Canuck Newbie

[Moriority]

Hello All,

I have been playing with RC buggies and trucks off and in since I was 12 and had some long time away from playing but got back into playing a few years ago and introduced my boys to the hobby also. I have always wanted to get into flying but was always told it was difficult and expensive so I never did. Now I'm 43yrs old and jumping in with both feet and not looking back!

I have purchased the Hobbyzone Super Cub S RTF kit along with the PheonixRC 5.5 simulator with the Spektrum DX6i transmitter which I have already spent time on using my brothers Pheonix program and love it although there are many questions just using the simulator let alone flying. I am currently in Florida for a week and a half and I bought my brother (he lives in Forida) the same Super Cub which we were hoping to try and get them into the air but to no avail due to wind.

So I Haven't even flown an actual model yet and that's fine I will continue wearing out my transmitter on the simulator when I get home for now. It seems all the planes/jets I like are the harder ones to fly I'm told and that's fine, one day I will get there but for now I will buy those models A-10, F4U Corsair, Spitfire, P-51 Mustang, F4J Phantom and the list will surely go on over time but for now they will make great static displays. I want to get into building wood kits also as I have some experience a ways back with them and enjoyed it then along with military modeling so I have some what of an idea what I am getting myself into.

My brother has been building planes over the past few years along with rockcrawling RC trucks and building custom RC trucks for others and is looking forward to progressing with the planes more so then his other adventures. He has many years of military modelling and bulsa builds so It's great having an older brother that has more experience then I do in the RC world but we both have many many more things to learn to enjoy this hobby to it fullest!

I look forward to tapping into the vast knowledge and experience of the members here and hope to have a great time flying!

Moriority

[Prowler901]

Welcome aboard, Moriority! You've come to the right place. Plenty of friendly and knowledgeable folks here. And, it sounds like you've got the right equipment to get you started. Keep us posted on your progress. :Cool:

[Moriority]

Thanks Prowler901 I am excited!

[Moriority]

Well I flew my Hobbyzone Super Cub S for the first time today and had a blast! I did have a couple fumbles that gave the girl some character but all in all I had a great day I think for my first real flight.

I probably flew for a total of an hour and a half today and going back out to hopefully do the same tomorrow. I have been practising my landings but it's very challening on the grass where I'm flying it today and tomorrow and conditions will get way better when I get back home although a lot colder back home.

P. S : what is EXPO mean that I keep seeing people mention?

[WintrSol]

P. S : what is EXPO mean that I keep seeing people mention?

EXPO applies an exponential curve to the stick motion, before sending it to the receiver. Basically, as you move the stick, the servo moves less than the stick at first, and catches up as the stick gets farther from the center. It gives the feeling of finer control around center, and it's a great help for us old farts whose fingers tend to shake a bit.

[WintrSol]

Expo curves taken from my Futaba radio. Numbers associated with each curve is the setting in the Tx, and the curve is the approximate movement from center vs. the output pulse width.

[fhhuber]

Just a reminder: For softer center, Futaba uses negative Expo, Spektrum uses positive Expo. Most others follow the Spektrum/JR, but not all.

The radios will let you program in the wrong way expo. I have no idea what you would want a super sensitive center for.

[WintrSol]

Futaba just has to be different. I have to reverse the throttle channel for the same reason.

[fhhuber]

Futaba just has to be different. I have to reverse the throttle channel for the same reason.

Relics of the 1970's.

In the days of the "radio wars":

Airtronics used a different pin order for servo leads. Negative in center. Pugging the Airtronics servo into Futaba or JR (or the Futaba/JR pin order servos into Airtronics) would burn up the servo and the RX (and maybe every servo in the aircraft and melt down the battery switch harness)

Airtronics is completely gone now I believe... They used a different channel order than anyone else EVER used. Throttle, Elevator, aileron, rudder.

Futaba and Airtronics used + pulse shift (Minimum signal being low value long and high value short (AM, amplitude modulation or FM frequency modulation) JR used negative pulse shift. The reversed pulse shift effectively reversed servo direction.

Futaba uses Aileron, Elevator, Throttle Rudder channel order. Hitech and some "off brands" (not the main 4 in the US) followed the Futaba system. E-Sky HoneyBee series helis used Futaba order and pulse shift and worked fine with a Futaba TX (I still have 2 Honey Bees; a FP and a CP2)

(OK... I may or may not have the ****s backwards... Its been a while. The important thing is they used opposed shift to make the receivers 100% incompatible with the other brand)

JR uses Throttle, Aileron, Elevator, Rudder.

Each of the brands (Futaba, Hitech, JR and Airtonics) used different frequency multiplier circuits in most of their receivers to prevent use of the other brand's crystals. There were a couple of later 72 mhz FM (not PCM) receivers by Hitech and Futaba that could interchange crystals.

None of the PCM receivers from one brand worked with any except their own brand transmitter. (PCM could be either AM or FM, it was a digital signal encoding instead of the PWM analog of normal AM and FM. There were VERY few AM PCM systems made)

2.4 ghz has some "relics" of all this. Each brand using a different (copyrighted) encoding to make sure that if you buy their transmitter you use their receiver being the big one. Channel orders remain the same as each brand used in the 1970's.
Note that Lemon and Orange receivers are using a trick to be compatible with Spektrum and other brands (order by the brand you want it to work with) They DON'T QUITE use the same encoding, but its designed to work with the system its labeled for. Just enough different to not violate the copyright.

[Moriority]

Some detailed responses, thanks!

I got about a half hr of flight time in today and a good lesson flying with some win to push the cub around but all in all a good day.
heading back to Canada tomorrow so depending on how cold it is will dictate when I will get more flying time for now.
In the meantime can anyone suggest a good source for bulk bulsa wood so I can get building some static display aircraft ?

[WintrSol]

Note that Lemon and Orange receivers are using a trick to be compatible with Spektrum and other brands (order by the brand you want it to work with) They DON'T QUITE use the same encoding, but its designed to work with the system its labeled for. Just enough different to not violate the copyright.

Which can create interference problems at a crowded field, because they don't use the entire signature, and can be fooled by another transmitter that ALMOST matches.

The PWM signal to the servos is often different, too, as some radios use the full +/- 0.5mS range, while others limit it to +/-0.4mS (like Futaba). Another thing to think about, if you decide to change radio systems. At least they seem to have settled on the same ~1.5mS center value.

For bulk balsa, you may need to search for shops in Canada, as, I hear, shipping larger boxes from the US can be a problem, even if they are light for their size. Any other Canadians buying in bulk here?

[fhhuber]

Check with your local full scale home-built aircraft organizations. Balsa is used in some home-built aircraft.

Aircraft Spruce I mostly use for the aircraft plywood (down to 1/64 in thick) in larger sheets than you can get from any model aircraft specialty supplier. They'll cut it as small as 2 ft X 4 ft. Much better for wing skins than balsa for high performance models but takes some getting used to how it is used since it doesn't do compound curves easily.

[Moriority]

For bulk balsa, you may need to search for shops in Canada, as, I hear, shipping larger boxes from the US can be a problem, even if they are light for their size. Any other Canadians buying in bulk here?

I have a couple spots I get certain things delivered to in michigan if need be if the price or kit is right. I am heading out of town for work for the next 4-5 months so I'm gonna have lots of time to build so can you guys give me a break down of items to grab right away before building? I already have an exacto knife LoL but I know I'm going to need glues, pins, clamps..........

[Moriority]

http://www.balsaworkbench.com/tools.html

I found this informative article about tools need for plane building.