RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

So, am I to understand that the 480 is not a drop in replacement?

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

I think the MPXT will stay my best plane. I love the way she flyes. That plane teach me how to manoeuvre. she help me to improove my skill and forgive me a lot. The diedral wings help but limit you for more.
I'd like anyway to go further with a more aerobatic plane.

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Video E-Flite Extra 260 3D ARF

http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo...EFl2475-Hi.wmv

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Since I'm new here, hopefully it's not too presumptuous of me to offer a contribution to the landing gear challenge on the Mini Pulse XT. It's certainly the weakest link in an otherwise favorite airplane; at least in my opinion.

I take off and (hopefully) land on a very rough dirt road in the middle of a plowed field so the landing gear takes a real beating. The gear broke right out of the fuselage structure pretty early on. I epoxied everything back together, but soon crunched the gear mount again.

On a subsequent rebuild, I cut a piece of 1/8" thick pvc plastic sheet (an old real estate sign, actually) the same size as the underside of the fuselage from the motor mount bulkhead to the leading edge of the wing and as wide as the fuselage. I drilled oversized holes in the pvc at the location of the existing Tee nuts in the fuselage. Then I mixed up a puddle of epoxy about the size of a walnut and glued the pvc plate to the fuse filling in the recess where the gear goes but being careful to avoid the tee nuts. Once the epoxy hardened, I sanded the edges of the pvc to match the fuse, covered the pvc with some monocoat, and reinstalled the gear using the same two bolts.

Wow, what a difference! At least now, when I plow into the dirt, it bends the gear but doesn't damage the fuselage.

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Can you send photo of the landing gear. Picture = 1000 words:D Thank's

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

I should have taken some shots while I was doing the rebuild, I suppose, but I didn't know if it would actually work. [&o]

Now that it's done, a photo wouldn't show much, Cubby. The finished product, once it's covered, looks pretty much like nothing happened except my MPXT has black and white checker board monocoat on the underside of the fuse between the wing and the cowl. That's about all a photo would show.

Since seeing the Extra here I'm becoming rapidly smitten. No doubt it has the same landing gear set-up as the MPXT. I'll be adding the same reinforcement to the fuse on the Extra soon enough, so I'll post some photos of the fix.

Come to think of it, the pvc plate works so well, I'll probably add it before I even fly the new one.

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

landing gear and their mounts are the Achilles heel of the E Flite balsa series. Good advice is to forget the aluminum/steel 4-40 bolts and go with the nylon version that can be found at any hardware store. Buy lots of them. My first MUS i brought down hard and when the gear went away so did everything underneath. It was never the same despite the repair jobs. I rebuilt and went with the 4-40 blind nuts in the back, and the nylon bolts. bad landings are a "snap" and you just pop a new set in place since the only damage is the screw caps popping off.

I am doing this as a standard mod on any new plane, because I land in my back yard and other non-smooth surface areas as a standard. with the longer grass the landing goes nice and then when the plane is just about done rolling to a stop I hear a pop and the nylon has just let go.

I am eying the 260 as well and have plenty of nylon screws which will be the first mod

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Boy the nylon screws are a great idea, wedgewing.

The pvc modification is great to protect the fuse, but bends the heck out of the gear struts if I "land" too hard.

I've been contemplating some sort of spring loaded contraption; rob the guts out of a mouse trap or something, but the break away screws sound like the perfect way to protect both fuse and gear. Thanks!

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

it sounds like you have put a lot of effort into the PVC mod. I was doing similar things to my planes to shore up the landing gear, and came across the nylon 4-40 screw tip from another poster. I already checked out the Extra 260 and it is plumbed for the same nylon screws. I passed up on the lowes or Home Depot and visited the other "LHS" (Local Hardware Store) and they have plenty of them in those little stacked drawers where they keep all the washers and large bolts. My wife most likely thought I was going to do some home improvement project when I disappeared for about 30 minutes looking for some rebuild items.

The landing gear situation I am going through is with my GP Fokker DR VII, which comes with a very fragile set of gear that enjoys folding upon itself when I have the audacity to abuse it a little as I come back from a high wind adventure through the neighborhood. I even tried the nylon with that set of gear (four screws) and the only thing left after the landings is the screws and the same bent up pieces of spaghetti GP claims are landing gear. It is going to look a little odd, but I have ordered replacement landing gear for the Ulimate Bipe (which looks like a dwarf MUS landing gear). Two holes for nylon, and solid gear, I will give up the realistic look for that.

Best of luck on your Extra 260 and MPXT

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Seems like the designers would notice postings like these and figure out a work around for the landing gear issue. If it weren't for the prop, I'd do the belly flop landings I always managed with my gliders. Trouble is I really like the way the planes look with gear and pants.

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

absolutely. all the video from their websites shows landing on beautifully prepared concrete runways. Sounds like you don't have that luxury with the rocky road for a landing strip.

I have a slight slope and bumpy grass (sometimes a little long) and I have been landing on it with gear off on other models including the last MUS I had. I eventually decided to add the gear back and work on my flying (errrrrr landing). very few problems now with the MUS or MPXT when it comes to landing. The stock gear for the GP DR VII is out of stock and will probably be in by time it is snowing here, so for now I am going with ugly, but functional. Winter will be spent on designing a better gear for that plane that looks like the original.

I think if anyone from GP was cruising around our MPXT page they would just tell me to land on beautifully prepared concrete runways, or buy more landing gear when stock comes in. I think I am going to look for that PVC material you are using for the fuse, and strip cut it for my gear. sounds like tough stuff

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

It is. All you have to do is place washers between the back of the motor and the X-Mount, to get a little more leverage. Use the X-Mount that comes with the plane (not the motor), and put all 4 of the mounting bolts that connect to the blind nuts in the firewall, into the X-Mount before installing it. That is all I did and it worked beautifully.

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Wedgewing, my sheet of pvc says "Do Not Disturb Tenant" on it. It's the very flexible material like duralene fuse material. I don't know where you'd buy the stuff. I happened to have the sign in the garage. Perhaps other plastics or even plywood would work as well.

I just remembered, it's a bit thinner than 1/8". I used two layers with epoxy inbetween. I roughed it up before I glued it. Seems to be holding the glue joint just fine.

Munched my MPXT good and hard yesterday, bent the gear again but the fuse is in good shape.

I keep thinking I need some sort of shock absorber gear system. I'm going to take a peek at the dune buggy cars at my LHS, see what's there in the parts dept. Maybe I can cobble something together.

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Lon

thanks for the descriptor of the PVC set up.

I was thinking about your shock absorbing concept and the first thing that popped in my mind was a Super Cub's landing gear which is hinged front to back with a couple bungees forming an "X" for shock absorption. I have attached a link from a website that has a nice set of gear if you want to purchase them at the same cost as your airplane.

Some good pics and their take is that "solid gear" beats the plane on rough landings and as long as you could fashion something that isn't so loose that causes a bottom out or prop strike you might be in good shape for the unprepared landing areas we frequent

http://www.piperj3gear.com/

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

I had my MPXT in the air for her maiden flight on Saturday. One of the guys I fly with took her up and trimmed her and landed her for my but I flew for 5-10 min. Thanks Bill. Nice flyer:D. Everyone said she was a nice looking plane.

Sunday..not so good:(. I took off and flew for about 10 minutes, before I lost her too close to the ground. I'm not sure what happened but I need a new fuselage and cowl. One of the guys is going to try the repair job. He has a lot more experience at that than I do. Thanks Chris.

I ordered a new fuse and cowl so I should be ok in a couple of weeks(special order).
The guys I fly with convinced me to change the order to a new plane( price drop of $20) so I will have spare parts for everything.
It should be here by the weekend.

I think I got behind and didn't quite catch up before the ground.

Andrew

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

I couldn't find any parts for mine when I checked Horizon, and found this website. I ordered a cowl (that cannot be repaired with all the fiberglass - yuch) and did not choose any express shipping. it was here in 3 days and repairs affected in a couple more. may want to think about them

The body

http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detai...p?ID=200469715

The cowl

http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detai...p?ID=200469719

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

What size prop are you guys using with the 450? I was going to take the prop off of my MUS PnP, which I believe is a 10x7, but I thought I should ask the experts first.

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

With all these Pulses getting crunched, I'm thinking we need to release a Secrets of the Mini Pulse article.

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Hey Doc:

I ordered my new elevator assembly and tail plane today, to replace the defective one I got in the box. The hinge tape and carbon rod modification I have been using is adequate, but I am hoping the new one makes me appreciate the airplane more. Not as squirrelly any more and the landings are smoother than the MUS.

Secrets of the MPXT would be appreciated. I am using an 11 x 8E prop with my 480 910 kv, and 40 AMP ESC powered by the 2100 3C MP lipo. The plane flies so much better with the 11 inch prop compared to the 10 x 6E i had on it originally. with the 10 inch prop I seemed to loose more altitude in turns, so if the prop effect is placebo, I am buying it.

Not my hot rod plane (just purchased the E Flite Extra 260 3D today and will sport fly it more than 3D) as compared to the MUS but it is a good plane. MY GP planes are slowly fading to storage

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Not my hot rod plane (just purchased the E Flite Extra 260 3D today and will sport fly it more than 3D) as compared to the MUS but it is a good plane. MY GP planes are slowly fading to storage
[/quote]


I hesitate between the E Flite Extra 260 3D and the Mini Showtime 3D. There is a good report about the E Flite Extra 260 3D and good rating 4.5/5 and the video convinct you she is a good plane.
I like the look of the Mini Showtime but I did'nt find any video or report and no rating exept E-Flite say she is a good air plane.

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

They just posted the Mini Showtime 4D video

http://www.e-fliterc.com/ProdInfo/Files/EFL2500-Hi.wmv

I had both planes in my hand yesterday (in their boxes), and the guys at the LHS told me that there are a ton of people like us right now who are wrestling with the same decision. Someone did purchase one of the Mini Showtimes, and they report that they have sold a lot of the Extra 260s to people who want to use it for a hot rod sport plane and are not going to 3D all the time and use it to cut their grass hovering.

I think both planes are very good and that tall profile of the MS4D is going to be great for knife edges. The video shows it flying around as a very smooth rolling airplane and besides some hovering they weren't going too crazy with it. I don't know if it was the Side Force Generators (SFGs) that threw me off, as I know they are removable. I have a good feeling that I would wind up giving one of them a good bump on a landing and snap it off. I think that would be another good application for a nylon screw.

Getting over the Star Wars Tie Fighter look could be as easy as just flying without them and the presence of the SFGs was not involved in my decision as the planes are very similar with one being based on a real plane and the other custom designed. The advocates in the LHS for the MS4D are flying the Brio which he claims should fly similar. I think based on the time the 260D has been out it has received more feedback to the LHS, and they have nothing bad to report and only people coming in and saying it was one of the best planes they had purchased.

I know MS4Ds are being sold, and I have read good things about them on other posts. I went with the gut and careful inspection of the boxes and airplane themselves.

Sitting here on my desk where my work should be is my 260 D box. I am building it with the 480 1020kv, 40 amp, and 2100 lipo that sits in my other planes. I did not gut my MPXT as I promised Doc I would give it another try. this is also the first 1020 kv 480 I have purchased as all my other ones are the 910kv which i know gives me more torque, but I may see more speed from the 1020 kv?

I hope to have it in the air by next weekend and will fly it as a sport/aerobat. I am sure I will hover it in the wind and do some other crazy things but it will be at more than "3 mistakes high" in altitude. Either plane looks good, I think there is more information on the 260D out there because of time on the market and it is positive information, so like the MUS, I am going with solid and the 260D

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

I appreciate the link to the landing gear site, wedgewing. Never thought about having the gear pivot out toward the wing tips. Always thought it would be good if it hinged aft. Interesting concept. Feels like I'm building a dune buggy not an airplane sometimes. But truth is I'm 'landing' [or attempting to] on what amounts to a dune buggy track.

I could really use a very basic book on electrics. (Chapter One - "This is a motor. It spins a prop.") There are so many variables (motor, prop combinations just to name one) that reading discussions here and elsewhere often go WAY over my head. Any suggestions?

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

I agree on the electric complications. That is why I throw what I have set up for the plane out here on the pages so If a kind soul sees I am screwing something up, maybe they will be nice enough to point it out.

I have been going into my LHS, and when they are out of 11 x 7E props, and all the have are 11 x 8E that is what I buy. The someone asks me if I have tested what that prop pitch change is doing to my AMPs, Voltage, and Watts. I tell them, my plane flies nice and while I haul butt on some verticals and aerobatics, I vary my speed and also work on slow flight so I am not cooking my engine.

I eventually picked up a power meter, and when I get around to soldering the Deans plugs to it, I am sure I will be able to quote all the statistics, or know that I just gave E Flite another $40 via my LHS.

as for the basics on electronics, and all the variables I have found the "Electrics - general discussion"

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_106/tt.htm

and the "Brushed/Brushless motors, speed controls, gear drives" discussion threads to be very helpful in lieu of a good book

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_123/tt.htm

You can also search for a keyword, which is probably the way I find most of the stuff. Hope those threads help


I think for your landing gear question, it sounds like the side flex like the Piper Cub and some bigger tires would help you situation. The front to back sounds like F-18 Hornet aircraft carrier landing gear and with the plane rolling forward it would seem that it would favor a ground loop as the plane's CG is moving forward as it is decelerating with the backward movement of your proposed gear.

The side flex keeps the forward aft CG in the same place. I know there are those out there that are having a good hoot listening to this but I know what it is like to land in the stuff you are working with. I land on a slight hill left to right. depending on the wind, I crab the plane in between (above) a couple of my neighbor's homes, make it over my fence with a gentle right turn and sort of land it going up hill from lower right to upper left. westerly winds I fly over my neighbor's lake for their kids and come back threw a few taller trees, keep it about 10 feet over his shed (no worries about my fence) and have a good 30 yards to land in. Bumpy but fun

I will have some time to wait for Doc's "Secret of the MPXT" before I fly mine again as my Mini Pulse XT bought the farm today. I thought that 20 mph winds would be fun to fly in. Head wind at take off flipped to tail wind, and I just pulled the XT off the ground and climbed it high enough to have it get the snot beat out of it in the wind. I wrestled it around the neighborhood for a couple of laps while my pants dried, and I regained the mindset that I may be able to land it. Got it down in the yard pretty close to a foot off the ground when I got nailed by a good tail wind. lost lift on a wing, but I was close enough to having it on the ground that the sound of nylon screws popping and a prop snap was hopefully as bad as it was going to get.

the wing is undamaged but when it dropped it pushed it back and gave me some repairable body damage behind the wing. It is pretty frustrating because I had flown my MUS earlier in what I considered nastier stuff, not a long flight but a "spirited one" with gear still attached and the plane all good.

I will wait for the elevator and tail to come in the mail and work on it then. let me know how your landing gear goes

RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

Thanks for the links, wedgewing.

Perhaps Kevin or Doc or yourself, or someone will get around to writing a decent book on the topic. Old geezers like me don't have very good comprehension when reading off of the screen. To the electrically challenged like me, a lot of this stuff is counterintuitive. (I have no idea what you do with a power meter, for example.) I need charts, photos, easy text (fifth grade level or so) and a logical flow of information to 'get' it, I think. (It ain't that hard to write a book. I'm living proof anyone can do it.)

Good points on the landing gear c/g issue. Sounds like I have it made with my dirt road compared with the obstacles you weave in and out of to land.

This is probably the wrong place to post this, but for those who are considering the Extra 260, thought this bulletin was interesting. Sounds like they made the coweling a hair too small:

Cowling Installation for Extra 260

The cowling on the Extra 260 is of a lightweight fiberglass construction and is a large piece. You will need to handle it with care when installing the cowling. The cowling is designed to fit the front of the fuselage with only a very small amount sliding over the main fuselage. The preferred method of installing the cowling is listed below for your referrence. Please note the cowling is very thin (designed to keep weight down) and can crack easily if handled with too much pressure.

1) Place the top of the cowling over the firewall of the model. This is only about 2mm onto the model.

2) Next bring the cowling down causing an interference fit over the bottom of the fuselage.

3) Install the #2 wood screws on one side.

4) Next install the #2 wood screws on the opposite side.

Note: This cowling is not intended to fit over the fuselage. It is designed to but up against the fuselage on the top and just slightly over the bottom of the fuselage. It is designed to fit more like some of the larger IMAC style models. This was done to help eliminate weight with the extreme large size cowling on a small model.








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RE: E-Flite Mini Pulse XT Owner's Club
 

wow that is a great item. I found myself struggling with that cowling. it does not cover the fuse as you stated. the blessing is that the holes are predrilled in the body and the cowling so if you line up the top of the cowling and get the top screws in snug you can "massage" the bottom into place. It is a puzzle but I thought it was just me until i saw your post. My MPXT cowling had overlap over the battery hatch, great infromation