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Simon Clark

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Posts posted by Simon Clark

    RCM&E Archive – 16 years now available

    in Report A Problem

    Posted

    I was told that I might have access on August 4th. It still doesn't work, so I asked again for a definitive date and am now being told that I will have access on August 17th. 

    I agree, it is not very good to have an unreliable promise to restore something that you always had, especially as it is costing me more and I have to pay in a less conveneient way! I might also consider not renewing next year.

     

    Simon

    RCM&E Archive – 16 years now available

    in Report A Problem

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Fun Flyer said:

    Will the Archive be made available to Print only subcribers again?

    I doubt it! I asked the question and had to cancel my existing subscription and start up a new print/digitial one. I used to pay quarterly but now have to pay a whole years worth in one go which is a bit annoying. As the subscription starts with the next issue, I still have not got access to the digital archive, I'm told it will be next week. 

    I have to be honest - it is a very disappointing start to my expereince with the new owners.

    Simon

    DB Sport and Scale Auster J1 Autocrat

    in Scale Matters

    Posted

    I can see absolutely no reason why you cannot cut the shaft down a bit but note:


    1. Yes, it will devalue the engine if you ever wanted to sell it.

    2. Be very careful not to bend anything when you cut it - make sure everything is well supported.

    3. Whatever you use to cut it (I would use a small cut-off disc in a Dremel type tool), there will be a lot of swarf / filings / abrasive dust flying around so make sure that you cover up absolutely everything iin bags and tape and then do it again and thoroughly clean everything after the cut before removing any bags etc. The smallest bit of crap can get into your engine and ruin it.

    4. Eye protection is an absolute must.

     

    Good luck

    Simon

    • Like 1

    Super Tigre 90 Quits When Inverted?

    in IC Engines

    Posted

    Onboard glow devices such as those supplied by Model Radio Workshop switch the plug on at low throttle settings and are not time limited. You can adjust the switching point easily. They also turn off when you apply throttle cut. I use them in every glow plane I have except for club32 pylon racers ans swear by them:

    https://modelradioworkshop.co.uk/product-category/glow-plug-switch-devices/

    I also agree that OS F plugs are the best for this size of engine

    Simon

    Hobbyking lipo user going elsewhere!

    in Batteries and Chargers

    Posted

    48 minutes ago, Andy Stephenson said:

    This happens at a greater rate with increased temperature and state of charge. The higher the state of charge i.e. the higher the voltage, the faster side-reactions take place between the chemicals in the cell that degrade its performance. Chemical reactions run twice as fast with each 10°C rise in temperature. The best possible storage conditions are a low state of charge and as cool as possible but not frozen.

     

    I agree that Lipos will dgerade whatever happens and that the worst thing is to store fully charged but I do not think it is best to store at a low charge status and as cool as possible. lipos will suffer with having a low state of charge as well as a high state of charge. Most manufacturers of Lipos recommend storing at around 3-8- 3.85V / cell (around 50% charge state) and at around 20 deg C and warn against any other charge state or being hotter or colder than this. Most modern chargers have a storage function that take the battery to around 3.85V / cell. 

     

    The time that I really ruined some Lipos was caused by leaving fully charged over the winter months when it got very cold in my garage. Siince then, I have religeously put all my Lipos into sotrage state if I am not going to use for more than a day.

     

    Simon

    Hobbyking lipo user going elsewhere!

    in Batteries and Chargers

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Steve Colman said:

    I have a friend who works in the industry who has travelled on business to China to develop model related things. He told me that they will manufacture products to the spec required by the customer, although reaching said customer spec is not always easy for them as they don't see "quality" in the same as we do in the west.

     

    I think that this comment, perhaps paints an unfair picture of Chinese manufacturing quality. Before I retired, I spent around 25 years visiting and working with various Chinese factories. I have had some very detailed looks at manufacturing and quality system. It is absolutely right that they will give you what you ask for and if you uask for the wrong thing, then you will get the wrong thing. I have seen dozens of factories ranging from tiny outfits in just a couple of rooms, to huge factories with tens of thousands of workers on site and there is a similar variation in approaches to quality systems. Of all the factoires around the world that i have seen, the ones with the worst quality systems have been Chinese (although a couple in UK and Italy have been close) BUT also the two with the best systems by far are also Chinese. You can get cheap rubbish anywhere in the world, and you can also get superb stuff anywhere, you just need to be careful about what you ask for and how you check it.  

     

    SImon

    • Like 1

    Hobbyking lipo user going elsewhere!

    in Batteries and Chargers

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Graeme White said:

    I think I did see this but was really put off by it being 3c which seems really low??

    True, it does seem to be a lowish C rating but nobody would worry too much about using NiMH batteries and these have a similar rating. 3C gives you 6A and a short term 12A - I would be worried if you ustarted to use more than this, also the futaba/JR type connectors are said to be rated at around 3A so these are probabaly the limiting factor. I use a number of different RX battery types - NiMH, LIFE and LIPO and have little problem with any of them. Whenever possible, I use two smaller batteries with two swtches as a form of redundnacy which also effectively doubles the rating of the plugs.

     

    If you really want a high C rated LIFE then Hacker do some (I think West London Models stock them), but they are not cheap.

     

    Simon

    Combining servos

    in Beginners

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Martin Harris - Moderator said:

    but do many brands (other than those using Futaba plugs) key the connectors into their receivers  - I can’t say I’ve come across any…

    All my old JR receivers had a small chamfer so are keyed just like extension leads but as everyone says, very easy to put in the worng way round

    CAA OP ID email

    in All Things Model Flying

    Posted

    Hello all,

     

    I renewed my CAA OP ID through the BMFA via my club at the end of last year and according to the BMFA website, it says it is valid unitl next year. However, I have just received an email from CAA saying that I need to renew today! I have checked the CAA website and there seems to be no record of me having renewed!

     

    Anyone else got this email?

     

    Thanks

    Simon

    DB Sport and Scale Auster J1 Autocrat

    in Scale Matters

    Posted

    10 minutes ago, alan p said:

    Reeves flexi pipe is probably stainless so will not braze/silver solder.

    I am a realtive newcomer to brazing but have no problem with brazing stainless steel for exhausts. You need to make sure that everything is very clean to start with and that you use plenty of good high temperature flux and a high silver content (55%) brazing rod. I get everything from : https://www.cupalloys.co.uk/

     

    Simon

    Strange behaviour?

    in ESCs (Speed Controllers)

    Posted

    Hi,

    It is perfectly possible for the input to the ESC to be 3.7V on a voltmeter and yet the ESC detect a voltage of less than 3.3V. The voltmeter will only give an average voltage over time and will not show maximum and minimum voltages. The load coming from the motor and electronics is not constant and there are often some very high transient currents and this can cause instantaneous drops in the voltage at the input to the ESC. These dips will be very quick and not show on a voltmeter but if the ESC software happens to be measuring the voltage at that point in time (and we have no idea about the actual software algorithms here), then it will detect an under voltage. 

     

    The extent of the voltage dips will be dependant on many things including the condition of the battery and all the wiring and connectors. The input capacitors of the ESC are designed to reduce these transients and so they will also affect the voltage 'seen' by the ESC. It is therefore possible, even likely, that different ESC's will actually trip at different levels in a real time environment and if there is a fault or just difference with the input capacitors, then this difference may be significant. If an ESC that trips at a higher level is coupled with a battery that has high voltage dips, then you may see this problem, even if simple measurements with a voltmeter do not show this. To really know what is going on would require coupling up to a decent high speed oscilloscope.

     

    I am not saying that this IS the reason for the strange behaviour, just offerering this as a possible explanation.

     

    Might be worth, replacing the connector on the suspect battery with a new one and seeing if this helps?

     

    Simon

    Disaster! My own stupid fault.

    in Incident Reports

    Posted

    On 10/11/2021 at 23:04, jrman said:

    I think it was developed by JR and adopted by Spektrum when JR/Spektrum were working together.

    All current JR Tx's have model match.

     

    Futaba has recently updated the software to include model match which works with most of their receivers (all of mine). There is a software download available for most of the newer transmitters but it does mean that you will need to rebind everything. I moved from JR to Futaba (T18SZ) about three years ago and I love the increased functionality but I was a bit worried about the lack of model match so I was very pleased when this was introduced recently. 

     

    DIY Lipo Discharging

    in Gadgets and Electronics

    Posted

    For electric flight, I charge the batteries at the field as I need them. At the end of a day's flying I often have one or two batteries charged that i will not fly that day - then I discharge to storage on my iCharger 4010 duo in about ten minutes (whilst I pack everything else away). 

     

    However, if flying i.c. I also use Lipos for RX packs, ignition batteries, glow batteries and engine starters so i can have quite a few batteries left at the end of the day in need of discharging to storage voltage. For these I simply plug in one of these to each and leave on the bench until done.:

     

    https://www.droneauthority.co.uk/products/vifly-storesafe-discharger?_pos=3&_sid=c81844101&_ss=r

     

    It might take a few hours for some, but the heat generated is very low so perfectly safe to leave.

     

    Simon

     

    • Like 1

    4 max

    in All Things Model Flying

    Posted

    Lead has been considered to be a noxious substance for some time now and the use of it in commercial electronic products has been restricted under various regulations from around 2006. The rules are quite complex, but it is best to assume that it is pretty much illegal for companies to sell products to the general public that have leaded solder.

     

    Lead free solder has been developed for this reason. There are many different types but in general, they have a higher melting point which makes them more difficult to use, epsecially if your soldering iron cannot give lots of heat. Once a good joint is made, it is just as good as a leaded solder joint and in many cases is actually stronger, it is just that for us amateurs with less than perfect equipmenet and skills, it is more difficult and we are more likely to make a bad joint. 

     

    If you can get leaded solder then go ahead and use it, if not then uses lead-free but make sure that you use plenty of flux and give it plenty of heat (quickly) with a good iron.

     

    Simon

    Max Thrust Riot linkages

    in Build Blogs and Kit Reviews

    Posted

    Hello Early Bird and Capt Kremen,

     

    Thanks for the help - and to clarify, yes it is a foam Riot. I realise that with all of these things, they are built down to a price and it is worth making a few changes, but sometimes it can be difficult to find just the right change to make. In the short term, I just want to help the new flyer with some sensible advice, but I am also planning on getting one of these myself to have as a plane that I can let other beginners have a go with. For my own one, I will definitely make quite a few changes as suggested.

     

    Thanks again,

     

    Simon

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