Will Anderson

Here's mine, finished it today

Thanks Paul. I found a 1ltr can made of HDPE. It's much neater than the 1/2 gallon. My soldering isn't a pretty sight. Thank goodness for heat shrink Glow box finished... And tested... seems to be working ok.

Thanks Steve. Iv'e ordered a battery box for a single D cell, I think I called it a clip. The ammeter looks identical to the one Iv'e ordered. The USB (5 volt) connection is only used to charge the D cell which is rated at 4 Amps / 1.5v. I don't have a dedicated charger for D cells so I thought it's worth a punt.

1/2 gallon fuel attached. I'll probably downsize to a 1 litre jerry can. Inner tray is a useful 3/4 size A couple of silicone grommets to protect the radio. The lid wouldn't close even with the antenna fully down so came up with this solution. And to keep the lost tray space to a minimum, I used clear silicone to attach a couple of plastic pieces. So far so good I think.

I stopped work on my field box and spent a few days thinking about the ideas and suggestions on this thread. Yesterday I was in B&Q and picked up a Stanley plastic toolbox for £10. Today I ordered a 3 cell lipo and a small plastic project case that will be attached to the starter. I will keep and use the 12v SLA battery for a later project, maybe a portable field charger for when I eventually go with electric power. Iv'e also ordered a panel mount AMP meter, a USB rechargeable D battery with holder and a small plastic box to house them. I'll re-use some old speaker binding posts that take banana plugs for the glow clip leads. Thanks to everyone the the feedback, I'll post some pics as the work progresses.

Posted by cymaz on 12/03/2019 06:44:28: Nigel R, I converted an old starter to 11.7v lipo. Excellent. Edited By cymaz on 12/03/2019 06:48:16 How many milliamps is your battery cymaz?

Posted by paul coleman 1 on 12/03/2019 16:55:27: Yes i like it too,it looks rustic,and well made,unlike todays aquivalent which dont. Totally agree, well made and well thought out. Wish I had the tools and skills to do one like that.

Posted by Peter Miller on 10/03/2019 08:14:48: Out in my old shed I have a collection of field boxes. Everyone lighter than the previous one. I now use a couple of glow sticks, a small starter powered by a 6 cell nicad, a light plastic fuel pump and a 1 litre fuel can. All in a small light box mainly of 1/8" ply. Even lugging that 200 yards is a pain so a very light folding sack trolly helps. Of course at over 80 one might expect the need for lightness but even people giving nearly 20years have learned that it is a long drag up a gentle slope with a heavy tool box and they need to sit down for ten minutes to recover. I bet you are looking for lighter alternatives soon. Edited By Peter Miller on 10/03/2019 08:15:51 Peter, at 53 I'm a mere slip of a lad. Hopefully, wisdom will kick in and I'll have a lighter solution before I need a sit down

Posted by Denis Watkins on 10/03/2019 08:57:23: 2 Jubilee clips, 1 at each inside end of the alloy tubing Will Stops the tube sliding out from the box Ask me how I know why?   Edited By Denis Watkins on 10/03/2019 08:59:25 Did it involve sore toes? J D 8, Your box looks taller and has more room above the fuel can for the pump. I mav use this in version 2. ken, I was thinking of using a plastic ammo box but didn't think having fuel and electrics in a confined space is a good idea.     I suppose it would be ok with the battery disconnected during transport  Thanks to all for feedback   Edited By Will Anderson on 10/03/2019 11:18:09

Malcolm, I did start out with a 7ah motorbike battery but it's quite old and probably down on performance, so I opted for a new 7ah sealed battery that's about half the weight. I did consider an electric pump but some research found many are not very reliable so decided on the hand pump. Allan, I will be cutting the corners at 45 degrees but not totally flush with the power panel. I'll leave them a bit proud to offer the panel some protection from knocks etc. Doc, I like the idea about alloy tubing for the handle. I think have some in the shed that should be suitable. Cheers for the input guys. Edit: now what can I fit inside the tubing?  Edited By Will Anderson on 09/03/2019 22:42:33

Thanks. It's 9mm and it takes a decent size screw on it's edge. And it's free as well I did notice the weight starting to creep up, luckily the field I'll be flying from is only about 100yds from the car park. Edited By Will Anderson on 09/03/2019 18:17:31

Had a search around the forum and couldn't find much about IC field boxes. As I had some scrap plywood and other materials kicking around I thought I'd give it a go. I copied the design from one that is widely sold in RC shops. It's pretty rough but it's just an experiment that I may make changes to before I take more time to do a final one. Iv'e still to make dividers to hold the radio and starter in place and cut the 2 main uprights to fit a strong handle but it's getting there....

CCM are doing us proud too. They've even got a Spitfire. **LINK**

Certainly not hard to operate a glow engine but it does take a little skill...you'll be well on your way to mastering it if you've been into 2 stroke bike engines (RDs or LCs perhaps...? No Steve, Suzuki man here... 1st twin was a GT185 then a few GT250s then X7s.... crazy days

Iv'e checked the model and it has clevis links to the rear horns and at the servo ends too . After a chat with the instructor at the local club, Iv'e decided to keep the IC engine instead of electric. He suggested that you have an extra sense to hear the model in case you lose sight of it (in the sun for instance). Something thats more difficult with electric. So I'll box up all the leccy bits for a later project. Iv'e had plenty of years experience in my youth, building and tuning 2 stroke twin motorbike engines. So how hard can it be with a wee couple of CCs single?

Thanks Jonathan, I went to the club's field yesterday and met the club instructor and some of the guys. All very open, and friendly and keen for me to join.

Thanks guys. Percy, the picture is one from the build instructions and the arrow was on it already, perhaps I should have cropped it out.

Ok Iv'e found a 11x5, I'll order it tomorrow and keep the test bench as is for now. Next question is maybe for a different section but here goes.. What do you call the part I've circled in the pic? Where the push rod exits the fuselage. I'd like to replace them as they're brittle and starting to crack.

You were pretty close for "an estimate" Peter. I chose that prop size based on your estimate and got an extra two (one larger and one smaller) in case adjustment was needed. I think I'll go with the current setup. My radio has a function to reduce servo travel. So if, for example, I was to set the throttle at 75% would this work with the ESC? The radio is a Futaba T6X Super Edited By Will Anderson on 18/02/2019 17:53:34 Edited By Will Anderson on 18/02/2019 17:54:12

I am a self confessed petrol head, I've been a keen biker for nearly 40 years but despite this, I've decided to go with electric power. I think that for me, it will allow me to concentrate more on learning to fly without the hassle of learning to start and tune the engine properly. I will keep the engine for a future model once I have more experience. So bearing in mind all the sensible safety advice I've made a test bench for the electric stuff On first attempt, the motor ran but I had no throttle control so quickly switched it off. After a bit of reading the radio manual, I realised the previous owner had it set on mode 1. I hadn't thought of this as it worked on mode 2 when connected to the PC simulator. Second attempt on full throttle read 36.5 amp and 550 watts with a 10x7 prop. I have a 11x8 and a 9x7.5 but I think the test setup is a good place to begin installing the parts into the model. Any thoughts would be appreciated Will

Iv'e found a club about 15 mins drive from home. First nice day, I'll go and have a chat if there's any of the guys there. Meanwhile.... School time....

Mmmmmm. The choose-ometer needle just took a big swing towards electric. I have a B&D workmate and a concrete paving slab that will fit neatly under it. I'm still chuckling at 'carol singers'

No apologies necessary Percy, I appreciate your sound advice. I have no hands on experience so I'm glad to hear from those who do.

The cables are red and black and the engine is out of the model so I'll try starting it securely bolted to a piece of hardwood that I'll clamp in a vice in my shed. I have a friend who regularly runs 2 glow powered cars coming to assist. A wee bit of my background: I'm a pump engineer, mostly big centrifugal pumps, also work with ventilation and large air handling units. I have a fair bit of electrical knowledge including 3 phase. I understand how a wing generates lift and force action has a reaction. Most of the principles that affect my work are here in this hobby but on a smaller scale. But I'm still trying to get my head around it.