New Avios Mig 17 ?

xviper · Jul 22, 2020, 01:55 PM

Update: FIXED! Squeezed the outer casing a bit out of round where those two side arms are. Inside, I applied a bit of epoxy steel in the two locations where there's a bit of a slot where the side arm pins poke into the sides of the casing. The Mig is hung back up in its storage location, awaiting its turn to be flown again.

xviper · Jul 22, 2020, 08:40 AM

mshagg Thank you so much for the explanation. It makes sense and as it turns out, I had a 1/2 dream, 1/2 awake ponder about it overnight and the images that came to me :sleeping: was similar to what you just described. I'm going to see what can be done to hold firm the internals on the unit. As you say, it is a marvel the way it works and looks and I'd rather not replace them (with "normal" retracts), if that's even possible.

mshagg · Jul 22, 2020, 01:18 AM

Yes I had the same thing occur, the stepper motor in the retract unit came loose from the housing and spun itself and the wiring around until it failed. This was not that long after release and HK made it right with a new unit. You can probably repair it by fixing the motor into the housing some way. The reason it wont stop spinning is because duing normal operation the external controller stops the motor once the retract reaches the end of its travel and the current draw from the motor goes up. If it's spinning freely like that, the controller thinks all is well.

I absolutely adore the mechanical construction of the retracts, gold standard, but the external controller for the stepper motors is a very strange configuration.

xviper · Jul 22, 2020, 12:18 AM

First problem during the last flight of the 17. One main retract would not come down for the landing. Landed on 2 wheels, no damage. Did some diagnostics and it turns out that the left retract had no power. The 2 wires going into the retract cylindrical housing was severely twisted up, cause one of the wires going through the hole to strip itself clean and shorted out. I soldered the wires back together after untwisting it all, cover with heat shrink. After hooking it back up, it worked BUT after the gear completed its cycle, the internal mechanism spun inside the casing, twisting the wiring like a pretzel. I had to unplug it or it would just keep going. The other side doesn’t do this, so something inside must have come loose and the internal stuff is not held firm within the housing. It would seem this unit was “repaired” at the factory as 2 of the screws were missing from the side plates. The other good side was completely intact and the wires were not twisted up.
HobbyKing is “out of stock” and won’t say when it’ll have any. Has anyone replaced the stock retracts with more conventional ones that can be operated directly from the RX? I guess the gear doors will have to go and all 3 would have to be replaced. It’s too bad. I like the stock gear. It’s got that one oddity in that the gear has to work through that sequencer and the power unit - only 2 wires going to each retract.

Evan D · May 24, 2020, 07:57 AM

I do remember I changed some hardware, pushrods and screws... not many but a few. I did remove the white interconnection box and ran Y's and extensions. But all the servos, retracts, retract board and sequencer are stock.

Originally posted by Phantom

Evan, I've been delaying putting this one together due to mods I'd have to do. Your message gives me hope. I'm gonna start on it tonight.

quitcherbitchen · May 24, 2020, 07:47 AM

Originally posted by MrSmoothie

Happy to see a thread on the Avios Mig-17 over here on HS. I'm "done" with the thread on RCG -- every second or third post is from the same jack*** (yes, I mean that) who posts his new videos flying his Mig irresponsibly (the way that is causing, and will continue to cause, all kinds of issues by the FAA for law-abiding AMA member flyers).

Very nice mr Smoothie. Love the scheme. Any info about that picture of the real plane? looks interesting like it is on an American base. Anyway, I totally agree with the JackSSA on the RC Groups hijacking every thread he is on and ruining it for everyone.

Phantom · May 23, 2020, 09:53 PM

Originally posted by Evan D

I’m still running all stock without problems.

Evan, I've been delaying putting this one together due to mods I'd have to do. Your message gives me hope. I'm gonna start on it tonight.

Evan D · May 23, 2020, 09:21 PM

I’m still running all stock without problems.

Porkster · May 23, 2020, 01:57 PM

Originally posted by Vextren

Perhaps I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I do not have experience with this bird, but from other HK product experience and testimony from some MIG17 owners I know, they said "the model itself is good. But the electronics are junk, throw them out and grab a set of freewing electronics and Frankenstein them in." Perhaps they have improved the electronics on the newer runs of the model. I am not sure if others have posted this on this thread, but I felt it may be nice to just toss this out there if it wasn't already there.

I've experienced a few issues with the servos so I replaced them all with savox. Eventually I had the esc fail which caused a dead engine landing, tough ol' bird though as it ended up almost undamaged despite landing in a tree.
Its a good flyer, not fast but has nice flight qualities.

Elbee · May 21, 2020, 05:28 PM

Vextren, Welcome to Hobby Squawk. Glad you're on board. Best, LB

Vextren · May 21, 2020, 05:21 PM

Perhaps I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I do not have experience with this bird, but from other HK product experience and testimony from some MIG17 owners I know, they said "the model itself is good. But the electronics are junk, throw them out and grab a set of freewing electronics and Frankenstein them in." Perhaps they have improved the electronics on the newer runs of the model. I am not sure if others have posted this on this thread, but I felt it may be nice to just toss this out there if it wasn't already there.