FT Duster - BUILD

[hotwax]

... How did you do the black side decal?
Sean

Well,

tape a Stripe of black packing Tape on your cutting Matt. Take Ruler and Blade and cut two long Triangels. Remove the Triangels from the Matt and put them at the Sides.

Put another Stripe on the Matt and cut the Stripe for the Turtledeck. Remove it and put it on the Plane.

Take your ruler and blade, cut surplus Tape and remove it.

Ready to go!

 

[DDSFlyer]

looked it up by number -- looks like it's thrown by a really crappy plastic motor!

Looks like the stock motor it's intended to run on is a ~900kv motor which can draw around 250W. A quick search on HK popped up a half dozen options between 850 and 950kv with enough power in the "parkfly" motor listings, and there are likely other nice motors around the net . . .

Dunno about tri-bladed spinners. barely understand how the dual blade spinners attach

Any chance of leading a blind horse to water here? I never know how to select motors on HK's website. Would a Park 400 or 480 work? or would they be too heavy of a motor for the Duster build? I'm assuming I'll need at least a Turnigy Plush 40amp ESC as well. I'll try and see what kind of spinners the LHS guy can steer me towards or at least something close that I can modify to fit.

 

[Craftydan]

Sorry DDS. didn't mean to keep my methods secret I opened the parkfly motors section and scanned the listings for . . . but HK has changed their listing categories

Because I've been perusing through them, most motors in the low KV, 250-350W range will be in the 28-34 mm motors . . . or in the "bell" type motors (really HK? do you have to make it hard for us to find things ?!?)

Scanned the listings around the target kV, opening a tab for each. When I've got a few, clear out any nowhere near the target power/current (at 12v, 250W => 20A). Usually down to a handful after that, so drop them off the list because of mounting, cost and other features.

For "too heavy" look at the recommended motors -- it should be a fairly large range to stay within.

Quick look at HH's listings for the park 400 and 480 in the low 900's, looks like a suitable substitute. a pricey suitable substitute, but they look like they'll work.

 

[DDSFlyer]

Pricey on HK? Yeah I may just get a park 450 or some 800kv motor. I know that my 28-36 motor is just pretty heavy but it's also a 1800kv motor I believe. I have that on my bloody wonder and I love it, but I think it wounded be much for the duster.
I think I'll look more at the Turnigy brands or a suppo motor that I could find. I have a park 480 in my super cub but hate it when I bend the shaft of that thing and that all the parts are in the global warehouse instead of the US.

 

[Raylon]

Hey guys, I am going to start building my Dusty soon, was hoping for some setup help. I basically want something that isn't too fast but can do some aerobatics. I am building a FT-22 also and am hoping to buy everything from HobbyKing in one order. Any recommendations for a good setup? I've seen a bunch of different motors thrown around and I never know what ESC's from HK are good and which ones are junk. Hope you guys can help!

 

[Craftydan]

DDS,

I was referring to Horizon Hobby . . . and $45-50 is a bit much compared to HK.



Hey Raylon! Welcome to the forum!

I'll start easy, I've had good experience with the F-20A, but if you need a touch more, the F-30A is the same ESC with stronger transistors. good, inexpensive and easily re-flashed (if you ever have the mind to).

The NTM's make good motors, but can be a bit high priced ($18-20 with the needed adapter kit), but can swing a 9" prop pretty fast. Haven't built the duster (yet), but have had my Bloody Wonder and Spitfire dragged though the sky by a Turnigy L2215J-900. Not as much power and a touch slower, but cheaper and throws an aggressive 10" prop well (using a 10x10 prop, currently). building a dusterwith this motor and swinging a 10x5 should get you plenty of power without too much speed.

Not sure about the FT22 yet . . . when I build one, it will be a higher KV motor (1700-2200kv), with a bit of oomph. I'm leaning toward a D2826-6 2200kv, but that would need at least a 35A ESC and may be a bit much for an early pilot (in the other thread you mentioned this would be your third plane, mind if I ask which were the previous two?).

The Blue Wonder style motor (Turnigy 2730, 1700kv) is a bit of a light weight for the FT22, but will keep her airborne and docile. Something in-between would be something like a Turnigy L2210A-1650 -- a bit more power, but still not super strong or fast.

 

[Raylon]

DDS,
Hey Raylon! Welcome to the forum!

I'll start easy, I've had good experience with the F-20A, but if you need a touch more, the F-30A is the same ESC with stronger transistors. good, inexpensive and easily re-flashed (if you ever have the mind to).

The NTM's make good motors, but can be a bit high priced ($18-20 with the needed adapter kit), but can swing a 9" prop pretty fast. Haven't built the duster (yet), but have had my Bloody Wonder and Spitfire dragged though the sky by a Turnigy L2215J-900. Not as much power and a touch slower, but cheaper and throws an aggressive 10" prop well (using a 10x10 prop, currently). building a dusterwith this motor and swinging a 10x5 should get you plenty of power without too much speed.

Not sure about the FT22 yet . . . when I build one, it will be a higher KV motor (1700-2200kv), with a bit of oomph. I'm leaning toward a D2826-6 2200kv, but that would need at least a 35A ESC and may be a bit much for an early pilot (in the other thread you mentioned this would be your third plane, mind if I ask which were the previous two?).

The Blue Wonder style motor (Turnigy 2730, 1700kv) is a bit of a light weight for the FT22, but will keep her airborne and docile. Something in-between would be something like a Turnigy L2210A-1650 -- a bit more power, but still not super strong or fast.

My first plane was actually a GP F-86 Sabre, it's a micro edf. I flew simulators for like 4 years before getting a real plane. I had no issues with it as a first plane. My second was a Edge 540QQ 280 from horizon, which I can do moderate 3D like hovering. So I wouldn't consider myself a beginner, I feel like I can fly pretty much anything pretty well. I also have a few heli's, one being a Blade 500.

 

[Craftydan]

Yup, not a beginner.

Sorry about that Raylon. We get a wide range of experience here, and sim + small airframe count usually leans away from experience, but you, sir, are an exception

The D2826-6 2200kv should be really zippy for the FT22, but you'll need a 35-40A ESC . . . or underprop it and double check with a power meter . . . The D2822/14 1450kv + F-20A suggested over in the other thread would be a cheaper option, albeit much slower. I wouldn't recommend either for the duster -- the 2200 because the nose will shadow the prop, and the 1450 is a touch low in power (doable, but for a few dollars more . . . )

Sorry, no experience with ESC's over 30A, but I avoid the SS and redbrick by principal. The SS might be a nice brand, but they lock down the firmware to prevent re-flashing -- most people don't care, though. The redbrick's I've played with are cheap and overpriced at that. Who knows? The cheap high power redbricks might be well made, but I doubt it.

 

[Raylon]

Alright so for the FT-22 I'm thinking this setup:

Motor: D2826-6 2200kv http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__12919__D2826_6_2200kv_Outrunner_Motor.html
ESC: Plush 40A http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...sh_40amp_Speed_Controller_USA_warehouse_.html
Prop: ?
Servos:HXT900
Battery: What size battery here?

The only receiver in stock is this one: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...SM2_Compatible_4Ch_Micro_2_4Ghz_Receiver.html

I'm a little worried about the connectors though for the servo and ESC don't know if they are compatible. EDIT: Looks like I can use JST adapters:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...x_1_25_to_Female_JR_Servo_Extension_1pc_.html

And finally, would it be possible to use this setup in the Dusty or would that be overkill?

 

[Craftydan]

For that motor, for a 3S1300 pack(recommended on the store page), looks like a 5x5 is the size to go with. It should give you plenty of thrust and speed for the FT22.

Which warehouse are you ordering from? I was under the impression they wouldn't let US customers order from anywhere except international and US . . . but could be wrong. I'd recommend going with the 615, but usually I have to buy them from the international warehouse. Do yourself a favor and order two while you're at it (that's the most they'll let you buy in one order).

This is a great setup for some airframe types, but I don't recommend this setup for the duster or most swappables. With the size of the dusters fuselage, too much of the thrust will be lost on a 5" prop, blowing into it's nose. You really need a lower KV motor swinging a bigger prop to sling thrust around that wide nose.

 

[Raylon]

I'm ordering from the US. I will probably be placing 2 orders, one from US store and one from Global warehouse.

Bummer on the limit on 2 R615's, I will be needing three of them for 2 FT-22's and one dusty.

So this would be a good prop for the FT-22? It's a 5x5 APC http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__38925__APC_Style_Propeller_5x5_2_pc_USA_Warehouse_.html

And battery I will probably get a few of these: Turnigy 1300mAh 3S 30C
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=20822

 

[Craftydan]

That's pretty typical for most of us who make the time-for-cheap trade that HK offers -- lipos and whatever else we can find at US, and wait for the slow boat for RX's and specialty parts they don't offer anywhere else. Selection is getting better, but some things simply aren't available here, for various (and probably legal) reasons.

I was surprised to find orange's RX3SM (their new stabilized 4ch RX) in the us warehouse, but unless you want the stabilization (which has had spotty performance on previous models), it's cheaper to pick up a Spektrum AR6115e domestically.

Those look like fine choices -- you could get away with a 25C battery, but at 32A you'd be close -- $2 is cheap peace of mind. might want to pick up a battery alarm or two while you're at it:

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__34120__Hobbyking_2_8S_Cell_Checker_with_Low_Voltage_Alarm_USA_Warehouse_.html

 

[Raylon]

Alright so here is the build! Let me know any final thoughts!

FT-22
Motor: 2826 1x http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__24239__D2826_6_2200kv_Outrunner_Motor_US_Warehouse_.html

ESC: Plush 40A 1x http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/...sh_40amp_Speed_Controller_USA_warehouse_.html

Rx: R615 1x http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor...m_JR_DSM2_Compatible_6Ch_2_4Ghz_Receiver.html

Servo: HXT900 2x http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__662__HXT900_9g_1_6kg_12sec_Micro_Servo.html

Prop: APC 5x5 2x http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__38925__APC_Style_Propeller_5x5_2_pc_USA_Warehouse_.html

Battery: 1300 30C 3S 2x http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=20822

Programming Card: 1x http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__2169__TURNIGY_BESC_Programming_Card.html

 

[Craftydan]

you'll need 3.5mm bullet plugs and a male XT60 plug for the ESC -- that's the bare minimum. beyond that, pick something for your duster and hit buy

 

[Raylon]

So I ordered everything for the FT-22. For the Duster I decided to just get the kit from Lazertoyz. Made my life much easier. Will probably build the Duster first! What kind of tape do you guys use on this type of foam?

 

[seanudal]

I have almost finished my Dusty and done a Watt test. All good. Now waiting for the rain to stop. Any tips when flying this plane?
Thanks Sean

 

[DDSFlyer]

That's a great looking Dusty! I've really gotta get mine started. How did you get the colors? Paint? Tape? I need to go see if I can match up some rattle cans to paint mine after building

 

[Craftydan]

Slick job Sean!

Haven't flown one . . . yet . . . but all the basics of a maiden apply -- take it easy on the throws, throttle and maneuvers until you get the feel, if something doesn't feel right then land and inspect, and try to fly over a large area with something soft in case that's not enough . . . and no, people don't count as "soft"

Good luck!

 

[Outlaw56]

Has anyone tried the FT Duster "beef" kit from lazer toys? FT crew recommends it as a good option and Lazertoys recommends it. I have a Spektrum DX6i radio and I ordered a spare Spektrum 4 channel reciever. Im hoping it will work with the Lazertoys "beef" kit for my Dusty. Included in this kit are the Emax GT2215-09 1180KV 2.25 thurst with prop adaptor, 9x6 props, Lazertoy 20 Amp ESC, Emax Budget Servos, 12" "Y" servo connector, EZ Links and 1300 Mah Lipo 20C discharge/5C Charge rate. For an additional $15 you can upgrade to a 1300 Mah 3s Lipo. Without the shipping, the price of the kit is $59.99. No charger included.

I am holding back on ordering this kit until I know if it will connect and be compatible with a spektrum 400 reciever.

Any opinions?

 

[Craftydan]

Outlaw,

First off, Welcome to the Forum!

All of these parts should work together and they've been selected to match for power -- your only remaining concern is "does it have enough channels".

If you connect the aileron servos with a "Y" (surprise, surprise, it's included in the kit), you should only need four channels:
Throttle (ESC), Aileron (2 servos, Y-ed together), Elevator (one servo), and Rudder (one servo).