Allan Bennett

Chris, my figure of 30A continuous is from Overlander's data. Either they're being far too conservative, or it's a typo, or their XT60s are different from other brands' XT60s. So that leads me to the next question; is there a specific manufacturer of the original XT60s, like Deans for the Ultra? The tests linked at the bottom of your post are interesting, except they don't show Deans Ultra for comparison 😒 I note that they are specific about what brand of XT60 they've used in the tests. MattyB, I don't doubt what you say, but I can only go by published data regarding amps capability. Bruce, yes I've seen the anti-spark XT90s at Overlander (the only site I've looked at so far) and Overlander rate them at only 40A continuous, compared with 45A for their regular XT90s 😒

Having defended Deans in an earlier post in this thread, I'm about to change some of my packs to XT60s. A couple of my models use 6S or 4S packs in parallel, and with Deans connectors that means that before the second pack is connected the plug that it's going to be connected to is live from the first pack. A couple of months ago, while disconnecting parallel packs in a hurry because the model had crashed, my wedding ring brushed against the live Deans pins after I'd disconnected the first pack 😵 The result was two burn marks in my ring and a burn on my finger. In checking out XT60 vendors though I've noticed that XT60s are only rated for 30A continuous whereas Deans Ultra seem to be rated for 60A continuous (3rd-party claims, not the manufacturer). I might have to go for XT90s (45A continuous).

I'm still a fan of the PO when they're working, and pick them whenever the vendor gives an option, for I always know roughly when the postie is going to arrive. Even the couriers that give text messages often come at what I deem to be antisocial hours -- i.e. before I get up or after dark. It's a pity we're driven to this though, rather than being able to pop down to the local shop (model or whatever) whenever we need something.

Thank you everyone. A couple of extra quid off the Ender 3 for 'Black Friday', so my wife is getting me one for Christmas. No doubt I'll be back in this forum shortly while I try to figure out how to use it!

There's the main reason to simply rely on unplugging the battery. As others have said, any switch capable of carrying the current used by even the smallest motor will be far too big for a model aircraft. I use a 'disarming plug' system, like the one in the previous post except using a Deans plug and socket, on two of my models where it's impossible to disconnect the battery without getting ones hand in the way of the prop. Otherwise my disarming is done by disconnecting the battery.

So long as the plug fits the socket you can easily change the pinout by prying up the little retaining tab in the plug to remove the pin, and move it to another slot if necessary, just like with a normal servo plug. I don't remember why, but I've done that with some of my FrSky SBUS or FPort leads.

I simply keep my packs in the heated house for a couple of hours after charging them, then take them to the field in a small cooler bag of the type designed for a six-pack of beers. They warm up further in use, so I've never noticed any reduction in performance or flight duration.

But that's presumably not the entry-level model 3? I see now that there are about eight versions of the model 3, so does that mean that a base model can be easily upgraded to one of the higher-spec ones?

Thanks guys, I've learned a lot from these replies. It seems like an important thing will be to find or make a space where the printer could be permanently located, rather than taking it out of storage every time I want to use it. It's good to hear that upgrades are easy and not too expensive, especially if you can print them yourself.

Thanks Mark. That brings up another question: I don't have a space where I can set it up and leave it, so is the process of squaring and levelling a long one that would need to be repeated every time I put the machine on my work bench to do a print?

I'm intrigued by the idea of 3D printing, but am not willing to spend a lot of money until I have had hands-on experience. I see the Ender 3 3D printer advertised for what seems to me to be a reasonalbe price of £139 delivered. Is this a reasonalbe starting point? Is it's quality as good as the larger (more expensive) Ender models, or will it be a waste of money, requiring lots more money and fettling to get reasonable prints from it?

I like Mars Bars 😀 Deans are supposedly rated for 60A continuous and 75A peak, so theoretically the same as XT60. I've got a couple of models drawing mid-50A, and never had a failure or any hint of overheating (which can be caused by poor contact).

First, I doubt if the Amazon connectors are genuine Deans -- read the reviews on Amazon. They may be competent clones, but they may be rubbish too. Before you change the ESC connector to Deans, you need to consider what else will need the plugs changing. Your charger is one obvious candidate, and maybe a wattmeter too. If you're only buying a couple of batteries with Deans connectors it may still be better to change those battery connectors to match what you already have. Even though I'm a Deans user (genuine ones in Deans branded packaging) I have to admit that XT60 is the most common plug system in use today, especially when you buy RTF or ARTF models with electronics already installed.

I've used cyano with glass matting for small repairs. Otherwise epoxy resin, which will adhere to both epoxy and polyester glass fibre subject to them being oil and dirt free.

"4 in 1" is a multi-protocol module, useful if you plan to buy models that come with receivers already installed, which may not otherwise be able to talk to your transmitter. I believe the Radiomaster TX16 comes with multi protocols already installed (as, probably, the others mentioned by the RC Shop), but you can also buy separate modules which plug into the back of some single-protocol transmitters so that they can work with other protocols. If you're new to this, you need to be aware that most modern transmitters need to be 'paired' with their receivers, and won't work with other brand receivers. 4-in-1 modules, whether built-in or plug-in, are a way to overcome this restriction. I would check with your local club and see what brands are popular there, and take their advice. They'll then be able to help you with setting up your system and, probably, be able to buddy with you for training.

Slowly unpicking aided by gentle scraping with a blunt knife is the only way I know.

I work in my garage and just put on extra clothing, and rely on my car engine to give me some heat. If it's been out in the morning it's surprising how warm it stays through the best part of the afternoon. I suppose I must post a warning -- don't run you car engine in the garage 😒

A couple of posts in this thread have mentioned that the risk of failure is increased when storing a lot of packs together. I understand that the potential impact of failure is increased, but how is the risk of failure increased? My packs are charged in 'fireproof' pouches, but they're stored in a 'pigeon hole' assembly with a hinged front flap, made of plasterboard.

I must admit I don't pay much attention to IR, depending instead on how the pack performs (subjectively) in flight. However one formula I did read a while ago was the IR should be somewhere around 12,000 divided by the pack's mAh. IIRC the article suggested you could go to three times that value before the pack becomes useless.

Yes, it's the possibility of a retract stalling going up or going down that's why I separate their power supply from that of the Rx. Or, as in your case, simply too much current draw for the BEC during normal operation -- presumably there's no binding that's causing the voltage dip? Even though staggering the operation has cured the problem, I'd still be sorely tempted to give the retracts their own separate supply.

About a separate Rx battery, my advice is don't bother. If the ESCs have switching BECs in them, of sufficient amps capacity for your complement of servos, use one of them to power the Rx and servos. Even if you run down the power battery until the motors stop running (not recommended!) there will always be enough voltage to keep the BEC going. If the BECs in the ESCs are linear type, or small amps capability, I would recommend using a stand-alone BEC. If you have electric retracts I would recommend isolating their power supply from that of the Rx and servos, and powering them from either the BEC in the other ESC, or from a stand-alone BEC. Never connect two or more switching BECs' outputs together. In the case of two with-BEC ESCs connected to the Rx you should disconnect the red wire from the Rx plug of one of the ESCs.

Rather than sharpen the end of a brass tube, I file teeth into it and either turn it by hand or by electric drill. I also use it to form a long hole in a foam wing core for lighting or servo cables.

I wouldn't bother trying to remove the tail feathers. Like Anydy I would just cover them first with a small overlap (1/4" maybe) onto the fuselage. If using a shiny material like Solarfilm, I would brush a bit of bonding agent (Balsaloc?) onto the overlapping surfaces before doing the overlaps.

That reminds me of my wife's Kenwood Chef, which is of similar vintage to your Magimix and has gone through a couple of bowls and liquidiser attachments, but otherwise 100% solid and still in production. Since the title of this thread is obsolescence, one of my modern bugbears is devices, such as mobile phones, which have to be thrown away when the battery dies. At least with my helis I can replace the battery 😄

Agreed, but it doesn't make it any easier to accept. I've thrown away many balsa fixed-wing models in my time because they were damaged beyond repair, but helis are so easy to repair (given the spares availability) that buying/building a complete replacement just doesn't go down well with me.