extreme 330 construction question
 

Part way thru the assembly process and need some help. What are the two hardwood sticks that are shipped inside the fuel tank used for? The only thing that came to mind would be to reinforce the servo mount area.

Was impressed with the hardware sent til I pulled out the control rods and checked the fit of the metal clevises, way too loose to use. Think I will change it out for 4/40.

Wing and tail section went on tight and straight with no cutting or fitting needed.

Sure was a pain getting the servo leads up thru the plastic rectangle conduit they supplied. Wound up splitting the backside to make it pull thru easier.

Going to power it with a Saito 72.

Any help on the hardwood sitck questions or other suggestions appreciated.

Ed M.

extreme 330 construction question
 

I thought the 2 stiks were to be used as a stand-off for the tank off the fuse. I didnt use them . My tank has a peice of foam rubber between it and the fuse and is held on with the supplied ties. I suppose you could glue the stiks to the fuse to keep your tank from moveing. I havent noticed mine moveing or anything....G

extreme 330 construction question
 

Thanks termagator,
Didn't even think about it that way. I had planned to glue some foam to the backside of the tank to keep it from slipping and figured the tiestraps would hold the tank in place OK.
Ed M.

extreme 330 construction question
 

yep, that is what they are for. I didn't use them either, and also only used a piece of 1/2" foam between tank and fuse. Works fine and hasn't move.
I did not use that piece of plastic for the servo leads. You will know the day when you have to exchange a servo why not.
I just used clear packing tape to hold the leads against the fuse, and then applied some white trim sheet over it. Works perfect.
You can see how it worked in the picture attached ! The landing gear is also total crap, and I just recently exchanged mine for a carbon fiber one (crazy legs) ,

extreme 330 construction question
 

I happen to be at Sears Hardware and found these grommets. I drilled the hole and inserted them to keep the wood from deforming when I used the zip tie. Seemed to have worked pretty good.

Ken

extreme 330 construction question
 

Ken, it seems you have sent me on a quest. Walked out into the shop to see what I could find and I think the brass inserts that go in plastic air line fitting may do the same thing. Great idea you had.
Ed M.

extreme 330 construction question
 

It is a neat idea, but not really needed. I have had no problems what so ever with the tie wraps. Just my $0.02

Throttle servo mount standoffs
 

I found the sticks useful for mounting the throttle servo on the fuse as the servo bottom can't protrude the tank-side fuse surface. A Hitec HS81 is doing the job here with a fast response. Took a while to get the Irvine to match the transition speed but it is a perfect match after a lot of leaning on the low speed mixture.

Mixed clevices in kit
 

Bentgear, beware there was one 2-56 clevis and pushrod thrown into the kit with all the others being metric (probably for the throttle??). If you try that clevis on the other push-rods you will find it loose. I opted for 2-56 rods throughout with the new Dubro plastic safety clevises where the retainer clips slide along the side of the clevis in molded rails (nice stuff). With "Bentgear" as your handle, do yourself a favor and bend these gear out to a 13" wide stance, and save yourself some aileron dragging on the runway with minor rudder inputs. Mine was terrible just taxing to the pits.

extreme 330 construction question
 

Texas 3D, I know they are not needed, but like a lot of other things in this hobby, if I use it once I tend to remember it when it would realy be helpful.

jelard, saw the good looking but crap linkage that was sent. Changed it all out to 4-40, maybe alittle overkill, but. With the light weight and long gear it looks like it culd be a pain on the ground, especially with a little crosswind. Noticed that Irvine is mounted pretty far back in the slot, any balance problems. Have my Saito 72 almost all the way forward and it looks like its still going to be about 5" back.

Thanks for all the help guys..........................Ed M.

Smaller servos did the trick
 

Bentgear, my CG is 4.5" with the Irvine mounted there. I opted for smaller servos (HS225BB's) throughout the plane so it would not be tail-heavy. Had to add a little wood to those openings in the tail to get them mounted but I'm pleased with the power and speed they offer.

Gas tank Mod
 

Hey Jack, noticed you didn't use the supplied wire straps too mount your tank.What does it look like on the other side.Thanks Shark

Aluminum brackets for tank
 

Ok Sharkey but don't laugh. This was my first profile.... I had a hard time with the lightening holes and the way the tie-wraps would pass through them, didn't know what the loose covering would do in those areas with a tie wrap hole there. Also the throttle servo on the other side would have been wrapped in by the rear one. I searched for j-hooks with bolted ends but couldn't find any long enough. Found cup hooks all over the place but couldn't trust wood screws in wood that may not be solid underneath (fuse is built-up in places). So I spotted some light aluminum bracket material (1/2"x3/8") at Home Depot and put it on the jig-saw and drill press till I got these. Now the mounting holes are offset to good areas of the fuse and the tank is snug against the foam padding. Any weight increase was really from the 4-stainless 6-32's I mounted with. If your motor winds up way out on the end of the mounts, you may not have these problems with the tank position.

Another veiw
 

Here is the bottom bracket..

extreme 330 construction question
 

Hey Jack,My first profile also.I ran into the same problem with the tie straps.I didn't like the idea of one of the straps rapping around my throttle servo.I'm not laughing at all,your method looks much better than their idea.Thanks for your reply.By the way,How do you like it? How much throw did you give your control surfaces.Thanks

extreme 330 construction question
 

Thanks for all the pictures. My 330 is sitting in the basement still in the box. Getting ready to start construction this week. The tips and pictures will come in handy.

CG Extreme 330 Question
 

CG Extreme 330

Any body got any pictures of the receiver and battery mounted. I'm ready to shove them in the wing and start balancing the plane and it looks pretty tight in there.

RCX and Battery PIX
 

Here are pics of the way I did the radio, lots a room left with only 2-HS225's in there. I did spring for a 720MHA NMHD from Radical RC (very small and light) and the RCX is a JR 610 I believe. I made use of some Velcro straps I use in my big IMAC planes also found at Home Depot.

Battery Position
 

Here's the battery, latex foam and velcro ties.

That plastic tube is a drag!
 

Someone already stated but I should reconfirm......that plastic wiring tube is just big enough for the servo wires , much less the connector bodies for the extensions. I split the back with a Dremel cutting disk and it still wouldn't spread apart enough for the connectors. If this helps, I took an Exacto and removed the connector pins from the plastic bodies and reconnected with shrink wrap over each male/female. Only then would they fit. Some RTV around the tube/wing mate-up keeps exhaust out of the tube and the wiring hole in the wing. Also, that servo pocket cover on the exhaust side of the wing will get hosed with exhaust. I used some Ultracote Plus (sticky backing) and sealed the front edge of the cover to the pocket to make a hinge and it keeps exhaust out. Some Zpoxy finishing resin on the balsa side of the covers strengthens them and aids fuel proofing in this "soft spot". As for throws, the 3/8" up and 3/8" down works great for first flight but I gave the rudder about half the throw it could do without hitting the elevators. My first knife edge was a knife edge loop though. Dropping to 1/3 throttle kept me level (awesome slow knives???) After the first flight I was dialing in more aileron for low rates. High rates..., I gave it all it could do with lots of expo to get used to it. Flat spins need it for sure. Today I actually started climbing in a flat spin but I had just farted too. Landing are a trip, the plane sinks fast on approach and goosing throttle before touchdown gets that tail-wheel draggin first. Have a ball, I am.....

Extreme 330
 

Bentgear, I have an Extreme 330 with an OS 46fx w a Tower Hobbies Muffler. Awesome combination. I mounted my throttle servo in the wing and used fulls size S9202 servos in the tail. Still no noseweight needed. I think that you will be glad that you used the 4/40 hardware as this plane does have a tendency to flutter. I replaced all of my 2-56 with 4-40 and sealed all of the hingelines w/hinge tape and it took care of it. It ought to fly great w/Saito .72. I haven't experienced any problems with the landing gear as the plane has about a 3 ft. take off roll. Keep us posted. Good Luck!

extreme 330 construction question
 

Thanks for the pics Jelaird. This helps. What did your weight come out to be. Mine is right at 5lbs. I'm using s3104's and an OS50sx with the stock muffler. How far back from the leading edge is your C.G. Mine appears to be 5" but I have not mounted the engine yet so I will slide it a littler futher foward on the engine mounts.

Extreme 330
 

I would think that you should be fine on CG. Mine is at 4.75" and I have no problems. Beware of flutter. What hardware did you use. I used 4-40 on everything and sealed the hinge gaps. I'm using an APC 12.25x3.75 3d prop and turning 14300 rpm's with 15% powermaster. Truly unlimited vertical. Hover at 1/4 to 1/2 throttle. Should be great w/ the .50.

extreme 330 construction question
 

Buz_bo, mine was 4.47 lbs. on a digital scale before I added the tank brackets. My CG is 4.5"

extreme 330 construction question
 

Heliplane, I used the 2-56 hardware that came with the kit. I have not put hinge tape on yet but plan to. I just can't figure out why mine is 5lbs. My scale may be wrong. It is an old baby scale. I need to get a digital scale.