Official Freewing 90mm F-16 Falcon Thread

[hilldebrandt]

and better to "look good than fly good". I wouldn't know a good flying jet from a bad one anyway as I fly them all bad.

Fernando says YES

[Hugh Wiedman]

As I mentioned, I found that the 155Amp Gecko ESC that Motion recommended with the upgraded 4068-1835kv inrunner had major timing issues causing the throttle to go "dead" on occasion after reducing it to 0. The only potential fix is to download a firmware fix or reprogram the timing of the ESC to get it to work properly, but the guys at Motion said this is tough to do and one guy told me if I mess with the timing, it could cause the EDF to burn out. So now I'm waiting on Motion to see if they are going to take it back, so in the meantime, ordered from them the Castle 130amp ESC with 5 amp BEC that was recommended as an alternative. My only question: is the 5 amp BEC enough, with 5 - 17g servos, 1 - 9 g servo, lights and nose/main retracts? One guy at Motion said yes, but I'm not so sure. Maybe I should get a separate 10amp BEC as well. Any thoughts?

[DCORSAIR]

As I mentioned, I found that the 155Amp Gecko ESC that Motion recommended with the upgraded 4068-1835kv inrunner had major timing issues causing the throttle to go "dead" on occasion after reducing it to 0. The only potential fix is to download a firmware fix or reprogram the timing of the ESC to get it to work properly, but the guys at Motion said this is tough to do and one guy told me if I mess with the timing, it could cause the EDF to burn out. So now I'm waiting on Motion to see if they are going to take it back, so in the meantime, ordered from them the Castle 130amp ESC with 5 amp BEC that was recommended as an alternative. My only question: is the 5 amp BEC enough, with 5 - 17g servos, 1 - 9 g servo, lights and nose/main retracts? One guy at Motion said yes, but I'm not so sure. Maybe I should get a separate 10amp BEC as well. Any thoughts?

I have had no issues with any of the stock 130a ESC that come with these jets, so far I have flown many flights with the 1835kv unit installed in the F-16, F-15, F-4, F-22, T-45, F-18, Eurofighter and the Yak 130, not one shut down or anything like that, not saying it won't happen but I put many flights on my jets and I don't back off to much, yeah they get a little warm at times but seem to work just fine. I see you already ordered the Castle ESC, but the ones in the FW kits work, maybe consider getting one of those.

[C17loadmaster]

I haven't had issue with any of the many stock 130amp ESCs either. That being said, I have a Castle edge lite 130 in my F-22. You won't have any issues with that ESC ever... Also, if you use Spektrum its worth the $40 for the XBUS telemetry link.

[747electric]

Hello all,
Could someone post pics of how the battery is connected to the f16.

[C17loadmaster]

What do you mean? How the connections on EC5 plug in? UBEC wiring? Just make sure the black — goes to black, and the red + gets connected to the red.

Or are you talking about where the BEC plugs into the receiver?

[747electric]

How the connections from 6S 22 v 5000mah EC5 after......where do I plug in the EC5 from the 5000mah battery?

[C17loadmaster]

Into the electronic speed controller

[Aros]

747electric, welcome to Hobby Squawk! Please don't take this the wrong way but I have to admit I am a bit concerned about your flying this model if you are not even sure how to connect the battery to the ESC? Am I misreading something? If so I apologize!

[FiscalJackhammer]

Question for those that have redone the tail graphics. Did you remove the original decals (if so how) then paint and reapply? Or just simply paint and apply the new decals?

[747electric]

Yes, been flying slope and turbine since the 80's and recently purchased the Freewing F16 but confused on the actual setup of the connections for said connectors. I just wanted to see how everyone else is wiring their battery into the fuselage.

[747electric]

I should open up the lower compartments to the motor and trace the wires back to the ESC....for some reason the ESC is well hidden.

[Hugh Wiedman]

Question for those that have redone the tail graphics. Did you remove the original decals (if so how) then paint and reapply? Or just simply paint and apply the new decals?

Best to remove the decals, but if you can't just paint over them. When I did a complete repaint of my Stinger 90, I was able to remove all the decals without affecting the original finish. On the F-16, I was not able to remove the tail decals without messing up the finish, so I just painted over the entire tail, then did the Wild Weasel and Lone Star Gunfighter's graphics from Callie over that. Worked out fine. You can see the result in my post above #424. Of course, the other 2 tail version I did came directly from Motion as is, including the servo and ball links.

I got the paint at home depot (see below for specifics-make sure that it is Satin, not flat or matte). The tail is the lighter shade, same as the bottom of the plane. Hope this helps.

[Hugh Wiedman]

I should open up the lower compartments to the motor and trace the wires back to the ESC....for some reason the ESC is well hidden.

Which version did you buy, the ARF or the PNP. If you bought the PNP, the red/black power cables from the ESC with the male (blue) connector should be right there at the back of the battery tray, clearly visible. The ESC is not really hidden, flip the fuselage over and you should see it through the vents, just in front of the EDF. Of course, if you bought the ARF, then it did not come with an ESC (which also has the power cables and throttle connections to the receiver) or the EDF fan. In that case, you will also need to purchase an EDF and ESC, then remove the bottom casing where the fan goes and also have to remove the vents which are glued on in order to mount an ESC. If you still have problems locating the battery connection cables that come wired into the ESC and you did purchase a PNP version, then maybe in packing they tucked the cables down the fuselage for shipping, but I doubt it. Let me know if you ended up with the ARF version, as I might be able to give you some advice on what else you need (just finishing up my ARF and got the upgrade in-runner fan but purchased Motion's recommended crappy Gecko ESC that now is being replaced with a Castle ESC and separate 10amp BEC-of course the stock ESC with 8amp BEC is also good).

Don't feel bad about asking stupid questions, no one can take that title away from me!

[747electric]

I don't feel bad about asking stupid questions because they call me stupid.lol......I just checked the electric fan motor....there is none...opps..
.I thought I ordered complete kit but ordered the ARF PLUS....so yea...call me stupid..its ok:)lol....my next question is the ESC to use.....I ordered my kit thru MotionRc....should I just get what they recommended or go with you???....the god of ESC's and experience....:)

[747electric]

Also, what is the advantage of running two 6S 4000 batteries compared to 1 6S 5000mah? Will running two batteries give you longer flight times?

[747electric]

Herei is the ESC's.....

[747electric]

I will order the Castle ESC and 10amp BEC

[Hugh Wiedman]

I don't feel bad about asking stupid questions because they call me stupid.lol......I just checked the electric fan motor....there is none...opps..
.I thought I ordered complete kit but ordered the ARF PLUS....so yea...call me stupid..its ok:)lol....my next question is the ESC to use.....I ordered my kit thru MotionRc....should I just get what they recommended or go with you???....the god of ESC's and experience....:)

I ain't no god, but I do have some recommendations on the ESC and motor. As long as you got the ARF, take the opportunity to get the upgraded 12 blade EDF 4068-1835kV Inrunner instead of the stock EDF. Costs a bit more, but is more efficient and gives a little more speed if you like that sort of thing (I got it for the efficiency only, a little more flying time). As far as the ESC is concerned, DO NOT order the 155amp gecko that they recommend in the upgrades. I initially got it and it sucks (in my opinion) big time, with major timing issues that cause the throttle to go dead at random times (wow, that sounds like something we all need). I returned it and got the Castle Creations 130amp ESC Phoenix Edge and also a separate Castle 10amp BEC because I have very good luck with Castle. For you though, I would recommend the stock 130amp ESC that comes with the PNP version which everyone says works great with this upgraded fan and costs less than the Castle ESC and BEC. All connectors are already soldered on the stock ESC (EC5 and bullet connectors for the motor), so you can just drop everything in. With the Castle, you would need to solder EC5 connectors on the power cables and bullet connectors on the motor cables, which is a little tricky as the wire gauges on the ESC are larger than the EC5 male pins and the 4mm bullet connectors. Although if you have all the necessary blank EC5 pins and female 4mm bullet connectors and are good at making these, the Castle is a fine ESC (in my opinion, others have had problems and call it the Castle Cremations ESC).

You'll need to remove the top air vent (it's only glued on) in order to get access to the area that the ESC needs to mount on and also remove the fuselage casing (2 screws) around the fan to install that. Attached a picture of that area with the vents removed and with the new ESC and motor installed if that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Hugh Wiedman]

When you order the Freewing 130amp ESC, make sure you get the one for the F-16 as that has the correct cable lengths (they make a bunch of 130amp ESC's for different jets with appropriate cable lengths). The correct SKU # is 012D002001. When you install the ESC, you will find a rectangular piece of marine plywood in the "extra parts" bag with a hole at each end. This is used to "strap" the ESC in place. All their jets use this to hold the ESC in place. I found it a bit flimsy in the other jets I have (the Castle I put in my F-16 has a base plate with 4 mounting holes so it "bolts" in), so in those jets I made an identical piece out of aluminum so I could screw it down tight without breaking a wooden strap.

Make sure you connect the servo lead that comes directly from the ESC into the blue circuit board labeled throttle (I think it is the third pin) and the lead coming from the BEC must go into any open port directly into the receiver (you can use the bind port if you have already bound your receiver, or use a y-connector for both). You may need some servo extensions for either of these leads, not sure if you do. Good luck.

The EDF I recommended is the 12 blade 4068-1835kV inrunner, SKU: E72210. It's $158, which is twice as much as the stock EDF , but I think it's worth it. It's a direct drop in fit, so no modifications are needed to install it.