PSJDBF

Hi Guys, I did post earlier that this plane has quite a large CG area, Mine is at 128mm from the leading edge at the fuse inverted & is slightly tail heavy so is reasonably pitch sensitive.
For a first flight I would recommend the 120-122mm as this seems right on the money as far as being neutrally balanced, I also have quite a lot of expo dialed in ( about 50% ).
Hope that helps guys...even with a slightly tail heavy condition she flies beautifully just a bit more of a handful landing.
You,ll love her, it doesn't take very long to get comfortable with her.
Steff.

KORSARIO

Boys.....the bird is alive....
YES I successfully managed to run the engine. Sorry couldn't wait longer, and with the valuable help of some great friend on the RC Club, the Su26m came to live.
Not a Spielberg movie but wanted to share this unedited video, just to let you see how this unknown engines brand works. to my surprises it really started very easy.
tomorrow will do a second tank...mix was 32% mineral oil and 93 octane gasoline....
Cheers,
Dave,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6auyOQV3mU

mschulz531

Dave,
She looks great!!! You know she wants to fly!!! Looking good...what still remains to be done before you maiden her?
I am in the middle of replacing all my karbonite gear servos with metal gear servos...the new servos came in the mail today!
The throttle servo was the most difficult to replace (hard to reach); the elevator and aileron servos should be easier.
Don't forget a small dab of threadlock on your metal gear servo screws!
Peace,
Mike

PSJDBF

Engine sounds nice, how is the transition from idle to full noise, also doesn't seem to be much vibration ?.
All the best for your maiden.
Steff.

mschulz531

The weather here in Chicago has been absolutely terrible for the last two weeks. (:<)
The good side of that is I've been able to take care of all the loose ends with my Su-26m. I've got the metal gear servos installed; the ignition module mounted, the cowl is tweaked a bit to allow for the ignition cable to fit well, the opto kill switch is installed and tested; all control surfaces have been centered; locktite has been spread liberally on all metal bolts and nuts; the gas can fueling system is put together; the blind nuts on the cockpit have been realigned and fit very well. Only thing not yet done are the vents in the sides of the cowl, but that is not critical before first engine start. I hope to be able to at least start the engine this weekend if the weather breaks. Still nervous about actually putting this thing in the air!

As I was reviewing the DLE-30 engine manual I found a statement that the throttle servo should be at least 12 inches away from the ignition module to prevent interference. Does anyone have experience to support or discount this statement? Currently, my throttle servo is inside the engine box and the ignition module is mounted on top of the engine box, so there is definitely not a 12" separation between these components.

Dave, have you had a chance to maiden yours yet?

Steff, how are things down under?

Regards,
Mike

PSJDBF

Hey Mike was wondering how things were going.
Are you using a 2.4 radio if so you wont have any dramas with the throttle servo as I remember if correct you have a plastic kwik connector on your servo arm ?.
I,m using a futaba fast 2.4 set up & my servo is oposite the ignition module.
Dont know if you guys have seen this vid but this was the first few flights re powered with the DLE30 & due to a rebuild of the entire front end due to a dead stick prang she'll be heavier than yours & you can see the power of the engine even before full run in.
All the best Steff.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK6KbHqgAXc

mschulz531

Steff,
Good to hear from you! Yes, I am using 2.4ghz and yes, I do have nylon connectors, so I guess I won't worry about changing this right now. Of course, I will do a field test once the rain stops and I can go outside.
Sorry to hear about your dead stick prang....glad to hear you were able to rebuild the front end. Any idea what caused the dead stick?
Regards,
Mike

PSJDBF

I Screwed up basicly, It was with the original engine which was a Tunigy 30cc, thought I had been up for long enough then the engine started to cough brought her down to land but she cut out (ran outa go juice ) in exactly the wrong spot.Being low in the wrong spot & tail heavy plus a little lack in experience with a tail heavy plane resulted in a wing stall ...just recovered enough to pancake her in ...could have been a lot worse if she had gone nose in.
A good learning experience[].
The first flight after the repairs ended in a dead stick as well ..this time a problem with the carb better handled this time so no damage...had been thinking of re powering with the DLE30 & this flight made up my mind- ditched the turnigy & was blown away by the DLE.

kerwin50

I'm running 72 mhz an I had several issues with that, but the biggest issue I had was the spark plug cap. I ended up putting a small hose clamp on the cap.

Have you had a chance to start her up Mike.
If you do be sure an put the wings on her to help dampen the vibrations.n You want to warm the engine up good before you start tuning the carb. take your time turning the screwdriver and wait a few seconds after turning it sometimes even a blade width.
It can make all the difference in the world.
I would be to worried about your maiden that DLE has super power and your plane should fly very nicely

mschulz531

Kerwin,
As I'm sure you are also in the middle of this thunderstorm, today was not the day.
I am using 2.4ghz and I hope there is no problem with the throttle servo being near the ignition module.
Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny but windy; I will probably bring the plane to the field and at least start it up; I doubt I will actually try a maiden flight in 15-20mph winds...gotta be patient, I think. But if I can at least start the engine and tune it, that would be a great step forward.
How is your thumb healing?
Here's the radar map for Chicago right now:

KORSARIO

Hi All,
Here tough it's almost wintertime, weather has been kind of good for flight operations...ha ha
The engine has consumed almost two tanks, on the roll out process. Last friday I met with the guy who sold me the plane and tuned the engine. Hoping that on saturday could do the first flight.
Engine behave fantastic, but on saturday it did not behave that fine at all.
All in all, relying on the vast experience of a great friend, attempted a short flight and it was short indeed. The plane took off with great attitude, but the engine went off and had to try a hard landing. My friend Hans is an experienced pilot so the landing was tough but with minor damages, the exhaust suffered a little and langing gear bent too. All was fixed up and did a second flight....engine went off again, another emergency landing but uneventful this time. We checked the carburation and tunned the mix a little to increase ralenti rpm, and went for the third flight. This flight was better, roll, loop, and the plane did them fantastic. The engine is powerful and it promises a lot. Then again the engine went off and did a third landing without engine....uff uneventful again...I will upload a video.
I have some ideas on what is causing the problem and will try to address it during the week,
Today checked the CG and it was nose heavy, balanced it with 30g on the tail and it is slightly heavy on the nose which I prefer above all options. Also took note of weight configuration when I put the cowling and a nice spinner I got.
Well the most relevant consequence is that I ended up on my LHS and left with a conceiled bag carrying a Hitec Aurora 9ch....price was too convenient to let it pass....


Cheers,

Dave,

PSJDBF

Good to hear the first flights were successfull apart from the engine drama's.
Great that you have experience mates to help you out & guide you.
I came across a tuning proceedure a while back for gas engines that works well, so use it on all my petrol engines.
Firstly Warm the engine up, then take it to high idle (full throttle) & adjust the high end mixture screw till maximum RPM is found.
Then drop your RPM to 3500 & adjust the low end mixture screw to lean it out & as the RPM increases you keep dropping it back to 3500RPM untill you get no increase in rpm.
You then do some quick transitions from idle to full noise & adjust the low screw untill it transitions from low idle to full noise with no dead spots or lags.
Seems to work well for me.

kerwin50

Do you have a felt clunk in your gas tank. Gas engines foam alot and the engine will not hold a needle setting. Also I'd replace the spark plug with an NGK, many of the chinese engines have spark plugs that work good one day and the next day give you the same problems your having.

Never Never take a plane up with a questionable engine.

Mike that storm was north of me 1 county, I'm 3 counties over from kirksville and 2 counties south of the Iowa line on I 35.
The thumb is still sore but only hurts when I put any pressure on it.

Mike with the stock ring in the DLE it takes several gallons of fuel to break it in.
I put a Frank Bowman ring in mine but you should be fine with a stock ring.
That engine is going to throw thast plane around like a rag doll
Your going to have close to a 2 to 1 thrust ratio.
I had to go with a 6 pitch prop just to be able to land mine on a fast Idle.
She will hover under a 1/4 throttle I'll bet and if you go WOT in a hover it will take off like a rocket.

KORSARIO

Thanks for the comments!
As promised, here is a very short shoot of an even shorter flight,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVgpu0y66Oc

It flights great and glides not so bad too,


Cheers,

kerwin50

It sounds like you plug

mschulz531

Kerwin,
Thanks for the info...I tried to start the engine last night and ran into trouble...couldn't get fuel to draw into the carburetor. I primed the carb directly with some fuel from the gas can, and it popped and ran for about a second then quit. I can still see that there is no fuel being drawn into the carb from the tank line. I've done some reading (and re-reading, and re-reading) of the DLE-30 forum threads and everyone seems to think this type of situation is caused by the carb or reed valve being dry and needing to get wet. I'm going to try this later on today, although I must admit I don't know very much about carbs and reed valves and such. One post mentioned the question "did you reverse the carb or move the cover plate" I did both; reversed the carb and moved the cover plate so the little hole is pointing towards the rear of the plane (since the rear of the carb sticks partially through the firewall, as you know.) My question is what do they mean by "wetting the diaphragm" - do I take that cover off and put some drops of fuel in there and then put the cover back on? Is it possible that I put the cover back on incorrectly when I rotated it so the hole pointed away from the engine? The engine did start when I primed it, so that means two of the three components are working: air, and ignition. Since it died after the priming fuel was used up, I believe the ignition system is working properly. Last night when I did this, after it ran and died, I primed it again, but this time it didn't pop at all. I don't know, maybe at that point the second prime flooded the carb and soaked the spark plug. Before anyone asks, this is the correct spark plug from Jody at Valley View, not the stock DLE spark plug. (:>) I bought my DLE-30 from Valley View because I knew I could call Jody if I ran into problems. What kind of experience did you have with the first start on your DLE-30? Glad to hear your thumb is doing better. Today is a great day except for the 20+mph winds.
-Mike

PSJDBF

Hi Mike, Did you use gasket sealant when you reversed the carb ?, could be sucking air, it does sound like your diaphram pump isn't doing it's job.
I work with a bloke who knows these carbs inside out will ask him his opinion tomorrow night if you dont have any luck with other suggestions.
Bummer when these things happen, but thats the great thing about threads like these lots of help out there.
All the best.
Steff.

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

mschulz531 - are you sure the choke is fully closing? A known problem on the DLE 20 carbs is that the choke or ignition plates can "move", i.e., the screw comes loose and the plate travels, which ruins the seal. Might be true for the DLE 30 carbs. Take the carb off, close the choke, hold it up to a light and see if you see any gaps - you shouldn't. One other thing - be very careful about using lock-tite for these screws - that liquid can easily flow to other parts of the carb that do not like to be blocked (take my word for it!).

mschulz531

Microdon2,
Yes, I remember reading about your situation with the DLE-20 some time ago on that thread!
The DLE-30 has an airhole in the choke plate; some people have recommended soldering that hole shut; I'm not sure if I want to do that or not; I don't want to risk getting solder in the carb. Thanks for the input.
Regards,
Mike

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

Mike - why not remove the choke plate before soldering? On my XYZ engine I plugged that air hole with a bolt\nut.

mschulz531

Ok - I have really good news....it started! Woo hoo!
So here's the story. When it didn't start yesterday, I set it aside and gave myself time to think about the problem, and spent a good hour browsing the forums to see if there was something I hadn't already heard. Then today I decided to start from square one and verify everything. Since the problem appeared to be gas related, I started with the gas tank and fueling system...ripped the whole thing out, disassembled the tank, and examined the fuel tubes...vent tube clear; fill tube clear...carb tube....NOT clear! Duh-oh! Evidently when I soldered on the barbs to the fuel tubes, I got solder or flux inside the tube that was hooked up to the carb. Simple mistake; should have checked this; thought I did. I was glad I disassembled the tank because I also noticed that the fuel clunks had not been secured to the fuel tubing with zip ties! So I zip tied the fuel clunks, resoldered the fuel line barbs on the carb tube (with alot of swearing and muttering; I hate soldering; it's so hard to keep everything in place)...anyway, reassembled the fuel tank, reinstalled the fuel tank in the plane, double checked every thing as I went, and then it was time to try starting again. Turned the prop a few times with the choke on and noticed immediately that fuel was flowing freely through the line to the carb, just as I expected! Sweet! Choked it, got the pop; turned off the choke, flipped the prop three or four times, and bingo...it fired up! I let it run through some fuel keeping the rpms down; tested the opto kill switch which works just fine. Took a video which isn't much, but for me it is proof that the engine runs! I've uploaded the video to youtube for any one that wants to watch 20 seconds of a DLE-30 running!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAtlJkelQzE

So the next step is to tweak the throttle servo; I don't have the advanced features of a throttle curve (at least I don't think so) on my RDS 8000. I'll have to investigate options for finer-grained control of the throttle curve; it seems pretty quick so far. At 1/3 throttle I could probably go vertical until I can't see the plane any more!

Anyway, thanks for the ideas about solving my engine starting trouble; turns out it was good old fashioned stupidity on my part!
Going back and checking all my assumptions and verifying every component in the problematic system was the tried and true approach that works for almost all engineering problems...

Hopefully I will get video for the maiden flight soon...but my daughter is getting married this weekend, so I don't know if I will have time before the wedding!

Cheers.
-Mike

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

Isn't it a great feeling when you finally get that engine started again?

KORSARIO

Congrats Mike!
Saw the video, It sounds great! If I may comment on some lessons learned...
1. Engine should not be run on the plane without the wings. It will vibrate more.
2. Things DOGETLOOSE after one or two tanks consumed ...give them a look, I found that one of the 4 landing gear bolts had loosen a lot.
3.Throttle servo arm does not need to be long. I had to remove the nice looking carbonfiber arm for the one that came with the servo. I gained lots of resolution in the servo run, almost eliminating the EPA tuning.
4. Carb tuning changes in the following situations:
a)enginerunningwithout cowling
b)enginerunningwith cowling
c)enginerunningin flight/ground
d)small turns in the needles on the carb cause noticeable changes, use a rpm meter.

So don't give up and keep that in mind.

Also congrats on your daughterwedding!

Cheers,

Dave.

microdon2

My Feedback: (47)

KORSARIO - does changing the prop also require a re-tuning, say from 18x10 to 20x8?

mschulz531

yes, It is a great feeling to hear that engine run!