Official Freewing 90mm Eurofighter Typhoon EDF Jet Thread

[Dougcarr73]

I got the 8s model and it’s nose heavy. I’m using SMC’s 5300 mah, LiHv packs for max power. They fit perfectly with room to spare. However I had to add the provided weight and 60g of additional weight to give it the ideal CG slightly aft of the recommended.

I cleanly cut off a covering panel. I then drilled a hole large enough to hold the weight. I added foam tac to the last stack of weight and then sealed it all up. Looks so good that you’ll never know it was ever modified.

[xviper]

[Evan D]

The receiver is stuffed a couple inches behind the mixing board. I have a separate channel for steering so I can adjust center and throw independently. The nose gear servo plugs into the steering gyro output marked steering out or something like that. I do remember I needed a short extension on one of the leads, I'm not sure but think it was the one to the receiver slot. I have a 12ch receiver, using 10 of them, in it to have the canards on their own channels and the extra one for steering. In case anyone also wonders I have a satellite under the battery tray and you can see the two antennae from it coming out at the front of the battery tray.

[TonyTaff]

Great Evan I don't see your receiver in the pic, but that aside I see the two rudder outlets on the mixing board so I can tie into the steering servo but where did you connect the nose gear servo?

[Evan D]

I have. Next to the mixing board.

[TonyTaff]

Hi has anyone installed the Assan steering gyro in this model there seems to be plenty of room in front of the cunard servos... wiring it may be a challenge

[Evan D]

You seem to be inline with how I’m going with mine. Proof will be in the flying. Today it rained all day. Tomorrow is a strong cross wind…

[xviper]

Xviper;

How does this compare with your measurements? I estimated this using (gasp) mathematics.

I ended up installing 43g of weight in the tail cone (see my pictures a couple posts up). With the 860g Coddars (one slid up on the lip where the control box was), it balanced about 20mm aft of the marks on the wings. With the 1000g SMCs, it balanced 10mm aft.
Please keep in mind that I'm using primitive methods of balance and meaurement - ie, my fingers, a ruler and a right angle (and "eye balling") to measure and place the new marks.
What weight of batteries are you using?

(Nothing wrong with using math - My BSc from 50 years ago was in math. Never liked it, never really used it as I ended up in medical research as my first career.)

[kallend]

As a rough estimate it will take about 70g of weight in the tail to move the CG back by 10mm.

Xviper;

How does this compare with your measurements? I estimated this using (gasp) mathematics.

[xviper]

CGing the Typhoon with SkyRC balance system. Though I wouldn't use such a device myself, I found it very interesting. It shows the weight of this plane with a specific battery and other numbers. It's astounding the kind of added weight that is called for to balance this plane. It left me scratching my head as to just how much weight he's dealing with to set the CG on this plane (150g??).
(Longish video with lots of information - but tedious [for me] to watch)

[Evan D]

Some numbers on mine, 6S version, and I'm not sure about how this will perform. I am using an old but still good performing normal, not HV battery.

Weight without battery and no stores- 2983g. Book says 3230g so I assume full load out.
Weight with my lightest to heaviest battery I'd use in this- 3528-3628g
Amps- 116.57
Watts- 2401.3
Thrust- 3050g on a full charge slightly settled

[xviper]

Good to know you didn’t use the weight. That gives me hope I’ll be able to get the CG shifted back far enough with the 4400s and the weight installed.

When I posted that I didn't use the weight, I hadn't tried the SMC 5300s. I went to do a few last things to the Eurofighter and threw the SMCs in there just to see. I discovered I couldn't close the canopy if I slid one of the batteries up onto the lip like I could with the Coddars. They could only go side by side, both pushed up to the back lip. With all the ordinance on, it balanced on the CG marks. I'm sure it would have flown fine like that, but I really wanted it to back a bit to make landings more smooth and to be able do a little high alpha stuff. So, I decided to install the round slug that came with the plane PLUS another square slug that came out of an old dead plane. Both came to 43g and since this plane is already fairly heavy, I decided 43g wasn't a big add on and with them right at the butt end of the plane, they would have the most effect. The Coddars now balance this plane at 20mm aft of the marks and the SMCs at 10mm aft. Here are some pics showing where the batteries sit and a couple of the fairly simple surgery.

[xviper]

Had I just said, "There's no problem". Most people would not have accepted that.

[DCORSAIR]

I'm not of the impression that "problem" is the correct word to use in this particular subject. So far, only a very few private owners on the east side of the Atlantic have flown this plane. Besides them, we've seen Wes (MotionRC), Arthur-RC and those guys in SE Asia (FNRC videos) fly this plane (and they don't tell us much). The rest of us in N. America who have this plane, are in various degrees of "winter" and can't fly.
I see it as an individual's ability to balance this plane, given the battery they plan to use, taking into consideration how they wish to fly it. Any plane that comes with CG marks or CG measurements printed in the manual, has always been "recommended" balance points. As Wes has already demonstrated, the plane will fly fine at the recommended marks, but he even stated in one of his first videos, that balancing it several mm in front of the marks made for a better flying plane when wind penetration is required. In another video, Wes also said that for slow, "high alpha" flight, being aft of the CG marks is preferred. Arthur-RC has done flights with and without armament and he found that without armament, the plane was severely nose heavy (for his tastes). With armament attached, he found that the balance point was more to his liking 20mm aft of the CG marks, PLUS some weight in the tail. He found this to be the best for high alpha flight.
Then there was some discussion as to the need to relocate the control board so that the battery could go rearward even more to get it to balance for the desired flight characteristics. Mine is 8S and that's a lot of battery weight with my chosen MAH. My twin 4S, 6000mah, HV, Coddar LiPos shoved right back to the rear lip balances the plane, with ordinance, about 10mm aft of the marks. When I use twin 4S, 5300mah, HV, SMC LiPos, I will want to move one of them more aft to balance it the way I might like it to fly. Hard to say because I haven't flown it yet, just playing with it in the basement, driving it back and forth on the floor.
Arthur used a 4000mah, 6s, CNHL in his flights. These weigh ~700g. A 5000mah, 6s,CNHL will weigh well over 800g. A 6000mah, 6s, HV Coddar weighs only 665g. It then becomes a matter of what type of 5000mah battery you choose to use.
We've seen this plane fly fine with a forward CG and we've seen it fly fine with an aft CG. It all depends on what you want to do with the plane and how you wish to fly it. A "problem"? I don't think it's a problem as such.

Oh I see, nothing new then, same old news about tail heavy, nose heavy situation, thought I really missed something here, Thanks for the update, a few sentences would have summed it up, no need to write a book......😁

[RudyD54]

Hugh was right about Danny. He's a good guy and tries his best to please his customers.
I have not used the weight yet, but with the heavier SMCs, I probably will. Also, having all the ordanance install will help put more weight to the rear.

Danny’s the best. I’ve had a couple of the older, more volatile packs puff up after a few months and he’s refunded them with no hassle. I couldn’t ask for better customer service.

Good to know you didn’t use the weight. That gives me hope I’ll be able to get the CG shifted back far enough with the 4400s and the weight installed.

[xviper]

Seriously

Crazy part is the EXACT same thing happened with the 4s 4400 battery packs I ordered for this plane. Someone at the warehouse accidentally sent me 6s packs instead of the 4s. Danny at SMC was very quick to respond and immediately shipped me the correct ones.


Did you use the 21g weight in the rear? Wondering if that plus some heavier 3D printed nozzles may get me where I want.

Hugh was right about Danny. He's a good guy and tries his best to please his customers.
I have not used the weight yet, but with the heavier SMCs, I probably will. Also, having all the ordanance install will help put more weight to the rear.

[Evan D]

I bored a hole in the tail cone to allow TWO of the 21g slugs. One that came with this plane in the parts bag and a second I had removed from another plane. I then assembled the plane and I tried a 5200 that weighs 650g and a 5000 that weighs 575g. With the two slugs I am at 25mm aft of the marks with the 5200 and 30mm aft with the 5000. With a 6+2 8s side by side on the battery tray with the stock 6s fan it still balances just behind the marks.

Good enough for me. I'm not one of the people that go cutting edge tail heavier and I don't use gyros as they do to help with their rearward CGs.

Thinking ahead to 8S it is very easy to stuff a 2S up under the airbrake if need be, lots of room there.

[RudyD54]

Rudy, what a bummer. Somebody at Motion's warehouse was not looking at the sticker on the box when they sent yours out.
I balanced mine on Coddar 4s, totalling 800g and I was able to get it to about 10mm behind the marks. Since finishing the build, I received my SMC 4s, 5300's that weight 500g each. I'm going to have to find a way to move one of the batteries back into that tunnel where the control board is.

Seriously

Crazy part is the EXACT same thing happened with the 4s 4400 battery packs I ordered for this plane. Someone at the warehouse accidentally sent me 6s packs instead of the 4s. Danny at SMC was very quick to respond and immediately shipped me the correct ones.


Did you use the 21g weight in the rear? Wondering if that plus some heavier 3D printed nozzles may get me where I want.

[xviper]

Just got mine and it looks like I unfortunately got the 6s although I had ordered the 8s. Ugh. Oh well. Now to decide whether I keep the 6s or return this for the 8s I originally ordered. Has anyone received an 8s and been able to get the CG behind the stock marks? My SMC 8s 4400 packs weigh 810g combined for comparison.

Rudy, what a bummer. Somebody at Motion's warehouse was not looking at the sticker on the box when they sent yours out.
I balanced mine on Coddar 4s, totalling 800g and I was able to get it to about 10mm behind the marks. Since finishing the build, I received my SMC 4s, 5300's that weight 500g each. I'm going to have to find a way to move one of the batteries back into that tunnel where the control board is.

[RudyD54]

Just got mine and it looks like I unfortunately got the 6s although I had ordered the 8s. Ugh. Oh well. Now to decide whether I keep the 6s or return this for the 8s I originally ordered. Has anyone received an 8s and been able to get the CG behind the stock marks? My SMC 8s 4400 packs weigh 810g combined for comparison.