Worth a Closer Look
14 MODEL AVIATION
Servo Lab
The Servo Lab gives
the RC modeler the ability
to do several things, such as
check out servos and set up
aircraft without the use of a
transmitter and receiver. It
also allows the transmitter
pulse width to be determined to
an accuracy of 0.010ms.
Powered from a 4.5- to 6.0-
volt source, the Servo Lab puts
out a simulation of the receiver’s
pulse for a single channel and can
then vary that pulse width (time)
from 1.0ms to 2.0ms. A pulse
width of 1.5ms is the equivalent of
stick center and should center the servo. The pulse width can then
be adjusted manually to check servo travel, or the Servo Lab can
be put in the cycle mode and it will cycle the servo through its full
travel. The cycle speed can be varied.
An ammeter can be used in conjunction with the Servo Lab to
determine servo and linkage current draw as the servo cycles.
Another of the Servo Lab’s uses is to check the pulse width the
transmitter is generating. In this mode the total system is used with
the Servo Lab simulating a servo. The LED display then reads out
the pulse width, which will vary as the stick is moved. The
function of the trims and stick travel can thus be checked. If your
radio uses digital trims, Servo Lab enables the determination of
exact zero trim (i.e., 1.50ms pulse width).
The Servo Lab retails for $39.95.
FMA Direct: 5716A Industry Ln., Frederick MD 21704; Tel.:
(800) 343-2934; Web site: www.fmadirect.com
F6F Hellcat Park Flyer ARF
A Navy
favorite is
available as
an ARF
park flyer!
ElectriFly’s
new F6F
Hellcat kit
assembles in a
few hours and
includes an easy-toinstall,
280-size BB electric motor
and 3.8:1 gearbox.
The foam airframe offers realistic looks and comes factorypainted
in the original Hellcat fighter’s authentic colors. Other
great scale touches include molded-in rivets and panel lines, along
with a dummy radial engine. A single-screw wing attachment and
easy-access battery hatch help speed along the building process.
The Hellcat spans 31.9 inches, has a wing area of 193 square
inches, and weighs 13.5-16.0 ounces ready to fly. It includes the
aforementioned motor and gearbox and a 10 x 7 propeller.
The model requires a three-channel radio with two
microservos, an ESC (10-amp minimum), and an eight-cell, 9.6-
volt 650 mAh NiMH (or 2S 7.4-volt 1500 mAh Li-Poly) battery.
The F6F Hellcat ARF has a street price of $69.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.electrifly.com/
parkflyers/gpma1159.html
Reference Book of International .15
ci/2.5 cc Model Airplane
Engines
Engine collectors and modelairplane
history buffs will find
this book fascinating. The 265-
page, spiral-bound volume
starts with an introduction by
Tim Dannels of the Engine
Collectors’ Journal, in which
he explains the popularity of
this size engine on the world
scene.
In the 1950s the FAI
established the 2.5cc engine
as the maximum size allowed
for use in FAI CL Speed and
FAI CL Team Racing
competition. This spurred an amazing amount of
development and engineering, and the result was a huge number of
engines of that size being produced by an equally large number of
manufacturers worldwide.
Author Jim Dunkin is world famous on the FAI CL scene
because of his long-term involvement in FAI Team Racing as a
member of the well-known Dunkin-Wright team that competed in
four World Championships representing the United States. The pair
retired from
competition
in the late
1970s.
In the
late 1980s,
Jim met
Swedish
engine
collector
Arne
Hende at a
collector
convention in
Toledo, Ohio, and that meeting resulted in Jim’s taking two trips
through Eastern Europe. Those journeys were the catalyst for his
involvement in collecting engines and his desire to catalog the many
2.5cc engines that had been manufactured.
This full-color book (a black-and-white version is also available)
includes engines manufactured in Australia, Austria, China,
Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland,
Romania, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and
the United States.
Each power plant is shown and has a section that lists all of the
pertinent technical and historical details about it, including generic
name, engine name, date of manufacture, serial numbers (where
applicable), builder, designer, size, bearing type, intake type,
ignition type (diesel or glow), and exhaust type. Jim also wrote a
paragraph of interesting facts and thoughts about each engine listed.
If you are an engine collector, or just someone who has a desire
to learn more about what engines have been produced in this size
range, you will want to add this book to your collection. The color
version is $100 plus $5 postage in the United States. (Call for
overseas postage, please.) The black-and-white edition is $50 plus
$5 postage.
James E. Dunkin, Box 695, Grain Valley MO 64029; Tel.: (816)
229-9671; E-mail: [email protected]
June 2005 15
POLO Digital Servo
Multiplex Modelsport USA has
announced the new POLO “digi 4”
digital servo (catalog item
M65125). You will be surprised
by this servo’s dimensions. It
is 1/8-inch long, 11/8 inches
high, and 1/2-inch thick,
less mounting flanges
and the output arm.
The POLO’s
narrow width
makes it ideal for such applications as narrow fuselages and thin
wing sections. It could also find a home in the new breed of electricpowered
3-D models, where speed and accuracy are so important. A
generous 9-inch cable makes installations easier.
From an electronics standpoint, this servo is rated at 39 ounceinch
of output torque when using a 4.8-volt battery supply (four Ni-
Cd or NiMH cells) and an output of 49 ounce-inch when using a 6.0-
volt (five-cell) pack.
Transit time is stated at 0.10 second for 60° rotation at 4.8 volts
and a blistering 0.08 second when using 6.0 volts. So you get a highoutput
digital servo with extremely fast transit time.
A digital servo means that you will obtain excellent resolution
along with highly accurate centering (when returning to the neutral
position). The trade-off is a slightly higher current drain.
The POLO digi 4 employs a three-pole motor, digital amplifier,
dual ball bearings, and metal gears. Replacement parts, such as gear
sets, are readily available. Take note of this highly accurate servo in
such a small, lightweight package!
The street price for the POLO digi 4 is $49.95.
Multiplex Modelsport USA: 12115 Paine St., Poway CA 92064;
Tel.: (858)-748-6948; Web site: www.multiplexusa.com
Electric Revolution DVD
Electric-powered flight has truly
come of age. This new two-hour
DVD from Airborne Media
documents the latest trends in
electric-flight technologies,
including an in-depth look at the
new breed of Li-Poly batteries that
is driving a renaissance in electric
flight.
To show you the latest
technology, this DVD takes you to
the 2004 Southeast Electric Flight
Festival in Americus, Georgia—
one of the world’s largest electric
flight events—which features an
amazing array of the latest electric 3-D,
Scale, ducted fan, and helicopter models
flown by the sport’s top demonstration pilots.
Professional demonstration pilots Quique Somenzini,
Mike McConville, Gary Wright, Jason Shulman, George Hicks, and
helicopter ace Eric Larson put their high-powered craft through
impressive 3-D aerobatic routines you have to see to believe. You
will also see the new generation of foam 3-D Shock flyers perform
outrageous flight routines at low altitude and high speed.
This DVD features high-quality videography, in-depth interviews,
and a great deal of captivating flying action. You can watch a
preview trailer in QuickTime or Windows Media 9 format on the
Airborne Media Web site.
Electric Revolution has a run time of 1 hour, 55 minutes, and sells
for $22.95 plus + $5 shipping.
Airborne Media: 7414 Burton Dr., Liberty Township OH 45044;
Tel.: (888) 829-4060; Web site: www.airbornemedia.com
Reflection FlatOut Profile ARF
If flat foamie RC airplanes are hot in your area, ElectriFly’s new
FlatOuts might be worth a
closer look!
Using foam-safe
cyanoacrylate
glue, you can
easily transform
the preprinted
foam panels and
carbon rods into
a model that is
ready to fly in two
to three hours.
The Reflection comes
with a T-370 brushed motor, 5:1
gearbox, APC 10 x 3.8 slow-flyer propeller, and propeller saver.
This power system delivers 3-D performance, with no brushless
motor required.
Extended servo arms, large control surfaces, and carbon-fiber
pushrods increase control authority and reduce weight, creating slopfree
control surfaces for extreme 3-D throws. A clip-hinge system on
the tail allows as much as 80° of deflection without binding, and it
can pop loose in the event of a crash.
A complete landing-gear package including wheels, axles, wheel
collars, and wheel pants is supplied.
The FlatOut Reflection ARF has a street price of $44.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.electrifly.com/
flatouts/gpma1116.html
Electronic Ni-Starter
The new McDaniel
R/C Electronic
Ni-Starter is an
onboard glow
unit that offers
more than 45 starts
per charge from its
own internal power
supply, and it
weighs only 2.8
ounces. It also checks your glow plug before starting the engine and
during the flight.
When the receiver is turned on, this unit will test your glow plug.
If the plug is good, you will see a high-intensity red LED indication.
If bad plugs are detected, you will see a flashing red LED indication.
When you are ready to start the engine, touch the glow-plug
arming button and a high-intensity green LED comes on. At this
point the plug is heated for 30-60 seconds (which the user can adjust).
After starting the engine, you can remove or reapply the glowplug
ignition power to test the engine, as is done with standard Ni-
Starters or external batteries. This is easy; just touch the arming
button to turn the glow-plug power on or touch it again to turn it off.
If the engine stops while you are taxiing your model to the
runway, you can restart your engine by touching the arming button
and flipping the propeller. If the glow plug fails in flight, the red LED
will flash to tell you that the plug failed. Pricing is to be announced.
Sonic-Tronics: 7865 Mill Rd., Elkins Park PA 19027; Tel.: (215)
635-6520; Web site: www.sonictronics.com MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/06
Page Numbers: 14,15
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/06
Page Numbers: 14,15
Worth a Closer Look
14 MODEL AVIATION
Servo Lab
The Servo Lab gives
the RC modeler the ability
to do several things, such as
check out servos and set up
aircraft without the use of a
transmitter and receiver. It
also allows the transmitter
pulse width to be determined to
an accuracy of 0.010ms.
Powered from a 4.5- to 6.0-
volt source, the Servo Lab puts
out a simulation of the receiver’s
pulse for a single channel and can
then vary that pulse width (time)
from 1.0ms to 2.0ms. A pulse
width of 1.5ms is the equivalent of
stick center and should center the servo. The pulse width can then
be adjusted manually to check servo travel, or the Servo Lab can
be put in the cycle mode and it will cycle the servo through its full
travel. The cycle speed can be varied.
An ammeter can be used in conjunction with the Servo Lab to
determine servo and linkage current draw as the servo cycles.
Another of the Servo Lab’s uses is to check the pulse width the
transmitter is generating. In this mode the total system is used with
the Servo Lab simulating a servo. The LED display then reads out
the pulse width, which will vary as the stick is moved. The
function of the trims and stick travel can thus be checked. If your
radio uses digital trims, Servo Lab enables the determination of
exact zero trim (i.e., 1.50ms pulse width).
The Servo Lab retails for $39.95.
FMA Direct: 5716A Industry Ln., Frederick MD 21704; Tel.:
(800) 343-2934; Web site: www.fmadirect.com
F6F Hellcat Park Flyer ARF
A Navy
favorite is
available as
an ARF
park flyer!
ElectriFly’s
new F6F
Hellcat kit
assembles in a
few hours and
includes an easy-toinstall,
280-size BB electric motor
and 3.8:1 gearbox.
The foam airframe offers realistic looks and comes factorypainted
in the original Hellcat fighter’s authentic colors. Other
great scale touches include molded-in rivets and panel lines, along
with a dummy radial engine. A single-screw wing attachment and
easy-access battery hatch help speed along the building process.
The Hellcat spans 31.9 inches, has a wing area of 193 square
inches, and weighs 13.5-16.0 ounces ready to fly. It includes the
aforementioned motor and gearbox and a 10 x 7 propeller.
The model requires a three-channel radio with two
microservos, an ESC (10-amp minimum), and an eight-cell, 9.6-
volt 650 mAh NiMH (or 2S 7.4-volt 1500 mAh Li-Poly) battery.
The F6F Hellcat ARF has a street price of $69.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.electrifly.com/
parkflyers/gpma1159.html
Reference Book of International .15
ci/2.5 cc Model Airplane
Engines
Engine collectors and modelairplane
history buffs will find
this book fascinating. The 265-
page, spiral-bound volume
starts with an introduction by
Tim Dannels of the Engine
Collectors’ Journal, in which
he explains the popularity of
this size engine on the world
scene.
In the 1950s the FAI
established the 2.5cc engine
as the maximum size allowed
for use in FAI CL Speed and
FAI CL Team Racing
competition. This spurred an amazing amount of
development and engineering, and the result was a huge number of
engines of that size being produced by an equally large number of
manufacturers worldwide.
Author Jim Dunkin is world famous on the FAI CL scene
because of his long-term involvement in FAI Team Racing as a
member of the well-known Dunkin-Wright team that competed in
four World Championships representing the United States. The pair
retired from
competition
in the late
1970s.
In the
late 1980s,
Jim met
Swedish
engine
collector
Arne
Hende at a
collector
convention in
Toledo, Ohio, and that meeting resulted in Jim’s taking two trips
through Eastern Europe. Those journeys were the catalyst for his
involvement in collecting engines and his desire to catalog the many
2.5cc engines that had been manufactured.
This full-color book (a black-and-white version is also available)
includes engines manufactured in Australia, Austria, China,
Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland,
Romania, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and
the United States.
Each power plant is shown and has a section that lists all of the
pertinent technical and historical details about it, including generic
name, engine name, date of manufacture, serial numbers (where
applicable), builder, designer, size, bearing type, intake type,
ignition type (diesel or glow), and exhaust type. Jim also wrote a
paragraph of interesting facts and thoughts about each engine listed.
If you are an engine collector, or just someone who has a desire
to learn more about what engines have been produced in this size
range, you will want to add this book to your collection. The color
version is $100 plus $5 postage in the United States. (Call for
overseas postage, please.) The black-and-white edition is $50 plus
$5 postage.
James E. Dunkin, Box 695, Grain Valley MO 64029; Tel.: (816)
229-9671; E-mail: [email protected]
June 2005 15
POLO Digital Servo
Multiplex Modelsport USA has
announced the new POLO “digi 4”
digital servo (catalog item
M65125). You will be surprised
by this servo’s dimensions. It
is 1/8-inch long, 11/8 inches
high, and 1/2-inch thick,
less mounting flanges
and the output arm.
The POLO’s
narrow width
makes it ideal for such applications as narrow fuselages and thin
wing sections. It could also find a home in the new breed of electricpowered
3-D models, where speed and accuracy are so important. A
generous 9-inch cable makes installations easier.
From an electronics standpoint, this servo is rated at 39 ounceinch
of output torque when using a 4.8-volt battery supply (four Ni-
Cd or NiMH cells) and an output of 49 ounce-inch when using a 6.0-
volt (five-cell) pack.
Transit time is stated at 0.10 second for 60° rotation at 4.8 volts
and a blistering 0.08 second when using 6.0 volts. So you get a highoutput
digital servo with extremely fast transit time.
A digital servo means that you will obtain excellent resolution
along with highly accurate centering (when returning to the neutral
position). The trade-off is a slightly higher current drain.
The POLO digi 4 employs a three-pole motor, digital amplifier,
dual ball bearings, and metal gears. Replacement parts, such as gear
sets, are readily available. Take note of this highly accurate servo in
such a small, lightweight package!
The street price for the POLO digi 4 is $49.95.
Multiplex Modelsport USA: 12115 Paine St., Poway CA 92064;
Tel.: (858)-748-6948; Web site: www.multiplexusa.com
Electric Revolution DVD
Electric-powered flight has truly
come of age. This new two-hour
DVD from Airborne Media
documents the latest trends in
electric-flight technologies,
including an in-depth look at the
new breed of Li-Poly batteries that
is driving a renaissance in electric
flight.
To show you the latest
technology, this DVD takes you to
the 2004 Southeast Electric Flight
Festival in Americus, Georgia—
one of the world’s largest electric
flight events—which features an
amazing array of the latest electric 3-D,
Scale, ducted fan, and helicopter models
flown by the sport’s top demonstration pilots.
Professional demonstration pilots Quique Somenzini,
Mike McConville, Gary Wright, Jason Shulman, George Hicks, and
helicopter ace Eric Larson put their high-powered craft through
impressive 3-D aerobatic routines you have to see to believe. You
will also see the new generation of foam 3-D Shock flyers perform
outrageous flight routines at low altitude and high speed.
This DVD features high-quality videography, in-depth interviews,
and a great deal of captivating flying action. You can watch a
preview trailer in QuickTime or Windows Media 9 format on the
Airborne Media Web site.
Electric Revolution has a run time of 1 hour, 55 minutes, and sells
for $22.95 plus + $5 shipping.
Airborne Media: 7414 Burton Dr., Liberty Township OH 45044;
Tel.: (888) 829-4060; Web site: www.airbornemedia.com
Reflection FlatOut Profile ARF
If flat foamie RC airplanes are hot in your area, ElectriFly’s new
FlatOuts might be worth a
closer look!
Using foam-safe
cyanoacrylate
glue, you can
easily transform
the preprinted
foam panels and
carbon rods into
a model that is
ready to fly in two
to three hours.
The Reflection comes
with a T-370 brushed motor, 5:1
gearbox, APC 10 x 3.8 slow-flyer propeller, and propeller saver.
This power system delivers 3-D performance, with no brushless
motor required.
Extended servo arms, large control surfaces, and carbon-fiber
pushrods increase control authority and reduce weight, creating slopfree
control surfaces for extreme 3-D throws. A clip-hinge system on
the tail allows as much as 80° of deflection without binding, and it
can pop loose in the event of a crash.
A complete landing-gear package including wheels, axles, wheel
collars, and wheel pants is supplied.
The FlatOut Reflection ARF has a street price of $44.99.
Great Planes Model Distributors: Box 9021, Champaign IL
61826; Tel.: (800) 682-8948; Web site: www.electrifly.com/
flatouts/gpma1116.html
Electronic Ni-Starter
The new McDaniel
R/C Electronic
Ni-Starter is an
onboard glow
unit that offers
more than 45 starts
per charge from its
own internal power
supply, and it
weighs only 2.8
ounces. It also checks your glow plug before starting the engine and
during the flight.
When the receiver is turned on, this unit will test your glow plug.
If the plug is good, you will see a high-intensity red LED indication.
If bad plugs are detected, you will see a flashing red LED indication.
When you are ready to start the engine, touch the glow-plug
arming button and a high-intensity green LED comes on. At this
point the plug is heated for 30-60 seconds (which the user can adjust).
After starting the engine, you can remove or reapply the glowplug
ignition power to test the engine, as is done with standard Ni-
Starters or external batteries. This is easy; just touch the arming
button to turn the glow-plug power on or touch it again to turn it off.
If the engine stops while you are taxiing your model to the
runway, you can restart your engine by touching the arming button
and flipping the propeller. If the glow plug fails in flight, the red LED
will flash to tell you that the plug failed. Pricing is to be announced.
Sonic-Tronics: 7865 Mill Rd., Elkins Park PA 19027; Tel.: (215)
635-6520; Web site: www.sonictronics.com MA