Seagull X-Ray Power setup

[Tony H]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have just recently purchased a Seagull X-Ray EP 3D ARF and have just finished building it. However the AUW is a fair bit more than stated on the box, the box says 20-25oz (598g-709g) mine has weighed in as 32oz AUW which seems a fair bit higher!

 

My initial Power setup was wrong with too heavy and powerfull BL motor up front (E-MAX BL2815 46A), I have finally opt'd for an E-MAX 2810 1100Kv 38-40A with a 35Amp ESC and a 2200 3s Lipo (25C) with 4x 12g Metal geared servos. This all up gives me the 32oz weight.

 

I've tested a few props with this setup and a 10x6 EMP prop gives me about 333Watts and 29.5Amps @11.5V which is a little more than I need. I have ordered a 10x5 and a 10x4.7 I will update this and let you know what they do.

 

I would guess the 10x5 EMP prop would do 299Watts & 26Amps and the 10x4.7 would do about 280Watts & 24.5amps

 

What do you think of my setup? has anyone else got the Xray? I would appreciate and advice or feedback you could offer. Thanks

 

Tony H

 

 

Edited By Tony H on 08/07/2011 00:03:37

Edited By Tony H on 08/07/2011 00:03:58

[Tony H]

I've just tested the new EMP 10x4.7 prop and it gives me strangely 29Amps and 308Watts where as my APC-E Style 10X5 Prop gives me 26Amps and 280Watts I think I will be using the 10X5 prop.

Also I noticed the weight advertised for the plane on the box is different to on the front of the instructions (box - 20-25oz 567g-709g) but on the front of the manual it says 26.5-35oz 750-1000g (which is more acurate) mine is 32oz.

[Simon B]

The X-Ray is quite fragile, so don't over power it. My Dad had one and put a 200w motor in and it was more than sufficient. It's not a fast model.

[Tony H]

Thanks Simon, I have heard this a lot about it being fragile any tips on what I should make stronger? I was hoping to be able to prop hang and hover a bit which I think I would need a little more than 200w? although in hindsight I may have gone for a slightly less powerfull and lighter motor it weighs 116g with mount but the advertised weight is 82g.

I have also noticed on forums most people are flying with less amps/watts than my setup on 1350MAH lipos. I could put a 9x4.7 prop on it which would reduce the power and amp drain so I can use 1300MAH lipos to keep the weight down, what do you think?

[Tony H]

Change of plan, the centre of gravity was way too far forward with this motor, I have now changed it to a little 250w motor 25a max with a 10x5 APC style prop it pulls 22amps @11v giving me 238Watts. I think this is the better option, plus it's about 46g lighter than the previous motor at 60g. I just hope it's little 3mm shaft can handle it!

Edited By Tony H on 08/07/2011 20:42:58

[Simon B]

You'll find the fuselage is very fragile. Just picking it up can result in small crunches. I'd suggest some cross braces would help.

 

The new motor set up looks much more realistic!

[buster prop]

I bought an X-Ray from BRC Hobbies 2 years ago with a 2217-9T motor, which is rated at 220W and 950Kv. My X-Ray flies very well with this motor on a 3S 2200 LiPo and a 10 x 5 prop. I measured the power and current draw and got about 210W at just over 20 Amps, I used a Hi Model 33A ESC and HS55's for the ailerons and Naro servos for the rudder and elevator, radio is Spektrum with an AR500 receiver. It's a good plane, and I've flown it a lot the only thing I had to do was strengthen the U/c mounting by fitting hardwood blocks for the bent ends of the U/C legs to fit into. Prevuiosly the ends were supported by thin ply plates and after a few landings the legs were getting wobbly as the slots widened. I've had just one crash last Feb with it, when I had to re-build the nose.

[Tony H]

Thanks Buster prop, I have since changed the motor again for one with a robust 4mm shaft as I bent the last one when I turned it on accidently with the ESC reversed cutting my leg ouch!, I'm pleased with it's replacement EMax GT2215/10 1100Kv 72g which seems just right for the plane on a 10x5 APC style prop pulling 22amps giving me around 240watts @ 11v.

 

I have to say I haven't found it to be as week as everyone is saying, I did soak the motor mount and undercarriage blocks with cyno before I flew it after 3 quite heavy landings so far nothing has broken.

 

Can I ask, do you find the stall is quite heavy? I tested it out at height flying very slowly and the model drops forward quite quickly in the stall, I also found it tricky to land because of this characteristic, you have to land under power otherwise it stalls and drops on to the ground.

[buster prop]

Sorry about the leg Tony. I didn't cyano the u/c blocks and apart from the u/c problem I haven't found it to be a weak plane. The nose end rebuild on mine was because of a stall when turning in to land, the X-Ray isn't a plane to do cut and glide landings you need to keep some power on. On that day I didn't use enough and went a bit too slow. Our pilot box is 1/2 way along the strip so when landing I fly towards myself losing height on about 1/4 throttle and then turn it with the rudder onto the strip, then throttle down when very low and lined up.

[Tony H]

What did your AUW come to in the end Buster Prop? Mine was 32oz CofG 7cm at the tips (first rib). The original/older version must have been built lighter and weaker as the out of date box spec states 20-25oz, I am using 2200 lipos ang 12g MG servos though

Edited By Tony H on 13/07/2011 14:45:23

[buster prop]

My X-Ray weighs about 26oz with a 2200 battery, maybe its the early version. The manual says the cg should be 7cm behind the l.e. at the wingtip. I found this odd because cg is usually measured at the wing root but never mind. Mine is slightly forward since the repair at about 6cm. I re-checked the Watts and get 240W but with a newer battery since I originally measured it. That's plenty for such a light plane and it does leap off the ground and will climb vertically. It should do 3D flying in the right hands but I do like to fly large loops and have done vertical 8's. The X-Ray will knife edge well and can do a lot more than I'm capable of. An underrated plane in my opinion.