Geoff S

Sorted! I hadn't noticed the failsafe settings on the set up page just below the 'Bind' and 'Range' settings. They only appear in D16 modes and I've always used D8 before. With failsafe mode set to 'receiver' it works as my other X type receivers. I also see that in the 'custom' mode you can set up the failsafe without needing to access the receiver, which can be difficult in some models and in all when they're assembled with the wings fitted. Just so many little things to remember on the Taranis but, at least, eventually everything works. I suppose the problem is that I only set up a model infrequently and my memory isn't what it was ... if it ever was Geoff

My transmitter is also a Taranis but I've always set the fail safe as you describe by operating the FS button and seeing the double flash of the LED. I've just checked my other X8R (which I think is an EU one as I bought it this year from T9). It bound OK on D8 (Mode 1) to my unmodified Taranis (I've updated the Open TX software but the transmitter XJT module is as I bought it 3 years ago). The failsafe on that works fine. This is my 3rd X series receiver and the other 2 (a 6 and an 8) work OK. How do you set the failsafe from the transmtter? It's essentially a receiver function. Geoff

I have a new non-EU X8R bought from HK International warehouse to avoid the hassle of reprogramming one bought in the UK. It binds perfectly in both Mode 1 (D8 using a jumper onchannels 7 & 8 signal pins) and Mode 5 (D16 - no jumper but holding the FS button when switching on). Having set up all my servos and checked motor operation the last job was to set the failsafe. I pushed the FS button and got the double flash from the green LED which indicates that the failsafe positions have ben set in the receiver. I always check that the failsafe is working but, in this case it just held the settings when I turned off my transmitter and didn't set the controls to neutral nor did it stop the motor. I tried rebinding in both modes and turning the receiver off and back on to no avail. I've had a X6R receiver which set failsafe OK. Have I got a faulty receiver or am I doing something wrong? Geoff

Thanks for the help. Pat: That;s reassuring. I think the final flying weight will be just short of 3Kg but that will give a still low wing loading of around 18 ozs/square foot (excuse the mixed units but I still tend to think of wing loading that way) cymaz: Despite my best efforts my models always tend to be heavier than planned. Perhaps I'm just over optimistic but, as you say, it makes for a faster glide and perhaps better performance in gusty conditions kc: I agree with your sentiments but moving the battery just isn't an option. I got the model part built and intended for a glow engine. If I'd started it and intended battery operation I would have extended the fuselage and discarded the original firewall. As it is the battery is fitted in the tank bay and its weight is just forward of the CoG. Everything is closed loop as per the full-size and I replaced the original empennage with a built-up one to save weight at the back. It was wrongly made in any case and was one of the many corrections I've done. Chris Bott: Hopefully mine won't get fuel soaked unless the electrons escape but I don't think the extra weight will be a problem. The weight quoted by DB may not be accurate and in any case may not include scale detail. I'm not sure what there is in the kit but, as an example, I've fitted cockpit flooring. It's light ply so not particularly heavy but it all adds up. I was expecting to steer mostly with rudder. I am putting some aileron differential to minmise drag and I'll probably also have some switched in coupled rudder/aileron. David Rothwell: Thanks for that. It's exactly waht I was looking for. Mine is the sixth scale 58" ws version. I just wonder how anyone achieves 5.5lbs. Mine feels very light when I pick it up but the scales don't lie ... I assume. Geoff -

I'm very slowly getting on with the Tiggie and I'm getting dangerously close to its being ready for a test flight. Good job I've got plenty of bicycle clips in stock So I'd like to tap the huge knowledge data base here for a little advice. 1: I assembled it all this afternoon apart from the receiver and esc. It weighs 2.81kg (about 6lbs 3ozs) with a 4S 4000 mAH LiPo installed. I don't expect the few bits I still have to add to weigh more than 60 grams. However, according to the DB web site the weight is supposed to be 5.5 lbs, although I guess that's without fuel, unlike mine - full batteries weigh much the same as exhausted ones. What weight have other builders ended up with? Not that I think the extra weight is that important but it might be interesting to know. 2 Despite my replacing the whole empennage of the donor aeroplane with a built up one to save weight at the back, it looks like I'll have to put enough lead into the front to bring the total up to 3kg. Anyone know how sensitive the DB Moth is to CoG? 3. Lastly, has anyone got the instructions which advise on control surface deflections? After I realised the model I'd been given part complete (including lots of mistakes!) was DB Tiggie Eddie was kind enough to supply a drawing for a very modest charge but there's no control settings. I know I could guess but I'm a poor guesser and would be happier with more reliable information. I'll post a picture of the model before I destroy it so you can see it's not a figment of my fevered imagination. Geoff

Really? A whole £1? How will I afford it? Is there no end to the expense of flying toy aeroplanes? Geoff

Posted by Max Z on 21/11/2015 15:43:22: Posted by flight1 on 21/11/2015 14:58:02: Iheres a good explination of what i am on about That is an excellent reference as far as I am concerned. Though what it does not mention is the disadvantage of having the weight of the electric motor in the front wheel when lifting it or generally manipulating it when parking. Try lifting one over a high(ish) threshold to get it inside your house or shed, and you will know what I mean. Max. But most of the weight is the battery which is over the rear wheel. With the motor in the front hub the weight distribution is more even and front wheel spokes almost never break in normal use whereas rear ones can and do. You either have to lift the front or the back and if it's a step then you can roll the front wheel over it. We've often used good quality (Campagnolo) single bike front wheels in our tandem for heavy touring (ie with camping gear) with no problems. I used to build rear wheels with 40 x 13 plain gauge spokes for the tandem for reliability. Geoff.

I've been cycling for years - and quite seriously for a lot of them at around 10k miles/year. My wife and I have been celebrating rather too many birthdays as have our cycling friends and several of them have decided to add a little electric power to their old legs. I've looked at a few purpose-built electric bikes but most of our friends have opted to convert their own lightweight touring bikes. Most of us have (reluctantly in my case) changed from dropped bars to straight and that seems to be best for electric. The usual method is for a motor built into the front wheel with a the battery pack carried in a purpose designed pannier frame over the rear wheel. That makes a very attractive and functional machine that seems to perform far better than the rather clunky purpose designed ones which look like Dutch shopping bikes (apologies to Max . I have known a lot of Dutch cyclists and they all have both 'proper' bikes/tandems and utility bikes for shopping). It depends on where you live and if it's flat as a pancake like the Netherlands (even the 'hilly' bits) then a heavy shopper is fine but if, lke us, it's a bit lumpy (and seems to be getting lumpier) then a converted lightweight can offer a better ride. Geoff

So eBay drop-off is an option for sellers rather than the one for buyers which has been available for some time. I suppose the systems could work together if the buyer opts to collect from Argos to avoid the no-one at home during delivery times problem. Geoff

I 've used Argos just once for an eBay purchase and it worked very well. It was a new cycle rack pack so I just rode to the store I'd selected about 5 miles away and collected it. As I understand it the Argos option for eBay is intended for personal pick up, I assume for people who are usually at work when their post is delivered. I hadn't realised there is an option for door delivery which, it seems, is where Peter's problems occured. Geoff

Tim, My battery access was going to be through the front cockpit right up until 2 days ago Then I decided it would be easier to go through the front. It isn't as easy as I thought but I've managed it. I've made the battery tray etc but I've yet to bite the bullet and take a hacksaw to the cowl. You're right obout the CoG. On the DB Moth it works out to be back from the L/E of the bottom wing about 40mm. My CoG is in the right area but as there are other bits to do I'm not sure. I hope not to need lead anywhere because moving the battery around isn't an option. Geoff

Tim, I think I remember you mentioning the Tiggie kit when we spoke at Cosford. You seem to be doing the obvious changes. If I built one, I'd use the DB method for theinterplane struts which is very quick to do and involves fitting spilt cotters in the wings (for the eyes) with a hook at one end of the struts and another split cotter eye at the top. Then it's just a matter of hooking on and then sliding a 2mm rod through the top secures with an elastic band (I used a 14 gauge spoke). Very quick and easy. I like the riblets. They are included in the DB version but there are no cap strips on the any of the ribs and I Ieft it as designed by Boddo. The ribs are quite thick (over 2mm, whatever that is in old money). How are you fitting the flight battery? I've been puzzling over it today and finally decided to cut a hatch in the fibreglass cowl to gain access to the fuel tank bay. I think it will work - fingers crossed! I'm sure it will make a fine model in your capable hands but I suspect it's not a first time builders kit. Geoff

Certainly there look to be some cutting errors but if that's all there are it wouldn't stop me buying the kit. It wouldn't be too difficult to make new pieces. What I didn't like was that the undercarriage in the photos of 'Robbie's' build isn't the same as the one shown and is nowhere near scale. It's not as though this is a tiny model when scale isn't perhaps so important (I'm thinking of the little foamie Tiggie GWS sold which only vaguely looked like a DH Tiger Moth). It seems there are more kits to build in the EU warehouse than in the UK one. Geoff

Posted by Manish Chandrayan on 16/11/2015 13:58:02: Same as this Yes, I thought I may have seen it before and probably about the same price once it's in the UK warehouse. I just think it's both interesting and a good thing that suppliers of ARTF kits are now seeing a market for kits and supplying it. I think there are others. Andrew Price: I've never been charged for anything I've had posted from China, including BangGood, though none of it for as much as £100. I have been charged for things from the USA but not all. In fact I received a FrSky X8R non-EU receiver and a current telemetry module from HK's International warehouse this morning with no problems. Actually I'd happily pay duty and VAT for imported items if there was a simple way of doing it. The only reason I bought the receiver from HK is to avoid the hassle of reprogramming a new one bought here. Geoff

I've bought a few indoor 'toy' helipcopters from BangGood (v911) and been very satisfied with them with lots of flights in the local village hall and even in the house Now they are advertising a Tiger Moth laser cut kit here: **LINK** It almost makes me wish I wasn't 99% through completing my DB Tiger Moth that's only very slightly bigger (1.5 metres v 1.4). At less than £80 posted from China it looks worthwhile looking at. I would think there's quite a lot more to do (working out battery installation for one) but it could be the basis for a very attractive model. Not only that, they sell 5 metres of covering film for around £10 posted! Not Solartex type but pretty good value. Geoff

Boddo was certainly one to chat to the plebs ... even me! He attended the RR(Hucknall) MAC scale weekend a couple of times and was just one of the flyers rather than an aeromodelling celebrity. I had a DB models Gringo kit I'd bought as a dusty box from my local shop and mentioned it to him. He said he didn't recall it and suggested it may have been designed by a later owner of DB - Chart? Just as well it wasn't his as it was a lousy flyer even though it looked quite good - although it could have been my incompetance, of course It's great that DB Sport and Scale is still in business and hopefully thriving. There are a few of their kits I have an eye on once the current backlog is reduces a bit. Geoff

I'm pretty sure Phoenix doesn't run on an Apple Mac in any case. So you're stuck with a Windows PC (actually I prefer Windows machines because you're not tied to a single source for spares/hardware support so not stuck all that badly IMO) I run Phoenix on Win 7 but I have no experience of later versions. Geoff

I would be very wary of using a 'recovered' battery in an old transmitter. The transmitter and its battery are critical to a successful flight and there is zero tolerance for failure. I'm guessing the original battery was of fairly low capacity (500mAh x 9.6v - 8x1.2v?) so you could easily fit a modern battery, physically much smaller but of equal, and probably greater, capacity and pack it for security. OTOH Overlander advertise a pack suitable for Futaba Gold transmitters **LINK** Geoff

Posted by Peter Miller on 14/11/2015 11:19:01: I like to think of it as "eyeball scale" or " Stand way, way off scale" That describes perfectly the DB Tiger Moth I seem to be spending a lot of time detailing. Yesterday spent fashioning a pair of windscreen frames from lithoplate is a case in point (I made 4 - 2 were scrap). I just want it to look reasonably OK to its 'father' even if everyone else thinks its ugly Geoff

Releasing your bank details isn't a big deal. Your account number and bank sort code are on every cheque you issue (not many these days - I think my last one was for last year's club subs). They're not a secret and only allow money to be paid in not withdrawn. Anyway, as Jack writes, if it's too good to be true it probably is. A lot of con tricks rely on the mark's greed and desire for easy money ... to their cost. Not always the case. A former colleague of mine got conned out of £50 through his good nature. Someone claimed he'd lost his wallet and needed the money to get home. He took Andy's address and said he would send him a cheque. The sad thing is, Andy strongly suspected it was a con but, out of good nature and the convincing sob story, handed over the money. He told me about it the following morning at work. Geoff

The channel used for each function depends on how the transmitter is set up. Because I started out with a Futaba transmitter I always use the aetr sequence and set up both my Multiplex 3030 and now my Taranis like that. So my Frsky receiers have the throttle channel on number 3. As others have said, always remove the prop when setting up a model. If nothing else it saves blowing any stray paper all over the workshop when the motor runs. Can save irritating blood stains too Geoff

I think you mean frogspawn, kc And perhaps the unidentifiable gelatanous red stuff was rose hip syrup which was part of the staple puddings when I was at grammar school in the early 50s. I remember school dinners with some affection. They were cooked on the premises and were mostly enjoyable and filling. It was my main meal of the day in the week. I think the reason we survived the all the sweet food was that firstly there wasn't all that much of it really (sweets were still rationed) and, secondly, we were very active. I'm not generally very sporty but we played lots of ball games at break times amongst ourselves and I walked everywhere so, despite spending hours with my nose in a book, I got lots of exercise. Geoff Edited By Geoff Sleath on 13/11/2015 11:55:44

Well, I went to school in Nottingham (Bulwell, actually) and I've never heard of it, either. It's probably after my time as I left in 1956 You can tell how long ago it was because I travelled every day by steam hauled train and the local station platform was gas lit. Geoff

That's sad, Brian. I'm sure a review would have helped everybody, the magazine, buyers and, not least, Seagull, who would have been able to correct any problems at the cheapest point - the source. It certainly looks good in your picture and dwarfs your handsome helper Geoff

Posted by Brian Cooper on 12/11/2015 11:08:33: Seagull Spitfire. . . A really badly engineered kit -- quite literally the only piece of the kit which was any good was one retract unit. . It would have been quicker to build a new model from scratch rather than having to sort out all the problems, but they are indeed sorted out now and the model flies superbly. It looks pretty too. Powered with a DLE 35-RA. I assume you'll be doing a full review for one of the magazines, Brian . It would be interesting to see a review that tells it like it is but ends up with a worthwhile model. The route you took would help potential buyers, I'm sure. Geoff