Venus 2

[Ron]

has anybody converted the Venus 2 to electric? If so what weight did you come out at, and what did you use for power? I'm thinking Eflite 60 and 8S lithiums....or axi 4130/16 on same battery. 17 X 8 prop.......I got a chance to compare one last weekend with my Venus 40 which I really like, and decided I have to have the Venus 2, if I can figure out a power system for it.
I would like to use 8S if possible, because the 40 uses 4S, and I could double up on 4S packs....thus keeping costs down a little.

[Battlemg]

What are you using to power the Venus I?

[Ron]

Venus is powered by a Maxcim D wind on a 3.75 to 1 reduction, 4S lithiums and swings a 15X8 prop at 7400 RPM.
more than ample power for intermediate routine.

[feathermerchant]

My Venus I is powered by a Mega 22/20/2 5:1 MEC and APCE 14X10
Flys great on 4S ~4000 packs..

[Ron]

My Venus 2 arrived last evening....servos should be here in the next few days....I will weigh all the parts later this evening and post weights if anyone is interested. going to power it with Ramtech outrunner and 6S absolute power lithiums 17X8 prop.....This is supposed to swing the prop at roughly 7500 rpm. hoping to come in at around 8 lbs.
Less if I can work it.

[Ron]

I have been working slowly on the new model over the last few evenings, and am really disappointed in the covering...I don't think there is one square inch of this model that doesn't have a big bubble or wrinkle on it.
I have spent almost 3 hours so far trying to get it straightened out...almost 2 hours on the fuselage alone. I finally said that's good enuff for the fuse, but it still isn't what I'd call great, just passable.
both ailerons were twisted, but I sort of expected that would be the case before I ordered the model, as it seems to be a common problem with the inexpensive ARF models. They were however very easy to straighten out.

I am surprised at the size ...it makes the little Venus ( which is a great model by the way) look tiny. Once I have the covering issue out of the way, I will get some weights out in the open.

I think I will put a hatch on the top side between the cowl and the canopy for battery access. This worked great on the smaller one, and looks to be a good option here too.. I have chosen HS225BB servos for the ailerons, and each half of the elevator...I am not too sure I like the fact that the elevator servo openings are staggered which will give different pushrod lengths on each side of the model, but I'm likely just worrying about nothing. I may possibly modify things slightly here, and use a pull pull on the rudder, which will enable me to put both elevator servos in approximately the same location on each side..... The rudder may get a digital servo, only because I have been told that the 225BB may not be quite enough, although my own opinion is that it should be adequate....(decision not made yet)....but if this is to be a budget minded model, I should go with my gut instincts here instead of going overboard on the radio gear.
Hopefully this weekend, I will be able to come up with a really decent motor mount system that is easy to make and not expensive. I'm leaning towards a box made of 3/32 aircraft ply and mounted to the firewall with epoxy and ready rod into the already installed blind nuts..worked good on the other model, so it should be okay here too.
Other than the covering, the model looks to be of decent quality, especially when you take into account the initial low cost, and if it flies as well for it's size as the smaller one, it will be a winner.

[feathermerchant]

Probably 1/8 ply would be OK. I built one for my Edge and it has seen 1lb motors and ~1lb worth of batteries no problem. It bolts to blind nuts thru the firewall.

[Ron]

Motor mount was completed last evening, and installed this morning.
I made it from 1/8 aircraft ply, and it seems quite robust. It is designed so that I can easily use either of two motors I have available for it.
one being the Ramtech outrunner which is almost identical to the eflite 60 outrunner. The other is a Maxcim Y wind on a 4.66 to 1 reduction.
this will be the choice to start with so that I can compare a relatively known quantity with the outrunner. On 8S batteries, I will swing a 17X8
APC prop at roughly 7400 rpm. in flight thrust is calculated to be roughly 8 3/4 pounds...since this is roughly 1 pound more than the projected model weight, it should be ample. hopefully it will be completed in the next couple of weeks....I still need the BEC and a speed control for it.

[Ed Lyerly]

Ron,
Mine weighed 8.6 lbs with Thunder Power 7S 2P 4000's, Hacker A50 12L,and a 17x8 prop. You will like it :-).
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=528010&highlight=Venus+II

Ed

[Ron]

Looks like you pretty much are comfortable with it Ed....hopefully mine will be almost as good...I'm getting a little antsy to get it finished....should be towards the end of next week ( all going well that is)
you are swinging the same size prop as I am planning...did you check RPM??

[Ed Lyerly]

Hi Ron,
With the Hacker A50 12L, TP 8S 2P 4000's, 16x8 APC-E = 70 amps @ 26.5 volts, and 1850 watts, 7,800 to 8,000 RPM. On 7S 2P 4000's, APC 17x8E = 65 amps @ 23 volts, 1500 watts, 7,200 to 7,300 RPM.
I've swapped in an AXI 5330/18. On 9S and an 18x12 APC-E it's pulling a little over 60 amps, and putting out 1850-1900 watts. Sorry, I don't have the RPM. 8.6 lbs with the 7S setup, 9.5 lbs with the 9S setup.
By going with the heavier 5330/18 in the nose, I was able to put the lipo pack in the belly pan .... with the 7S and 8S setups, and the lighter A50 12L, lipos had to go in the fuselage (hence wing removal for battery swaps). If you go with the under-wing servo location, you might be able to avoid this.
Ed

[feathermerchant]

Ed - With the 5330/18 on 8S and ~9lb what prop and Watts? and do you have unlimited vertical?

[Ed Lyerly]

Ed - With the 5330/18 on 8S and ~9lb what prop and Watts? and do you have unlimited vertical?

James,
I would not use a 5530/18 on 8S in the Venus II. The 16" prop I used with the A50 12L was really perfect (diameter wise) for the stock gear and wheels. When I went to the 17" prop, I didn't have enough clearance, and was getting unwanted prop strikes. With the 18" prop, I had to go with 1/2" larger wheels and block up the stock gear 5/16". This provided 9/16" more prop clearance .... which is barely enough. You would need something like a 20x12 with 8S. With new landing gear, that might be OK.... if you were going to do a lot of 3D flying ....but .... the Venus II is not a 3D airplane. If 8S is your only option, I would go with an A50 12L or A50 14L (or something similar).
Ed

[Ron]

how about dare I even mention...6S and an Eflite power 60 outrunner??
I have heard it will work well, and is one of the " experimental" power systems I am going to try in this model, along with the new Ramtech out runner.....I am starting with the Maxcim Y wind because it is for me, a Known quantity to compare everything else with. It also works much better in " real life" than the calc programs suggest, and it is totally bullet proof. Yes it is likely one or three percent less efficient than some of the new motors, but frankly, I defy you to either feel or see that difference when you fly ....it just means that instead of 10 minutes flying from a certain battery, I will only get 9 minutes and 54 seconds...egads....how will I ever suffer through it?? :-)

[feathermerchant]

Ed Sorry for the confusion I caused. I'm considering the 5330/18 on the Edge 1.5 on 8S. I have a 20X8 and a 20X10 to try out and wanted to know how it would fly a ~9lb plane. My absolute limit is 65A (~1900W) so I figured it would 3D the Edge pretty well.
Since you are flying in this weight range I thought I would pose the question.

[Ed Lyerly]

Ed Sorry for the confusion I caused. I'm considering the 5330/18 on the Edge 1.5 on 8S. I have a 20X8 and a 20X10 to try out and wanted to know how it would fly a ~9lb plane. My absolute limit is 65A (~1900W) so I figured it would 3D the Edge pretty well.
Since you are flying in this weight range I thought I would pose the question.

James,
OK, now I understand :). Yes, 5530/18, 8S, 20x8 to 20x12 range should be great in the Edge 1.5. If you prop it for about 65 amps, you will see 1800 watts. At 200 watts/lb it will do all the "prop dancing" you want :).
Ed

[feathermerchant]

WooHooI have the 18 and the 24 and was debating wih myself which one. The other wil go on my birthday project (love my wife) CG Hawk P6.
Thanks Ed

[Ron]

completed the Venus 2 last evening...since I wasnt able to obtain a UBEC easily, I decided to start with a 5 cell 1400 mah receiver pack, which added 4 1/2 ounces to total weight.so I missed the target weight, and my finished weight is 8 lbs 1 ounce...Power 60 motor, 6S lithiums, 16 X 10 APC electric prop. Haven't done volt/amp measurements yet, but will hopefully this evening just before I test fly it.

[Ron]

did some checking on the power early this morning, and it is 1265 watts...
23 volts at 55 amps...just going to do a final preflight today and fly it this afternoon.

[Ron]

I flew three flights this afternoon on the Venus 2.......I was pleasantly surprised with the overall handling and performance.
power as the people at Rolls Royce say " is adequate" :-)

I never needed to use more than about half throttle for any of the flights.
this thing floats in for landings...first time I had to go around for a second try.

Vertical lines?? you have to back off on the throttle to get it to stop for a stall turn.....This plane will go straight up ( 90 degrees) as far as you want it to...from straight level flight, pull back on the stick, and if you apply throttle it will accelerate in the upline. that's good enuff for me.

Needless to say I'm a happy camper. especially when the motor and speed controller are less in cost than a good .91 fuel motor....7 min. flight and three extra takeoffs used 1800 mah, and most of that was trying out the vertical capabilities of the model.

my opinion?.........it's a keeper.

[Ed Lyerly]

Ron,

Congratulations on your successful maiden flights ! I knew you would love it :).
I would love to see some video, once you get the trimming flights completed and are comfortable with it.
Ed

[Ron]

Ed..I have no video equipment, and where I live ( out in the sticks)......
I have only the standard telephone internet hookup..It practically takes 1/2 an hour to download a still :-( we can only hook up at 28.8 on a good day....however, I may be able to figure out something.

[Ron]

after having put another few flights on The Venus two...(taking it easy on the batteries so far).....
I have discovered that the mah useage has gone down considerably for the time flown...ie...first flight 7 min was 1800mah useage...now the last 7 min flight was 1365 mah...this is not all vertical stuff, but there are 6 long uplines in the routine I have been practising. ( the last one at the end of the routine is absolutely 90 degrees up ) Never have to use full throttle, in fact about 50 to 75 percent is more than enough for uplines.
Motor comes down imperceptably warmer than ambient, and batteries are what I would call cool... 99 degrees F.... At first I did not believe it, but after several flights it has proven to be true. KE flight is almost hands off with no coupling. There is ample power to " hover" if that's what you are after, but the model is not designed for this type of flying, and the prop would be better if it was a 17 X 8 as the 16X10 stalls in a hover. ( I did try it once just to see)
stall turns are almost too easy to execute. Rolls are straight as an arrow.
1/2 reverse Cuban requires absolutely no down elevator in the inverted portion of the upline. The only problem I have noticed, and it isn't really a problem is that it's a little floaty on landing approach, and you have to be mindful that it ain't coming down real fast in the glide...start a little high, and you will be going around again for sure. It definitely IS a keeper. only real improvement to make in my opinion, is use really good servos...I think I may change to digitals just as an experiment...don't get me wrong, the HS225's are doing a great job, but I want to see firsthand if the digitals make any real difference.

[Ed Lyerly]

Ron,
Glad to hear you are continuing to enjoy your Venus II :). I really like mine as well. My AUW with the 5530/18 and 9S 2P 4000's is 9.75 lbs ..... and the Venus II still lands like a dream. It was definitely a floater on 7S at 8.6 lbs .... so yours must be an "ultra floater" on landings :). That is not necessarily a bad thing .... unless the wind is gusting.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Ed

[Ron]

Did my first pattern contest with the Venus 2 this weekend....I think it kinda opened some eyes, as a couple of the other contestants mentioned to me that the incredible vertical abilities of the model just blew them away. I had to be very careful not to accelerate in the uplines,and generally to watch the throttle setting as it would have been easy to fly much too fast for the routine.... It was pretty windy on Sat for the first 4 rounds, but Sunday was not hardly any wind. The Venus does really well in the wind. Much better than I had anticipated.

[Doppelganger]

What power system do you have in there?

Steve

[Ron]

I am currently flying it with an Eflite Power 60 on 6 series Ramtec lithiums
and the Evo 3800 mah 6S....16 X 10 APC e prop...... The evo cells are good, but the Ramtecs seem to put out a little more power.....Ramtec is coming out with a 4000 mah cell this fall, and as soon as they hit the west coast, I'll have a couple sets to try out. I have ordered another V2, because Ramtec has a motor that is designed for 6 cells, and my opinion after running a few " bench tests" is that it will be somewhat more powerful, slightly less money.... and the only way to objectively test it in my opinion, is to put it in an identical model. Besides, I'm starting to compete with it, and a " spare" model might not be a bad idea. Servos are Hitec HS225BB all around...2 on elevator one on each aileron, and one on the rudder. Rudder and elevator servos are mounted in the aft portion of the fuselage, and balance was not difficult, nothing special had to be done...I just put the receiver battery in the cowl, and the flight batteries are centered about the LE of the wing.....after having flown it for awhile now, I like it...it's a good one, and guys who know me know I don't say that often about a model, especially an ARF. It was though just a touch nose heavy at the suggested CoG.

[feathermerchant]

Terrific Ron. When at the flying field I regularly get the quesion: "That's Electric?" And I say "Why not?" Then put a battery in the Venus and make a vertical departure and ask "Why would anyone want to fly glow?"

[Ron]

I have no problem with Glo models...as long as someone else flies them, and not close enough that they are spewing oil all over me.
I have actually flown fuel powered models that I thought would really be decent if they were electric :p............that's how I ended up with a Venus 2

[Ranger -rcu]

Ed- Please explain what the Thunder Power 7S 2P 4000 mAH LIPO pack is. I don't see it listed in the Thunder Power web-site. Is it two LiPO packs, 4S 2P 4000mAH and 3S 2P 4000 mAH packs connected in series? Do you use cell balance charging when charging? What charger do you use to charge this quickly? Electric flight is relatively new to me. I flew a park flyer last year. Setting up a Venus II with a Hacker motor A50 12L outrunner will be a major step upward for me. This will be a major expense and I want to get the proper items that will work together the first time, not do trial and error buying of items. I have been flying pattern with glow engines for years. Any help you can supply, I would appreciate.

[Ed Lyerly]

Ranger-rcu,
Yes, I used a 4S 2P and a 3S 2P pack in series. I use a TP 1010C charger and a TP 210V balancer. Both packs can charge and balance as one pack, using the TP 210V balancer.
Ed