Official Freewing F/A-18C Hornet 90mm EDF Thread

[xviper]

Hugh Wiedman Looking at your RX position, I think you'll be OK. On mine, it's my HobbyEagle stabilizer that's mounted there. My main RX is actually stuck to the side of the fuse but still next the battery. The satellite RX runs forward and is in the empty space in front of my battery. I would suggest you do a thorough range test. On these sorts of planes, what I do is drive the plane to at least 100' away and then I put the TX in range test mode and while holding the button, I drive the plane in a small circle stopping in at least 4 different spots on the compass and test the control surfaces. If it passes, I fly. On your set up, you've got the main antenna stretched along the side and running well in front of the battery and the small, stubby antenna pointed straight out the side at 90 degrees to the long one. I think your range test will confirm that it's all OK.

[Evan D]

But you have a satellite...

[Elbee]

OK, it's official...H]

Hugh, Oh, the things we'll do for fashion. I think you'll love her no matter her weight.... She is a curvaceous thing of beauty. Best, LB

[xviper]

But you have a satellite...

And that's why I suggested he do a thorough range test. I've got a couple of other planes with RX's and no sats where the RX is buried right next to the battery. So far, so good. Each application is different and hence, the thorough range test.

[Evan D]

Even if it passed a simple range test including turning circles I wouldn’t risk it. Too easy to move the receiver and add a satellite.

[Hugh Wiedman]

But you have a satellite...

No satellite. I wasn't even aware that you could hook up a satellite to the AR636, shows how little I know about this stuff. Most of the time, my AR 636 is buried deep inside behind the battery and the antennae runs up the front by the battery. The only one that's different is with my F-16 and Avanti where the receiver is in the very front, with the antennae going aft along side the battery.

[Hugh Wiedman]

Hugh, Oh, the things we'll do for fashion. I think you'll love her no matter her weight.... She is a curvaceous thing of beauty. Best, LB

LB, absolutely. Had some suggest I turn her into a hangar queen, but I'm afraid if I mount her on the wall, the wall will come down. Anyway, the majority of my planes/jets are all overweight for the same reasons, so I'm not sure I'd know how to fly something light and nimble.

[Waconut]

Hugh look at it this way she will cut thru the air better with the extra weight and will be able to handle the crosswinds with ease .

[Waconut]

Hi guys,
I do not have a 3D printed or know anyone who does. Does anyone know who I can get with to get external tanks printed for my F/A-18 and possible a couple missiles for the wingtip rails?
Here is a pic of the full scale with the tanks.
Thanks!!
Anthony

[James]

Hi guys,
I do not have a 3D printed or know anyone who does. Does anyone know who I can get with to get external tanks printed for my F/A-18 and possible a couple missiles for the wingtip rails?
Here is a pic of the full scale with the tanks.
Thanks!!
Anthony

Looks familiar Waconut !



I do have a 3d printer and I explored the "Freewing" search term on https://www.thingiverse.com/tag:freewing and there are tons of ordnance that people have uploaded. Many done by HobbySquawkers like Dirty Dee

You can browse and download any of these files, then you will want to google search 3d printer services. There are tons of online companies that will print any file you send them and mail it out to you. One example is here: https://www.shapeways.com/create

Also, be mindful that you will have to scale some of these files up or down. Mine definitely weren't perfectly scaled (I liked the wing rail missiles a little larger). But you can send them the measurements you want them to be and they will get it done.

All in all with my own printer it took about 7 days to get everything printed and then painted with a lot of failures along the way. But I would suggest trying to look into getting a 3d printer. Like anything else there is a learning curve but there are plenty of youtube videos to get you goingt and once you get the basics, the world is your oyster.

Best of luck!

[Waconut]

James
Thanks for the reply, I may just have to look into a 3D printer. I see a lot more jets in my future and the need for more 3D printed parts.
Thanks!!
Anthony

BTW: Nice looking jet you have there

[xviper]

I wasn't even aware that you could hook up a satellite to the AR636

You can't (on a 636B). There is a sat port on the 636. I just checked on 2 of my 636A's - no sat port.

[IdidItOnPurpose]

Legacy Lovers, NG Doors functioning finally, neither simple nor elegant, but done. Best, LB

Awesome job on the gear doors! Any chance you'd be willing to share the files?

[Elbee]

Awesome job on the gear doors! Any chance you'd be willing to share the files?

IP, Thanks, I will post the Strut Door & Drag Brace STL Files here in this forum, as usual, when it's a working design and I am sure its viable. As for the Linear Servo Conversion, that design is for a Futaba 3108, 3109, 3111, so it would depend on which servo you would use. I will have to check, but I thought I had posted that file, hmmmm, but I've slept since then. There's no magic to that design or any of these for that matter. The original idea was to work a mod that uses the OEM Gear Door parts from MotionRC. That could be done easily simply by adding a piece of "T" Evergreen Styrene as I did for the gluing the Nose gear doors into one piece before cutting. I am using the OEM 'spring loaded' closure for the strut door. I hope that answers your question, but if not, let me know here. Best as always, LB

[Elbee]

IdidItOnPurpose and other Hornet Lovers, I posted an STL for the 'Futaba3108 Linear Conversion' in the 3DP Printing thread. Best, LB

[Hugh Wiedman]

You can't (on a 636B). There is a sat port on the 636. I just checked on 2 of my 636A's - no sat port.

xviper you are as usual, correct. The AR 636A and B do not have any ports. The plain AR 636 that they sold separately has 2 ports, a 4 pin on one side and a 3 pin (presumably the satellite port) on the other. Not sure why they are different, except maybe they could save 10 cents in the manufacture by leaving them off of the receivers they installed and programmed into E-Flight and FMS planes and were fairly certain that no one would add a satellite to a plane they set up to begin with, probably true.

I tried to get some answers from HH today, but it was difficult. They have removed their phone number from the website for technical questions (or even sales, which is understandable, seems most "non-essential" employees are home) and the other way is through online chat. Chatted with a nice enough guy, but unfortunately his 5 years in RC is with cars. He contacted a "colleague" who told him the AR 636 could not be hooked up to a remote receiver, so I had to tell him that his colleague is wrong, just look at the website under various remote receivers where they indicate that they are compatible with the AR 636. Then submitted a tech e-mail, and someone with more knowledge responded that yes, the AR 636 could use a satellite and to keep the main amplified antennae on the AR 636 away from batteries. I had several more technical questions about it, but those weren't answered yet and they have not gotten back to me on those, maybe tomorrow, assuming hell is freezing over.

Regardless, I did order a satellite receiver I'll install in the front and move the existing receiver slightly to get the main amplified receiver to go farther past the battery. Unfortunately, I can't relocate the receiver given the weight factor of the jet requiring the battery to be all the way back to the blue board, and behind that is the ESC and the EDF, so no possibility there. I can't move the receiver forward either, as the 3D cockpit comes way into the bay and there is not enough room to locate the receiver in the front over the nose gear, let alone have to add extensions to all the servo wires and run them up to the nose. So this will have to suffice. Thanks to all for advice on this issue, we'll see if anything works or if the F-18 decides to "fly on it's own" fully loaded with live ordinance to some foreign country I won't mention. Good thing it is a Canadian livery, I can plead innocent and point north.

[Evan D]

The receiver I used has two satellites, I put the main behind the battery with one antennae going aft and one taped to the roof of that area. One sat is in the nose wheel well and the second is under the left vertical stab. That gives me six receivers. I have similar duplication in most of my planes. Doing so not only gives me peace of mind but a good track record of no reception issues. I also use a transmitter that has dual antennae’s one the TX side.

[xviper]

Good thing it is a Canadian livery, I can plead innocent and point north.

That'll give "you know who" more reason to send more troops to the border to keep all the Canucks from getting through.

[Hugh Wiedman]

That'll give "you know who" more reason to send more troops to the border to keep all the Canucks from getting through.

Didn't think of that, need more Canucks down here. Guess I'll have to send the SU-30 instead.

[Dustman]

LB I went to the 3D forum and tried to download this file Linear Servo Adapter Mount for Futaba 3108, 3109, 3111_Slic3r PE.stl, and got an error each time. How much is the nose wheel door offset from the center; 1/4"? That is what it looks like from looking at the strut door in your pic's, also a bulkhead right there. It looks like a tube on each side running toward the back of the strut wheel well. I guess you can say I'm a little anal and picky when it comes to figuring out your door mode.