Chris's Vicomte 1916

[PatMc]

Hi Chris, I converted my Magnattila from ic to electric about 11 years ago. I utilised the redundant tank bay for the battery which is loaded through a cutout in the front former to a liteply box glued in the bay. Here's some photos that should explain.

The power connections have been changed since these pics were taken. Main connector is an XT60 but one leg between the ESC & XT60 socket has a 4mm connector. This can be connected safely from behind the prop after the battery is secured in place.

If it's any interest the full Magnattila album is here.

Cheers

Pat.

[Martian]

That looks to be the best solution Chris

[McG 6969]

Thank you for your suggestions, gents.

@ Paul > I hope you’re still thinking the same about your ‘idea’ after a good night rest…

I used your solution in my Ballerina build, but there the ‘box’ was integrated to the battery floor design as I had to draw all the bits myself anyway.

The fuselage of the Vicomte is also smaller & narrower than the Ballerina and I need some space for the cowl dowels and magnets as well… ppfff.

By the way, I didn’t really need the extra box to balance the Bella.

@ Pat & Martian > that solution looks very appealing, but alas not really do-able due to the above mentioned dimensions of the Vicky. The cowl is huge but unlike the Magnatilla, the firewall isn’t ‘round’ but only 80mm wide.

The space below the motor is in fact my only choice to put the ESC with a battery mount just on top of it behind the firewall. In addition, the dummy Gnome Monosoupape radial at the front wouldn’t allow the Lipo to get in/out.

I’ve been visiting your album, Pat. I was planning a pull/pull wiring for the rudder, but I think I could steal your idea to have a look for the elevator as well.

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Suggestions Control

[McG 6969]

Hi again,

Enough ‘talking’ here, McG. Some action is urgently required now.

Board cleared, plan taped, cling film added > check.

Gaston and his ‘hedgehogs’ ready for duty > check.

And, after an endless pondering time, some top longeron pinned against an ali profile to be sure to keep it ‘straight’ - ie not like the warped version of the Outerzone drawing (sorry Steve, but I never got an answer when proposing some correct drawings for your site ). I can only agree with JVM’s drawings to foresee the two fuselage sides to be built next to each other. Avoiding ‘double’ left (or right!) sides and avoiding having the aft fuse diagonals formers to be built as a ‘mirror’ image. They are supposed to be ‘crossed’ from the left to the right side of the fuse.

So far, we have the top longerons and both main fuse front sides glued and drying. Not that much, but at least we do have ‘something’ now…

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Action Control

[Paul C.]

Hi Chris always good to start the balsa bashing something to show after all the preliminary work 👍. I like the hedgehogs I end up trying to stick pins into a piece of sponge, it's way too soft so if you don't mind I will commandeer your hedgehog design 😉 little job for when we get back home.

Paul

[McG 6969]

Hi Paul,

Absolutely great to finally have some fuselage bits on the building board.  

Feel free to commandeer the 'pin thingies'. I made mine from scrap blue foam from the Bella's wing tips.

If I may advise you to get some weight into the foam otherwise the hedgehog lifts up when you try to grab a pin.

I carved some foam away and filled the cavity with old rusty bolts & screws and a bead of cheap white glue before closing it with the ply plate.  

Regarding your motor box idea, I went on pondering about it. My stand off spacers are only 35mm. If I replace those by a box, the rear motor shaft would still protrude in it by 18mm, just leaving a balance benefit of even less than 17mm. I don't really fancy any 'steel surgery' on that poor motor either.

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Box Control

 

Edited By McG 6969 on 18/02/2018 12:56:09

[Paul C.]

Hi Chris good idea about adding some balast to the blue foam 👍 I purchased a sheet a few years back never checked the size so the trip back in my car was interesting , windows down and tailgate open to fit the sheet in 😨 I am an old feet and inches man need to get a grip of the metric stuff 😂.

My first electric motors were all e max and the models I purchased all had the shaft at one end and used a collet for the prop drive, the last one I had from HKing which had the shaft protruding at both ends. I was lucky that it did not cause me a problem with that model as the battery needed to be further back. Don't think that there is a standard build for electric motors so it's read the specs carefully or get the hacksaw out 😱.

Paul.

[McG 6969]

Hi again Paul,

Funny story about your "trip back" with the foam. I'm an old cm & mm guy and still get confused sometimes with our own metric system.

I recently found some great and cheap 3mm birch ply (2440 by 1220mm) from a large wood distributor. I always have a caliper and strong Stanley knife at hand in my car. So when one of the vendors saw me struggling with the knife and the sheet at the parking lot, he proposed me to saw it in half. So we did and back at the parking with my 2 square halves, I realized that it was still to large for my small hatchback.

If you get bored with the Spanish sun, you could even build your 'hedgehogs' over there. A ply bottom plate from a local cheese, some laminated pizza or disposable under-plates, a few metal bits grabbed around & a cheap bottle of student glue from the supermarket. Don't get too lazy over there, young man...

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Hand Luggage Control

 

Edited By McG 6969 on 18/02/2018 17:32:56

[Martian]

Short shaft motors are available from hk , you may need a carbon disc to back of some of the shaft, rd your hedgehog Chris i determine in gaffer tape to prevent any breakup as it get used in time, keep bashing

[McG 6969]

Thanks Martian, but I would like to use the current 3536 as I have a 900 KV & a 800 one. Also trying to save some cash for the upcoming Classroom.

Of course, cutting off the 'back' part of the axle could be an option, but I never dismantled a motor so far.

I think I'm close to a solution involving the projected cowl for the Vicky. If it works out, it would be a solution for two probs in one go.

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Probs Control

[Martian]

Go for it Chris no problem is so great that it cannot be solved

[McG 6969]

Well, I just hope that your thinking points in the right direction, Martian.

Quite a bit of progress today on the fuselage part but due to some obligatory activities with The LotH after La Grotte's session, I'll post some info and pics tomorrow.

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Duties Control

Edited By McG 6969 on 19/02/2018 23:13:31

[McG 6969]

Hello everybody,

Gaston and myself finally have a bit of progress to show. We added the bottom longerons for both fuse sides and installed the aft fuse sides, leaving the cut-outs for the snakes in place as I still have to decide which system to use for the tailplanes. I guess snakes would be the easiest but pull/pull would make it 'nicier'.

At the front end the balsa doublers are glued on with contact adhesive. The ply doublers for the u/c and the wing bolts beams went on with Aliphatic.

If you care to have a loser look, I experimented with a different method to keep the bits in position sideways. Simply crap pieces of cork & a map pin. The map pin alone was often leaving some dents in the balsa and the cork works flawlessly. Next opportunity, I’ll try it out for some lamination job as well.

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Cork Control

[Robert Parker]

Hi Chris,

Coming along nicely,

Gaston and you are doing a fine job.

Regards

Robert

[McG 6969]

Hi again,

First of all, Gaston asked me to express his gratitude regarding your nice comment, Robert.

A bit of progress to the build and - as expected - a few head scratching moments.

The first one was when preparing the front fuse to receive the laminated ply firewall. One has to sand some parts away from the longerons and prepare the triangular stock. Well, …

The solution was there just in front of me as José included a small drawing to his plan. Saved by the bell…

I proceeded with the vertical formers of the aft fuse. No probs to mention here.

The second one occurred when starting with the fuse diagonals and after preparing them a bit oversized, I realized that they were covering the drawing totally in width.

In fact they are not 6mm square but 3x6, which I discovered on the plan when I moved the adjacent cork/pin a few centimeters. Next is to add the 6mm bits to my - still very empty - scrap box and prepare some 3mm replacement bits.

Please don’t mention this any further, but I must really start to look at a drawing more efficiently.

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Measures Control

[Steven S]

Nice to see your progress on the Vicomte build. It's still next on my list after my Tiger Cub and I am following your build closely. I just got back from a 3 day, 2500 km geocaching trip and ate lunch at this restaurant on Saturday.

[McG 6969]

Hi Steven,

Feel welcome to pick up what you need during Vicky's (slow) progression. But of course, also try to avoid my 'Gaffes'.

When you start building your fuse sides, as I wrote before, remember the OZ Vicomte plan is slightly 'warped'. I would suggest you to use a straight profile - I used an ali one - and to copy JVM's method of building the two sides shoulder to shoulder as I did.

Coming from the other side of the big water, it's quite fun to look at your pic. The owners must be Lion King fans, I suppose.

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Warp Control

[Steven S]

I asked the manager about the name and she told me that they liked the literal meaning of the phrase which Wiki says is:

"Hakuna matata" (pronounced [hɑˈkunɑ mɑˈtɑtɑ]) is a Swahili phrase from Central East Africa; roughly translated, it means "no worries" ("hakuna matata" means "no trouble", while "hakuna wasiwasi" means "no worries". The word "hakuna" means "there is not here" while "matata" means "problems".

[McG 6969]

Aha, you have been doing some research, Steven.

I use it as my signature as it means "no worries", well at least in Lion King's title song.  

If you allow me a Wikipedia correction, Swahili is not only used in East Africa but in former Belgian Congo - now Zaire - at the West Central Coast as well. Although the main language there is Lingala, originally a Bantu language.

Lingala is quite basic, but in Swahili words can mean different things depending on the 'intonation' used. 'Matata" can mean 'trouble', 'problems' but also 'dreadful'. "Hakuna" being just a negative form. Don't ask how I know, but my sis used to be an Embassy Secretary for years over there.  

Anyhow, don't forget about the 'warped' Vicomte plan or you could end with 'Matata mingi"...  

Considering this post being slightly 'off topic', I'll forget about my usual signature for now.

Cheers

Chris

 

 

 

Edited By McG 6969 on 22/02/2018 18:26:33

[onetenor]

Hi Chris mon ami..Comment ca va. (comment allez vous ) Cut off the unwanted shaft by spinning the motor under power and hold the hacksaw where you want the cut .Doesn't need to be all the way through Half way say then snap cleanly with pliers held at the cut./ You could say hakuna matata even. Bon chance mon ami. John

[Mark Elen]

Hi Chris,

Looking good. I'm watching your thread with interest.

Cheers

Mark

[Paul C.]

Hi Chris lousy wifi at the hotel at the moment so looking only for now 😢 I think it's called lurking (hope that's right 😨.

Paul.

[Paul C.]

Hi Chris lousy wifi at the hotel at the moment so looking only for now 😢 I think it's called lurking (hope that's right 😨.

Paul.

[Paul C.]

Oops must have stuttered 😂

[McG 6969]

Merci, John. Even if I can manage not to have the motor flying away in La Grotte, with my luck I would end with mountains of steel dust on each magnet…

Thank you, Mark and glad to see you back at the building board.

Your WiFi might be lousy over there but I can see that the ‘cervezas’ are still working properly, Paul. Did you manage to build some hedgehogs already?

Hakuna matata

Chris

BE - BRU / CTR Stuttering Control