Ernie Misner

Eight minute flights are not very long in this day and age of lithium and brushless. Of course if you are in competetion rather than sport, that would be the way to go!

Ernie

patrickd

Wow, I ordered a Cobri gearbox on Wednesday and it arrived today (Friday). Pretty good service from Washington state to Indiana. Now if the wind and rain will stop, It is off to the AMA. Eat your hearts out, I live 20 minutes away from the AMA.
Patrick

HORNET FLYER

My Feedback: (6)

has any one tried using direct mounted or direct drive motors with no gear boxes.......thanks
paul

Hotshot Charlie

Hey gang,

What Cobri pinion gear and main gear are ya'll running?

Sean McDonnell

My Feedback: (4)

Why doesn't anyone use an outrunner with this plane. Say the E-flight 450. It seems everyone is having trouble stripping the gears on this plane; I was just wondering.[X(]

Hotshot Charlie

I just started my build on my mini 540. First class. I don't understand all the talk and problems with hinging this bird. Guess folks haven't had to hinge a plane before, I don't know. So far, I'm very satisfied with the build. I had to use a heat gun and tighten up the covering on the tail of the fuselage, but so far that is all I have found that wasn't first class.

My debate now is whether to use a HiMax 2025-4200 with the HiMax gearbox or to invest in a Cobri gearbox.

Hi Sean, I don't know why folks aren't trying the outrunner's with this. If I had one, I would probably give it a try. I have a CC25 esc, so I think it would push the ability of it too much. The CC35 would probably be the best choice for the outrunner that is large enough to 3D this bird. Another reason I like the gear box is the ability to try different props. You are pretty well stuck with the outrunner to a few choices.

Anyway, so far, great kit. I have probably an hour or so in it at this time. Most of that was getting the work bench cleared of nitro helicopters and getting my tools and glue laid out.

garrett490

My Feedback: (4)

hey People
Does anyone know where I can purchase the excact aluminum spinner that is on the Edge that is in the Horizon Hobby Video. I need some more nose weight and I can't bring myself to put lead on this puppy. I believe that 1.5 in spinner is the correct size.

Strawhat Mike

I have that motor and gearbox. I've had 6 flights on my ME, have stripped the Himax spur gear on 4 of them. Started buying spur's in bulk (2 to a package) but have now decided to just order the Cobri. The other issue is that I'm tending to beat up the airplane with deadsticks (it is a terrible glider) when the powerplant fails.

My experience: Avoid any situation where the prop is forced to stop under power. That means only hand launches unless you've got a paved runway. With the tiny wheels and wheelpants the aircraft will nose over quickly and under takeoff power this will strip the spur at minimum. Similarly, on landing the prop had better not be turning under power at flare, because the airplane will probably nose over and the same thing happens. I've also noticed that this spur stripping tendency gets worse the bigger the prop, and I simply can't use the 12x6, although I love the performance.

This is a bit OT, but I must say that although I love the remarkable power of the new brushless motors and today's generation of lipo's, I am astonished at how flimsy the rest of the drive train tends to be. We have tiny, tiny, set screws on the spur and on the pinion that are almost impossible to tighten sufficiently, fragile plastic spur gears, ridiculous prop collet lashups that provide insufficient purchase to a tiny shaft, etc., etc. Finally, my most recent brief WOT static test resulted in both blades of the flimsy GWS SF orange plastic prop separating at the hub and flying some 20 feet!

By the way, in case I haven't mentioned it, really love the mini-edge.

-- Mike

Hotshot Charlie

I basically have my Mini Edge finished. I am waiting on funds to buy motor and battery, but the rest is pretty well done. Good build, nothing that really was a pain.

I haven't strung the "pull-pull" for the rudder yet, debating using the wire supplied or using a non-stretch fishing line. I am a little worried about the wire causing some interference with the radio. Does anyone have any input on this?

Hey Mike, thanks for the input. I mainly fly helicopters, and sometimes it's hard to train the left thumb to cut throttle on the planes when I get in trouble close to the ground. (Heli's require adding collective when you get in trouble. at least when you're not inverted, heheheee).

DrDeath

My Feedback: (3)

Hey Rob,

I have been flying mine with the stock config for about a month now. No interference what so ever. The only problem I had was initially how I ran my antenae out of the plane. After letting it just hang out the back no more problems. The plane flys awesome on the stock setup. I don't even take off anymore. I just hold the plane in my right hand fire up the motor and let it go, plane takes off like a rocket!!! Straight up. Here is my setup.

E-flite 400 4200 Stock gear box 10T gear
Castle Creations Phoenix-35 amp mounted on the left side of the plane
3 HS-55
1 E-flite S75 Servo Rudder Pull/Pull
2100 pro-lite TP battery, shoved all the way to the front of the motor mount
RS6UL Mounted to the right side of the plane


So far so good.

Hotshot Charlie

Hey DrDeath,

That is almost my setup.... or will be. Here is what I have:

HiMax 2025-4200 (still have to buy)
Castle Creations Phoenix-25 amp
4 HS-55
2100 pro-lite TP battery (still have to buy it or maybe the Apogee 2200)
RS6UL

I am hoping the 25 amp will do the job, and I see a lot of folks using the eFlite S75 for rudder, any specific reason?

Thanks for your input !

cje0114

My Feedback: (27)

I was just wondering how well this plane lands on grass fields. I will probably use 2 inch wheels on mine.

Thanks,

Chris

pcm1024

Just got mine today. I am pretty impressed with the quality .
My question is can I use the e-flite park 370 to power this model. This is the power system that I took from my tribute, and it was over powered at only 4 oz less weight

garrett490

My Feedback: (4)

hey Cje

I upgraded the axle size on my ME. The axles were so skinny that it was hard to find nuts for them and after a few landings the holes in the carbon fiber will begin to round out. So I upgraded to like a 4-40 size axle. I definatly recommend doing that for a grass strip. Good Luck

Hotshot Charlie

PCM1024,

Just a guess, but I would say the 370 will fly it, just won't 3D it very well.



garrett490,

Thanks for the tip, are you still running the wheel pants? or did they become "expendable"?

cje0114

My Feedback: (27)

Thanks for the advice Garrett490.

Hotshot Charlie,

I have the wheels already for the plane, but haven't put them on yet. The wheel pants won't fit with that setup, but maybe they will with some modifications.

Chris

800mZero

My Feedback: (2)

Hey Guys,


Got my maiden out of the way on saturday with my mini edge.
My set up:

PArk 400 4200kv with heat sink
Stock gear box
Eflite upgraded 20 amp esc
JR 241 seros
JR 610 ul reciver
TP 2100 3S with balancer against the firel wall.
Eflite 12X6 prop.


Question! If I start to strip gear boxes I'm thinking OUTRUNNER, Could I put a 400 or 450 out runner and not overdraw my esc with my current set up?


Thanks,

Mike

Hotshot Charlie

Mike, I'm no expert, but the 400 may be ok with the 25a esc, but the 450 needs a 35a esc. Just my personal opinion, again, that is what I would do. I would also not even try the 400 outrunner, just don't think it will produce the performance you would want. Again, no expert here. Just guess work on my part.

Now, you maiden flight..... how did it go? Good points, bad points? Tell us about it !

800mZero

My Feedback: (2)

Well Maiden was pretty wild. I have never flown anything with this much power before so it was a little scary. The plane was off the ground in 3 feet and 2 feet in the air doing all kinds of squirrly stuff--i backed off the throttle to about 1/2 and flew the pattern so to speak, to clicks down trim and she flys great. i have the trown set at the low rate settings and she rolls unbelivably quick in both directions, she loops very well, and lands quite hot. Knowing this was a cap i littleraly flew it to the ground on a paved strip, she bounced a bit but when all was said and done she was fine, tipped one of the wheel skirts back just a bit. I flew for 7 minutes and it was a great time. Since then the weather has been so crappy here in the north east I havent been able to get her up again.

By the sounds of it I;m going to pickup a 40 amp esc tonight sounds like it will solve alot of my problems, will allow me to either put on a cobri or an outrunner. Right now the plane runs fine--however its extremely noisy and the shaft on my first gearbox was bent out of the bag so I know they atre fragile. Hnce the outrunner or cobri thought.

Hotshot Charlie

Just talked to the local hobby shop owner, and he said that the CC25 will run the HiMax 2816-0890 fine, but if you have an older CC25, it will need to be sent to CC for an update. For some reason the older CC25's don't like the low KV motors from the outrunners. Apparently this is a free service that CC provides, I am getting ready to call them. Heck, I might go with the outrunner and see what happens.

Cheers and thanks for the flight report !

Ernie Misner

Can anyone tell me what is the basic difference between the low and hi KV motors? Thanks,

Ernie

Hotshot Charlie

Sorry Ernie, not smart enough to answer that one.

I called CC and got an answer machine, let message but no return call at this time. Still waiting.

Hotshot Charlie

I think I have re-thought my decision to use a outrunner and I'm going back to the 2025-4200, mainly due to the tailheavy issue with the Edge. No sense in having to put dead weight in the nose. Might as well use a gear box that is doing something, plus the ability to run different props.

pcm1024

Ernie
The KV number refers to revolutions per volt.
Example : a 370 e-flite brushless at 4100kv @ 10 volts will make 41,000 rpm
a 400 4200 kv @ 10 volt 42,000 rpm
I would have to assume that this number is based on free spinning with no prop.
I am no expert but this is what it says in the motor sheet

Ernie Misner

Interesting about the KV numbers. Perhaps lower KV numbers will spin a larger prop at lower rpms? Larger numbers doesn't necessarily mean "more power, or better motor"?

Thanks again!

Ernie