"Balance Bug" CG Plane Balancer

[DEZLPWR]

Looking at buying this CG balancer. Searched far and wide for info on this one but can't find anything on it on any of the RC forums. Does anyone have any opinions on this one? I notice the balancer pads don't run parallel to the fuselage like some others out there. Any problem with this? As far as I can see, should still work fine??
Thanks for any and all opinions on this before I buy it.

http://modelaviationproduct.com/

[OV10]

Hello Dezlpwr,
Seeing that this is your first post so welcome to the Squawk. Am gathering from your user name that you like fussin with diesels.
As far as that balancer goes that you've solicited opinions on, I don't really see any advantages for getting it. It really looks to typify the ol' school homemade ones of 20 years ago made from 1/2" PVC whereas there is no accurate measurement device incorporated into the design. One of the standard CG machines on the market that has two graduated scales in millimeters on each side is the Great Planes CG Machine. Here's Motion RC's link http://www.motionrc.com/great-planes-c-g-machine/
Rather than go the less expensive route, pay the extra $10 and get yourself a device that will surely remove a lot of frustration in the measurement process of setting up CG's on your airframes.
Best regards,

[DEZLPWR]

Thanks for the welcome and reply. Yes, I play with diesels. I am an engineer on tugboats. I have seen the GP CG Machine. Was just curious about this other one.

[DEZLPWR]

Also one reason I am shying away from the GP balancer is that it says it balances planes that weigh 2-10lbs. Well, my Tower Hobbies warbirds weigh a little under 2lbs. Guess I will continue with the finger method...

[OV10]

Hello Dezlpwr,
Not clear as to where you are getting that info regarding weight capacities because everything I've seen indicates that it can handle up to 40lbs and no minimums were declared. I can actually attest to CGing a club members plane that weighed in at 1.5 lbs with no issues at all for accuracy. Just some more food for thought. Good luck with your decision.

[DEZLPWR]

Got the info from the front page of the Great Planes CG Machine assembly instructions. Says in big bold letters: "Not designed for use with planes under 2 lbs flying weight". Glad to hear people have successfully used it with planes weighing under 2lbs, but figured the manufacturer put that on there for a reason?
Here's a link to the Great Planes CG Machine assembly manual:

http://manuals.hobbico.com/gpm/gpmr2400-manual-v1_1.pdf

[OV10]

Very interesting........being a typical guy I never read those instructions for assembly so the info I actually did see was possibly some not so good marketing stuff. But anyways, like I previously said it can CG airframes less than 2 lbs and as far as "manufacturer put that there for a reason" I am sure that you have had as I and thousands of others have seen that rationale to be fallible. I am very satisfied with mine, so again, good luck on your choice.

[MikeT]

I've bought them all and very few of them has met my expectations about the only one I use is from SIG Manufacturing. I'm planning to do a Vanessa CG rig next.

http://home.mindspring.com/~the-plumber/Vanessa%20CG%20Machine.htm

SIG CG Machine.

http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart.exe/IndexText/FSIGSH900.html?E+Sig

Mike

[xviper]

I have a plane balancer and after using it on a few planes, it just got too "fiddly". Mine has those little slider rulers that butt up against the leading wing edge and the little swiveling pads that the plane sits on, etc. The only thing missing is a micrometer bubble gauge. :p I haven't used it for the last 30 planes. The old finger tip method seems to work just fine. I don't have a single plane where a few mm either way made a difference to the way the plane flies. These days, people experiment with where to set the balance point on a plane anyway. I've heard a few people who stand on soap boxes, holding a bible on one hand and swear that 2mm makes all the difference in the world. I think they got a bad batch of mushrooms. :rolleyes:

[DEZLPWR]

Well call me foolish, but I am going to pony up the cash for the EZ Balancer Lite. Heard back from the owner and he said that they have accurately balanced planes weighing less than 1lb.
I plan on buying more planes in the future, so I will put it to good use for sure....

http://www.ezbalancer.com/id74.html

[MikeT]

Well call me foolish, but I am going to pony up the cash for the EZ Balancer Lite. Heard back from the owner and he said that they have accurately balanced planes weighing less than 1lb.
I plan on buying more planes in the future, so I will put it to good use for sure....

http://www.ezbalancer.com/id74.html

Looks stronger and better made than what I've seen. Thanks for the link.

Mike

[xviper]

Well call me foolish, but I am going to pony up the cash for the EZ Balancer Lite. Heard back from the owner and he said that they have accurately balanced planes weighing less than 1lb.
I plan on buying more planes in the future, so I will put it to good use for sure....

http://www.ezbalancer.com/id74.html

I wouldn't call it "foolish". Just careful and there's nothing wrong with that.

[WintrSol]

One aircraft type that is difficult to balance with any of those machines is a 3D type, or any other which has the vertical center of gravity about even with the center of the wing; inverted or not, the weight is above the resting place on the wing, making the balance unstable. That's where the Vanessa CG rig works better, since it doesn't have the model tipping over the balance point.

[xviper]

One aircraft type that is difficult to balance with any of those machines is a 3D type, or any other which has the vertical center of gravity about even with the center of the wing; inverted or not, the weight is above the resting place on the wing, making the balance unstable. That's where the Vanessa CG rig works better, since it doesn't have the model tipping over the balance point.

As I understand it, most 3D planes are balanced very tail heavy (so they get into and stay in a prop hang easily). The more tail heavy, the better the prop hang. Some flyers prefer their 3D planes one way over the other. Several mm either way doesn't matter to them. Those at my field have been known to shift the battery fore and aft not just mm but many, many mm and sometimes inches. Using a machine is cumbersome and needless. They don't seem to need to be balanced too precisely.
I have a 3D EDF jet (SebArt Mig29). For better hovering, the battery moves back a couple of INCHES. For more normal flight, it goes back forward. It's never seen a balancer except for my 2 index fingers.

[WintrSol]

I use a balancer with my 3D airplane for one reason: when I have to change batteries to those of a different shape or weight, I want to get it close to the sweet spot, so there's less fiddling with battery position. When I know I'll be using differing batteries, I'll find my 'best' balance with a previously flown battery, then make reference marks for the other batteries; then, when at the field, I can switch and fly, and often shift the marks a bit for the new battery.

[Grossman56]

I like the look of the EZ balancer, but the price is up there. Have to wait for Christmas or something.

Grossman56

[WintrSol]

The Vanessa machine is nearly free, and works really well for most models: http://www.tarmac.org.au/Vanessa%20CG%20Machine.pdf

[jackcutrone]

I have been using the Great PLanes balancer and I have to say I don't care for it much. My experience is that it is hard to get the plane to stay on those small foam pads. The planes are forever slipping off and it gets extremely frustrating.

I mark the suggested CG point and then put the plane on the balancer. You have to look at one side at a time to see if the foam pad is at the CG point and then go to the other side to put that side at the CG point. Then go back around to the first and recheck. In theory, it should work easily with the measuring arms. In practice, it doesn't. The arm's rulers and metal post to set the distance from the leading edge, don't always produce an accurate measurement since they are often not level depending on the shape of the wing surface. And everytime you adjust the battery you have to recheck and then it falls off again.

I built a Vanessa rig but that isn't always very easy to use either. Am thinking of the EZ balancer though it is not cheap. I could build one cheaper, I suppose, but it somehow seems like cheating the guy who designed it and holds the patent.

[MikeT]

I had the opportunity to borrow a friends EZ Balance to use on a few airplanes. It is BY FAR the best CG machine I've ever used. Is it worth $200+ I think so as it will last forever and should hold it's resale value if you wanted to sell it.

Merry Christmas

Mike

[JohnnyJet62]

XICOY ELECTRONICA SL - CG BALANCING DEVICE
I thought I would add another perspective to this post. I have the Great Planes CG Machine, and it works well with models that are of modest size. (up to 60 inches or so). Also, I have some rather large airplanes, and balancing with the GPCGM does not work, since it is not capable of supporting the weight of the models. Up until now, I have used finger tips for these models, but it requires at least 2 people.
Recently, I purchased the Xicoy Electronica SL. This is a Balance and Weight Meter device. In a nutshell, there are 3 small round scales (one for each landing gear) which plug into an electronic controller. You have to input some measurements (distance between main gear and nose gear/tailwheel, distance from main gear to CG, and distance from main gear to point at which weight will be added/removed), but once that is done, you set your model on the scales, and it tells you exactly where the CG is currently located. By adding weight to the balance point as displayed on the electronic controller, you can balance your airplane. It is accurate to within 1mm of the CG point.
This is the way that full size aircraft are CG'd, and it makes it really easy to balance larger airplanes. Of course, it works with both Tricycle gear and Taildragger configurations.
The device retails for $299. However, I got mine from Chief Aircraft for $279, and the shipping was free. Here is a link to the site if you are interested: http://www.chiefaircraft.com/xcy-cgcombo.html
I highly recommend this device if you have larger airplanes and you don't mind spending the money. It's the most useful and the coolest "tool" that I have in my hanger.