I have a hundred dollars in amazon gift cards and have wanted to get into rc planes, I made a list of part and plan to scratch build a towel wing, a simple foam plane or maybe 3d printing a plane. I was wondering how well my current list of part will work and what kind of prop I need. I would like to add things like a bomb drop latter, would I need a more powerful motor for that?
How are these part for a scratch build?
- Thread starter fragnen52
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PeterGregory
CrossThread Industries
You have a total of $100 for radio + plane?
My vote for radio (i.e. radio, tx) would be either the Spektrum Dx6i or the Dx6.
Those are around $130 and $200.
There are cheaper tx's but these have excellent performance and resale value in case you want to exit later on.
You certainly get by on the FlySky or Hobby King until you want to dive deeper.
If you haven't built/flown before, my big recommendation is to stick with the FT Flyer and Delta.
Buy one of the FT electronics packages from Altitude Hobbies.
You want to put those "under your belt" and then the world is your oyster, like the towel plane.
You can spend the rest of the summer getting your thumbs trained on those.
You may want to take the next $105 or so you have and get the RealFlight 7.5 simulator.
Getting your first "model program" together correctly so you get up in the air with decent results (i.e. you want to come back for more" is really important.
Learning how to program your radio, input your models, set dual-rates and expo and actually get the feel for what they do could take a couple of months to get any confidence in your planes and in your flying
I think you can learn on your own and many here will be recommending you get someone that knows what they are doing.
However, I know the impulse to get out and just figure it out yourself and with FT foamies you have the least to lose.
Think higher performance after those are mastered.
My 2c / 22 drachmas
My vote for radio (i.e. radio, tx) would be either the Spektrum Dx6i or the Dx6.
Those are around $130 and $200.
There are cheaper tx's but these have excellent performance and resale value in case you want to exit later on.
You certainly get by on the FlySky or Hobby King until you want to dive deeper.
If you haven't built/flown before, my big recommendation is to stick with the FT Flyer and Delta.
Buy one of the FT electronics packages from Altitude Hobbies.
You want to put those "under your belt" and then the world is your oyster, like the towel plane.
You can spend the rest of the summer getting your thumbs trained on those.
You may want to take the next $105 or so you have and get the RealFlight 7.5 simulator.
Getting your first "model program" together correctly so you get up in the air with decent results (i.e. you want to come back for more" is really important.
Learning how to program your radio, input your models, set dual-rates and expo and actually get the feel for what they do could take a couple of months to get any confidence in your planes and in your flying
I think you can learn on your own and many here will be recommending you get someone that knows what they are doing.
However, I know the impulse to get out and just figure it out yourself and with FT foamies you have the least to lose.
Think higher performance after those are mastered.
My 2c / 22 drachmas
pressalltheknobs
Posted a thousand or more times
Unfortunately Amazon is not the best place to buy RC parts. The vendors are all over, the selection is random and the prices are mostly not great.
Since this is amazon and you only have $100 to play with. You might look at the Duet RTF or the QX Nano RTF. Both are nice indoor outdoor models that will get you flying and provide lots of entertainment. You can use the left over money to buy extra batteries and a 4 battery charger and crash parts. Definitely worth considering if you have never flown. You may not find it fun at all...
If you are determined to build the Towel with the money then you going to need the parts it calls for. The specs are important because they determine the size and the weight and the power of things.
Looking at your list it does not really match the build you are proposing to do. It's best to stick close to the recommended parts if you want a plane to fly unless you have experience and knowledge enough to deviate or you have the budget to experiment. You can deviate from all the plastic 3d printed parts since you can make them with balsa or thin plywood (1/6 or 1/8) and hot glue but the power items you need to follow fairly closely.
So going by this...
http://makezine.com/projects/make-30/the-towel-rc-stunt-plane/
And I make no guarantees on their choices since I've never build one or spoken to anyone that has..
battery
1500mAh to 2000mAh 2s lipo. You need to stick in that range because it broadly corresponds to the weight. Here's a nice one. 25C is a bit more than you need but 20C is probably the minimum to buy these days and the price seemed good compared to others on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Turnigy-nano-tech-1800mah-25~50C-Lipo/dp/B00TGS02PA
motor
Tower Pro Outrunner 2408-21 or equivalent. I couldn't find that motor on amazon. Here is a table of some similar motors.
http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/similar/211
You will have to see if you can find one of them or perhaps order this from elsewhere. Too much work for me...
ESC
30A ESC and 1A or greater BEC
http://www.amazon.com/30Amp-Multi-rotor-Controller-SimonK-Firmware/dp/B00MB1Y3U4
or
http://www.amazon.com/TURNIGY-Plush-30amp-Speed-Controller/dp/B00URCO7E6
servos
2 x Hextronix 900 or equivalent.
There are other suppliers so you can look around but this pretty similar the Hex900.
http://www.amazon.com/RioRand-TowerPro-micro-Helicopter-Arduino/dp/B00JJZXRR0
Get 3 or 4 if you can find the right deal.
props
9X6 or 10X.4.7 (diameter in inches X pitch) Since this is a pusher you could get CW props but regular CCW will work find since the motor can turn in either direction. Get at least 2. Maybe two of each so you can see the difference. Here are a couple of the suggested sizes I found.
http://www.amazon.com/ezcosplay-LP09060E-Electric-Composite-Propeller/dp/B00FYNYQOE
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Flyer-Propeller-10-4-7/dp/B0006O6SD8
Thrust does vary with the style of the propeller as you can see if you explore www.flybrushless.com. To start you really want everything slow and easy so the slowfly prop might be better to start but its a guess.
Transmitter/Receiver
Features you want to start include expo, rates, servo subtrim and servo reversing etc. For the Towel you will need elevon/delta wing mixing too.
The HobbyKing T6 has is points and it is ok if its all your budget will stretch too but it requires you to program it from a computer and it does not have expo. The particular listing you found comes with a receiver so that does keep the price in check. Its not a bad choice for your first model but you might find it annoying for you second if you are still flying your first.
The FlySky T6 is better. It has all the basic features you would want to start but you will need to by a receiver. This one should work. It must be FlySky AFHDS protocol.
http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Receiver-FS-CT6B-FS-TH9X-Transmitter/dp/B010M4H3CQ
However, the FST6 has sort of been replaced by the Flysky i6. The i6 has all the same features but adds telemetry and and few other nice thing and only requires 4AAs.
http://www.amazon.com/FlySky-FS-i6-M2-2-4GHz-6-Channel-Transmitter/dp/B00PF160IK
It's a bit smaller than the FlySky T6 but by all accounts its a better radio. The receiver must be FlySky AFHDS or AFHDS-2A. The iA6B receiver is the best match.
http://www.amazon.com/Flysky-FS-iA6B-Receiver-Compatible-Transmitter/dp/B00VE3Q3XU
The B version supports telemetry and PPM. There are lots of other Flysky AFHDS receivers and they are quite inexpensive which is an advantage if you start building you own planes.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2275319&page=4
You can get a much better deal on the FS T6 or FS i6 or probably anything on the list from Banggood but you would have to use other money.
http://www.banggood.com/FlySky-FS-i...ansmitter-With-FS-iA6B-Receiver-p-983537.html
http://www.banggood.com/FlySky-Data...-T6-Transmitter-Firmware-Update-p-982289.html
I don't own any of these radios so I'm going by the features reviews and and what I've read in forums so you will need to read around and see if you agree before you order.
Charger
The B3 charger is a balance port only charger so it should be quite safe but a bit slow. It's probably good first charger if you have never dealt with lipo batteries before. You should also get one of these...
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Fireproof-Battery-Safety-30cmx23cm/dp/B00DSKS2VI
and watch this as a start to getting familiar with lipo safety
http://flitetest.com/articles/lipo-battery-bunker
The battery alarm is a great idea. You can use it it check your battery and tell you if you it its time to land. Get a couple
Pass on the flight stabilizer. It's not sophisticated enough to help and will probably hinder you. Just start practicing on a windless day. Be careful of the prop, hand launching a wing. Easy to lacerate you self.
The propsaver is also a good idea but you will need to size it to whatever motor you find. It is probably not necessary for a pusher plane like the Towel since you don't crash into the prop. You could pass on that if you can't find the right size or you budget is getting very tight
Good luck and happy flying.
Since this is amazon and you only have $100 to play with. You might look at the Duet RTF or the QX Nano RTF. Both are nice indoor outdoor models that will get you flying and provide lots of entertainment. You can use the left over money to buy extra batteries and a 4 battery charger and crash parts. Definitely worth considering if you have never flown. You may not find it fun at all...
If you are determined to build the Towel with the money then you going to need the parts it calls for. The specs are important because they determine the size and the weight and the power of things.
Looking at your list it does not really match the build you are proposing to do. It's best to stick close to the recommended parts if you want a plane to fly unless you have experience and knowledge enough to deviate or you have the budget to experiment. You can deviate from all the plastic 3d printed parts since you can make them with balsa or thin plywood (1/6 or 1/8) and hot glue but the power items you need to follow fairly closely.
So going by this...
http://makezine.com/projects/make-30/the-towel-rc-stunt-plane/
And I make no guarantees on their choices since I've never build one or spoken to anyone that has..
battery
1500mAh to 2000mAh 2s lipo. You need to stick in that range because it broadly corresponds to the weight. Here's a nice one. 25C is a bit more than you need but 20C is probably the minimum to buy these days and the price seemed good compared to others on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Turnigy-nano-tech-1800mah-25~50C-Lipo/dp/B00TGS02PA
motor
Tower Pro Outrunner 2408-21 or equivalent. I couldn't find that motor on amazon. Here is a table of some similar motors.
http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/similar/211
You will have to see if you can find one of them or perhaps order this from elsewhere. Too much work for me...
ESC
30A ESC and 1A or greater BEC
http://www.amazon.com/30Amp-Multi-rotor-Controller-SimonK-Firmware/dp/B00MB1Y3U4
or
http://www.amazon.com/TURNIGY-Plush-30amp-Speed-Controller/dp/B00URCO7E6
servos
2 x Hextronix 900 or equivalent.
There are other suppliers so you can look around but this pretty similar the Hex900.
http://www.amazon.com/RioRand-TowerPro-micro-Helicopter-Arduino/dp/B00JJZXRR0
Get 3 or 4 if you can find the right deal.
props
9X6 or 10X.4.7 (diameter in inches X pitch) Since this is a pusher you could get CW props but regular CCW will work find since the motor can turn in either direction. Get at least 2. Maybe two of each so you can see the difference. Here are a couple of the suggested sizes I found.
http://www.amazon.com/ezcosplay-LP09060E-Electric-Composite-Propeller/dp/B00FYNYQOE
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Flyer-Propeller-10-4-7/dp/B0006O6SD8
Thrust does vary with the style of the propeller as you can see if you explore www.flybrushless.com. To start you really want everything slow and easy so the slowfly prop might be better to start but its a guess.
Transmitter/Receiver
Features you want to start include expo, rates, servo subtrim and servo reversing etc. For the Towel you will need elevon/delta wing mixing too.
The HobbyKing T6 has is points and it is ok if its all your budget will stretch too but it requires you to program it from a computer and it does not have expo. The particular listing you found comes with a receiver so that does keep the price in check. Its not a bad choice for your first model but you might find it annoying for you second if you are still flying your first.
The FlySky T6 is better. It has all the basic features you would want to start but you will need to by a receiver. This one should work. It must be FlySky AFHDS protocol.
http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Receiver-FS-CT6B-FS-TH9X-Transmitter/dp/B010M4H3CQ
However, the FST6 has sort of been replaced by the Flysky i6. The i6 has all the same features but adds telemetry and and few other nice thing and only requires 4AAs.
http://www.amazon.com/FlySky-FS-i6-M2-2-4GHz-6-Channel-Transmitter/dp/B00PF160IK
It's a bit smaller than the FlySky T6 but by all accounts its a better radio. The receiver must be FlySky AFHDS or AFHDS-2A. The iA6B receiver is the best match.
http://www.amazon.com/Flysky-FS-iA6B-Receiver-Compatible-Transmitter/dp/B00VE3Q3XU
The B version supports telemetry and PPM. There are lots of other Flysky AFHDS receivers and they are quite inexpensive which is an advantage if you start building you own planes.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2275319&page=4
You can get a much better deal on the FS T6 or FS i6 or probably anything on the list from Banggood but you would have to use other money.
http://www.banggood.com/FlySky-FS-i...ansmitter-With-FS-iA6B-Receiver-p-983537.html
http://www.banggood.com/FlySky-Data...-T6-Transmitter-Firmware-Update-p-982289.html
I don't own any of these radios so I'm going by the features reviews and and what I've read in forums so you will need to read around and see if you agree before you order.
Charger
The B3 charger is a balance port only charger so it should be quite safe but a bit slow. It's probably good first charger if you have never dealt with lipo batteries before. You should also get one of these...
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Fireproof-Battery-Safety-30cmx23cm/dp/B00DSKS2VI
and watch this as a start to getting familiar with lipo safety
http://flitetest.com/articles/lipo-battery-bunker
The battery alarm is a great idea. You can use it it check your battery and tell you if you it its time to land. Get a couple
Pass on the flight stabilizer. It's not sophisticated enough to help and will probably hinder you. Just start practicing on a windless day. Be careful of the prop, hand launching a wing. Easy to lacerate you self.
The propsaver is also a good idea but you will need to size it to whatever motor you find. It is probably not necessary for a pusher plane like the Towel since you don't crash into the prop. You could pass on that if you can't find the right size or you budget is getting very tight
Good luck and happy flying.
Last edited:
I've taken your recommendations into consideration and made this new list. I probably should have included more details such as I have flow a cheap quad and rc heli before, I already have about 10 micro servos, I have experiences in electronics(soldering, arduinos, built my own 3d printer, ext.), I have largish backyard and have a large many large fields in my area(many empty with tall grass that I could get permission to fly in), I'm good at flying in video games, I can go over $100 I'm just cheap, I would like to put my old iPhone 5s on it as an aerial camera, I was just going to use the stabilizer as an "oh crap" switch and to possibly let the 5 year old my mom nanny's fly.
pressalltheknobs
Posted a thousand or more times
Looks like the CF2812 is a bit underpowered for those props according to the tables I found here...
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1230900
although I notice that there is no tests for those size props for the Tower Pro - 2408-21 on http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/view/211
I think you will need to poke around some more to be sure that they didn't make a mistake recommending that motor and those props. The test table shows that a 7x4 APC gets about 12oz thrust at 7.4v You may get a bit more with a bigger prop if it can swing it but it may be too much. Need some other data there.
I boobed when I said 30A ESC. The build calls for a 20A ESC. This one might suit...
www.amazon.com/20Amp-Multi-rotor-Controller-SimonK-Firmware/dp/B00MB1Y5D4
I see you like the look of the i6 TX. I notice that deal gets you the older iA6 receiver and not the iA6B. The iA6 will work but the iA6B gives you PPM which makes wiring it up to a multirotor flight controller a bit easier but you can get that elsewhere later if you feel the need.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1230900
although I notice that there is no tests for those size props for the Tower Pro - 2408-21 on http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/view/211
I think you will need to poke around some more to be sure that they didn't make a mistake recommending that motor and those props. The test table shows that a 7x4 APC gets about 12oz thrust at 7.4v You may get a bit more with a bigger prop if it can swing it but it may be too much. Need some other data there.
I boobed when I said 30A ESC. The build calls for a 20A ESC. This one might suit...
www.amazon.com/20Amp-Multi-rotor-Controller-SimonK-Firmware/dp/B00MB1Y5D4
I see you like the look of the i6 TX. I notice that deal gets you the older iA6 receiver and not the iA6B. The iA6 will work but the iA6B gives you PPM which makes wiring it up to a multirotor flight controller a bit easier but you can get that elsewhere later if you feel the need.
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