Frsky Lotus Gimbal Stick Ends

I fly using the finger-thumb pinch method as this provides the most stable and precise control on the sticks. I find the stock sticks too small in my fingers, and have always switched the gimbal stick end to an umbrella/mushroom stick head. I learned of a third option called Lotus shaped stick ends and found these FRSky ones at ProgressiveRC which arrived today. They are MS compatible with Spektrum and Futaba, any M3 sized stick end. I really like the way these feel and function!

Programming Airplane Flight Modes (Three Idle Settings) iX12

My Hangar 9 Pulse XT60 is overpowered a bit with its RCGF 26cc gas engine. This makes it fast and powerful, especially with the thrust produced by its 3 blade prop. Even at idle she produces thrust. At low idle she can be unreliable, bog down, and die. Endpoints above that run well, but produce too much thrust. I need a way to have a reliable but slow flight idle, and a stable even if briefly, landing idle. After asking on the Facebook iX12 Users Group, I decided the best option was using throttle curves with different idle settings, set to a switch. This has so far turned out to be a great option. 

I set up the iX12 three position Switch B (traditionally the heli Flight Mode Switch) with a Flight Idle 6% above true idle, an Approach Idle set at 3% of true idle, and a Landing Idle set at actual idle. The Landing Idle is low enough to produce little to no thrust, tries to bog down, but usually will not stop despite threatening to. I chose 6% as this was a reliable slow RPM position that allowed an acceptable in-flight idle speed. 3% is simply 50% of the Flight Idle and is there to allow a step-down transition, and the Landing Idle that is slow, boggy, but will usually keep running. Using the Flight Mode Setup panel I was able to change the Call-Outs to reflect these new settings. 

The video walks you through how to do this!

Volts (Pressure), Amps (Gas), and Resistence (Loads)

Volts is the pressure in the tank, Amps is the actual gas (also volume), and Ohm (resistance) is loads, including the diameter and length of the "tubing" (wire), and resisters along the way (loads, like lights, motors, radios, etc).

Ohm's Law.   Voltage = Amps x Resistence (V = I x R)

FFF Workwear Workshop Apron

For Christmas my wife bought this lovely shop apron from a company a friend of hers owns, FFFWorkwear. I LOVE THIS APRON!  Fit, Form and Function, as promised. I like the X-back straps so nothing hangs off my neck during the hours I spend gnashing my teeth, I mean, enjoying fixing airplanes and helicopters I crash. Plenty of pockets for me to forget where I put a tool only to find it right where I left it, and sturdy enough not to let me get burned, melted or burst into flames when I run into my coting iron or Dremel Tool.  It is built to work and take a beating. Best apron ever!

They are also on Facebook!

Highly recommended!

Taking Batteries Down to Storage Voltage

Every so often I will have batteries I haven't flown and need to put them in storage voltage using the Storage protocol on my 208B charger.  You really don't want to leave charged batteries for more than a few days as this causes chemical changes that increase the internal resistance, which decreases their function. (It's important to check the internal resistance using your multi program charger from time to time. A battery is best around 10 micro ohms per cell, above 20 it's time to get rid of it). If I have the time I use a parallel setup to take up to six unused batteries down to storage, but it takes a lot of time. It's faster to discharge them by running them down to around 3.87V per cell off load. I attach them to the voltmeter (battery checker) while doing this.  On load they look lower, so I stop every so often and see what the voltmeter reads. On my 500 heli without the resistance of the blades it can take 10-15 minutes, where in flight I get 5-7 min depending in the mAh of the battery. I use a plane if I have one that fits the battery. If I can be outside I just practice hovering. If I am indoors I will take main and tail blades off for safety, or just secure a plane.

Blue canopy kinda day.

Disposing of Lipos

A couple of pointers on how I dispose of batteries, since zinc had several I haven't used in years whose IRs had surpassed the limit of 20 mohms per cell. I first discharge them down to at least storage, 3.8V per cell. I like to save the wire leads as then may come in handy, I also like to safe them from shorting, so I cut them.

Cut each lead ONE AT A TIME or the short will make you piss yourself.  Or so I have been told, I, um, wouldn't know.

Wind electrical tape first around one, then both.

The balance leads carry a charge and will also short if you don't also cut them one at a time. I cut them each slightly longer than the next reducing the chance of a contact short.

I keep them spread put on tape, then fold the tape without bunching them.

Close them all up.

NEVER THROW THEM IN THE TRASH! Compression in the truck can cause an explosion injuring the garbage guys, and can set their truck on fire. Best to take them to Lowes or Home Depot, and drop them in their LIPO  disposal box. If your recycle center takes them, you can take them there, of course.

iX12 Throttle Mixing Question...

My Pulse XT60 26cc gasser that has a tad high idle, and gets variably unstable if we try to end point it down. Gary Hoffman, a Horizon Hobby Rep and poweruser (iX20) noted he has a THR<THR mix set on Swith A that when he flips it on final it decreases his throttle 5%. His plane, like mine, will tolerate that at idle, for a minute or so. This allows a slower touchdown. If he needs power, it's there, just 5% less, until he returns the switch to flight position.

We looked at my iX12 and were able to assign a THR<THR to Switch A in Mix1, but nothing we set on either of the available end points (or TRIM, for that matter), resulted in a drop in RPM.

Any ideas?