Geoff S

Not just 2 penguins, but 34 - there are 17 penguin species! At least, they could swim, the kangaroos had to hop from Australia!

I think I've seen that sign. We used to cycle to York every year and camp on the Knavesmire for the CTC annual national rally. Sadly, like the Barkstone Heath nationals, no longer a thing (or, at least, a shadow of its former self).

It's funny but, sadly, true to life. I'm getting deafer as I age (my right ear is almost completely deaf) and it's very isolating. Hearing aids are far less effective solutions to hearing than spectacles are to sight.

The blackthorn lines the A38 about 3/4 mile away from us, and it's spectacular this year. We looked at the hawthorn on our walk but, as yet, no sign of the may blossom. It was sunny and windy but the ground is sodden and now we're getting even more rain.

The 'C' code is indicative of the internal resistance of the battery but most manufacturers exaggerate. I have a meter to measure internal resistance accurately and hence the 'C' rating - none live up to the spec claimed. Theoretically, a 30C rating means you can draw 30 x capacity safely - so 66 amps from a 30C 2.2 AH LiPo. I rarely push my packs hard so I'm happy with lower C ratings, but anyone flying ducted fans (say) needs a battery capable of sourcing high currents and must opt for high C.

The esc doesn't 'know' the source of its energy as long as it's within its voltage range. Use whatever battery you choose but a 3S 2200 LiPo is very popular and a roughly uniform dimension.

Took this over our fence into next door's field this afternoon. 2 black Ryedale lambs. The blackthorn is in flower, lots of snowdrops and daffodils soon ready to bloom, may will be out soon so we can 'cast a clout' - spring is on its way 🤞

That's true, but inrunners are a lot more expensive than outrunners. I replaced the motor on my Phoenix 2K motor glider with a Hobbyking Gliderdrive motor, which is an enclosed outrunner with connections right at the back - ideal for a slim-nosed glider. Unfortunately, I don't think they are available now. Just keep the connecting wires held tight away from the rotating part, or simply use the brushed motor you have. You'll already be saving a lot of weight with the battery, and this is a learning tool, not a competition aircraft. You don't need very much power if all you're going to use the motor for is to gain height and look for natural lift. I don't think I've ever got anywhere near exhausting a 3S 2200 mAH LiPo before getting bored enough to land 🙂

It's extremely difficult to avoid Chinese 'rubbish'. Most of it works very well and is ubiquitous in the hobby.

I was working and living in digs 120 miles from home when I was 17 in 1957 without any adult supervision at all. What little money I had was spent on my motorcycle (an old BSA C11 250cc ohv) and that wasn't much. Perhaps it was the lack of cash that kept me on the straight and narrow! I didn't feel deprived because we were all in the same boat. I wasn't officially an adult and able to vote until 21. I used to go to motor-cycle shows and events back in the 50s and 60s when they were packed and was a club member for years organising and competing in trials etc. I think, starting aeromodelling in the early/mid 1990s after I retired early, I caught the start of the decline. As a child, I and most of my friends made things from pram-wheeled wagons to model railway bits or 'phones' using ex-WD earphones and throat mikes, as well as the odd aeroplane. The problem is, now youngsters don't need to make anything - it's as easy to buy. Not their fault - it just is.

First, ditch the elevator connected motor switch. They don't work well as I found with my first model (a Precedent Electrafly) which lasted about as long as your first Easy Pigeon and I wasn't 10 - more like 52 🙂 The brushed motor will be OK but get a suitable brushed speed controller capable of passing around 30 amps. Use a 3S 2200 MaH LiPO for energy. You will need a suitable 2.4gHz transmitter/receiver combination (a 4 channel system will be adequate but, if you want to go further, then get one with more channels. My experience is with Frsky but Radiomaster seem to be both cheap and popular - needs research). I notice that the servos are Sanwa - at one time they had different polarity from anyone else, so check. The positive connection must be in the centre pin of the 3 way plug - it's a bit fiddly but they can be changed over if they're wrong. A failure will burn out the servos. Of course, you could always swap the servos for new, but I guess these will not have had much use. Make sure your motor runs the right way (anti-clockwise viewed from the front) - if it's the opposite, just swap the connectors over. Get someone with experience look it over before you fly it. The best way is to join a local club - or, at least, go over and see them.

Wasn't it Biggles Elder Brother who suggested starting at the propeller and working back - certainly when converting from a glow engined design? Say the original power drove a 12x6 prop at 8k rpm then that's what you might aim for with an electric motor. I tend to go for a much bigger, heavier motor when doing a conversion because you'll need the weight anyway and the motor will be very underused and stay cool. The next thing to take into account is the likely all-up weight and that will give you an idea of the power you need (100 watts/lb is a common assumption but something like a Tiger Moth might be OK for scale flying with less (say 80 watts/lb). One advantage of fitting a much bigger motor than you need is that it gives you the option of increasing the prop pitch or diameter to increase power. Just look at the suggestions at 4Max for various models similar to yours and go from there. I tend to go for a 4S LiPo set up on medium-sized models because there's less current for the same power and the weight is often useful.

I tried one but I have my PC and its various attachments on a common filtered 4 outlet mains extension screwed to the side of my desk and that stops the WiFi, too. Just came across this quote by Bjarne Stroustrup, a programmer (or coder as they seem to be called now). He said “I have always wished for my computer to be as easy to use as my telephone; my wish has come true because now I can no longer figure out how to use my telephone.” My feelings exactly 🙂 And I used to do some programming as part of my job.

How does the charger 'know' you're plugged into the 3S or the 2S balance connector? Mine certainly doesn't and it displays individual cell voltages.

Altitude isn't really necessarily a factor. We're pretty high up (our village is called Heage, which is a contraction of High Edge) but DAB doesn't always work well. We've been on a campsite near the N Norfolk coast where there was no TV signal at all, according to friends who had one in their van. It also doesn't help that our 19th century stone cottage's rooms are like Faraday's cages, and trying to get WiFi into all of them is a nightmare (EE doesn't work indoors at all). WiFi's OK if you live in a brick-built house with stud and plaster internal walls, but for us - not so much. That wasn't a factor when we bought it 40+ years ago 🙂 I just had to update the number of mains power socket from one to how many we have now - a lot, but still not enough! It's worst in summer when the trees to the SW of our garden are in full leaf because that's the direction of the transmitter and mobile mast. Don't know where the TV transmitters are because we don't have a TV and, hence, no antenna.

There's no real need to change the balance connector. You just plug it into the 3S socket and the charger will 'know' it's a 2S LiPo as all the balance connectors on a charger are wired together.

You're right, I'd forgotten that. It's Radio 2 btw - the Light Programme when I was fixing valve radios for a living 🙂

Things do, indeed, move on. However, often not in a universally beneficial direction. VHF Band 1 and 3 (BBC and ITV) no longer transmit TV signals (the ones I learned how to repair when I was a teenager, when a lot of receivers only received band1 - 40 to 80 Mhz!). However, Band 2 carries VHF FM broadcasts still, but how long before that ends and we have to rely on very dodgy DAB digital radios? We have several DAB receivers, and reception isn't always OK and probably unusable as car radios. Is Radio 2 still on LW 200kHz? As it broadcasts Test Match Special, it'll probably continue 🙂

I'm pretty sure my Frsky transmitter charge inputs have a positive centre orientation. I remove the batteries in my Taranis to charge because it's easy to do but I use the supplied charger for my Horus because removing the battery means opening the case (6 screws IIRC). Which reminds me, I have to replace the RTC battery again - they only last about 2 years and are a pain to replace.

My commiserations. I did something equally stupid when I tried to charge my first Frsky Taranis with a 'smart' charger, not realising there is an inbuilt charge circuit and blew a SMD device on the mainboard. Also, like you, I am (was?) an electronics engineer, so equally shaming. However, I did succeed in replacing the SMD mosfet myself but it wasn't easy. It's certainly worth having a look. It's certainly odd that the centre pin is negative, when the almost universal convention is that it's positive in just about every case. Rather like Sanwa(?) using a different servo pin allocation from everyone else, which cost me a servo on one occasion.

It's the phone, not the sim card. If your phone is 4G compatible, then you'll be fine. Vodaphone? Check the spec on Settings/Network & internet/Mobile network if you're using an Android phone.

Probably 25% of the wing chord would be safe but you could always contact Slec and ask them what the CoG should be. It'll probably be the same as the T240 (adjusted for scale) which they still sell. I still have Slec's 1996 booklet/catalogue but, unfortunately, the CoG isn't given. Balsa prices are, though, and they're a revelation - 1/16" x 3"x 36" for 38p 🙂

That happened to me when I was on a pedal cycle - the cat ran off after fetching me off my bike and the consequences were/are quite serious. I just wish pet owners would take responsibility for their animals - particularly cats.

I have an iCharger 308 duo which I bought at a show from Nexus a few years back (IIRC Tim Hooper egged me on to buy it! - He'll probably deny it!). It was just short of £200 but seems to be discontinued now. It's a bit fiddly to set up with lots of options but shows the voltage and IR of each cell; I would want those features on any new charger I bought. It is DC only but I use an inexpensive modified server power supply which copes easily with this and my older Graupner Ultramat 16 which has a mains option but is probably also no longer available. I would also look for maximum cell number to suit your possible future needs and the number of cell type options. I use the Li-Ion option to charge the yet untested Li-Ion field charge battery I made a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure all the suggestions made my Ron and PDB will be fine.

It's probably better not to charge to 4.2v/cell anyway in the interests of longevity. Set your charger to 4.15v/cell. Was the pack balanced before the charge and what's the internal resistance of the cells (if your charger offers the option of measuring it)? If the cells are over 10 milliohms each, then they're probably past their best, but it depends on how hard you're pushing the output current if that's really an issue. You may have opted for a high voltage pack to keep current low for the power you need.