Denis Watkins Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 The screws on the back should be Allan screws, and not Philips But if it passed a range test, I would use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Ok: I've covered the battery connector. Take the point on the RX orientation. There is nothing in the Spektrum manual about the RX at all and connections or aerials. Will get some velcrow straps. I'll tape the long aerial to a balsa stringer to keep it straight and 90 deg to the short one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy48 Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Posted by Percy Verance on 16/01/2018 17:37:22: 911 hillclimber Please get some fuel tubing offcuts (or some other insulating material) on those bare-ends on the lipo. If they touch, you might need a new house............ The bare ends are on the ESC not the lipo. That appears to have an XT60 connector, though it could be XT30. These bare connectors are still an issue, see my post above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers Bowlan Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 You will need a packet (5 pairs) of these XT60 connectors hillclimber (from the UK warehouse delivery will take just three or four days) The male plug is soldered onto the red and black wires of the ESC and is polarised to prevent being connected the wrong way round. (a + & - is embossed onto the plug to avoid mis-soldering!). You will also need to solder a male XT60 connector onto your shiny new LiPo charger. Which one did you get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 The Tx manual is probably only for the Tx as there are so many different Rx available. Manuals for anything are online nowadays. The AR610 is here and shows about aerial positions etc. There are also many differnt types of Spektrum DX6 - DX6i, later DX6i, DX6 black, DX6 parkfly etc.... so you need to specify which. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Getting closer to the detail now: Will get the plugs asap! Charger is a simple cheap British one and had 4 pin and 3 pin charging ports, connect to the mains. Doubt it is shiny! Read that receiver link, most helpful. Using my microscopic vision noticed the signal/+/- orientation next to BIND. They couldn't have printed it smaller. The Futaba servos have signal as white, and the +/- as red/black. Similarly the cable from the ESC module. The link also says about the aerials, and a previous poster said rotate the RX 90 degrees on the plate in the plane, he was correct! To keep the long aerial wire straight and at 90 deg I will glue in a small spar and tape the wire to it. Velcro ties are on the way. I will mount the battery on the belly of the fuselage once I have added a balso base to give a good 'plate' for the batt to lay on. Some thin open cell rubber sheet on that, then the batt then 2 x Velcro ties to keep it in place. Some balsa needed to stop lateral movement. Will make the battery change quick. BIND'ing next once charged and batteried-up, not looking forward to this step, technology and me aren't a good match... The TX is simply named 'DX6', no other suffix.(it is black though) Brilliant help from you all, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrman Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 A better solution for holding the aerials in place is to fix a short piece of drinking straw or "snake outer" to the airframe and slide the aerial inside that. Taping is not a good idea as if you have "an arrival" the aerials may be torn out of the Rx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 That's a better idea! I doubt I will have any hard or quick 'arrivals'....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Most people seem find that the Lipo need to go as far forward as possible in the model to avoid using lead to suit the CG. As it's a pain to remove the wing every time the Lipo needs changing. it may be worth considering a more convenient & forward position before fixing, depending on where the CG is now. It,s not really safe to plug the Lipo in with the wing off so most people have the Lipo plug accessible from outside. Note nobody charges Lipo in the model just in case of fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 I can't see how I can do this. The lead length of the battery and the ESC are about 125mm total. To get the connectors outside the plane would mean passing the connection through a hole in the bottom of the fuselage so they are out in fresh air. Pause for thought. I'm beginning to think the Enya engine should have been put back in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Please can anyone post some pictures of ways to have the battery and ESC connectors outside a vintage model please? Any help appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim Taylor Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Rather than running the wiring outside of the fuselage, you could fit some kind of arming plug. This is simply a plug / socket (say an XT60) which you would use to break the +ve wire between the battery and esc. I've attached a photo of the setup which I used in my electrified WOT4XL, which will hopefully give you an idea of how it works. This is the inside view and hopefully below that will be the outside view, showing the plug inserted through the side of the fus. You can also get purpose made plugs and sockets to do the same thing Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Somebody showed a picture of a Junior 60 with the Lipo mounted vertically behind the motor which looked a good idea ( perhaps it was PatMac?) then the connectors were accessible. The lead ESC to Rx is usually long enough then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 Thank you, gives me something to go on. Going to be tricky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 I've come across this thread then saw my name in a post. I did indeed mount the lipo vertically in my Jnr 60. Here's a link to the refurb blog I posted. Hope it's some help. BTW I've also used battery access hatches in the underside of the fuselage on several vintage models. After a quick look through this thread I'm struck by how much wasted space there seems to be in the nose area. Does the box that the motor's mounted to only contain the ESC ? I'd suggest taking the top off it & using it to hold both ESC & battery vertically seperated by a liteply partition. Then an upper cowl keyed at the front and held in place with a pair of magnets to cover the whole area & allow easy access to the battery. Edited By PatMc on 18/01/2018 23:24:28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piers Bowlan Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Personally I don't find having to remove banded on wings to change a battery too irksome, you may find the wings come off after every 'landing' in any event! If it will balance, I would just mount the battery vertically behind F2 (behind the windscreen). It is only a 1300Ah battery so it will fit. If it doesn't balance like that I would then replace your (89g) Futaba 148 servos with something lighter . PS. and /or fit a bigger/heavier lipo behind F2 - or make a battery access hatch in the bottom of the fuselage as PatMc suggests. Decisions, decisions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Spent some time considering all these actions! The STOL isn't as big as a Jr60 although it probably looks large. I'm trying not to butcher it too much in this conversion. I've looked in detail at your 60 build Pat in trying to see an easy way to fix this connection problem. With the motor mount as it is, there is very little room to fit the ESC in the outside of the front bulkhead and in doing so this dictates the battery must go between B1 and B2 which is a good cavity on this model, but hard to get into except for a bottom hatch as your 60. My previous 'design' of mount would allow the ESC to fit next to the motor easy, but tight now. The UC is simply banded to 2 dowels so on one of my rare-to-be hard landing it will move around rather than stress the B1/B" formers, so I think I have to take the knife to the lower panel and minimise the hole and create a hatch as your 60. It is awkward to work in this area because it is all silk covered and doped and I'm trying to preserve it all! I have no probs removing the wing to change the battery. My original plane was to have the battery in the belly of the fuselage right in the CofG range where the original futaba battery set was, both batteries are very similar weight.. I felt this mass in that position would not affect the balance much. I will pop the flying surfaces on and see which position is best. I know I don't want to have to add weight to compensate. Hope to get some time on the plane tomorrow. Got 2 classic cars to fix before the end of March too! Battery fires must be super rare? Thank you for your continued interest in my little project. Graham. Edited By 911hillclimber on 19/01/2018 09:50:17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Watkins Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Some tips HC, as you are considering everything very well The C of G is pretty close, with or without the wing attached So do your rough weight selections with the wing off, as it is easier than on move batt, on move off on off, OK Having a " live " aeroplane from the pilots box to the Pitts with Tx in hand, lifting, carrying, putting down, is prime danger time, and the lads are trying to reduce this by advising cutting a hatch. The live wire break plug gives you instant OFF Your prep is very concise, so a battery fire unlikely. Many of us have seen such a fire due to a heavy landing shorting broken insulation, which we negate with battery straps, good insulation and considered flying. So, the worse happens, bang into the ground, do you take time getting the wing off? Or pull the plug out ? So far you have considered as much as you possibly can, including unknowns You are already minimising problems Good prep leads to season after season of enjoyment with few problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Thank you Denis. Preparation is everything as I've found with the cars I've done for decades, I didn't expect this conversion to be so intricate. A few posts ago when I aske about the main on/off switch I had this in mind as the 'isolator' to the whole electrical supply, but doubt I can do this. The switch I have would certainly not tolerate the current. I think I will be cutting a hatch, hinged and fastened with a small R clip as Pat's Jr60 and mount the ESC under the ply engine mount I made right in the air stream, battery leads feeding to the cavity between B1 and B2 to be connected at the last moment. Before I do this is it ok to have the LiPo stuffed into a tight fitting sponge if I fill B1/B2 cavity or is there a heat issue? Velcro straps just arrived today, so I have a few options now. Sorry for all the Novice questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy48 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 You can actually have an "isolator switch" that will handle the current. Glue an XT60 plug to the side of your model as Kim Taylor showed above, and use a shorted XT60 socket to make the connection. Then wire the positive from the battery to this plug, and the positive from the ESC to the other side of the plug. There is, incidentally, no problem in extending the red and black ESC leads with more 12/14SWG silicon wire. Then even with the battery connected, so long as the shorting plug/arming plug is not inserted the model will be isolated and safe. I only arm the model when out of the pits and on the flying field. Don't bother stuffing the battery with foam. So long as the velcro straps are secure this is all you need. I find a small piece of anti-slip matting underneath the Lipo also helps. An example of an arming plug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Of course any shorting plugs must not be able to be accidently plug into a Lipo ( disaster!) so use the way round that makes this impossible. Many of us consider that it's important to be able to connect or disconnect the Lipo whilst the model is upright and without getting fingers anywhere near the prop arc. So fiddling around underneath is not really ideal. And also desirable to be able to remove the hatch for this process without tools ( screwdrivers etc) when out on the flighline therefore either magnets or spring catches are normally used on these hatches. Very strong and very small dia magnets are easily and cheaply available. Bigger hatches or those which can get the air underneath need 2 or 4 or more magnets. A dowel at the front and magnets at rear works well to avoid hatch lifting. Having the hatch slightly wider than the fuselage helps the fingers to get a grip to overcome the magnets grip. It would be worth checking to see what your local club does in respect of carrying models out 'live' or whether they actually require arming plugs or something else in the club rules. Edited By kc on 19/01/2018 16:54:31 Edited By kc on 19/01/2018 17:25:30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Right! Now I understand how you have done that. I'm waiting for my connectors to arrive. I thought the leads on the Batt and the ESC had to be that length. The ESC instructions do state the length to be 6" max. Onwards and upwards, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Andy seems to have used these type of fixings - XT60 etc take a lot of force to connect or disconnect so a firm fixing would be needed. Never used them myself though. Edited By kc on 19/01/2018 17:33:12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
911hillclimber Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 Elected to go for this switch with XT60 plugs and a useful extension lead. The panel mounted connector suggested a few posts up is almost impossible to get within 20 days from anywhere. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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