E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
#1851
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
I currently have an old fuse that I repaired with the exception of the wing mounting bolt plate. The plate in my recently demised MP is in perfect shape so I may just finish the repair job, buy a new wing, and recover the entire plane in a more unique color scheme. I think I will need to do some strengthening on my repaired fuse, but it is in decent shape. I like the MP so much and I haven't really found anything I like better yet so I'll just get the new wing and do my own covering job.
I have considered the e-flite 260 as well, but it seems less durable than the MP (especially the landing gear area). I also would like to try a bipe and there are a couple that use the same electronics set-up. I would really like to try the PA 260 or ultimate. Their constructions seems well done and the performance is exceptional, but I believe they require a slightly different electronics package.
I have considered the e-flite 260 as well, but it seems less durable than the MP (especially the landing gear area). I also would like to try a bipe and there are a couple that use the same electronics set-up. I would really like to try the PA 260 or ultimate. Their constructions seems well done and the performance is exceptional, but I believe they require a slightly different electronics package.
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
Derek,
I personally have the MP and love the little plane. Personally, I think if you have the electronics but are looking for something different then check out 3DHobbyshop which has the 40 inch Edge that would more than likely accept your power combination. I know that the heavy setup of the Edge can take the Eflite 480 1020kV. I have thought that if I ever total my MP that's what I'm doing with all my hardware. Obviously, 3DHS is known for their excellent craftsmanship and such, check it out.
I personally have the MP and love the little plane. Personally, I think if you have the electronics but are looking for something different then check out 3DHobbyshop which has the 40 inch Edge that would more than likely accept your power combination. I know that the heavy setup of the Edge can take the Eflite 480 1020kV. I have thought that if I ever total my MP that's what I'm doing with all my hardware. Obviously, 3DHS is known for their excellent craftsmanship and such, check it out.
#1853
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
I have both the MPXT and the PRecision Aerobatics Extra 260. Here are my impressions: I've destroyed my MPXT fuse several times because of bad servos and very minor hard landings. I use nylon bolts on the landing gear now which helps a lot - no more fuse problems with hard landings. But landing on grass, I do have to replace the nylon screws frequently. I find the MPXT requires a LOT of space to land.
THe Extra 260 is a dream to fly - one of the remarkable things about it is that it requires almost NO space to land. I frequenly take it into slow lazy circles coming closer to the ground with each circle and end up landing in front of me stalling it a few inches above the ground. It's fast and maneuverable. I'm not a very good 3D pilot, so, although I can do a knife edge, inverted flight, etc, don't use it to it's full potential. It is very fragile and light and find that flying in a little wind isn't as enjoyable as flying the MPXT in light to medium wind.
Both planes are fun to fly, but I find the MPXT requires a much bigger field to land in.
bert
THe Extra 260 is a dream to fly - one of the remarkable things about it is that it requires almost NO space to land. I frequenly take it into slow lazy circles coming closer to the ground with each circle and end up landing in front of me stalling it a few inches above the ground. It's fast and maneuverable. I'm not a very good 3D pilot, so, although I can do a knife edge, inverted flight, etc, don't use it to it's full potential. It is very fragile and light and find that flying in a little wind isn't as enjoyable as flying the MPXT in light to medium wind.
Both planes are fun to fly, but I find the MPXT requires a much bigger field to land in.
bert
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
Just got a mpxt and I have a question. What length are the motor spacers when using a Park 480. I bought my mpxt used and the person that had it used a pnp 450. Anyone know and thanks in advance.
swimmer
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
I used the same spacers that came with my PNP when I upgraded. I believe others on this thread did as well. I also used the PNP mounting plate with my 480 even though it is thinner and poorer quality. I didn't want to redrill holes as the 480 motor mount is wider. I ended up flying without the spinner, so I wasn't worried about things being spaced exactly correct.
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
ORIGINAL: bertsirkin
THe Extra 260 is a dream to fly - one of the remarkable things about it is that it requires almost NO space to land. I frequenly take it into slow lazy circles coming closer to the ground with each circle and end up landing in front of me stalling it a few inches above the ground. It's fast and maneuverable. I'm not a very good 3D pilot, so, although I can do a knife edge, inverted flight, etc, don't use it to it's full potential. It is very fragile and light and find that flying in a little wind isn't as enjoyable as flying the MPXT in light to medium wind.
bert
THe Extra 260 is a dream to fly - one of the remarkable things about it is that it requires almost NO space to land. I frequenly take it into slow lazy circles coming closer to the ground with each circle and end up landing in front of me stalling it a few inches above the ground. It's fast and maneuverable. I'm not a very good 3D pilot, so, although I can do a knife edge, inverted flight, etc, don't use it to it's full potential. It is very fragile and light and find that flying in a little wind isn't as enjoyable as flying the MPXT in light to medium wind.
bert
I'm looking hard at the PA Extra 260... when you say it's very fragile, what kind of problems have you had with it?
What parts tend to crack or break? How does it do on grass landing strips?
How to you like the "Carbon Fusion" construction? Is is hard to repair?
I also have a MPXT and it's a great flying plane. I reinforced the areas around the landing gear mounts and have not had any trouble since.
I've landed her on a grass field at least 150 times with no issues since reinforcing.
Thanks!!!
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
What length are the motor spacers when using a Park 480
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
ORIGINAL: woodbender
Swimmer, mine are about 3/8" long. I cut the stock ones in half. The shorter spacers make it easier to balance with the 480 and tp2100 batteries.
What length are the motor spacers when using a Park 480
What spinner are you using? Does shortening them cause spinner problems with installation?
First thing I will do is reinforce the landing gear mount.
swimmer
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
What spinner are you using? Does shortening them cause spinner iproblems with installation?
If you go back thru this thread, there are lots of posts about the landing gear. I now use 1/4" cork between the lg and the fuse to give it a little bit of cushion.
I also use nylon screws. I went a size larger on the screws by replacing the blind nuts. the combination works well for me. I rarely actually break the screws off. More often if I land hard, the nylon bends, the cork cushions and we get to walk away with a plane intact except for a couple of bent bolts.
Add to that, I gooped a walnut sized wad of epoxy into the fuse area around the landing gear, and I have few problems with it now.
I'm flying an eflite extra 260 now on which I made the modifications above. Same lg as my old MPXT. Seems to work fine even on my rough dirt landing strip.
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
ORIGINAL: phoenix426
I'm looking hard at the PA Extra 260... when you say it's very fragile, what kind of problems have you had with it?
What parts tend to crack or break? How does it do on grass landing strips?
How to you like the "Carbon Fusion" construction? Is is hard to repair?
I also have a MPXT and it's a great flying plane. I reinforced the areas around the landing gear mounts and have not had any trouble since.
I've landed her on a grass field at least 150 times with no issues since reinforcing.
Thanks!!!
I'm looking hard at the PA Extra 260... when you say it's very fragile, what kind of problems have you had with it?
What parts tend to crack or break? How does it do on grass landing strips?
How to you like the "Carbon Fusion" construction? Is is hard to repair?
I also have a MPXT and it's a great flying plane. I reinforced the areas around the landing gear mounts and have not had any trouble since.
I've landed her on a grass field at least 150 times with no issues since reinforcing.
Thanks!!!
I did have a problem with the landing gear on the 260 but was able to fix it. Other than that nothing has broken (yet!). I land it on grass and as I indicated, because of it's 3D characteristics, you can almost land it straight down. It requires very little space to land. The carbon fusion construction would make it more difficult to repair, but I haven't had any issues with it. There are some threads about radio interference, but I run a DX7 and AR7000 receiver and have had no issues.
bert
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
I have begun repairs on my old broken fuse. I have some re-fab to do on the wing doublers and the wing mounting plate has some minor issues, but I think all in all, it will be an easy rebuild. I just need to get a new wing. I guess I could attempt to rebuild the wing I have, but it is very busted up. Not much left of the left wing. The right wing half is OK. It would be a lot of fabrication.
I think I have decided to get the e-flite extra 260 as well. Other than the landing gear area, there are not many complaints. I was looking at the Great Planes Reactor, but other than flying great, it has many issues due to poor construction. Too bad, my LHS has one quite cheap and I have all the electronics for it. I think it would be a waste of money and my electronics would end up broken as well after the wing breaks off in flight.
I think I have decided to get the e-flite extra 260 as well. Other than the landing gear area, there are not many complaints. I was looking at the Great Planes Reactor, but other than flying great, it has many issues due to poor construction. Too bad, my LHS has one quite cheap and I have all the electronics for it. I think it would be a waste of money and my electronics would end up broken as well after the wing breaks off in flight.
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
I'm ready to buy the servos, HS-55, and servo extensions for my mpxt arf. I want to leave one end of the servo extensions attached to the receiver then connect the other end to an extension from each aileron servo. How long do both these extensions need to be to have adequate slack to get the wing on and off easily? I won't be using a "Y" harness. Do the rudder/elevator servos require extensions?
swimmer
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
Use a HS-56 (Karbonite Gear) for the rudder.
My HS-55 plastic gears stripped on a hard landing.
No trouble since putting in the tougher servo on the rudder.
And yes, you will need extentions for the rudder and elevator servos.
My HS-55 plastic gears stripped on a hard landing.
No trouble since putting in the tougher servo on the rudder.
And yes, you will need extentions for the rudder and elevator servos.
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
I actually striped an HS56 rudder servo a while back....I wound up replacing it with a generic metal gear one I had in my spare servo box.....I honestly don't know where it came from as I sometimes add items to my orders to make to make minimum weight....Pat
#1865
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
ORIGINAL: jetboy11914
Derek,
I personally have the MP and love the little plane. Personally, I think if you have the electronics but are looking for something different then check out 3DHobbyshop which has the 40 inch Edge that would more than likely accept your power combination. I know that the heavy setup of the Edge can take the Eflite 480 1020kV. I have thought that if I ever total my MP that's what I'm doing with all my hardware. Obviously, 3DHS is known for their excellent craftsmanship and such, check it out.
Derek,
I personally have the MP and love the little plane. Personally, I think if you have the electronics but are looking for something different then check out 3DHobbyshop which has the 40 inch Edge that would more than likely accept your power combination. I know that the heavy setup of the Edge can take the Eflite 480 1020kV. I have thought that if I ever total my MP that's what I'm doing with all my hardware. Obviously, 3DHS is known for their excellent craftsmanship and such, check it out.
AUW varies from 25.5-30oz. depending on the battery and motor setup, and how light you go with extensions and ESC. A Park 480 1020kv, and a 2100 Pro-Lite or equivalent from the Mini Pulse is a perfect setup for it, around 29-30oz. AUW and plenty of power.
Some pics. attached and a build thread [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8333768/anchors_8415706/mpage_1/anchor/tm.htm#8415706]HERE[/link]
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
ORIGINAL: swimmer316
I'm ready to buy the servos, HS-55, and servo extensions for my mpxt arf. I want to leave one end of the servo extensions attached to the receiver then connect the other end to an extension from each aileron servo. How long do both these extensions need to be to have adequate slack to get the wing on and off easily? I won't be using a "Y" harness. Do the rudder/elevator servos require extensions?
swimmer
I'm ready to buy the servos, HS-55, and servo extensions for my mpxt arf. I want to leave one end of the servo extensions attached to the receiver then connect the other end to an extension from each aileron servo. How long do both these extensions need to be to have adequate slack to get the wing on and off easily? I won't be using a "Y" harness. Do the rudder/elevator servos require extensions?
swimmer
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
i have ordered this mini pulse xt , im just wondering whats the best throws to make this beginner friendly.
i will be using dx6i and i have noticed there is 2 lists d/r expo and travel adj which one of these should i use? and what % should i put them all on?
i will be using dx6i and i have noticed there is 2 lists d/r expo and travel adj which one of these should i use? and what % should i put them all on?
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
i didn't get the pnp i got the arf with the e-flite 450 , i want to upgrade to the 480 will i be able to use the mount from the e flite 450?
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
ORIGINAL: dazzer26
i didn't get the pnp i got the arf with the e-flite 450 , i want to upgrade to the 480 will i be able to use the mount from the e flite 450?
i didn't get the pnp i got the arf with the e-flite 450 , i want to upgrade to the 480 will i be able to use the mount from the e flite 450?
The mount is different. You'll have to drill new holes for the 480
I upgraded mine with a Turnigy 35-36C. It's more than half the price of the 480 and just as powerful if not more so.
There are some prior posts about this upgrade and all the how to's
Definately worth the effort!
Mine's a rocket!
#1872
RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
ORIGINAL: ArnieMaui
Recommended throws in the manual are fine. Doesn't seem like it is enough throw, but it is for first flights.
Recommended throws in the manual are fine. Doesn't seem like it is enough throw, but it is for first flights.
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
I have been testing a Mini Pulse XT for the last month. As with most ARF's the kit is a starting point. First, most folks are not going to be happy with 450 power. I am on the second motor, and now power with a Rimfire 35-30-950, 3S 1800mah 25C battery and 30 amp ESC and pushing an 11-7 APC-e prop. This will get you overe 300 watts. To go to the larger engine was intermediate surgery. Basically, to get the CG right with the added nose weight, you need to add a tray extension so the battery slides all the way back over the wing. You do that with balsa sheeting under 3/8x1/2" side rails with some end rails, allowing the battery to just slide on back over the wing with the end just showing by the magnet latch. Place the sheeting with the grain cross-wise, like the bottom of an old rowing skiff. That will stiffen up the wing saddle area which needs it badly in the stock design. Then you move the speed control into the battery compartment vacated, towards the front. Otherwise, if you put the battery in the tray area the factory provided, and use a 35mm engine, you are going to be way nose heavy. I can tell you, this design does not fly well at all unless you are on the 70mm CG or behind it, for more experienced pilots. To mount the bigger engine, punch out the factory blind nuts and laminate some aircraft plywood over the front of the motor box, but first add new 4-40 blind nuts to the new plywood to handle the new motor mount template. You need to cut an airflow hole in it with a dremel. And make sure to drill out behind the new blind nuts so the 4-40 bolts don't bottom out on the old firewall.
The next issue is the prop. Unless you go to a higher K motor, and run a 4S, and use a 9" prop, you will need to do something about the landing gear. That means anyone flying 3S is going to have an issue with motors with 1100K or below, or so, as you cannot swing enough prop. The stock gear is not up to rough field use, it is stiff and it does not provide the clearance needed to run an 11" prop which you will need to do with the larger motors with 3S power. Otherwise, you will not pull the watts with 10" props, which bottom out on rough fields anyway, and defeat the use of the larger motor. My solution was to get two cylindrical spacers that are plastic and black and about 1/2" wide and 5/8 high. These were used for flat screen TV installation. But a trip to the local hardware store will find nylon equivalents. Get some longer 4-40 bolts for the undercarriage and bolt the gear on with the spacers between the metal gear and the fuselage. Now you can swing the 11-7 and 11-8 props and make the 3S setup pay off in performance. As for the wheels, tossed those and got some good foam 2" wheels and cut out the fairings with the dremel.
Now, you will notice the stock linkages are going to let the control surfaces flutter. Not such an issue with the 450, but if you get a 35mm power system setup right, as described partially above, that flutter is the kiss of death. So ditch the linkages but keep the control horns. get the nylon, snapon ball links that Dubro distributes. These are used with new .047 control rods, and you solder on the ends with the socket and then bolt the ball part to the stock control horn. All the flutter is now gone.
Once you get to this stage, you can actually put the plane through its paces, and you will notice it is a forgiving flyer and does not want to snap out of high G banked turns and has gentle stall characteristics. If you keep the CG far enough back, you can use the elevator to flare in the landings nice, but you have to descend with some power on, as she is not a glider with the larger engine setup. If you are going to fly at these higher speeds, program some exponential into all the control surfaces. Maybe 35%. Now for the visibility. Wait till you line up those blue leading edges with some dark green trees in the background and watch her disappear before your eyes. So run strips of a high vis orange-red trim sheet along the leading edges and down the top of each side of the fuselage along the cabane. Now you can see is when it is moving faster with the larger motor. I am now to the point in the setup where we can begin to fine tune the mixes to get rid of the slight adverse yaw and a few other little details and plan to do that in the next week or so. My plane now looks fantastic, with the added high-vis trim, and is drawing a lot of favorable comments at the field. And it will pass most other stuff in the air on a typical day like it is standing still. I am toying with the idea of even more power, going to a 4S, to see if we can get into the 75MPH plus area, but want to fine tune things first.
The next issue is the prop. Unless you go to a higher K motor, and run a 4S, and use a 9" prop, you will need to do something about the landing gear. That means anyone flying 3S is going to have an issue with motors with 1100K or below, or so, as you cannot swing enough prop. The stock gear is not up to rough field use, it is stiff and it does not provide the clearance needed to run an 11" prop which you will need to do with the larger motors with 3S power. Otherwise, you will not pull the watts with 10" props, which bottom out on rough fields anyway, and defeat the use of the larger motor. My solution was to get two cylindrical spacers that are plastic and black and about 1/2" wide and 5/8 high. These were used for flat screen TV installation. But a trip to the local hardware store will find nylon equivalents. Get some longer 4-40 bolts for the undercarriage and bolt the gear on with the spacers between the metal gear and the fuselage. Now you can swing the 11-7 and 11-8 props and make the 3S setup pay off in performance. As for the wheels, tossed those and got some good foam 2" wheels and cut out the fairings with the dremel.
Now, you will notice the stock linkages are going to let the control surfaces flutter. Not such an issue with the 450, but if you get a 35mm power system setup right, as described partially above, that flutter is the kiss of death. So ditch the linkages but keep the control horns. get the nylon, snapon ball links that Dubro distributes. These are used with new .047 control rods, and you solder on the ends with the socket and then bolt the ball part to the stock control horn. All the flutter is now gone.
Once you get to this stage, you can actually put the plane through its paces, and you will notice it is a forgiving flyer and does not want to snap out of high G banked turns and has gentle stall characteristics. If you keep the CG far enough back, you can use the elevator to flare in the landings nice, but you have to descend with some power on, as she is not a glider with the larger engine setup. If you are going to fly at these higher speeds, program some exponential into all the control surfaces. Maybe 35%. Now for the visibility. Wait till you line up those blue leading edges with some dark green trees in the background and watch her disappear before your eyes. So run strips of a high vis orange-red trim sheet along the leading edges and down the top of each side of the fuselage along the cabane. Now you can see is when it is moving faster with the larger motor. I am now to the point in the setup where we can begin to fine tune the mixes to get rid of the slight adverse yaw and a few other little details and plan to do that in the next week or so. My plane now looks fantastic, with the added high-vis trim, and is drawing a lot of favorable comments at the field. And it will pass most other stuff in the air on a typical day like it is standing still. I am toying with the idea of even more power, going to a 4S, to see if we can get into the 75MPH plus area, but want to fine tune things first.
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
After a big crash I had to repair the wings and built a new fuse. I made the fuse with a piece of wood. Have a look on the result: