Gofer303

I did not use the plastic for the wing dihedral by accident did not see it in the instructions untill after epoxy was set on wing and have had no problem with the wings or the flying characteristics. On the SS it seems to not matter much the few degrees that the plastic thing makes. I have had a few really hard crashes and had no wing problems usiong the stock power system when I get the brushless in then that may be a different story!!

PaperAirplane

Since I am already ordering from HobbyPartz, I was wondering if it would be worth it to get one of their cheap batteries:
http://www.hobbypartz.com/83p-2200mah-3s1p-111-20c.html

Would it be possible to change the connector to the t-plug?

Sir Raleigh

Although it's true you can do it that way, using the plastic wing brace is quicker, sets the dihedral more accurately, and adds support to the wing without going to all the trouble of setting the dihedral yourself, fiddling around with Epoxy and adding unnecessary weight.

Just cut it out and slap it on with double back tape or a light coating of the GWS glue.

Bill

mumblinaviator

^ Agreed. Use it for now.

In the future you can get a 2nd wing and leave out all the dihedral, add ailerons, and it'll make for a great aileron trainer.

PaperAirplane

Ok, I already did, as you can see from the pics. It worked well with the GWS glue.

Any comments on the battery from Hobyparts?

Thanks,
PA

Gohmer

Looks too big and heavy for a slowstick. I tried cheap batteries and found it false economy. Thunderpower is all I will use now.

PaperAirplane

OK, thanks.

philipa_240sx

I've had good success with CommonSenseRC Lipo's. I use a 3S 1250mAh for my Slo-V. Nice thing about them is they are 2C charge capable... they can be charged in 30min.

Gofer303

Thanks I may have to do some surgery another cycle of freezing rain / snow/ shovel the drive way end every 3 hrs because of city plow dont know how not to fill it in week ahead. I think boredom of winter is here and even the sim gets old fast!

PaperAirplane

Ordered parts yesterday from HURC, HobbyPartz, and Amazon. Anxiously waiting!

I am also having trouble finding a screwdriver small enough to change the servo arm. With the ones the HS-55 come with I am not getting enough throw to move the control surfaces more than 10 degrees.

PJPHX

A cheap soldering tool for large Soldering Tabs: Just take a 1/4 Inch 10Inch long Brass rod, file one end like a soldering tool, ad a wooden handle. Heat the brass rod with the gas torch and you have a effective soldering tool for large connectors.

PaperAirplane

Very cool!

----------------------------

I had some trouble with the servos centering. I centered the trims and they werent centered, so I took out the screw, moved the arm to center, and put the screw back in. That was the rudder servo and it was fine after a little bit of trim, but I still had the elevator servo to fix.

Is there any way to correct an off-center servo without taking out the screw and moving it?

Thanks,
PA

philipa_240sx

Have you moved the push rod to the innermost hole (the one closest to the control surface) on the control horn? This will increase the control surface travel.

Sir Raleigh

You should be able to find a kit of these small screwdrivers (called Jeweler's screwdrivers) at Radio Shack. They come in a little plastic case and consist of about 4 - 5 each of flat blade and "X" point (or Phillips head) types. Shouldn't cost more than a couple of dollars.

As a temporary fix, if you have a computer radio, you can adjust the Sub Trim (what Hitec calls it) to get the arm back to the center. I wouldn't depend on it for major adjustments because it then messes up the full throw limits of the servo, allowing more throw in one direction than the other. I use Sub Trim only to correct for the 1/2 spline adjustment when you can't get the servo arm set to exactly 90* when you psychically move it. This will happen on some servos that have an odd number of splines on the shaft; one way will be exactly 90*, but if you rotate the arm 180* the arm will be off by a couple of degrees one way or the other. You'll need to use Sub Trim to get it back to exactly 90* in this case.

Bill

mumblinaviator

Aside from using a computer radio to adjust the trim/subtrim, it's the only way to do it. Before installing the servo's you can hook them up to the Receiver, turn on the Tx and center them all. Then, while turned on, install the control arm in the "center" position you wish.

Now you can turn everything off and install the servo's without too much worry of them being off center.

OR: sometimes an easier method... install the servo's in the plane first w/o the control arms, then hook everything up and center it all. Finally add the control arms.

Your method will be determined by how accessable the servo's are. In the SS case, they're very accessable, in which case you can install them first, then adjust the control arms as necessary.

PaperAirplane

OK, will do that.




I dont have a computer radio yet, so I will have to do it the long way.

philipa_240sx

Well it's not really the 'long way'. You still need to get the servo arm correctly installed in the first place. The sub-trim on a computer radio is really for fine tuning.

The process for setting up the servo's varies depending on the model and method of servo installation. To make things easier, I use a Dubro EZ connector mounted on the servo arm as I can easily make coarse adjustments. I then use the trim buttons on the TX if needed.

You can get idea of the setup I use on my Nutball:

PaperAirplane

OK. In the SS case I can just slide the mounts up/down for the first servo connections. The second one has to be perfect, though. Thanks for all of the input!

PA

philipa_240sx

Here is another example of servo connections on a Slow Stick by Elfi-Flyer. His servo's are mounted farther back than stock, but you can clearly see the EZ connectors on the servo arms. Servo placement isn't critical as you can adjust the push rods independently by simply loosening the set screw.



Dubro EZ Connectors:



Image courtesy Dubro

PaperAirplane

I think its too late for the EZ connectors now, so I will rough it out with L bends and retainers.

Elfi Flyer

Wow, thanks for using my SS as an example. I am flattered!!

I like to use the EZ connectors that make use of a square fitting and a cap screw for adjustment of the control rods. It makes it easier to grasp the connector with a set of needle nose plyers (I use a 90 degree set), and it's easier to get a really tight fitting of the cap screw via the use of a ball wrench or Allen head tool.

I mounted the servos closer to the tail feathers because:

1.) I anticipated a possible CG balance problem knowing I was going to be using a 3S 2200 Lipo and a heavier brushless motor;
2.) I wanted to minimize the deflection of the control rods during hard maneuvers, most notably with rudder, hence the additional use of thicker control rods;

This SS was built for combat sessions, not trainer flights.

You can set the control arms on the servos to favor more "differential", mechanically, should you not have a computer radio with which to do this. In the case of the Slow Stick, it reacts rather quickly to elevator, easily popping up or ballooning with "up" elevator input. To offset this mechanically, you can mount the servo control arm such that it moves in one direction more than the other, merely due to the rotation of the arm.

The Slow Stick needs all the rudder movement it can get, especially if the plane is to be flown aggressively. This SS has a heavier duty rudder control horn installed, with the control rod positioned for maximum throw. In contrast, the stock control horn is used for elevator, the control rod being set for lesser throw (sensitivity).

Please note these are just some of the rather extreme modifications made to this purpose built SS. However, the servo control arm arrangements can be favorable, IMHO, to a stock SS configuration.

Hope this info is helpful.

philipa_240sx

No problem Elfi-Flyer, I was trying to get some better photos of a servo setup and yours were very well done!

I especially like the photos of the control horn setup... less and more sensitivity/throw.

PaperAirplane

It is! Thanks for the input. Since this is my first electronics set up, I can't eyeball anything.

Elfi Flyer

Glad to be of help. Subsequent to setting up my "mechanical differential" on the elevator linkage, I went back to neutral servo arm position, and used the exponential function of the Futaba Fasst transmitter. So, I can still pop the SS up sharply if so needed. I reduced the incidence angle of the wing and found, as a result, I could tolerate more elevator movement without ballooning up when coming out of a loop or turning into a headwind. One of the side benefits of building the combat ready SS is being able to fly it in high wind conditions that keep most other planes grounded! Who would have thunk it!!

Gofer303

Try radio shack they have some mighty small screwdriver sets phillips and straight. They had the one that would fit the Walkera 4#3B rotor blade attachment and that is almost microscopic !!!!!