Stryker_Viking

Hey guys,

Re: Sprektrum DX6i

I was checking out one of those new babies belonging to one of my friends last Thursday after finishing flying with him,
and all I can say is "Wow, feels really nice like they had new ergonomic goals with this desig, very solid..."

For whatever it might be worth

Stryker_Viking

PS. Mr Mugen: Don't forget the advantage of never have to scan for free channels again as well as glitch free and faster more direct control these systems give you...

Gryphon

hyperdyne,

I'm glad to see that you found this thread useful. It brought a smile to my face.

So tell us all about your combination.....details my friend.

Do you have any pictures that you can share with us?

We always look for better way of doing something, ...anything.
We always want to learn; what if there is a better way for mounting a battery, etc.....


How long have you been flying that setup and what are your experiences?


WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE.


Gryphon

Gryphon

Stryker_Viking,


As I was working on my Stryker last night, I was thinking of you my friend.

I have vivid memory of how patiently you spent many hours on your bad body built #3. The C.F. skinned grenade proof Stryker.

That gave me the energy, the will and drive to keep going.

I might come visit in a couple of months.



Later,

Gryphon

Mr. Mugen

Ok Ok I bought a stinkin 2.4gig radio already...lol. I went ahead and ordered a 7cap just like my ole favorites. What the heck it was cheap compared to the one I really want for my bigger stuff. I was hoping nomadio would have released theirs already but no luck. I will wait a bit longer and see if they do before spring when I MUST buy a 12ch for all the mixing needed. I will be more patient on that purchase. Well it should be here this week so my maiden will be shortly after.

Gryph,
I also have a flight logger here. Anyone using them on these big bad birds?

Kevin

Stryker_Viking

HOW FAST...???

Though I nowadays have somewhat calmed down a little bit and not really are aiming for record speeds, I still sometimes ask myself "...wonder how fast?"
...so...
I just received [link=http://www.wingedshadow.com/howfast.html]this tiny inexpensive little gadget[/link] that will answer that question in a much safer-comfortable-precise manner...!
Any one else???

Stryker_Viking

Gryphon

Mr. Mugen,

Yeah, my brother should be receiving my Eagle Tree Systems e-logger. Although it was new I decided that I could not use it due to only 100A rating...LOL

I'll be running the 150A version 3. Because I want to run the 8 O.Z. MEGA motor on 105A and it should peak at a good 110+A in flight before unloading again.

I have purchased almost all of the options.

I cannot afford the GPS addition for the new V3 recorders. I gave my brother a V2 which I never used....bought only a few months ago...


I'm thinking of cutting the 10 gauge wires for the CC125A ESC. I can always extend them again. They are fat, low resistance wires and together with the 6mm bullet connectors with 200-250A rating I don't believe that there will be a problem with extending them again with homemade extensions to run to the back of a Duct fan on the Stryker (because the total length will be longer than stock I need to contact Castle Creations).

With the huge ESC wires cut I might be able to fit the data recorder next to ESC. I will flush mount the recorder on top of the wing as needed, or to one of the hatches if it does not end up ender the hatch. The LCD display will be flush mounted somewhere so I can read it with all hatches in place. The LCD will ideally be in a place that an onboard video recorder can film the speed, altitude, A, W, V, Temp1, Temp2, RPM (possibly on side of vertical fin or fuse).

This bird has been flown before, but the battery and esc get plugged together on the side of battery. If I am to use the data recorder, I need to rethink everything as far as parts layout under the hatch..........location of the 2.4GHz receivers will be the last of my worries.
I wouldn't care if it got zip tied between the motor and ESC....LOL........It will not get any interference.

I LOVE the AR7000 receiver.

I will empty out the nose cone as needed to make room for the speed sensor.
Mr mugen, If I were you I would really consider getting the GPS addition instead of the speed sensor....has lots of benefits and probably higher accuracy. You can also use Google earth maps and see where you were flying along with speed and altitude...ah yeah you will not have to buy those two other sensors.

http://www.eagletreesystems.com/uav/1.htm

http://www.eagletreesystems.com/MicroPower/micro.htm

My brother will also buy the V3 later so he can use the GPS.......When he does......I better get the V2 back. He can keep it, because that was a gift from me to him.


I want to run this for onboard video recorder, but hearing a couple of bad things regarding very cold weather causing a shut down, with possibly a new firmware to take care of situation (placebo?). I'll buy it either way.

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/video-camera.htm


I hope your Futaba receiver is similar to AR7000.

I better go add the C.F. in between my servos as extra insurance.


Later,

Gryphon

Gryphon

Stryker_Viking,

The "How fast" looks pretty much just like my Eagle tree’s speed sensor, the only difference is that the recorder will record the speed up to 10 times per second.

This way I can see how the A. V. W change with speed increasing and I'll know which one of my passes was not in a dive, so I can go by the speed for my real level flight speed.

No doubt both units have same accuracy, and I would run them at different speeds against a radar run so I can know what % they are off at what speed. That will make me 100% comfortable with readings of either unit.


The "How fast" is very nicely priced and if a recorder is not needed it makes it shine that much more.

Recorder is $70 but its speed sensor is $10 cheaper (no blinking LED) so a $60 price difference to get the benefits of the recorder will be a personal choice for people's own needs.

The speed sensors may even be made by same company for all I know.

Please report back to us the accuracy versus a radar gun..........knowing you, you'll be testing it with a couple of passes and comparing the readings with King_Paul's radar.
If I remember right the Eagle Tree tech told me the shorter the (Edit: Hose not tube) hose the higher the accuracy....not totally sure of what I remember on that, call him.


Take care,

Gryphon

Mr. Mugen

I too bought the eagle tree logger with the airspeed expander and the rpm sensor. I am not sure why but thats what I ended up buying...it was a while back. I have the V2....hmmm.. might have to bag that one in this plane. Might have to look into the v3.

What do you mean by hope the futaba is like the ar7000? Personally I used the dx's and was not impressed. I am not going to into it and start a war about radio's.....just didn't like it. It is one of those things. Once you get your underwear at Kmart 300 Oak Street Cincinatti you never stop...lol. I am sure it will be fine.

Kevin

Gryphon

Mr. Mugen,

NO...no radio wars. please...

That is not what I meant.

I was wondering about the receiver if it was 2 separate units that plug into each other. This way they see radio waves from different areas of the plane. Then use the best reading.


There was nothing more behind that question.


I can't wait to hear about your maiden.



Gryphon

hyperdyne

My Feedback: (6)

Hi Gryphon,

Your thread and info here has been much appreciated. So much to learn, so little time!

I have been trying several combos over the last 4 months or so. I had a 2nd styker as a testbed, and I started out with the mega 16/15/4 motor. It flew well but I crashed it one too many times due to very sporadic receiver issues (dont get me started on AR6100s!).

Anyway, my latest incarnation uses the mega 16/25/2 motor (per your recommendation), a turnigy 60A plush ESC w/ built-in UBEC, AR 6200 receiver, and the fma co-pilot stuffed into this thing. I tried several different props - first the master airscrew 6.5x4 and 7x4 electrics. I was pulling anywhere from 45-56A at WOT. Lots of volume but not much speed. I then went to a mystery prop my friend gave me. I think it is a hobbycity APC style. It looks to be a 7x6-E or 7x5. (my best guess). When I put this thing on, the stryker came to life. I was pulling a max of 62A on the bench, so I made sure to baby the throttle in the air given my setup.

Right now I am using the hobbycity 3S 2100 25+C lipo pack. I also tried the hxt 2200 3S 20-32C pack. It didnt have as much gumption as the hobbycity pack. I have a 30C on order I want to try also. After flying the hobbycity pack was luke warm. Acted very nicely! The hxt pack was getting much warmer and fairly mushy. Neither ballooned on me.

Anyway, some low level straight passes gave me Doppler readings ranging from 110-120 mph. Motor RPM was around 21000. Obviously the first pass was the strongest, and the later passes went down in speed as expected. There was a slight wind, but this was also at 0 deg C (it was cold out) and at 5200 ft altitude! So I am certainly happy with the results. Much faster than I anticipated.

I have a hxt 80A ESC I might swap out right now. I know I am tetering on the edge with the 60A turnigy ESC at WOT. Also I am still using the stock elevons and servos w/ the DX7. I made sure not to do any aerobatics at speed, and I fly on low rate to limit any elevon damage during speed passes. The airframe is also stock.

I did cover the fusleage with packing tape to strengthen it up. I found after many crashes that the tape saved the entire frame. Funny story, my 2nd stryker (before it was destroyed) actually nosed in due to a receiver failure. When I got to the wreck nothing was damaged other than the battery compartment. It was amazing. The 2nd crash was a nose-in but at about 60mph straight down. That one pretty much destroyed EVERYTHING. Now I stick to using the co-pilot should I get another receiver dropout.

So far the mega motor is doing very well. It is not even warm after flying. Definitely the best motor I have tried. Right now my limitations appear to be the lipo pack. I would easily recommend this setup with a 7x5, 7x6, or 6x6 prop. Any less pitch and I lose lots of speed. I am thinking maybe a 6x6 prop would be optimal for my setup, as the 7x6 may be a tad too big. Plus that would at least get me to a 1:1 prop ratio.

Mr. Mugen

LOL...no wars here either...lol. It does not have 2 recievers...it has 2 antennas instead. I am not sure why one whould need 2 rx's unless you had a bunch of servo's to run.....or the system needs them both to function properly. It sounds like many have had issues running one rx on those radio's so I am sure 2 is needed.

I didn't think you meant anything by it...just had to add my .02...hehe

I am so stoked to maiden it, it is not funny. My pal is ordering his stuff this week. We got his airframe about 75-80% done the other day. He is still waiting on the best deal for all the stuff. He is looking at a tp1010c like mine as well as the same 3850 25c battery and 16/25/2 motor...etc...

Hope he orders soon,
Kevin

Gryphon

hyperdyne,

You may be close to 110 MPH. You are already switching to 80A ESC, great. You can run 90A on this motor( 16/25/2 2650KV) if you want.

You are definitely battery limited. For full power while using 3 cells and to make sure that the battery last a long time we have been using 4500mAH to 5000mAH.
I recommend 3800 25C as a min for max power. With a huge prop even this battery can take damage.

The cold air has been helping your battery temp but the amp draw is giving them a bit of a beating.
They, ..(who?)..."They" say for max battery life to stay at 80% of constant current rating. I run 90% when I have a choice.

For future batteries, get the largest 3S that you can afford....if goal is max power and climbing.
I'm sure you've seen a big difference in climbing power of 7" prop compared to 6".

Hitec 81 is a good servo, but to never worry again, Hitec 81MG is what most people run the super fast planes. Due to short wires a couple of short extension wires will be needed.

In the last few pages you can see comments on C.F., tape work and Co-pilot.

Thanks for your posts and keep in mind we are here for you.

Later,

Gryphon

Gryphon

Mr. Mugen,

The second receiver is not for more servos. All servos plug into main receiver unit, the second "Satellite" receiver is only to receive signal from another location to help increase the range.

It also helps if C.F. is degrading the signal. That is a case with 72MHz.

Futaba is a great brand radio and it might have the same range without needing the receiver doubled up.

For Spektrum radios the second unit help make it TOTALLY reliable.
I believe they made a lot of mistakes on the original DX6. But half of people love them and half .....(no comment).


Here is what the AR7000 looks like:

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=SPM6070
________

Here is the other good one the AR6200:

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...odID=SPMAR6200




Gryphon

[email protected]

Gryphon,

Thanks for the motorcalc info! My plans for a spring build on a new Stryker have been postponed by Army training in AZ in march thru April. Will be taking my orange bird with me.

I will try to get a watt measure; I'm getting a Garmin Forerunner 90 this week to put inside the bird for a max airspeed measure, I plan to combine it with timed speed passes via my kids this weekend weather permitting, and video/audio of the speed passes for doppler submittal to u guys as well. That will give me 3 ways of eventually cross checking speed.

My bird substantially pulls up at max throttle so I have to enter every speed run in a dive. I'm only hitting full throttle when as I straighten out though. I'm always worried about the bird getting too far away. I have older eyes; the orange really helps.

The lhs guys said I am probably at my battery limit too! The battery temp has never been that bad. I will be adding the Parkzone 2200mah soon. I wish there where standard battery connectors and balance leads!

I'll try to attach a pic one of these days.

Talk to u soon

Gryphon

[email protected],

Just wanted to let you know that the Parkzone 2200 mAH is below your high speed needs. It might have same or marginally lower performance compared to your 1800 mAH.

It depends on your 1800 mAH battery's "C" rating.

Same performance if your 1800 is 15C. 1800 will make more power if it is 20C.

2200X12C=26.4A constant rating.

_______________

1800X20C=36.0A rating

1800X15C=27.0A rating


Do a little research to see if you can run them both at the same time in parallel as 3S.
Positives connected and also the negatives connected.

I have run parallel packs before but they were identical.
For series they must be identical.
But for parallel I have heard it both ways; that they must be identical and also that they do not have to be identical except for same voltage (number of cells).
For different kind of packs in parallel, I will keep my mouth shut (not go out on the limb) and ask you to do your own research to see if that is o.k.?????????????
If it is alright, you'll be able to make more power with your current setup. You would also be able to prop up for even more power.

If interested, let’s have a chat before your next battery purchase.
______________________________

I understand why the bird climbs at high speed, but I just don't get why you are starting the run after a dive. I don't see how that can possibly help, but if it works …great.

I hope you are using the F-27C motor mount instead of F-27B....that is a must.

Tighten the rear (prop side) motor mount screws to change the motor's angle and see if that helps a little or not.

If the front of the fuse has been bent up due to prior crashes, Force/hold it straight and have a friend apply some 3M tape to hold it straight, maybe under the fuse from front to rear 10-20 inches long.


Good luck,

Gryphon

Mr. Mugen

UPDATE-Ryan ordered his stuff from Kirk today. So it will be here by early next week. We are kicking around ideas for a canory/hatch. I may build a vacuum table and make lexan canopies. I want something sleek yet looks like someone might actually be in there flying it...lol. I don't care for the flat look. Any idea's? I did see one a few pages back somewhere but still looking around.

Kevin

Gryphon

Here is picture from one of King Paul's Strykers.

I took that shot a couple of years ago.

ronrico418

Mr. Mugen I used the Hobby Lobby's V-Diamond canopy. It fit pretty well after shaving off the fake air brakes and I am really happy w/ the performance. ~Ronrico

JDXX

My Feedback: (3)

Howdy all<

Well I did it. I orderd a six series 2700 for my not so stock ( any more) F27c.
Mostly chose that motor because it will or should plug right into my Eflight 60 amp pro esc,
I am in Ca. so I will get it fast.
can get a replacement rotor assembly with shaft shaft from horizon for it.
Grypon said he likes it. (care to elaborate???)

Also orderd all my carbon fiber for Stryker build take two. (still havent even maidend the first one yet)

I got the biggest 40" tubes and strips 2 of each.
I also orderd some .070x .437 stips for my TE
orderd a 40" x .196x.118 square tube also wich should be stiff both ways.
I think I got enough cf.
Now I need to find some elevon stock.

Just an update,

JDXX

JDXX

My Feedback: (3)

Ronrico418,

I do like the look of that canopy.
I would probably cut it down more myself. TRhat red trim looks like a good cut line.

Is that canopy availabe as a spare??

JDXX

Gryphon

The C.F. under the body is close to how I will build my future 120+ MPH Strykers.
The future ones will have 2 long side to side C.F. Strips not just one. In that case, I will not be running a 1’ piece between the servos.

This is a 1 year old Stryker that I just modified. It would not want to fly in a straight line whenever I would install the 4S-3850 instead of the 3S-5000 on the 16/25/2 2650KV. It also had a C.F. T.E. which allowed the stock F-27C Elevon to keep the bird straight to 110MPH or just over. But on 4S at 120+ MPH the stock Elevons just couldn’t get the job done.

I just removed a set of wooden Elevon and wooden T.E. from another Stryker and will mount it on this one.
If the picture lets you see, the C.F. T.E. has been cutoff already.
I was able to save the 3M Extreme tape that held the wooden set in place. Besides epoxy for the T.E. I will run fresh 3M tape over the old tape to hold it in place. The old 2" wide tape goes through the hinge line and extends roughly 1" on top and 1" on bottom. The fresh tape will be 2" as well, so a full strip on top will have 1" over lap and 1" contact on foam. A full strip will also be used on bottom.

When I originally mounted the 5/16" wooden T.E. I recall having to cutoff a little more than 5/16" of foam because the middle of the two center hinges was the thinnest part of the wing and the T.E. was thicker than the wing in that area and it would have had extra drag. So by removing extra foam the wing was no longer thinner in any spot and T.E. was installed nicely. Again on that bird I only had to cut off a little more than 5/16" to mount the 5/16" T.E.

***But on this bird I had to cut 5/8" inch so the center of the middle two hinges were just barely thick enough for the 5/16" T.E.

I guess not all wings are made the same huh?????? Quality control?????? .....LOL.....

I removed the wooden set off of the old bird. Then I taped the 3M tape back to keep it out of the way. I had some 60 grit sand paper taped to floor. With wooden elevon in my hand, I rubbed the T.E. against the sand paper for less than a minute long and all the old epoxy was ground off.
***It was like pushing the "EASY BUTTON" (Commercials). I had saved a wooden T.E. with wooden elevon mounted to it along with 3M tape, it also had control horn mounted where it needed to be. It was like cheating.....felt very good though. [8D]

The hinges are blue colored 1/4 scale paper CA hinges............Extremely strong.
Hinge line has no gap, well almost none. At the worst spot a piece of paper can be pushed through with good deal of drag.

Yesterday I added the C.F. under the motor mount area. Today I added the C.F. between the servos. The rest of the C.F. was already there.
There are two tubes behind the nose area.
One of my previous birds had flutter that I learned from. When I built this last year I wanted to ensure that it couldn't flutter no matter what I did to it. I added all of the thin C.F. on top of the wing. I don't think it is needed, so I will not do it this way ever again.
Next bird did not have that addition and was fine at 125+ MPH.

Notice the diagonal C.F. that goes back to near the Elevon area is not angled back far enough to get closer to the corner. That is because I had the C.F. on top. Without the C.F. on top, I would have angled them back more.
Bright side was since they were not angled back so much; I was able to add a longer piece of C.F. under the motor mount area to tie them together.
I’ll add a couple of short pieces (4”-5”) on the sides between main C.F. and end of angled C.F.

***With 3 C.F. Pieces going from left to right (in the rear half) I will feel totally safe( at 130 MPH during banking or full up elevator) that the wing cannot break down the center due to single main C.F. failure.
Also the amount of flex will be little less and normal wear and tear of C.F. will be greatly reduced for a much longer service life.

Here are a couple of pics.

Have fun,

Gryphon

Gryphon

JDXX,

Just because I like a motor does not make it ideal or best for everyone.

So let me get this straight....you place your order first then ask me what I like? ....LOL....sorry

You'll be happy with 2700 six series performance.

But had you asked me, I would have probably asked about a second 16/25/3.........also one day you could have made a twin.

If not then I would have asked about the 16/15/3 3000KV (400 sized) or a motor that I think may be a better choice than the 16/15/X series.
That motor is a Medusa that is 9-10 grams lighter than the 16/25/X.

Actually 2 good Medusa motors to choose from:
MR-028-040-2500 KV
MR-028-040-2200 KV
100 Grams I like these 2 motors more than the 16/15/3 because they can handle more amps and are more efficient at high amp settings. They are 480 sized instead of 400 sized.

Only drawback compared to 480 MEGA is they do not have cooling vents and since a lot guys here do not have a wattmeter, it will be harder for me to guess their current draws. But I still have MOTOCALC and my guess for them would be just as close as it would be for your 2700 six series.
Price wise there is not a big difference.
Stryker_Viking might have a better idea than me where to get those gems at a decent price.

I have run both the 16/25/2 and 16/25/3. Several guys on here use them too and we have a pretty good idea of the current draws and performance specs and their max limits.

So there are 3 motors (2 MEDUSA and also 16/15/3) that I like more than the 2700KV six series. Don't worry it is a good motor though.

I wish I was given a chance to mention those to you before your order..........but it is not a loss to you since you are getting a good motor already.


For the record, Horizon hobby is my favorite company. They have taken care of me very nicely in the past and I will forever be grateful. My family, friends and I are their customers for life.




Gryphon

ronrico418

JDXX,

Yes I do believe you can order that canopy from Hobby Lobby. I don't see it on thier website but I think I remember seeing I could order one as a spare in my manual (as I currently am half way done with that bird)
I'll call them tomorrow. If you call 1st ask for the canopy for the V-Diamond model.

Oh yeah I already used the red tape as a new cut line. Another nice thing is with that canopy you really don't need to cut much foam for battery.

Ronrico

JDXX

My Feedback: (3)

Hey Gryph,

I looked at all of those motors you mentioned.Ran them all through motorcalc. ( I have the free trial, I think I will purchase it though)

I especially like the Medusa 28 40 2500. Numbers look gret.

I orderd the six series becuse-

I want it by this weekend

I wont have to solder anything (not that it's a big deal)

the shaft is replaceable (by me)

Other than that yeah there seems to be a few better choices for what I am trying to accomplish
with that Stryker.

Ronrico418, I am going to order a Hobby Lobby Yak (the first plane I had any real luck with)
so I will ask about the V-Diamond canopy then. though I like the way the Stock hatch looks.....

Later, JDXX

Mr. Mugen

Hey guy's thanks for the pics and ideas. I will look at different canopies and see what I find. I has to be original. I want something weird looking at best.

Kevin