kdobson83
Well-known member
I know this has been done a million times already but I figured I'd document my journey turning a cheap chuck glider into a mini RC powered glider.
Let me start off by letting you all know where to get the glider. Have any of you all heard of 5 Below? It's a national chain store here in the US that sells things for $5 and below. While shopping for beach toys for the kids for our upcoming beach trip, my wife stumbled across these awesome gliders. $3 each
There were about 4-5 different colors.
Wingspan - 49cm
Length - 47cm
Weight - tba (very light)
The canopy is plastic and hollow!! Hopefully making it easy to hide electronics!!
I've seen the FT video of them converting chuck gliders into RC and I've seen a lot of people do it here on the forums. Figured it was my turn. I've always kind of wanted to give it a try so I bought two, just in case I biff the first one while building.
I got on Hobbyking as I couldn't find another site that carried most of what I was looking for, didn't wanna purchase from multiple places if I didn't have too. Got some 3.7gram servos, 4.5x3 folding props, a 10amp esc w/1amp bec, some carbon fiber rods (various diameters), a LD1510A-02-P Micro Brushless Outrunner Motor (16.5g), and a few Turnigy Nano-Tech 370mah 3S 25~40C batteries. I read up on this motor and found other people putting it on their glider conversions with the props and batteries I chose they we're happy, ballistic vertical/speed.
Anyway, enough about the electronics and specs. Time to ask a few questions before I get started on the build. Most of the build should be straight forward. I plan to chop the nose off and design/3d print a motor mount that hopefully won't rip out. I'd like to have the motor covered up by the mount so all you see is plane and spinner/prop, this will test my cad/3d printing skills for sure.
The main wing should be easy too, cut out some Ailerons, plant in the mini servos, add in a carbon spar. The question I have is how to do the elevator. The plane was designed with the fuselage going past the elevator making a simple cut elevator impossible. See pic
How do/should I cut in an elevator without using two servos? Is there a simple way to use two control rods on one servo for the elevator? Should I use my xacto ninja skills to remove part of the tail section to allow one seamless elevator?
And the last question, should I go 3axis gyro or not? The only micro 3axis gyro Spektrum Rx I can find costs $60+. I guess I'm making this more complicated than it needs to be. Is it a good idea to put in a tiny 4 channel rx first then move to a 3 axis gyro Rx?
Anyway, I will post progress as I go. It will be a slow process as my kids/wife don't leave me with much hobby time.
Stay tuned!!
Let me start off by letting you all know where to get the glider. Have any of you all heard of 5 Below? It's a national chain store here in the US that sells things for $5 and below. While shopping for beach toys for the kids for our upcoming beach trip, my wife stumbled across these awesome gliders. $3 each
There were about 4-5 different colors.
Wingspan - 49cm
Length - 47cm
Weight - tba (very light)
The canopy is plastic and hollow!! Hopefully making it easy to hide electronics!!
I've seen the FT video of them converting chuck gliders into RC and I've seen a lot of people do it here on the forums. Figured it was my turn. I've always kind of wanted to give it a try so I bought two, just in case I biff the first one while building.
I got on Hobbyking as I couldn't find another site that carried most of what I was looking for, didn't wanna purchase from multiple places if I didn't have too. Got some 3.7gram servos, 4.5x3 folding props, a 10amp esc w/1amp bec, some carbon fiber rods (various diameters), a LD1510A-02-P Micro Brushless Outrunner Motor (16.5g), and a few Turnigy Nano-Tech 370mah 3S 25~40C batteries. I read up on this motor and found other people putting it on their glider conversions with the props and batteries I chose they we're happy, ballistic vertical/speed.
Anyway, enough about the electronics and specs. Time to ask a few questions before I get started on the build. Most of the build should be straight forward. I plan to chop the nose off and design/3d print a motor mount that hopefully won't rip out. I'd like to have the motor covered up by the mount so all you see is plane and spinner/prop, this will test my cad/3d printing skills for sure.
The main wing should be easy too, cut out some Ailerons, plant in the mini servos, add in a carbon spar. The question I have is how to do the elevator. The plane was designed with the fuselage going past the elevator making a simple cut elevator impossible. See pic
How do/should I cut in an elevator without using two servos? Is there a simple way to use two control rods on one servo for the elevator? Should I use my xacto ninja skills to remove part of the tail section to allow one seamless elevator?
And the last question, should I go 3axis gyro or not? The only micro 3axis gyro Spektrum Rx I can find costs $60+. I guess I'm making this more complicated than it needs to be. Is it a good idea to put in a tiny 4 channel rx first then move to a 3 axis gyro Rx?
Anyway, I will post progress as I go. It will be a slow process as my kids/wife don't leave me with much hobby time.
Stay tuned!!
but I thought they seemed a bit soft. Much more pliable than the Hawkeye gliders I've used. I'm sure they'll work fine with a little reinforcement.
