NutBall Scratch Build

[Xoliul]

I got really excited about trying one of these; I liked the look of the Flyer more but decided to stick with the nutball as they said it was easier.
Completed the build but have not managed to get off the ground. It weighs 310gr, I was running the hextronik 24gr 1500kv motor on a 2S 500mah with an 8x6 Slow fly prop. The whole prop-motor-battery combo is confusing to me, i wish they'd explained this better. I think I got the prop and motor right, but maybe 2S is not enough?
It pulls itself forward at high speeds, but swerves uncontrollably and just doesn't get off the ground. I also could not for the life of me get the CG anymore forward: fuselage and wings were just too much weight to counter with electronics placement. It was about 1/2 - 3/4 inch off towards the back.

I think I'm gonna redo my wing with thinner 3mm foamboard for the wings (4mm is hard to find here), and use a 3S battery.

 

[abarton]

Just build and flew a NutBall over the weekend, great little airplane/flying disc. Fun to fly, nice and relaxing. I heard people at the park saying it looked like a flying paper plate, nice that the other park visitors enjoyed it as well.

Thanks Flite Test for another great little flyer

Alan

 

[Andre]

My son was making good progress with flying my Micro Tiger Moth but in one day we took out 3 props.
They are not really field friendly to swap nor are they cheap.

So I pulled out the plans for the Flyer and Nutball. He picked the Ball.



Using a TURNIGY 2204-14T 19g Outrunner and a slow fly 8x4 on a 2S 500.
What a riot. I had it in our back yard showing him it will fly.

I've put the battery on top for max protection, no gear and put in about 10 pennies in the nose to help with the balance.

We can't wait to test it out at our field.

 

[imtedsim]

I built one Nutball, such a crazy design, and with me being rather new to the hobby, I have been able to pull off tricks that I had no idea how to do, let alone actually do them! Inverted flat spins with this one is so easy and impressive looking.

I also built a 150% nutball, which is a bit more sedate than the standard version. I fly it with the same powerpod as the standard one (Turnigy 1500kv, 10a ESC and a 8x6 GWS), and I think because the angle of the wings are the same as the smaller one, but with more wing area overall, it cuts down on the twitchiness.

Others have been so curious to fly them, I have my time balanced to currently building 3 more airframes for some guys at the field (who are donating spare electronics), for super combat fun time.

 

[RandomChaos]

Built my first Nutball yesterday. Figured it will fly slow and docile enough to fly in my backyard from the videos I have seen of them. Running the 24gram Hextronik motor on a 610mah 2S with a 10x4.7 SF prop and 20A Hobbywing Skywalker ESC. Haven't had a chance to maiden it yet, but a quick 50% throttle in my garage had it moving at a pretty decent speed, almost lifting off the ground in a matter of feet.

 

[DaveV]

I am a complete noob, I have ordered parts for my NutBall but have be not built or flown it yet, so maybe this is a silly question. I have watched the beginner series, and in that it says when flying Mode 2 the right stick, left and right is for the ailerons, the left stick, and right and left is rudder. In the NutBall build video it looks like Josh wired the rudder to the right stick. Did I not see it correctly, is the NutBall different from other planes, was that a mistake in the video, or…?

 

[Kurt0326]

I am a complete noob, I have ordered parts for my NutBall but have be not built or flown it yet, so maybe this is a silly question. I have watched the beginner series, and in that it says when flying Mode 2 the right stick, left and right is for the ailerons, the left stick, and right and left is rudder. In the NutBall build video it looks like Josh wired the rudder to the right stick. Did I not see it correctly, is the NutBall different from other planes, was that a mistake in the video, or…?

First WELCOME to the family!

NO this is not a mistake. He did put the rudder control to "aileron" stick. I do the same thing for my nutball or any three channel aircraft like gliders. It feels more natural to be able to control with right hand and throttle on left.

Now you do it anyway you like what ever feels more comfortable to you.

Happy landings!

 

[DaveV]

Thank you for the clarification and insight. Would flying with that setup make the transition to a 4 channel plane more difficult?

 

[JAIME]

NUT BALL FORM BRASIL

OLÁ PESSOAL! SEUS MODELOS CHEGARAM AO BRASIL, BEM ESPECIFICAMENTE NO RIO DE JANEIRO. E DEVO DIZER QUE ESTOU MUITO SATISFEITO COM ELES! PELA FACILIDADE DA CONSTRUÇÃO E MONTAGEM DA ELETRÔNICA PELO VÍDEO EXPLICATIVO DE ÓTIMA QUALIDADE. ESTÃO FAZENDO SUCESSO NO CLUBE, ESTÃO DE PARABÉNS!

 

[Darticus]

Nutball build and fly

just finishing my nutball but just found this forum. Will this really fly? Many seem to be having problems. Using 20" Nutball,20g 1300 motor, 8 by 4 prop, 2cell 450 ma battery, 10 a esc. How do you find CG? Any flight tips. THANKS RON

 

[imtedsim]

"Will this really fly?"

Oh yes, and they battle too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnl3RVPoqhk

and my Mega nutball (60" diameter). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khojMhVFQko

 

[Darticus]

I will watch tonight. Any tips you have for flying. I do fly at present but it sounds like many are having trouble flying the Nutball. Does anyone know how tall the landing gear should be for a 20" Nutball? I don't see it on the plan. Thanks Ron

"Will this really fly?"

Oh yes, and they battle too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnl3RVPoqhk

and my Mega nutball (60" diameter). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khojMhVFQko

 

[dgrams2000]

Not sure if this board gets any traffic, but where are details on landing gear?

So I'm 1/2 to 3/4 the way through.. starting landing gear. The video quickly skips over the wire used for the landing gear and I don't see any mention in the plans.

A few people asked in the thread here about it as well, but I didn't see any answers.

Wondering how long to cut the wire for landing gear and if there are certain measurements for the bends?

 

[SP0NZ]

So I'm 1/2 to 3/4 the way through.. starting landing gear. The video quickly skips over the wire used for the landing gear and I don't see any mention in the plans.

A few people asked in the thread here about it as well, but I didn't see any answers.

Wondering how long to cut the wire for landing gear and if there are certain measurements for the bends?

FT Power Pod Build video : time stamp 6:12

 

[dgrams2000]

SP0NZ, Thanks for the link. That has gotten me what I need.

Now for one more question that hopefully someone will see...

I have this motor http://www.robotshop.com/ca/en/uav-b...14-1400kv.html

And a 8*4.5 prop is going on this motor.

See picture of the parts that I have for the items.

Tried doing some google searches on how to attach the prop to the brushless motor.
I found a few things, but nothing that really followed the parts that I have.

From what I can tell, The prop should slide over the top of the motor and then possibly use a rubber band to attach to the screws on the motor?

So, then I have the following questions:
1) The hole in my props does not fit over the shaft on the motor. Seems close, but I just cant get it on. Is it supposed to be a super tight fit that I would need to force it on? I wouldn't think so.
2) What are the plastic attachments that come with the prop? Are these used in certain cases with certain motors?
3) Are my parts somehow incompatible? Are there things to look for when fitting props to motors?

Thoughts anyone?
Thanks for helping a noob.

 

[dgrams2000]

So, got my first Nutball built except for the servos... used all the parts that the FlightTest guys used... put it on the floor and cranked up the motor just to see how much pull the prop and motor have, and I can go full throttle on the spektrum controller, and it slowly crawls along the floor... would this be normal at this stage of the game if I don't have my control horns and servers on yet? I feel like I should be getting more power (2Cell battery) Is it normal to have to hand launch these, or should I be able to take off, off the ground? Don't have a scale.. but at work we have a shipping scale, I will run it in tomorrow - but I cant see it being more than 7.5 oz with no battery... like they recommend. (have the same motor they use as well)

Thoughts? Maybe it is this slow and I need to hand launch? I'd hate to toss it and have it eat ground... lol

 

[GoldGuy]

One important aspect of this design not shown on the plan is that you need down thrust on the motor, and right too, to make it fly properly as designed. This applies to the Dart as well. It's how it works.

 

[johlon101]

Nutball with Australian foam board

I am building the nutball with foamboard that is about 0.375g/sq.inch (compared to 0.19g/sq.inch), and in order to get the airframe to balance I need to hang 122g from the firewall. I have the airframe constructed and it's mass is 138g. what electronics setup could I use to get it to balance properly? I am new to the hobby so any answers are appreciated.

 

[Fuzzy Whumpkin]

1) The hole in my props does not fit over the shaft on the motor. Seems close, but I just cant get it on. Is it supposed to be a super tight fit that I would need to force it on? I wouldn't think so.
2) What are the plastic attachments that come with the prop? Are these used in certain cases with certain motors?
3) Are my parts somehow incompatible? Are there things to look for when fitting props to motors?

Thoughts anyone?
Thanks for helping a noob.

noob leading the noob here, but my understanding is that the plastic attachments are there if your motor shaft is too small, you can size down the hole in the propellor by inserting the correctly fitting attachmnet. also, i have read about people needing to ream out propellor holes to make them fit larger motor shafts... i would think just a drill bit and a hand drill would do it, but that may lead to unbalancing... idk

hope that's mildly helpful - good luck!!

 

[rockyboy]

noob leading the noob here, but my understanding is that the plastic attachments are there if your motor shaft is too small, you can size down the hole in the propellor by inserting the correctly fitting attachmnet. also, i have read about people needing to ream out propellor holes to make them fit larger motor shafts... i would think just a drill bit and a hand drill would do it, but that may lead to unbalancing... idk

hope that's mildly helpful - good luck!!

You are absolutely correct Fuzzy! It's also possible to open up the propeller hole with a razor knife and some turning action, but go lightly and be prepared to re-balance the prop afterwards. Just be very careful and cut into a table, not into your hand.

It is pretty essential to have the prop be just a tiny bit lose on the prop saver style mounts. Without the o-ring in place, you want the prop to just fall off if you pick up the motor. If the prop fits too snugly, when you have a rough 'landing' or the prop hits the ground on a belly landing, it'll break. I had 3 busted props in a row one day before I figured that out.