Tentpeg

If you look at the installation in the Fantom, you will find that the ESC is set into a recess inside the fuselage and is quite a reasonable distance from the Rx and servo wires so I don't think this is a factor with this particular model. It certainly glitched fairly consistently, but unpredictably enough to render it to tiny pieces.

Our flying site at North Berks is pretty well interference free, there have been the rare glitches, but it's debatable as to whether these didn't arise from some other source or from a maintenance problem, loose connection, black wire etc,etc. The only consistent problem is with EDF. Any info on UK distributors for Jeti? Tentpeg.

A lot of you keep talking of Jeti receivers. I have been unable to establish who their distributors are in this country. I have learned from their website that they are made in Czechoslovakia but no other info seems available. Can anyone give some guidance please?

Thanks Mike. I may try to rig up something that is adjustable so I can experiment, but what you say gives me a starting point.

Never had a lot of luck with free flight. My beautiful tissue covered Slicker 50 complete with almost new AM10 just bu****ed off one sad day, never to be heard from again. Probably earned me my very first tentpeg and I never even knew.

Hi Mike, That sounds like a very sensible suggestion. One thing that has occurred to me from your message was the bit about angle of incidence on the foreplanes. I must admit that I thought they were set at the same angle as the main-plane and would simply stall first because of their lack of area, but maybe you have to give them a bit of positive to make sure the go first thence making the nose drop and the subsequent stall a non event?? If so, any ideas how much angle to give them??? I suppose if you made them movable through a servo you would end up with something capable of some extraordinary gyrations like the Eurofighter. I will post any results or progress. Pity we can't send pictures, it could save some time.

Many thanks for the various links Alistair. It all looks very comprehensive, not to mention complicated when you throw a brace of ducks (canards) into the equation as well! I wasn't very good at smelling or grandma either, in fact I wouldn't recommend mine, they've both been gone for a few years now! Regards, Tentpeg.

What is the magic formula for finding the balance point when using unusual wing shapes, deltas for example and how is this affected by the addition of foreplanes (canards)?

Many thanks Alistair, I will let you know how it goes, Tentpeg.

Thanks for the advice. I had planned to connect the speed controller, via the Opto device into channel 3 on the Rx and use the spare channel4 for the supplementary power supply. I have a small NiMH battery for this purpose. How small can this battery be? Regards, Tentpeg.

Hi there, Steve. There is an extension on to the receiver, but nothing else. It's all a bog standard package as supplied with the Fantom. I may be able to get away with a slightly shorter extension with the EZE Fan, but I don't think I will be able to do without any extension at all. I will try the opto isolator as recommended by Alistair and hope that does the trick. I've looked them up on the mtronics site and they are very cheap (under a tenner). Thanks for all your advice chaps. I will get back and let you all know how it works out. Regards, Tentpeg.

Many thanks for the info, Alistair I'll have a look at it. Tentpeg.

I don't follow, why I would need a separate RX nicad. Could you give some indication how it would all be connected together. I do apologise, but I have only recently made this cautious excursion into the electric powered world and am a bit of a dumbo. Regards, Tentpeg.

Can anyone tell me how to avoid interference when operating an EDF such as the Fantom. This model was finally written off as a result of bad glitching and subsequent disorientation. I am planning to cannibalise the main components and build one of the EZE-Fans as featured in July RCM&E, but want to sort the interference problem out first. Any ideas without resorting to an expensive PCM receiver?? Regards, Tentpeg.

Couldn't agree more. We used to have a lot of needle twiddlers at our club, but they now refer to a reprint from a Steve Dorling article, pinned on the clubhouse wall. I reproduce here for your interest. Just follow this and you won't go far wrong... ENGINE SET UP PROCEDURE by Steve Dorling. 1. Charge the tank to about one third full (only). 2. Open throttle wide and close the main needle completely. 3. Open main needle three full turns from closed. 4. Place finger over intake & rotate propeller 6 times. 5. Remove finger and close throttle to one third open. 6. Connect glow battery. 7. Start engine - either by hand or with a starter. 8. Gently (important) open throttle to flat out setting. 9. Remove glow clip (with extreme care). 10. Hold nose of model up at 60 degrees or so with propeller arc well clear. 11. Close main needle valve until engine rpm’s peak. 12. Open main needle one or two clicks from absolute peak rpm. 13. DO NOT TOUCH THE MAIN NEEDLE AFTER THIS POINT. Part two: - IDLE NEEDLE ADJUSTMENT. 1. Close throttle to one quarter (i.e. fast idle) 2. Open secondary needle one quarter turn. 3. WAIT for 5 seconds and observe results. 4. If idle rpm SLOWS, close secondary needle back to where it was. 5. CLOSE secondary needle, wait five seconds and observe results. 6. If idle rpm speeds up then you are heading in the right direction – opening or closing the secondary needle slightly until the idle speed peaks is your goal. 7. Open throttle wide and check response. 8. If engine hesitates open secondary needle by just a click or two. 9. If engine splutters and throws fuel droplets from the intake, close the secondary needle by a click or two. 10. Open throttle wide and recheck the main needle setting with the nose of the model raised. Steve Dorling adds, it is good advice from this point on to set the needles on your model and then reset them at the same time as you reset the needles on the vehicle that brought you to the flying field! IN OTHER WORDS, LEAVE THEM ALONE & DON’T FIDDLE!

Don't Know. Suggest you try to contact the engine maestro himself, Mr Dorling. I'm sure you can get an Email address from one of the magazines. I think the original was in RC Model World Magazine, sometime last year. He says that it is all fairly simple and logical if you follow that sequence and I agree. If you still have problems, you must look to other things like tank positions or air bleeding in through tiny leaks in your plumbing. Let's know if you have success. Regards, Tentpeg.

If you follow these instructions, you can't go far wrong. You will need to know what type of idle screw you have on the carb. If it is the air-bleed type, you will have to screw it in to richen the idle mixture. If the idle screw is in the side of the throttle barrel, it will work the opposite way. This only applies to the idle setting. We have re-printed a copy of this for all to use at our club house and it seems pretty foolproof. Good luck. ENGINE SET UP PROCEDURE by Steve Dorling. 1. Charge the tank to about one third full (only). 2. Open throttle wide and close the main needle completely. 3. Open main needle three full turns from closed. 4. Place finger over intake & rotate propeller 6 times. 5. Remove finger and close throttle to one third open. 6. Connect glow battery. 7. Start engine - either by hand or with a starter. 8. Gently (important) open throttle to flat out setting. 9. Remove glow clip (with extreme care). 10. Hold nose of model up at 60 degrees or so with propeller arc well clear. 11. Close main needle valve until engine rpm’s peak. 12. Open main needle one or two clicks from absolute peak rpm. 13. DO NOT TOUCH THE MAIN NEEDLE AFTER THIS POINT. Part two: - IDLE NEEDLE ADJUSTMENT. 1. Close throttle to one quarter (i.e. fast idle) 2. Open secondary needle one quarter turn. 3. WAIT for 5 seconds and observe results. 4. If idle rpm SLOWS, close secondary needle back to where it was. 5. CLOSE secondary needle, wait five seconds and observe results. 6. If idle rpm speeds up then you are heading in the right direction – opening or closing the secondary needle slightly until the idle speed peaks is your goal. 7. Open throttle wide and check response. 8. If engine hesitates open secondary needle by just a click or two. 9. If engine splutters and throws fuel droplets from the intake, close the secondary needle by a click or two. 10. Open throttle wide and recheck the main needle setting with the nose of the model raised. Steve Dorling adds, it is good advice from this point on to set the needles on your model and then reset them at the same time as you reset the needles on the vehicle that brought you to the flying field! IN OTHER WORDS, LEAVE THEM ALONE & DON’T FIDDLE!

Thanks for the info. I am still trying to find out how to stop the glitching. I saw a reply from some other area in the forum, but can't locate it again. Any ideas anybody?

What's all the rush chaps? I really am quite worried about the amount and violence of the glitching when I had this gear in the Fantom. This what caused its demise and I don't want a repeat of that. It would react to extreme control deflections and the engine kept cutting suddenly in and out with no warning when the throttle was closed. Eventually, I just lost orientation and invented a new aerobatic manoeuvre called, the tentpeg. Maybe someone out there can tell me how to avoid it. I even notice that there is a reference to interference with EDF units in the magazine article. By the way, the Fantom has a brushless motor with a three blade fan claimed to turn about 45,000rpm, has a physical diameter of about 700mm and runs on a 3 cell 2,100mAh LiPo. Do you think this is suitable for the EZE Fan?

Saw the article on the EZE-Fan and was thinking that I may be able to cannibalise my pranged Fantom as all the electrical bits still seem to be in working order. Can anyone tell me if this set up would be of a suitable power and size for the EZE-Fan. I might add that the Fantom met its' demise due to some horrendous glitching and I'm hearing noises about glitching with D/F units is quite common?