Sourcing Parts in Canada - A Cry For Help

[Dwamies]

So I purchased two Ft Spitfires a year or two ago and built one. It died quite spectacularly and I haven't done much since. Since December or so I decided I would try again, but instead of going all out with my second Spitfire I figured I would do some training with a Snowball. I live in Canada, so the Snowball had some really awesome features. It also looked easy to fly/repair, and fairly robust. I went and picked up some foamboard, and scratchbuilt a nutball with a Conversion Kit for the motor mounts.

Been having a real tough time with this build. The motors shaft was in backwards, and it had set screws that were smaller than my smallest Hex Key at 1.5mm. Props I got were the size of the shaft, not the size of the prop holder thing, so I had to go and buy some O-rings for like 3.50 each. The motor, servos, and battery took about 2 months to get here from Hobby King.(With about 40$ in duty fees) Of course when they get here and I try to assemble I realize I am missing the Linkage stoppers for the servo arms, and bullet connectors for the motor. Sadly because I live in northern Ontario, I am 400km+ away from the nearest hobby shop. I REALLY didn't want to wait for parts so I replaced all of my bullet connectors with spade/slot easy disconnect connectors you can get at Canadian Tire or Home Depot. (Will they even work alright?) I also scammed the linkage stoppers from my Spit's kit. Now I get everything ready to go and I plug my battery into my ESC. It fails HORRIBLY. Turns out when I soldered on the XT60 the first time to my spits battery and the ESC, they went on backwards. Plugged in my new battery and got a face full of ESC smoke. <-No Fun

Can someone tell me if I even have the right setup for a snowball?
Park 300 1380kv
7x6 prop
HAD a 30A ESC
Turnigy 20c 1600mAh 3cell

TL;DR
I need a new ESC and need to order parts regardless. Does anyone know where I can get parts from within Canada? Is there and ESC that comes with pre-soldered XT60 connector? Do I have to drill out my servo arms to fit linkage stoppers? How do you keep the stoppers from undoing the nut at the bottom? Will my plane even fly with the components I have?

God this has been frustrating ... and WAY more expensive than I first thought, HALP!

 

[ElectriSean]

Great Hobbies is a good source within Canada, and even carry quite a bit of FT stuff.

 

[Grauwulf]

Great Hobbies is a good choice, their cost on the FT power packs is very reasonable when you start breaking out the cost of the individual components. Hobby Hobby in Mississauga is also an excellent option as well, very good prices and knowledgeable staff. I purchase from both on a regular basis.

 

[Andre]

Yep Great Hobbies is worth looking at. Specially when you factor in the shipping costs/taxes.

 

[Hai-Lee]

TL;DR
I need a new ESC and need to order parts regardless. Does anyone know where I can get parts from within Canada? Is there and ESC that comes with pre-soldered XT60 connector? Do I have to drill out my servo arms to fit linkage stoppers? How do you keep the stoppers from undoing the nut at the bottom? Will my plane even fly with the components I have?

God this has been frustrating ... and WAY more expensive than I first thought, HALP!

The parts supply source question seems to be adequately answered.

As for your linkage stoppers I always fit mine to the control horn end and do drill the control horn to suit. It makes adjustment a lot easier than trying to adjust within a cramped fuselage through a hatch or similar.

As for the "Nuts" coming loose I use a small drop of CA on the thread which stops the nut from coming off in flight. The CA can be "broken" if you ever need to remove the linkage stopper.

The prop saver "O" ring requirement is an easy fix. If you do not mind a little noise you can use either a little surgical rubber tubing as a source of your "O" rings or even just a rubber band which you weave in and out of the posts in as symmetrical manner as you can achieve.

At your current prices for the "O' ring I would suggest that a prop adapter would be cheaper and props are very cheap. Landing on snow will save more props than the prop saver. Unless you specialize in vertical landings.

If your electronics are close to the original parts list then it should fly subject to any build issues of course. Make sure you get the CG correct before you try it though.

 

[Dwamies]

I really appreciate the replies. Great Hobbies seems a bit hard to navigate, but they do appear to have everything I need, and there is Hobby Hobby which seems good as well. Hai Lee, I will follow your lead on those Linkage stoppers, and pick up some new props so I can do away with my prop saver. Hoping for good results when everything comes in!

Thanks again everybody, was getting really discouraged.

 

[Grauwulf]

Another suggestion as far as switching from a prop saver (I never had much luck with them myself) to a regular hub, make sure you turn on the brake function of your speed controller if it has one. That will help you avoid breaking props on belly landings.

 

[Dwamies]

... make sure you turn on the brake function of your speed controller if it has one. ...

Now I have read about this function and that you could change some settings in your esc, but I assume this requires some specialty kit?

What brand of ESC would you recommend? The one I burnt was a Suppo. I got that one because it already had the bullet connectors. Especially where great hobbies/hobby hobby don't ever show what connectors are on the ESC. Is there a rule of thumb for selecting the proper part? (specifically if it has the plug to power the receiver and servos)

 

[Grauwulf]

I've had pretty good luck with most brands of speed controls. I've used Emax, HobbyKing, HobbyWing and some counterfeit Hobbywings that came with a quadcopter kit I bought, among others. If you're unsure if a particular ESC comes with bullets on it from Great Hobbies, try googling it and see if another vendor or the mfg has the info on connectors. If you want an ESC that will power your receiver, you need one with a BEC on it.

Changing the settings on most, if not all ESC's can be done with stick commands from your transmitter once you have things hooked up. The esc will cause the motor to 'chirp' or play tones to let you step through the menu and change settings. It's actually quicker and easier than it sounds.

As far as picking the right size ESC for your plane/motor, you need to look at the specs for your motor and see how many amps it draws with whatever size prop you're going to use, that's generally how I do it. Based on the parts you have listed, you have a good power system for your snowball, however you only really need a 10A or so speed controller for that power system. The 30A you had was total overkill. lol

 

[Dwamies]

30a was from a previous attempt, gonna buy another for my future spitfire and a 18 for the snowball. (found an 18 for cheaper than a 10)