Official Nexa 1870mm DHC-6 Twin Otter Canadian Yellow (Balsa ARF) Discussion Thread

[xviper]

I mean of course the middle positive wire on the lead going to the y cable then into the receiver as shown in the diagram.

Understood. Something else is different with your wiring than on mine. I have both red wires of the throttle leads intact and the second motor does not arm until the 2nd battery is plugged in. It just sits there and beeps steadily.

[papaflyer]

I mean of course the middle positive wire on the lead going to the y cable then into the receiver as shown in the diagram.

[papaflyer]

Thank you all for you help on the wiring . I just disconnected one positive lead on one ESC and it works fine . Another Question ,I lengthened the battery wires on both ESC's so that I can mount them in the engine Nacelle but am seeing that doing that may cause harm to the ESC . I see there is a lot of disagreement on this ,so all I really want to know is did any of you who have this plane add extra capacitors for your battery lead extensions ? Again thanks so much for any input

[xviper]

Sorry, no wiring diagram that I know of for this particular plane.
You need to use distinguishing terms. First, the "power" wires (or battery leads) from each ESC are the big red and black ones that plug into the flight batteries and goes to each motor with 3 big wires. If both motors work when only one battery is plugged in, that tells me that you Y'd the power wires together and then split them up again before the battery plugs. Is that correct? You should leave each set of power wires separate so you keep the two ESCs power supply separate. This way, when you plug one battery in, only that ESC should arm. The other arms when you plug in the second battery.
2nd, there is the "throttle" lead from each ESC (3 little wires together into a single plug). Those should be Y'd together and plugged into the RX throttle port.
Here are 2 pictures of the stuff hanging out of the side of the fuselage and out the end of the wing:



The blue EC3 on each side plug into each other to complete the connection. On the wing, that EC3 goes to the ESC. On the fuselage side, that EC3 runs into the cabin and ends up as an EC5. So, that makes for one set of power wires going into the cabin and into the battery bay where 2 batteries get hooked up, one to each EC5.
Notice on the fuselage side, there is a lead labelled "T". That plugs into the corresponding lead out the end of the wing, also labelled "T". That's the throttle lead from the ESC on that side. The other side also has the same. Inside the fuselage, those "T" leads go into a Y. The end of the Y goes into the throttle port of the RX. (Don't worry about how I have the male/female ends showing. All that matters is that the ends going into the Y and RX are female. I'm simply using a double male to complete the connection, but that's just me. You do whatever makes sense to you.)
As soon as you plug in one flight battery, one ESC will go through its arming cycle and give you the number of beeps of the cell count of the battery you are using. The other ESC/motor will just keep beeping regularly till you plug in the second battery, then it too will arm.

PS. I just saw the diagrams posted. I've got both my power leads on the throttle lead still connected. So long as both ESCs are the same, with the same BEC, it's OK. Since these are Y'd together in this application, once you plug one battery in, the RX is live and both ESCs are getting a throttle signal. However, the reason yours is firing up both is because somehow, one battery is powering both ESCs. If both big power wires are separated, this will not happen. The red throttle lead wire(s) only power the RX. They don't power the ESCs. They get power (~5.5volts) from the ESC BEC, not put power back in.

[Kdwdarkskies]

The reason both motors are running with one battery is you probably didn't disconnect the red wire coming from the ESC to the receiver. Running your plane with a larger mah battery with one battery will save weight in the plane.

[Kdwdarkskies]

[Kdwdarkskies]

[Kdwdarkskies]

Go on google and enter this in there search "wiring diagram for two electric motors with two esc in RC airplanes", there it shows many different wiring diagram.

[papaflyer]

How do I wire the two motors into the receiver ??? I am using two batteries , power wires from the ESC's into a Y cable then into the receiver . But even if I only plug one battery in both motors work ??? What am i doing wrong ? Is there a wiring diagram somewhere ? Thanks

[Kdwdarkskies]

Thanks, I'll post pics when I start the build, and through the process.

[xviper]

Looks like your pretty much set to go. Of all the balsa kits I've built, this one was the most enjoyable to do and it's one of best best flying models I have. Have fun.

[Kdwdarkskies]

I do have a soldering iron as well a covering iron that I used for coverings on previous builds, I did like what I read about placing the ESC's in the engine nacelles with the nacelles slotted for cooling the esc's during flight, I like that idea, as I have never ran electric in planes, so the specifics as I go along are always helpful. Also I have a dremel.

[xviper]

This plane doesn't torque steer at all, so counter-rotating is a bonus. If you're experienced with tail draggers, trike gear is easier to steer, especially on a heavier airplane. It also is not a complex airplane to set up electronically, so your radio is more than adequate. I don't think it's a junky radio. I just don't know much about them and those new to Flysky say there is a learning curve.
A single large battery will require some trial and error to place to get the CG right, so don't make a permanent battery strap too soon.
Besides what you already have listed, I can mention that a soldering iron will come in handy to make harnesses and extensions. Thus, some extra heavy gauge silicone wire will be needed, along with extra connectors for the ESC and power wires.
You have a hobby iron to tighten up and smooth out the covering? How about a Dremel - better than a file.

[Kdwdarkskies]

I have bought the DHC-6 with the yellow, black, and red livery, I have not built and finished the ARF, I am waiting on funding to purchase the remaining things needed, i.e. servos, two 85A Mantis ESC's, I have bought the two motors, which I guess is quite large for this model, but nothing wrong with flying at half power...lol....I purchased two Admiral GP10's, because of larger motors, I purchased two Master Airscrew 11 x 7, 3 blade props, one prop is a reverse prop, so that the motors will be ran with the configuration of one CCW, and one CW, to offset the thrust issues during takeoff, This will be my first plane with a tricycle landing gear (nose gear), I have only previously owned "tail draggers" with right rudder to control direction on the ground. The propeller spinners that come with the model are useless with 3 bladed props, I purchased the 2" 3 blade spinners from Du-Bro, only issue is I will have to take a file to both spinners to notch the slots for the spinners to accept the reverse prop, they dont make a spinner for reverse props so both new spinners will be notched equally for balance. I just ordered a Flysky 2.4Ghz 10 channel radio and receiver, hopefully its not a junky radio. I have one battery, Admiral 6000mah 4S 50C Lipo battery, I will get another. I still need to purchase the following: Castles Creation 20a Bec, two Mantis 85a ESC's, all servos, and various splitters for servos connections and Motor wire extensions. I will start the final building when I receive the last of the equipment listed, It has been hard for me, I am now on a fixed income and have limited funding per month, so at the rate I am going, I figure I'll start the build in April or May 2023. Can anyone think of what I might need other than what I listed?

[xviper]

Finding 3-blade spinners for counter-rotating master airscrew 3-blade props will be a challenge. You could check HobbyKing and buy one of their generic spinners and modify it to fit your application. Know the diameter of the base of the spinner closest to the cowl opening and start there. Eg. DuBro makes spinners for 3-blade props BUT they don't make them for the other rotation.
The choice I went for was to find an existing plane that had 3-blade counter-rotating props and buy the whole assembly - props and spinners. In my case, I chose the HobbyKing Albatross, as I have that plane and I knew the props/spinners would work.

[Kdwdarkskies]

I just purchased this plane, I opened it when I received it, checking for damage, there was none. I put it back in the box, waiting to finish the build when I can afford to buy the rest, I am just getting back into RC flight after a 20 year hiatus, I know the plane calls for two Admiral GP2 electric motors, I ordered and received two Admiral GP10 motors, a lot bigger motor than called for, first thing I noticed was the spinners that came with the plane are notched out for two blade props, I ordered and received Master Airscrew propellers three blade 11 x 7, one is reverse prop, because I will have one rotating opposite to counteract thrust during takeoff. I still need to buy the ESC's, i'll get the 85A mantis, I got one battery, this plane will be run on 4S battery, 5000mah Admiral battery. Does anyone know where to get a spinner for 3 blade props for my size of motor? Thanks for reading.

[xviper]

folks are flying Arrows EDF jets off of it, so I'm guessing it's OK as far as that goes.

No need to even guess. If little Arrows jets can fly off it, the TO with stock tires isn't even a concern, unless you build it underpowered. Build it a minimum of what's recommended for power.

[MNFinn]

There's grass and then there's grass. What kind and how long, lumpy and bumpy is your grass? The wheels that come with the kit is a good size so the "usual" grass RC field should not be a problem. I used one of the main stock wheels for the nose gear and HobbyKing Tundra tires for the mains. There's never a problem with taking off from even the roughest, unmown grass.

Grass hasn't been longer than 2 inches any time I've flown. They mow about once a week, so it's probably shorter than that. Field isn't super bumpy, folks are flying Arrows EDF jets off of it, so I'm guessing it's OK as far as that goes.

[xviper]

Hello,

The Nexa Twin Otter is on my current "potential buy" list, for a little winter project. Only have a question. How well does it handle taking off/landing on grass? Local field is all grass.

There's grass and then there's grass. What kind and how long, lumpy and bumpy is your grass? The wheels that come with the kit is a good size so the "usual" grass RC field should not be a problem. I used one of the main stock wheels for the nose gear and HobbyKing Tundra tires for the mains. There's never a problem with taking off from even the roughest, unmown grass.

[MNFinn]

Hello,

The Nexa Twin Otter is on my current "potential buy" list, for a little winter project. Only have a question. How well does it handle taking off/landing on grass? Local field is all grass.