leccyflyer

For the majority of my lipos, from 2s1p 1000mah small ones up to 5s1p 5200mah larger ones I've standardised on 4mm gold bullet connectors, male pin on the nattery positive, female socket on the battery negative, to give a polarised set, with the red lead cut slightly shorter, by a connector length, so that no part of the two connectos can easily touch. Heat shrink tubing used to only leave the contact area of the male pin exposed, then sexured with a wrap of insulating tape to remove any possibility of connecting the battery to itself. The male pin is then shrouded with a length of blue Sullivan snake outer, which fits perfectly and encases the entire metal surface. These are coded green for charged, blue for discharged, to keep track of the packs in use. For my smallest packs I've standardised on the wee red JST plugs and sockets. My larger packs, 6s1p 4000-5200mah now have 5.5mm gold bullet connectors, using the same protocol as for the 4mm ones.

Very easy to solder a short piece of silicon coated wire, with a 4mm gold bullet connector onto the body and end terminal of a bulb. It's just a matter of abrading the surface of the bulb body with a fine file, or a Dremel, to make sure it's completely clean, then tin the surface contact point, tin the wire end and make the joint. Couple of pictures to illustrate - I've taken the wrap of insulating tape off one so that you can see the contact points.

PDB - that's what I've been using in my PAW 1.49 RC for running in - didn't have much success with the D1000 fuel at first, specified for running in smaller engines and was advised to try the D2000 formulation, which worked much better. The engine hasn't been used yet, as my indoor running in activities were curtailed after running just a few tanks through it by commencement of some building works. It'll be warm enough soon to complete the running in out of doors. The model is ready and waiting to have the engine installed.

Leeds Model Shop is the place to get diesel fuel. They do next day delivery on the cans of Model Technics D1000, D2000 and D3000. Excellent service. https://www.modelshopleeds.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=291_836&products_id=85620&osCsid=fr1og226uu520gi5qeve3ibbft

Not the best day of Spring flying yesterday. Took four models to fly and not having hit a tree in thirty years flying managed to hit two different ones within an hour, resulting in a destroyed model in the first case and one model left up there in the tree top, which is a first. Hoping that the strong winds that are forecast will shake the model from the branches and will go back for another look later. Far too high up to be reachable with any form of pole.

Yes, that's what I do for most of my paint jobs. For any artfs, where I have a tailplane or battery hatch to get scanned, that lets me get the appropriate colours in stock, for future touch up or repairs.

They do if they are commemorating D-Day Eric. 🙂 Looking very good Richard. Nice one. 👍

They are also available in abundance at every swapmeet, along with lots of other smallish glow engines. I think if there is to be a shortage any time soon, it will be at the larger capacity, more complex end of the market, which never sold in anything like the same numbers and will become increasingly rare as runners, as the spares run out and there isn't the same pool of scrappable engines for parts.

Steve Webb tells a great story of a punter who phoned the shop as he was unable to get his engine started. Steve talked the guy through all the obvious step - fuel, air, glow etc and could hear the sound of a prop being flipped in the background. Eventually he heard the engine burst into life, followed shortly by "Oooh, ouch, ouch, ouch" then a clatter and the engine noise stopped. Steve asked the guy if he'd started the engine in his hand - which he had. It then turned out that he was in a phone box! 😮

The water is probably going a greeny colour because the terminal tabs are being dissolved by electrolytic corrosion, which makes it quite likely that they are not dead at all, but because the tabs have gone and the connections to the power and balance leads have gone, it can be almost impossible to check the state of charge.

It's also the salt in solution which permits the electrolytic corrosion of the battery terminal tabs, potentially leaving the lipo not fully discharged, but with the connections through which the individual cell voltage could be monitored essentially all but gone, which is a far from ideal situation. This method of discharging lipos has been completely discredited and should not be followed..

No charge involved - that's what the car bulb is for.....

Welcome to the forum Ray. IMO in attempting to put the servo wiring immediately behind the leading edge in a foam wing you risk compromising the glue joint surface by which the leading edge is attached. Far better to use a sharp scalpel and lift a strip of veneer to cut a wee groove in the foam to go directly to the servo bay cut out. That can then be made good and the veneer replaced over the top for a virtually seamless finish.

Here's a link to a comprehensive document explaining where the outdated and frequently misunderstood recommendation to dispose of lipos by leaving them in salt water came from, when it was withdrawn as a recommendation by the originator and why it's a bad idea. https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?3413821-Safe-Disposal-of-LiPo-Batteries

Sorry, but that's terrible advice and was recognised as terrible advice some years ago. Check out the BMFA advice mentioned earlier in this thread which explicitly states not to put lipos in salt water to discharge, it is ineffective and unecessary.

Hi Stuart - that soaking in salted water is a bad idea, since it can result in corrosion of the terminal tabs on the lipos before they are actually discharged, leaving you with no means of fully discharging them. It's long been superseded as an appropriate method for safe disposal. I'm surprised that 4-Max would recommend such a procedure.

You're doing a grand job Chris - I particularly like the tail structure. 👍

Understood - however I edited because I hadn't read your post and I'd referred to that nonsense about home brewing methanol. Something HMRC would likely take a very restrictive view on and, of course, completely unnecessary, given the legitimate sources of methanol being quite secure, at least in our lifetimes.

Glow fuel will be around for a long time, provided there is a market for it.

Bad luck Toto but, to be fair the forecast for this weekend is pretty grim anyway - it's been snowing and raining here all day and the winds and rain forecast for the weekend makes any flying unlikely.

Yes - it's possible to get an unbalanced pack from just about any brand. That's why it is vital to check individual cell voltages as soon as the pack arrives. The key thing then is what will the supplier do about it. Some suppliers will advise that you cycle the pack with a few charge /discharge cycles to see if it settles down. Frankly I'm not keen on that at all, as such cycling is just eating the lipo packs supply of lives and I expect them to arrive in good order. My favourite HRB and Zeee Power packs delivered through Amazon are good as gold and any problem is dealt with immediately with either full or partial credit, or return.

Zeee Power https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zeee-4000mAh-Battery-Airplane-Helicopter/dp/B089YNLCVG

Doesn't have to be an expensive headlight bulb Chris, any old 12v -24v bulb will do the job.

When any lipo has reached the end of it's useful life they are discharged overnight, outdoors, using a car headlight bulb to which I've soldered 4mm gold connectors on short fly leads. With the pack dead, the voltage is checked through the balance leads, before the leads are clipped close to the case, have a small wrap of tape or a cm of heatshrink over their ends. The inert lipo then goes to the battery box at the municipal recycling centre and the leads go into my scrap wire drawer for recycling of the wire and connectors.