Derek.Koopowitz

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Derek.Koopowitz

I don't know why my picture uploads are coming out HUGE - sorry about this... I've tried at least 5 times to fix this and I can't.

Continuing with the rudder installation, cabling and servo...

The weight of the rudder is 56g and the control horn and assorted fittings are 6g. The rudder cable and clevises are 10g. Since the rudder is removable there are 2 set screws that can be removed from the rudder - one on the top and one on the bottom. I removed the top set screw so that I could get the piano wire in from the top. I also threaded the rod through the rudder and mounted the fittings. I used Loctite to ensure that everything will stay together. The overall length of the control rod is much larger than the servo wheel that I will be using - at least by 15mm or so. All the fittings and horn ends were mounted.

Attached are the pictures...

1. Rudder weight
2. Rudder horn control rod and fittings weight
3. Rudder cable weight with clevises
4. Removing the set screw from the top of the rudder
5. Set screw
6. Screwing the rudder horn control rod into place
7. Rudder servo wheel and the control rod - you can see the increased length of the rod
8. Putting Loctite on the rod to hold the fittings in place
9. One fitting installed
10. Both fittings installed
11. Clevis connectors installed
12. Another view of the connectors in place

Derek.Koopowitz

The next step is to mount the rudder to the hinges and to insert the piano wire from the top. Once the piano wire was in, I then screwed back in the set screw (with a little Loctite to hold it in place). Next came the rudder cable... I screwed on the plastic clevises and put a piece of fuel tubing on them to help keep the jaws closed. As you can see from the pictures the rudder cable (once cut in half) is just the right length. The next step was to mount the servo. I also cut the servo wheel to allow for an offset of about 6mm since the hinge point on the rudder is offset by a similar amount. I also drilled out the servo wheel to save some weight. The next step was to cut the rudder cable guides to the right length and then to connect the rudder cable through the rudder wheel and to crimp the ends. I used some brass tubing (from an old fuel tank) to put over the wires and a needle nose vice grip to crimp the brass tubing. After that it was just a matter of adjusting the clevises to tighten up the cables. As you can see I decided to replace the plastic clevises with metal ones - why? When I was tightening up the clevises the one clevis actually came off the cable ended (slipped off - perhaps wore out the threads).

Next is the tail wheel...

Pictures are as follows:

1. Mounting the rudder to the hinge points
2. Rudder mounted on the hinge points (just resting on them)
3. Slipping the piano wire down the rudder to connect the hinges to the internal rudder hinges
4. Putting the set screw back in
5. Connect the rudder clevises to the horn
6. Loose rudder cable in the fuselage coming out of the cable guides
7. Dropping the rudder servo into place
8. Rudder servo wheel after being cut
9. Clevis now being tightened - as you can see I've now switched over the metal clevis and put a piece of fuel tubing in place to keep them closed
10. Servo wheel showing the cable ends that have been crimped
11. Cable guides that have been trimmed

riot3d

Did you hire a stunt double for the hand posting, or, did you use your own?

crazyf3a

Hello
Please can anyone tell me the Diameter of the Spinner-plate. Is the spinner in the Kit included?
SR
Andreas

Derek.Koopowitz

Yes, the spinner is included and it is 82mm.

patternflyer1

My Feedback: (11)

So............................. You done yet?

I can hardly wait to get mine!!!!!!!!!! Looks like it will go together pretty fast. Which is something I need right now.

Any update???? How does it fly? How fast, how high, can it do loops? lol

Chris

2Sunny

Derek,

Given the other options on the market today, I think the price point for this model is unbelievable! I've been telling myself over and over all day that "I don't need another plane; I don't need another plane; I don't need another plane", but all of a sudden I'm thinking . . . hmmm . . . . maybe I need another plane


Have you flown a demo of these?
What do you estimate as the total assembly time?
Is there a firewall option for a Pletty?
Will you be flying this at the Nats?
Can you photograph the gear plate area? Do you feel the gear will be robust when compared to say something like the Integral?


By the way thanks for taking the time to explain the build in such detail. It's really a big selling point for me!



Joe

Derek.Koopowitz

I've actually gotten a lot further... I just haven't posted any updates. I'll do it tomorrow night. All I'm waiting for now is the motor which will hopefully come this week. In the meantime I'm working on the GP version now - doing the wings and then on to the gear and motor and then I'll be done it it too.

Life got in the way... [:@] but I'll have a little more free time in the next week or so.

I think you'll enjoy the plane, Chris... I've heard that Naruke really likes it as well - seriously.

Derek.Koopowitz

Hi Joe,

I'll have more detail up tomorrow night... I can't speak about the Integral since I don't recall the gear plate but I'll have some pics for you. There is a firewall option - yes. As for the total assembly time. I think I've spent about 8 hours total now - probably about another 2 hours for the motor and battery tray. Then its off to go and fly.

Yes, I'll definitely be at the Nats and will have both the EP and GP versions there.

Derek.Koopowitz

Ok, now where was I? Oh yes... installing the tail wheel, stabs, aileron servos and landing gear. Sorry about not posting for a week or so... but I just got busy in the evening and couldn't find the time to get up here and post. I've actually finished up the EP plane except for the motor and battery tray since I'm just waiting for my motor to arrive.

So here we go...

Installing the tail wheel is a snap... as you can see from the picture the tail wheel post is actually threaded and so it screws into the tail wheel post which is pre-threaded. It's just a matter of taking the tail wheel and turning it until it is almost locked and then connecting up the spring and attaching it to the tail wheel and to a screw that is screwed into the rudder. Next are the stabs - mounting them. I ran extensions down the plastic tube by taking a thin nyrod and feeding it through the hole in the tail toward the front. I used tape to attach the one end of the extension to the rod and then fed the rod through which dragged the extension. I also taped the other elevator extension to the 1st extension about 4" from the top and continued to pull the extensions through until both ends came out the front of the tube. Then I slipped the stab halves together and connected up the elevator servos to the extension leads and tied them together with dental floss to prevent them pulling apart accidentally. Once the stabs were full installed I screwed the bolts into the stab to connect to the stab tubes and to hold the stabs on... done.

Here are some pictures:

1. Tail wheel on the scale
2. Tail wheel mounted
3. The stab end of the elevator extension
4. Both servo extensions coming out of the tube
5. Stab half mounted
6. Underside of the stab half

Derek.Koopowitz

Next is the gear...

Remember all the hardware is supplied. The only change/addition I made was to use a square nut as a spacer in the axle. You'll be able to see this in the pictures. I also lined the wheel pants with a rectangular piece of 1/32nd lite ply to give them some firmness where the axle passes through to ensure that the axle hole doesn't get worn out (bigger) on the fiberglass/carbon cloth. Getting the wheel pants and wheels mounted was a quick and easy process. The longest part was waiting for the Gorilla glue to dry on the lite ply pieces. Next is top bolt the landing gear to the landing gear plate. Everything is pre-drilled so there is no measuring of where the bolts go. Just put the bolts in the washers and then put a little Loctite on away you go...

As you can see from the pictures, everything comes out nice and clean.

1. All the parts for each wheel pant/wheel assembly
2. Completed assembly
3. Axle attached to the strut
4. Inside of assembly - you can see the additional square nut I used on the right hand side of the axle
5. Gear bolts and washers
6. A little dab of Loctite
7. Mounted gear - outside
8. Gear plate and bolts mounted

Derek.Koopowitz

Wings/servos are next...

The aileron servo cutouts are precut for the Futaba 9154 servo... just drop them in after putting a 6" extension on the servo lead (and tying it with dental floss to secure the connectors)... secure them with servo screws and we're ready to install the aileron horn. As you can see the aileron horn comes with the screws. It was just a matter of lining it up with the servo horn and then drilling pilot hole for the screws and then screwing them in. After this came the aileron rod that connects the horn with the servo arm. The rod and connectors are all supplied so its just a matter of screwing the connectors on until they are the correct length and then bolting them to the horn and the arm on the servo. Quick and easy. Aileron connectors and mounting the servos took about 30 minutes total.

Pictures follow:

1. Servo horn and screws
2. Servo mounted
3. Lining up the horn with the arm
4. Horn is mounted
5. Servo rod in place
6. Another shot of the rod
7. Completed weight of the left wing
8. Completed weight of the right wing

As you can see I added 65g on the left wing and 70 grams on the right wing. I'm not sure why one wing was different to the other - perhaps the scale was settling.

2Sunny

Once again awesome job on the thread. I wish every plane came with a thread as detailed as this one!



The Pletty firewall option you mentioned, is it included with the kit or is it a design cut out that requires one to build their own to spec?



Thanks,


Joe P.

Derek.Koopowitz

Hey Joe,


I'll have to check with the factory to see which outrunner motor they support with the firewall. It'll probably be just as quick to build your own and install it with the Pletty...

patternflyer1

My Feedback: (11)

It was a hard decision not to go with a CA plane at this point. But after looking at, and weighing my options I decided to go with the Neptuno! I ordered it just before I left for my cruise, and it's already on its way! Derek sent me the tracking number so mine is on it's way! I'm excited about it and I thank Derek for making this plane easily available to us!

Now to decide what motor to put in it!

Chris

roalddogge

Tomorrow will be the day........

I will fly mine for the first time....:-)

Last 8 months I have been flying the glow version of the Neptuno and I loved it ! Already for a while I was thinking of making the change to electric and when the Neptuno became available in an electric version I did not wait a second to order one.

It must be production number two or three or so.

I am using a Hacker C50-14XL as it worked best in the prototype.


The reason I like the Neptuno so much is the fact that it is so incredible stable and forgiving while still capable of the more advance maneuvers like rolling loops and the rest of the "funny" stuff in the F schedules.

I tried the electric proto a few times and I feel that it has almost the same characteristics as the glow version, while benefiting from the more condensed CG due to the batteries.


I enclosed some pics of mine during a brief inspection I did just when it was just finished, which coincided with the visit of some obscure Japanese ;-)


Roald

Derek.Koopowitz

We want a full report, Roald.

roalddogge

Sorry.......

No flight report. For weeks the weather has been nice for flying, but specially now it turned bad [>:]. Two days of rain and snow is on it's way.

I will keep you posted.....


Roald

riot3d

And I thought you electric pilots are fearless ...

Adrian

woodie

I thought we banned you from the electric forum!!!! ;-)

Woodie

riot3d

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave ...

roalddogge

Just to prove that a lot has to happen before we do not fly anymore.......


But now it was a bit too much to maiden a new plane

riot3d

Good Photoshop, Roald ...

patternflyer1

My Feedback: (11)

I got mine today.. That was really fast! 3 weeks with custom color canopy, and custom aileron servo hole sizing...

Weights

Fuse 966
Rudder 58
L Stab w tubes 149
R Stab 125
L Wing w bolts 417
R Wing w bolts 423
Wheel pants 31
Gear w blind nuts preinstalled 108
The rest is the same as Derek.

DHL was not kind to the box by far, but it survived! What Derek hasn't said about this plane I think, is that the fuse is pretty tall. Cool looking plane.

Back to the garage!

Chris