jetnuno

Hi Bernard

I am finishing a F18F from Feibao. Same specs as the Skymaster one.

Regarding electronics I have the Weatronics 12-20R with gyro. You might think it is expensive, but if you really see what you get and compare. If you buy 2 receivers and a power box, you have spent the same thing and then again you do not have the Weatronics features of programing and above all the flight data capabilities. You can see power consumption in the sevos, antena receiver signal from receiver 1 and 2, temperature??, etc, etc.. These are funny fetures to pay with, but again if you have acess to that data might prevent a possible failure and save your plane. I am realy impressed with that one and believe me, it is worth all the bucks.

Regarding servos I am using the new Futaba 9156 (24Kg.cm torque servo) for elevators and flaps (I know for flaps it is a bit overkill...) and the small 3150 servo for rudders and ailerons.

Plus 3 jetronics electrovalves( gear, doors and airbrakes) and one jetronics sequencer.

I have not bought the turbine yet, but probably will go with the new P160SE or the Rhino. Go with the extra power. I also have detailed cockpits and bombs, but the bombs will not fly for the first flights.

Do not forget the UAT and when you receive your airplane, check the fuel tanks. They use to come with dirty inside. I have to post pics but I am a bit lazy lately

Hope this helps, but I also need some help myself. MY FIRST JET and it will fly.

Good luck

Nuno

bernardb

My Feedback: (2)

Hi Nuno,

Great help! At least I know which servos to look at.

My first jet too...

I would love to see how you arrange the electronics/servos/valves inside the jet.

Are the Jetronics Valves controlled directly by the Weatronics or is it a servo?

Which Transmitter are you using?

Thanks again.

Bernard

jetnuno

Hi Bernard

The jet tronics valves are electrovalves and you plug these directely to the receiver, so you spare 3 servos. You will need 3 double effect( gear, doors and airbrakes) and one sigle effect for the brakes. By chanching the ATV in your transmitter you change the pulse sign, so you can have a sort of ABS brake with that valve.

To fly the F18 you need 12 channels, or mix a lot of channels
2 - elevators
2 - rudders and wheel
2 - ailerons
1 - flaps
1 - gear and dooors
1 - brakes
1 - airbrakes
2 - turbine

I am planning to use the FF9 for the time being, but one of the wonder features of the weatronics is that you can groupe servos and use only one channel in the group, by programming wit the soft.., so with the weatronics

1 - elevators
1 - rudders and wheel
1 - ailerons
1 - flaps
1 - gear and doors
1 - brake
1 - airbrakes
2 - turbine

9 channels

To fly this plane without the weatronics and a FF9 radio, I would have to sweat a bit...

I was in the Futaba site and saw that the 3150 servo it is not recommended to work wit 6volt battery pack. The weatronics as a 6 volt regulator and the Power box as a 5,9 V regulator (about the same). I know that Michel as flown this bird with the 3150 and a PB without problems. I guess Futaba is worried about a 6 volt pack that in full charge can reach more than 7 volts, but I am lauching a theard to look for advice here.

Nuno

bernardb

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks Nuno,

I just saw that too on the Futaba site...Only 4.8Volts recommended for the 3150.

I also just saw a good picture of the Jet-tronic valve and now I see it has a servo cable connected to it...I understand now...Thanks!

Bernard

jetnuno

Bernard

Make a search for F18F in the jets section. You will find interesting stuff there.....also videos of Michel's F18.

Nuno

Edgar Perez

My Feedback: (13)

Guys,

Please post photos of you installations... I'm just starting my Fei-Bao F-18 also. Will also use the Weatronics.

Nuno, you don't need the sequencer, since you can do that function with the weatronic software. I want to use Tam failsafe for air system, so can't use the sequencer built in the software. Thinking about their valves though... (although I think their brake valve uses too much air). However more than liley will use an UP valve, since that will control both,gear and doors.

Also recommend you replace the 'tygon' tubing you receive with the tanks. Seems is not real tygon and will become brittle and hard went in contact with fuel. This will ead to leaks. It will also allow you to bend the tubing in the main time so that the pickup can remain in the fuel when the main tank is inverted.

bernardb

My Feedback: (2)

Hiya,

I have received the P120SE, the JR 10X, and the Weatronics receiver...still no JET! Stuck somewhere between here and China...

Remember, I am new to this, so here is my next question:

The 6-cell NiCad power pack that comes with the JetCat engine...what kind of charger do I need for this? (I have several chargers for LiPos which will not work I guess). Also, what type and how many flight battery packs do I need to power the Weatronics and servos? Would the battery charger I wind up buying for the JetCat work with these flight packs as well? Or do I need still another kind of charger?

Thanks for all the help people!

Bernard

Edgar Perez

My Feedback: (13)

Get one that does NiCad and Nimh, like the [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMAH9&P=7]Triton Jr[/link]

Weatronics will use two batteries, one master and another backup. I will probably use a 4200 NimH for master and maybe something like 1200-2400 for backup (pending weight and balance for CG checking). These are 6 cell also.

The charger will work for all of them.

rosek007

Bernard on oahu a bunch of guys fly jets off kaneohe marine core base (kbay). paradise flyers give one of those guys a call or stop by over there at the swamp and talk to Art or Herb Or joe and they'll point you in the right direction.
You can probably even get duke to maiden it for you, he did mine.
kevin

bernardb

My Feedback: (2)

Kevin, thanks for the tip about a maiden flyer...I absolutely will require one!

The Weatronics website sells a Polyquest 2-cell LiPo 7.2V 20C 3700mAh for the main and an 1800 2-cell LiPo for the backup. Do you guys see any problems with using LiPo's instead of heavier NiCd or NiMh batteries? Will the lighter LiPo's make it harder to get the CG correct? Are there other problems with using LiPo's?

I also need to pin down exactly how to actuate the gear doors and the gear. Can I use a Jet-tronic 2-way actuator for the doors and another 2-way for the gear? I like the idea of the Jet-tronic valves connecting directly to the Rx (no extra servos).

One more little thing...would I want a BVM Smooth Stop to apply the brakes? I would like to be able to control the degree of braking applied. (I don't know if this can be done with the radio alone).

Thanks again for all the help!

Bernard

Edgar Perez

My Feedback: (13)

You mean besides the risk of fire. Should work, although I have been led to believe the F-18 may need nose weight to make the CG.

Should work. You can use the Weatronic as the sequencer.

BVM, Ultra-Precison have mechanical ones (need servo). Jetronics have an electronic one, but undertand it uses a lot of air.

jetnuno

Hi

I am using 3, 2 way jet tronics valves - one for gear, other for doors and a third one for airbrakes and a 1 way valve for brakes. Berhard, you do not need the smoth stop, because you can regulate the pulses to the one way valve via your RX ATV. This can make a kind of ABS brakes if you regulate for a low range.

Edgar, I got to pick my digital camera and take some pics.........I am so lazy

Nuno

bernardb

My Feedback: (2)

Hi Everyone...me again.

I have my lovely F-18F and still in the process of collecting all the bits and doodads to make a complete jet.

What I am wondering now is about batteries. I have a Weatronic receiver/power system...what kind and capacity of battery(ies) do I need to power my receiver and all the servos.

I have read a little about the 123's and am still unsure. My JR servos all require six volts as we previously discussed in this thread.

Also, I am unclear about the number of batteries I need...is this about right:

(1) For the JetCat ECU and starting functions (came with the engine)
(1) For the Weatronics (powers the receiver and the servos connected to it)
(1) For Backup, also connected to the Weatronics?

What mAh do I need for these batts?

On a side note, does anyone know if the full cockpit, which I have, will fit in this jet and still leave me enough ROOM to mount all the electronics? I honestly don't see WHERE it is all gonna fit...


Thanks for the help!

Bernard

Edgar Perez

My Feedback: (13)

Yes, you need this one. Think the one that came with the engine is relatively small capacity, so if you don't want to recharge too often maybe you want to get a bigger one. I'm using a 5 cell 4200 NiMh Sub-C on my Artes Rhino

Yes, you want two for the Weatronic. Get a large capacity one for battery #1. You can use a smaller capacity for #2, which is the backup one.
You need to decide what technology you want to use (NiCd, NiMh, Lipo, LiIon, A123, etc). They all can work. My approach is to first figure out how much weight do I need to balance the plane. I rather get a heavier, but more economical baterry to use as weight to balance. This situations allow to use the Sub-C NiMh or NiCd (Economical, easy to recharge, reliable). Otherwise, I will check the Lipo/Li-Ion or 123)
For capacity, I prefer about 3,000mAh to 4,200Mah in the main. The backup can be about 1,500 mAh to 2,000 mAh

Should be doable, as there are plenty of Skymaster F-18F with full cockpits around with images in RCU..

bernardb

My Feedback: (2)

Thank you Edgar...that helps a lot.

Bernard

Oh BTW, does Weatronics sell batteries? Sometimes I see them in their web store and sometimes (like now) I cannot find them at all...hmm.

gerhardp

Hi Bernhard,
Weatronic Germany www.weatronic.com is offering batteries. I don't sell them here in the US www.weatronic-usa.com , because there are already so many suppiers. I might consider to sell some in the future if the interest is big enough. We are currently testing A123 batteries. We can only reccomend to get 3 cell A123's. The two cell A123 batteries do not have enough voltage and will cause the receiver to switch back and forth all the time under the load of the servos. This does not go along with the philosophy, as we want to keep one battery as a true backup.
Depending on the weight and balance as Edgar said, you might opt to get either a 4600 MAH 9.9V A123 for main and 9.9V 2300 as a backup. That will give you plenty of flying time and a good backup. Making smart choices with the battery setup always pays off in safety. Hope this helps,

Gerhard

ravill

My Feedback: (11)

Bernard,

Good luck on your jet. You said it will not fly just be a static model. Great! [sm=thumbup.gif] I love hornets and have flown almost every single one!

For flying however, that 120 will be just fine(a Titan is just that much better!). You didn't need a weatronics(they are much too big for my tastes), I have never used a redundant battery pack(check your battery before EVERY flight), and, lastly, who is telling you these s9151 servos are recommended for your jet? I've built many jets(many of them being skymaster as well) and I've never seen a recommended servo list.

I didn't think anyone flew in maui, but I'm sure there have to be some jet flyers there. Duke, and the rest of the original skymaster crew, fly out of oahu and he has flown hundreds of superhornet sorties, but he's in oahu.

When you are ready to fly, make sure the person who flies with you is an experienced(superhornets are not difficult to fly or land even, just not the most forgiving first jet), open minded individual who understands the concept that there is more than one way to skin a cat. It sounds like you don't have much flying experience, so make sure you go, and get some, and you'll be fine!

Welcome to jets! This is just the first $10k you'll be spending on one of these toys!!

Raf

bernardb

My Feedback: (2)

Hey Raf,

Thanks for the info.

I am AFRAID to fly the jet because of the $$$ involved, but, after looking at it for a good long while now, I would LOVE to see it actually fly. As far as I know, there are no jets on Maui (except mine) but there is a group of RC guys here.

The idea of taking it over to Oahu, or better yet, me buy an inter-island ticket for an experienced F18 driver to come over here and fly it for me...still a while off before its ready though.

I can sorta fly helicopters but have never really flown a fixed wing aircraft of any kind...I am just a NUT who loves jets and gadgets and gizmos oh my!

Anyway, thanks for all the help with this project. Its taking a long time due to the $$$ involved. When the time comes I will start trying to find a flyer to take this bird for its first (hopefully not last) spin.

Cheers!

Bernard

Also, thanks Gerhard for the info about the batteries...

Vacman

My Feedback: (14)

Bernard,
If you're able to join us at Speed World (Phoenix, Arizona) Feb 6-10th, 2008, you'll likely see several F-18s operating. Deiter and I will have our new TAMS F-18 Super Hornet there as well. We've got a Titan and the Weatronic RX on board. And man, I wouldn't trade our Weatronic dual RXs for anything! Once you start working with these receivers, you quickly discover how ahead of their time they really are. Even with the huge movement towards 2.4 gHZ, the Weatronic RXs offers way more protection & redundancy. I love those RXs !!!
Larry K. Laughlin, Colorado Springs, CO

bernardb

My Feedback: (2)

Hi Larry,

Sorry but I cannot go anywhere at the moment...I seem to have used up all my vacation time in the previous year...wish I could.

On another note, I am getting frustrated now because I have purchased a high priced fancy Triton charger, bought a 12 Volt power supply to power it, and now I find that I cannot even charge my JetCat battery!!!! Does every single bleedin' battery pack have a different friggin connector on it??!!!....WHY????

Okay, I am calm now...I cannot connect my JetCat system battery to my big fancy charger because it has a bizarre weird connector on it that I have no idea what it is, where to find one, or how to connect it. Any help here would be most appreciated.

So if the gizmos I need are in the picture below, I guess I need to do a bunch of soldering of wires to the pins to make a cable, or is there such a thing as a pre-made battery charging cable already put together?

The connectors look something like this I think. Please see picture below:

jetfreak

My Feedback: (9)

Sorry to hear of your frustrations with the different charging jacks, but yes you will need the different charging jack for the jetcat battery. If you bought the turbine new, in the accessory pack there is a"spare" connector specifically for this reason. (see bottom left of picture). Go to local hobby store and pick up some "banna jacks" and some 16-18 gauge red and black wire and u need to make 4 solder connections.

Typically you need 3 charging cables when flying jets, 1 for TX, 1 for Rx, and 1 for ECU battery. This is is just "typical" some solder in a rx type connection into the ECU battery connector that way the can charge with the same kind of cord as there RX. This is straight from the Jetcal Manual.

[b]Charging the Battery-Do not charge the battery, with a quick charger using negative discharge pulses, when connected to the ECU. This will destroy the electronics of the ECU. The only recommended method is to disconnect the battery from the ECU and charge it directly.
If you are absolutely sure that this is not the case with your charger, the battery can be charged using a Y cableb]

To be safe just unplug the ecu battery and charge it directly.


Those type of connectors can be acquired at many places. Todd at dreamworks has them, as well as jetcat. If you look around I believe you can find them in other industries as well. They are 3.29ea. order a couple.

I hope this helps

Sean

bernardb

My Feedback: (2)

Thank you Sean!

I am very new as you can tell and I am finding out my jet is actually a MONEY PIT in disguise!

But, I know it will be worth it in the end...whenever that is...

Thanks again.

Bernard

MAX NITRO

My Feedback: (1)

Hehe, no disguise unfortunately. My wallet hurts so.[:@]

ebruh

HI ALL HERE is some picture off my `friend`s sm f18

ebruh