Open style airframe with a 3696 power system.

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Lee Liddle
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Post by Lee Liddle »

Roy, that looks good and should give you the flexibility you need to dial in the CG.

Just a note on the ESC programing. For the 3s 3696 system you shouldn`t have to do any programing. Just connect everything start up the motor and use your EPA to dial the rpms back to 9k. Also, I`m sure you know that no separate rx battery will be needed for the 3696 system, since the esc has the bec to power the rx and servos. In fact, if you do plug a battery into the system and power it up with the flight pack too, it will probably damage the esc.

The SSC system is a different animal, due to the different esc and 6s power. Some fine tuning of the programmable modes will make the esc more efficient, but I`d fire it up with the default settings and see what your amp draw is before I`d change everything. Putting the brake where you want it before you fly is probably the most important thing, since it will help save props.

I`m pretty sure you knew all of this, but just wanted to make sure.
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Which_way_is_up
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Post by Which_way_is_up »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Lee Liddle</i>
<br />Roy, that looks good and should give you the flexibility you need to dial in the CG.

Just a note on the ESC programing. For the 3s 3696 system you shouldn`t have to do any programing. Just connect everything start up the motor and use your EPA to dial the rpms back to 9k. Also, I`m sure you know that no separate rx battery will be needed for the 3696 system, since the esc has the bec to power the rx and servos. In fact, if you do plug a battery into the system and power it up with the flight pack too, it will probably damage the esc.

The SSC system is a different animal, due to the different esc and 6s power. Some fine tuning of the programmable modes will make the esc more efficient, but I`d fire it up with the default settings and see what your amp draw is before I`d change everything. Putting the brake where you want it before you fly is probably the most important thing, since it will help save props.

I`m pretty sure you knew all of this, but just wanted to make sure.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No I really appreciate all the help and assistance you've provided. I got some RCR123 batteries in and so I quickly made a receiver pack to power up the new Assan spread spectrum receivers. Boy were they easy to bind! [:0] Took all of about one minute to do both receivers that came as part of the upgrade kit.

Got a couple of the old Common Sense lipo packs out to charge and found out the the balance plug was wired backwards to the way the new charger expected and so I had to switch out the pins in the balance plug on four battery packs. Unfortunately one battery pack no longer has a balance plug. . . . . don't ask . . . . there was just a little smoke! [:D] Battery pack is still good just "short" a couple of balance plug wires.

But I'm hear to tell you trying to program that fracking ESC is going to turn me into a head banger. Beep this and boop that. . . . I'll give it another try tomorrow. . . it was a busy and successful day though. [:D]

Thanks again for all your help! [:)]
Lee Liddle
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Post by Lee Liddle »

LOL.........I remember the first time I tried to program an esc with the TX method (the programing cards are nice, but still most have to be done with the TX) Anyway, I had to have complete silence and really concentrate hard to do it. Now I can have the TV on and be reading e-mail while I do it. It`s kind of like learning a new language. So I guess now I am bi-lingual. I speak English and esc. You`ll get there. Another thing I learned is... don`t change it unless you have to, but you at least need to put the brake where you want it for belly floppers.
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Which_way_is_up
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Post by Which_way_is_up »

Well it finally clicked into place and I got the controller/esc programed! [:D]

One of the problems was that there's a musical tone sequence that is played at the beginning as though it was the first menu option and then it goes into the actual main menu options and I was jumping the gun and switching to half throttle after the musical tone sequence instead of waiting until it started going through the 4 main menu options. I'm still a little "spooked" because at some point yesterday I was in a parameter option that gave 5 long tones and none of the parameters for any of the options has a fifth parameter nor is there a fifth main menu option listed in the documentation that I have.

Lee, do you know if there's any way to "play back" the option parameters to verify that each option is set the way you wanted them?

I just went through the main menu options twice and made sure that I selected the parameter that I wanted.

Also I initially selected 15 degrees for the motor. I guess I can go through and select the other motor options after I get it all together and can measure the current and rpm and make sure that 15 degrees was OK.

This is the TowerPro BMC30, it's two or three years old. It doesn't have the jumper and it doesn't say Mag8 on it and so I'm guessing that it is 2nd generation TowerPro 30A.
Lee Liddle
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Post by Lee Liddle »

There`s no way to verify your settings that I know of. You just have to do it and know that you did it right.

As far as the fifth option. They use the same micro chips for several different escs. Some must have the fifth option but yours doesn`t, so nothing that you do if you go into that mode will change anything.

Think of it as a door. It`s a door, but if you open it, there`s no room there, just a wall. You can write on the wall, or paint the wall, but it`s still a wall. I don`t know what happens if you make a hole in the wall. It probably lets the magic smoke out. LOL
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Post by wrnstockwel »

Wings and prototype build of Mini Falcon coming very soon. Just wrapping up a new 2548 design (FW190)
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Which_way_is_up
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Post by Which_way_is_up »

Been busy but I finally got the Mini-Me Cobra finished and it weighs in at 30.5oz which was a pleasant surprise. I've got some weight to play with if I didn't get the CG right. Just have to slap on the watt meter and set it up for some older batteries. May have to buy my "test pilot" lunch and see how it flies in a couple of days! [:D]
Lee Liddle
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Post by Lee Liddle »

Lunch not nessesary, but ya better take advantage of this weather while it lasts.
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Which_way_is_up
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Post by Which_way_is_up »

Lee, I worked on the throttle travel issue and this is what I needed to do to be able to adjust the max current to 16amps. On the JR 8103 the sub trim on the low throttle side goes all the way down to 250 and I had to in fact set it all the way to that limit so that I could set the high throttle travel all the way down to 15% to finally get the the max current under 16amps. On a freshly charged Common Sense 2000mah battery and just under 16amps I was getting between 8500 and 8700 rpm. I'll be happy if it stabilizes to 8k and of course the flightmax batteries should work much better.
Lee Liddle
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Post by Lee Liddle »

Good deal, sounds like you`ve got it figured out. My guess is that the particular individual motor that you have is a higher kv than the average 2908. They all tended to be higher than what they were supposed to be, but the one you have must be 1200 kv or so. The cheapo motors vary on kv, sometimes up to 20% either way.
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Which_way_is_up
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Post by Which_way_is_up »

I'm sure you're right on that. I just wanted to also say that I really appreciate all the help with parts and advice that you've provided me so far. It literally cut my learning curve down from months to days just being able to ask you questions.

Also I just got my second order in from Hong Kong so I'll drop by next week with the props and prop adapter you loaned me. Maybe even fly the Mini-Me Monday. Today has been shot with a doctor's appointment and getting the car in for an alignment.

Going with Air Mail instead of Express wasn't all that bad. I made the mistake of ordering on a Friday in the first place which meant that the order wasn't picked and processed until the following Monday because they are 12 or 13 hours ahead of us and it was already Friday night when I placed the order. So it shipped on a Tuesday and then Hong Kong postal didn't release it until the following Friday. So it was a week from the time I ordered it until it left Hong Kong. It got to the US on Sunday leaving the JAMAICA, NY sorting facility, going through US customs and arriving in Dallas on the following Friday, today. For that extra week I saved $15 in shipping costs.

So now I've got a brand new lithium transmitter battery, some really sweet micro 6 channel spread spectrum receivers, plus some other odds and ends. The micro SS receivers are really nice sized units and for less then $25! Perfect for burying in a wing.

EDIT:

Here's the end result of the conversion of the original "Mini-Me Cobra" to electric. Just have to get some more batteries charged.

Image
Lee Liddle
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Post by Lee Liddle »

Looks great Roy. You`re gonna have a lot of fun with that litle plane for sure!
tiger_musky
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Post by tiger_musky »

Lee,

What are you using to make the wood tongue for the 3696 Falcon, plywood or basswood?
Lee Liddle
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Post by Lee Liddle »

1/4th" pine from Home Depot.
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Post by jj »

This looks like fun. How about 3696 for scale and 4696 for e-lite combat. 46 span max and perhaps 3s 11.1 v max etc. Could be a good beginner class with the current low cost of e components.
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