Official Freewing Twin 80mm/90mm A-10 Thunderbolt II Thread

[jseese]

Just finished assembly of my A-10 and waiting till spring for the maiden. I do have a few questions:

1 - Elevator: do I need to do anything to adjust or set the angle or is the factory setting good and just set my rates from there?
2 - Are the high/low factory rates good to start with?
3 - Where are people getting the decals for the ordnance (not the stripes but the text nomenclature)?
4 - the manual shows the CG way out on the wings, can I measure closer to the fuse?

Thanks and any other tips prior to maiden please feel free to share :)

[Raptor3596]

Has anyone done a main gear upgrade to improve the plastic servo cases. With added weight of 90mm EDFs and 6k batteries, I think it's identified a weak point in the main gear. Any kind of downforce other than a smooth light touchdown on the mains, it forces the struts backwards and cracks the case.

[steven gubala]

Thank you will check into this,

[Hugh Wiedman]

Hey Hugh Wiedman, what satellite did you use, I was thinking about putting one in mine

In the A-10 with the AR 637T, I used the SRXL2 DSMX Remote Serial Telemetry Receiver #SPM4651T and a 24" SRXL2 cable (which is 4 pins) #SPM9103. The remote I use for other jets that have the older AR 636 (F-4, F-18, F-16, etc) is the DSMX Carbon Fiber Remote #SPM9746 with 24" DSMX cable (not the SRXL2) and that is a 3 pin cable (#SPM9013). Hope I got the part numbers correct, just keep in mind the new 637T needs a 4 pin SRXL2 compatible cable and the older 636 just plain DSMX 3 pin cable. I think HH is out of the remote for the 637T, but they usually are and you can get them either on Amazon or I've gotten several of them from A Main Hobby (and other places as well). Not sure how necessary a remote is and I do not have any in my prop planes. On the other hand, I now have one in every one of my EDF's after learning of the higher RF interference that high output ESC's that are usually found in EDF's give out from GliderGuy. I also put in RF chokes (at his recommendation-especially in the A-10 with 2 ESC's) on all cables coming from the ESC and the other super important thing to do is keep the active portion of the antennae away from any carbon fiber tubes and ESPECIALLY as far away from the battery as possible. I located the remote all the way up front in the nose and the RX and it's antennae are as far back as possible behind the batteries. Always better to be safe instead of sorry! Hey, I don't need a signal loss to help me crash a plane, I can manage that task on my own without any additional help, thank you very much!

[steven gubala]

Hey Hugh Wiedman, what satellite did you use, I was thinking about putting one in mine

[steven gubala]

I may be wrong but I think when using the bluetooth tongle, you can get as3x but not safe.

[Hugh Wiedman]

If your RX is not one that can be forward programmed, it doesn't matter what TX you have. Using a cable suggests to me that you are doing it with a smart phone APP. I've never found the cable to work all that well. The Bluetooth dongle is a much better way for the APP to talk to the RX.

So true xviper , I have to use the bluetooth dongle on all 25 of my older AR 636 receivers, which are not programable via the TX. The newer AR637T can only be programmed via a Spektrum TX and not with the cable or bluetooth thingy. With that said, the AR637T is much easier to program than it's predecessor, the AR636, where sometimes the cable worked, although the bluetooth does work better, but sometimes I just can't get it to pair. I either have to go have a drink and try later or a smart smack with a hammer has occasionally worked .

With all that said, I do have the AR637T along with a satellite in my A-10 and it is rock solid (but honestly does not really need it, but having it ain't bad either). If it helps supermotovinny, I have my rate gains cranked up to 50/55/60 (R/P/Y) on flaps up, priority 160, 60/70/80 on take-off flaps and 70/80/90 on landing flaps with no oscillations at full throttle in any configuration . I don't use any heading hold (except on some of the 3D planes) and I never use safe or program safe, but that's just me. A friend programmed safe into his 637T on his Mig and Gripen, which did help on the Gripen because it was difficult to follow the orientation at high speeds as it looks like a flying needle unless it's right in front of you. For the A-10, you don't necessarily need safe, but if it helps you relax a bit, go for it.

[xviper]

ya i have done the update with the cable..Maybe i will just have to get a new TX lol...

If your RX is not one that can be forward programmed, it doesn't matter what TX you have. Using a cable suggests to me that you are doing it with a smart phone APP. I've never found the cable to work all that well. The Bluetooth dongle is a much better way for the APP to talk to the RX.

[supermotovinny]

ya i have done the update with the cable..Maybe i will just have to get a new TX lol...

[Gringotuerto]

So I just got the 1700mm A-10 with the 80mm I was thinking do you guys think it's a good idea to put in the AS3X?

I can feel a big difference with AS3X on/off with my Avanti, but not so much with the A-10. It is quite a bit heavier and has higher moment of inertia around every axis.

One major caution here - for whatever reason, Spektrum has disabled programming over the USB cable and the smartphone app on newer AS3X receivers. The ONLY way to program these newer receivers is with a new transmitter. So be careful what you buy. If you don't have a Tx capable of programming Spektrum's gyro, then other options are a separate gyro, or a compatible Rx with integrated gyro (Motion sells both).

[SanExup]

.deleted

[SanExup]

The dx6e has forward programming so I assume the dx8e does too. And the 637T rx is a forward programming rx. After using different receivers with different methods of As3x programming, personally I prefer the forward programming capabilities.

[xviper]

yes, i have one but I was trying to getting it to work and it's just not working at all..I have use the AS3X in my other planes and i have had no problems but for some reason, it just doesn't want to take the AS3X. The other 2 planes that i have had it built on so I went out and got one more so I know there is a way to sent it up on my DX8e but cant seem to find it

Have you programmed it? It must be programmed to make AS3X work. Which RX is it? It must have SAFE capability if you want SAFE. If it's one that has "forward programming", then it can be done through a capable TX but I don't know if a DX8e is one of those. If it's not a RX that can be programmed via "forward programming", then you must do via a smart phone APP and a Bluetooth dongle.
The 636 series of RXs must be programmed via the smart phone APP. The 637 series and up can be "forward programmed". The RX must also be "open stock".

[supermotovinny]

yes, i have one but I was trying to getting it to work and it's just not working at all..I have use the AS3X in my other planes and i have had no problems but for some reason, it just doesn't want to take the AS3X. The other 2 planes that i have had it built on so I went out and got one more so I know there is a way to sent it up on my DX8e but cant seem to find it

[xviper]

So I just got the 1700mm A-10 with the 80mm I was thinking do you guys think it's a good idea to put in the AS3X?

It's an "idea", neither good nor bad. It's a matter of personal preference. This plane flies so well, even in crosswinds and wind buffeting where a gyro would be beneficial, that a gyro isn't really necessary. AS3X implies a Spektrum receiver. If that's what you've already got, then go ahead and use it. If you've already got a receiver that isn't a Spektrum or doesn't have AS3X, then adding a simple, cheap gyro like the HobbyEagle A3L would be the next most reasonable way to go. However, if you are suggesting that you'd like "SAFE", which is associated with a Spektrum AS3X RX, that's another story. Is that what you want?

[supermotovinny]

So I just got the 1700mm A-10 with the 80mm I was thinking do you guys think it's a good idea to put in the AS3X?

[flyAA]

[QUOTE=Raptor3596;n291421]

Hard to say exactly how short. Just eying it, I saw it wouldn't reach the area under the cockpit. I would be guessing, but it was probably 6-8" too short. I picked up a roll of black and red silicone strand wire on Amazon for around $10. More than I needed and now I have extra for another job or charger wiring.

Thanks for your help!

[Raptor3596]

[QUOTE=flyAA;n291404]

Thanks!

We’re the battery wires way too short before you extended them?

Hard to say exactly how short. Just eying it, I saw it wouldn't reach the area under the cockpit. I would be guessing, but it was probably 6-8" too short. I picked up a roll of black and red silicone strand wire on Amazon for around $10. More than I needed and now I have extra for another job or charger wiring.

[flyAA]

[QUOTE=Raptor3596;n291364]

good stuff! Did you have to extend the esc battery wires at all or were they long enough stock?

I did have to extend the battery wires and also added servo/throttle extensions since the control board is moved to the front of the fuse. I didn't want to use the same wires from the old ESC since it was size 12 and the 130amp ESC has 10.

Thanks!

We’re the battery wires way too short before you extended them?

[Raptor3596]

[QUOTE=flyAA;n291360]

good stuff! Did you have to extend the esc battery wires at all or were they long enough stock?

I did have to extend the battery wires and also added servo/throttle extensions since the control board is moved to the front of the fuse. I didn't want to use the same wires from the old ESC since it was size 12 and the 130amp ESC has 10.