Two Sides of the Power Pod Fence

[JGplanes]

TLDR: They're great for beginners, combat, and those on a shoestring budget.

My 2 cents... When I got into "cheap" RC about 5yrs ago and discovered flight test, I was thrilled with the power pod idea. I build a ton of planes, and swapped my ONE motor and ESC every time I wanted to fly something new. It's fantastic for beginners! Now, I have probably 10 planes, and I want each of them to have their own power pod, just for convenience. Of all the FT models I've built I can't think of too many that require you to put the battery on the inside of the power pod, so I'm not usually removing them at all once built. I'm still have the swappable mentality though, because I just finished the X-29 with a 70mm EDF, and it pained me to glue it into the fuselage. I guess that's back to the numbers game because the budgets tight again and I only have two EDFs (with many designs I'd like to try in my head).

The other thing that power pods are amazing for is combat... My son and I have been using the same Bloody Barons for three years at FF, and the power pod us usually what takes the brunt of the beating (see picture from 2017).

One caveat; You must duct tape the fire out of it to make sure it doesn't come loose. Unfortunately we lost an entire power pod this year in combat, and that hurts in the wallet.

If you have a 3D printer, I have a full power pod on Thingiverse which is great for quick builds. The nice thing about 3D printing is you can make a new one with the click of a button.

JG

 

[BATTLEAXE]

TLDR: They're great for beginners, combat, and those on a shoestring budget.

My 2 cents... When I got into "cheap" RC about 5yrs ago and discovered flight test, I was thrilled with the power pod idea. I build a ton of planes, and swapped my ONE motor and ESC every time I wanted to fly something new. It's fantastic for beginners! Now, I have probably 10 planes, and I want each of them to have their own power pod, just for convenience. Of all the FT models I've built I can't think of too many that require you to put the battery on the inside of the power pod, so I'm not usually removing them at all once built. I'm still have the swappable mentality though, because I just finished the X-29 with a 70mm EDF, and it pained me to glue it into the fuselage. I guess that's back to the numbers game because the budgets tight again and I only have two EDFs (with many designs I'd like to try in my head).

The other thing that power pods are amazing for is combat... My son and I have been using the same Bloody Barons for three years at FF, and the power pod us usually what takes the brunt of the beating (see picture from 2017).

One caveat; You must duct tape the fire out of it to make sure it doesn't come loose. Unfortunately we lost an entire power pod this year in combat, and that hurts in the wallet.

If you have a 3D printer, I have a full power pod on Thingiverse which is great for quick builds. The nice thing about 3D printing is you can make a new one with the click of a button.

JG

That is an awesome pic, I have a feeling I have seen this pic before, mind you I tend to watch a lot of You tube anything pertaining to FT or just the hobby, (I let it run vid after vid while building planes), I might have seen this pic there.

I so want to partake in a FF event at some point in the future. I love this hobby and the community comradery that follows it. I am not into the combat thing yet, I fight my own battles with trees and farmers fields right now, I don't have the skill set to dodge other pilots gunning for me yet. Nor unlike your son do I have a fraction of 3 years experience lol.

The thing that I don't have is an expendable budget. I have 3 standard size planes that all share the same motor set up due to only enough budget for one set up. And as for the minis I have 4, again all share the same F Pack, which I have recently lost in a aforementioned farmers canola field, need to scratch up the money to replace that. So my options, like many others and as you mentioned, this hobby can be pricey even working with DTFB plane designs. So one pod that moves from plane to plane makes sense.

Looking at your Bloody Barons you both obviously have nose damage to the fuse, Is this something that you would benefit from and maybe try once, then post your feedback? It would be much appreciated if you do. Thx for the comments, I really appreciate it

 

[rockyboy]

I'm with the "let the power pod soak up the damage to save the airframe" crowd. I reinforce the inside of the fuselage with gift card material and let the skewers tear up the power pod in a nasty crash.

I'm also at the point where I don't need to switch pods between airframes but I can see how that's a huge help for a lot of people.

 

[JGplanes]

I so want to partake in a FF event at some point in the future. I love this hobby and the community comradery that follows it. I am not into the combat thing yet, I fight my own battles with trees and farmers fields right now, I don't have the skill set to dodge other pilots gunning for me yet. Nor unlike your son do I have a fraction of 3 years experience lol.

LOL. Once you start combat it gets addicting. You really only have to not lose sight of your plane. The rest takes care of itself. More like demolition derby than combat. When I try to hit someone, I can't. When I don't want to I usually do.

I hope you can make it to a FF someday. If I build another power pod, I'll be sure to try the bamboo skewers, and let you know what I think.

 

[basslord1124]

I used to be one of those that thought I would do the one powerpod for all my planes and just swap em out as I needed. BUT, my FT journey led me to different airframes that had different powerpod requirements Started with the Storch, then the Seaduck, then the SuperBee, etc. So none of my early planes utilized the same motors. So I decided shortly after that rather than doing all that swapping, I was just going to make sure each plane was basically ready to go. Just bind and go. So each plane has its own pod, motor, ESC, etc now.

I definitely prefer the plane to have some sort of pod for the motor...whether it's FT size or more custom. Just makes it easier. I always glue the firewall on and then tape it afterwards (and just here recently I've started using stronger strapping tape vs just plain packing tape). I don't do any other reinforcements. I will generally still fly a plane with a crumpled pod. Eventually if I feel it's had enough I'll replace the pod. And in some case, the pod may be fine, but the firewall breaks. In that case I just replace the firewall. For standard size planes I put the battery in the pod, and ESC on the bottom (for cooling reasons).

 

[BATTLEAXE]

LOL. Once you start combat it gets addicting. You really only have to not lose sight of your plane. The rest takes care of itself. More like demolition derby than combat. When I try to hit someone, I can't. When I don't want to I usually do.

I hope you can make it to a FF someday. If I build another power pod, I'll be sure to try the bamboo skewers, and let you know what I think.

Thx man. Your opinion is quality to this newbie.

I will be planning a FF trip. Can't be in this hobby and not do it

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I used to be one of those that thought I would do the one powerpod for all my planes and just swap em out as I needed. BUT, my FT journey led me to different airframes that had different powerpod requirements Started with the Storch, then the Seaduck, then the SuperBee, etc. So none of my early planes utilized the same motors. So I decided shortly after that rather than doing all that swapping, I was just going to make sure each plane was basically ready to go. Just bind and go. So each plane has its own pod, motor, ESC, etc now.

I definitely prefer the plane to have some sort of pod for the motor...whether it's FT size or more custom. Just makes it easier. I always glue the firewall on and then tape it afterwards (and just here recently I've started using stronger strapping tape vs just plain packing tape). I don't do any other reinforcements. I will generally still fly a plane with a crumpled pod. Eventually if I feel it's had enough I'll replace the pod. And in some case, the pod may be fine, but the firewall breaks. In that case I just replace the firewall. For standard size planes I put the battery in the pod, and ESC on the bottom (for cooling reasons).

Good so i am not the only one who does the battery in the pod thing. I also tape my firewall with reinforced tape, as in the pics, and i find that the firewall will crumple some and usually the tape will tear and the firewall hangs off the bottom. Actually i might reinforce the fuse with the same plastic pieces and remove them from the pod itself... i will hafta do some testing... hopefully i won't have to though lol

 

[The Hangar]

I haven’t had to rebuild any of my power pods for a while, but my b-pack powerpod finally ripped up beyond reasonable repand I think it might be time to redo it, and this is a perfect technique to try! I also usually put duck tape or packin’ tap on the outside of the pod for longevity, especially when flying dtfb in wet conditions (water, snow, dew, mist etc.). One idea is to reinforce the insides of the pod with balsa...

 

[The Hangar]

Thx man. Your opinion is quality to this newbie.

I will be planning a FF trip. Can't be in this hobby and not do it

It is SO worth the trip. It’s way better than I could have imagined, and I really hope to go next year. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to do combat together😂

 

[BATTLEAXE]

It is SO worth the trip. It’s way better than I could have imagined, and I really hope to go next year. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to do combat together😂

Yes for sure. This is such a great community and the short time i have been in this forum i am finding that there are really good relationships being built on just ideas and suggestions for the greater good. Meeting up with u guys in person will be a highlight and more then worth the trip for sure

 

[PoorManRC]

Meeting up with several great People who I have had the pleasure of chatting with on here, would definitely be a HIGHLIGHT for me!! 👍👍

Back on Subject....
There's absolutely two distinct and opposing Camps on Power Pod Building and execution. Which is always great to not only have ONE option!

Having barely ANY Budget, I'm always for Airframe saving ideas!! 👍👍
All I've really asked from this very affordable sector of RC Flight is....

Be patient with Guys like us!! Some have less to work with - some, like myself, BARELY hang on with less than a shoestring budget.
"Buy, Build, Fly, Crash, REPEAT", is NOT an option for me! 😞

THANKS to this Forum, I've learned so many inexpensive (or FREE) tips for adding strength and longevity to these!!
@The Hangar JUST taught me another GREAT one.
DUCK TAPE for holding on the Firewall. 😲😎

My Skewer THROUGH the Power Pod, then attached to the Firewall idea works...

This is how it looks on my FT Scout Build... From my Thread.

My Scout Build Thread, if anyone's interested...
I'm a MODIFY EVERYTHING kind of Modeler!! 😜
https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/my-ft-simple-scout-build.59787/
But, especially with the cheap CRAP Packing Tape that I'm stuck with - has proven USELESS with my "Larger than C Pack sized Motors".

DUCK TAPE should give that extra measure of security!! Using only a single 6-8 inch strip, using regular Packing Tape to finish...

SHOULDN'T be TOO much of a weight gain! 😉

 

[BATTLEAXE]

I have some crash results from a serious nose dive with my Spitfire into the dirt. I was trying to do inverted for the first time and lost orientation of the plane in the sun from over 50' up, she got into a spinning lawn dart nose dive and I heard the thud as it hit the dirt. Walking up to it I noticed the tail was up in the air. Here are the results on the plane and power pod:

The nose of the plane suffered minor damage that could be cut out and replaced in less then a hour. The removable wing had the most momentum and did about 80% of the damage as it rocketed forward tearing the bottom half of the nose apart from behind. How did the power pod fair:

Underside has a small depression wrinkle

Side view you can see how the firewall bent in the center. I make my firewall out of 3/16" aircraft grade ply. Strong stuff

Here is the inside with the firewall removed, you can tell how the foam depressed some but the BBQ skewers are as good as the day I put them in

As it turns out my firewall was the sacrificial lamb in this case. The thing I like about this is that I only made a new firewall, glued and taped it on and we are good to go. The best part is that none of the electronics were damaged, not even a bent prop shaft. And I didn't use reinforcements around my BBQ skewer where it pokes through the fuse, the holes shifts by maybe a couple of millimeters, the skewers that go through the top of the firewall took that rearward impact. If you wanted to go a step further to protect your electronics and save the hassle of building a new pod you could use a thinner or weaker ply for your firewall and it will absorb more shock. I am not saying that this will be the same for every crash but I am not only surprised but also impressed as to how well it turned out. I hope this will ease some earlier preconceptions of the idea and encourage some of you to give it a shot.

Oh and since I place my battery inside the power pod I constructed a bumper block out of foam to separate the battery from the prop shaft and it took the impact like an airbag in your car to protect the battery from punctures as well:

The inner FB was flush with the outer FB shell. the battery made its mark but came out unscathed. I am super happy with the results. If you are a crasher like me you have nothing to lose by trying it. If it saves you some money or rebuild time or both it my be worth it. Thx for reading.

P.S. This is for you @PoorManRC

 

[jpot1]

Great ideas in this thread. I thought I would share my variation. I build a standard width/height power pod but cut the length off after the first set of tabs. The entire pod is covered in the fiber reinforced packing tape and for me this works pretty well. I’m a big fan of the power pod to stretch my budget. I have three motors I typically use. An 1100kv shown below which is good for most of the larger wingspan FT plans. A 2200kv motor I use on the FT22 and other similar pushers and then a 2205 on a mini power pod. I have about 15 flyable airframes that I can swap the three pods across. Only cost is the servos in each which works for my budget. I use the popsicle stick trick in the pod to wrap the Velcro around also.

I first went with this approach with a bloody baron as this allowed me to fit a battery into the fuse without removing the pod every time. I then kept going as I found it gave me more room to move the battery around and by adding a hatch to planes like the Spitfire and mustang made battery swaps easier.

The best thing I found was the cheap $1 plastic cutting boards at the dollar store that I use as my firewalls. A bit of a pain to cut but I have never broken one.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Great ideas in this thread. I thought I would share my variation. I build a standard width/height power pod but cut the length off after the first set of tabs. The entire pod is covered in the fiber reinforced packing tape and for me this works pretty well. I’m a big fan of the power pod to stretch my budget. I have three motors I typically use. An 1100kv shown below which is good for most of the larger wingspan FT plans. A 2200kv motor I use on the FT22 and other similar pushers and then a 2205 on a mini power pod. I have about 15 flyable airframes that I can swap the three pods across. Only cost is the servos in each which works for my budget. I use the popsicle stick trick in the pod to wrap the Velcro around also.

I first went with this approach with a bloody baron as this allowed me to fit a battery into the fuse without removing the pod every time. I then kept going as I found it gave me more room to move the battery around and by adding a hatch to planes like the Spitfire and mustang made battery swaps easier.

The best thing I found was the cheap $1 plastic cutting boards at the dollar store that I use as my firewalls. A bit of a pain to cut but I have never broken one.

View attachment 140475

View attachment 140474

See that's sharp too. I have seen others do the short pod like yours once or twice. I had the Bloody Wonder at one point in time and i found the fuse was solid but left little room for the all the electronics with a 2200 3s. It was almost like a full rebuild to get the battery in and out. This is way better, actually if i was to build another combat plane it would be the Bloody Baron and I would be modifying it for these same reasons.

Plastic cutting board is a brilliant idea, even if it is hard to cut out you would only have to do it once lol. I wanna try that. I just built a new plywood one but the next one will be seriously looking at it. Thanks for the contribution.

Have you seen the swing down pod designed for the combat planes earlier in this thread?

 

[PoorManRC]

I have some crash results from a serious nose dive with my Spitfire into the dirt. I was trying to do inverted for the first time and lost orientation of the plane in the sun from over 50' up, she got into a spinning lawn dart nose dive and I heard the thud as it hit the dirt. Walking up to it I noticed the tail was up in the air. Here are the results on the plane and power pod:
View attachment 140421 View attachment 140422 View attachment 140423
The nose of the plane suffered minor damage that could be cut out and replaced in less then a hour. The removable wing had the most momentum and did about 80% of the damage as it rocketed forward tearing the bottom half of the nose apart from behind. How did the power pod fair:
View attachment 140426
Underside has a small depression wrinkle
View attachment 140425
Side view you can see how the firewall bent in the center. I make my firewall out of 3/16" aircraft grade ply. Strong stuff
View attachment 140424
View attachment 140427
Here is the inside with the firewall removed, you can tell how the foam depressed some but the BBQ skewers are as good as the day I put them in
View attachment 140429
View attachment 140430
As it turns out my firewall was the sacrificial lamb in this case. The thing I like about this is that I only made a new firewall, glued and taped it on and we are good to go. The best part is that none of the electronics were damaged, not even a bent prop shaft. And I didn't use reinforcements around my BBQ skewer where it pokes through the fuse, the holes shifts by maybe a couple of millimeters, the skewers that go through the top of the firewall took that rearward impact. If you wanted to go a step further to protect your electronics and save the hassle of building a new pod you could use a thinner or weaker ply for your firewall and it will absorb more shock. I am not saying that this will be the same for every crash but I am not only surprised but also impressed as to how well it turned out. I hope this will ease some earlier preconceptions of the idea and encourage some of you to give it a shot.

Oh and since I place my battery inside the power pod I constructed a bumper block out of foam to separate the battery from the prop shaft and it took the impact like an airbag in your car to protect the battery from punctures as well:
View attachment 140428
The inner FB was flush with the outer FB shell. the battery made its mark but came out unscathed. I am super happy with the results. If you are a crasher like me you have nothing to lose by trying it. If it saves you some money or rebuild time or both it my be worth it. Thx for reading.

P.S. This is for you @PoorManRC

That's BRILLIANT!!! Stunning Proof of Concept! 👍👍
I don't CARE if it's a pain - I'm rebuilding my Scout Power Pod, using your great idea!!! Thanks. 👊
AND the "Lipo Airbag"! That can save more than wrinkles.

And @jpot1 - I LOVE the cut down version!! To me, that says MORE room for vital reinforcement inside the Fuse!! 😎👋👋👋👊

 

[jpot1]

See that's sharp too. I have seen others do the short pod like yours once or twice. I had the Bloody Wonder at one point in time and i found the fuse was solid but left little room for the all the electronics with a 2200 3s. It was almost like a full rebuild to get the battery in and out. This is way better, actually if i was to build another combat plane it would be the Bloody Baron and I would be modifying it for these same reasons.

Plastic cutting board is a brilliant idea, even if it is hard to cut out you would only have to do it once lol. I wanna try that. I just built a new plywood one but the next one will be seriously looking at it. Thanks for the contribution.

Have you seen the swing down pod designed for the combat planes earlier in this thread?

Yep saw that but that requires an open bottom plane. For combat sure but lately I’ve been trying to make my planes look nicer which typically means hiding the battery and painting/taping anything visible. Knock on wood and I’ll probably jinx myself but my piloting skills have improved so I typically don’t crash unless doing something super stupid.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

That's BRILLIANT!!! Stunning Proof of Concept! 👍👍
I don't CARE if it's a pain - I'm rebuilding my Scout Power Pod, using your great idea!!! Thanks. 👊
AND the "Lipo Airbag"! That can save more than wrinkles.

And @jpot1 - I LOVE the cut down version!! To me, that says MORE room for vital reinforcement inside the Fuse!! 😎👋👋👋👊

If you like that you should check out my latest post on Nose mods on the FT Spitfire to see what happened to the plane and how the power pod mods saved the plane nose and the quick fix I did to get it back in flying shape... way less damage to the fuse. I look forward to seeing more posts on your Scout

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Yep saw that but that requires an open bottom plane. For combat sure but lately I’ve been trying to make my planes look nicer which typically means hiding the battery and painting/taping anything visible. Knock on wood and I’ll probably jinx myself but my piloting skills have improved so I typically don’t crash unless doing something super stupid.

Are you a hang the battery under the pod kinda guy?

 

[Mr.Grinch]

I’m thinking of trying a Velcro mount for the power pod. Basically just set the power pod upside down and use what was the bottom surface and use that to stick to the top of the fuse. Add in extra cheeks (or some sort of support) to maintain alignment and prevent it from pulling out. This will require the esc & battery to be secured some other way than just being set inside the power pod, but should run a bit cooler.

 

[PoorManRC]

I’m thinking of trying a Velcro mount for the power pod. Basically just set the power pod upside down and use what was the bottom surface and use that to stick to the top of the fuse. Add in extra cheeks (or some sort of support) to maintain alignment and prevent it from pulling out. This will require the esc & battery to be secured some other way than just being set inside the power pod, but should run a bit cooler.

..... IF it's a Mini, and you're NEVER running anything bigger than an A Pack, or a F Pack Motor - on 2S only.
Maybe it would stay in! 😋