Building my first ever plank

[Grant85]

Alright guys,

Don't shoot me down for going onto the darkside! :biggrin:

I have started building my first ever rc plane, I have chosen the Hobbyking Bixler V1.1 as I have heard good things about it for a beginner. I have never flown an rc plane before. However I seem pretty good at it on the sim. Anyway it can't be as difficult as flying rc helis so I thought I may as well. I just wanted something that was easy to get out and fly with and that doesn't have as much maintenance time and build as a heli. Also a lot cheaper!

I had some spare LED strip lights that I had laying around from a job that I did. So I decided to bang them onto the fuselage and wings for a laugh :joyous: They are really bright and it will look awesome in the air....Well I reckon anyway lol! I'm just running them off a PP3 standard 9V battery which are all connected via some spare servo leads and servo Y-leads.

So far it hasn't cost me a lot to put it together. I think the plane itself worked out at about £30 which came with the motor and four servos. I only had to purchase a rx and ESC and lipos. It has still cost me still less than £100 that's including 3 lipos and loads of other bits. It's nearly finished now, I just have to set all the servos and control surfaces level and I'm hoping to maiden it very soon!

I have done some build videos of it on YouTube to help others out if they decide to get this same plane. I will post more once I have done some more on the build.

Cheers,
Grant.

[WildWake]

Grant, you can't beats cheap plank for a bit of relaxing fun

[Grant85]

[QUOTE=WildWake;1087162]Grant, you can't beats cheap plank for a bit of relaxing fun[/QUOTE]

Yes that's what I thought mate :) because with the helis I have always spent more time tinkering about on them than actually flying them!

I also have a Stryker frame that I painted and it's been left sat for three years. I have all the bits needed to complete that, so once I can fly the Bixler ok, I may get the Stryker in the air too. And with the motor & ESC setup I have for it, should be good for 100+mph. I have reinforced it somewhat though using extra carbon spars. I'm hoping one day to get into FPV and put that gear into the Bixler also.
Cheers,
Grant.


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[KevDavies]

Im hoping my cheap HK plank will be finished soon. Ive had to buy some hinges for the control surfaces, as they wouldnt move properly.

But I think im under a ton with 3 lipos and all the electrics. I used some spare Align 410 servos. I think im allergic to cheap servos nowadays! LOL

[IMG]https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1459696_10151786279672312_580296687_n.jpg[/IMG]

[WildWake]

Grant,,, Stryker!!!!!
That was my 1st plank, the year before last, depending on what model you have? I have a few spares left,,

[Grant85]

Kev that looks a nice plane! I guess you have flown rc planes before then judging by that? It's an aerobatic looking thing isn't it :) Can't beat HK for cheapness!

Wildwake,
The stryker frame is the F27c. The same fuselage as the first ever stryker just a different motor mount etc. I have had trouble trying to source the motor mount for the F27c so I have had to get a different one.

Also I can't seem to get hold of the little pin things that go through the main body and through the elevons to hold them in place so I'm trying to think of another solution. I have bought some Dubro hinges that I may try to calafudge on there somehow lol!
I'm guessing the Stryker that you had will have been the latest version the 'Q' is it? With the rudders etc...
Also what do you guys know about motor/Esc/prop combinations? Te motor I have for the Stryker is a 3900Kv with a 40Amp ESC and a 6x4 prop. But something is telling me that this will draw a lot more than the rating of the speed controller :/
Cheers,
Grant.


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[KevDavies]

[QUOTE=Grant85;1087183]Kev that looks a nice plane! I guess you have flown rc planes before then judging by that? It's an aerobatic looking thing isn't it :) Can't beat HK for cheapness!

Wildwake,
The stryker frame is the F27c. The same fuselage as the first ever stryker just a different motor mount etc. I have had trouble trying to source the motor mount for the F27c so I have had to get a different one.

Also I can't seem to get hold of the little pin things that go through the main body and through the elevons to hold them in place so I'm trying to think of another solution. I have bought some Dubro hinges that I may try to calafudge on there somehow lol!
I'm guessing the Stryker that you had will have been the latest version the 'Q' is it? With the rudders etc...
Also what do you guys know about motor/Esc/prop combinations? Te motor I have for the Stryker is a 3900Kv with a 40Amp ESC and a 6x4 prop. But something is telling me that this will draw a lot more than the rating of the speed controller :/
Cheers,
Grant.


Sent from my iPhone using [URL="http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1"]Tapatalk[/URL][/QUOTE]

Yeah flew planks for 10 years or so before Helis. Only getting this now to maximise my flight time at the club. And hopefully it will help my 3d on Helis, as Ive kinda hit a plateau at my club, due to there being none of a similar ability with helis. No one to learn off so to speak

[Grant85]

Building my first ever plank

[QUOTE=KevDavies;1087187]Yeah flew planks for 10 years or so before Helis. Only getting this now to maximise my flight time at the club. And hopefully it will help my 3d on Helis, as Ive kinda hit a plateau at my club, due to there being none of a similar ability with helis. No one to learn off so to speak[/QUOTE]

Yeah I think planes also will help with the different orientations so you can use that to your heli skills. And I know what you mean, in order to get better at something you have to be amongst people that are better than yourself so you can learn off them. You can't learn anything off someone that isn't as good a flier as yourself. I quickly learnt that, when I went to fly at Tim Procters a few years back, my flying already got better after one day from being around them as they are all brilliant fliers. But I had to leave the hobby for a few years to allow myself to study and take a career change and due to financial circumstances.

But here I am again, back at the hobby for a second time around :)
I don't think anybody really leaves the hobby, when they do they always come back around :)


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[Grant85]

Building my first ever plank

Just thought I'd share some pictures of the plane. It's all finished apart from setting the aileron servos and surfaces to centre. Does anybody know how to go about this? As my servos arn't at 90 degrees when centre and I can't use sub trim as both the aileron servos are connected via a 'Y' lead so any sub trim will move one servo more to centre but will move the other servo more out of centre :/
Anyway there are some pictures below. I had some spare LED strip laying around from a job that I did so now it has 100 LEDS installed on it for a laugh! :)
Cheers,
Grant. [ATTACH]69889[/ATTACH][ATTACH]69890[/ATTACH][ATTACH]69891[/ATTACH][ATTACH]69892[/ATTACH][ATTACH]69893[/ATTACH][ATTACH]69894[/ATTACH]


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[nobbycopter]

You'll have fun with that...I've got a Flyingwings Raven wing with LEDs on it...its a blast at night!

[ATTACH]69904[/ATTACH][ATTACH]69905[/ATTACH]


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[Grant85]

[QUOTE=nobbycopter;1091802]You'll have fun with that...I've got a Flyingwings Raven wing with LEDs on it...its a blast at night!

[ATTACH]69904[/ATTACH][ATTACH]69905[/ATTACH]


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Looks good that mate, I just need to get some red and green LED strips for the top so I can tell the orientation of it at night :) How are you running your lights? Via the main lipo?


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[nobbycopter]

[QUOTE=Grant85;1091803]Looks good that mate, I just need to get some red and green LED strips for the top so I can tell the orientation of it at night :) How are you running your lights? Via the main lipo?


Sent from the future using my iWatch.[/QUOTE]

Cheers mate. I got a female balance plug and soldered it to the led wires and then plug it into the main battery. The current drawn is minimal.


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[Grant85]

Now that's a good idea there! Why didn't I think of that lol!

Which wires on the balance lead are the pos & neg to connect to though?

I've connected mine all up using servo 'Y' leads as I had soldered on servo lead ends into each led strip. I have four servo end leads altogether.....The two on each wing and the two on each fuselage side.
I've then got a 'Y' lead connecting the two wing LEDS together so if I ever want to take the wings off for transport I can just unplug them.

Then the two LED strips down the fuselage are connected together again via 'Y' lead and the. Another 'Y' lead to connect the wing lights and fuselage lights together and then they all plug into a pp3 9V battery box that has a switch on and I got that from Maplins for £2 odd. But all the 'Y' leads seem to be taking up a bit of room in the fuselage. There's three altogether. I couldn't think of another way of how to connect all the LED strips together.

Also do you know what I could do about my aileron servos in order to get them centre, or would you just leave them and mechanically get the surfaces level? But if I did that if end up with more throw in one direction than the other wouldn't I?
Cheers Grant.


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[nobbycopter]

[QUOTE=Grant85;1091810]Now that's a good idea there! Why didn't I think of that lol!

Which wires on the balance lead are the pos & neg to connect to though?[/QUOTE]

They're the outside red and black ones usually.

[quote]I've connected mine all up using servo 'Y' leads as I had soldered on servo lead ends into each led strip. I have four servo end leads altogether.....The two on each wing and the two on each fuselage side.
I've then got a 'Y' lead connecting the two wing LEDS together so if I ever want to take the wings off for transport I can just unplug them.

Then the two LED strips down the fuselage are connected together again via 'Y' lead and the. Another 'Y' lead to connect the wing lights and fuselage lights together and then they all plug into a pp3 9V battery box that has a switch on and I got that from Maplins for £2 odd. But all the 'Y' leads seem to be taking up a bit of room in the fuselage. There's three altogether. I couldn't think of another way of how to connect all the LED strips together.

Also do you know what I could do about my aileron servos in order to get them centre, or would you just leave them and mechanically get the surfaces level? But if I did that if end up with more throw in one direction than the other wouldn't I?
Cheers Grant.


Sent from the future using my iWatch.[/quote]

I set the horn at 90 degrees like I do on my helis, if they're already set in the wing then take them out and re-set the horn. They're only held in either with a push fit or with a small drop of CA. In theory you should have a bit of differential throw on the ailerons so it turns better, and also mix in a bit of rudder with the aileron...but us heli types are used to steering the tail round!!

[Grant85]

[QUOTE=nobbycopter;1092024]They're the outside red and black ones usually.



I set the horn at 90 degrees like I do on my helis, if they're already set in the wing then take them out and re-set the horn. They're only held in either with a push fit or with a small drop of CA. In theory you should have a bit of differential throw on the ailerons so it turns better, and also mix in a bit of rudder with the aileron...but us heli types are used to steering the tail round!![/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tips mate! I'm not fully sure that I understand what you mean by differential throw though. If you wouldn't mind, please could you explain further? Sorry for all the questions mate :)
And I'm going to remove the wing servos and hot glue them back in tomorrow. And do as you said with getting the servo arms centred properly. I like to do things the proper way to be honest so as you say it's best to do this :)


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