Official FlightLine RC 1600mm P-38 Lightning Thread

[SoLongSidekick]

Here's what I was talking about having everything packed inside the canopy lid

Did you not have any issues with interference having the GPS/compass mounted like that?

That's what I'm considering doing, as the manual for the MicroVector says that the GPS needs to be mounted at least 3.5" away from anything that could produce RF noise (antennas and high current-carrying wires the big 2), and for it to be higher than any other antennas. I was originally going to run a super long lead and mount the GPS on the horizontal stabilizer, but then I realized I could feed the antenna wire down through the canopy and leave it pointing downwards at the very back of the component bay. So then if I mount the GPS where you did it's higher than the vTx antenna. The only thing I'm worrying about now is interference. Do batteries put off the same field that battery wires do when current is passing through them?

I wonder if I could get away with mounting the GPS on the foam about 2" back from the batteries on the extreme right side, run the power cables down the extreme left side, and using two ferrite chokes at both ends of the GPS wire harness.

[rifleman_btx]

Everything worked perfectly fine in my unit, and what I did to get away with it was install a shielding device under where I installed the gps. I have looked into the batteries causing interference, but from all I read I would say nothing in the batteries themselves should cause a problem. What I would do is make a small shield for the battery wires well aft (even make a small firewall at the back side of the batteries) of the gps unit just to make sure no rf noise can interfere with the gps or compass. It's the actual flow of the electrons, that run like waves through the wires. This is what causes the radio interference. I like the idea of running the fpv antenna out the bottom side. That will give good clear line of sight for a broader range. This is turning interesting, can't wait to see what you do.

[SoLongSidekick]

I keep going back and forth almost every hour between antennas, placement, and other options. I'm trying to decide between the VAS Minion (because it's specifically designed to be tiny and for planes) and the AXII (because it's tiny, and mountable flat to a surface) but I think I'll go Minion.

What material did you use for your shielding?

I am going to use a Runcam Split 2 for the cockpit camera, and mount the HD gamera guts circuit board on standoffs in the radio compartment. Then on another set of standoffs above that will be my vTx. The fact that I'm making a pseudo mini quad stack makes me want to pick up another Unify HV vTx since there's an adapter board (viewable here) that makes it fit very neatly in a stack, and would look really cool at the top and visible in the radio bay. But that's a little more expense than I want to put into something like that, so I'll probably go with the RDQ - Mach 2 since it's only $28 and goes up to 800mW. Then the antenna will route down through the cockpit and essentially hang upside down in the back of the compartment down there.

[rifleman_btx]

My shielding was literally kitchen grade foil wrap triple folded and glued under the gps, actually also to hold the gps in place. I agree with the minion. You just can't go wrong with vas equipment.

[downwindleg]

I think allot of us tried that last season but alas, the farther forward you rake it ,the harder it is for the gear doors to close over it in the up position. What is needed is a retract unit that goes past 90 degrees to at least 100 degrees and sadly that falls into the unobtainium category so far. :( A unit like that could be used on all three gear actually but the one that really shows ,of coarse, is the nose gear.
Brad

[SoLongSidekick]

I've got copper foil tape, so that should work perfectly. So now I'm trying to figure out if I should mount it where you did upside down, or as shown in the expertly-created mockup using your setup attached below.

Actually, I'm just now realizing that my actual canopy should be a lot cleaner than yours. Using a Runcam Split 2 and a Unify in a stack in the radio compartment, the vTx antenna in the very back of the compartment, I only have the FC/OSD, GPS, and PSY to mount.

[fhhuber]

Has anyone tried adding the scale forward rake to the landing gear (by adding washers under the rear screws) with the MRC upgraded struts? If I remember what I read previously in this thread, there was already an issue with getting a "perfect" amount of rake to the stock rear wheels because of door clearance, and that would obviously be exacerbated by the upgraded struts.

To do that would require a retract that rotates other than 90 deg.

You can get one, but I am not sure how many degrees is needed or which specific retract to recommend.
In extreme cases you have to cut your own trunion for the correct retract angle. That can be an interesting experience.

As you angle the retract mounting plate you not only change the angle when the wheel is down, you change the angle when it is up.

[rifleman_btx]

I've got copper foil tape, so that should work perfectly. So now I'm trying to figure out if I should mount it where you did upside down, or as shown in the expertly-created mockup using your setup attached below.

Actually, I'm just now realizing that my actual canopy should be a lot cleaner than yours. Using a Runcam Split 2 and a Unify in a stack in the radio compartment, the vTx antenna in the very back of the compartment, I only have the FC/OSD, GPS, and PSY to mount.

By upside down I'm assuming your meaning the top to the canopy bottom, as you always want the antenna pointed to the sky, or you will have crappy locks and lots of lost contacts. So if that's how you were meaning, good to go!

[OV10]

Unobtainium part solution:
The nose rake on the Lightning I believe is 105 degrees and the F7F I know is @ 100 degrees.
Here are two Eflite nose gear 105 degree retract options.
https://www.horizonhobby.com/15---25...nit-eflg211105
https://www.horizonhobby.com/25---46...nit-eflg311105

[downwindleg]

If either of those actually worked for this plane, I'd be on it like a cheap suit but no dice. Either the steering tiller is wrong or the mounting plate is wrong. Been there , done that, got the Tee shirt. Please prove me wrong.

[OV10]

Brad...........I was just providing a "possible" solution to the gear deflection angle problem and not to the mount suitability.
Getting the actual angular retract is something most modders could not even begin to achieve with a stock retract, but any industrious modder can make one of those fit in the space. ;)

[downwindleg]

Okydoky artichoky.

[SoLongSidekick]

Like I said, people have done it with the washer method but as far as I can tell only with the stock struts.

Rifleman, yeah that's what I meant. So you think that's a better way than mounting it to the bottom of the cockpit area?

I've just thought of something else that should be cool. I should be able to splice another camera into the Split via a camera switch. Then I'll mount an FPV camera on the horizontal stabilizer, and I'll have HD footage from both locations.

[rifleman_btx]

Yes, because of all the wires and the electrical close to the cockpit area, I wouldn't mount anywhere around there. Mount it as close to the nose as possible

[OV10]

Like I said, people have done it with the washer method but as far as I can tell only with the stock struts.

This must be an engineering miracle. Adjusting the forward angularity of the strut(to the 100+ angle) using washers on a stock 90 degree etract will not allow the gear door to close in the retracted position.
Fhhuber already eluded to this in his last sentence of post#3467.
An etract that has the 100+ degree of action is the only true way of achieving the forward rake of the nose gear on airframes such as the P-38 and F7F and facilitate the gear door closing. ;)

[SoLongSidekick]

This must be an engineering miracle. Adjusting the forward angularity of the strut(to the 100+ angle) using washers on a stock 90 degree etract will not allow the gear door to close in the retracted position.
Fhhuber already eluded to this in his last sentence of post#3467.
An etract that has the 100+ degree of action is the only true way of achieving the forward rake of the nose gear on airframes such as the P-38 and F7F and facilitate the gear door closing. ;)

https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc...5206#post35206

https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc...5635#post35635

https://www.hobbysquawk.com/forum/rc...5736#post35736

[OV10]

SLSS........am very familiar with those posts and what was done does not change the outcome of the statement in my first sentence.
I have followed and been very active in this thread and all others for going on 4 years whereas your involvement of only 4 months. Believe what you want and if it makes you happy..........:Cool:

[SoLongSidekick]

SLSS........am very familiar with those posts and what was done does not change the outcome of the statement in my first sentence.
I have followed and been very active in this thread and all others for going on 4 years whereas your involvement of only 4 months. Believe what you want and if it makes you happy..........:Cool:

My interest interest isn't in the stock struts so your argument is moot and I'm not sure why you keep bothering with it.


How have you guys been mounting your radio antennas? I have an X6R which I'm pretty sure has PCB antennas, so I can just slice them into the foam in the correct orientation, but still like seeing other people's setups.

[rifleman_btx]

How do you plan on using a head tracking system or pan and tilt on a 6ch radio system? Or did you decide against pan and tilt? I've always needed 8+ch for my pan and tilt units. When I get my new P38, it will have the S8R in it, and the system i had in my previous unit was spektrum. And the antenna leads were only about an inch long so the receiver just sat in the compartment in a vibration suppressing foam wrap. So I wont know about antenna placement until after I get my new plane and set her up. But I have a few ideas. To include tapping a hole and running them out the bottom edge of the wing. But I'm not sure yet.

[SoLongSidekick]

How do you plan on using a head tracking system or pan and tilt on a 6ch radio system? Or did you decide against pan and tilt? I've always needed 8+ch for my pan and tilt units. When I get my new P38, it will have the S8R in it, and the system i had in my previous unit was spektrum. And the antenna leads were only about an inch long so the receiver just sat in the compartment in a vibration suppressing foam wrap. So I wont know about antenna placement until after I get my new plane and set her up. But I have a few ideas. To include tapping a hole and running them out the bottom edge of the wing. But I'm not sure yet.

I'm using an X6R which is a pretty standard FrSky S.Bus receiver. Most of them support 1-6/8 via PPM or 1-16 channels with S.Bus. So I have 2 different options and I'm not quite sure what way I'm going to go

1 - Use the standard 6 PPM pins to control the plane, then using two S.Bus Decoders (and a servo channel changer to assign the right channels) connected to the S.Bus port via a Y harness for the other 6 channels I need (2 for pan/tilt, 2 for bomb droppers, 2 for bottle rocket launchers)
2 - Send S.Bus to the MicroVector FC and use the PPM channels to control the peripherals.

If I can get it working without too much headache the second option is the one I want to do. If I do end up going the second route I'll have 2 decoders and a channel changer that I don't need that I'll sell you at cost if you want them. FrSky has some really neat options for getting the most out of their products.

** EDIT ** I might end up needing close to all 16 channels, depending on how the cockpit spacing works out. I really wanted to add an FPV-viewed throttle and control yoke with GI Joe arms attached; fed from the throttle, aileron, and elevator channels to actually look like the movements are controlling the plane. If I do end up doing that, I'm going to go all out with the mods and add differential thrust and more rocket launcher channels. As planned now there's 2 channels used for 8 launcher tubes, so the rockets ripple fire in sets of 4; but I'd like to be able to ripple fire them 2 at a time (but that would obviously take 4 channels). I guess I could shove an Arduino down into the cockpit and wire it up with 4 outputs, and have it activate one of them at a time in order each time it receives a signal. Then I could get away with just using 1 channel. I can never make up my mind.