Greg Covey

Hi guys,

I just got back from a 3-day electric fly-in so I'm a bit groggy and tired.

For "lwien"...yes, the 7-cell pack may give you more power than a 2-cell Lithium pack but not for long. An appropriate 2-cell Lithium pack will hold the voltage under load much longer and give better overall power.

The stock pack and the J-3 Cub pack work great also.

Here are some overhead flying shots.

rharrismcse

Okay - I'm getting grouchy! Nonone has answered my questions regarding the carbon fiber fuse on the Slo V -
Mine seems really sloppy towards the back end, and torques really easy when I'm turning.
Could it be that the tube has lost structural integrity? The plane is new -

dribbe

rharris,
The fuse should be relatively stiff, but it is hard to gage via E-mail. If it feels weak, (if it droops while being supported by the tail landing gear, it may be spit.) inspect the sides carefully while twisting the fuse.... It is possible to split the carbon fibers lengthwise. On the rare chance it is split, you can fix it by wicking thin ZAP (CA) into the crack... wipe it with a paper towel, and let it dry for a while. (You could also wrap and CA it with some nyon thread if it is crashed).
The Rx in the Slo-V has the same FET's as the Stryker... It can handle 15 Amps continueous.
The motor is not rated beyond the 7 cell NiMH... And I KNOW a 3 cell Lipo will Damage the system in several minutes.
David

Greg Covey

My brain is slowly coming back after a vacation break and I managed to remember to ask for the video camera that had my maiden flight of the Slo-V on it. I'll post the video tomorrow (Wednesday) or Thursday.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

As stated above the boom should be locked solidly into the body. YOu may be able to flex it but you should not be able to twist it in the fuselage. If you can, the glue has released and it as popped out. That will cause the tail to droop in flight which will have the same effect as extreme down elevator.

On the Aerobird, you can take the boom and push it back into a molded area in the fuselage. Not sure how the slow V would work.

If you can take some photos and post them, maybe we can help you.

These shots should be taken with the landing gear on, plane sitting on a table, tail on the table. It would be best if the background in the photo was solid colored so we can see the tail/wings/stuff clearly.

For the shots from tail, I want you to center the motor in the camera viewer so that
you are shooting STRAIGHT down the shaft. All shots are taken with the radio on, the trims centered and the plane powered up. Use the low or sport settings. Don't adjust any surfaces

view from the tail at tail height - full left command
view from the tail at tail height - full right
same - full up
same - full down
sticks centered and hands off shot.
view from under the tail.

Now, lay the planne on its side, you may have to take the wings off. I want you to lay a ruler the full length of the stick, under the stick and shoot that. This will help us see if anything is bent.

Last, I want a shot from the front of the plane. Line up the shot so that you are shooting straight down the plane. The motor should be centered in the V of the tail. shoot from slightly above the plane so I can see the stick going all the way back. Prop should be off the plane, or out sideways.



There are no gurantees that we will be able to spot the problem, but it is worth a try.

dribbe

AEAJR,
There is nothing to pop out in the slo-v. It is generally straight, or it is broken. If something is broken, fix or replace it. It is really that simple.
The square carbon tube is either intact, or it is broken or split and shoud be fixed. If it is not broken, it will hold the tail at the correct twist angle with a good force. If it is split, the tail may droop to one side while resting on its tail skid.
Rharris, please update us on what you find!
David

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

dribbe

Thanks for filling in the gap in my knowledge. I have looked at the slow Vs but have yet to help someone fix one.

Greg Covey

Here is the link to my Slo-V video.

[link=http://www.gregcovey.com/RCU2/SloV.wmv]Hi-res video[/link] (10meg)

lwien

Greg,

The video time out after 2.9 megs.

Greg Covey

It could be my Web host or your Web host is having traffic problems.

Try a right mouse click on the link and select "Save Target As".

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

I am connected by cable and had no problem with the video. Smooth and clear.

Looked a bit windy. What were the conditions?

lwien

Greg, I've never used Lithiums before so I gotta question. I've heard that if you're gonna use LiPos, that it's a good idea to have an ESC that will shut down if the batts get down to a certain voltage, and that it's important to have this because Lipos don't like it when they get too low.............Being that the Slow-V doesn't have this kind of adjustable ESC, what is the best way to deal with this ????

dribbe

The Slo-V autocut is about 5.2 Volts. At 2.6v per cell, this is a touch low, but pretty close for a 2s LiPo. You could get some other opinions, but it is not bad (I recall 2.65v as reccomended). Many folks just land when they feel the power starting to drop. It flies well on 2s LiPos.
David

lwien

David,

Do you work for ParkZone?..........Seems like ya know a lot about this plane.........And thanks for the answer on the LiPo's. Oh, and how much more time would I get out of the Lipo's over the stock batts............on average.

dribbe

???
Flight time... Never timed a LiPo.... but if you figure 8-10 minutes on a 600 mAh NiMH.... about 20-25 on a 1900-2000 2s LiPo seems about right....
David

Greg Covey

aeajr,

As far as this summer season has gone, it's about as calm as it gets during the day. The wind was probably 5-10mph.

lwien,

You can measure the voltage of the pack after a long flight and see how close it comes to 3v/cell. My experience has been that I typically never go below 3.5v/cell before I can't fly anymore. The docile Slo-V may go below that value so a few measurements could give you peace of mind. You could then use a timer for repeatability. Remember that David's 2.6v/cell cutoff is while the motor is running. This voltage often rises fast once the motor is disabled.

I agree with David's pack flight time estimates.

lwien

Greg or Dribbe

Ok, got my Slow V................here's the question.......I wasn't expecting that front wing brace to stick as quick as it did........So when I attached it to the leading edge, there's about a quarter of an inch space between the center of the brace and the bottom of the edge of the front of the wing.......The outer edges of the brace is right on..........I guess my concern is that I ended up with less dihedral than I should have. Do ya think it's ok, or do I need to order another wing ??

Rat1

I had the same problem but since I had lightly seated the brace I was able to carefully remove it and reseat it properly. If it does nto want to stick again then you might beable to try some foam safe ca to fasten the brace. The clear tape that you run along the leading edge and trailing edge will also hold the brace in place.

lwien

Ummm........it's too late......I already applied the tapes...........I firmly put it in place before I noticed the gap at the bottom.........

wattman

Myself and a buddy did the same thing and also noticed it later [X(], it still flys swell , don't worry about it

lwien

Damn, I hate to screw up..........the perfectionist in me..........Oh well, another wing is 15 bucks, if I decide to start over.

I wonder what the flight difference is gonna be with less dihedral ??

Rat1

I would not worry about it at all.

jchumley

My Feedback: (1)

After flying till the battery cutoff kicked in, I disconnected the battery. I heard the control surfaces move. I looked at them and they were at an extreme angle as if making a super tight turn. I plugged the battery back in and they aligned themselves pointing inward and conflicting with each other! I took the plane inside and disconnected the clevises and reconnected the battery. The servos stayed where they were and if I moved the stick side to side they moved. I tried to figure out if some wire was crossed somewhere but everything seemed normal. I removed the servo arms and repositioned them 180 degrees from where they were so they were as new. Hooked it all back up and it worked fine.

THe other thing is I plugged the same battery into the charger and lefted it for an hour. I put it in the plane and it flew fine for about 30 seconds then the battery died rapidly.

What woul dmake the servos suddenly decide that dead center was 180 degrees from where it had been during the flight? Is the short battery charge related?

Jeff

Greg Covey

lwien,

It should be fine. My brace isn't up against the foam all the way either. The dihedral is set mostly in the wing anyway.

Jeff,

Not sure what the servo issue is all about but it looks like your NiMH pack false peaked on the charger. Simply plug it in again and feel that the pack becomes warm at the end of the charge.

lwien

Thanks Greg......I feel better now.....