whogdriver

Twinturbostang is right, the Twinstar II can carry quite a bit of load. We have flown a Twinstar with two cameras, a wireless transmitter, OSD board, anemometer for windspeed, and pressure sensor for altitude. Here are some videos of what we've done with Twinstars (and Quadstars).

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...38930020885033
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...87708246299941
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...11985875&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...12568535938916
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...73842211063425
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...32970289187741
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...13587052707648
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...97199281079829

justletmesearch

All that with the stock parts, motors etc.? That's impressive.
I've just finished watching the videos and it looks like a very nice platform. By the way, where did the parachute end up?

twinturbostang

Uh no. I believe Whog has 7V long can motors, and is running a 3 cell Lipo pack. I'm running brushless motors and a 4200mAh 3 cell lipo pack. The stock power system really needs to be upgraded. I would not recommend doing any of the above things without additional power. The plane will fly, but it definitely is disappointing without the extra power. And with all the extra gear on there, you're definitely going to need the power.

whogdriver

Yes, that's right, extra power is required if you want to carry equipment up. Most all those videos were done with 7.2 volt long can motors. If I had to do it again, I think I would go Twinturbostang's route and go brushless. The chute flw about a quarter mile away in someones backyard we believe, never went to look for it.

twinturbostang

I almost went with those 7V long can motors. Until I saw they weigh 3.7 ounces... EACH!! The 400F brushless motors I'm running weigh 46 grams each (1.6 oz), AND they deliver way more power. At that point, the choice was clear. My TwinStar goes vertical at full throttle.

justletmesearch

So I'd be looking at about $130 on top of the stock setup of the Twinstar if I wanted to get some nice speed controllers to go along with the 400Fs. Are NiMH batteries too heavy? I have about 18 3000mAh capacity ones laying around.

twinturbostang

The 400F's are $40 each from justgofly.com. And I'm running two CC Thunderbird 18 ESC's which are $29 each from Bishop Power Products. So that's $138 plus shipping.

NiMH packs will definitely work. But a Lipo setup will be lighter. Or same weight but much longer flight time (more mAh).

justletmesearch

Cool. Thanks. As soon as the camera is up in the air and I get a nice video to show I'll post it here.