ORIGINAL: andi3142001
One more thing concerning the pitch gauge: As far as I remember there are 2 possibilities (different angles) to attach the gauge. What I did to find out which way is correct is to set the blades to about 0 by eyeballing, to assure the gauge is attached from the correct side.
regards
Andi
You cannot set the blades to 0 pitch (at least not on this 4 blade hub!). 6 degrees pitch is where the stops are (and the lowest possible setting on the guage coinidentally). I made sure the blades were at the lowest pitch possible, then once I'd found the "sweet spot" where this guage will clip on to a blade I clipped it on and stuck the pitch pointer rod into the hole in the hub and it read 6, the lowest number on the guage. At that point I figured I was using the guage correctly. As I turn the adjustment bolt in (clockwise) the pitch pointer rod moves up the guage to higher numbers. Ergo, I think I'm using it correctly.
I realize the blades are just a faction of the cost of the hub. It's just that now I have to order another set of 4 blades and wait 2 weeks or so before I can try them. Ughhhhh! I had hoped the engine could swing these 16.6" diameter blades but I guess it can't. Looks neat though. Bet a 120SP would be able to swing 'em (but add too much weight to a 60 sized airframe, IMHO).
I may test run it again 1st and try leaning out the needle 5 or 6 clicks for 20 seconds and see what the engine does... if I lean it too much it should die, then I'd know where the way too lean point is! I wonder if there's a way to tell by engine temp if it's running too lean or not, and if so what's the temp range I should shoot for to keep from harming the engine?
As it ran out of fuel yesterday it sounded a lot smoother and more powerful for those last 10 seconds or so, making me wonder if I'm still running too rich... also I noticed a droplet of raw fuel collected in the air intake of the carb, which seemed odd again making me wonder if I'm still running it too rich.
Thanks ya'll!
- Michael