I'm getting into this hobby for the first time and it's come time to pick my first set of parts. I have built a Bloody Baron and I have plans for the Flier and a few others like the versa wing and trainer. In my last thread a lot of members said that the Baron would be too difficult for a beginner plane, so I've decided to build some of those easier ones as well. I'm looking for a set of electronics that will work well for a lot of the beginner designs and the Baron. I have to save money at the moment so I only want to get one set. The B power pack seems like a good middle ground, but I can't tell if it will be overpowered for the smaller ones. If it is, can I simply use less throttle to make the little planes manageable?
I'm also looking for a radio. These are almost prohibitively expensive for me. I'm not looking for a high end on at all. 6 channels is plenty (I plan on doing some mods and adding an Arduino to my power pack for all kinds of cool things), 4 is my minimum. The only contender I've found is the Hobby King 6 channel TX/RX combo for $25. I haven't seen anything close to that. The reviews seem good, and it appears that it can be programmed with mixing, servo reversing, and the other critical functions. I don't mind having to reprogram it (it has no model storage) and for that price I don't mind clunky programming software. At some point I plan on connecting all of the RX's outputs to an Arduino and having that Arduino run everything. That will allow me to program in any complex mixing, expos, dual rates, etc that I want, all for $20. The only downside is that I'll have to land to change settings and I'll have to program it myself, but that's fine.
I'm also having trouble picking a battery. I'm guessing that I won't be able to get away with the same battery in a Baron and a Flier, so I'm looking for a small, cheap "beater battery" and a longer term one. I want the Baron to work with both, and preferably the Trainer too, but I expect the little planes to only work with the beater. I plan to use the beater to learn how to care for a battery while treating the larger one more gently. Obviously I'll try not to destroy it, but if the smaller battery dies early it won't be a big deal. The Flight Test store has some good looking options, but I'd like to get some first hand advice.
Should I buy a power pack electronics kit, or would it be cheaper to pick and choose the parts on HK, maybe buying equivalent parts instead of the same parts where possible to save money? I don't have any of the parts yet except the screw drivers and a single 9g servo.
Quick questions:
Do laser cutter files for the control horns, firewalls, glider tow release, engine gimbals, stand alone firewall, etc exist?
I have a 7.2v brushed DC 480 size motor on hand that weighs 120g. Would it work with these planes at all?
How do I keep readiboard from warping in Floridian humidity? If I can't fix it, I'll have to use heavy Elmers board (stronger and doesn't take moisture, but about twice as heavy).
P.S, thanks for previewing the twin motor Baron in the last episode FT! I've been searching for a way to make the wing removable and I thought the rubber bands would be too weak for such a large wing, but you showed it was doable. That eliminates a lot of sketchy modifications and time for me. Now to figure out the tail parts. Also, whenever I can afford it I'm totally adding the twin engine pods to my Baron and keeping the center engine. Becuase why not? Commercial planes do it. That's a good enough reason for me. Are there any where the third engine is in the nose though?
I'm also looking for a radio. These are almost prohibitively expensive for me. I'm not looking for a high end on at all. 6 channels is plenty (I plan on doing some mods and adding an Arduino to my power pack for all kinds of cool things), 4 is my minimum. The only contender I've found is the Hobby King 6 channel TX/RX combo for $25. I haven't seen anything close to that. The reviews seem good, and it appears that it can be programmed with mixing, servo reversing, and the other critical functions. I don't mind having to reprogram it (it has no model storage) and for that price I don't mind clunky programming software. At some point I plan on connecting all of the RX's outputs to an Arduino and having that Arduino run everything. That will allow me to program in any complex mixing, expos, dual rates, etc that I want, all for $20. The only downside is that I'll have to land to change settings and I'll have to program it myself, but that's fine.
I'm also having trouble picking a battery. I'm guessing that I won't be able to get away with the same battery in a Baron and a Flier, so I'm looking for a small, cheap "beater battery" and a longer term one. I want the Baron to work with both, and preferably the Trainer too, but I expect the little planes to only work with the beater. I plan to use the beater to learn how to care for a battery while treating the larger one more gently. Obviously I'll try not to destroy it, but if the smaller battery dies early it won't be a big deal. The Flight Test store has some good looking options, but I'd like to get some first hand advice.
Should I buy a power pack electronics kit, or would it be cheaper to pick and choose the parts on HK, maybe buying equivalent parts instead of the same parts where possible to save money? I don't have any of the parts yet except the screw drivers and a single 9g servo.
Quick questions:
Do laser cutter files for the control horns, firewalls, glider tow release, engine gimbals, stand alone firewall, etc exist?
I have a 7.2v brushed DC 480 size motor on hand that weighs 120g. Would it work with these planes at all?
How do I keep readiboard from warping in Floridian humidity? If I can't fix it, I'll have to use heavy Elmers board (stronger and doesn't take moisture, but about twice as heavy).
P.S, thanks for previewing the twin motor Baron in the last episode FT! I've been searching for a way to make the wing removable and I thought the rubber bands would be too weak for such a large wing, but you showed it was doable. That eliminates a lot of sketchy modifications and time for me. Now to figure out the tail parts. Also, whenever I can afford it I'm totally adding the twin engine pods to my Baron and keeping the center engine. Becuase why not? Commercial planes do it. That's a good enough reason for me. Are there any where the third engine is in the nose though?
