tankertoad

OK. Here we go. My first attempt at building a large scale gasser. I am still in the eary phases as I have gathered the plane, the servos, and the engine. Throughout the build, I hope to provide other "newbies" with an easy source for filling in the blanks left by the build manual and other threads. (Don't worry Tom, I wouldn't want the manual to be 500 pages either, you should see the 2000+ pages I carry for a big 4-engine jet) I'll do my best to search out answers on RCU and other sites before I replicate common questions. I know my time is valuable and am sure it is for those who graciously take the time to answer questions on this site on a regular basis (you know who you are...many thanks!)

My Edge will have the following so far:

Hitec 5645s on ailerons/elevators, 5945 on rudder, Futaba S3004s on throttle and choke (Not sure about the choke, my engine is shipping with an optical kill switch, so I welcome opinions on which is better)

BME 50 with BME stock muffler (I may upgrade the muffler to a pitts or canister if I can find one)

For keeping it light, I'll entertain carbon fiber/fiberglass options whenever I can. I have CF gear that I picked up cheap, but they are not an exact match to the stock aluminum gear. They are 3/4" shorter and 1/2" more narrow at the axle. I don't think it should affect handling, but we'll see.

I went with the all white version so I could individualize the scheme. I am intersted in having a cool custom airbrush paint job, but that may prove to be too expensive.

I did find a small problem with the anti-rotation dowels on the left wing. They are about 1.5mm too far forward to fit in the holes on the fuselage, but the manual does address this by saying to elongate the holes while paying attention not to mess up the wing incidence angle.

Here's a pic of the Edge, unboxed and awaiting some art work!

ben beyer

My Feedback: (23)

Sweet! If you have any questions, you can PM me or check out my 28% Edge build thread called "Got My NEW Edge," which is in the Wild Hare forum.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Super to see another Edge thread. I'm thinking of getting one of these new ones in a few months and being able to look at any changes between this and the original will be nice. Thanks for taking the time to put it together publically for all to watch.

Ken Bryant

My Feedback: (10)

If I can offer 1 piece of advise, take LOTS of pictures. After doing 2 of these threads They really pay off. The Edge is a great build. Take your time and get it right the first time. Look at what everyone else has done too.

Oh Yea, ENJOY!

shogunmst

My Feedback: (3)

I just finished up my 2nd Edge and I am really pleased with the newer version. The ailerons which are the whole length of the wing really help out in controlling torque roll while in a hover. Trust me you will be happy with this ARF. Only diffrence is that I'm running a DA 50 for power. Hovers at a 1/4 throttle with a MSC 23X8 prop...AWSOME, and pulls out with authority. Good luck with yours, if anyone has any questions I'm always happy to help out. Later Post pics as you go too.

Peace!!

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks!!!

You're first two pictures told me everything I wanted to know. The new Edge is now absolutely on my "must have" list! The view of the ailerons and elevators did the trick.

tankertoad

Thanks guys for all the encouragement. I can't wait to get started.
On another note (not entirely related to large scale): I wasted 9 hours of my life yesterday that I will never get back. I decided to put together a GP FlatOuts foamy for a little indoor action. Their hardware pack, a cheap plastic parts tree, is da debil! If you've ever built one, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, save your $ and get a foamy from somewhere else.
Please excuse my rant.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

That's why I always go to Fancy Foam. Like you I learned the hard way

Greg Cothern

My Feedback: (8)

I like the offerings from www.airfoilz.com tough birds!!! Fly great!!

tankertoad

Here's a few pre-build questions I have so far:

Radio - I have a Futaba T6XA 6ch computer radio. Will I need something like the SmartFly Equalizer II to run both elevator servos?

Batteries - I already have a couple of Cermark heavy duty switches that don't have regulators. I understand that you have to have some sort of regulator with a Lithium battery. Is there such thing as decent NiMh batteries that I can use for the ignition and receiver, or do you have to use LIons? What voltage pack(s) should I use?

Servo extensions - Is it necessary to use noise reducers on extension leads?

Antenna - How do most folks run the receiver antenna on a large scale 3d bird?

Engine - I have an optical kill switch for the engine, but I'd like to have a servo on the choke. Is it too much to do both? Any performance advantage in using a pitts vs. the stock profile muffler on a BME 50? What's the best engine mount for a 50cc?

Paint/covering - I know H9 and TopFlite make canned spraypaint, but does anyone make matched covering and paint that can be used in an airbrush? I have always built ARFs and it seems easier to cover bare wood vs. cover over covering. Any techniques that make it easier or should I remove the existing covering for decorating large areas?

Any info/advice y'all can offer is greatly appreciated.

ben beyer

My Feedback: (23)

I would invest in the Smart Fly equalizer for your elevator servos. If you use Hitec servos and know someone with a programmer, you can use a HD Y-Harness though. Or you can use the equalizer as the Y-Harness.

For batteries, use either 4.8 volt or 6 volt packs. Some people use 5 cell, some use 4 and if you stick with NiCd or NiMH, you won't need a regulator. You need at least 1650 maH and I would probably go with either a large single pack or two smaller packs if you want redundancy. I personally like NiCd's over NiMH, but that's just me. I have a NiMH pack in my TX, so that shows you how strong my convictions are. I however use Li-ion for receiver and ignition packs. And for the ignition pack, just get a good 4.8 volt pack. I'm running Li-ion on my ignition because I have a 3W and so I don't need a regulator. Once again, chemistry is your decision.

I do not run noise reducers on my extensions. I have the servo's hooked up to them directly with shrink wrap around the connectors and then they are plugged into the receiver.

I drilled a small hole in the bottom of my fuse (where there was wood) and just ran the antennae out the bottom to the back. I have it secured with blenderm, but you could also use a small piece of covering. Some people run them in a tube inside the fuse.

I'd forget the choke servo since it is extra weight and just use the optical kill switch. You can use both if you like as long as you have enough open channels. I think the only advantage of the stock muffler over the pitts would less weight. They both should allow the engine to turn about the same RPMs. Probably the best mount for the BME 50 is the H9 mount, but people have also used the GP mount. I prefer metal for gas engines and I attached pictures.

Check this place out (http://www.radiosouthrc.com/) for paint that you can airbrush on. The matches aren't always perfect, but neither is the stuff you get from the covering manufacturers.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

The T6XA will work fine. You may want to consider picking up a Matchbox r the similar product that Futaba sells to do the servo balancing. The Tx won't do it and a Wye is not the way to go for numerous reasons.

I suggest that you use new wiring in your plane. Anything that has been stressed over time by lots of use or a crash before is a high risk element for electrical noise or later failure. If those switches are new then use them. There is no real need for regulators on a nimh attery installation if you keep it either 4.8 or 6v. I strongly suggest the 6 volt.

The extensions require neither twisting or chokes. Just use good ones, such as Cermark.

Choke servo or optical kill if you feel that you need the shut off redundancy beyond the throttle trim or ignition switch. Either one would be fine but both is massive over kill. Use the lightest one.

Antenna routing is a matter of personal choice and a source of considerable arguement. I like mine outside the plane, others prefr inside. Tom runs his partly inside with part outside on the bottom. The method that provides reception without glitching is the one to go with for any given plane.

The best paint matching I have ever seen has always been done at an auto paint store. Very expensive but also very good.

ben beyer

My Feedback: (23)

Here's my recommendation for choking the engine. Just my $0.02 though.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

The same way I go One manual choke, one manual switch, and the ground if nothing else works to kill the engine. The ground works every time, no matter how hard I try for it not to

BTW, the Smart Fly Equalizer is pretty much the same thing as a Matchbox and works just great.

torquemaster

Hi !
To shogunmst : What's the AUW of your 28 % Edge 540T ?

Thanks

Regards

tankertoad

ben beyer - "Here's my recommendation for choking the engine. Just my $0.02 though."

Is that like a manual push pull for the choke? Any problems with it vibrating out of the desired position during flight?

mstroh3961

My Feedback: (4)

there is a ball detent on the choke shaft. It takes some force to close the choke.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Just about all the choked engines are the same in this respect. In years of using a manual choke I've yet to see one move from the last position it ws placed in unless someone physically moved it.

However, if you talk to RTK he will tell you about the numerous times his choke went from open to closed when I hit the wrong "rate" switch on his transmitter. Instant off and the plane didn't care what it was doing at the time[:@] I'm sure glad I flew gliders for a long, long time

nonstoprc

My Feedback: (90)

Shogunmst,

can you tell us the total weigh of your 2nd Edge (the new version)?


Mine is version 1st and relative heavy (a little bit over 18 lb).

Thanks --qc

ben beyer

My Feedback: (23)

It's a manual push-pull for choke and I know people flying everything from small gassers like FPE 2.4's to Lesebergs DA 200 using that system. I bought a Dalton 35% Dalton 260 kit and that's how i'm going to choke my engine. I'd do that with my 3W 56, but it's a rear carb engine and doesn't have the locking mechanism. If I ever do a Wild Hare 28% Extra 300 and BME 55, that's how I would do the choke. You lose the weight of a choke servo in the process and it's less complicated. Just be sure to put a rubber grommet in the hole as the above picture shows. The control rod for the choke arm will vibrate around and chip your cowling up.

Grotesquebass

My Feedback: (16)

hey tom are the new edges still the same price or are they a bit more with the improvements and do you have any in stock??

nonstoprc

My Feedback: (90)

How was the pushrod installed? I thought it has to be installed after the cowl is installed. How do you connect the rod to the choke without a good sight of the choke arm?

tankertoad

Looks like manual is the way to go! Weight/complexity savings, a free channel on my radio (for smoke!!) and one less thing to accidentally shut off in flight. Speaking of that, I have been contemplating some sort of switch guard to prevent me from hitting the kill switch in flight. I fly with my thumbs and index fingers, so that puts the rest of my digits on top of the radio and I'm forever flipping un-used channels inadvertently. Don't forget to watch Inside RC on The Outdoor Channel. Today's show is the DOD folks in Ukiah, CA.

ben beyer

My Feedback: (23)

Most people put a ball link on the choke arm on the carb. Then just screw and 2-56 or 4-40 (depending on the ball link size) rod threaded on one end in and cut it off to the desired length. I noticed that one guy put a whell collar on the end, but i've also seen people juse put a 90 degree bend in the wire. When you install the cowling, you just have to move it to the side to thread the pushrod through. You can move the cowling around pretty well when it's not bolted to the fuse.

The guy in this picture didn't use a ball link, but I highly recommend it since metal-to-metal contacts that move around cause radio interference in some cases.

tankertoad

Finally, I can get a little work done on the Edge. The UPS man delivers slow to the Great White North. Engine made it with no problems and I got the Ultracote I ordered last week. I decided to go with my own trim scheme rather than mess with an airbrush job. It would cost too much and take too long. (Not that this thing will be maidened before Spring...only 6 short months away).

The Canopy:
I used the RIT dye method with success. My first attempt didn't go well because I didn't get the water hot enough, and I didn't use enough dye. On my second attempt, I used two bottles (1 black, 1 blue...I read somewhere that blue helps keep the canopy from coming out brown.) I also added a little salt and a little vinegar...also something I read on here, but who knows if it actually has any effect. I used a meat thermometer to gage the temps. It seemed pretty accurate by the fact that my water started to boil right around 212. The water in my tap gets to about 125, so I had to boil pots of water and pour them into a plastic storage bin. I had a tough time keeping the water over 145, but that also seemed to be the temp that the plastic started to warp. I definitely would not have wanted to put the canopy in much more than 150 degree water. The dye works better the hotter the water, but it's a trade off to keep from melting (and ruining) your canopy. Once I got the canopy in, I kept it moving by rolling it side to side and flipping it up-right and holding it under the water. This prevents any lines from forming and keep the staining uniform. Patience is key here, because if you roll it around too fast, the plastic won't heat up enough to absorb the dye. The whole process, once the canopy was put in, took about 30 min. By then, I had added so much water to keep the temperature up, that the dye was too diluted to do much good. Over all, I'm happy with the result, although I was shooting for a little darker. I did manage to scratch the canopy on the bottom of the bin, but I should be able to buff that out.

Coming next: mounting the canopy and adding my covering scheme to the plane.

Here's the photo: