UMX Extra 300 Upgrades - Micro Carbon fiber to Square it and strengthen
03-17-2012, 07:54 AM
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UMX Extra 300 Upgrades - Micro Carbon fiber to Square it and strengthen
Hey Fellow UMX Extra 300 Fans,
I thought i would share these upgrades with you all!!!
Have you beat up your UMX a little bit???
Have you noticed that the UMX 300 out of the box, has an issue with the ailerons being curved???
Have you broke the leading edge of your wing from the fuse (it is a weak link due to the factory routing and small connection there) ???????
Well, I have good news for the small issues for this lovely little 3D micro aircraft!!!
Here are my UMX Extra 300 Upgrades:
I used Micro Carbon fiber to Square it and strengthen the frame, without adding but a few grams!!!!
1. I used 0.4mm carbon fiber rods for the ailerons
2. I ran out of 0.4mm, so i went with my next item in stock, 0.7mm, (btw, 0.7mm is the size the mfg used on the struts & elev control rod).
** See Attached pictures
** NOTE: For clarity, the one picture has sky blue lines pointing at the carbon i installed.
>> Glue Used: FoamTac (YardBirdRC.com turned me onto this a few years ago, I used this 95% of the time on Depron & EPP foam planes)
Glue Technique: FoamTac is like Rubber Glue on steriods. run a quick film down one side of the carbon fiber, then sort of squeegie off the access glue with your fingers in a pinching motion as you aqueeze and run your pinching fingers down the carbon rod. this makes the rod virtually stripped of glue, except for the tiny "V" you left on the bottom of the carbon, then quickly stick that baby in place, then squuze and firm up and square, then it semi-dries super fast, like a min, for last min movement and squaring, then dries overnight. This stuff is NOT like brittle CA!!!!!!!!!! it is a awesome polymer that dries with super strength, yet PLIABLE !!!!!!!!!, so an EPP foamy can hit the ground and it give, where CA is brittle and it breaks, where this on an EPP is permanant and DOES NOT break, never breaks, permanent and pliable and if you go thin, it is light!!!
Oh, and patch jobs are instant and strong, even though it dries 75% in a few mins, still stronger enought to fly more instead of heading home, even though it will finish drying overnight. (oh, btw, perfect for vapors and the covering being retacked instantly and go right back to flying!!!)
Even though I went with the bigger 0.7mm for the wing, this may be better beings the wings take the abuse, & it matches the size the mfg used.
Now, I do agree, my next frame that i get in, I will go with 0.4mm on everything shown here, and then i will report back the differences (will be a month or two, maybe after JoeNall).
As a side note in case you were wondering, the UMX 300 carbon fiber Landing gear from the mfr is 1.0mm. So as you can see, even the mfg used 1.0mm carbon fiber where needed.
I will test this out at tomorrows indoor Gymnasium flying event and will let you know a few things:
1. If the weight effected it much or at all
2. did the carbon fiber protruding off the bottom of the wing, caused any airfoil effect, good or bad??? (granted, the carbon is only 0.7mm thick, but not sure if that 0.7mm off the bottom wing surface is enough to cause this micro airplane to react with an airfoil effect. If so, needless to say, that would mean a flat top wing and a bottom airfoil, that might be a strange comination, heck, may have to fly inverted to make it fly like a normal aircraft that has a top airfoil and a flat bottom wing, lol sort of like a Tiger 400 and so on...
> Share your ideas and your upgrades and/or patch jobs!!!!
Needless to say, once patched too much, then time for a new airframe!!!
Enjoy!!!
[8D]
I thought i would share these upgrades with you all!!!
Have you beat up your UMX a little bit???
Have you noticed that the UMX 300 out of the box, has an issue with the ailerons being curved???
Have you broke the leading edge of your wing from the fuse (it is a weak link due to the factory routing and small connection there) ???????
Well, I have good news for the small issues for this lovely little 3D micro aircraft!!!
Here are my UMX Extra 300 Upgrades:
I used Micro Carbon fiber to Square it and strengthen the frame, without adding but a few grams!!!!
1. I used 0.4mm carbon fiber rods for the ailerons
2. I ran out of 0.4mm, so i went with my next item in stock, 0.7mm, (btw, 0.7mm is the size the mfg used on the struts & elev control rod).
** See Attached pictures
** NOTE: For clarity, the one picture has sky blue lines pointing at the carbon i installed.
>> Glue Used: FoamTac (YardBirdRC.com turned me onto this a few years ago, I used this 95% of the time on Depron & EPP foam planes)
Glue Technique: FoamTac is like Rubber Glue on steriods. run a quick film down one side of the carbon fiber, then sort of squeegie off the access glue with your fingers in a pinching motion as you aqueeze and run your pinching fingers down the carbon rod. this makes the rod virtually stripped of glue, except for the tiny "V" you left on the bottom of the carbon, then quickly stick that baby in place, then squuze and firm up and square, then it semi-dries super fast, like a min, for last min movement and squaring, then dries overnight. This stuff is NOT like brittle CA!!!!!!!!!! it is a awesome polymer that dries with super strength, yet PLIABLE !!!!!!!!!, so an EPP foamy can hit the ground and it give, where CA is brittle and it breaks, where this on an EPP is permanant and DOES NOT break, never breaks, permanent and pliable and if you go thin, it is light!!!
Oh, and patch jobs are instant and strong, even though it dries 75% in a few mins, still stronger enought to fly more instead of heading home, even though it will finish drying overnight. (oh, btw, perfect for vapors and the covering being retacked instantly and go right back to flying!!!)
Even though I went with the bigger 0.7mm for the wing, this may be better beings the wings take the abuse, & it matches the size the mfg used.
Now, I do agree, my next frame that i get in, I will go with 0.4mm on everything shown here, and then i will report back the differences (will be a month or two, maybe after JoeNall).
As a side note in case you were wondering, the UMX 300 carbon fiber Landing gear from the mfr is 1.0mm. So as you can see, even the mfg used 1.0mm carbon fiber where needed.
I will test this out at tomorrows indoor Gymnasium flying event and will let you know a few things:
1. If the weight effected it much or at all
2. did the carbon fiber protruding off the bottom of the wing, caused any airfoil effect, good or bad??? (granted, the carbon is only 0.7mm thick, but not sure if that 0.7mm off the bottom wing surface is enough to cause this micro airplane to react with an airfoil effect. If so, needless to say, that would mean a flat top wing and a bottom airfoil, that might be a strange comination, heck, may have to fly inverted to make it fly like a normal aircraft that has a top airfoil and a flat bottom wing, lol sort of like a Tiger 400 and so on...
> Share your ideas and your upgrades and/or patch jobs!!!!
Needless to say, once patched too much, then time for a new airframe!!!
Enjoy!!!
[8D]
03-18-2012, 02:54 PM
#2
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: nottingham,
PA
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RE: UMX Extra 300 Upgrades - Micro Carbon fiber to Square it and strengthen
OK, I tested out the upgrades noted above during our indoor Gymnasium event today, and she flew great!!!
No real negative differences noticed from the original out of the box, except that she flew more true and square!!
From many maneuvers tested.
NOTE on the aileron improvement:
* During flybys the ailerons were Flat and NOT cupped or ovaled as they were before out of the box!!
See out of the box, once the aircraft took flight, the thin ailerons could NOT stay flat due to the air pressures, they were in a constant state of cupping or ovaling, but the micro carbon fiber fixed that right up!!!
Aerobatics were in tack and precise!!!
Rolls, harrier, rolling harrier, knife edge, hammer head, loops, hanging on the prop and torgue rolls
The milligrams added did NOT effect the throws of the ailerons!!!
[8D]
Let us know if you try this or any upgrades or patching techniques that you have tried, be it success or failure !!!
Share the wealth
No real negative differences noticed from the original out of the box, except that she flew more true and square!!
From many maneuvers tested.
NOTE on the aileron improvement:
* During flybys the ailerons were Flat and NOT cupped or ovaled as they were before out of the box!!
See out of the box, once the aircraft took flight, the thin ailerons could NOT stay flat due to the air pressures, they were in a constant state of cupping or ovaling, but the micro carbon fiber fixed that right up!!!
Aerobatics were in tack and precise!!!
Rolls, harrier, rolling harrier, knife edge, hammer head, loops, hanging on the prop and torgue rolls
The milligrams added did NOT effect the throws of the ailerons!!!
[8D]
Let us know if you try this or any upgrades or patching techniques that you have tried, be it success or failure !!!
Share the wealth
