ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
]
[&o]
05-26-2010, 01:22 AM
#177
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
Thanks C-188. 
I just learned of another brand name for this engine: PH or "Planet Hobby"
http://shop.lindinger.at/product_inf...ducts_id=18809
I just learned of another brand name for this engine: PH or "Planet Hobby"
http://shop.lindinger.at/product_inf...ducts_id=18809
05-28-2010, 06:30 PM
#180
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
Still waiting on my order from Tower Hobbies. [&o]
In the meantime, I made a needle valve extension today. I had actually purchased the OS needle valve extension kit a couple years back but I looked high and low and could not find it. Happens all too often to me!
In the meantime, I made a needle valve extension today. I had actually purchased the OS needle valve extension kit a couple years back but I looked high and low and could not find it. Happens all too often to me!
05-30-2010, 11:14 PM
#181
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
My "Parts Express" order did not arrive on Saturday either. Parts EXPRESS is anything but! I ordered it on 21 May. 8 days later it's still not here. [:@]
sigh....
Anyway, to keep busy I made a battery for the Microsens glow driver. It requires a 1S LiPo battery. Microsens sell 1S1P 1300 mAH thru 1S5P 6500 mAh battery packs on their website. $14.90 thru $58.90 Euro plus shipping.
I shopped around the online retailers here in the USA and a 1S battery in a large size is hard to find. Tower does have one, a 1S1P 5000mAh pack for a current sale price of $40 plus shipping. I was going to buy it, and then thought that I could just make my own 1S2P battery pack out of one of my 2S1P packs I already have! And so I did.
It is now a 1S2P 8000 mAH battery, and it should work really well for the Microsens Glow 5P.
sigh....
Anyway, to keep busy I made a battery for the Microsens glow driver. It requires a 1S LiPo battery. Microsens sell 1S1P 1300 mAH thru 1S5P 6500 mAh battery packs on their website. $14.90 thru $58.90 Euro plus shipping.
I shopped around the online retailers here in the USA and a 1S battery in a large size is hard to find. Tower does have one, a 1S1P 5000mAh pack for a current sale price of $40 plus shipping. I was going to buy it, and then thought that I could just make my own 1S2P battery pack out of one of my 2S1P packs I already have! And so I did.
It is now a 1S2P 8000 mAH battery, and it should work really well for the Microsens Glow 5P.
06-01-2010, 12:00 PM
#186
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
Well, I guess I might as well show how I made the ring muffler. [sm=49_49.gif]
I first measured the radius of the center of the engine to the center of the exhaust pipes, when the pipes are pointing straight back. Then using a compass I drew a circle on a piece of colored paper. The first line drawn represented the circle of the exhaust pipes. I then added a 1/4" and drew another circle, and then subtracted a 1/4" from the exhaust circle and drew another circle. This made the thickness of my 'ring' 1/2", the same size pipe I would be using. I cut out the ring of paper and used it to verify my measurements by holding the paper ring up to the engine and exhaust pipes. Once I knew this was the correct size, I also had a dimension I could use to make a form for curving pipe. I used the compass to draw a circle on poster board, and then cut it out. I used this as a template to draw a circle on a piece of wood. This would be the form I bent the copper tube around.
After cutting out the wood and sanding it to the lines made by the circle template, I screwed it down onto my workbench. I also screwed down another piece of wood to act as a backstop to hold the pipe against. I annealed the copper pipe with a propane blow torch, and started to bend the pipe, which promptly collapsed. [X(]
Reading up on the internet about filling the pipe with salt, sand, etc. I found something I could use to fill the pipe, glass bead blasting media. I crimped the end of the pipe, filled it with the glass bead media, and crimped and soldered the ends closed. Now the pipe would bend without collapsing.
I slowly annealed, bent, annealed, bent, etc. until I got a nice 180° curve. I was pretty happy!
Then I started on the opposite end of my 5' length of pipe, and had problem after problem. Long story short, I ended up cutting off and scrapping about 3' of pipe before I got another decent 180° bend. This is what it looked like when I was finished:
After cutting out the two 180° bends, this is what I had:
I used straight unions to solder the two halves together:
I then had to make a judgement call about how to line up the ring so that the unions did not interfere with the positioning of the exhaust stubs. Once I got it aligned where I wanted it, I made a small dimple at the 12 o'clock position to designate "Top". Then I lined up the first exhaust stub that was perfectly centered in the ring and drilled the hole for the connector pipe.
Because the pipe was soft from annealing, I had to drill each hole in stages so as not to flatten or tear the tube with too aggressive a drill bit. 7 different drill bits for each hole.
It was a long and tedious job, fitting the ring each time a new pipe had been installed and lining up and marking the tube for the next hole to drill. But eventually all five connector tubes were completed and silver soldered into position.
Looking at the commercially available ring mufflers from Keleo, O.S. Engines, and Just Engines, they all have the exhaust outlet at the 6 o'clock position. I was contemplating doing this as well, but then thinking about my real life experience working on radial engines and about where the exhaust outlet is located on full scale aircraft, I decided to locate my exhaust outlet in a different position then the commercial units.
I first measured the radius of the center of the engine to the center of the exhaust pipes, when the pipes are pointing straight back. Then using a compass I drew a circle on a piece of colored paper. The first line drawn represented the circle of the exhaust pipes. I then added a 1/4" and drew another circle, and then subtracted a 1/4" from the exhaust circle and drew another circle. This made the thickness of my 'ring' 1/2", the same size pipe I would be using. I cut out the ring of paper and used it to verify my measurements by holding the paper ring up to the engine and exhaust pipes. Once I knew this was the correct size, I also had a dimension I could use to make a form for curving pipe. I used the compass to draw a circle on poster board, and then cut it out. I used this as a template to draw a circle on a piece of wood. This would be the form I bent the copper tube around.
After cutting out the wood and sanding it to the lines made by the circle template, I screwed it down onto my workbench. I also screwed down another piece of wood to act as a backstop to hold the pipe against. I annealed the copper pipe with a propane blow torch, and started to bend the pipe, which promptly collapsed. [X(]
Reading up on the internet about filling the pipe with salt, sand, etc. I found something I could use to fill the pipe, glass bead blasting media. I crimped the end of the pipe, filled it with the glass bead media, and crimped and soldered the ends closed. Now the pipe would bend without collapsing.
I slowly annealed, bent, annealed, bent, etc. until I got a nice 180° curve. I was pretty happy!
Then I started on the opposite end of my 5' length of pipe, and had problem after problem. Long story short, I ended up cutting off and scrapping about 3' of pipe before I got another decent 180° bend. This is what it looked like when I was finished:
After cutting out the two 180° bends, this is what I had:
I used straight unions to solder the two halves together:
I then had to make a judgement call about how to line up the ring so that the unions did not interfere with the positioning of the exhaust stubs. Once I got it aligned where I wanted it, I made a small dimple at the 12 o'clock position to designate "Top". Then I lined up the first exhaust stub that was perfectly centered in the ring and drilled the hole for the connector pipe.
Because the pipe was soft from annealing, I had to drill each hole in stages so as not to flatten or tear the tube with too aggressive a drill bit. 7 different drill bits for each hole.
It was a long and tedious job, fitting the ring each time a new pipe had been installed and lining up and marking the tube for the next hole to drill. But eventually all five connector tubes were completed and silver soldered into position.
Looking at the commercially available ring mufflers from Keleo, O.S. Engines, and Just Engines, they all have the exhaust outlet at the 6 o'clock position. I was contemplating doing this as well, but then thinking about my real life experience working on radial engines and about where the exhaust outlet is located on full scale aircraft, I decided to locate my exhaust outlet in a different position then the commercial units.
06-01-2010, 12:07 PM
#187
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
So now I had a new problem. The engine could not sit flat on the mount on my workbench because of the bent back exhaust stub! lol...
I went to the hardware store and bought some high heat BBQ paint, and painted the ring muffler:
I added a fuel tank pressure nipple:
And I found a very old can of Classic Car Wax that makes a perfect base to sit the engine on so the exhaust outlet won't hit the table:
[sm=49_49.gif]
I went to the hardware store and bought some high heat BBQ paint, and painted the ring muffler:
I added a fuel tank pressure nipple:
And I found a very old can of Classic Car Wax that makes a perfect base to sit the engine on so the exhaust outlet won't hit the table:
[sm=49_49.gif]
06-01-2010, 08:28 PM
#189
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
You're welcome Sonnich.
I received my parts order today from Tower Hobbies. Just wanted to let anyone interested (like you Sonny) that the OS Booster Cable as they are called, have a glow plug clip that is designed to fit only an OS Type "F" glow plug. Or so it seems. I have Fox "Miracle" four stroke glow plugs installed. The OS connector will not attach, it just falls off. At first, I thought it was defective. So I got a burned out OS Type F glow plug and tried the clip on it. Yes, it works on the F plug, and in fact clips on tight and holds on very tight.
The Fox plug has a ball type end on the tip. The OS F type has a flat end on the tip. I presume another flat end glow plug might work with the OS cable end. I will have to continue using the ASP cables in the mean time.
I also received a Tru-Turn hub. I had to enlarge the base opening from 3/8" to 17/32" and then my stock double jam nut worked with it. I also had to drill and tap the jam nut spinner screw threads from 4mm to 10-32 SAE thread.
I received my parts order today from Tower Hobbies. Just wanted to let anyone interested (like you Sonny) that the OS Booster Cable as they are called, have a glow plug clip that is designed to fit only an OS Type "F" glow plug. Or so it seems. I have Fox "Miracle" four stroke glow plugs installed. The OS connector will not attach, it just falls off. At first, I thought it was defective. So I got a burned out OS Type F glow plug and tried the clip on it. Yes, it works on the F plug, and in fact clips on tight and holds on very tight.
The Fox plug has a ball type end on the tip. The OS F type has a flat end on the tip. I presume another flat end glow plug might work with the OS cable end. I will have to continue using the ASP cables in the mean time.
I also received a Tru-Turn hub. I had to enlarge the base opening from 3/8" to 17/32" and then my stock double jam nut worked with it. I also had to drill and tap the jam nut spinner screw threads from 4mm to 10-32 SAE thread.
06-01-2010, 09:00 PM
#190
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Fort Walton Beach,
FL
Posts: 1,218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
Tom, I've been following for quite a while. Excellent work!! I pride myself on my amateur machinist abilities but some of the work you do is simply fantastic. I've polished thousands of pieces of jewelry and other assorted things but to take cast parts and polish them to a mirror finish takes some work AND skill! Again, well done!
As far as those OS plug cables... Could the Fox plugs be modified with a little grinding to allow the cables to clamp on? Grinding a flat spot or making a "T" on the end with a dremel sure beats buying half a dozen or more OS, F plugs. Just a thought.
Keep up the great work!
Jeff
As far as those OS plug cables... Could the Fox plugs be modified with a little grinding to allow the cables to clamp on? Grinding a flat spot or making a "T" on the end with a dremel sure beats buying half a dozen or more OS, F plugs. Just a thought.
Keep up the great work!
Jeff
06-01-2010, 10:49 PM
#191
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for the very nice compliments!
What a great idea you have. I will check to see if the Fox plugs can be modified, yes. [sm=thumbup.gif]
The engine is just about ready for the test stand. I need to set up a radio control system for the throttle, since the Microsens driver works only with a Rx signal. I'll be working on that next.
I also made a blank brass badge for the nose case. I like the ASP tag well enough, but I thought a custom tag might be nice too. Since I have installed machine screws to hold the tag, I can switch them at will.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjV3BrdRtS0[/youtube]
Thank you for the very nice compliments!
What a great idea you have. I will check to see if the Fox plugs can be modified, yes. [sm=thumbup.gif]
The engine is just about ready for the test stand. I need to set up a radio control system for the throttle, since the Microsens driver works only with a Rx signal. I'll be working on that next.
I also made a blank brass badge for the nose case. I like the ASP tag well enough, but I thought a custom tag might be nice too. Since I have installed machine screws to hold the tag, I can switch them at will.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjV3BrdRtS0[/youtube]
06-02-2010, 03:50 AM
#192
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
holy sparkling engines Batman that looks incredible, Wonder what under the hood of your car looks like LOL I envy that engine soooo bad right now. great work, can't wait to hear it run with that muffler.
Dauntae
Dauntae
06-02-2010, 08:28 PM
#195
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
Actually, no. I had thought about it of course, but I rather liked the contrast between some polished aluminum parts and some bright cast aluminum. I hate those painted valve covers and intake plenums...... [:'(]
06-02-2010, 08:39 PM
#196
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
Re: the OS booster cables. I filed the top of a Fox Miracle Plug today as suggested by Jazzy above. Turns out the tip is not the issue. Flat, ball, whatever does not matter. The first critical dimension is the diameter of the glow plug stem. OS' plugs have a 3mm (.108) diameter stem. The booster cable clip has a detent ball and spring inside. The glow plug stem must be the correct diameter or else the detent ball has nothing to push against. The second critical design is having a groove machined in the stem for the detent ball to spring back into, thereby locking the clip onto the plug.
The Fox plugs have a narrower diameter stem so the OS booster plug clip will not work on it no matter what the shape of the stems tip is.
I also noted that my Tower Hobbies glow plugs fit the OS booster cable. Makes sense, because Tower and OS are intimately involved with each other, as are Tower and Futaba radios. So it appears that the Tower Hobbies sport glow plugs for 2-stroke engines are actually OS plugs minus the engraving on the body.
An OS Type "F" plug on the left and a Tower Hobbies plug on the right:
The Fox plugs have a narrower diameter stem so the OS booster plug clip will not work on it no matter what the shape of the stems tip is.
I also noted that my Tower Hobbies glow plugs fit the OS booster cable. Makes sense, because Tower and OS are intimately involved with each other, as are Tower and Futaba radios. So it appears that the Tower Hobbies sport glow plugs for 2-stroke engines are actually OS plugs minus the engraving on the body.
An OS Type "F" plug on the left and a Tower Hobbies plug on the right:
06-02-2010, 09:50 PM
#197
RE: ASP/MAGNUM FS400AR Rebuild/Overhaul
BTW, when I blew all 5 OS Type "F" plugs the first time I tried to start the radial (too much battery voltage) I ended up using 5 Tower Hobbies plugs. That is one of the blown F plugs and one of the still good Tower plugs.
Normally, setting up an engine on my test stand is not too big a deal. But since I am using the Microsens glow driver, it turned out to be almost as involved as installing an engine in an airplane model. I had to connect a servo to the throttle, and connect a Rx, Rx battery, glow driver, glow driver battery, and figure out how to place it all so it would not get soaked with oily exhaust. At least I was only dealing with one exhaust outlet.
Normally, setting up an engine on my test stand is not too big a deal. But since I am using the Microsens glow driver, it turned out to be almost as involved as installing an engine in an airplane model. I had to connect a servo to the throttle, and connect a Rx, Rx battery, glow driver, glow driver battery, and figure out how to place it all so it would not get soaked with oily exhaust. At least I was only dealing with one exhaust outlet.
