EDGE 540 help......

Human

New member
After taking a 10 year break from flying I'm ready to get back into it, I have been using my RealFlight sim, so not all my flying skill is gone. When I started flying as a kid it was all nitro/gas. Electric was not around and when it did start becoming more mainstream, I was getting out of the hobby so electric is 100% new to me.

I want my first plane back to be a Edge 540, to brush up on my 3d skills. With that being said some of the reading/research I have done some people are saying the motor in the "Flite Test Power Pack C "Radial Edition" which is a "Radial 2218B 1180kV Brushless Motor" is not powerful enough. I'm hoping I could get your input on that. I'm ok with buying each thing separately from the Power pack, because I really would like some metal gear servos, but I'm also 100% ok with buying the power pack, because its one and done. With me being new to electric matching up everything vs buying a kit seems better lol.

To top everything else off, I was dead set on ordering plane today, but as of last night they now offer a "maker foam" 540 which is only .99cents more than the normal 540. With some quick research it seems the maker foam is thicker and also a lot heavier then the brown water-resistant foam board, so if it is under power with the brown foam, the maker foam will be even worse.


Please help guide me on my path back to this hobby :confused:
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
The OG Edge 540 is a tad under powered but fly able. if you have previous skills it probably wont be enough for advanced 3d flying so the choice on the power pack is open. Im not sure what motor to step up to as when I researched motors there is a huge gap between the power pack motor and the next available sizes as far I as found. Im in the same boat now.

One other thing is the nose of the edge is the hardest part to build AND the weakest on the air frame. Its a great design except for that. When I rebuilt my nose I doubled the foam up front and added structural bracing underneath.

20180919_140648.jpg
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Keep in mind though.. the new power packs use the FT radials which are supposed to be more powerful then others the same size. Make sure when you look into the kits that the maker foam kit is or is not one of the larger Master series kits they are putting out. I still cant fly a fixed wing for a full pack so Im not up to speed on the newer stuff. I have 7 or 8 planes here in various conditions from trying to get over quad brain and fly the darn things.

Oh and one other thing I forgot.. when I did my attempt to fly the edge the first few times it was on 3s 2200 packs not 4s. some have said the jump to 4s was sufficient to do more with the stock power packs if I remember correctly.

Here was my attempts to give you an idea. I pushed the motor in the first crash and was flying with severe down thrust after and did not realize it. As you can see by my reactions it should have been obvious but...

 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Welcome back to the hobby! First off, flitetest recently came out with their new radial line of motors. the one @PsyBorg has is the previous generation of C pack. I flew my edge off of it and it was underpowered, HOWEVER the new radial C pack motors are much stronger and fly the edge really well. I upgraded my edge to the radial and there was a big difference. It has decent power on a 3s lipo and a 10x5, but with a 9x4.5 on 4s is where it really shines! As far as the maker foam VS brown foam, both are the same thickness and roughly the same weight. Flitetest just released "monster maker foam" which is almost twice as thick and a bit heavier. The Edge kit is cut in the thin "normal" maker foam though. So which one should you get? It kinda depends on whether you want to paint it or not. The maker foam, since it's white, tends to be easier to paint. I'm working on my FT Edge V2 right now, and I'm building it out of maker foam. On the V2 I'm going to use the Rimfire .15 brushless motor for it. It's larger than the Radial, and has about the same amount of power on 3s that the radial has on 4s. It'll be more powerful than the radial but it is also over twice the price - $65 for just the motor. I can get you a link to it if you want one. Oh, and definitely reinforce the nose area like @PsyBorg did! I ran two popsicle sticks down the nose on my V2. If you have any more questions, ask away!
 

shadeyB

Legendary member
Welcome back to the hobby! First off, flitetest recently came out with their new radial line of motors. the one @PsyBorg has is the previous generation of C pack. I flew my edge off of it and it was underpowered, HOWEVER the new radial C pack motors are much stronger and fly the edge really well. I upgraded my edge to the radial and there was a big difference. It has decent power on a 3s lipo and a 10x5, but with a 9x4.5 on 4s is where it really shines! As far as the maker foam VS brown foam, both are the same thickness and roughly the same weight. Flitetest just released "monster maker foam" which is almost twice as thick and a bit heavier. The Edge kit is cut in the thin "normal" maker foam though. So which one should you get? It kinda depends on whether you want to paint it or not. The maker foam, since it's white, tends to be easier to paint. I'm working on my FT Edge V2 right now, and I'm building it out of maker foam. On the V2 I'm going to use the Rimfire .15 brushless motor for it. It's larger than the Radial, and has about the same amount of power on 3s that the radial has on 4s. It'll be more powerful than the radial but it is also over twice the price - $65 for just the motor. I can get you a link to it if you want one. Oh, and definitely reinforce the nose area like @PsyBorg did! I ran two popsicle sticks down the nose on my V2. If you have any more questions, ask away!
Interested in finding out how the new motor performs, I too struggled with mine however the motor was not rated for 4s but whacked the battery in and gave her a whirl, she difficulty does perform better on 4 s so I kept at it and smoked that girl good lol
Adjustments have been made to her and deciding on what power plant to go for next
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Interested in finding out how the new motor performs, I too struggled with mine however the motor was not rated for 4s but whacked the battery in and gave her a whirl, she difficulty does perform better on 4 s so I kept at it and smoked that girl good lol
Adjustments have been made to her and deciding on what power plant to go for next
Was that the old C pack that you smoked? I've run my old C pack on 4s in my spitfire and Bushwacker with a 9 inch with no issues. (I even used it in the Bushwacker on a 10x6 on 4s, but that got it pretty toasty so I propped it down.)
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
The Edge is a great plane, I’d recommend you start with a plane that is easier to build and repair. The FT3D will do everything the Edge will do but is far easier to build and repair. Save the Edge until you get your chops back.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Ahh see. The more clued in people have arrived to give real advise from experience. @The Hangar Ill keep that Rimfire .15 in mind when I come back around to another attempt with the edge. What size esc did you use?
 

Human

New member
Thank you guys for all the help, and I'm sorry if I am asking stupid questions. All the local airplane hobby shops have closed near me so everything is an order and I just want to get it right the first time.

Psyborg - thanks for the video, it does seem like it took a while to takeoff.

The Hangar - Thats great to know about the maker foam, I could only find this video about it 30seconds in (
) he says it about 70% heaver but it is a lot thicker so if they have thicker maker foam it looks like that is what he has and is testing. If you could send a link to that motor you are talking about, and if you know of a good ESC to go along with it that would be great.

As far as the "Power Pack C "Radial Edition" it comes with a "Radial 2218B 1180kV" and a "FT 35A ESC w/XT-60 Connector" if I am reading it right both say they are both 4s compatible.

I'm ok with spray painting the plane in fact I think it would be fun. I'm not for sure how much spray painting adds to the weight, but I don't think it would be a lot? Is the maker foam really just better at taking paint? I feel like if i did go with it I would need to paint all of it vs the brown foam I could getaway with just doing a line on the top wings, and something on a bottom wing, to keep the weight down.
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Ahh see. The more clued in people have arrived to give real advise from experience. @The Hangar Ill keep that Rimfire .15 in mind when I come back around to another attempt with the edge. What size esc did you use?
I used a 40 amp esc since that's what I had already, but they recommend a 45 amp. On 3s even it hasn't been an issue though. Here's a link to the rimfire for anybody who is interested. https://store.flitetest.com/rimfire-.15-35361200-outrunner-brushless-gpmg4620/p647307
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Thank you guys for all the help, and I'm sorry if I am asking stupid questions. All the local airplane hobby shops have closed near me so everything is an order and I just want to get it right the first time.

Psyborg - thanks for the video, it does seem like it took a while to takeoff.

The Hangar - Thats great to know about the maker foam, I could only find this video about it 30seconds in (
) he says it about 70% heaver but it is a lot thicker so if they have thicker maker foam it looks like that is what he has and is testing. If you could send a link to that motor you are talking about, and if you know of a good ESC to go along with it that would be great.

As far as the "Power Pack C "Radial Edition" it comes with a "Radial 2218B 1180kV" and a "FT 35A ESC w/XT-60 Connector" if I am reading it right both say they are both 4s compatible.

I'm ok with spray painting the plane in fact I think it would be fun. I'm not for sure how much spray painting adds to the weight, but I don't think it would be a lot? Is the maker foam really just better at taking paint? I feel like if i did go with it I would need to paint all of it vs the brown foam I could get away with just doing a line on the top wings, and something on a bottom wing, to keep the weight down.
Sure - here's a link to the motor: https://store.flitetest.com/rimfire-.15-35361200-outrunner-brushless-gpmg4620/p647307
Here's a good ESC to go with it: https://store.flitetest.com/spektrum-rc-avian-45-amp-brushless-smart-esc-spmxae1045/p1049216 (you could find a cheaper one on amazon, just make sure they are at least 45 amp if you plan on using 4s)
The Radial C pack can handle 4s. As far as spray painting goes, it doesn't really add noticeable weight on a model this size. Both take paint the same - you should scuff up the surface with some steel wool or sandpaper first or else the paint is prone to flaking off. If you think the brown would be better for your paint job, go for it! Usually for my paint jobs, I prefer a white base, but it really depends on how you plan on painting it.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Oh dont mind my wimpy take offs.. that was very controlled slow roll take offs. I wasnt sure how twisty or bouncy that would be on that over grown infield. Even so it took off in about half the base line between first and second base with less then 50% throttle. The cell phone I took the video with was just propped up against my back pack as this was a last minute idea to film my so distance up close was goofy. Like I said I cant fly fixed wing with any confidence so I didn't try mashin power and popping up fast like you all do yet.

That is why I crash so much. Its burnt in my brain from quad flying to chop power in bad situations not throttle out for fixed wing.

On a good note.. I have a Dynam pitts that had great power on a 3720 650kv motor with 50 amp esc. I was looking for a replacement for that and a spare to throw in my Edge. In my search tonight for that combo I came across this in a medium power range with good recommendations for up to 4 lb planes and you can get the motor and 60 amp esc for less then the motor @The Hangar listed. Should be crazy power on a 10x7 / 11x7 prop the edge is designed for.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XBXRH6J/?tag=lstir-20

Here is a quote from a verified user in the ratings section.

Currently have this motor on a FT Bushwacker build. I have a 50 amp ZTW Beatles esc. With a 12x6 prop. It is fricking NUTS! VERY VERY VERY POWERFUL!
I have crashed this motor about 15 to 20 times now, and it still runs flawlessly. Just buy it!
 

shadeyB

Legendary member
Was that the old C pack that you smoked? I've run my old C pack on 4s in my spitfire and Bushwacker with a 9 inch with no issues. (I even used it in the Bushwacker on a 10x6 on 4s, but that got it pretty toasty so I propped it down.)
No fortunately, it was Turnigy 1050 Kv I had lying around 👍
Not had any issues with Cpack motor other than one I gave a nose bump to which kinda stutters and won’t turn so I’m guessing the shaft is bent
 

"Corpse"

Legendary member
Oh dont mind my wimpy take offs.. that was very controlled slow roll take offs. I wasnt sure how twisty or bouncy that would be on that over grown infield. Even so it took off in about half the base line between first and second base with less then 50% throttle. The cell phone I took the video with was just propped up against my back pack as this was a last minute idea to film my so distance up close was goofy. Like I said I cant fly fixed wing with any confidence so I didn't try mashin power and popping up fast like you all do yet.

That is why I crash so much. Its burnt in my brain from quad flying to chop power in bad situations not throttle out for fixed wing.

On a good note.. I have a Dynam pitts that had great power on a 3720 650kv motor with 50 amp esc. I was looking for a replacement for that and a spare to throw in my Edge. In my search tonight for that combo I came across this in a medium power range with good recommendations for up to 4 lb planes and you can get the motor and 60 amp esc for less then the motor @The Hangar listed. Should be crazy power on a 10x7 / 11x7 prop the edge is designed for.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XBXRH6J/?tag=lstir-20

Here is a quote from a verified user in the ratings section.

Currently have this motor on a FT Bushwacker build. I have a 50 amp ZTW Beatles esc. With a 12x6 prop. It is fricking NUTS! VERY VERY VERY POWERFUL!
I have crashed this motor about 15 to 20 times now, and it still runs flawlessly. Just buy it!
@The Hangar and I have been planning a test between these two motors. I'm going to try an FT edge v 2.0 and I'm gonna put this motor on it. He'll put the rimfire on his and we'll do some tests!
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
No fortunately, it was Turnigy 1050 Kv I had lying around 👍
Not had any issues with Cpack motor other than one I gave a nose bump to which kinda stutters and won’t turn so I’m guessing the shaft is bent
I had a similar thing happen to one of my C packs. If I spun the prop and applied throttle, it would spin but ran hot. It felt like I was starting a gasser:ROFLMAO: Anyways I retired it and FT sent me a replacement since it was within warranty and I don’t think it was anything that I did. I never thought about the shaft though. I don’t think the was the issue on mine since I sent it to @PoorManRC and he was able to use it’s shaft to replace the bent one on his motor.
 

Human

New member

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Ok, my list is starting to get smaller. (y)

1- servos, what do you all think about Spektrum RC 9 Gram ?
2 - battery 4s, what's your suggestion?

3- Motor
3.1 - I do go with the RimFire .15 this Spektrum RC Avian 45 Amp Brushless Smart ESC will work with it.

3.2 - Or if I go with the DYS D3548 1100KV its saying it needs a 70A esc, will this be a good fit the E-flite 70-Amp Switch? or do you all have a better suggestion?


As always thanks for the help.
Those servos will work perfect.
I’d reccomend this battery. Keep in mind it has an xt-60 plug which will be different than the ic-3 on the esc. https://store.flitetest.com/tattu-f...100c-14.8v-1550mah-jstxh-tatff15504sp/p871741
Either motor combo will work great and have tons of power, but the rimfire will be more durable due to it’s more robust design and higher-quality components. But from what @PsyBorg said, it looks like durability isn’t really an issue with the DYS.
 

Corbarrad

Active member
They have two different kinds of new foam as far as I know.

The "maker foam" is the same as the current brown foam in both weight and thinknes but it's white.
also it comes in double wide sheets that are hinged and folded in the middle so a box of 25 will have the same amount of foam as a box of 50 of the old foam.

Then there is the "monster foam" which is denser and about twice as thick. This allows you to basically enlarge any FT plan to 185% and build a bigger version of the classic plane without too much modification or strengthening needed.