Hi,

I'm about as new as you can get at rc planes and would like to learn and understand most of it and the lingo.

What does servo mean?

Below I understand the first is the company and the second is the plane model but don't understand the stuff after the - dash symbol?

<span class="blklink"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold; color: black;">BlitzRCWorks Sky Surfer - 9G Servo 57mm<font color="#006699">

</font></span></span><span class="blklink"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold; color: black;">BlitzRCWorks Sky Surfer - 15A ESC<font color="#006699">

</font></span></span>Below - what is a balance charger and does it go inside the plane to balance something? Do most planes have to have a charger in them to charge something or is it just for balance?
<span class="blklink"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold; color: black;"><font color="#006699">
</font></span></span><span class="blklink"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold; color: black;">BlitzRCWorks Sky Surfer -2S/3S Balance Charger<font color="#006699"></font></span></span><span class="blklink"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold; color: black;"><font color="#006699">

</font></span></span>All help is very appreciated. Thank you in advance!!!!<span class="blklink"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold; color: black;"><font color="#006699">
</font></span></span>

Check out the site Minnflyer and myself have set up. It will take you through a lot of the basics you are having questions about.

www.gettingairborne.com


A balance charger is just what it says. Lithium Polymer (Li-po) batteries are made up of cells. A 2S battery has 2 cells, 3S three cells, and so on. When these are charged a balance charger will monitor each individual cell as it charges and then when that cell is fully charged the charger will stop charging that cell. Many of the fires that happen when charging Li-po batteries occur because the battery was not balance charged. For

Battery chargers of any sort are never inside of the airpane

Ken

Servos are the little electonic divises that move the controls that allows to to control said plane via remote control (RC)

Watch the first 60 sec of this video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiTTaZ6w7Yk[/youtube]


No, battery powered electric planes now days mostly "LiPo" batterys. Lipos have multable cells that are 3.7 volts each.

1 cell 3.7
2 cell 7.4
3 cell 11.1

And so on. Lipo batterys should have each cell charged Independently. To do that, you have to have a "balance" charger that will charge each cell up to the max voltage, which is 4.2 volts. Dont matter how many cells you have in a battery pack, each cell will be fully charge at 4.2. If one of two cell get to 4.2 first, the charger will stop charging those cells only till they all get to 4.2 volts. Balance charger...

A quick run down of the other questions.

9G = the servo weighs 9 Grams

ESC = Electronic Speed Control

15A = the speed control can handle a maximum of 15 Amps

2s-3s = 2-3 cell battery wired in series

You guys have been so helpful and cool. Thank you. It seems like much more than a hobby. It makes me wonder why everyone isn't into RC planes or helli's. I think this is by far one of the coolest things you can do.

There's a lot to this like the fueslodge or however you spell that is basically the body of the plane but more towards the front. Then you have the rudder which is the part of the tailpeice that helps make it go left or right, then the tail or backwings with the elevator and on the 2 bigger front wings ailerons. Itake it that's the basics of a sessna type plane? Please let me know if I missed anything there!!!

Thanks!

Great vid scooter!!!! Why Thank ya!!!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdWuAFvd7AU&feature=player_embedded#at=16[/youtube]

You need to start reading

http://www.gettingairborne.com/park.html

http://www.gettingairborne.com/elec.html

http://www.gettingairborne.com/air.html

http://www.gettingairborne.com/engines.html

http://www.gettingairborne.com/radios.html

Best way to learn is to get out to a field and start hanging out with the people already flying. Total immersion. Ask questions, watch, learn. And you'll probably meet some really cool people.

Brad

This is a great forum!!!

You guys have been so helpfull.

Thank you for the links and videos!!!! I couldn't get the second video for this topic any sound, I must have downloaded something and every once in a while I run into some video's I can't hear but I see the action fine.............???^&amp;#*^@##_)@@(_!@*)!@$!#^!

I just recieved my SuperCub LP and can't wait to start putting that together!!! I know a lot of you guys probably think that RTF's and ARF's are simple but not for me. I need to just take my time and not try to rush anything and I should be pretty good to go.

I haven't even flown yet but I know I'm gonna really like this hobby and be doing it for the rest of my life. It's one of those things that you know you're gonna really like.

It's gonna take a few days for all this knowledge to set in because my short term memory is pretty gone but my long term memory is great.

Don't sweat it. Most of my aircraft are ARF's. They are just fine. There are the true hobbists here that will be very much against what I just stated, however, there are some that just don't have the time to build a kit and want to fly, so ARF's work. Go for it!!

CGr.

Learn as much as you can, get assistance from an experienced flyer, and ALWAYS fly safely (crashing can be done safely.)

Super Cup LP is easy. Just dont use the stupid screw driver that came with it. It will strip out the screws. Use a good #1 Philips.

I already put it togetehr and used the scredriver that came with it. I can see what you mean about stripping it out. I'm learning though. Thankyou guys. You've been so helpful!!!!

There is also a site called Watt Flyer on the bottom of the header page. When I built my first electric I went there, great site, great people, lots of info for any beginner. At one point I even learned a little about electrics, I have forgotten it already and I'm back to knowing nothing.

I would love to meet a woman that was into this hobby. Since I've never flown before have you guys seen many women at the fields doing this as a hobby for themselves or are they usually with a guy that they're married to???

Watt Flyer is pretty excellent, they get into the electronics pretty deep just off what I browsed through real quick. That forum will definitley get book marked!!! Thanks!!!!

Almost never. Once in a blue moon someones daughter will be a pilot but other then that wives or girlfriends. Like a lot of sports or hobbies guys are involved in it's not something that attracts single girls. If you want to meet singles then you may want to take up someting like skiing. As a kid I used to meet a lot of girls at the beach after a mornings surfing, back then I was under 18 though. RC is not a good singles club, most the guys I fly with are 60+ years old too, it is something most of us did as kids and got back into after retirement or as we got older and slower.

What the hell??? Why would you want your girl at the field?

"Its too windy. Its too hot. Are you done yet? I want to go. Told you your going to crash....."

If everyone brought there signifigant other to the field, I would park 400 yrds away... Like Gene said, mostly older gray/bold dudes.... And a beagle named Buddy.

Flame suit? Check! [8D]

For some reason, most women seem to put RC into one of two categories. 1) It keeps him out of the bars and strip clubs and I know where he is or 2) Unfair competition (Why is he spending so much money on those stupid planes?). For whatever reason, they choose not to participate (gnats, sun, cold, heat, humidity, smell, noise, lack of Oprah on TV). I expect most clubs could hang a sign that says "He Man Women Haters Club - No Girlz" and their wives, girlfriends, and significant others would never see it.

Not a judgement, just an observation.

Brad

We tend to get a few girls in our youth flight training program, and a lesser number actually stay for more than a couple of weeks, but for some reason, I've yet to see one return for the second summer. I think it's because flying seems so much like a boy's sport. Engines and mechanical doodads tend to be good girl repelants. Now, if we could just find something that works that well on the mosquitos [:@]

Hey GrayBeard, who's older and slower. My wife is involved in our club, not the flying part, but likes to watch the guys fly and is always willing to help with the promotion of the club.

Well alright, got that question out of the way!!!! I figured as much. You guys kill me, I have a laugh or a smile after reading some of the posts, very cool. I like this a lot.