Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

I believe that is just a phenomena of his particular camcorder.

bladebender

My Feedback: (5)

thanks for posting really like that motor

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

Was it the firewall flexing or the nylon motor mounts?

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

After looking closely at the video it seems to rock side -side. The firewall is solid but the fuse was vibrating some. The prop was balanced. It could be the mounts and I'll have to check those out. I do remember reading another small gasser manufacturer recommended using metal or wood rail mounts and not using the nylon or composite mounts. These have some good bracing but I suppose they could still flex some.

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

A little bit of flex is likely okay, but you should attach the wing as its mass will absorb some of the vibration/energy. Thanks for sharing your build!

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

That's one more thing to clean up !! 
I did inspect the mounts and firewall. The firewall will flex and it does with the side planking to a degree before the mounts will move. Probably the lack of any support across the top I would think. Only thing that could be done would be to add a second firewall as there's no room to put anything in to tie the planking together at the top.  It will have to be OK as-is.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I had an issue with some of the servos yesterday before running the engine.
I put the recommended Spektrum A606 servos in the fuselage and didn't have enough for the wings so I used Hitec 5485 there.
I set the radio up using a 4.8 pack as the 6 volt NiMh was charging. I then put the 6 volt pack in the plane and checked it before heading out to run the engine. The A6060's went nuts, chattering like crazy. Not the typical jitter some servos give when the voltage is a bit high but severe chatter. I put the 4.8  back on and they were fine. I plugged the wings in and put the 6 volt back in and the A6060 chattered but the 5485's were fine. I checked the resting voltage and it was 6.7 volts..not quite fully charged yet. I had a regulator on the bench so I  put that in, set it to 5.9 volts and the A6060 servos settled down. I experimented and raised the voltage to 6.0v  and then 6.1 volts. Anything over 6.0 volts and the  6060's start to chatter.
The specs state 4.8v or 6 v compatible but they obviously don't like anything above 6 volts.
I put the regulator on and set out to run the engine and the A6060 on the throttle stopped working. It didn't get hot but just stopped.
I spoke with Horizon today and was told these servos will not function on any voltage over 6 volts and a regulator needs to be used. Should have had that printed on the box !
So I pulled the 6060's and will be putting in the 5485's and removing the regulator.
I imagine these 6060's would be good for any electric set-up using a bec  ,but for glow or gas you will need an ibec/regulator  when using a 6 volt pack for them to operate properly.

HellcatAce

My Feedback: (6)

Yep, sometimes following the manufacturers recomendation results in buying something else they produce and are trying to promote. I bet if you go with some $150 whizbang JR servos, you'd be good to go.

But seriously, knowing full well that anyone running Spektrum/JR radios will be using 6v packs, I think Horizon should recommend a servo that won't freak out with a fully charged 5 cell NiMh pack, which can peak out to closer to 7v with any decent charger.

geeter

My Feedback: (110)

your right about the servos. thanks for sharing the build. i have been looking at this gas evo ,since it came out. the plane is really nice too. i looked at it on horizon's website also. i will soon buy one for myself and put it in my 40 big stick at first or my bel-air biplane. what a nice engine and it can take a 7.4 volt lipo on ign too. love to see first flights when the snow melts............thanks again. keep us up dated please......RON

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I wasn't too impressed with the A6060 servos anyway after watching them work. There was lateral movement /flexing of the pinion in the case when under load and they would slow down when reaching the maximum throw point under load but yet they would complete the movement.
The Hitec's are solid and move at constant speed to their travel limit when under load.
I wanted to keep this close to the stock recommendations but those servos just don't make the cut.

vertical grimmace

My Feedback: (1)

One of the reasons I do not like JR servos. The low voltage. Maybe they have changed some of them now, but all I use is Hitec. With 2.4, we need the extra volts. Not sure why it is taking so long to still have a servo like this on the market.

Anyway, thanks for the thread. This engine hopefully will work out great. I am very interested in one.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I installed the Hitec's in the fuselage. What a difference compared to the Spektrum A6060's. The Hitec's run fine on the fully charged 5-cell NiMh and they have no play or slop.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I ran four tanks through it using a 10X6 prop and now have switched to an 11X6. I ran four tanks through it and leaned out the high end a little more on each tank. On the third tank I was able to hand start it ! Then I ran it up to full throttle for a few seconds to get an rpm reading . On the fourth tank I leaned it out a little more and the transition really improved and it even idled well. Next step will be to install a 13X6 and run a few tanks through it using that prop. So far so good !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFn3_...ature=youtu.be


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFn3_m_QXW8[/youtube]

SkyPilot101

Looks like it's runn'in pretty good! I'd like to see how it does on the 13/6, thinking about a 10cc swap for my Pulse 60, which has a Magnum 91 f/s currently.

Keep it up.

John Redman

My Feedback: (8)

The A6060's had some jitter issues i the first run on the higher voltage. All servos were checked before release and worked to ensure this would not be a problem. Sounds like some made it through.[:@]

The latest ones are fine on a fully charged 6.0 battery. If you return those to our service center I am sure they will get them swaped out for you.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I took the muffler apart and used some high-temp sealant around the rubber seals and on both ends of the bolt. Ran the engine to do some more break-in testing and it seems to have sealed up the leaks.....so far.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

Running the ninth tank of fuel and I tried an APC 12.25X3.75 prop to get some RPM readings.

youtu.be/_rIDBDi90As



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rIDBDi90As[/youtube]

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

Still on the ninth tank. Changed over to an APC 13X6 prop and got some readings. I will run three more tanks using this prop and the 20:1 dino-oil mix. Then I'll switch over to 20:1 using Klotz oil and test fly the plane.


www.youtube.com/watch


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2eX7Yke5ak[/youtube]

SkyPilot101

10.65 K on the 13/6, Not too shabby! Get rid of that exaust hose and tune her in just a smudge rich of peak

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

Absolutely ! I was experimenting with the "slop hose" off on the last tank and got the HS dialed in but I need to lean out the LS as there is a stumble with the 13x6 but may have to live with that for awhile until it finishes breakin-in. We'll get it straightened out !

MercerAUST

Good build. This is probably stating what you already know, but you should generally use metal motor mounts for gas engines if you can. Not essential, but just helps that little bit with cooling for gas engines which run hotter than nitros.Don't usemetal control rods for the throttle on a gas engine to avoid risks of server jitteror (worse case) brown out from the electronic ignition system. Some servers are more sensitive to this interferencethan others. Nylon connectors should, in theory, prevent this, but not in all cases depending upon the routing of the spark plug lead. A Sullivans nylon rod is best.

brockettman

Thanks for posting this thread! You must have a huge grin on your face considering the way the engine is working so far! I know I would! Looking forward to any flight video you are able to make.

Do you have a RTF weight for the plane yet?

Ben

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

Yes there are a few modifications to the assembly I would have made but I wanted to try and keep this one as close to stock and per the recommendations as possible.

Yes I am very pleased with the engines performance so far

I'll post some flying pics and videos and have an all-up weight as well.

Thanks for the comments folks!

FlatSpin

I just picked up a Meridian myself, and it looks like a great ARF. What type of mods would you do if you had to do it all over again? I'm adding more glue to the landing gear and fire wall sections now. I also had to slightly trim the fuse servo cut outs to fit my Hitec 5485s.

Dave

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I wanted to keep the assembly as close to stock as possible but I did perform some modifications that I thought were necessary.
I will list what I did along with my opinion of the pluses and minuses of the arf.

[*]I adding additional glue to all of the joints I could reach in the fuse, firewall, and landing gear mount. as I feel that should be done to all of these arf's .[*]I had to glue the alignment pins on the front of the canopy as they were loose after I had to replace one as it vibrated off during engine tests.[*]I had to enlarge the servo openings a bit to fit the Hitec servos where the recommended Spektrum servos dropped right in.[*]I doubled the length of the recommended extensions as you will need the additional length.[*]I re-routed the throttle control rod to improve the geometry to the carb throttle arm.[*]I sealed the bare balsa in the hatch area and the covering edges with poly as the exhaust residue easily gets in between the gap and stains the wood and will seep under the covering .[*]I replaced the aluminum fuel tubes in the stopper with brass tubing.[/list]
That was it for my modifications to the basic arf and recommended components.


Meridian 10cc PLUSES:
[*]Very well built[*]Instruction manual is laid out well (provided you get one with all of the pages ! )[*]Landing gear mounts in a rabbit in the fuse as opposed to surface mounting.[*]Landing gear is quite sturdy and the wheel pants are good quality.[*]Firewall is all set-up for mounting the Evo 10cc engine[*]Hinge slots for control surfaces are aligned correctly.[*]Included an engine box and firewall mount for electric conversion.[*]Spinner, engine mounts, fuel tank, velcro, and most hardware you need to complete is included.[/list]
Meridian 10cc MINUSES:
[*]Control rod for the throttle should have been either flexible cable or nyrod.[*]The left wing panel control surface openings are a bit different from the right wing panel. About 3/16" further out. Be aware if you are using these points to align the horizontal stab during installation and pick some points on the fuselage to check the alignment before you glue it in.[*]The aluminum fuel tubes in the stopper for the tank are very thin and brittle. I replaced them with brass tubing.[*]The plywood inside of the front wheelpant used for securing it to the strut should have been one piece and heavier as the two pieces inside are small and split easily even after pre-drilling. I suspect this will need repair after a few landings in taller grass.[*]The covering on this one is very wrinkled unlike other Hangar 9 arfs I've seen.[*]Knowing this plane was designed around or for the Evolution 10cc engine I would have liked to see the muffler manifold extension included with the arf as it is needed in order for the muffler body to clear the fuselage once the cowl is installed. They include the well made engine box for installing an electric motor, regardless if you use it or not , so why not include the $4.00 muffler manifold extension for the EVO10cc since the plane is designed around/for it ? With the engine they include the extra header gasket to install it ![*]On the same note why not include a template for the EVO 10cc cowl cut-out. Cowls can be the hardest part to complete for some folks and since this plane was designed for that engine, trace one out, print it and put it in the box ![/list]
Otherwise it went together fine , the engine has performed great during the break-in process and the next step will be the maiden flight. !