ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Hello Lou. Yes, the Down and Locked canopy drive uses a simpler version of the amp-out control on the gear. This is what I like about the system. You simply hook it up with a long enough jack screw to travel the range you need, and it is automatic at both ends. When it is open it amps out and shuts down, when it closes, it shuts down. No adjustment. I use one drive unit and connect to each side with a yoke.

Corsair parts. I have been asked this before and I appreciate the request, but until I am able to retire from our construction business and turn it completely over to my sons, I just don't have the time. My partner builder my brother is 8 years younger than me, so he too will be working for a while.

What we do now keeps us both very busy. Sometimes too busy. But we have obligations in builds for others that we are committed to. Still, I am determined to do more flying this year. I have several major events I'd like to attend. Unfortunately, I will miss my invitation to Top Gun again this year due to some family obligations, but I'm looking forward to making some later events. Actually, the first one is before Top Gun and will be in just a couple weeks in East Bend N.C. A wonderful war bird event put on by a great bunch of guys. 1000' and just a terrific site. I attended last year and had a great time. Taking Zombie, our Meister P-47, and will also have a Balsa USA Stearman.

Hope to see some of you there.

woody242

Hi Gary,

Any word on the web site? Looking forward to seeing the neat things I can get Just got my gear and folding wing conversion back from Down and Locked, super quick turn around, took about 2 weeks WOO HOO. I am starting to cut out my gear doors and getting ready for the gear install. Do you have drawings on your hinges for the gear doors, they look awesome compared to stock.

Thanks,
Woody

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

hello Woody. The web site is a work in progress with basically no progress. Just can't find time to do anything with it at the present time. I WILL get to it at some point, but I have way too much to do right now to mess with it. I work through emails and threads right now. A little clunky but the best I can do at present. PM me with your requests and I'll address them.

PS. the gear door hinges on our Top Gun Corsair had door hinges from the Graeme Mears kit, at the present not in production. I have not had time to reproduce those yet. I am close on having available the inner door skins, and hinge fairings though. Other things in the works, in addition to our other items are, a scale resin antenna, a scale gap cover kit for the strut doors, resin scale break discs, and some other things as well. Some of the latter are closer than others, and I will post when we have any of these things perfected and ready to share.

thanks for your support,
Gary

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

A note of caution on the gear install, set it up with your tires installed. It is tight, and if you get it aft to far, the strut will hit the bottom of the CF spar and not retract all the way, and you will need an oversize hole in the spar for the jack screw, and the scissor arms will also hit the spar before the gear is fully up. We keep it forward and even use shims to slightly raise the gear in the bay area. The doors barely close even when all is correct. Not a lot of room in there. pic #1

pic#2 shows the shims. pic#3 shows the grinding to the housing if it is forward where it needs to be. pic # 4 shows how you can locate where to make the hole in the spar for the jack screw. pic#5 shows it all bolted in place with the wood screw. pic# 6 shows how close it will be to the spar.

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

It was so tight in the full scale bay that they bolted a piece of wood to the rear of the bay and kept it covered with grease so that the tire would slide on it and not get hung up. You can see it in these pictures. Even says to grease.

woody242

Thanks for the great info. I appreciate the tips for getting the gear to fit. I am amazed at how awesome your gear bays look with all the detail. Glad you and your brother are offering such cool stuff to make this bird look realistic. I was bummed to find out the Mears kit was no longer in production.

I used the small 545 dremel to cut my first set of gear doors out and it worked great. I used the back side as of a hacksaw blade as a straigthedge and went over all the panel lines to be cut with a zona saw first making it deep enough to help the rotary tool track. The hacksaw blade is nice and flexible so it followed the curves nicely.

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Thank you. Doing what we do makes me appreciate what Graeme and others do even more. It takes so much time to develope these things. You just can't realize fully until you do it yourself. Wish we had more time. We do what we can.

saramos

Hey Gary, how's it going?

I've been playing around with my new 3D printer, a Lulzbot Kittaz. Here's a test print of the bulkhead behind the pilot seat in 1/6 scale.




Cheers,

Scott

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Hello Scott. I have been dreaming about the potential these will have for scale builders. I have not had the money or time to invest and play with one. Plus, I'm not that computer or CAD competent. Do you have a scanner for producing the programs? I would love to see what these could do for cockpit parts, scale hinges, tail hooks, tie down hooks, light bezels, and more. Really, I'm interested in what you can do with this technology.

saramos

I still need to improve my 3D CAD skills, but now that I have a printer, I've got a lot more motivation to learn. I've had my printer up and running for only a couple of weeks, and still very much in the learning and tweaking stage. I have a couple of upgrades ready to install on the printer too. I'm definitely looking forward to see what I can achieve.

Here's an early test of the Corsair wheel. It's still lacking all the webbing, and have some print related issues to resolve


Cheers,
Scott

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Short video of the final look at the repaired Corsair of Johnny Z damaged at WOD last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHX9...ature=youtu.be

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

fascinating.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

BTW,,Yes, time is short,, the first "local" warbird event is July 25 at CRCC, we swaped out dates this year to not conflict with the Port Clinton event, spread teh word with your club, I know a lot of your guys show up, ooh and get busy, we want to see you guys there

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Thought I would show you guys this if you have purchased an older Moki.

Here are two cam followers. The one on the right is from an older engine. See the tiny ball pressed into the end. These have been know to come loose. You can just about imagine what that would do to the inside of a running engine. Not pretty. The one on the left is the new design eliminating the ball.

If you have the older followers, you would want to replace them before running your engine. To check, simply find a valve in the fully closed position, lift the push-rod out of the seats, and carefully pull the cam follower out of the housing. Replacement is just as easy, but you will want to adjust all the valves afterward.

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Thanks for the heads up. Good plan on the dates.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

tnx,, took me three years to convince the powers that be to make the change

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

We made a short video to further explain how we set up these folding wing electric conversions. We simply do not have problems with the ones we set up. Down and Locked has spent much time and research making it reliable and simple, but how well it operates still has a lot to do with what happens on the builder end. Here is the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VFg...ature=youtu.be

If you are still having problems, do this.

1. Take the drive motor and jack screw out of the arms
2. Clean any oil or grease off the front hinge and folding arm pivots
3. Make sure the hinge point on the arms are loose as in the video
4. install the outer panels as if you were going to fly (completely)
5. now, lift the wings and feel for any resistance or binding
6. if you feel any, and the arms are clearly loose, take the front hinge loose and check again. If it is now free, you know the problem is with the front hinge.

They must work with no binding or friction free from any lube, which can mask a binding unit. If when completely assembled they work free and clear, without lube, then the problem is elsewhere. It could be in the connections, the length of wiring to the battery and or control box (these must be kept as short as possible so we put all the components in the center section, not the fuselage), in possibly poor solder joints if you have soldered wiring together, the battery strength (we use 2-cell liPos at least 20c), weak switch connections, or in rare cases, the motor or jack screw itself. Don't assume it is the latter as you can see that a lot of other components can have an impact on operation.

Salte

Hello,

Where do you get the front hinge shown at the video?

Geir

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Comes with the plane. Sierra makes it.

Salte

Ok,this is not the same front hinge as on my corsair! With this one you do not need to cut out in the wing for the hinge?

I see carf do not list this hinge as a sparepart on their website! maybe i can order from Sierra?

Geir

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

That hinge was redesigned. You must have the old ones. Contact Darrel at Sierra Precision and he will replace them with the new design.

Salte

Wery good

Geir

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

One more thing about the folding system. Make sure that the short wing tube in the back slides in and out freely. You need to taper the bottom of the one in the end panel to insure this.

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Well, after some refit and updating to some of our latest designs, Big Hog, the original subject of this thread, is leaving the "factory" again. Dom is here to take her home and we thought we would make this little video to commemorate the occasion. We are always available to service what we build.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDYgSNErXp4&feature=youtu.be

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

All of our Corsair builds now receive reinforcement in the cockpit area. this is the weakest part of the fuselage. I prep the area, apply Z-poxy, lay in some CF ribbon, apply Z-poxy to a piece of 1/32 ply, lay that over the area, cover the whole thing with wax paper, and then weight it down with some of our Steel Powder in freezer bags.