October 2003 109
HELLO FRIENDS in microland. I attended the 2003 Weak Signals
Toledo show, and there were plenty of new goodies for micro fans to
see. The indoor flying session at Bowling Green State University
Saturday night was a terrific opportunity to watch and examine the
latest and greatest in indoor models and equipment.
If there was one trend to be seen this year, it was the widespread
use of Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly) battery cells in the light models.
(The larger models make good use of them as well.) Too many
vendors were offering cells of different sizes and capacities to single
out any one, but there was a neat little charger that I came home with
from Sky Hooks and Rigging: www.microrc.com.
Called the Li-Poly Charger, this little gem is hardly larger than a
postage stamp. The literature states that it is designed to charge a single
cell, and there is a micro JST socket for the cell to plug into. It is
supposed to sense the capacity of the cell under charge and set the rate
accordingly.
The power source can be any direct-current wall adapter that has an
output of 6-9 volts and sufficient current capacity for the cell being
charged. Sky Hooks and Rigging carries its own line of Li-Poly cells,
and the 210 mAh size comes complete with a micro JST plug that will
fit the tiny charger.
Tom McCann of Sky Hooks and Rigging is one of the earliest
sources of micro equipment. He was busy at the Bowling Green flying
session with several models that used a single Li-Poly cell with a
single servo on the rudder control. These were light models that flew
slowly and would be suited to the smallest gym. Why not check out the
line?
Another new offering, which is shown, was the MagAct from Bob
Selman Designs at http://users.joplin.com/~bselman/. This new
actuator weighs slightly more than 2 grams and rivals the small servos
for torque when operated from the same voltage. The coil resistance is
given as 40 ohms.
Shown in the same picture is the ultralight DigitalPulseConverter
(DPC) 1 driver board that allows the MagAct to be driven with fully
proportional action from the servo output of any receiver. Many
choose to team this actuator with the popular RFFS-100 receiver from
Dynamic Web Enterprises that directly drives the actuator.
Dynamic Web Enterprises, at www.smallrc.com, is a growing
business handled by Dan and Joanne Hurd, who are two of the finest
people in the business. They were showing the new Widget: an Almost
Ready-to-Fly (ARF) aircraft produced by Mark Kummerov that is built
to some of the highest standards I have seen. Dan and Joanne have a
Dave Robelen
M i c r o - F l y i n g
Route 4, Box 369, Farmville VA 23901; E-mail: [email protected]
The PS20 servo by FMA Direct weighs a mere 5.3 grams with the
connector.
The MagAct actuator is available through Bob Selman Designs.
Also shown is the DPC1 driver.
Widget is an ARF model from Dynamic Web Enterprises that
goes together quickly and is a delight to fly.
The Lithium Polymer charger from Sky Hooks and Rigging is
slightly larger than a postage stamp
110 MODEL AVIATION
complete package deal for this model that
includes the airplane, a motor drive, a 230
mAh Li-Poly cell, the RFFS-100 receiver
with two magnetic actuators, an Azzar
antenna, and a Potensky charger for the Li-
Poly cell.
The Widget I brought home went together
very quickly and is a delight to fly. It can fly
slowly and turn tightly enough for the
smallest gym, and it can handle a modest
breeze when you want to engage in a bit of
lawn flying. It is one of the few models I have
that my teen-age daughter has labeled “cute”
and is willing to fly.
Another friend in the industry is Fred
Marks, who is the head of FMA Direct, at
www.fmadirect.com. FMA has been
producing some light, high-performance
Radio Control (RC) equipment for several
years. The latest offering—the S20 servo—is
the smallest and lightest rotary servo I have
seen, and it is built to extremely high
standards. This is one of the first pieces of
equipment that I have found to weigh exactly
what is claimed: 5.3 grams with connector.
The assortment of output arms and fittings
should work for any application you can
come up with.
While at the Bowling Green flying
session, many outstanding models were shown and flown. I will share
more in the future, but the Antoinette built by Mike Gretz caught my
eye with its graceful lines and exquisite detail. The photos give you an
idea of some of the craftsmanship that went into this gorgeous model.
Just to show that a detailed model such as this need not be a
“hangar queen,” Mike put up some fine flights showing how slow and
graceful his airplane is in the air. The best part is that you can have one
too; it is a kit from Sig Manufacturing.
I received a package in the mail from Ferrell Papic, 300 W. Lincoln
#82, Orange CA 92865; E-mail: [email protected]. Ferrell has
successfully converted one of the micro RC car systems to an airplane
application. A photo shows the 16-inch 1911 Cessna he built for this
setup. I am going to let Ferrell tell about his little gem.
“I am sending you photos of my two-channel RC, 16-inch
wingspan, scratch-built 1911 Cessna model that has a flying weight of
20 grams.
“A magnetic actuator bellcrank, 35-tooth servo gear, a bushedaluminum
tube for the motor gear box, a 33⁄4-inch carved balsa
propeller, a 140 mA Li-Poly receiver battery, a RadioShack 3-volt,
night-flying marker lamp, a 540 mA Li-Poly transmitter, battery and a
double-backed servo-tape-mounted rudder control stick were added to
the equipment that comes with the Super Mini RC car equipment. The
27 MHz car transmitter has a motor-reverse button that should only be
used to retrieve the model from a thermal.”
I thought this was quite an inspiring project, the way Ferrell adapted
nonaircraft economical gear to produce a sweet little Scale RC model.
There has been much discussion on the Internet about converting the
controls from these little cars, but this is the first time I have seen it put
together in such a well-thought-out fashion.
As I wrap up this column, I am preparing to leave for Waterford,
Michigan, for the National Indoor Remote-Control Aircraft Council
Indoor RC Championships on May 31 and June 1. Watch for coverage
of this meet in an upcoming issue.
I don’t know how your weather has been, but I have been trapped
inside for way too long watching the rain fill up every pore in the
ground. It is conditions like these that make the opportunity to fly
indoors such a treat. Whatever site you have, please be good citizens
and modelers, and protect this privilege.
Till next time. MA
This close-up picture of Mike Gretz’s Sig Manufacturing Antoinette at Toledo, Ohio,
shows the graceful lines and exquisite detail of the model.
Not a “hangar queen,” Mike put up some fine flights
demonstrating how the Antoinette handled in the air.
Ferrell Papic converted his micro RC-car system to operate this
16-inch-span 1911 Cessna.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/10
Page Numbers: 109,110
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/10
Page Numbers: 109,110
October 2003 109
HELLO FRIENDS in microland. I attended the 2003 Weak Signals
Toledo show, and there were plenty of new goodies for micro fans to
see. The indoor flying session at Bowling Green State University
Saturday night was a terrific opportunity to watch and examine the
latest and greatest in indoor models and equipment.
If there was one trend to be seen this year, it was the widespread
use of Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly) battery cells in the light models.
(The larger models make good use of them as well.) Too many
vendors were offering cells of different sizes and capacities to single
out any one, but there was a neat little charger that I came home with
from Sky Hooks and Rigging: www.microrc.com.
Called the Li-Poly Charger, this little gem is hardly larger than a
postage stamp. The literature states that it is designed to charge a single
cell, and there is a micro JST socket for the cell to plug into. It is
supposed to sense the capacity of the cell under charge and set the rate
accordingly.
The power source can be any direct-current wall adapter that has an
output of 6-9 volts and sufficient current capacity for the cell being
charged. Sky Hooks and Rigging carries its own line of Li-Poly cells,
and the 210 mAh size comes complete with a micro JST plug that will
fit the tiny charger.
Tom McCann of Sky Hooks and Rigging is one of the earliest
sources of micro equipment. He was busy at the Bowling Green flying
session with several models that used a single Li-Poly cell with a
single servo on the rudder control. These were light models that flew
slowly and would be suited to the smallest gym. Why not check out the
line?
Another new offering, which is shown, was the MagAct from Bob
Selman Designs at http://users.joplin.com/~bselman/. This new
actuator weighs slightly more than 2 grams and rivals the small servos
for torque when operated from the same voltage. The coil resistance is
given as 40 ohms.
Shown in the same picture is the ultralight DigitalPulseConverter
(DPC) 1 driver board that allows the MagAct to be driven with fully
proportional action from the servo output of any receiver. Many
choose to team this actuator with the popular RFFS-100 receiver from
Dynamic Web Enterprises that directly drives the actuator.
Dynamic Web Enterprises, at www.smallrc.com, is a growing
business handled by Dan and Joanne Hurd, who are two of the finest
people in the business. They were showing the new Widget: an Almost
Ready-to-Fly (ARF) aircraft produced by Mark Kummerov that is built
to some of the highest standards I have seen. Dan and Joanne have a
Dave Robelen
M i c r o - F l y i n g
Route 4, Box 369, Farmville VA 23901; E-mail: [email protected]
The PS20 servo by FMA Direct weighs a mere 5.3 grams with the
connector.
The MagAct actuator is available through Bob Selman Designs.
Also shown is the DPC1 driver.
Widget is an ARF model from Dynamic Web Enterprises that
goes together quickly and is a delight to fly.
The Lithium Polymer charger from Sky Hooks and Rigging is
slightly larger than a postage stamp
110 MODEL AVIATION
complete package deal for this model that
includes the airplane, a motor drive, a 230
mAh Li-Poly cell, the RFFS-100 receiver
with two magnetic actuators, an Azzar
antenna, and a Potensky charger for the Li-
Poly cell.
The Widget I brought home went together
very quickly and is a delight to fly. It can fly
slowly and turn tightly enough for the
smallest gym, and it can handle a modest
breeze when you want to engage in a bit of
lawn flying. It is one of the few models I have
that my teen-age daughter has labeled “cute”
and is willing to fly.
Another friend in the industry is Fred
Marks, who is the head of FMA Direct, at
www.fmadirect.com. FMA has been
producing some light, high-performance
Radio Control (RC) equipment for several
years. The latest offering—the S20 servo—is
the smallest and lightest rotary servo I have
seen, and it is built to extremely high
standards. This is one of the first pieces of
equipment that I have found to weigh exactly
what is claimed: 5.3 grams with connector.
The assortment of output arms and fittings
should work for any application you can
come up with.
While at the Bowling Green flying
session, many outstanding models were shown and flown. I will share
more in the future, but the Antoinette built by Mike Gretz caught my
eye with its graceful lines and exquisite detail. The photos give you an
idea of some of the craftsmanship that went into this gorgeous model.
Just to show that a detailed model such as this need not be a
“hangar queen,” Mike put up some fine flights showing how slow and
graceful his airplane is in the air. The best part is that you can have one
too; it is a kit from Sig Manufacturing.
I received a package in the mail from Ferrell Papic, 300 W. Lincoln
#82, Orange CA 92865; E-mail: [email protected]. Ferrell has
successfully converted one of the micro RC car systems to an airplane
application. A photo shows the 16-inch 1911 Cessna he built for this
setup. I am going to let Ferrell tell about his little gem.
“I am sending you photos of my two-channel RC, 16-inch
wingspan, scratch-built 1911 Cessna model that has a flying weight of
20 grams.
“A magnetic actuator bellcrank, 35-tooth servo gear, a bushedaluminum
tube for the motor gear box, a 33⁄4-inch carved balsa
propeller, a 140 mA Li-Poly receiver battery, a RadioShack 3-volt,
night-flying marker lamp, a 540 mA Li-Poly transmitter, battery and a
double-backed servo-tape-mounted rudder control stick were added to
the equipment that comes with the Super Mini RC car equipment. The
27 MHz car transmitter has a motor-reverse button that should only be
used to retrieve the model from a thermal.”
I thought this was quite an inspiring project, the way Ferrell adapted
nonaircraft economical gear to produce a sweet little Scale RC model.
There has been much discussion on the Internet about converting the
controls from these little cars, but this is the first time I have seen it put
together in such a well-thought-out fashion.
As I wrap up this column, I am preparing to leave for Waterford,
Michigan, for the National Indoor Remote-Control Aircraft Council
Indoor RC Championships on May 31 and June 1. Watch for coverage
of this meet in an upcoming issue.
I don’t know how your weather has been, but I have been trapped
inside for way too long watching the rain fill up every pore in the
ground. It is conditions like these that make the opportunity to fly
indoors such a treat. Whatever site you have, please be good citizens
and modelers, and protect this privilege.
Till next time. MA
This close-up picture of Mike Gretz’s Sig Manufacturing Antoinette at Toledo, Ohio,
shows the graceful lines and exquisite detail of the model.
Not a “hangar queen,” Mike put up some fine flights
demonstrating how the Antoinette handled in the air.
Ferrell Papic converted his micro RC-car system to operate this
16-inch-span 1911 Cessna.
