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Mark Agate

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Everything posted by Mark Agate

  1. Mark Agate
    A friend told me he wanted to start making scale models.I said "be realistic..."
  2. Mark Agate
    I have successfully flown C/L with a pistol-type Tx, though I had to modify the trigger so it sprung to the idle (motor off) position, rather than the middle position. This was because it was designed for use with an ESC which had reverse, so the middle position was off. It worked really well - the only drawback was that if the Rx lost the signal, it would go into a failsafe at half throttle rather than motor off.
  3. Mark Agate
    I tried to source some balsa for an Avicraft biplane I'm building, but the shop said they didn't allow Panic-buying.
  4. Mark Agate
    I've been starting to fly FPV with micro-quads over the lockdown, and have found this to be a very good source of info, both written guides and videos: **LINK**
  5. Mark Agate
    Keil Kraft Super 60 Crescent Bullet DB Ghost Rider (inspired many variants) Avicraft Panic
  6. Mark Agate
    I had a lot of fun with that SPAD back in 2013/14, until it was cruelly cut from the skies in a mid-air with an IC model. Sadly the kit is no longer made. However, the top wing panels live on in my version of the RCM&E Sticky. I chopped the centre out and rejoined the panels flat to use as an aileron wing, as they were just about the perfect size and section. It flies very well.
  7. Mark Agate

    Mark Agate posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  8. Mark Agate

    Mark Agate posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  9. Mark Agate
    At Petersfield Aero Modellers we have an electric fence to protect the patch from damage by livestock. If cattle are in the field, we sometimes make a pen around ourselves and the models, effectively expanding the area of the patch. And if you type "pens.airstrip.expand" into what3words, you arrive on the south end of our patch.
  10. Mark Agate
    I've decided to take my Dreamflight Alula slope soarer, and add the flight controller electronics from my Parrot Bebop drone. I'm going to call it the Bebop-Alula. (I don't mean maybe!).
  11. Mark Agate
    Photo by Richard Tambling
  12. Mark Agate
    Photo by Richard Tambling
  13. Mark Agate
    What do you call a BEC that makes a noise like a car horn if the input voltage is low? A Tooting Bec.
  14. Mark Agate
    Survey results from 2010: **LINK**
  15. Mark Agate
    Once your system is armed, it's important that you can throttle down to minimum then throttle back up without having to re-arm, and expect the motor to restart. If it latched into the off state during flight you could have an unintended deadstick situation. So now you've landed: you walk over to the plane and bend over to pick it up. As you do so, your throttle stick gets knocked, kicking the motor back into life just as your hand goes through the propeller arc. We are not as many steps away from an accident as we would like to be! It's important to re-engage the throttle cut switch before retrieving the model. Unfortunately this is another conscious step required to ensure safety. An alternative solution which I have tried is to make the motor spin at idle speed as soon as the throttle cut is disengaged, so it acts more like an IC engine (I think I'm much less likely to stick my hand into the arc of a prop if it's already spinning). There is a slightly increased risk of accident if the switch has been left in the wrong state when the system is energised, though I think almost all ESCs won't start immediately in this situation.
  16. Mark Agate

    Mark Agate posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  17. Mark Agate
    My Xmas project was conversion of a vintage 1970s transmitter radio up to 2.4GHz operation, and for some reason I decided it had to be an American one. I only finished it about 2 weeks ago, and flew with it for the first time today. It worked perfectly with plenty of range. The donor system was a Walkera Devo 7, and it turned out to be quite a bit more work than I envisaged. The stick units didn't give enough voltage swing to calibrate the encoder, so I had to replace the original stick pots with the much smaller ones from the Devo transmitter. Mechanically this was quite a challenge, but at least I have the full 21st-century transmitter functionality available to me. If I'd kept the original encoder and plumbed in a 2.4GHz RF module, I wouldn't even have servo reversing!
  18. Mark Agate
    Stick pots replaced with the ones from the Devo
  19. Mark Agate
    Neckstrap attachment added
  20. Mark Agate

    Mark Agate posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  21. Mark Agate

    Mark Agate posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  22. Mark Agate
    Obviously caused by collision with a drone.
  23. Mark Agate
    That sounds like a good tip KiwiKid, I'll do that in the areas where it gets scuffed. Nice DH-1 too.
  24. Mark Agate
    Thanks for the comments about the SPAD. There's some more pictures in: **LINK** The Maxford kit is an ARTF, so it's not too taxing in a modelling sense; it's just that it's rather big (68" span, total weight inc batteries 6.4kg). The grill at the front was not attached squarely as supplied, so I made a new one out of lolly sticks! The covering is shiny plastic film which is also a bit disappointing, hence my decision to add matt acrylic paint. I'm pleased with how it looks, though the paint doesn't adhere to the film very well (I should have roughened it first), so it's a bit prone to hangar rash.
  25. Mark Agate
    Maxford USA SPAD XIII with Tamiya acrylic paintjob, maidened this morning.
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