You might have heard through the grapevine that Depron is going away in the very near future. Well, it looks like it will be getting a lot harder to get, at least in the U.S., as the domestic supplier is closing down its supply of flat 6mm depron....
Knowledge
PANEL LINES - DAMBUSTERS
Knowledge
We got an E-mail over the last week with some awesome pictures attached. Shaun decided to take Tomas Hellberg's F-18E Superhornet design and do some custom work. This is just something you can't get out of a box.
He added in a custom battery hatch, custom airbrakes, and an LED flashing light set up all worked into the design. We won't really discuss his custom paint job representing the VFA-195 squadran out of Japan, because we noticed something else, careful panel lines pressed right into the foam.
GLUE BASICS
KnowledgeThis post was originally created a long time ago, so updating felt like a good idea. After all, over the past several years, new adhesives have come onto the market.
But, no matter what RC glues are out there, TRY IT OUT ON A SCRAP PIECE OF FOAM FIRST, so you understand how it reacts with the foam your using!!
Someone once said, "There is a glue for every job", well they must have been a R/C Hobby Shop owner (or a home improvement store salesman). When building a lot of the models featured on Parkjets.com, there are so many different glues you can use and a lot you should use. So lets give the quick run down.
Using Parkjets.com - What You Need to Know
KnowledgeParkjets.com gets a lot of traffic. Nearly 3 million page views a year. And lots of downloads. So sometimes we get questions along the lines of "where do I start?" Some free RC airplane plan sites can be confusing, so we thought a little guidance would be helpful.
PROP TO EDF CONVERSIONS
KnowledgeProbably the number one question we get in our inbox is whether we have documentation to convert some of our excellent RC "pusher" prop plans into EDF, or electric ducted fans power. Since we get the question all the time, we thought we would spend a little time discussing our feelings on the whole subject. If you are roaming around your local hobby shop, you will notice a lot of the boxed RC airplanes come set up for EDF. So it has a lot of RC builders wondering if its a right fit for them. Let's break this down a little.
BUY OR BUILD
KnowledgeNEW CAD SOFTWARE
KnowledgeWe recently had a site visitor suggust we post a link to a new FREE CAD software location out there on the internet.
Martin wrote:
"Thought I would share a new and very cool Free CAD package made by a very respectable CAD software supplier. Its called DraftSight, made by - yup, Dassault Systemes!
GOOGLE SKETCH UP & PARKJETS
KnowledgeWe recently got an E-mail from a Parkjets.com visitor that was interested in putting some more plans on Parkjets. We love this kind of E-mail. However, the individual had no idea how to put his plans into electronic form.
There are many different programs out there to help people with Computer Aided Drawing (CAD) but one program has pretty much cornered the market for part time designers. Google SKetch Up.
SOLDERING IN RC
KnowledgeOne of the essential skills to have when starting out in R/C is the ability to solder a few connections together. It may come to the surprise of the new moderler that often times, connectors on the ends of batteries and motors require you to break out a little soldering iron and a few minutes of time.
First up is a great 15 minute how to on replacing bullet connectors on your electric motor.
INSTALL SERVOS, CONTROL HORNS
KnowledgeMany times, we get E-mails on how to install servos, push rods, control horns and all the various components needed to get a simple foam parkjet off the ground and actually be able to control it.
As it turns out, we found an excellent video made by the guys at RCSUPERPOWERS that clearly explains the whole process, so why reinvent the lesson?
HOW TO BEVEL CONTROL SURFACES
KnowledgeIn an effort to expand the knowledge here on Parkjets, we thought this video is a great instruction on how to bevel the edges of the control surfaces and hinge them on your foam parkjet.
The video is produced by the guys over at RCSuperPowers (who have great plans on their site) and is a great example on how easy it is to work with foam.
FLAT PLATE WINGS
KnowledgeFor the people that are new to RC and parkjets in general, the question always comes up - Does a flat plate wing work okay or should I spend the time and money to have a real airfoiled wing made? Great question.
One the things that makes parkjets so popular is the ease of construction. Throwing on a flat piece of foam and rounding over the leading edges is certainly a lot easier than getting an airfoiled wing made.
NOTE ABOUT FREE PLANS
KnowledgeFREE CAD PROGRAM
KnowledgePLAN PRINTING SERVICES
KnowledgeSo you are ready to print your plans but don't have a Kinkos or other printing service around to get the job done. Now what? Well, there are a couple of options for you here.
Winger Models is a great choice For Original and Reduced Size Plans. Almost all plans offered on Parkjets are included. You can pay via PayPal. Buy On-line and have the plans mailed to you. It's that easy!
BUNGEE LAUNCHER PLANS
Building, KnowledgeSometimes it's easier to get your parkjet in the air if you can use a bungee launcher. Sometimes the plane is too big, sometimes its just hard to hold. There are plenty of stories out there about pilots getting their hand or arm cut in by the propeller and that usually requires a trip to the emergency room.
Here is a great design for a home built bungee launcher that incorporates a foot pedel so the entire thing can be operated by one person.
FAN CALC 1.1
KnowledgeTOOLS YOU NEED
KnowledgeTools you might need:
Some basic tools you will need are:
- Hand Drill or Dremel tool, tiny drill bits, and grinding stones
- Small size Tap and Die Set
- Scissors, many shapes and sizes, and some specialty scissors like "Canopy Scissors"
- Tiny Screw Driver and Nut Driver set
- Knifes
- Utility knifes
- "Exacto" Knifes of all sizes and shapes
BUILDING YOUR 1ST PARKJET
Building, KnowledgeBuilding Your First ParkJet
If your handy with glues and tools, knifes, soldering iron's, and so forth, you may want to build your first ParkJet, especially if your planning on staying in the hobby long term.
The main advantage of doing this, is that your cost-per-airframe is going to be a lot lower than if you only fly RTF or ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) ParkJets. Your cost is even lowered further if you crash your jet, you just take the old parts out of the crashed jet, and install them in your NEW scratch built Jet!!
BREAKING IN LIPO'S
KnowledgeBreaking in New Lipo Packs
"Thunder Power (TP) recommends no more than 3-5c average discharge for breaking in new packs" ... "overdischarging on the first flight will ruin the battery permanently".
TP also recommends never storing a fully charged pack for more than a week, which is a sensible rule often repeated by other manufacturers.