Electric, Nitro, Diesel, Petrol, Balsa, Foam, plastic or Ply - Whats your likes and dislikes ?

[TheFlyingBrit]

I've got a bluecase 40 and a bluecase 46 in my stash, can attest, they run real well. They're also VERY mildly ported! They've only got two transfer ports and one exhaust port; good chunk of empty cylinder wall where a third x-fer port usually lives. They really can't breathe.

I don't know what I'm going to do with either of mine tbh. They're weak, but durable. They'd be great on an airboat where surviving a drowning is an important consideration and power less so. I might do some science with them, put them through some bizarre crap, abuse, et-al. They don't owe me more than 20 bucks a pop.

currently planning on mounting one on my test stand outside and letting it sit out in the cold this January, try to start it shortly after sunrise. People say these engines won't start when they're cold like that and I'm curious to see if there's any truth to that. I doubt it to be the case. If I can get my hands on suitable starting fluid to use for ether I might try to track down that Davis Diesel head as well; I want to dabble with model diesels and the fuel has always been the hangup.



Not really. I run my models out of fuel at the end of the day, I use a fuel with castor in it, and I store them inside my air conditioned bedroom. And kitchen. And TV room. They don't rust.


If I'm perfectly honest my electric RCs...however few they may be...give me more grief than any of my glow models do. My WPL D12 has no power and likes to cry about signal loss if it's >30 feet away, my Mini-T 2.0 has a wonky connection somewhere in the high-current wiring that makes it cut out for no good reason, and my CA-10 scaler likes to test my patience with random failures. But my glow birds, cars? Yeah they work mint.

what radio gear are you using with your electrics

 

[TheFlyingBrit]

I can fly my elecrtric gliders to the point where I struggle to see them, let alone tell what orientation they are in lol

 

[JennyC6]

what radio gear are you using with your electrics

Respectively, stock, stock, and my Futaba 10J. The stock ones will eventually be moved over to the 10J though.

 

[speedbirdted]

I don't know what I'm going to do with either of mine tbh. They're weak, but durable. They'd be great on an airboat where surviving a drowning is an important consideration and power less so. I might do some science with them, put them through some bizarre crap, abuse, et-al. They don't owe me more than 20 bucks a pop.

Some guys who run control line using the LA46S do port timing modifications to them and squeeze out quite a bit more power. Try that maybe?

My idea I have for my spare LA's is to build some 30's FF models that were set up for Brown Junior motors. Not a particularily high-power application, and the engine is pretty understressed. That or a twin since I think the two spares I have are both 40s and they're pretty reliable motors anyhow.

currently planning on mounting one on my test stand outside and letting it sit out in the cold this January, try to start it shortly after sunrise. People say these engines won't start when they're cold like that and I'm curious to see if there's any truth to that. I doubt it to be the case.

There is not last January it was -11 one day and I decided to do exactly that, and also fly because why not. The 46LA fired right up with no fuss at all. The Saito 56 I brought along protested a little but I set it next to the exhaust on my car for a few minutes to warm up and that seemed to make it much happier. Can't say the same about my fingers, they pretty much had no feeling after a barely 2 minute flight I wish flying in gloves wasn't so annoying...

I've heard another method to deal with fussy motors in cold is to mix up a bottle of 1 part gasoline to 2 parts fuel and squirt a little down the carb throat, it'll run like crap for the first few seconds but that should be long enough to get it warm and then just do a hot restart from there.

 

[BoredGuy]

Air's grind is even worse. I gave up on War Thunder entirely back when we still had 20 tiers because of it; got a P-40 and all progress simply stopped cold. And it's compounded by the fact that you end up obliterated in an instant by a tryhard with a premium Yak or Polikaparov or whatever that goes space shuttle status for no good reason and wastes half your team in 30 seconds flat.

Every once in a while when I get back into the tank side I'll poke the air side. It's never gotten any better. Get up there, shot down before I'm able to even think about what enemy plane I'll go after.

Hmmm, I actually had the same issue in American planes. Not to drag thread off-topic, but they are absolute crap at dogfighting in wt. Switching to better turning aircraft (spitfires and the like) really suited my playing style better, and make it a habit to look around while flying in a straight/predictable pattern.

 

[OliverW]

Some guys who run control line using the LA46S do port timing modifications to them and squeeze out quite a bit more power. Try that maybe?

My idea I have for my spare LA's is to build some 30's FF models that were set up for Brown Junior motors. Not a particularily high-power application, and the engine is pretty understressed. That or a twin since I think the two spares I have are both 40s and they're pretty reliable motors anyhow.



There is not last January it was -11 one day and I decided to do exactly that, and also fly because why not. The 46LA fired right up with no fuss at all. The Saito 56 I brought along protested a little but I set it next to the exhaust on my car for a few minutes to warm up and that seemed to make it much happier. Can't say the same about my fingers, they pretty much had no feeling after a barely 2 minute flight I wish flying in gloves wasn't so annoying...

I've heard another method to deal with fussy motors in cold is to mix up a bottle of 1 part gasoline to 2 parts fuel and squirt a little down the carb throat, it'll run like crap for the first few seconds but that should be long enough to get it warm and then just do a hot restart from there.

My Enya started up at 28°, but that isn't too cold... it's considered terribly cold here lolol

 

[JennyC6]

Some guys who run control line using the LA46S do port timing modifications to them and squeeze out quite a bit more power. Try that maybe?

If I was to try to buff power in one the first thing I'd do is cut a third x-fer port into the sleeve and go from there. Just giving it another means to slurp in some go-juice should buff power by a considerable margin without touching timing.

Might be a good project for when I get a lathe and a mill. Replicate the cylinder in a suitable steel, cut an aluminum piston a few thou undersize, cut a cast iron ring, mill ports in. Convert it to ringed and alter port timing, volume, quantity all in one go.

My idea I have for my spare LA's is to build some 30's FF models that were set up for Brown Junior motors. Not a particularily high-power application, and the engine is pretty understressed. That or a twin since I think the two spares I have are both 40s and they're pretty reliable motors anyhow.

That'd work well. PBY Catalina maybe?

OH OH I just got an idea. They'd be pretty minty perfect on a Master Series warbird or a scaled up FT Cruiser. I'm thinking of doing a mini cruiser build with a couple of RC'd Cox TD049s in the future.

There is not last January it was -11 one day and I decided to do exactly that, and also fly because why not. The 46LA fired right up with no fuss at all. The Saito 56 I brought along protested a little but I set it next to the exhaust on my car for a few minutes to warm up and that seemed to make it much happier. Can't say the same about my fingers, they pretty much had no feeling after a barely 2 minute flight I wish flying in gloves wasn't so annoying...

Yeah that's what I figured. Still gonna do it. Might also re-test it after leaving it overnight again with a sizeable amount of fuel in the tank.

I do have a Saito FA-45 and a couple of OS Surpasses I could test with.

I figured, at worst, they'd need an extended warmup on the glow driver and a kiss of the electric finger.

I've heard another method to deal with fussy motors in cold is to mix up a bottle of 1 part gasoline to 2 parts fuel and squirt a little down the carb throat, it'll run like crap for the first few seconds but that should be long enough to get it warm and then just do a hot restart from there.

Get fuel up to the spraybar normally, shoot some of that right down its throat, and it should stay running. Might also be an experiment to do.

Hmmm, I actually had the same issue in American planes. Not to drag thread off-topic, but they are absolute crap at dogfighting in wt. Switching to better turning aircraft (spitfires and the like) really suited my playing style better, and make it a habit to look around while flying in a straight/predictable pattern.

It was always the same handful of premium planes that did it, and they wiped the entire team not just me. Ridiculously frustrating, especially for a gamer that doesn't much have a competitive streak in the first place and just wants to asplode some stuff.

 

[CorsaiRC]

How so? Gas engines last forever

Well, I just mean that a gas engine has lots more moving parts

 

[Bricks]

Some are talking gas and some are talking nitro engines, nitros need a little more care with after run oil ( automatic transmission fluid is excellent ) and such and gassers should be fine doing nothing to them after being run. If using a good synthetic 2 cycle oil. Me personally use Amsoil Saber it is what I use in all my 2 cycle engines around the farm and never an issue when pulling them out of storage, same goes for my planes. It also has a stabilizer in the oil so no need to add any, but I do any way using Seafoam when I know they are not going to be run for awhile.

 

[OliverW]

Some are talking gas and some are talking nitro engines, nitros need a little more care with after run oil ( automatic transmission fluid is excellent ) and such and gassers should be fine doing nothing to them after being run. If using a good synthetic 2 cycle oil. Me personally use Amsoil Saber it is what I use in all my 2 cycle engines around the farm and never an issue when pulling them out of storage, same goes for my planes. It also has a stabilizer in the oil so no need to add any, but I do any way using Seafoam when I know they are not going to be run for awhile.

I run Redline Racing oil for my big birds. It also has a stabilizer in it.. I should try out amsoil sometime

 

[Bricks]

I run Redline Racing oil for my big birds. It also has a stabilizer in it.. I should try out amsoil sometime

Another good oil is Sthil Ultra, but since I run my outboard on Amsoil Saber it saves on having different oils around. There is nothing wrong with Redline Racing oil if it works for you why make changes?

 

[OliverW]

Another good oil is Sthil Ultra, but since I run my outboard on Amsoil Saber it saves on having different oils around. There is nothing wrong with Redline Racing oil if it works for you why make changes?

That's true! I guess my thinking is that it can never hurt to try something else like that since it won't damage the engine or negatively affect the performance

 

[JennyC6]

Well, I just mean that a gas engine has lots more moving parts

Doesn't necessarily mean it won't last. It's about the quality of workmanship and the care given after-sale. Same with electric motors; you get some that last until the heat death of the universe and some that let the magic smoke out in ten minutes flat.

 

[JennyC6]

Some are talking gas and some are talking nitro engines, nitros need a little more care with after run oil ( automatic transmission fluid is excellent ) and such and gassers should be fine doing nothing to them after being run. If using a good synthetic 2 cycle oil. Me personally use Amsoil Saber it is what I use in all my 2 cycle engines around the farm and never an issue when pulling them out of storage, same goes for my planes. It also has a stabilizer in the oil so no need to add any, but I do any way using Seafoam when I know they are not going to be run for awhile.

My after-run treatment is to run the engine out of fuel, roll it to BDC, and store it in an air conditioned location. The castor oil left in the engine will protect it from rust. Been workin' for me for nearly 20 years now.

As for oil in gas burners...I just use the basic WM stuff at 25:1. I have a literal heap of dead strimmers from running 40:1 50:1 fuel mixes like these engines all call for so I'm just gonna over-oil them. Rather have to deal with fouling a plug every couple years than burning out a jug every couple years. They smoke like they're coal fired but they run cooler and give more power than they do on the 'proper' ratio so I'll roll with it. It's also much easier to mix; just dump the entire little bottle straight into a 1 gallon jerry can and shake well; 40:1 and 50:1 require actually metering out a partial bottle or using a larger can or sommat.

 

[CorsaiRC]

Doesn't necessarily mean it won't last. It's about the quality of workmanship and the care given after-sale. Same with electric motors; you get some that last until the heat death of the universe and some that let the magic smoke out in ten minutes flat.

Yeah, that too

 

[L Edge]

The problem with flying in the cold(15-25 degrees) with nitro was the fact that the fuel starts to jell and the setting of the high end had to be opened more due to the higher friction and head pressure from the tank.
We were flying Q-500's so we adjusted only the high end, but it still didn't give real good consistant runs. We did a 50/50 mix of gas/nitrofuel 15% to start it by pouring a small amount in the carb. We used about 1.8 volts on the plug for the extra heat to get it to glow better. Every time you pulled the throttle back, you didn't know if it would quit on you or not.

To help the issue, we ran the car engine and stuck the motor next to the exhaust pipe and let it sit until we used it. We kept our hands warm by taking a kid's jacket, cut part of the arms off, insert radio and hand warmer and zipped up with 72 antena sticking out. Insert hand into cut arms, and it was warm as toast. Tell you, you don't do very many runs, 15 degrees, holding the full open throttle with that wind chill factor, it was brutal until you released.

 

[JennyC6]

They need a richer fuel mix because the air is more dense. Methanol has a lower freezing point than water and it's the main ingredient in the stuff; castor might be a bit more gummy than usual in hte tank but it should hot right up when it hits the engine.

 

[L Edge]

They need a richer fuel mix because the air is more dense. Methanol has a lower freezing point than water and it's the main ingredient in the stuff; castor might be a bit more gummy than usual in hte tank but it should hot right up when it hits the engine.

I understand about once it hits the engine, it will heat up, but what I am talking about is getting the fuel from the tank pickup to the engine nipple thru the length of tubing. With it gelling, it takes much more pressure to move it along.
Try taking a container of 10-15% of fuel and hand pump it so( say 40 degrees) it is running back into the container. Now let it sit outside in 15-20 degrees for a length of time and then cycle it, you will see the difference in rotating the hand pump. For the engine, pressure from the exhaust and ventury suction is the way the fuel is moved. If it is jelled, there is more friction, so you need more pressure to move it. That's not even talking about the added head pressure as the tank is being drained.

 

[TheFlyingBrit]

Respectively, stock, stock, and my Futaba 10J. The stock ones will eventually be moved over to the 10J though.

Sorry meant to reply sooner. You shouldn't be having issues with Futaba gear ? I still use my T6EX with Frsky FASST receivers for some of my planes and never had a problem.
My Spektrum on the other hand Ive had a couple of dodgy receivers (lets say fake Spektrum, they have the name and appearance but are ). These days I only use the wireless versions and get them from reputable dealers.
In fact I get excellent range and performance from my Spektrum receivers and the Flysky FS-iA6b receivers with my Radiomaster TX16s, the power output from that receiver is better than the std Spektrum. The TX16s is now my daily use transmitter, its an amazing bit of kit love the flexibility of Open TX. In fact I love it that much it resides at the side of my bed .
To my knowledge I am not aware of the T-FHSS protocol having issues, with electric set ups ? but it may be worth checking.

 

[JennyC6]

Sorry meant to reply sooner. You shouldn't be having issues with Futaba gear ? I still use my T6EX with Frsky FASST receivers for some of my planes and never had a problem.
My Spektrum on the other hand Ive had a couple of dodgy receivers (lets say fake Spektrum, they have the name and appearance but are ). These days I only use the wireless versions and get them from reputable dealers.
In fact I get excellent range and performance from my Spektrum receivers and the Flysky FS-iA6b receivers with my Radiomaster TX16s, the power output from that receiver is better than the std Spektrum. The TX16s is now my daily use transmitter, its an amazing bit of kit love the flexibility of Open TX. In fact I love it that much it resides at the side of my bed .
To my knowledge I am not aware of the T-FHSS protocol having issues, with electric set ups ? but it may be worth checking.

The CA-10's issues are not radio related. I just can't keep a rear axle underneath it; keeps shearing gears off or ruining pinion bearings. The WPL D12 is the only one having range issues; it was only 50 bucks RTR and it's fully propo so they gotta cut corners somewhere. The Mini-T's issues are also not radio related; one of the cables going from ESC to Batt is loose on the PCB in there so if the thing jostles just wrong or the bodyshell folds the wires just so it just dies.

My S-FHSS and T-FHSS receivers are great. I've got more range than my eyes can work with in every model I've got on my 10J. Love the thing.