joenella

My has been in order for 8 months now, hopefully the wait is almost over

Jason Arnold

I've been told by the designer to expect release at the end of this year. The EVO is still a "work in progress".

Having said that, the original release was delayed by quite some time.

Cheers,
Jason.

joenella

I know it will be delayed as did the original SPARK, however Ivo said that the EVO would be released in due time to compete in this years competitions but this seems quite unlikely
I will just wait patiently until the release.

papaone

Hello Jason

SPARK EVO in flight
Claude

Jason Arnold

Thanks for the spy shots Claude... That new fuse looks interesting on the bottom.

For those that are interested, attached are some pictures of my new battery mounting method in the Spark. I used a combination of carbon nomex (home made) and carbon fibre plate. The carbon plate was attacked by the Dremel to remove weight. Took me a few nights after dinner to get this job done but I'm much happier with the result. Previously, I had the batteries hanging from the upper part of the gear mount. While this method worked fine, the new method is much more rigid and less cumbersome to fit the batteries.

Cheers,
Jason.

ytell

Hi everone,

Need some help with incidence regulator installation on the SPARK.
So far my bird flew with factory fixed incidence and I'm a little confused of how the wing will be secured to the fuselage when the incidence regulator is installed.
Any clarification and installation pictures will be most appreciated.

Regards,

Yoav

Jason Arnold

Hi Yoav,

The wing incidence adjusters are mounted with M2.5 screws. They need to be about 12mm long and can be PAN Head.

You will also need to file out both wing bolt holes in the fuse for each wing. This allows the wing to move up and down when the wing adjuster is changed. You don't need to remove much material maybe 1-2mm on the top of the front hole and 1-2mm on the bottom of the rear hole. You will want positive incidence. I'm actually running +1 degree of incidence on the wing.

Cheers,
Jason.

ytell

Thanks Jason,

Where the male of the adjuster needs to feet in the wing?
Can I mount the adjuster in the front side of the wing? as the plane is already build it will be much simpler than in the rear

Regards,

Yoav

Jason Arnold

Hi Yoav,

The male part of the pin plugs into the hole near the trailing edge of each wing. If you don't have these holes then you have a small problem.. Easilly fixed though....

You could insert adjusters at the front of the wing but that would reduce the wing retention strength. I just used the standard position for the adjusters..

Cheers,
Jason.

ytell

Hi Jason,

I think I'm starting to get the picture clear although I'm currently on a business trip (India) so the SPARK is not near by for detailed examination. I'm still puzzled however about the fact that the wing hole near the trailing edge (where the servo leads are exiting) seems to be much larger than the regulator pin, so what's keeping this pin (and the wing) exactly in place when assembled with the fuse each time?

Thanks for your patient..

Yoav

Jason Arnold

Hi Yoav,

It's probably best that you post some pictures of your set-up when you get home. That way we can see what's going on.

Cheers,
Jason.

ytell

Hi Jason,

You were right. Looking at my Spark wing it is exactly like yours and I see the hole near the trailing edge for pin of the adjustor.
However, the holes on both the wing and the fuse are too small and need to be file 1-2mm to allow this pin to go through. is this the case on your Spark?

BTW what is your CG position? (MAC) are you using the recommended position for battery tray on the landing gear assembly?

Regards,

Yoav

Jason Arnold

Hi Yoav,

Yes, I had to relieve the holes in the wing to fit the adjustor pins. Didn't need much and allows for a nice neat fit which is what you want. The fuse will also need to be opened up a little to clear the adjustor pin. On the side of the fuse there should be some dimples at the LE & TE. I used these marks as my zero reference for the wing. Using a ruler, you can then mark the position of the adjustor mounting holes. Mount the adjustor before reaming out your wing holes. This will allow for adjustment fore and aft if you don't get the adjuster mounting exactly right horizontally.

If you look back in this thread there are pictures of my battery mounting set-up.

Not sure what my CG is in relation to the MAC. I have basically trimmed the model for zero mix as per Bryan Hebert's trimming methods.

Cheers,
Jason.

ytell

That's very interesting Jason because I'm also trying to duplicate Bryan Hebert's trimming method and I've noticed that CG position is a key player in this respect.
I currently have my battery exactly as yours (this was before I came across Bryan's method) and the CG position is about 37% MAC which is not only very rear to Bryan's starting point recommendation (25%MAC) but also rear to Krill recommendation (about 33% MAC). Obviously I'm not eager to move the battery as long as I know that Bryan's method will work (minimal radio mixes) by playing only with incidences.

Would appreciate your view

Regards,

Yoav

Jason Arnold

Hi Yoav,

I would be very surprised if the CG on my model was at 37% of MAC. I would think my one would be less than 30%. When calculating the MAC did you take into account the stepped wing? My CG was initially set a little forward of what Andrew Jesky recommended but I have since moved the CG even more forward. I would think the Krill starting point is a little too forward and Krill have confirmed this. You also want positive incidence on the wing not a 0-0 set-up as per Krill.

What motor are you using in your Spark? I have the AXI 5325/24 with Spin99 ESC.

I set my spark up as per Bryan's recommendations but left the CG as is was. I then moved the batteries forward ~1" (1/4" at a time) to correct the knife edge pull to the belly on left rudder. Each time you make a CG adjustment your elevator trim will require tweaking which corrects the pull to gear. So logical.... I then adjusted the wing incidence to help alleviate the slight pull to canopy on downlines. My incidence adjusters are maxed out but I think I could do with a fraction more adjustment but modifications would be required. Have held off on that for the moment.

Flying without mixing is a big plus in my opinion.

Regards,
Jason.

Jason Arnold

I should also add that Krill have reduced the weight of the Spark Dynamic by about 200 Grams overall compared to my one (2008 model). I believe they have moved the weight further forward too. Take this into consideration when mounting your batteries if you're using a dynamic.

Cheers,
Jason.

ytell

Hi Jason,

It's the Dynamic model with Plattenberg X-30 Evo and YGE-95 ESC.
I think I understand where the CG confusion is coming from. Krill specifies the CG relative to root chord (30mm ahead of wing tube) while Bryan suggests that you start the trimming procedure while your CG is at 25% MAC.
I tried to convert Krill recommendation to be relative to MAC and got 25%MAC.

At this point I'll stay with battery pack on the landing gear assembly (estimate 30%MAC) while changing only Incidences to the starting point and see how it goes.
[img][/img]
Regards,

Yoav

wattsup

My Feedback: (1)

Jason/Aussie Knife Edge, Can you tell us more about your experience with the Axi 5325/24, ie, which prop are you using along with the amperage number, what size battery packs
along with the mah useage/time related to the class you are flying, etc. We all would appreciate any other info you care to provide about this combo. Thanks__Everette

wattsup

My Feedback: (1)

Jason/Aussie Knife Edge, Can you tell us more about your experience with the Axi 5325/24, ie, which prop are you using along with the amperage number, what size battery packs
along with the mah useage/time related to the class you are flying, etc. We all would appreciate any other info you care to provide about this combo. Thanks__Everette

Jason Arnold

Hi Everette,

I'm using a RASA 20.5 x 14 prop on the AXI 5325/24. I'm also using Power Unlimited 4900 20C packs. These packs are light and hold their voltage under load very well. Current with this motor/battery/prop combo is ~72-75A on the 20.5 x 14 RASA. On a calm day I would use about 3000 to 3300mAh from the packs. On a windy day I'll use 3400 to 3800mAh. RPM on this combo is ~6400rpm.

I currently fly in Expert class which is the class just behind FAI here in Australia. The differences between Expert and FAI are: Full roll up on the half square loop instead of snap, Expert doesn't have an integrated half roll in figure M and 2/4 point roll in opposite instead of 4/8 point roll in opposite. They are so close it's not funny.

I'm really happy with the AXI. It surprises me that more people aren't using them because the power is very, very good. Bang for buck they are very good and reliable. Weight is also very good although not as light as some of its rivals i.e. hacker C50, Neu F3A & Pletty etc. I can live with the extra weight though...

Hope this helps,

Cheers,
Jason.

wattsup

My Feedback: (1)

Jason, I appreciate your response along with the info/results based on your current use of the Axi 5325/24. Actually, the Axi 5325/24 is lighter than the Himax 6330 F3A motor. I have past experience with the Axi 5330 F3A motor and it proved to run on the hot side and if the amps weren't managed properly, it could puff a set of batteries pretty quickly but, I suppose most all motors are capable of that. Last question, do you think the Axi is capable of turning a 21x14 carbon prop? It has proved to be a favorite of mine. BTW, I fly the
Master's chedule here in the U.S. Again thanks, I'm always trying to save weight, use the energy wisely along with improved performance. Regards, Everette

Jason Arnold

Hi Everette,

Cooling is very important. I had cooling issues in the Spark until I cut an extra four holes to let air flow through the windings. It made an enormous difference. There is a picture of my cooling holes earlier in this thread.

As to the 21 x 14, I have now doubt it could spin that propeller although I've not tried it myself. I have tried the RASA 20 x 13 (AXI recommendation) and the RASA 20 x 15. On the RASA 20 x 15 I was drawing 82 to 85A peak. This was very early in the piece and I have not tried the prop again since taking these measurements.

Cheers,
Jason.

wattsup

My Feedback: (1)

Jason, you have provided me with the exact info I've been looking for. The Spanish World Team, specifically lyka/Jonathan Girabel, has been using this particular Axi for the last 3 years with great success. Unfortunately he never gave any specifics about his set-up. You are correct, cooling has a major impact on performance and longevity of the electrical components of our planes. Specifically the motor, controller and batteries. You probably read in another thread about me getting some really poor advice 3 years ago when I converted from glow. The parties involved probably meant well but, their limited exposure to electrical powered flight had little bearing on electric pattern planes. So, I learned an expensive lesson that I will always remember. The bottom line, seek advice from someone that really knows about the subject matter rather than one who thinks they know! Regards, Everette

Jason Arnold

Hi Everette,

I think you mean Juan Rombaut. He has just finished 7th at the Euro Champs in Austria with the AXI. Jonathan uses a Hacker.

There are some more details in this thread.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_85...tm.htm#8576514

Unfortunately the internet is full of experts. You have to sort through the BS to get to the truth. I'm a firm believer in using what others have proven to work. If you do anything else then it's at your own risk. I must say that product coming out of the Czech republic is of the best quality. The AXI/Jeti combination is very reliable which is half the battle in pattern.

Cheers,
Jason.

wattsup

My Feedback: (1)

Jason, Oh yes, Juan Rombaut and his fabulous Amethyst! That was really nice of him to provide addittional info about the Axi 5325/24. That thread opened up alot more imput from others that had experience with the motor. Again Jason, thanks___Everette