SooprDink

I just got back from an airplane swapmeet. I picked up a Zagi for a good deal and have a few questions for all of you Zagi pros. The servos in this wing are MPI MX-50HP. They are micro servos. Will they be ok or should I upgrade to 81MG or equivalent. The ESC is a Jeti JES 110. Stock Motor. The battery that he gave me is 7 cells and the cell size is the same as the size battery for an aerobird or fighterbird pack. The pack is the yellow one in the pictures. I also bought some 8 cell NiMH for this plane. They are the green pack in the pictures. As you can see it is alot larger. This will throw the CG off bad im sure. THe CG is marked on the bottom at about 8 inches back from the point of the nose. The canopy will not go on with the new batt. Should I buy a new canopy and recut or dig out foam? Any help to get me set up right to fly will be much appreciated.

vanman

My Feedback: (2)

It appears that the Zagi you purchased is a Zagi 400, the 8 cell square pack is for the Zagi 400X

The micro servos will probably be fine until it hits the ground a few times or you fly combat with it. At that point even the regular HS81's gears don't hold up. There are two schools of thoguht at our combat, 1 being the metal gear route, the other being to install a servo saver that is typically used in cars..... They both seem to work just fine so it becomes a personal choice. I would say if you are simply flying it for the fun of it, fly it until they go out and replace with one of the other options.

Trick RC (www.zagi.com) does have a Zagi 400 to 400X conversion kit. It includes a new battery tray, canopy, etc. The biggest difference between the two are the the battery trays (depth) and the cutout in the foam for the battery tray. The 400 motors are the same, except now they sell reverse timed motors that are made to spin backwards......a little more power.....

The Jeti speed controller I am not familiar with so I can not give any thoughts there......

Hope this helps

Bill

ranchpig

Yep ... you have the 400. Like Van said... keep everything the way it is for now until you destroy the canopy (which you will!, lol) you can fly the bigger battery... just don't put the canopy on and CG won't be off by much. It will just fly a little sluggish. Try to move the big battery as far back as possible. IF you decide to keep that battery tray... try buying 2/3a batteries. Kans or CBP 8 cells. They are as high as 1500 mAhs for longer flights. They're also light compared to the big brick AA's. When you DO decide to re-cover you'll want to upgrade it. Add the MICRO servos. The 81MG's are the standard and i can make another recommendation. Bluebird servo's 380MG (check ebay) They're stronger, lighter, and cheaper. To change to the 400X battery tray you'll need to cut out the foam and i REALLY recommend adding some carbon fiber spars 1 or 3. See www.yourzagi.com for lot's of info. Welcome to the wonderful world of WINGS... it's an addiction.

vanman

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I can also recommend the Waypoint W-150MG mini servos, they are lighter, stronger and faster than the HS-81's and they are $4 bucks each cheaper!!!!!!!!

You can get them at www.his-hershobbies.shoppingcartsplus.com

Bill

SooprDink

You guys are awesome! The speed control in this wing is a Jeti. I looked up the number and it said it was a 15A speed control. Will this be ok? I remember reading somewhere that a lot of wings are using around a 25A speed control.

Thanks,

Shaun

vanman

My Feedback: (2)

Sooprdink,

The stock speed control that comes with the Zagi 400X is a 15amp speed control so you will be fine there..........

Like Ranchpig said, make sure you add the carbon fiber spar when you upgrade, of course if you purchase the upgrade kit (400 to 400X) the spars come with it..... Trick RC is now shipping the new Zagi XS with an 1800mah Nickle Metal pack that is supposed to be pretty good. I will be flying a 2S2P Li-Po pack on mine, possibly a 3S2P 2400mah pack if the 2S2P doesn't have the grunt I am looking for. The Li-Po's are the about the same price as the 1700 and 1800 Ni-Cads, but the flying times should be around 15-30 minutes or more..... I will post information on this as soon as I fly it

The carbon fiber spars, Li-Po packs and also the Nicads and Nimh packs are also available at the site I mentioned above. I think a .157 (4mm) x 29.5" spar is only $2.50. Their site is under construction and not everything shows up there yet, if you need something that is not there email them and they can still get it to you....

ranchpig

Van, where are you getting lipo's for the same price as 1800nimh? One thing you have to be concerned about... and obviously it's not as critical for the stock 400 motor... is the amperage. You start pulling high current thru a lipo that's rated @ only 4C or so... and sparks fly. I see these Lipo's on sale at ebay all over the place and on my brushless i'd fry them. They're a dangerous battery still and i know the ones that would replace my nimh's are at least $75 for 8C. I can buy three new 2100nimh for the same price even though they're heavier and don't last as long for sure. But... i can have them cycling for constant flying.

By the way.. Van... those 150MG's ARE exactly the same as the bluebird's... i think what we have here is a different sticker. LOL. Same dimmensions, specs.. etc. There's a guy on ebay who will sell a set of four for $71 plus $4 shipping. One is $20 or sets of two or three... for a discount. Nice guy... just bought two and will see how they work.

Cheers

SooprDink

Ok guys,

Went out and bought a new 400X battery tray and canopy, a 4mm 24" carbon fiber tube, and tape. I centered the tray and have carefully dug out the foam. It fits nicely! . While I was at it I moved the Rx toward the nose and burried it in the foam to the side of the battery just between the battery and servo. I am ready to place the carbon tube. The location that I believe would be best is about 1\2" in front of the CG. Is that OK or is there a specific location to put the spar? What is the best glue or epoxy to use? Thanks guys!

Shaun

PS...I am glad I did this mod. In taking out all the old stuff I notice that the owner of this plane had almost an ounce of lead in the nose! That came out quick!!! I balanced the wing just fine by placing everything in loosely and moving the position of the battery.

vanman

My Feedback: (2)

Ranchpig,

I thought the very same thing about the Bluebird and Waypoint servos when I saw them. That's ok, I have heard pretty good things about the Bluebirds. I am going to have to ask them if they have a special if you buy 4 or more servos......never hurts to ask!

As far as the Li-Pos, I am getting 7C E-Tec 3S1P lipo's from His and hers Hobbies for $33 bucks and the 2S2P's are $40. They are able to get the 7C's less expensively because E-Tec has 10-20C packs coming very soon.

Shaun,

The spar is supposed to be located 8" from the nose. Sounds like you got things under control and about ready to fly!!! Have fun, they are a blast!!

There is one upgrade that I did to mine, I turned the Elevons around, put the fat ends to the inside. This made the thing SOOOOOOO much more responsive, it will even do outside loops now!!! At any rate, use the stock recommended throws if you do this because too much throw with the elevons turned around make it a real handful to fly!!

Bill

ranchpig

Hey Van, will have to check into those lipo prices... Wish i didn't have all these nimh/nicads... lol

Shaun, it doesn't really matter where you put the spar. I used a 1/4" router and 1/4"CF so it was tight going in. Another great trick is to use a soldering iron and burn a nice straight groove. People will tell you all sorts of things to use to glue the spar. Polyurethane glue works well... just remember to mix it with a tad bit of water so it foams up. Personally i've used that, epoxy, elmer's glue. They have all worked ok. If your slot is tight, you won't need much. Make sure you're wing is fairly flat when you do finally glue it in. I then take a very lightweight spackle and smooth it up...Sell it at anyhardware store... it weighs nothing. Litterally, nothing.

Another great mod is to take some 1/2" or so CF strips (tape) and cut a slot right behind the trailing edge and stuff it in there from tip to tip (in a V shape) This will stiffen the heck out of it and doesn't add any weight. Might also recommend getting Ultracote. Sooo much more durable than the tape and looks better too. If you do go with those mods.... you won't require all that strapping tape. See yourzagi.com for more info.
Cheers... let's see a pic when it's all done.

SooprDink

Tonight I cut the slot for the CF tube and installed it. I used the Elmers Ultimate Glue (Polyurethane). Ok, so I heard that the glue foamed up and expanded but Holy Crap! I left what I though would be enough room for expansion and then put a strip of strapping tape over the "trench" to keep it in and level. I then proceeded to focus on soldering some deans ultra plugs to my new battery packs. Well, I worked for about 1\2 hour and turned back to the plane to see how it was doing. AHHHHH! I had a foam mountain growing! It was probably an inch high, 2 inches wide and 6 inches long! It just busted right out the side of the tape! So I frantically remove the weight I have on the tube and run to get something to clean up with. The bathroom was closest so TP it was. Well, at this point I find out why it is called "Ultimate" glue. This is some nasty sticky stuff!!! Toilet paper is not the best thing to clean up with. My poor wing looked like I had tarred and feathered it with toilet paper!!![:@] So I run upstairs to the kitchen and grabbed the Brawny. That was better and I did manage to get it cleaned up. Now I am just waiting for it to cure. I will carefully sand the rest down flush when it is dry. Moral of the story is this...when using polyurethane glue, I would recommend leaving at least enough room for it to expand to twice its size maybe more.

Ahhh young grasshoppa now undastand Master Ranchpig! Little Ultimate Glue goes long way!

I will keep you posted on more of the wild and zany zagi adventures of SOOPRDINK!!!!

ranchpig

OMG... i'm laughing soooo hard. Sounds like you pulled a Ranchpig, lol. I can just picture it all too. Should have told to test a little to see what happens. Hey, if a little is good... then a LOT must be better, right?... too bad you didn't have your camera ready!


You could have actually just pushed it down with a wet finger. Just a note on the PU glues... i usually just spit a drop or too in a small mix. Too much water reduces the strength. No water, it still expands due to moisture in the air.. but very little. Takes forever to dry though.

I remember the first time i used it. I was building a very expensive handrail system on a deck and applied it to all of my mitres. An hour later it rained. Came back the next day and they looked like your CF groove... uhhh what a mess.

Thanks for the laugh

SooprDink

Hey RanchPig,

I got another issue that maybe you or someone else can answer for me. I bought a new battery pack from a HS owner who had closed his doors at the same swapmeet that I got my Zagi at. Anyways, I soldered some deans ultras to the wires and went to charge it and nothing. I soon realized that the spot welded solder tab of the positive wire had come off the battery. Tell me the best way to fix this. I have an awesome soldering iron and good soldering abilities. I just dont want to harm the cell and I know that solder doesnt adhere well to the tops of cells.

Thanks,

Shaun

ranchpig

I'm no soldering pro, so let me direct you to a site that has really good info on battery soldering. http://www.yourzagi.com/battery.htm
There's a ton of info there

Cheers

PaulVi

When you solder to the cell end just rmber JUST ENOUGH HEAT work quick and have every thing ready before you start. I use a sanding wheel on a dreaml and shine up the battery end I am going to solder to and then Tin the battery actuall make a small pool of solder. let it cool then while waiting tine our wire and when th battery has cooled start again having a 3rd hand helps here solder iron on the barrtery and heat it up when the sould gets soft put your lead in and just as it sweats together remove your heat. Look for a non cold joint and all should be good..

Enjoy

SooprDink

Got the battery fixed and the plane is ready to go! It's not all that good looking but all the critical stuff is good. I figure I will go fly a few times and make all my mistakes and then I will recover and make it all pretty. I was hoping for a 400 "X" maiden flight today but it is snowing. I will take some photos and post them with a flight report as soon as weather permits. Thanks for all the good advice! You are all awesome!

Shaun

vanman

My Feedback: (2)

Hey Shaun,

Don't let a little snow bother you, I have pictures of me with my Zagi in near blizzard conditions, what a riot!!!

Of course my step dad and I then had a limbo contest and he actually flew the darn thing by and you could hear the prop hitting the snow........ whsht whsht whsht.... He left a string of prop marks and I could not believe it.....

I'll post the pics when I get home from work!!!!

Bill

SooprDink

OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, (Arm twisted behind back)....OK, OK, you convinced me. Snow or no snow, Im goin out this afternoon right after work. HEHE!

Speaking of the limbo...my first plane that I learned with and still fly is a Hangar 9 Ultra Stick .60. I got that plane last June and flew in the club limbo contest last September. Well, still being a novice and having no experience flying "under things" (Generally I fly OVER them), I was concentrating on altitude and not necessarily where I was at on the field. Make a long story short... at an altitude of about 5 feet I clipped the pole with the last 6" of wing. I then proceeded into a BEAUTIFUL 360 with a 1\4 twist followed by nice belly landing. I made sure to really STUN the audience by bringing her in on about a 60 degree glide path with only a single bounce on touchdown! WOW, now after some flying like that, I'm positive that I can do the prop hitting the snow thing.....imediately followed by a plane hitting the snow thing At least this time I wont see balsa floating to the earth!

Ill post how the flight goes!

Shaun

vanman

My Feedback: (2)

As promised here are the photos of my snow flying adventures..... The next pass he was successful in keeping it in the air and making more prop tracks!!!

Bill

SooprDink

Well, the weather let up long enough for a flight!!! I quickly learned however that if you accidently reverse the servos it becomes evident very quickly. You see I did a quick preflight and noticed the reversal. So, I just reversed the switches on the transmitter. AAHHH Good thinkin Soopr!!! (Pat on Back). Now left and right are correct. So I launch, power up - nice level flight - now to gain alititude. Pull back on the stick and she dives into the snow! OOPS. Its at this point that I realize that Im not dealing with ailerons. These are elevons and yes left and right are now correct but up and down is reversed. DOH!!! Ok, pull some tape, reverse the wires on the RX, servo reverse switches back in place and lets fly. She did pretty well. Now the pilot just needs to hone his skills. I was all over the sky - Not very pretty. I did have an absolute ball flying this wing though!!! All until I clipped a tree branch and came to earth with a broken prop. Didn't have any extras so that ended my flying for the day. All in All, i think Im hooked. Wings are great! Now I just need more practice and when I get better I think I will definitely be looking for a brushless setup! MORE SPEED...HA HA HA HA HA (evil cackle!)[>:]

ranchpig

Congrats!

Hope you learned your lesson on the preflight check. It's happened to the best of us. I destroyed a brand new trainer that way once. Started to bank left so i pulled right on the stick which flipped it over. Now i check always. Double check in fact. lol

Try flying in a bigger field with no obstacles. I've had some amazing things "jump" out in front of my zagi. Worst was a house. Darned thing just moved on its foundation right in front of my plane. Even when there is a lone fencepost... it seems attracted to my bird. It's funny too... i couldn't hit that thing if you paid me... but try not to? Dead Shot.

Cheers

Red_barron419

ZIGGI ZAGI ZIGGI ZAGI HOI HOI HOI!!!!!!!

hey, i want a Zagi sooo freaking bad, anybody got one that they havent touched? or one that is beat to hell but will fly and will sell arf??? i just want a zagi!!!!!!! too expensive to buy new for me!!!!! im 15, whatcha expect?!!! please help!!!!!! i hear that a zagi is one of the few planes that can be flown in a grocery store parking lot, bounce off a light pole and cary on flying, i need something like htat, if i was to try that in my lazy bee, it would be a disturbing sight!!!

thanks all

EJ

vanman

My Feedback: (2)

Like Rachpig said, doesn't seem to matter what the only item in the field is, the Zagi will find it and bounce off of it!!!!

The amazing part is our combat league that we run all summer, 15 planes in the air all at the same time, all trying to hit each other and not a single tick![:@]

Of course we have had the sorties where absolutely everyone got knocked out......the last two planes hit each other and down they went.

We started to have a heck of a crowd coming out just to watch us combat every week..... What a rush!!!!!

Bill

SooprDink

Ok, I'm back. Saturday the 3 year old broke her arm so that put a stop to the flying over the weekend. So the new question is this: What prop should I buy? I am in Utah and I beleive the elevation here is about 5600 above sea level. I figure that a bit larger prop than standard is in order to grab the thin air up here but Im not sure how much bigger. Is there a formula or anything to figure this stuff out or is it purely experimentation? Dont want to totally burn up the motor or anything but I want a good setup.

Thanks,

Shaun

ranchpig

Sooper.. i'm next door in co and i would put on a 6x4. The 5x5 carbon ones work ok too. Heck even the stock prop will work. Just not as efficiently. Used to live in Moab and wish i was there still... figure those huge cliffs would have been great to slope off of.