Closer to the axle on the servo, further from the hinge on the control surface.
NutBall Scratch Build
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Closer to the axle on the servo, further from the hinge on the control surface.
MrClean
Well-known member
Put longer control horns on your elevator and rudder. You probably have something that's half an inch from the surface, make em and inch or inch and a quarter. Leave the servo connection midway to most of the way out, I don't want you to loose the mechanical advantage at your servo end, just make the control horn end farther away from the control surface. You are moving a set distance with your servo, if you move your servo arm 60 degrees at the servo 30 each way, a control horn the same size will move your control surface 60 degrees. Double the height and you have half, triple and a third. Now you have 7.5 degrees of movement tops.
Thats how we did it in the old days before dual rates, before rates, on control line.
Thats how we did it in the old days before dual rates, before rates, on control line.
Thats the answer i was looking for. This is one of the flitetest builder kits so its the horns they provided.
Glad to help!
Man I wish I had seen a post like this one a year ago
Growing up a built a bunch of balsa and tissue planes - but due to being a kid and on kids budget they never got more than rubber power and free flight. Always wanted to go RC and powered but it never happened. Thought about it a few times once I got older and had bigger budgets...but the expense still scared me. Stuck to cars and boats - they were expensive enough to repair after crashes and they stuck to 2 dimensional movement so I figured I'd have fewer crashes to deal with (yeah...right!)
A few years ago I saw how the prices on RC gear were dropping and picked up a used 4 channel TX/RX/servo set and planned on building a kite photography rig...until I realized how expensive a kite to lift the cameras I wanted to lift would cost. So the gear collected dust.
Until a few years later when Make magazine ran an article on the Medicine Man glider. I ordered one the day I saw it. Built it, put the radio gear I had in it (had to buy a new RX because the one I had wouldn't fit) but never got past a few small hand launches because I knew I didn't have the skills to actually fly it and being a balsa model would be a lot of work to repair from a crash. (Heck I manged to rip the tail off and take a chunk out of a wing just doing hand launches in a nice grassy field!) So it went back on the shelf until I could build up something to train with first.
A year ago the itch to fly came back and I picked up a little 4 channel FP heli to play with. Loved it even though I went though a ton of parts on it. Ended up picking up a t9x transmitter since it would bind to the heli out of the box..and I figured it would be a good excuse to finally try some planes.
Was saving up (my adult budget was suddenly gone due to the addition of a child to our family) for an Easy star but didn't really like the idea of buying an RTF or ARF plane...I've just always enjoyed building! So I started researching things I could build.
Then all in the same month I heard about the Nutball, the FT swappable plans came out, and Make ran another article with an easy to build foamboard plane, and I stumbled across the experimental air armin wing. We've got a couple dollar trees in town so I grabbed a few sheets of board to play with. Built an armin wing and fuse for a noob tube but knew it would be too much to fly...but kept hearing good things about the nutball.
So one afternoon while my girls were out I built one with the foamboard I had on hand. Ordered the suggested hardware and suddenly I had a plane ready to fly! I started with 2 5 packs of props and headed out to the biggest grassy field around me (living in the desert those are kind of hard to find!) on a nice calm day and thought I'd teach myself to fly. I was bored with sims already and figured I could handle it.
Well, that was a bit less than a year ago and I lasted all of about half an hour at the field before I was out of props. The nutball was just too much for me to handle!
I figured I should go back to my original plan of saving up for an easy star - but now decided a Bixler would be better. Then summer hit. Which here in the desert means huge AC bills and tiny hobby budget. My gear collected dust again.
Then about a month ago I ordered up the bits I needed to fix my heli again and while I was waiting for them to arrive from overseas checked out the new LHS that had opened over the summer.
Came home with a couple of props. They didn't have the nice cheap bags of 5-10 props I was used to seeing online. Just nicer heavier duty props that cost as much each as a bag of 10 from China. But I was itching to try the nutball and had figured out that I needed to setup some dual rates and expo. I also made up a set of landing gear out of a coat hanger and some foamboard to add a bit more weight up front. Got it out last week and with the rates and expo I was suddenly able to almost fly it!
Unfortunately with only 2 props to fly with and neither being "right" (The closest thing I could find at the LHS was a 9x6 and an 8x6) it was still a little hard for me to control. I suspected the other problem was my control rods. Without a LHS I had searched locally for a suitable material. Couldn't find piano wire anywhere locally. I ended up using some machinists wire which was the stiffest thing I could find that would still fit through the holes in the control arms. But it was still pretty weak and I suspected it was the final thing keeping me from having any success. I only destroyed one of the 2 props this time but smashed another firewall ended my day. At least this time I managed to keep it in the air more than a few seconds though so I knew I was getting closer. Ordered a bag of 10 cheap props from a US dealer so they'd get here before this weekend and hoped they'd arrive in time to try again!
Sure enough the props came this morning. So today I ran back to the LHS and picked up some nice piano wire now that I had a local source! While my lipos charged I made up new control rods and a new firewall (and rebent the motor mount which remarkably hasn't actually broken yet.) Only problem...the wind. We actually had wind advisories today. Crud.
But never being one to listen to my sense of better judgement after my girl woke up from her nap we loaded some kites and the nutball in the truck and headed up to the park. It was her first time flying a kite and she loved it. So while she and mom were busy with the kite I decided what the heck, let's try the nutball again even if it is probably too windy.
Well, not only was it too windy but it was also too late and the wind was basically coming right out of the quickly dropping sun. But with proper control rods, a correct 8x4 prop, and my throws dialed WAY back with a good bit of expo....Holy cow I was able to fly!
Not very well. I was just on a 2 cell and the wind was strong enough that I could get off the ground...but couldn't really go anywhere - just kind of hung there and fought the wind. Well, I did bring one 3 cell with me....Popped it in...and suddenly I could fly!
Still ended up going through 3 cheap props. One from and emergency landing in the parking lot when the wind got a hold of me. And two from nose in crashes when I lost the plane in the sun.
My nutball looks like heck. I'll have to get some photos tomorrow...but it's pretty beat up. Still I was actually able to fly for a few minutes this time! Can't wait to get it out tomorrow morning when the wind should be calm and the sun will be on the other side of the wind!
I'd still like to get myself a Bixler...but it's just not in the budget. Instead I finally pulled the trigger on the motor I need to build an Axon and will put more of this foamboard I've got on hand to use over the next few weeks while I wait for it to get here.
Big thanks to FT for the swappable plans - but also to the creator of the nutball and all the people over the years who've contributed to making this hobby more affordable! Since this totally from scratch nutball has seen better days and is getting pretty crumpled I'm thinking I'll have to order up the 3 pack in the next week or two - seems like a good way to thank FT and get me some more planes
TLDR version: Limit the throws, keep the weight forward, and make sure the control rods are stiff enough and it's a much better trainer! I'm still not convinced it's actually a good trainer...but it's what I've got for now and with those 3 things taken care of I'm starting to have some luck actually flying it instead of just crashing it! Glad the plane itself only cost about $2 in materials to build! But if I had it to do again I'd look into something with a more protected prop/motor to start with. I don't mind seeing my $2 plane smash into the ground...except that the most expensive part (the $10 motor) is usually the part that seems to hit hardest!
Now I need to get as much built and flying as I can before summer hits and my hobby budget gets diverted back into the "keep the house under 80" budget
Well I got it flying! Used up my first battery ever! The tape idea worked pretty good other wise I think I would have crashed. It really is squirrelly with a wind that keeps changing directions on you. I got the cg down I think??? It wanted to almost stay tail low but watching the videos they all seem to do that.
baronbernie
Member
Where I live there are about 5 or 6 Family Dollar stores in a one mile area. The Dollar General stores do in there school supply/art section. They are not very big, but big enought to make some items and extreme tape them together. Also multi colored construction board is available. Many of the stores that you would think that would carry hot glue guns and glue sticks did not carry them. Had to order them on line.
It looks like you have quite a bit of motor on that nutball, might be the problem?
One thing I would love to see is a video showing us noobs some very basic things to do before maidening a plane for the first time. What things to look for, and how to set up something as simple as a nutball for a beginner.
When a beginner like me doesn't have a buddy or mentor to walk me through the early stages, it can be very frustrating learning to keep even a beginner plane in the air, as demonstrated by jhitesma.
Flying wing FPV is in my future, but I need to learn to keep my Nutball in the air first!
When a beginner like me doesn't have a buddy or mentor to walk me through the early stages, it can be very frustrating learning to keep even a beginner plane in the air, as demonstrated by jhitesma.
Flying wing FPV is in my future, but I need to learn to keep my Nutball in the air first!
I say forget the nutball as a first plane. If yo'ure having problems keeping it in the air build a FT Flyer instead and learn with it. Much easier to fly even if it is a little tiny bit harder to build.
The Versa wing is also easy to build and in some ways easier to fly than the nutball.
The Nutball is super easy to build...but it's really a horrible first plane I come to believe. Just too hard to get setup right and doesn't quite fly like a real plane. The Flyer is a much better first plane IMHO.
The Versa wing is also easy to build and in some ways easier to fly than the nutball.
The Nutball is super easy to build...but it's really a horrible first plane I come to believe. Just too hard to get setup right and doesn't quite fly like a real plane. The Flyer is a much better first plane IMHO.
That's interesting! Honestly, the FT Flyer was my first plane. I smashed it beyond repair in less than 20 seconds of flying in just two "flites". Now, to be honest, I had a Turnigy 2822/14 (160 Watt) with a 7X4 prop on it. WAY OVER POWERED!! I transfered that power pod to a Nut Ball and crashed it twice, but after 30 seconds total.
I've now swapped out the 2822 for a Turnigy Park 300 1060Kv (65 Watt) motor. I think this might just make it slow and docile enough to have some success. If not. I can whip out another FT Flyer in an hour or so.
I'll let you know how it goes if the wild lets up a bit.
Yeah, overpowered plans are fun...but not great for beginners!
My Versa is a good example. It's got a 2826/6 2200kv (345watt) on it with a 5x4 prop and three cell - it scares the heck out of me it's so fast. Super stable and easy to control...but so fast that you can get into trouble FAST.
I've got two pods with the 24g "Blue Wonder" motors on them and with a 9" prop and a 2cell the FT Flyer practically flies itself. Works well on the nutball as well but I found it still didn't handle as well as the Flyer and was harder to tell which side was up. Those same pods work well on the delta...but I'm not a fan of the delta at all. They also do great wtih the Old Fogey and even fly my Bloody Wonder (though that's a lot more fun with a 2826 1400kv)
The Park 300 should be a lot easier for you to learn with! When you get comfortable with the Flyer/Nutball/Fogey/Bloody Wonder and that motor then try it with your big motor and you'll have some serious fun
I'll say this though - I'm glad I'm learning now when electronics are cheap and planes can be built in an hour or less for a few bucks and not when I was young and electronics were beyond what I could afford and building a plane meant a month of cutting and gluing balsa, doping tissue, and then doing a few nights of repairs after even mild accidents!
My Versa is a good example. It's got a 2826/6 2200kv (345watt) on it with a 5x4 prop and three cell - it scares the heck out of me it's so fast. Super stable and easy to control...but so fast that you can get into trouble FAST.
I've got two pods with the 24g "Blue Wonder" motors on them and with a 9" prop and a 2cell the FT Flyer practically flies itself. Works well on the nutball as well but I found it still didn't handle as well as the Flyer and was harder to tell which side was up. Those same pods work well on the delta...but I'm not a fan of the delta at all. They also do great wtih the Old Fogey and even fly my Bloody Wonder (though that's a lot more fun with a 2826 1400kv)
The Park 300 should be a lot easier for you to learn with! When you get comfortable with the Flyer/Nutball/Fogey/Bloody Wonder and that motor then try it with your big motor and you'll have some serious fun
I'll say this though - I'm glad I'm learning now when electronics are cheap and planes can be built in an hour or less for a few bucks and not when I was young and electronics were beyond what I could afford and building a plane meant a month of cutting and gluing balsa, doping tissue, and then doing a few nights of repairs after even mild accidents!
I've built the Nutball, FT Flyer and Delta. I can balance the Delta on the recommended CG with the recommended 500 mAh battery. With the Nutball and Flyer, I need to put a 1300 mAh battery at the very front of the power pod to have them them balance. I'm using the HexTronik 24 gram motor and have the ESC and receiver as far forward in the power pod as I can get them. Are others able to balance on the CG with the 500 mAh battery without adding weight? Could the Nutball and Flyer fly with a 1300 aAh battery?
Dreamwalker
Less than 250 Grams!
I've got my 500 Mah 3cell battery about 1.5" back from the front firewall. It balances level and flies great.
The A.U.W. is around 360 grams. My first Flyer was a tad tail heavy, but I've gotten my glue gun skills under control.
The A.U.W. is around 360 grams. My first Flyer was a tad tail heavy, but I've gotten my glue gun skills under control.
Anyone thing that a 1200mah batt is too big to fly a nutball? it's the smallest thing I got...
The motor I have for it.
hexTronik 24gram Brushless Outrunner 1300kv
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=2069
The motor I have for it.
hexTronik 24gram Brushless Outrunner 1300kv
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=2069
