Just a small flight outside in -5 degrees celcius. Arild with Lierider and me with the 3DX.
DAY ..
28. November 2004 F3J / MI
I have decided that I will discontinue my work as coordinator
F3J and column worker for the national magazine (MI). Sorry I will quit with
immediate effect. It is several reasons why - I will not come into them
here. Want to read my last writing for the Norwegian magazine ? Not the
sailplane column (since that contains stuff from others also).
A test of the LieRider is HERE
(0,8mb .pdf Norwegian txt)
DAY ..
28. November 2004
Built a 3DX mini from some plans on the internet (
www.foamyfactory.com ) and tested
it with the homebuilt CD-rom motor. It worked out well although I did make
it stronger than it was on the plans. The biggest difference was to insert a
3mm carbon rod in the wings. The weight become 130g without battery and 168g
with 2x700 Kokam. The looping rate of this model seems incredible and it is
very stable in the loop. Coupling in knife-edge was not needed but there was
some wind so it was difficult to get a good feel for it. Have only about 10min outside flying on it today
since the temperature were down at -7 degrees celcius.
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DAY ..
26. November 2004 What a great day of indoor flying. Both me and Arild are getting a good grip of the hovering and are now touching rudders in the floor. Incredible how much stick we need to "rotate" to get it going but we are there now. It is so cool to finally arrive on the level that we can control the hover so low. We both flew our Lierider's with 3x1050mah HET. I also tested some depron strips on the end of the elevator and rudder that is supposed to slow the model down. I dont feel they helped and it made hovering more difficult. A video of us hovering is offcourse made... 6mb .wmv HERE. The video does not show all the good low hovering of Arild (was busy flying also) but it became kind of cool I think. So what about the TMM controller (TMM-1210-3s in Expert edition) I have tested? Up untill now it have done a VERY nice job with the 17 turn/9 poles/12 magnets Klepaker Extreme motor. It throttles very nice and works all the way from bottom to top. It might be that it gives low battery signal (3 variations in power) a little early if I use the 3x360mah Kokam pack. But that is natural since that pack is not rated for 11,5A... With the 3x1050mah it works perfect! Run to www.el-fly.dk for your own. |
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DAY ..
24. November 2004 Volz MicroMaxx XP
Received some servos today that I have been wanting to have a close
look at for a long time. It is the new Volz MicroMaxx XP. Since I wanted to
know as much as possible about them before I start using them in my models I
did some very "un-scientistic" tests on my own.
The
tests is HERE. I even made a speedtest video
HERE (2mb .wmv).
BEWARE: I dont know if my tests are correct. But I know what I found!
DAY ..
23. November 2004
-11 degrees Celsius outside some places at least the places I got to
fly today. New TMM 1210-3s Expert controller and so low temperature was
interesting so I took out the Lierider with Klepaker, 8x3,8 prop, and
3x360mah Kokam cells. Normally I have 6-7min flying time with this but now
the controller started pumping 3 times at about 4min. I thought it might be
low voltage because of temperature but just 1/2minute later I was almost
empty and had to land. I charged and tried the same later in the day and the
same thing happened. One just cant take all the power out of the cells in
these temperatures. I charged 248mah into the 360mah pack. I should also say that the servos was not as fast as they use to be because of the cold.
DAY ..
22. November 2004
Snow is falling down from the sky so no flying today. Had some
questions about torc ailerons so here are a self explaining picture that
shows them. I added a carbon rod in the inner part of the hingeline to keep
the hinges steady. Works great and gives that extra aileron in hover and
rolling. I also found another cool thing about the new TMM Expert
controller. You can also set the BEC voltage to 5v or 6v. This means even
more power to the servos. But beware your Rx and servos must be able to take
the extra voltage (my D44, C151 and Shulze 435 can but I dont know about the
Jeti 5K yet).
DAY ..
21. November 2004
First day on the ice and ok it was cold! Heggefjorden is now 10cm
thick and we had our first flying day on the lake this winter. -10 Celsius
makes the mind crazy also so I am now an official member of the aileron
club. My Lierider took of and did some strange things. I thought it was a
glitch or something and did the same thing again before I noticed my
ailerons going the wrong way... I had changed a servo yesterday (testing
some Graupner 151) and checked ends, neutral etc but not direction... Anyhow
only a small crack in the wing and a few clicks later I was flying properly.
Some huge ice crystals on the lake. Lets hope they stay crystals and does
not turn into a meter of snow.
DAY ..
20. November 2004
No flying today but I finished of Arild's new Vertigo. I was going
to have it myself but he needs a new one after yesterday... It became really
nice and weighs in at 240g with 36g LRK 280/5 motor and 294g with battery.
The LRK motor draws 16,5A with 10x3,8 with 3x1050mah Lipo. Maybe a overkill
in wattage but Arild likes it that way :-) Or maybe I should take it back
and make the colors inverted ? Looks cool with black also...
DAY ..
19. November 2004
Indoor tonight and I did not get to finish my new Vertigo but it
seems that I ran out of electricty according to the pictures. I also liked /diss...
Arild's new Lightning. OK we do have some fun :-) Later today there was
indoor as usual. We really let ourselves loose today. Arild hovered out of
hand and catched again so I had to try that myself and ended up catch -
release - catch - release - etc.. And even the aerobatic came a bit loose
today, maybe a bit too loose as I ended up nightflying my old Lierider into
the wall (all dark hall and lights on the model) and Arild's Vertigo had a
"splash" on the wall (you can just see the damage on the picture). But man
it is fun when you loose the respect of the walls.
DAY ..
18. November 2004
My controller have arrived. A TMM-1210-3s in Expert edition arrived
from El-flight in
Denmark together with a brand new AXI 2204/54 motor. The new controller is a
brand new type and can be programmed by the pc if you want to and also the
flight can be recorded in the controller. The controller works out of the
box so you don't have to program if you can use the default settings.
Programmable values are: -batter type, brake, acceleration, timing,
behaviour when empty battery, residual BEC warnings (motor cuts some
revolutions when preferred value sets in) and you can set reversed
direction. The parameters that can be logged are: - Average current at full
throttle in stable state, maximum peak current, end voltage of battery, max
temperature, min and max throttle position. Looks like a cool controller and
if it works as well as the 0810 I have I will be happy. I now also have a
controller that can take 12/15A. The weight was 10,9g with a small switch
that I have cut off now (don't need a switch...). So the weight is now down
to 9,3g. I will probably use this controller together with the Klepaker that
draws above 9A at full throttle. But I also want to draw some more than I
have untill now with the AXI.
I also had a small flight today but it was cold and 10cm of snow came in
yesterday. The sun comes down at 16:00 so for those that work will have to
fly in the weekends...
DAY ..
17. November 2004
07:30 and I was going for a trip to Oslo. But first I had to test my
new motoroutside my house. 2 cells and a 7x3,8 APC gives 7A and 280g thrust.
This is just enough for hovering the Lierider but I am happy with that. I
will probably try the 9x3,8 that gives 9A. But for now this was enough
testing in -5 degrees celcius. Later in the day I flew my new Lierider with
Klepaker near Oslo. Had some fun flying down in the canyon and hovering up
for a handcatch.
DAY ..
16. November 2004
Out flying my new Lierider today. Nice to fly by the waterfront with
the birds watching me (see picture). But it is cold now with -5 Celsius and
some wind to make it really chilly. Back home I got a new motor set that I
have been wanting to try for a while. It is actually a Gobrushless kit that
is really cheap and they are also sold in Norway for a low price (125kr that
is apx 15EUR from Elefun.net). I was not expecting super performance but just had to check
it out. It took me about 2 hours to glue in the 12 magnets and wind the
stator with 17 turns (ok I did it properly). Then I made some carbon propsaver and a backmount. The carbon parts were glued with a cool IC-2000
cyano glue that contains some rubber. This glue is strong and yet a bit
flexible. It is infact very good for repairing carbon fuses on the field
(watched Joe Wurts use it on his Icon during WC. Even the Icon cant take
those F3J landings). I got mine from
T&K. You should get a
better propsaver but it seems that my works because I was surprised after
testing. The engine alone became 19,3g with ball bearings inside and
complete with ESC and propsaver it was 29,8g. The bell (can) was not easy to
get straight so you might want to buy a good bell and fluxring instead. But
the gap for magnets were good if you just got it straight. I attached a APC
8x3,8 and a 2x700mah Kokam cell and got 7,1A and 280g thrust. I did test a
bit with a bigger prop and got much higher thrust but I dont want to run the
motor too hard since I dont know how much it can take. I know I was up in
350-370g thrust at 9A though..(2 cell, 9x3,8) So should you buy one of
these? If you want to try making your own motor and like to fiddle and swear
a bit : Yes. If you want something to work right a way : No. Be prepared to
be a mechanic and make parts underway. But hey if it works in the air
tomorrow I am pleased :-)
Many pictures of my GB can be found HERE
A small conclusion on motors for 3D flying:
KE17: For those that want that extra power. The motor is guaranteed to take
9A at 3 cells (460g thrust). It also works well on 2 cells for a model up to
200-220g. This is the most expensive motor I have.
AXI 2204/54: The nicest running engine of them all. It just is so tiny and
runs so smooth. Super performance even on a 240g model. 2 cell works well up
to 180-200g. I have not dared to take out more than 8A but I think it will
take it.
GB v1.1: If you like metalwork
and a bit carbon this is a very cheap alternative. Will probably work well
on models up to 150-180g (maybe even more). Main problem is to get the can
stable. Will probably be perfect with a better bell that they sell.
Many more and bigger pictures of my GB can be found HERE
DAY ..
15. November 2004
Ehhh - One thing is to fly 3D and make up things as it comes.
Another thing is the perfect timing and graceful flying you will see when
the big guys fly F3A-I.
Check this video out
DAY ..
15. November 2004
The new model was tested today with both outdoor and indoor flying.
First outdoor with a lot ofwind coming from all directions. But I only took
a small flight before I went indoor. Incredible how much better a newly
built model flies. Without battery I ended on 163g ready to fly. Without any
equipment it was apx 95g. I now fly with the CG 2cm in front of the hinge
line and I tested different CG settings and battery weights for hover
mainly. The Lierider hover best with 3x 360 or 2x700 LiPo while the 1050
(54g) makes it a tiny bit too heavy for very stable hover. But offcourse it
still hovers great (depending on who is behind the sticks...). What
surpriced me was how much power I had used. After 5min of flying with the
3-cell I only charged 180mah. I will have to check that out more... I almost
hovered it on the wall indoor today but freaked out. Maybe next time :-)
Tiny video of maiden flight had to be made off course
(1,2mb .wmv). Arild operated the
camera.
DAY ..
14. November 2004
Small flying session with my Lierider and Arild with his Vertigo. We
tested Arild's LRK motor with two different batteries. With a E-tec 1200 he
had 15A on full throttle and with "HET" 1050 it was 16,5A. That is a lot of
power on a small Depron machine.... Arild loves it I think. The HET cells is
extreme when it comes to internal resistance so be careful if you have a
motor that is set up right on the limit! My Lierider worked well with the
new rewinded Klepaker but I had a problem with a aileron servo that became
stuck. I dont know why but I had the same problem on the new model I have
been building. So I have now decided to use the better Graupner 151 on
aileron. It seems to be more powerful and probably just as fast. Lost 1 gram
or so but hey...
DAY ..
12. November 2004
I have been flying out almost every day but no pictures taken. Just
fast out of the car, 5-10min of flying and then of for some hot coffee. It
is getting colder... Today we were at the usual indoor every Friday and both
me, Arild Hagabråten and Erik Eggum had some good time. Arild had an
encounter with the spectators and Erik found the wall. I found the floor
after my motor/esc. died on me. Arild filmed it all and during the next day
I winded up the motor again and made a small video. My own winding seems ok
and draws 9,1A on my 3x360 Kokam with 8x3,8 APC. The Esc died completely so
I am now using a TMM instead of the CC. The TMM is only rated at 8A so I
will have to get a bigger one soon. The KE motor is winded with 0,4mm thread
so I got some and fixed it. 17 turns x 9 later it is again fresh and ready.
No big deal actually as long as you keep track of the turns and wind the
same way all the time. Also be sure to wind in/outwards/etc. on all so that
the powerfield is perfect on all. The video can be
downloaded HERE
(6,2mb .wmv)
DAY ..
9. November 2004
Out for a small spin and with more memory in my laptop (736mb) I had
to make a "LieRider" best of video. So
38mb /
15min are out HERE (only 350kb/s so all with reasonable web access
can play at once). It shows me and Arild thru the first flights and after a
trip to Ultramicro and Pål flying extreme indoor. The video should be well
worth the download I hope. But then again it shows "simple" flying by me and
Arild compared to Pål.
DAY ..
8. November 2004
Started building a Vertigo that I exchanged for my Edge while at
Ultramicro. Underside will be a broken chessboard as you see! Psycho
- yes. But I think it will be nice. The Vertigo is my current
project in Arild\s hobby room while I am hoping to finish a new
Lierider at home. But I also have a lot of work that should be done
on some web pages so the
Lierider might not be finished immediately. I also flew my Lierider
outside Arild's house. It was not much room for errors with a lot of
trees and powerlines :-)
DAY ..
6. November 2004
We prepared Arild's "old" Edge and flew just by his house for a few
minutes. I flew my Lierider while Arild rolled his Edge high and
long. The Edge have a fantastic rollrate but is not as well flying
as the Lierider and Vertigo.
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DAY ..
5. November 2004 Indoor as usual every friday. Me and Arild had a nice time and ARild is getting much, much better in controlling his hovering. He practiced a lot of hovering a few seconds and taking his Vertigo out of hover in different ways. This makes him more comfortable with the model and how to get out of difficult situations. His model had some serious damages from the club meeting the day before but everything can be done with some glue :-) I flew my Lierider with Klepaker 17turn motor and Castle Creation controller. After a while I got some strange sounds from the controller and Per Klepaker (the designer of the motor) have now put his mind into getting the controller to work better with new software. It should also be mentioned that Arild had some small crash with his Klepaker motor but the motor was repaired free of charge :-) My AXI is also for repairs and Electric Flight Equipment is sending me a new motor free of charge. Seems like Model Motors (that produce the AXI) have a 1 year guarantee on the motor. I feel that the producers of indoor stuff is really doing an effort compared to many other companies. I think that indoor flying (or at least this kind of models) will be a big future for model aviation. It will not only be a big thing that will go away since the parts are getting cheap and with good availabillty. |
Arild's model got a new life after breaking bot wings and
10 pieces of fuse...
Vertigo indoor Friday evening.
Jojo's smoke captured and a picture of a really nice Pitts (I want one of
those....).
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DAY ..
4. November 2004 - Tx usage
DAY ..
3. November 2004 |
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DAY ..
2. November 2004
Ok we were home at 04:30 or something (I was too tired to look at the
watch). But we had to get some flying done today. I had traded away my Edge
and had to get my Lierider going with a new
Klepaker motor. This is the new
17 turn motor that with firewall mount weighs 23,9g and is supposed to draw
9-10A and 450g thrust. I started of with a 3 cell 1050mah LiPo (APC 8x3,7)
and it seemed to be nice thrust. Not much more than my AXI but maybe
slightly more vertical power. I will have to test more to see differences as
it is not immediately obvious. But what was obvious was that I had a bit
more power on 2 cell 700mah LiPo. Now it works quite ok in vertical. Arild
flew his Vertigo and was ulucky to have a crash - not in the ground but the
model blew up in the air after a hard half loop and following full power
dive. Hmmm makes one wonder how my gluing is holding up on mine! Beware:
Arild´s model is almost ready again and one can barely see that it is
crashed. Depron is cool to fix :-)
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DAY ..
1. November 2004 Road trip to Oslo with T&K and Ultramicro. Me and Arild found that we had to meet some other people and have some real fun. On the way we stopped to fly at a petrol station that had a "dog freeground". Perfect for modelling... Just before Oslo there was a nice wiev so we had to fly again at a parking space at Solihøgda. In Oslo we did some shopping and spent many hours at T&K were we also flew our models a bit. I flew my new Edge while Arild flew his Vertigo. My new Edge is something completely different than the Lierider or Vertigo. This model will not fly as slow and will need some input to fly knife-edge and hover. In the end of the evening (apx 01:00) I traded it at Ultramicro for a Vertigo. Coming to Ultramicro in Tønsberg was a nice experience although I did get some serious asthma being in their horse stable flying. I met up with all the guys I know and some new ones. Cool to meet different guys and people behind different projects. Great fun and thanks to all we talked to. And thanks for the soup I made thermals all the way home ;-) I have made a roadmovie with what me and Aril captured along the way. A little bigger than usual but some great flying by Pål in the end. Almost 12min movie can be downloaded HERE (30mb .wmv) |
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