Erfolg

Myron I have looked for the fabled Albert on this site, cannot find him. Is he as real as "Puff the Magic Dragon" Expectant Erfolg

Jetsome I collected. They do deliver, although one sheet may cost more in delivery charges than for the foam. Sheffield insulation appear to have sites all around the UK. Just be talking to another modeller, who told me that Sheffield are the only people to carry the stuff as stock. I have just run out of the foam I was using, think it was called "Rohrcell". It was firmer than Blue Foam, would take resin etc. I now have to find or be told of the limitations of Blue Foam. Can I cyno, dope it for finishing? Regards Erfolg

Timbo I certainly agree there are differences between Lipos. The question for me, what are the differences. Are the differences substantial and important. Yes there will be people trying to sell, poorer products, as a quality which only the label aspires to. I think primarily this occurs when the manufacturers( as apposed to assemblers) increase the performance of their products. A new standard is set. The old product is then often difficult to sell on. Small assemblers may be tempted to buy this product, at a discount and sell on with an inflated performance potential, printed on the label. Yet there are companies in the far east, who are striving to establish there own brand products, that compare well with some of the European/USA brand names, at a fraction of the cost. They often have far better links and working relationships with the cell producers, who are often established in the same region  How do we tell one from another. Well, site like this, the flying field, club meetings, some retailers (who are trusted), where experiences are exchanged.  In short collective knowledge and experiences. I have seen expensive cells puffed up, with sad owners and happy bunnies with El Cheapo Lipos. Sometimes it is what has happened to the Lipo that is as important as who made it. An Opinionated Erfolg

I now have my blue foam From Sheffield Insulation (Trafford Park, Manchester)  Dow Corning Floormate X200 50mm, 8*4 feet Cost? £11.20 Thanks for all your help and guidance A Happy Erfolg

Flanker I thought you were having a laugh. I like the crew, they have character. Grahamd I was disapointed this morning, I thought you would have finished the construction phase by now. You have had plenty of time for painting. So where are the aerial shots? It is at least a day from your last posting! Erfolg

This thread ties neatly with a parallel thread regarding charging/balancing plug configuration. Your general observations on cell performance, fit nicely with my general hopes. That the difference between brands, would possibly be not worth fighting over (although I am sure some would).It seems that the balancing plugs are the final defence, of some of the big brand names. Regards Erfolg

Bob I have seriously considered making tailplanes at 10%. You may ask why not 15% for greater stability. Well, the original set up was pretty near perfect. With such a long moment arm, excessive weight at the rear requires a lot of lead at the front. Which I would like to avoid. Thanks for the interest. Regards Erfolg

Timbo I certainly agree you regarding large vehicles. My daughter when working in A&E (during her training), said that any collision with a bus or (truck) by a pedestrian, was almost certainly a death (even at low speed). You have a point on the flight line, there can be improvements. I think we should consider how and when do people have accidents. Are the occurrence of accidents sufficient to really worry? Are the accidents totally unique  to the operation of model aircraft. I suspect compared to other activities, riding horses, hill walking, golfing, that model aircraft operation compares favourably in the low risk category. However we should not be reckless, and continue to consider what we do. Whilst keeping things in proportion and balanced (risk to benefit). Some will demand the elimination of all accidents. I believe this is impossible. Many industries and government routinely decided if measures should be taken by determining the cost of improvement against the frequency of event. This is done on a daily basis, it is not done only for extraordinary events. I have also noted that some of the worst offenders are the first to point a finger of blame at others. Regards Erfolg  

Does any one know a postal or E-Mail address for Edmonds Model Products, otherwise known as EMP. It seems hard to imagine that such a prodigous manufacturer can disappear. Perhaps Sean Bannister (I understand), the designer of some of EMP products. Regards Erfolg

I suspect that manufactures see a commercial advantage in being different. You potentially lock in your customer base, and place doubt on the wisdom of purchasing a newcomers products.I certainly agree that I would like to see:a) Standardisation on a propriety plug, no manufactures specialsb) Wired to a standard configuration.c) A standard methodology in defining discharge C ratingA number of big names will probably only accept (reluctantly) standardisation if it is to their standard.I think I get the hint that there is a perception that some of the Lipos are more dangerous than others. I suspect that this is not so. It possibly is the discharge rating that is open to abuse. I have read (therefore do not know if it is true), that there are only four major manufactures of cells. Hundred of cell assemblers though. What I am trying to say it is what we do that causes the problem, not the cell.I have learnt that you have to be careful with brand names (work with PR team), that the major objective is to turn a base product into gold, by branding, product placement, product support and above all tell the public yours is "simply the best". Let others run down the competition, with a little nudge and wink.I think it is the vested interest that is the main problem. I hope that the dangers of Lipos are over stated. As they are used in mobile phones, laptop computers, power tools. If the dangers are really real, there will be a lot of incidents around the world.Undecided Erfolg 

Some one must have a EMP 3m Algebra, so many were flown, surely it cannot disappear without trace.I have lost my tail planes and desperately need some one to give me the dimensions.I seem to remember that the area was less than 10% of the wing area. I guess because of the long Tail Moment.I will now plead again. Get into that attic, garden shed and get me building, it stops me typing. Yes you know it makes sense. Please please help.Regards Erfolg 

John get a life We now live in a world, where mini roundabouts are installed on our streets to improve safety. At my local mini, there has been a number of accidents, cars colliding side on, cars running into the backs of others. The local road department has no record of any accidents at this round about. It is a complete sucess. What was the problem you ask. Well, a stolen car ran into a lamp post, whilst racing another car (untraced). The driver was killed, oh, if that mini round about had been there, a life would have been saved, or would it. John if you are really into eliminating or reducing avoidable risk. Ask yourself, should I fly  model aircraft. It is up to you. But do not tell me what to do. I can make my own judgements.  Sick of do gooders Erfolg

Would aluminium foil do the same? It is potentially lighter, easily formed into a shape (if desirable). Erfolg

Brian is soooo right. Whilst you continue modeling, it wont be your last cock up. You will also break your models. Just sign up to the Jimbo school of repairs, you will come to see that it makes sence. Regards (must get back to my replacement tailplanes) Erfolg

Jetsome and Timbo For a moment or two, I thought you guys were serious. I to am curious at what is just around the corner. Although I think it is very difficult to predict, how technology will develop and at what pace.The idea of a wireless system sounds great. The only problem I see, is that each discrete piece of equipment, will need a power supply (a battery?). Although servo leads may have been eliminated, wont there be either power cables and or multiple charging sockets. The radio systems have become so convenient, that I find it difficult to see, what really would make my life easier. Significant steps have been made in user friendliness, servo reversing, model attribute allocation etc.I can only think of two things which could be better. a)     Computer interface which is more pictorial and intuitive, like windows or Mac. Less of the hierarchal sequential file structures. b) At present models can be tossed about in bad weather. A smoothing system might be useful, where divergence from the heading is controlled or limited, without a control input from the ground link. I guess model helicopter technology does this already?  As for glitches, I have had them, the worst was being swamped by an adjacent split (27MHz). People have always told me these things cannot happen. I believe it did. Most interference seems to happen for milliseconds periods, do these systems I have read about in the distant past, of doing a check sum on each pulse of binary code not work? I assume that that is part of present control systems. Not being electronically literate, I haven’t a clue.  If people like Jetsome do not float ideas, it does make harder for developers, who often  feed of others and float development concepts within their organisations.  I come from an era when I spent hours writing simple programs, having them transferred to punch cards, I would then take the stack to the mainframe room, to have them run overnight. One tiny error, and the program would fail (next morning). I thought this will never catch on. In a way I was right, things need to easy and convenient, to be truly useful. Regards Erfolg

Do not worry about the noise!Tell the neighbours,” its my new powered lawn mower". Say, wife wants me stop using it and start with "late evening barbecues with disco". Ask neighbours which they prefer.If they do not see sense, ask for help in building disco stage. Casually enquire, do they think that 1000W amplifier will be enough. Agony Aunt Erfolg

Every one, thank you for your efforts. They have helped.Just like defining pie (3.142). The idea is the important thing. Ratio of radius to diameter. The detail of it being an irrational number, calculated by integration of a quarter circle (amongst other methods). Just gets in the way of the important bit for most of us "the idea". It is a pity that some of the concepts are not mentioned in the reviews, as I would have been far more convinced that this was a step forward, rather than another marketing ploy. In passing, would this technology make the UHF frequency band viable for modellers?Thanks again for your patience. Best Regards Erfolg 

Timbo I am getting the gist of what you are saying. But not intrest in how and why things work, I do not believe it! I do wonder if the rapid developments that we have seen with electrics (Brushless  and Lipos etc) will be repeated with 2.4GHz. Or has all the advancements taken place in the main market, mobile phones etc. I have found your  writtings on the subject interesting and thank you for an insight. How much thinks stretched (the stressess, strains, cycles to failure) at 9000 rev/min, under accelerated revolutions was once my bread and butter type problems. They are all very interesting issues and not to be knocked (in my biased opinion).   Regards Erfolg 

Colin I may have had a similar problem with my Olf Futaba set (FP-7FG). I spoke to the supplier of the speed controller that I was using. I think they told me that the speed controller is looking for a pulse length below a specific rate, to arm. They suggested that I move the throttle trim to its lowest limit. That solved the problem for me. I hope that helps Erfolg

JetsomeYour answer begs at least two other questionsa) Is there no electrical noise at 2.4Ghz region?b) Why does it (noise) not effect 35MHz, with the present arrangements. Yet noise would become a problem with the 2.4Ghz channel hopping concepts etc. if applied to 35MHz. Please keep answers simple as my electronic knowledge is minimal. Although I have successfully designed and tested electronic circuits using Electronic Cad technology. It scares me these days how good CAD packages are, yet the user may know so little and get a result. It is often only on the (diastorous) failure of a system that the inadequacies of the designer become apparent (CAD operator, me in this instance). Erfolg

What is the reason that the same technology and ideas used on 2.4GHz, cannot, or is not used on 35MHz systems? Regards Erfolg

Thanks for the feedback Erfolg

They do not like doing a left hand curcuit, as much as a right hand curcuit. They tend to loose height, during the left and gain during the right. I guess it is a gyroscopic thing. I would think that some one will explain why. Get to near the ceiling, and another effect kicks in, tends to move with determination onto the ceiling. Walls have similar effect, I think that one is called the Collander (if spelt correctly) effect (normally associated with rotating cylinders or chimneys with air passing them etc). Regards Erfolg

Doug I agree that "Bakers Fluid" is a very good active flux. I just do not find it convienant for the amount of steel, tin plate soldering I do. I have a good few Kgs of cored solder, from the electrics/electronics industry. I just felt that  an active cored solder would sometimes be better. Although you ususlly coat the surfaces to be joined with flux (as I know you know), so I am not sure how an active cored solder would work, ie the surface potentially would oxidate before flux would run. I always assumed that cored solder used on "end feed fittings" was just the same stuff we used in the electrical industry, but with a precoatings of a Frys type flux on the copper, to prevent oxidation before the resin and solder melted. Is it different? Regards Erfolf 

A watt meter is essential. Unless you know from the supporting documents, what the motor will draw with a specific propeller, measuring is not prudency, it is a necessity. As stated by Timbo I have found that that there are differences from figures quoted for a one peice propeller and folderers etc. Sometimes suprisingly. Seems to depend not only on pitch and diameter, but also on the mass (radius of gyration etc). I think the difference between the controllers that I generally purchase (and Timbos, I purchase mainly budget) is that you set the controller to the battery type and voltage, as part of the set up. If you then connect up something else, they all just sit there beeping. Failsafe. The Tornado I have is different, you set nothing, it works out everything for itself. But there is a warning with the controller, the battery must be fully charged, or it may become confused and set itself incorrectly. "Plug and Play" The only two expensive controllers I have are Kontronics. They are all right. For what I do, no better than the budgets.   Regards Erfolg