The lighter you make your foam RC model airplane, the better it will fly. This article will show you how to trim weight and increase the flight performance of your RC model airplane.

Use the right glue – Using the right glue is of critical importance during the construction of your foam RC model airplane. Use foam safe CA glue, and apply it very sparingly. It only takes a tiny drop to attach two parts properly. By using the right glue in the right amounts, you can reduce the overall weight of the RC model airplanes fuselage.

Make the radio system lighter – Choose a radio system with the lightest components possible. Find lightweight servos with weights between 4.7 and 7.8 grams, such as our Hitec or Draganfly brand micro servos. Try to get the lightest servos possible. You can reduce the weight of your radio system by removing the bottom portion of the servo case. In most cases, this can simply be unscrewed. The plastic receiver case can also be removed quite easily. As a last resort, you can attempt to directly solder the servo wires to the receiver. This will save the weight of the connectors, but only attempt this if you are very comfortable soldering.

Choose the right lipo battery – The battery is one of the heaviest components of any foam RC model airplane. Look at the different sizes of battery available, and compare brands to find the lightest. Choose a battery based on the physical limitations of the model and the flight time that you want. In most cases, a 350 Mah battery is sufficient.

Modify the landing gear – Most foam RC model airplanes come with plastic wheels. If you will only be flying your foam model indoors off of a smooth floor then you can remove them. There are several lighter landing gear systems you can use, but we recommend using a skid made out of piano wire or a spare push rod. This procedure shows you how to make one:

1. Cut the wire to the length that you want. You can save even more weight by making the wire as short as possible.
2. Using a pair of needle nose pliers, bend the end of the wire into a U shape.
3. Use CA glue to attach the wire to your models landing strut (usually made of carbon rod.)
4. Wrap the entire joint with Kevlar thread. Do not use too much, or it will offset the weight loss gained from removing the wheels.
5. Cover the area with a small amount of CA glue.

You can also add small foam wheel pants as decorations – the weight gain from this is minimal.
Follow these tips to reduce the weight of your foam RC model airplanes.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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How to Make Your Foam RC Model Airplane Lighter

The Multiplex Minimag is a durable foam RC model airplane. It has a 4 channel proportional radio system, and a brushed motor / NiMh battery power system. Many users of the Mulitplex Minimag add brushless motors and lithium polymer batteries for increased flight performance. This article will show you how to do these modifications yourself.

The RC Components You Will Need

We have put together a list of the best RC components to use for modifying the Minimag RC model airplane. You will need:

1. A Brushless Motor - A Himax 2815-2000 works well for this application.
2. A Speed Controller – Use a Castle Creations Thunderbird 36 amp ESC. It will provide plenty of power for the recommended motor, and will run off a variety of lithium polymer batteries.
3. A Lithium Polymer Battery – A Thunderpower 3 cell 2100 is a great battery to use. You can get up to a half an hour of flight time (depending on throttle management), and it fits neatly underneath the Minimag’s wing.
4. A Propeller - The brushless motor will need a different propeller. We recommend a 7 x 5 APC propeller.
5. A Charger – You can use either a Thunderpower 535C or a 610C charger. Each will allow you to quickly charge your battery at the flying field using a 12 volt power source.

Eventually we will sell all of these components in a kit. Until then, you can order them by clicking on the above links and pictures.

RC Components Installation Procedure

Many of these components will seamlessly drop in to the Minimag RC airplane where the original parts were. Follow this procedure when installing your improved power systems.

1. Remove the brushed motor, and install the brushless version. Be very careful not to damage the motor wires. All of the bolt holes from the old motor should match the new one perfectly, so just push in the brushless motor and bolt it on.
2. The 3 cell 2100 lithium polymer battery can be placed under the wing. Make sure that it doesn’t move in flight, and route its wires to where the electronic speed controller will be installed.
3. Connect the speed controller to the motor, battery, and receiver.

We hope that you enjoy the increase in power and flight time that this upgraded power system will give you. Feel free to post comments describing your own ideas, and let us know how this modification works for you.

——
© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed

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Adding a Brushless Motor and Lipo Battery to the Multiplex Minimag

The Multiplex Easystar is a 3 channel, powered RC glider. The multiplex Easystar comes with a great set of equipment, including a 400 size motor, NiMh rechargeable battery and a proportional radio system. It has become very popular among RC aerial and UAV enthusiasts, because it is very easy to modify.

One of the coolest modifications involves replacing the included brushed motor with a brushless motor, and replacing the NiMh battery with a lithium polymer pack. Using a brushless motor will increase the speed of the Easystar, and let you carry payloads (such as cameras for aerial photography.) The lithium polymer battery will let you fly for up to a half an hour, or even longer if you can catch some thermals (warm, upward currents of air.)

Parts You Will Need to Modify the Easystar

There are several different combinations of brushless motors, ESCs, and lithium batteries that will work for this modification. Here is a list of the parts that we recommend. They have been chosen to minimize cost, and maximize performance. You will need:

1. A Himax 2815 2000 brushless inrunner electric motor
2. A 35 amp Castle Creations Thunderbird ESC
3. A 6 x 4 APC composite propeller
4. A Thunder Power 3 cell 2100 lithium polymer battery
5. A Lithium polymer battery charger. We recommend either a Thunderpower 535C or a 610C. Both of these chargers can use a 12 volt battery, or a 12 volt AC adapter. Suitable AC adapters are available on our website.

We will eventually offer these components in a set, but for now you can order them individually by clicking the links or pictures above.

Procedure for Modifying the Easystar

One of the great features of the Easystar is that it is easy to modify. Every component that we mentioned should fit perfectly, and the foam the Easystar is made of is superglue safe.

Follow these guidelines when installing your new hardware in the Easystar.

Motor - Remove the brushed motor by unbolting it. The bolt holes will match the new brushless motor, so simply insert it and bolt it in. Be extremely careful to not damage the motor wires when doing this. Feed them through the fuselage to where they will connect to the ESC.

ESC - Place the ESC in the fuselage, and then connect it to the brushless motor using the wires. It’s always a good idea to tape over the connection, so that it won’t accidentally disconnect in flight. Also connect the ESC to the Easy star’s receiver.

Battery - Use Velcro to secure the battery in the fuselage. Then connect the battery leads to the ESC.

Rudder - Because of the huge increase in power that the brushless motor provides, you might want to increase the effectiveness of the rudder. You can do this by simply gluing a business card to the rudder, and then trimming it to shape. Here is a picture of one such modification:

Benefits of Using a Brushless Motor and Lipo Battery for the Easystar

• Using a lithium polymer battery will allow you to fly the Easy star for very long periods of time.
• Lithium polymer batteries can be charged quickly and easily at the flying field.
• The brushless motor will provide much more power than the regular speed 400, and will last longer too.
• The increase in power from the brushless motor will allow you to carry payloads, such as a digital camera for RC aerial photography.
• The aircraft will perform better in all aspects of flight, giving you a more enjoyable flying experience.

This article has barely scratched the surface of the possible modifications to the Easystar. If you would like to learn more about these modifications, or learn how to do others, we suggest you read the rcgroups.com forums.

——
© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed

Read more from the original source:
Adding a Brushless Motor and Lipo Battery to the Multiplex Easystar

You can modify the micro mosquito to increase speed, boost radio range, and improve appearance. :This article will show you how.

Give the Micro Mosquito a Speed Boost

You can increase the Micro Mosquito’s speed in these ways:

1. Move the center of gravity forward - Shifting the balance point forward will increase the Micro Mosquito’s speed in that direction. You can try using small weights, placed underneath the main motors.
2. Use a miniheli tail rotor - Mini heli tail rotors will fit the Micro Mosquito’s tail motor shaft.The mini heli tail rotors can move air more efficiently in one direction than another, unlike the normal micro mosquito tail rotor (which is symmetric). So if you use one of the mini heli tail rotors, then the Micro mosquito can be made to go in one direction faster than another. It is normally preferable to have the RC helicopter move faster forwards than backwards, but you can orient the propeller according to your own preference.

Make the Micro Mosquito Lighter

The lighter you make the Micro Mosquito, the better it will fly.

1. Remove part of the plastic outer shell - Unscrew and remove the bottom part of the Micro Mosquito’s body, which will dramatically reduce the weight of the Micro Mosquito.
2. Get rid of the rubber landing feet - You can trim more weight by pulling off the rubber landing feet.

Increase the Micro Mosquito’s Radio Range

I have not actually tried this, but this thread on RCGroups.com says it should work. Follow this procedure to increase the radio transmitter range:

1. Open the transmitter case - remove the 5 screws found on the back of the transmitter case.
2. Remove the circuit board - Remove the three screws holding the circuit board down, and gently pull it up.
3. Remove capacitor C15 - Flip the circuit board over, and look for a capacitor marked C15. Desolder it from the circuit board.
4. Re install the circuit board - Put the circuit board back in the transmitter case, and then attach it with the 3 screws that you removed earlier. Then re attach the back of the tramsmitter case using the three screws that you removed earlier.

We don’t really know how or why this works. Any comments on this mod would be greatly appreciated.

Get Rid of the Throttle Spring

Normal radio transmitters do not have a spring loaded throttle. You can remove the throttle spring by following this procedure:

1. Open the transmitter case - By removing the 5 screws on the back.
2. Remove one of the two screws the spring is attached to - You can leave the spring in the case, or remove it entirely.
3. Reassemble the transmitter case - Put the transmitter back together using the 5 screws that you removed earlier.

Now you can let go of the transmitter and the throttle spring will remain in position.

Better Flight Stability

Here are some tips to improve how the Micro Mosquito flies.

1. Bend the tail rotor - The Micro Mosquito tends to spin when the throttle is accelerated, sometimes leading to a hard landing. You can fix this problem by twisting the tail boom about 5 degrees to the left (when viewed from behind the Micro Mosquito). Heating the tail boom can make this easier.
2. Add weight to the main rotors - The inertia of the main rotors causes them to self stabilize when spinning. You can increase this tendency by coiling a small amount of very thin wire over the outer rotor wire. Do this twice on opposite sides of one rotor, and then repeat for the other rotor. As long as you don’t add too much weight this should improve the RC helicopter’s stability.

Change the Color

Personalize your Micro Mosquito using color and other addons.

• Spray paint the case - take all of the internal components out of the Micro Mosquito’s body and spray paint it any color you like.
• Fuel tubing light effects - Get a piece of clear fuel tubing from your local hobby store. Then push one end over one of the Micro Mosquito’s green LED eyes. Bend the piece of fuel tubing over, and push it on to the other LED. When the helicopter is turned on, the light should produce a really cool green neon tube effect. This is also a great way to move the center of gravity forward, so the helicopter goes faster.
• Insect antenna - Use stiff wire and make a pair of insect antenna. You can glue these to the Micro Mosquito’s body to create an insect appearance. Be sure to keep them away from the main rotors. This will move the center of gravity forward and cause the helicopter to move faster.

Experiment Pack

We sell an experiment pack containing parts you can use to build all sorts of RC creations.

Read more from the original source:
Modifying the Micro Mosquito - A Tutorial