Ft 3d scratch build electronics question

[TheFlyin'Fox]

Hey, i'm pretty new to this hobby, i've only flown a champ rtf, and that was a year ago. A few weeks ago me and a friend started watching some flitetest video and we decided to go for scratch building a plane... we decided to go with the ft3d. I know it might not have been the best option but now it's almost built, so i want to give it a go and if we see it really is impossible for us to fly it we might actually just take a step down and build something a bit easier...

I live in Spain and here in Europe as you maybe already know, there is no Dollar Tree Foam, from what i understand the best foam of doing it... my friends' parents use 'cartón pluma' for their job, it's basically like dolar tree foam board but i think it might be somewhat heavier because it more dense...

In either case the question here is about the electronics... I'm going to be ordering on banggood.com because shipment to Spain iss free or almost free and it has a big variety of products.

LIST:

DYS D2826 1400kv:
http://www.banggood.com/DYS-D2826-2...KV-Brushless-Motor-p-986316.html?rmmds=search

XXD HW30A 30A Brushless Motor ESC:
http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-X...Airplane-Quadcopter-p-50621.html?rmmds=search

FlySky FS-i6 2.4G 6CH AFHDS RC Transmitter With FS-iA6 Receiver:
http://www.banggood.com/FlySky-FS-i...th-FS-iA6-Receiver-p-922606.html?rmmds=search

ZOP Power 11.1V 2200MAH 3S 25C Lipo Battery:
http://www.banggood.com/ZOP-Power-1...-Battery-EC3-Plug-p-1006026.html?rmmds=search

6X TowerPro SG90 Mini Gear Micro Servo 9g
http://www.banggood.com/6X-TowerPro-SG90-Mini-Gear-Micro-Servo-9g-p-1078614.html?rmmds=search

2 Pieces APC Style SF9047 9X4.7 Slow Fly Propeller:
http://www.banggood.com/2-Pieces-AP...W-For-RC-Airplane-p-1047040.html?rmmds=search

So, that's what i think should go ok... after flyin this i would like to build the FTSpit and like to use the same electronics... Also one of the major things is the charger... i was thinking about the charsoon magic charger... it's a really cool idea and i can use it for charrging other stuff too.

http://www.banggood.com/Charsoon-Ma...r-p-1124499.html?rmmds=detail-top-buytogether

http://www.banggood.com/Charsoon-Ma...ance-Port-Battery-p-1124496.html?rmmds=search

Or this one...
http://www.banggood.com/SKYRC-E3-2S...harger-AC-110V-240V-p-79385.html?rmmds=search

I know people say led chargers are rubbish but are they really that bad? I could also buy a voltmeter or even another charger but I don't want the charger to cost much... we don't have much money to spend... i could buy the magic cube because I can use it as a phone and other micro usb devices charger... eventhough give me your opinion on cheap led chargers and if not a other alternative...

Thanks for your responses!

 

[JimCR120]

Bien venido

¡Hola! Me alegro encontrar aquí en el forum gentes de España. Ya tenemos varios lenguages representados. De que parte de España? Yo vivia en Rota por 7 años donde encontré mi esposa (una jerezana) con quien llevo casi 23 años.

And thank you for the nicely detailed question. please give us some time to sort through the items and respond back. One thing in particular I noticed was the charger which just had a video out. iInteresting.

Going from a Champ to an FT 3D might be a steep learning curve. Maybe not too bad though but if you had any trouble with the Champ, I would recommend overcoming those issues before moving to a more agile/unstable airframe.

Bienvenido al forum.
—Jim

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

Hola! Muchas gracias por responder, soy, originalmente de Holanda pero vivo en Massarrojos un pequeño pueblo cerca de Valencia, con el Champ no he tenido ningún problema, ya veremos si todo va bien con el 3d...

Esperando su respuesta,
Vincent

 

[JimCR120]

Respuesta

Ok now that I've had some time to look over your list I have some thoughts. But before I share them I want to qualify my opinion saying I haven't built the FT 3D nor have I used that motor. That said, here are my thoughts.

I think your prop is good. It's an inch shorter than the recommended one by FT which means you should get better acceleration but I'm not sure what you might be losing.

I know little about the motor but looking at its info online it looks tempting. However, it is rated to 40A which impacts what you'll need for ESC and battery.

Your ESC at 30A is 10A below the current draw rating of the motor. I would choose an ESC that better matches your motor.

You have the same problem with your battery. At 25C it could seriously lack the ability to deliver what the motor and ESC are demanding. Here I would recommend picking a C rating that meets or exceeds the C rating of your ESC.

When picking electronics I normally consult what is being used or recommended. In this case you might want to look at the FT Power Pack C.

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

Thanks!

So, the motor is fine but need to replace my ESC and battery.

For the 40A ESC, are these ok, which one would be the best?
http://www.banggood.com/FMS-Predato...lug-for-RC-Models-p-1105060.html?rmmds=search
http://www.banggood.com/DYS-BL40A-M...for-RC-Multicopter-p-975797.html?rmmds=search

Also, could you explain me what would be the best for soldering (or just plugging if possible) my motor and ESC together.

This is a 30c battery would this work? I don't really understand where you found that the other isn't enough so... :
http://www.banggood.com/ZOP-Power-1...ipo-Battery-T-Plug-p-998820.html?rmmds=search

So... i'm assuming this is more or less correct, I would only need a charger... Could you please say your opinion about the two chargers i listed in my first post?

I've also found this guy, I think he also has a post in the FTspit scratchbuilt forum... but this are some of his youtube videos, in the comments of the spit video he says he has the same motor as I (only the turnigy but it's the same) with a 3s 2200mah bat and the 3d with the same powerpod... They both fly really well

His spit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDKAVogLi7A&t=78s
His 3D with the same powerpod: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMIVpGm1oZM

Thanks for the replies!
Vincent
Thanks for you responses

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

These are the batteries I mean...
http://www.banggood.com/Charsoon-Mag...op-buytogether

http://www.banggood.com/Charsoon-Mag...l?rmmds=search

Or this one...
http://www.banggood.com/SKYRC-E3-2S-...l?rmmds=search

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

Please respond

Please, someone needs to tell me if that ESC and battery are ok, and what lipo charger y should get...

Responses are really apreciated,
Vincent

 

[JimCR120]

Bueno, ya tuve tiempo para investagar tu lista.

I think your choice for the motor is a good one. It is different but comparable to the recommended one from Power Pack C and has similar ratings for prop and amps.

Of the 2 ESC's you ask about, only one of them I would use for this build. The Predator ESC has a BEC (battery eliminator circuit) which will provide 5VDC to your receiver to power it up. The other ESC does not have a BEC and would put you in the position of getting power to the receiver another way.

Regarding the battery, I recommend against the 30A LiPo you linked to in post #5 and all 3 links in post #6 came up, "Page Not Found". What I did do is I took one of your proposed batteries and looked for something similar but more adequate from the same web site. Perhaps you might like a battery from this page. I like most of them. However, I'm not a fan of the Dean's T style connector at all and prefer the XT60's. But your money, your choice. Of all the ones on the page I like this one (below) most. I think it's the best value.


That Charsoon charger is new to me but I did look at some reviews and find it very appealing. If it functions as advertised I would get it. Actually, I think I might get one for myself.

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

Thanks so much for your reply!
Is a 45c really needed or can i go with a bit less... So only 1800mah should be enough! Thats perfect, i think ill just buy that battery then.
Also, could someone please give their opininon on chargers apart from the magic charsoon... Are those little ones ok or are they really as impossible to work with as people say?

Again, thank for your responses,
Vincent Vos

 

[JimCR120]

You might be ok going down to 40C but personally I like to have a margin of error and I also didn't see any of those on that website.

Regarding the 1800mAH vs the 2200mAH the reason I like the 1800 is you get more mAH per dollar and also when I fly I would rather have 2 smaller batteries instead of 1 large one so that I can land and have one on the charger while I'm flying another which also gives the motor and ESC a little cool down. Less man also means a lighter batter which means more efficiency though sometimes it's negligible. But if you are desiring a certain length of flight then that of course will also come into play.

There are other chargers out there if you are not willing to risk money on a newer product. Have you checked other websites? Have you checked the shipping prices to Spain for Hobby King's UK warehouse?

A word of caution, Banggood has low prices which makes them tempting but the quality of the item might also be less.

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

Hey, i'm back!
I've looked at hobbyking and shipping and the products are quite expensive... I think i'll go with that li-po you said (and maybe later ill buy another one so i can be flying for longe)r, also, the initial motor and servos and the predator ESC (the one with the BEC).

So that aside, the problem is THE CHARGER: I really have no clue... which one would you recommend?
Are those little cheap led charger which don't say voltage rally as terrible as people say?
I want to try the charsoon but have seen a few reviews where people don't seem very enthousiastic about it...

Also, SOLDERING
Wil I need to do much? In that case i'll ask for help but if I can do it myself better... A quick explanation on what i'll need to do would be gr8 or a link to a good uide because I couldn't find really good guides

Thaks for you responses, and happy easter
Vincent

 

[JimCR120]

Si una Pascua feliz, gracias. El es resusitado! Felicidades para ti también.

Sobre la cargadora, esta me parece tipico de lo que usan muchos por aquí. Es como la mia de otra marca pero funciona mas o menos igual. Aún, si el Charsoon funcionaba como dice a mi me gustaria esa.

Tarde o temprano tendrás que aprnder trabajar con etaño. A veces las pilas o el ESC no viene con los conectadoes y habra que ponerlos. Hay buenos videos que lo demuestran bien. Si lo deseas puedo buscar unos para que veas.

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

So, easter is over, hope you have had a wonderful time

I don't know what charger to choose but I would really enjoy those videos i'llneed for soldering.

Thanks for responding,
Vincent

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

Are these kind of chargers really that bad?
If then i'll just go with the imax b6... the charsoon also seems a good idea but is more expensive and i'm not really sure if i can really trust it.

I'll also like some soldering videos

Thx for the responses,
Vincent

 

[JimCR120]

Here's a quick video about soldering.
https://www.flitetest.com/articles/soldering-battery-connectors
I would add 2 things though.
1) When soldering battery connectors covered with plastic, plug in the new connector with another blank but opposite gender connector to keep the pins from drifting out of alignment due to excessive heat and softening of the plastic.
2) Clean the solder joint with alcohol and a brush to remove leftover flux (the brown gummed on stuff after soldering)

As for the charger, you have plenty of choices that will work. If you're looking for what's best, that's a matter of opinion and I have aready opined as best I can not having personally used those particular chargers. How much is the last one you posted? Chargers like that might go for $15-$20 so maybe it's worth it to you. If it costs much more though I would recommend a more capable charger for a comparable price.

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

I'll check all that soldering later I would also like what I need to solder and connectors i should buy.

That charger above is 13... Against the 27 of the imax it's much cheaper... But i've read it doesn't ballance the cells really good and there's no way of checking voltage because there are only those lights... No display...
If it really is worth the price and the little one is sh** then i'll gladly buy the imax which, as everyone says works perfectly...

Thanks,
Vincent

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

(Well, the charger is 13 but 8 with discount on banggood)

 

[JimCR120]

Very good. I'll be eager to see what you decide.

 

[TheFlyin'Fox]

INFO PROGRESS

So, hi again at the end we'll go with the imax b6 i think it's worth it.

Here are some pictures of the progress we have made... it's not much and it's not yet glued together because we haven't had much time to work on.


I also have a slomo video of it just being thrown by hand which is really cool but i even had to cut the images size so that I could insert them so yeah... a bit of a too powerful camera for this forum.

I hopeto hear your opinions about it...

Also, one last thing, we need the thing that go at the end of the servos wich plugs into the wing (linkage stoppers i think?) can we make those ourselves out something like balsa or plywood? Also... do you recommend me to buy any connectors, for now our products, if they have any it are XT60s so yeah...

Thanks for your responses,
Vincent Vos

 

[JimCR120]

It's looking good.

Do you know about where the CG will be?

What kind of area do you have for flying? A nice big field with long grass can be very forgiving as a new pilot learns his skills.

Here are a couple quick videos on linkages and horns that might help. Sounds like your asking about control horns. Those can be made yourself.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbUlZzwUbIY

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xyzC1Z1p_yo