Member postings for Bob Cotsford

My Se5a flies on 3S 5000 packs and still needs a couple of oz of lead in the nose even with the pack mounted as far forward as possible above the motor. I don't know what motor or esc (possibly 60A?) is in it as I bought it second hand, I seem to remember it running at around 500W which is plenty for the style of model. The pack is a tight fit under the cowl but at least I don't have to worry about the duration of it!

I also use the BEC in the ESC, though a separate receiver pack in the bottom of the cowl could only help with the balance instead of the lead I needed.

From past experience with 60-90 size aerobatic models, some with electric retracts, for an average 8-10 minute flight I was putting back 75-100mAh for analogue setups and 100-150mAh for digital setups. Going by my past results a 1100mAh pack will be good for 6 or 7 flights on a bog standard club trainer or Acrowot type of model. Personally I've moved to all LiFe packs as I've found them easier to charge reliably than NiMh.

Being a born rule breaker, I've even run older JR analogue servos (517/519 rings a bell) on unregulated 2S 1100mAh LiFe packs and I'm still here to tell the tale!

For gold trim I'd be asking around local companies that do trade decals and trim for vans, vinyl wraps etc. as they may well have offcuts that you could use. Otherwise

What remarkable verbal restraint on your way to the toolbox and back, and in an empty field too!

I don't think GWS are a fair comparison with anything currently available. Upstairs I have a GWS Formosa II, at the time I put it together I described it as a box of foam that, given time and much patience, a flying model be made out of. Even the cheap Durafly/Avios/Ripmax/ROC ARTF foamies on the market now actually fit together and contain everything needed bar the receiver.

Over the last couple of years ARTFs (and forrin kits) have increased slightly in price in line with the dropping £ and cumulative inflation, but then so too has the price of accessories, glues, covering and other raw materials. A couple of weeks ago I ordered some engine bearer, 1/4 ply and 10 or so sheets of balsa, that came to roughly the same as all the materials used to build my Eros 10 or so years ago. In my opinion it still costs about as much to scratch build as to buy a comparative ARTF just as it has done for a couple of decades.

Yes, they are a LOT smaller, though T9 only show 40and 60A versions. Still, 5A is a pretty good current level for this size of ESC, many only offer 3 or 4A.

Sorry, I wrongly thought you'd got one in your hands. I wonder if Mike B knows anything about them?

Best bet is to speak to Richard at T9Hobbysport.

Looking at the manual,this is a bit confusing:

Note: 1. The jumper cap as a switch makes ESC output power When you connect the JP.
2. The jumper cap has internal resistance which may bring reduction voltage.

1) It sounds like the jumper enables the BEC, allowing you to use a separate rx battery with it disabled/no jumper.

2) This is unclear, it makes it sound as though the jumper can alter the BEC voltage which I somehow doubt. I would have expected it to be a straight enable/disable shorting jumper, can tou put a multimeter across the jumper to check whether it does contain a resistor? Something has been lost in translation on that one!

S on the BEC indicates that it is the more efficient Switching type regulator, as against the earlier linear design that basicly just used a semiconductor resistance to drop the BEC voltage and generated a lot of heat. They're all BECs - Battery Eliminator Circuits.

The non-S versions that I have don't include the jumper so it's all new to me. Maybe check it using a voltmeter with and without the jumper?

Wouldn't these dyes work ok with the polyester fabrics for the vintage look?

It's still nice to be able to log things like the current drawn by the servos, esc temperature etc. especially for new setups to optimise esc cooling and for larger models to be sure you have some headroom on SBEC current.

TBH even with BLHeli32 available I just use my Neuron as it came out of the box, though I may play with the braking one day as it is a bit abrupt.

the 3520 looks to be much the same as the 3536 900kv motors common in the Wot series of foam models, Riots and the like and is described as being Power 32 class. I'd have thought it a bit small for a 40 size trainer, I'd go for a 4240 650kv Propdrive on 4S for this size model, though the 4-Max 5055 595 would be ok on a 13 or 14*7 prop.

Tim, I'd guess it's the same as the latest Opentx which now allows you to see the Sbec voltage and current plus ESC temperature in addition to the total current and pack voltage, and the SBEC LUA will allow you to set the SBEC output voltage. I haven't seen anything about it replacing BLHeli32 for other settings but if it does then well done FrSky!

Ceconite?

not to put too fine a point on it, this was stated days ago.

Mike, interesting that you have the region switching script, I thought it was for dealers only?

Not being familiar with FRSkyOS I'd have a look on RCGroups, maybe here for a start.

The Horus Opentx 2.3.2 I used was current as of last night.

From what I've read (mostly relating to the Horus rather than Taranis) the RF firmware is common to both EU and ROW, but only dealers can switch between the two. As Peter says, more info is needed. An X series receiver with ROW firmware should bind in ACCST mode (D16), D or V series will not bind, though Mike Blandford has written software to run D series receivers in D16 mode.

Inwoods are selling them on e-bay too.

oops - 2 1/2 years too late!

Edited By Bob Cotsford on 20/11/2019 23:10:01

X8R, everything working perfectly, sorry . If it weren't for your US setting I'd suggest you checked that you've bound selecting ch1-8 with telemetry or without a shorting plug across channel output pins on the rx. I'd still try downloading again on the off-chance you picked up a corrupted compile. If all else fails try posting on RCGroups Opentx2.3 or Horus threads in the Radio section. A lot of developers visit there on a regular basis or soone else may have seen something similar.

One thing I did notice was that my tx's clock and calendar zeroed themselves!

I wonder if it's the cast concrete walls or the concrete floor in my shed that causes the issues? Motorbikes and tools were always oiled or sprayed with ACF50 for the winter anyway, I just don't fancy blasting it all over my models . As for insulating the shed, maybe it's time for a nice retirement bungalow with a spare bedroom?

we really need a 'like' button on here. Some excellent responses to being called sheeple, 'order followers' - sounds a bit 1945 trials to me but I'm not a moderator - for accepting that our objections were not sufficient to stop legislation but were enough to moderate (that word again!) it's application.

In the '70s I objected to being forced to wear a crash helmet. I was happy to wear one on my own initiative but being a rebellious teenager I wasn't happy accepting orders. It was the principle of the thing! Luckily I believe that I have now matured and accept that mine isn't always the only valid opinion, now I abide by the laws of the land in the hope that it will allow me to quietly carry on without uncalled for legal issues. If the law calls for me to kill or torture my Asian neighbours I may reconsider, but we haven't exactly reached that point yet.

If that makes me a sheeple, if it means I say 'I'm only following orders', if it means I'm surrendering (God alone knows exactly what I'm supposed to be surrendering, whatever) then I could care less because I can go and fly my planes just as I always have.

With the rise of the insults I think I really am out of here this time. It just isn't needed.