RC Scale
Jeff Troy, 19 E. Mt. Pleasant Ave., Ambler PA 19002
During advance planning in preparation for building Midwest Products' new Extra 300 SX, I enjoyed a very pleasant and informative conversation with Larry Scribnick of SR Batteries.
I was interested in purchasing one of Larry's airborne packs for my project. He knows more about batteries than most of us do; instead of just taking an order and shipping a pack, he turned me on to a terrific tip. You'll like this one.
The Extra is not a gigantic airplane, but its gasoline engine and 81-inch span definitely warrant more than randomly selecting the components that will comprise the airplane's radio system and linkage installation.
When it came down to the receiver battery, I wanted something that would deliver more flight time for the Extra's multiple servos than 1,200 mAh cells would. As I expected, Larry had a 2,000 mAh pack that would drive the airplane's flight system perfectly.
I thought the matter was closed, then Larry brought up the subject of redundancy. How many of you use a redundant battery system? Many large scale aircraft modelers carry two receiver packs in their airplanes, but Larry believes—and I agree—that the weakest link in a contemporary radio is not the battery, but the receiver switch.
Servos are shock-mounted using rubber grommets to reduce vibration, and brass or aluminum eyelets to prevent the mounting screws from being overtightened and compressing the servos.
For as long as I can remember, receivers and receiver batteries have been wrapped in soft foam rubber to reduce vibration. If vibration creeps into a system, it does so most often through the receiver switch, which is the one component in the system that is usually hard-mounted—it's screwed to the side of the fuselage with a pair of 2-56 or 2 mm machine screws.
Adding another battery and switch to a radio system is a sound solution to the vibration problem. After all, the chance of two switches or two batteries failing during the same flight is almost zero.
However, Larry has a much simpler solution, which is much lighter and much more economical. Instead of carrying an extra pack and an extra switch, all the model really needs is the extra switch.
Larry can build a special receiver pack with dual connectors. Both connectors are hard-wired to the pack in the same manner as a traditional single connector. Each connector is plugged into a separate receiver switch harness. One harness plugs into the normal battery input of the receiver, and the second plugs into any open channel.
If one switch should fail with this system in place, the other switch harness carries the load and the radio control (RC) system will never skip a beat.
Testing for a faulty switch is quick and easy. Turn on one switch at a time, with the other switch in the off position. It’s as simple as that, and you don’t have to accept the weight penalty of two high-capacity receiver packs to do the job.
When you order your next SR receiver battery, ask Larry to fill you in on the details. You’ll be pleased with how little it costs to add another connector to the pack, and you’ll be much happier with the added confidence that you’ll get from the setup.
Contact Larry at SR Batteries, Inc., Box 287, Bellport NY 11713; Tel.: (516) 286-0079; Fax: (516) 286-0901; E-mail: info@srbatteries.
AMA Convention 2000
January brought the second running of AMA’s California trade show—Convention 2000. The event is the former IMS (International Modelers Show), and it takes place at the Pasadena Convention Center.
Scale was very well-represented at Convention 2000.
Documentation vendors had access to Bob Bausch and the full line of Photo-Paks from Scale Model Research.
Bob Holman Plans was exhibiting in full force, with kits, plans, three-views, and much more from many of the scale category’s leading designers in the US and abroad.
Scale models were abundant on the show’s static display tables, with examples of everything from World War I biplanes to turbine-powered jet models. Me 109s, Fw 190s, and even a magnificent Avro 504 were available for viewer pleasure, and as top-notch subject matter for the show’s static-judging team.
AMA has made a significant difference in the way this show is operated, and manufacturers seem to be enjoying the change. A greater number of exhibitors has been the most obvious result, including a few RC car vendors who haven’t attended in many years.
At first glance, one might wonder why an airplane group is interested in cars, boats, and railroading. An answer is that hobbyists—like most people—are prone to cross over, and many airplane modelers have ultimately been seen visiting model-builders from alternate modeling interests.
Docu-Search
Gerald Collatz is interested in the Cantilever Aero Company’s Christmas Bullet, which is featured on page 234 of Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War I.
Gerald would like to construct a 1/4-scale model of the Bullet, but he lacks sufficient information to create a usable plan.
If any of you can locate three-views, plans, or drawings of this aircraft, please contact Gerald Collatz at 206 Moss Hill Dr., Goldsboro NC 27530.
Ed Killian saw a Crosley Moonbeam in a now-defunct museum in Santa Fe. He hasn’t been able to forget this airplane, and he feels that the Docu-Search service might yield enough information for him to get a Moonbeam RC project started.
If you can provide any information on this unique biplane, please contact Ed Killian at 8417 Vineyard Ridge Ct. N.E., Albuquerque NM 87122-2656.
Manufacturers’ News
Dave Platt is at it again—this time with a series of instructional videotapes that address the subject of scratchbuilding. Scratch This! is a three-tape addition to The Master’s Black Art collection.
Wise Owl Worldwide Publications has Datafile series on WW I aeroplanes. The Ultimate Collection is the latest catalog.
I’ll have details about the series’ content in my next Model Aviation installment. You can get tapes or information from Dave Platt Models, 1306 Havre N.W., Palm Bay FL 32907; Tel.: (407) 724-2144.
Wise Owl Worldwide is offering a very nice catalog of World War I aircraft titles. The Ultimate Collection includes 16 pages of Winsock Datafile and Mini Datafile books about allied and Axis machines and several noteworthy pilots, including the biography Richthofen by A.E. Ferko.
For more information, write to Wise Owl Worldwide Publications, 1926 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Suite 204, Redondo Beach CA 90277; Tel.: (310) 940-5033; Fax: (310) 944-9963.
Modelers’ Projects
Bob Thacker has been an active force in scale modeling for most of his life—and most of ours.
One of Bob’s latest projects is a 10% model of the NASA experimental F-15 Active.
Bob wrote in his description, “Well, they took the horizontal stabs off an F-18 and made them into canards. They are full-time active with other normal flight controls. Adding 20 percent vertical tails to the fin makes it look like a Piper Cub.”
The 13.5-pound model spans 50 inches and is powered by a K&B .82 on Byron fuel, 70-oil, and four ounces of castor in a Tom Cook fuel. The symmetrical airfoil wing uses bass-balsa-sheet construction. Gear is Robart and quality military hardware. Guidance is Futaba’s 1000 system. It’s “perfection,” Bob claims.
Closing
In my next installment, I’ll have more on Dave Platt’s new video series, as well as product news and project notes from Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, and the East Coast.
Until then, build straight and fly safely.
We’ll do this again. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
