong></small></p>
<p>I think this is easier to understand. Do you? Can you follow the diagram? Do you have
any other ideas about this? I&nbsp;see this as a starting point for a diagramming
methodology, which could eventually become the user interface for a computer based
programmable transmitter, as I have discussed in the past. <a href="/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/../kran0697.htm">See
'From the Lab', June 97</a>. </p>
<p>Don Edberg's book <u>Guide to Computer Radio Control Systems</u> just touches on
diagramming for mixer setups, but it is worth a look for ideas. Contact <a HREF="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=dynamic3&d=flash.net">dynamic3(at)fla sh.net</a> or see<a href="/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/../121997/kran1297.htm"> last month's 'From the Lab'</a>. </p>
<p>If you have any ideas about documenting and diagramming computer transmitter setups,
please contact me at <a HREF="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=skranish&d=ezonemag.com">skranish(at) ezonemag.com</a> </p>
</blockquote>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<hr>

<p><b><font SIZE="+2">Computer Radios: Now I Know Why People Think They Are Hard To Use !</font></b>
</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Before I even start in on this, let me make one thing perfectly clear: I&nbsp;am not
out to trash JR or any other radio manufacturer. I&nbsp;am using JR as an example because
I&nbsp;own two JR systems, and have been working with them a great deal, so I&nbsp;have
had the opportunity to stare at their manuals until my brain went numb. I have no reason
to believe that other manufacturers do a better - or worse - job, although Futaba manuals
are now written by Don Edberg, which means they are probably more readable and useful than
the JR manuals, although I&nbsp;have not seen one, so I&nbsp;cannot be sure. I&nbsp;have
just purchased a Hitec Prism 7X to be used in several model reviews, and although it looks
like a nice radio, I&nbsp;don't think I am going to have much nice to say about their
manual, either. </p>
<p>Part of the problem here is the radio manuals, and part of the problem is the design of
the radios themselves. I suppose I&nbsp;am part of the problem, too, because as an
engineer I&nbsp;know that it does not need to be this confusing, complicated, restricted,
or difficult. Who designs these things, anyway? </p>
<p>The section of the manual in question here is the part that deals with 'Programmable
Mixing', the supposed cure-all that allows the user/programmer/pilot to make the radio do
whatever they want - or does it? The JR XP783 has 6 programmable mixers, cleverly labeled
A through F. Each mixer can combine 2 inputs (<i>channel</i> is a confusing word here)
which are referenced by number, rather than the even more confusing and less meaningful
names: (I am listing these because the reference numbers are undoubtedly different with
other radio manufacturers) <ul>
<li>1 Spoiler (the throttle stick) </li>
<li>2 Left Aileron (the aileron stick) </li>
<li>3 Elevator (the elevator stick) </li>
<li>4 Rudder (the rudder stick) </li>
<li>5 Right Aileron (for two servo aileron installations, mirror image of Left Aileron) </li>
<li>6 Aux 1 </li>
<li>7 Aux 2 </li>
</ul>
<p>The following text is taken straight from the JR XP783 manual, Glider Mode section,
page 107. Quoted text is in <i>italics, </i>and my comments are in standard text.
I&nbsp;have added <b>bold face</b> to highlight specific phrases in the quoted text. (The
JR manual does not even have a copyright notice, and this is a sort of review, anyway, so
there is no problem with my quoting from the manual.) <ul>
<p><i>The XP783 offers six (6) programmable mixes to be used for any number of purposes:
five multi-function programmable mixes (Mix A thru C and E, F) and <b>aileron to rudder
mixing (Mix D)</b>. This function allows mixing any one channel to any other channel. This
mix can be set in the computer and remain on at all times, or switched on and off in
flight using a number of different switches. Each channel of this radio is identified by a
number.&nbsp;The chart below </i>(see above)<i> indicates the channel and its
corresponding number. These numbers are used to establish the mixes. The number appearing
first is known as the &quot;master channel&quot;, or<b> the channel to which you want to
mix</b>.</i> </p>
</ul>
<p>This should mean that the so-called &quot;master channel&quot; is the primary channel
at the output of the mixer. <ul>
<p><i>The second number is known as the &quot;slave channel&quot;, or the channel that is
being <b>mixed into the master</b>. </i></p>
</ul>
<p>This should mean that the so-called &quot;slave channel&quot; is being mixed into the
&quot;master channel&quot; in some way. Right? <ul>
<p><i>For example, 2-4 would indicate <b>rudder to aileron</b> mixing. </i></p>
</ul>
<p>OK, so aileron (2) is the master and rudder (4) is the slave. The above 3 sentences
pretty well describe mixing rudder control into the ailerons, right? But they contradict
the previous paragraph! <ul>
<p><i>Thus, each time the aileron stick is moved, the aileron will deflect, and the rudder
will automatically move in the direction and to the value input </i>(the direction of the
mix, and the percentage of control mixed in, are both programmable). </p>
</ul>
<p>Umm, what happened here? Now it appears we are mixing aileron into rudder, rather than
the previously described rudder into aileron. And in fact, this mixer <b>does</b> mix
aileron stick input into the rudder channel. This is exactly what I used (although using a
different mixer; more on that later..) to turn the rudder-elevator 'V Tail Mixer' function
into an aileron (input)-elevator V tail for my <a href="/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/../../1998/jan/fashion/fashion.htm">Fashion</a>. If you find all this just a little
confusing, you are not the only one. </p>
<p>The &quot;Acro&quot; section of the manual repeats this confusing text. I&nbsp;actually
have two copies of the XP783 manuals that are obviously from different press runs (they
are printed on different size pages!) and the text is identical in both copies. </p>
<p>Two pages later (page 109) there is a section that tries to explain more details about
the mixer operation. I&nbsp;will go into some of these later, but for the moment the
important one is: <ul>
<p><i>Mixing D</i> </p>
</ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<p><i>One of the programmable mixes is Mixing D, Mix D's primary setting is 2-4 (<b>aileron
to rudder</b>). The mixing and operational switch is set for mixing switch only.</i> </p>
</ul>
</ul>
<p>This is in fact what mix D does, but the statement contradicts the previous statement
that '<i>2-4 would indicate rudder to aileron mixing'</i>. Someone needs to make up their
mind.... </p>
<p>I&nbsp;think part of the problem is actually a very poor choice of the words that
describe the mixer operation. <b>The mixer setting 2-4 actually means channel 2 mixed into
channel 4</b>. If the mixing percentage is 0%, the output from the mixer is just channel
4. But by the above description, channel 4 is the 'slave' channel. Huh? If anything,
channel 4 is the <b>primary channel, </b>and channel 2 is the <b>secondary channel</b>
mixed into it. </p>
<p>Well, now that the basic operation of the programmable mixers is as clear as mud, lets
move on to some of the more subtle details of their operation. The mixing functionality
may be turned on or off by either the 'Mixing' switch, Flap switch, or the 'Butterfly'
(what everyone else calls 'Crow') switch. According to the tables on page 109, <ul>
<p><i>Mixing A,B and E<br>
..<br>
F-DN On when flap switch is in the lower (launch) position<br>
F-UP On when flap switch is in the upper (reflex) position</i> </p>
</ul>
<ul>
<p><i>Mixing B, C, and F<br>
..<br>
BTF0 On at Butterfly mixing SW Position 0<br>
BTF1 On at Butterfly mixing SW Position 1</i> </p>
</ul>
<p>The limitations on which switch controls which mixer may or may not be a problem,
depending on what you want to do and how many different types of planes you have. I have
tried to maintain some consistency in using the flap switch to control what are
essentially flight modes on several different models. Mix B can in fact be turned on or
off by the Mixing switch, Flap switch, or Butterfly switch, while all of the other mixers
are limited to the Mixing switch or one other switch. Why? </p>
<p>There are still more notes on the operation of programmable mixing: <ul>
<p><i>Mixing A and B</i> </p>
</ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<p><i>When the slave channel is 2 (aileron), its mixing operation is affected by the
aileron differential settings.&nbsp;When the slave channel is 6 (AUX 1), its mixing
operation is affected by flap to aileron mix setting. When the dual flap setting is active
and the slave channel is 7 (AUX2), its mixing operation is affected by aileron
differential settings.</i> </p>
</ul>
</ul>
<p>Well, this is nice to know, because these interactions could be very subtle. But what
functions were they intended for? <ul>
<p><i>Mixing B and C</i> </p>
</ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<p><i>When the master channel is 1 (spoiler), its mixing operation is affected by the
spoiler trim settings.</i> </p>
</ul>
</ul>
<p>Again, it would be nice to know what the intended application was. The notes on Mixing
D appear above. <ul>
<p><i>Mixing E and F</i> </p>
</ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<p><i>Programmable mixes E and F offer Mixing with Trim and Include Mixing. Both of these
functions are automatically activated when mixes E and F are used.</i> </p>
</ul>
<p><i>Mixing with Trim</i> <ul>
<p><i>Whenever the master channel is aileron, elevator, rudder, or throttle, the master
channel's trim lever is mixing into the slave channel. As stated previously, the Mixing
with Trim Function is always activated in Mixes E and F.</i> </p>
</ul>
</ul>
<p>This one really concerned me, until I finally figured out what was happening. To put it
simply: for mixers A thru D, only the 'master' (secondary) stick input is mixed into the
'slave' (primary) channel. The 'master' (secondary) trim has no effect on mixing. This can
have some <b>very</b> strange side-effects. </p>
<p>If you look at the diagram explaining the mixing for the Simprop Fashion (see above),
one of the mixers is mixing aileron input into rudder, so that the right stick (aileron
and elevator) can control the V tail mixer, which was really intended for rudder and
elevator inputs. This is actually the default mix for Mixer D, but when I set it up,
I&nbsp;discovered that <b>the aileron trim had no effect! </b>When I changed to mixer E,
the aileron trim did have the expected effect. One of the other mixers is used to
de-differential the elevator control, so the elevator stick causes the same amount of
travel up and down, despite the differential setup for aileron/rudder control by adjusting
the servo travel in each direction. (This was the suggestion of Chris Kaiser of New
Zealand. The manual offers no suggestions..) When I&nbsp;initially set this up on mixer B,
I&nbsp;was able to adjust the mixing percentage so that I had equal up and down travel
from the elevator stick - but down <b>trim </b>still had far more travel than up trim,
which made it hard to adjust. The problem was again that the trim was not mixed with the
stick input - I still had differential on the trim! There might be some application for
this, but I wanted consistent trim control, so I&nbsp;changed to Mixer F, which mixes in
the trim input. </p>
<p>For mixers E and F, the 'master' (secondary) trim is combined with the stick input
before mixing, which is actually what I wanted for both the aileron-to-rudder mixing and
elevator de-differential mixing on the Fashion. <ul>
<p><i>Include Mixing</i> </p>
</ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<p><i>The Include Mixing Function allows other programmed mixing values for the master </i>(secondary)<i>
channel. The Include Mixing Function is always activated in Mixes E and F. <br>
For example, Mix E: AILE-&gt;THRO<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&n bsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbs p;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mix
F: THRO-&gt;RUD</i> </p>
<p><i>Mix F's operating value includes the operating value from Mix E's master </i>(secondary)<i>
channel (Aileron). By Moving the control stick, Mix E has the ailerons mixing into the
throttle. At the same time, Mix F is mixing the throttle into the rudder. since the
Include Mixing is always active, you are also mixing your ailerons into the rudder. This
results in the aileron stick moving not only the aileron servos, but also the rudder and
throttle servos.</i> </p>
</ul>
</ul>
<p>Umm.. where did the <b>throttle</b> come from? There is no throttle in glider mode! The
throttle stick is referred to as the spoiler. </p>
<p>The 'Include Mixing' function is another subtle capability. It appears that if the
selected secondary input to mixer F is the primary input to mixer E, then the output of
mixer E is used as the input to mixer F in place of the input itself. This is not very
well explained, and could be very confusing if you don't expect it. </p>
<p>Have I covered everything here? I&nbsp;don't think so. The JR manual really does not
explain in what order the mixers are processed. If you look back at my mixing diagram for
the Fashion, I&nbsp;have assumed that the elevator stick and trim are the inputs to Mixer
F, which has 'Mixing with Trim', and that the inputs to Mixer A are the output of Mixer F
and the spoiler (really throttle) stick. But Mixer A does not have 'Include Mixing'! And
furthermore I&nbsp;have assumed that the inputs to the V Tail Mixer are the outputs of
Mixer A and Mixer E, rather than the sticks. Isn't this is the same as 'Include Mixing'?
The manual never mentions it. Is this the way is <i>really </i>works? I am not sure, and
I&nbsp;will have to spend a lot of time on the bench to verify some of these details. The
drawing shows what I <i>think</i> I have, but I&nbsp;am not really sure.... </p>
<p>Just in case you think that the problem here is that I&nbsp;missed an errata sheet or
perhaps have an old copy of the manual, on page 71 of one copy, the description of the
Direct Servo Connection, section 1.6.2 says: <ul>
<p><i>Plug the DSC cord (optional) into the DSC port on the rear of the transmitter.</i> </p>
</ul>
<p>The word 'optional' is on a tiny piece of paper, <b>pasted in</b> to cover the word
'supplied', because the radio does not in fact come with a DSC cord. In the other copy of
the manual, this has been corrected in the printed text, but nothing else mentioned above
has been corrected. Go figure... </p>
<p>Clearly, the operation of computer transmitters needs to be better explained.
I&nbsp;hope the diagramming method described above is a start in the right direction. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<hr>

<p><b><font SIZE="+2">Just How Bad An Idea Are Battery Tabs?</font></b> </p>

<blockquote>
<p align="center"><strong>This bad:<br>
</strong><img src="https://static.rcgroups.net/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/cell.jpg" width="245" height="280" alt="cell.jpg (10074 bytes)"></p>
<p>This photo shows a 225mAh receiver cell purchased from Tower Hobbies. I actually
ordered cells without tabs, but they sent me cells with spot-welded tabs for the same
price. I am sure they thought they were doing me a big favor, but.... Look closely at the
cell. The tab on top is missing. Actually, it is sitting next to the cell - it was loose
in the bag that the cell was packaged in. <i><b>The tab came off in shipping.</b> </i>The
spot welded attachment was so poor that the tab probably just fell off. Do you want to
risk this with the battery that powers your R/C equipment? I sure don't! </p>
<p>I have taken apart at least one assembled battery pack that came from Tower, and found
some questionable welds. I pulled off all of the welded straps and replaced them with
soldered braid. Better safe than sorry! If you insist on using a spot-welded pack, or a
pack assembled from tabbed cells, you should make sure the ends of all the cells are
covered by shrink-wrap tubing, so that there is something to hold the tab or strap in
place if the weld fails. </p>
<p>I should note here that I&nbsp;don't think the above described problem has anything to
do with Tower Hobbies - it is simply a problem with spot-welded straps on battery packs in
general. </p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p><b><font SIZE="+2">Which Battery Charger Should You Buy?</font></b> </p>

<blockquote>
<p>As an internationally famous web-columnist, I&nbsp;frequently get emails from modelers
looking for recommendations on battery chargers for electric flight applications.</p>
<p>You basically have five choices: <ul>
<li>1. 'Save' a few pennies and buy a worthless 'timed' charger that barely deserves the
name. If you are serious about electric flight, you will discard it in a few months or
even days. If a charger has a big knob with markings up to about '15', it is a timed
charger. The RC Car section of your hobby shop should have a large selection of these -
avoid them all. </li>
<li>2. If you are on a limited budget, and only using 6 to 8 cell packs, there are a few
fixed function, budget priced peak chargers available. The Hitec CG 315 and Astro Flight
114D and 116D fit into this category. The Hitec CG 320 and CG 325 go up to 10 cells. You
should be aware of cell count limitations on these chargers. Also, some of them do not
have charge rate adjustments, and the fixed charge rate is not suitable for small battery
packs, such as those used for Speed 400 systems. These chargers are available from Hobby
Lobby [ <a HREF="http://www.hobby-lobby.com">http://www.hobby-lobby.com</a> ], New
Creations [<a HREF="http://www.newcreations-rc.com">http://www.newcreations-rc.com</a> ],
and Tower Hobbies [ <a HREF="http://www.towerhobbies.com">http://www.towerhobbies.com</a>
]. </li>
<li>3. If your level of technical sophistication is such that you simply want to plug in a
battery, punch a button, and have it charge up, buy either the Astro Flight 110D or 112.D
Try to guesstimate how many cells you will go up to, and buy the appropriate model. Hobby
Lobby sells the 110D, and New Creations and Tower sell both. </li>
<li>4. If you like to know a LOT of what is going on with your batteries, measure capacity,
try out different charge currents, discharge currents, discharge cut off voltages, etc,
buy a <a href="/articles/ezonemag/fromlab/011998/../../1996/infinity.htm">Robbe Infinity</a>, available from Aveox, Hobby
Lobby and New Creations. </li>
<li>5. If you want nothing but the best, and have a budget to permit it, consider the high
end competition chargers. SR&nbsp;Batteries sells one. Hobby Lobby sells the Graupner
MC-Ultra Duo Plus II. Schulze Elektronik [ <a HREF="http://www.schulze-elektronik.com/index_uk.htm">http://www.schulze-elektronik.com/index_uk.htm</a>
] sells several models. The prices are positively breathtaking. Schulze chargers are also
available through RC Direct at <a href="http://www.rc-direct.com">www.rc-direct.com</a> </li>
</ul>
<p>Both the Astros and Robbe share a flaw - they have no end of charge beeper.&nbsp; Also,
the Robbe has a ridiculously high 'trickle' charge rate. </p>
<p>Because of the high 'trickle charge' rate, and the lack of any way to turn it off, the
Robbe also misreads the battery voltage when setting the discharge current, and assumes
you have more cells that are really present. As a result, it is not possible to auto cycle
a 7 cell pack at 5A discharge (you get 2.5A discharge current, instead). My only other
complaint about the Infinity is that it frequently misses or ignores keypresses. </p>
<p>I have a Robbe Infinity, and will be adding an Astro 110D soon as part of a large
project. </p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<h2>Source of the Month </h2>

<blockquote>
<p>Do you need some interesting or different graphics for your new model? Check out Vinyl
Graphics by Greg at <a HREF="http://www.flash.net/~vgg1/">http://www.flash.net/~vgg1/</a>
Greg Judy computer cuts text and graphics from thin sheet vinyl in a variety of colors. He
has over 3000 fonts available, and the text can be customized with an arch, wave, or
whatever. Look for some examples of his work on several of my upcoming review models. </p>
<p>Greg made the beautiful E-Zone banner that was displayed at the KRC Electric Fly. </p>
<p>If you would like to recommend a 'Source of the Month', please feel free to contact me
at <a HREF="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=skranish&d=ezonemag.com">skranish(at) ezonemag.com</a> </p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<h2>Tool of the Month </h2>

<blockquote>
<p>This month we again have a guest contributor for Tool of the Month. The following
suggestion came from Mel Williams: <ul>
<p><i>I would like to recommend the Miter Sander from Fourmost Products No. FOR 154. This
neat little gadget is very helpful. I don't have a very steady hand when it comes to
cutting and shaping the sticks that seem so predominate in the electric models I am so
fond of. This tool has helped me make a foray in to small models and so far has been good
at sanding all those angels to make good joints.</i> </p>
</ul>
<p>I don't have a Fourmost Miter Sander, but I do have its predecessor, the Miter Master,
number 122. I use it all the time. Fourmost also makes a version that use a single edge
razor blade, and another that uses a razor saw. Fourmost products are available from Tower
Hobbies [ <a HREF="http://www.towerhobbies.com">http://www.towerhobbies.com</a> ]. </p>
<p>If you would like to suggest a 'Tool of the Month', please feel free to contact me at <a HREF="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=skranish&d=ezonemag.com">skranish(at) ezonemag.com</a> </p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<h2>COPYRIGHT </h2>

<p>This document is copyrighted (c) 1997 by Steven Kranish, and may not be copied or used
in other forms of publication (electronic or paper) without written permission from the
author. I will probably grant permission, but I would like to know about it, so go ahead
and ask. </p>

<hr>

<h2>CONTACTS </h2>

<p>If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at <a HREF="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=skranish&d=ezonemag.com">skranish(at) ezonemag.com</a>