The Weak Signals Show in Toledo
is a month away as I write this,
but I’m already anxious to hit
the road and see what’s new this year.
I have managed to get ahold of the
new Spektrum DX7s though, as well
as the telemetry stuff to go with it for
the iPad. That is really exciting! I’m also
building a new electric-powered airplane
just for me; no review, no article to write
about it, just pure self-grati cation! How
cool is that?
Parallel Charging—Again
I’ve gotten good responses from
people who have tried the parallel
charging techniques I have mentioned
in previous columns. I continue to use
this method, but I also received some
questions about how to charge LiPos for
the mCP X helicopter, micro airplanes,
and other models.
A quick visit to the Tejera
Microsystems Engineering, Inc. website
showed me what I was looking for. The
photo shows the board for charging four
of the smallest single-cell LiPos for the
micro airplanes; the adapter wire does
the larger plugs on the packs for the
mCP X and similar machines.
Prices are in the $8 to $12 range as
I write this. The same principles apply
for parallel charging
these cells, so there’s
nothing new to learn!
Spektrum DX7s
It’s no secret
that I’m sort of
a radio nut. I’ve
owned nearly every
brand out there
and continue to use several different
brands—I just like radios.
I had the original DX7, replaced it
with my JR 9503, and I love it. I wanted
another radio, so I bought the new DX7s
after seeing it was more than a remake.
The DX7s is a complete redesign of
the radio and now it includes telemetry
capability. There will be a full review of
this radio in Model Airplane News, but
I wanted to touch on a few noteworthy
aspects of the new radio.
Its street price is roughly
$299. You get the transmitter,
the AR8000 receiver, and no
servos for a respectable price.
The rubber grips and feel of the
radio are so much improved
it’s hard to describe. No more
rebooting the radio to change
airplanes!
The gimbles are so smooth
that it feels like a $1,000 radio.
The programming is the easiest
of any radio I have ever used.
That’s a big statement, but I
stand by it.
I pulled the transmitter out of the box
when it arrived and was programming
an airplane before I cracked open the
instruction manual. I don’t recommend
that method, but it shows how easy this
radio is to use.
One thing that caught my eye when
I turned it on was the voltage. I gured
the pack was bad, but when I looked in
the back I saw it used a four-cell 2000
mAh NiMH battery pack instead of
the 9.6-volt packs I’m accustomed to
using. No problem; it works great and
there is a two-cell LiPo upgrade available
that gives you a whopping 4000 mAh
capacity.
There are a couple of features I think
are exceptionally valuable to electric
iers. The rst is the throttle-hold
switch. Helicopter pilots are accustomed
to having this feature, but when we
select “airplane” as the model type, we
usually lose that feature. Not so with
the DX7s! You can activate that switch
regardless of aircraft mode.
Why do I think that is exceptionally
important? Safety! All electric-powered
models risk taking off if you accidentally
hit the throttle after arming the motor.
With the throttle-hold switch, you
can prevent that from happening! I’m
excited about this feature!
The other feature I appreciate is the
warning you get if you forget to turn the
transmitter off. I didn’t know this existed
until I was working on the bench and
With the latest Spektrum STi telemetry update
for the iPad, iPod, or iPhone, you can have
someone track your status while you fly, or
review the data when your flight is complete
Tejera Microsystems Engineering offers these
parallel charging adapters for micros.
There are many modules, sensors, and wires to stow a er
the telemetry is installed.
left the transmitter on. A few minutes later, the thing started
beeping and dancing across the bench.
The alarm can be adjusted and you can select tone,
vibration, or both. This feature gets your attention, and there
will be no more draining the pack from stupidity on my part!
All alarms can be set to use either or both methods of alerting
you.
Telemetry
It seems that everyone is talking about telemetry these days,
and some of the comments I hear at the eld include, “So
what?” or “Why do I care about that; I can’t read the screen
when I’m ying anyway.” These are all good points, but I think
it’s worth its weight in gold; I’ll share with you a couple of
reasons why.
I can’t y and look down to read the screen either, and if I
could, I wouldn’t take my eyes off the airplane or helicopter
for that long. What you can do is set alarms that will give
you a tone or vibration or both when certain parameters are
exceeded.
For an electric ier, that can be the status of your receiver
battery or your ight battery, depending on which sensors
you’re using. You don’t have to read anything; just respond
to the warning when it comes. Forewarned is forearmed.
Knowing the status of your receiver battery in today’s powerhungry
systems is more important than ever.
As soon as I saw that the Spektrum STi module was ready,
along with the app for my iPad, I was on the telephone
ordering one. Again, no, I can’t look at the iPad while I’m
ying, but I can have my buddy watching it while I y, and
after the ight is complete, I can review the data. With the
latest update, you can play back the ight and save it, too.
I have sensors for:
• Airspeed
• Altitude
• Motor battery voltage
• Brushless motor rpm
• Temperature
• Receiver voltage
There are also sensors for G forces, but I haven’t added
them, yet! I’m hoping that one day we’ll get a sensor for motor
current, too, but I don’t know if that’s being worked on yet.
All of this data can help you ne-tune your aircraft and make
things safer.
The author promised to report on the maiden flight of his Great Planes
Shoestring ARF.
On the subject of safety, there is a
screen on the DX7s that can be slightly
confusing. It shows letters and a number
next to them. There is no explanation
in the manual so I did some research
and found that they pertain to the signal
quality.
This is huge and its omission in the
manual is an oversight that will soon
be corrected. Here is an explanation of
what they mean:
A: Antenna fades on internal antenna A
B: Antenna fades on internal antenna
B (not used on the AR8000)
L: Antenna fades on the left external
antenna
R: Antenna fades on the right external
antenna (not used on the AR8000)
F: Frame loss
H: Holds
With all the wiring in our electric
airplanes, this is valuable information to
have. If you see too many fades or holds
or frame losses, you can reroute things
to improve the receiver’s signal. That
equates to safety for everyone.
Great Planes Shoestring Racer
This airplane has been out for a
couple of years, but for some reason
it’s just now getting some attention.
I bought one when it was first on the
market and am just getting around
to putting it together, but my first
impression is, “Wow!” This has to be one
of the most beautiful ARFs I’ve seen in a
long time.
The fuselage is beautifully painted
fiberglass and the wings are sheeted
foam core covered in MonoKote.
Assembly has been flawless and the
innovative cockpit hatch is something
that all manufacturers should be doing.
The front of the hatch is held on in
the usual way with two locator dowels
and the back is held in place with rare
earth magnets, but they have keyed tabs
for extra safety. I know magnets hold
well, but I worry just the same.
With this method, you slide the
canopy hatch forward into the dowel
holes, then drop the rear keyed tabs into
their respective slots before sliding the
canopy back so the magnets catch. This
provides a positive locking method that
no amount of aerobatic forces can break.
Paired with my Futaba T7C 2.4 GHz
radio and a 6S power system, I expect
this airplane to rock my world!
I’ll be reporting soon on its maiden
flight. I encourage you to check out the
Great Planes website and look this one
over closely.
Taking Off
There is just so much good stuff going
on that I could ramble for pages, but I
guess I should leave some space for the
other columnists!
Remember to stay on top of the
AMA’s efforts in regard to the FAA rules
coming down the road. Do not lose your
hobby to complacency! Support our
leaders’ efforts to protect the hobby and
write your congressional representatives
an old-fashioned snail mail letter. That
draws more attention than a dozen
emails.
Okay, off the soapbox and back to the
shop!
SOURCES
Great Planes Manufacturing
(800) 637-7660
www.greatplanes.com
Spektrum
(800) 338-4639
www.spektrumrc.com
Tejera Microsystems Engineering
The top photo shows the Shoestring’s power
setup on the factory mount; the ESC mount is
in the kit. The latch design on the Shoestring’s
hatch, shown in the bottom photo, includes
keyed tabs for an additional measure of safety
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/06
Page Numbers: 85,86,87
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/06
Page Numbers: 85,86,87
The Weak Signals Show in Toledo
is a month away as I write this,
but I’m already anxious to hit
the road and see what’s new this year.
I have managed to get ahold of the
new Spektrum DX7s though, as well
as the telemetry stuff to go with it for
the iPad. That is really exciting! I’m also
building a new electric-powered airplane
just for me; no review, no article to write
about it, just pure self-grati cation! How
cool is that?
Parallel Charging—Again
I’ve gotten good responses from
people who have tried the parallel
charging techniques I have mentioned
in previous columns. I continue to use
this method, but I also received some
questions about how to charge LiPos for
the mCP X helicopter, micro airplanes,
and other models.
A quick visit to the Tejera
Microsystems Engineering, Inc. website
showed me what I was looking for. The
photo shows the board for charging four
of the smallest single-cell LiPos for the
micro airplanes; the adapter wire does
the larger plugs on the packs for the
mCP X and similar machines.
Prices are in the $8 to $12 range as
I write this. The same principles apply
for parallel charging
these cells, so there’s
nothing new to learn!
Spektrum DX7s
It’s no secret
that I’m sort of
a radio nut. I’ve
owned nearly every
brand out there
and continue to use several different
brands—I just like radios.
I had the original DX7, replaced it
with my JR 9503, and I love it. I wanted
another radio, so I bought the new DX7s
after seeing it was more than a remake.
The DX7s is a complete redesign of
the radio and now it includes telemetry
capability. There will be a full review of
this radio in Model Airplane News, but
I wanted to touch on a few noteworthy
aspects of the new radio.
Its street price is roughly
$299. You get the transmitter,
the AR8000 receiver, and no
servos for a respectable price.
The rubber grips and feel of the
radio are so much improved
it’s hard to describe. No more
rebooting the radio to change
airplanes!
The gimbles are so smooth
that it feels like a $1,000 radio.
The programming is the easiest
of any radio I have ever used.
That’s a big statement, but I
stand by it.
I pulled the transmitter out of the box
when it arrived and was programming
an airplane before I cracked open the
instruction manual. I don’t recommend
that method, but it shows how easy this
radio is to use.
One thing that caught my eye when
I turned it on was the voltage. I gured
the pack was bad, but when I looked in
the back I saw it used a four-cell 2000
mAh NiMH battery pack instead of
the 9.6-volt packs I’m accustomed to
using. No problem; it works great and
there is a two-cell LiPo upgrade available
that gives you a whopping 4000 mAh
capacity.
There are a couple of features I think
are exceptionally valuable to electric
iers. The rst is the throttle-hold
switch. Helicopter pilots are accustomed
to having this feature, but when we
select “airplane” as the model type, we
usually lose that feature. Not so with
the DX7s! You can activate that switch
regardless of aircraft mode.
Why do I think that is exceptionally
important? Safety! All electric-powered
models risk taking off if you accidentally
hit the throttle after arming the motor.
With the throttle-hold switch, you
can prevent that from happening! I’m
excited about this feature!
The other feature I appreciate is the
warning you get if you forget to turn the
transmitter off. I didn’t know this existed
until I was working on the bench and
With the latest Spektrum STi telemetry update
for the iPad, iPod, or iPhone, you can have
someone track your status while you fly, or
review the data when your flight is complete
Tejera Microsystems Engineering offers these
parallel charging adapters for micros.
There are many modules, sensors, and wires to stow a er
the telemetry is installed.
left the transmitter on. A few minutes later, the thing started
beeping and dancing across the bench.
The alarm can be adjusted and you can select tone,
vibration, or both. This feature gets your attention, and there
will be no more draining the pack from stupidity on my part!
All alarms can be set to use either or both methods of alerting
you.
Telemetry
It seems that everyone is talking about telemetry these days,
and some of the comments I hear at the eld include, “So
what?” or “Why do I care about that; I can’t read the screen
when I’m ying anyway.” These are all good points, but I think
it’s worth its weight in gold; I’ll share with you a couple of
reasons why.
I can’t y and look down to read the screen either, and if I
could, I wouldn’t take my eyes off the airplane or helicopter
for that long. What you can do is set alarms that will give
you a tone or vibration or both when certain parameters are
exceeded.
For an electric ier, that can be the status of your receiver
battery or your ight battery, depending on which sensors
you’re using. You don’t have to read anything; just respond
to the warning when it comes. Forewarned is forearmed.
Knowing the status of your receiver battery in today’s powerhungry
systems is more important than ever.
As soon as I saw that the Spektrum STi module was ready,
along with the app for my iPad, I was on the telephone
ordering one. Again, no, I can’t look at the iPad while I’m
ying, but I can have my buddy watching it while I y, and
after the ight is complete, I can review the data. With the
latest update, you can play back the ight and save it, too.
I have sensors for:
• Airspeed
• Altitude
• Motor battery voltage
• Brushless motor rpm
• Temperature
• Receiver voltage
There are also sensors for G forces, but I haven’t added
them, yet! I’m hoping that one day we’ll get a sensor for motor
current, too, but I don’t know if that’s being worked on yet.
All of this data can help you ne-tune your aircraft and make
things safer.
The author promised to report on the maiden flight of his Great Planes
Shoestring ARF.
On the subject of safety, there is a
screen on the DX7s that can be slightly
confusing. It shows letters and a number
next to them. There is no explanation
in the manual so I did some research
and found that they pertain to the signal
quality.
This is huge and its omission in the
manual is an oversight that will soon
be corrected. Here is an explanation of
what they mean:
A: Antenna fades on internal antenna A
B: Antenna fades on internal antenna
B (not used on the AR8000)
L: Antenna fades on the left external
antenna
R: Antenna fades on the right external
antenna (not used on the AR8000)
F: Frame loss
H: Holds
With all the wiring in our electric
airplanes, this is valuable information to
have. If you see too many fades or holds
or frame losses, you can reroute things
to improve the receiver’s signal. That
equates to safety for everyone.
Great Planes Shoestring Racer
This airplane has been out for a
couple of years, but for some reason
it’s just now getting some attention.
I bought one when it was first on the
market and am just getting around
to putting it together, but my first
impression is, “Wow!” This has to be one
of the most beautiful ARFs I’ve seen in a
long time.
The fuselage is beautifully painted
fiberglass and the wings are sheeted
foam core covered in MonoKote.
Assembly has been flawless and the
innovative cockpit hatch is something
that all manufacturers should be doing.
The front of the hatch is held on in
the usual way with two locator dowels
and the back is held in place with rare
earth magnets, but they have keyed tabs
for extra safety. I know magnets hold
well, but I worry just the same.
With this method, you slide the
canopy hatch forward into the dowel
holes, then drop the rear keyed tabs into
their respective slots before sliding the
canopy back so the magnets catch. This
provides a positive locking method that
no amount of aerobatic forces can break.
Paired with my Futaba T7C 2.4 GHz
radio and a 6S power system, I expect
this airplane to rock my world!
I’ll be reporting soon on its maiden
flight. I encourage you to check out the
Great Planes website and look this one
over closely.
Taking Off
There is just so much good stuff going
on that I could ramble for pages, but I
guess I should leave some space for the
other columnists!
Remember to stay on top of the
AMA’s efforts in regard to the FAA rules
coming down the road. Do not lose your
hobby to complacency! Support our
leaders’ efforts to protect the hobby and
write your congressional representatives
an old-fashioned snail mail letter. That
draws more attention than a dozen
emails.
Okay, off the soapbox and back to the
shop!
SOURCES
Great Planes Manufacturing
(800) 637-7660
www.greatplanes.com
Spektrum
(800) 338-4639
www.spektrumrc.com
Tejera Microsystems Engineering
The top photo shows the Shoestring’s power
setup on the factory mount; the ESC mount is
in the kit. The latch design on the Shoestring’s
hatch, shown in the bottom photo, includes
keyed tabs for an additional measure of safety
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/06
Page Numbers: 85,86,87
The Weak Signals Show in Toledo
is a month away as I write this,
but I’m already anxious to hit
the road and see what’s new this year.
I have managed to get ahold of the
new Spektrum DX7s though, as well
as the telemetry stuff to go with it for
the iPad. That is really exciting! I’m also
building a new electric-powered airplane
just for me; no review, no article to write
about it, just pure self-grati cation! How
cool is that?
Parallel Charging—Again
I’ve gotten good responses from
people who have tried the parallel
charging techniques I have mentioned
in previous columns. I continue to use
this method, but I also received some
questions about how to charge LiPos for
the mCP X helicopter, micro airplanes,
and other models.
A quick visit to the Tejera
Microsystems Engineering, Inc. website
showed me what I was looking for. The
photo shows the board for charging four
of the smallest single-cell LiPos for the
micro airplanes; the adapter wire does
the larger plugs on the packs for the
mCP X and similar machines.
Prices are in the $8 to $12 range as
I write this. The same principles apply
for parallel charging
these cells, so there’s
nothing new to learn!
Spektrum DX7s
It’s no secret
that I’m sort of
a radio nut. I’ve
owned nearly every
brand out there
and continue to use several different
brands—I just like radios.
I had the original DX7, replaced it
with my JR 9503, and I love it. I wanted
another radio, so I bought the new DX7s
after seeing it was more than a remake.
The DX7s is a complete redesign of
the radio and now it includes telemetry
capability. There will be a full review of
this radio in Model Airplane News, but
I wanted to touch on a few noteworthy
aspects of the new radio.
Its street price is roughly
$299. You get the transmitter,
the AR8000 receiver, and no
servos for a respectable price.
The rubber grips and feel of the
radio are so much improved
it’s hard to describe. No more
rebooting the radio to change
airplanes!
The gimbles are so smooth
that it feels like a $1,000 radio.
The programming is the easiest
of any radio I have ever used.
That’s a big statement, but I
stand by it.
I pulled the transmitter out of the box
when it arrived and was programming
an airplane before I cracked open the
instruction manual. I don’t recommend
that method, but it shows how easy this
radio is to use.
One thing that caught my eye when
I turned it on was the voltage. I gured
the pack was bad, but when I looked in
the back I saw it used a four-cell 2000
mAh NiMH battery pack instead of
the 9.6-volt packs I’m accustomed to
using. No problem; it works great and
there is a two-cell LiPo upgrade available
that gives you a whopping 4000 mAh
capacity.
There are a couple of features I think
are exceptionally valuable to electric
iers. The rst is the throttle-hold
switch. Helicopter pilots are accustomed
to having this feature, but when we
select “airplane” as the model type, we
usually lose that feature. Not so with
the DX7s! You can activate that switch
regardless of aircraft mode.
Why do I think that is exceptionally
important? Safety! All electric-powered
models risk taking off if you accidentally
hit the throttle after arming the motor.
With the throttle-hold switch, you
can prevent that from happening! I’m
excited about this feature!
The other feature I appreciate is the
warning you get if you forget to turn the
transmitter off. I didn’t know this existed
until I was working on the bench and
With the latest Spektrum STi telemetry update
for the iPad, iPod, or iPhone, you can have
someone track your status while you fly, or
review the data when your flight is complete
Tejera Microsystems Engineering offers these
parallel charging adapters for micros.
There are many modules, sensors, and wires to stow a er
the telemetry is installed.
left the transmitter on. A few minutes later, the thing started
beeping and dancing across the bench.
The alarm can be adjusted and you can select tone,
vibration, or both. This feature gets your attention, and there
will be no more draining the pack from stupidity on my part!
All alarms can be set to use either or both methods of alerting
you.
Telemetry
It seems that everyone is talking about telemetry these days,
and some of the comments I hear at the eld include, “So
what?” or “Why do I care about that; I can’t read the screen
when I’m ying anyway.” These are all good points, but I think
it’s worth its weight in gold; I’ll share with you a couple of
reasons why.
I can’t y and look down to read the screen either, and if I
could, I wouldn’t take my eyes off the airplane or helicopter
for that long. What you can do is set alarms that will give
you a tone or vibration or both when certain parameters are
exceeded.
For an electric ier, that can be the status of your receiver
battery or your ight battery, depending on which sensors
you’re using. You don’t have to read anything; just respond
to the warning when it comes. Forewarned is forearmed.
Knowing the status of your receiver battery in today’s powerhungry
systems is more important than ever.
As soon as I saw that the Spektrum STi module was ready,
along with the app for my iPad, I was on the telephone
ordering one. Again, no, I can’t look at the iPad while I’m
ying, but I can have my buddy watching it while I y, and
after the ight is complete, I can review the data. With the
latest update, you can play back the ight and save it, too.
I have sensors for:
• Airspeed
• Altitude
• Motor battery voltage
• Brushless motor rpm
• Temperature
• Receiver voltage
There are also sensors for G forces, but I haven’t added
them, yet! I’m hoping that one day we’ll get a sensor for motor
current, too, but I don’t know if that’s being worked on yet.
All of this data can help you ne-tune your aircraft and make
things safer.
The author promised to report on the maiden flight of his Great Planes
Shoestring ARF.
On the subject of safety, there is a
screen on the DX7s that can be slightly
confusing. It shows letters and a number
next to them. There is no explanation
in the manual so I did some research
and found that they pertain to the signal
quality.
This is huge and its omission in the
manual is an oversight that will soon
be corrected. Here is an explanation of
what they mean:
A: Antenna fades on internal antenna A
B: Antenna fades on internal antenna
B (not used on the AR8000)
L: Antenna fades on the left external
antenna
R: Antenna fades on the right external
antenna (not used on the AR8000)
F: Frame loss
H: Holds
With all the wiring in our electric
airplanes, this is valuable information to
have. If you see too many fades or holds
or frame losses, you can reroute things
to improve the receiver’s signal. That
equates to safety for everyone.
Great Planes Shoestring Racer
This airplane has been out for a
couple of years, but for some reason
it’s just now getting some attention.
I bought one when it was first on the
market and am just getting around
to putting it together, but my first
impression is, “Wow!” This has to be one
of the most beautiful ARFs I’ve seen in a
long time.
The fuselage is beautifully painted
fiberglass and the wings are sheeted
foam core covered in MonoKote.
Assembly has been flawless and the
innovative cockpit hatch is something
that all manufacturers should be doing.
The front of the hatch is held on in
the usual way with two locator dowels
and the back is held in place with rare
earth magnets, but they have keyed tabs
for extra safety. I know magnets hold
well, but I worry just the same.
With this method, you slide the
canopy hatch forward into the dowel
holes, then drop the rear keyed tabs into
their respective slots before sliding the
canopy back so the magnets catch. This
provides a positive locking method that
no amount of aerobatic forces can break.
Paired with my Futaba T7C 2.4 GHz
radio and a 6S power system, I expect
this airplane to rock my world!
I’ll be reporting soon on its maiden
flight. I encourage you to check out the
Great Planes website and look this one
over closely.
Taking Off
There is just so much good stuff going
on that I could ramble for pages, but I
guess I should leave some space for the
other columnists!
Remember to stay on top of the
AMA’s efforts in regard to the FAA rules
coming down the road. Do not lose your
hobby to complacency! Support our
leaders’ efforts to protect the hobby and
write your congressional representatives
an old-fashioned snail mail letter. That
draws more attention than a dozen
emails.
Okay, off the soapbox and back to the
shop!
SOURCES
Great Planes Manufacturing
(800) 637-7660
www.greatplanes.com
Spektrum
(800) 338-4639
www.spektrumrc.com
Tejera Microsystems Engineering
The top photo shows the Shoestring’s power
setup on the factory mount; the ESC mount is
in the kit. The latch design on the Shoestring’s
hatch, shown in the bottom photo, includes
keyed tabs for an additional measure of safety
