Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

I was in the market for a new 50cc airframe and I decided on the Peak Models Edge 540 T. Here is the link to the manufacturer, I got it shipped to Saint Louis MO for 499.00 and shipping took 5 days via EMS.

EDGE 540 T
http://www.peakmodel.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=731

The specs are impressive,

Wing Span 88.5 inch
Wing Area 1485 sq in
Weight 13.5 to 16 Lbs - thats crazy light

So I decided what the hell lets give it a try. I just got the plane today and so far I am quite impressed. As far as shipping the plane comes double boxed in a hard corrugated box that is quite tough. I think that the postal service did there best to destroy the plane but it arrived from china w/o damage. Unpacking was uneventful I took a bunch of pics, here are some thoughts

- Covering > I am super anal about this I would rate it as a 7/10 which is good, there are some minor wrinkles but no big time errors in covering. In one or 2 areas its stretched a bit to thin but again I am a perfectionist. They say its ultracote, it may be but I am not 100% sure on that. Regardless its not cheap china cote, the covering is well done, the lines are clean its not slopped together.

- Construction > Similar to ther ARF's but this plane is built very very light I was quite impressed. All glue joints I inspected seemed to be well sealed, the wood is good quality and there is extensive lightening throughout. One gripe I have is that the canopy is not laid into the top hatch you have to trim it and either glue or screw it on. Not a big deal but kind of annoying.

- Paint > Cowl and canopy paint are excellent the lines are clean and sharp with a nice coat of clear, its not a cheap paint job I was very pleased w/ it. One annoying thing here is that there is no clear coat on the wheel pants. They are the same yellow as the cowl it would be nice if the cleared them as well to shine them up. Again you can get some clear at home depot and fix this in an hour or so so whatever.

- Accessories > Not bad It comes w/ everything you need to get it in the air, control links servo arms, pull/pull, gas tank, wheels, tail gear, CF wing tube, Aluminum stab tube. I am going to use my own control links and servo arms but again the ones w/ the kit are fine quality I just have my preferences.


- So how much does it weigh ?? This is gonna blow ur mind !!!

Fuse and Canopy - 57.2 Oz

Aluminum landing gear - 12.4 oz

All Stock hardware required to fly - 16.2 oz
- inc tail gear / tank / servo arms / links

Wheel pants - 3.4 Ounce

Rudder - 3.2 Ounce

Wing #1 - 20.6 Ounce

Wing #2 - 19.6 Ounce

Stabs - 8.4 Ounce

Cowl - 9.0 Ounce

Total Weight less servos / batteries / RX / Engine :

155.8 Ounce > 9 Lbs 11.8 Ounce man thats light !!!!!

> Okay so thats impressive now for some guesstimation :

- Stock DA 50 w/ mullfer 3 lbs 5 Oz

- All the gear from my old 50CC - 2 lbs 7 ounce
- 3 2600 milli amp li-ion batteries
- Jr 1221 Rx
- Fromeco Badger switch
- Fromeco wolverine switch
- 3 Fromeco Sahara regs
- 5 hitec 5955 TG servos
- 1 Hitec 6945 MG servo
- All servo extensions
- All misc wires wraps / ties / small fuel dot

>> Est all up weight less glue for hinges >>

15 LBS 7.8 Ounce [sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

- Keep in mind that I am gonna go w/ some lighter gear in the plane and prob run an ignition battery eliminator / water bottle gas tank so I can drop a few more ounces out of the plane.
[sm=greedy.gif][sm=what_smile.gif]

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

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RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Okay I did some small stuff. First I put on the main gear and the tail wheel. I had an White Rose tail wheel from another plane ( RIP ) so I decided to use that instead of the stock tail set up. I also spent a good deal of time timing the canopy for a more tapered fit to match the fuse. I taped out a line and scored the line with a dremel on low speed. I did a bunch of passes and very slowly cut through. If you do this keep the tape on the paint, it will keep it from chipping. I checked fit with the fuse and sanded it for a smooth arc. There is a small bit more sanding to do but I will leave that for final fitting. Again this is a bit annoying the canopy should be 1 unit IMO. Also the silver that the top hatch is painted I didn't like so I painted it black. I saw no need for the second instrument panel so I tore it out, I think it looks better. I test fit the cowl but my my motor is at DA for a new ignition sensor. Once I get it back I will mount up the cowl. Here are a few pics :

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Last from today... whew

>>I will sneak a pic of the Carden I am building for fun !

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Looks pretty good. my last peakmodels plane flew far better than exppected.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Yeah my buddy had a cyclone 330L which is basically the same construction as the edge and it flew great. He put a 62 CC motor on it I think the plane weighed 16 lbs, it was nutz. I am doing some hinging tonight I will throw up a pic later.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Just doing hinges. The kit comes w/ Robart style they are good quality I set them in with 30 min epoxy. I also got around to clear coating the wheel pants. I used valspar Clear Coat from Lowes. They came out great but I need to let them dry overnight for max shine !

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Dos Equis, certainly a necessary accessory while building planes, Nice work! and I am very jealous of your working area. I have to build my planes on my bed in my studio apartment :(

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Oh man I was there this time last year crammed into a sardine can. My wife and I took advantage of the home buyer tax credit to buy our first house. Her top priority was the bathroom, mine was the basement !


When I lived in my old place I made a table out of collapsible saw horse mounts 2x4's and a 4x6 piece of 3/4 ply. I could set it up and work but when I needed space I could break it down and throw it in the closet. The whole thing cost like 40 bucks to make.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Hm good idea, if I was actually "building" then it would be a necessity.Arf's I can do on the bed and floor I actually don't even have room in my apartment for that. its 200 square feet total including bathroom and closet. Joys of the college life

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Enjoy that college life man, after that its all work !

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Hello!!:D My next plane will be the edge! I'm gonna buy it sometime this summer.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Lookin good C-n-B.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Looks good dude. You probably saw my thread on this Edge already as I posted it a few months ago.

My Edge is pretty much complete now! Just need to cut the cowl mount the Zeus, Wolverine, etc.

Mine is coming in at around 15.7lbs it looks like. That's with spinner and about 1/2lb of epoxy/wood reinforcements I've added. And at 15.7lbs on 1485 squares which is nearing 33% territory, this things is gonna FLOAT!!! :D That was the main reason I bought this bird. 1485 squares on advertised 13-15.5lbs AUW. My DLE-55 should be a perfect match. Been working on this bird for almost 6 months as I'm extremely picky! I even went over every single glue joint in the bird with specialized ARF glue just so I'll never have to worry about it or have an issue.

A couple things to watch for: Note your engine length mounted on the firewall. Mine sticks out 17mm to prop, but I'm gonna leave it as I'd have to completely cut up the firewall to use small engine stand-offs which I can't find anyway...

Good luck with yours dude! Nice to see someone else with this plane finally, lol. I think that's 3 of us that own it now, haha.


I'll post up a video and pictures of her completed in a few days. Should be able to maiden in a week or two! Can't wait, as it's my first giant scale!!! :D

Egan

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

We looked for a build thread on this plane Eganwp and couldn't find one, do you have a link to yours?

This series of planes are great! a couple new U.S. dealers have jumped on the bandwagon and started selling these, one being Topdawgaviation.com (which are overpriced IMHO). They sell them for the same price you can get an Extreme flight 50cc ARF for. Not that I'm not saying they are not worth it, they're the V2 versions with carbon fiber wing tube and tail gear, pre hinged control surfaces, pre installed pull-pull and gas tank etc... kinda like the PilotRC planes. But they don't come with the hardware are extra excessories like the TOP dollar planes do, like how the Extreme flight extra comes with the landing gear fairings, Pilot, Dash and instrument panel, all which is not needed are necessary but it adds to the final look of the plane (if your more into looks).

Peak has the right Idea, there prices are pretty good with free shipping to the U.S. Cermarkrc.com sells them also but they cost just a tad bit more + shipping I think.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Crap, now I can't find it either... >< I'll keep looking for it. It was basically an intro to the Edge when it came out last year that I believe Skip?? started. He posted a few things like weights, dimensions, flight report and a few other little details. I think I posted all my unpacking of the Edge pics in it as well just like the OP did on this thread. I too couldn't believe how well it was packaged. It took me 3 hours to unbox the plane and engine.

Anyway, I'll keep looking for it. It was posted under a different titled thread I remember.

Also wondering if you guys had any of the issues with your Edge as I did. My biggest gripes were:

1. The LG slots in the fuse (where the aluminum supports are against) were much too narrow to try and slide the gear in easily on both sides. I'm not sure if it's because it's just so dry here that the wood shrunk that much, but it wasn't even close. I had to go buy a file set and file out each LG slot for a good 10 minutes each. It fits perfectly and VERY snugly in there now and the bolts line up perfectly, but there was not a chance the gear would go in without major filing. Not a biggie, but a bit of a hassle.

2. The wings & stabs all seemed to have slightly offset wing pins? where they insert into the fuse to keep the wings/stabs from turning and to maintain/adjust your incidences. They all were about 1mm too far forward facing. I had to lightly drill these out a bit further as they wouldn't fit in very well out of the box. I think I only took off a 1mm on the front of each slot to make em fit. Didn't affect incidences at all, and was nothing more than a bit of an annoyance.

3. No holes in the cannister tunnel to mount the fuel tank. Not a biggie either as it allows you place it where you want though. I drilled my own holes for the zip-ties and mounted the tank as far back as I could to keep it on the CG point. A dremel would also work well here, but I needed large holes to fit zip-tie clevesis through.

4. The only other issue I've found and it's probably only because I'm using a huge Fromeco Wolverine dual failsafe switch, but I'll likely have to glue in a piece of balsa to actually allow me to mount this beast. :) This airframe is so light that it's hard to find room to mount to! haha I was impressed that it already had 4 predrilled switch mounting locations though. Downside is it's for standard switch sizes.


Other than that my build went perfectly, but yes quite long. I have been very impressed with the quality throughout. I also used MPI aluminum arms, not the included ones but did use all the clevis ball-link hardware that came with it. It's the same quality/stiffness as the dubro stuff as I have both on hand to compare and use. I'm using the stock tank (but with my own tygon lines, clunk, etc). My covering was actually 100% tight when it arrived at my door. Absolutely 0 wrinkles at all. Was the best covering job I've ever seen actually. After sitting in my basement in DRY DRY Alberta for a month, it did start to wrinkle a bit as the wood shrunk, so I went over it with the gun. Still tight. BTW it is TRUE Ultracote from what I can tell. I bought some matching covering for another plane and it's an exact match (both red and pearl yellow).

As for the canopy, nice job on rounding it out. I glued mine on rather than screwing it on but was simply preference.

I'd also do some epoxying around the top of the LG inside the fuse as that's where a lot of the force will be on hard landings as the alumninum protects the bottom half. Probably not necessary, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. :)


Anyway you must be excited to fly yours! I still can't wait and am getting sick of just looking at it in the basement and not flying it yet, lol. I've also decided I'm probably going to open up the cannister tunnel covering so I don't have to vent and hack up the cowl much. That should keep the engine very happy.

Good call on clear-coating the pants. I didn't even think of that at all as mine too are flat yellow. I kinda liked them as is though.


On my weight, keep in mind that I'm using a LIGHT setup. I tried to save as much as I could. I custom built all my extensions so I didn't have a mess of wires (ie. my 6" extensions are 5" on the ailerons for example.) I'm running 2x 2300 a123's I custom built (originally was 2x 1100mah but I figured it wasn't enough for very many flights and I'd always worry about it), 1x Zeus and 1x Wolverine. That allows me to get rid of IGN battery, switch, ect. and I have FULL battery redundancy, dual failsafe, 2x inputs to RX for power, a built in Opti-kill, IGN light, switch, etc. So my component weight is nearly half of what most people run with NI-MH or Ni-Cd.

BTW here's some helpful info I calculated the other night. I calculated exactly the MAC and CG points. 27% MAC is 117-118mm (as per manual which was suprisingly right-on), 30% is 131mm. I'm just going to CG mine within the two to start with and go from there.

Hope this helps!

Eganwp

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

So Eaganwp are you running your 2 A123s directly into the switch and then to the RX?

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Hi Eganwp thanks for the info. As far as the landing gear trouble you had mine went in perfectly. My wing Anti-Rotation pins lined up w/o problem as well. I am not going to add any reinforcing wood to this plane. I will go over the firewall with some CA glue. I am trying to keep it as light as possible. As far as the motor distance from the firewall I am using a DA -50 w/ 2.5 inch stand offs, what standoffs are you using ? 17 MM is a bit of a gap that would piss me off and I would likely have to do something about it.

I am 99% sure this is gonna be my set up.

DA-50 stock muffler - Would like a can but I dont feel like buying one.
Two 1400 mili amp A123's
Jr R 1222 power safe reciever ( overkill I know, testing it for my 40% carden)
42% Zeus IBE
Fromeco Wolveriene switch
Hitec 5955's on all controls sfc
Hitec MG servo os throttle
SWB 1.5 inch servo arms
Hitec Extensions
Fiji water Bottle Fuel tank

Hoping fot 15 - 15.5 pounds ready to fly minus fuel. With that exhaust my Da should at least pull 28 LBS so that would be nutz.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

These are from PSP manufacturing they can fix your spinner gap problem.

http://www.pspmfg.com/HolidaySpecialRCSpacers.html

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Yep. I use those psp standoffs for my planes. Very nice pieces and extremely light.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Yes, 2x a123 2300's using separate connections to the dual Fromeco Wolverine failsafe switch to dual output to RX. This gives full redundancy with single failure point only occuring if the RX were to die. There's no need to regulate these bad boys on RX/servos as they're 7.2V fully charged, but as soon as they see load they drop to 6.6V. I confirmed all my packs and they do this.

I do however drop the voltage to the ignition @ 5.2V via the Zeus (it's selectable). I went out and bought the proper diodes to drop it, but then decided to swap out my failsafe, IGN switch, opti-kill, diodes, IGN battery, etc. with the 42% Zeus instead which takes care of all of this; saving weight and making it a much cleaner/simpler setup. I'm using the updated Zeus btw.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Hey Crash,

Ya your setup looks fine. I will be impressed if you hit 15lbs as I don't think I'll be able to with my setup and I'm using a much lighter engine, RX, servos, arms (1.25" is plenty on this bird and puts much less stress on servos which makes them last longer, less slop, plus you get an additional 17% torque with shorter arms), etc. I'll have to wait until I'm fully finished though to see my AUW. I'm pretty sure with a CF gear and spinner you could easily hit low 15's though.

Also worth noting which I'm sure you're well aware, but 1400mah a123 are actually not real a123 Racing cells. They're another version of LiFe packs, so just be aware and do thorough testing on them before use. If I'm wrong in this someone please correct me, but I'm almost 100% sure a123 Racing only makes 1100 and 2300mah cells; everything else is a rip-off version of LiFe battery technology which isn't necessarily bad but worth knowing.

My 2x 1100mah a123 packs (I built 8 packs total) all held 1050mah but would only let me fly 4-5 flights without recharging/swapping @ ~250mah per flight w/ IGN while still allowing full redundancy. I decided to go to dual 2300's after building all the packs; mostly for my own sanity and never worrying about bringing my charger to the field. For hard 3D I plan on swapping in 2x 1100mah's. Worth considering anyway. I did a whack of research trying to decide on my setup. In the end I decided why stress over a couple ounces on this huge wing area as it's the only link I have to my plane and isn't worth losing sleep over at night, especially if trying to get a lot of flights and practice in for IMAC.

My stand-offs are the stock DLE-55 stand-offs which I'm pretty sure are the same length as your DA-50 stand-offs. Most of the guys at our club are getting between 29 & 31lbs thrust from the DLE-55 on a XOAR 23x8 PJM prop, so this is my setup as well (22x8 for break-in).


I COG'd it last night again before I cut holes for the wolverine, fuel dot, and ZEUS IGN light and found that I'm actually just slightly tail heavy. Not a bad thing as this just means I'll be mounting my a123 packs right on the COG point allowing for painless a123 1100mah swap-outs for 3D, rather than at the back on the RX tray where I originally planned. When I finish it all I'll post up my AUW for you and see.


All my components for reference:
2x a123 2300 RX/IGN cells (will swap in 2x 1100 cells for hard 3D if desired)
1x 42% Zeus
1x Spektrum AR7000 (using dual power input from Deans on Wolverine)
1x Fromeco Wolverine dual failsafe switch w/ charge jacks (I've wired it all to charge the packs in the plane w/ balance tabs as well), dual input single output 18awg Deans.
2x Balance taps
1x DLE-55 w/ stock exhaust & stand-offs
1x DLE Ignition
1x Xoar 23x8 PJM
1x 4" aluminum spinner (may go carbon fiber here, but it seems I need the preliminary nose weight)
5x Power HD9150 MG servos
1x Power HD90 MG high speed throttle servo
4x 1.25" MPI aluminum arms
1x 3" MPI rudder arm
1x Stock tank, 3 line setup w/ tygon and BUNA line inside tank
1x Fuel DOT
All custom length extensions, all 22AWG except for 18AWG on battery/switch.
Using most of the stock hardware ball-linkages except I swapped 2 lengths for titanium ones on ailerons for easier throw adjustment (opposing thread directions on the titanium linkage)


Anyway, good luck with the setup! If I ever finish this I'll post up some pics of my plane here shortly lol. Thanks for the PSP stand-off links. I actually found those shortly after I decided I wasn't going to use different length stand-offs as it would require me to really drill out a large portion of the firewall. Plus it seems I can use the nose weight anyhow with the engine further forward. I also used thinned epoxy on my firewall and motor box as well as I always redo the factory job on my planes for added strength and sealing.

Too bad you didn't live closer or we could maiden these together! haha

Eganwp

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

I am going to change my batteries to 2 2600 mha li-ions. As far as the motor weight, a DA weighs less than one ounce more than a DLE 55. Thats not to much.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Hey I don't know if you have this or not but its the cut out template for the wolverine switch

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Cool, thanks Crash. I have it around here somewhere but I'll just use the link.

I just checked the specs:
DA 50 AUW = 3.13 lbs (50.1oz)
DLE-55 AUW = 2.88 lbs (46.2oz)

Looks like it's close but still about 4oz. Really isn't much in the grand scheme of things though. Both engines are gonna rip this light airframe around nicely.

Good choice on the Li-Ion. I didn't go with them as my charger doesn't support em, and they're really hard to find around here. I managed to build my A123 packs for less than 1/4 the price that you buy them at most sites, so that's the route I took.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

the DA 50 is 2.94 pounds, the 3.13 pounds is with standoffs

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Yeah, I don't think there is much of a weight difference between the DLE 55 and the DA-50. Just a little more power with the DLE;):D

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Well I hinged up the Rudder / ailerons today and finished clear coating the wheel pants. My major complaint is that a number of hinge holes in both the TE and LE especially on the elevators were not placed in the exact middle of the hinge line. The consequence is that part of the control surface will be out of the line with the TE of whatever its mounted to. For example the LE of the elevator out of line with the TE of the horizontal stab. This is annoying for 2 reasons; first it will affect how much control throw you can get and second it places the control surface @ risk for flutter. I caught it on the horizontal stabs. To fix it I had to remove a hinge I already epoxied in, drill out the hole and shim a new hinge into place to bring the surface back into line. Not hard just annoying. This would be a very easy fix for peak models on subsequent production runs. For those that dont know how to remove a glued in robart hinge here ya go:

1. Dremmel off the hinge @ the knuckle

2. Heat up a pointed tip soldering iron

3. Jam it in the hole and burn out the hinge. As the plastic heats up it will expand and most of it will ooze out the hole

4. Get a slightly undersized drill bit and ream the hole out until the replacement hinge fits correctly.

5. If you need to reposition the hinge on the bevel ( as I did ) Over drill it slightly until you can place it where you want.

6. take some thin balsa and shim the hinge for a snug fit in the new position

7. Wick some thin or medium CA down the hole to secure the balsa shims

8. Test fit the hinge again if its good glue it in place.


Another gripe:

Some of the bevels were not well done. You can see a bow in the LE of one of the elevator halves and on the rudder one side of the TE of the vertical stab is sanded more than the other causing the rudder to fall inside the bevel on the right at fill travel. Again this is not a big deal but it's unnecessary slop in the manufacturing process IMO, then again its not a thousand dollar ARF.


Control throws :

Good -
Rudder is about 55 degrees full throw
Elevator - 50 degrees
Ailerons 40 degrees

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

more pics

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

So you only had to drill out one of the robart henges?

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

No 2 of them, and I am considering cutting off the rudder and re-doing the hinge line myself.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

Whats wrong with it? looks fine from the pics. Just a slight shift... was that from the henge line are the surface itself?

honestly I think removing and redoing will be more work than worth it.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

The last hinge is not in the center causing the bottom of the rudder to over travel on one side and under travel on the other side. This shows up as an uneven bevel when the rudder is fully deflected.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

EPA on your radio will fix it!:D I truly don't think it will effect the way it flys are will be noticeable at all.

RE: Peak Model 50 CC Edge 540 T build
 

I agree it prob wont affect flight characteristics. The Le of the rudder surface is in line with the vert stab TE it just annoys me.