Parts Listing
Please read the
following building guide and it will help you in choosing the proper
gear to equip your Foamy Factory airplane. I have put together this
guide in order to answer as many questions as I possibly can right
here on the website. While it’s not a “step by step” construction
manual, (I just haven’t had the time to do one of those) it should
help in answering those little questions that always come up.
I will also list
some hints and tips on the construction methods used on the Foamy
Factory models at the bottom of this page. The tips should help those
of you who are unfamiliar with the building methods and materials used
on these fun little 3D aerobats.
Just remember, If you have never
built a model before, or if this is your first R/C model, your
learning curve will be a bit steeper than if you have built a few
models before.
www.ezonemag.com
is a
great source of info on these models. Just click on the currently
active thread link and post your question. Often times you will get
an answer much faster than if you had emailed me a question. I
literally get tons of emails every day and sometimes I get behind.
Also, I am often away from home for several days at a time so email
tends to pile up on me.
Below is a
comprehensive list of the components in the 3DX, Yak 54 and the 30"
Ultimate Biplane. Setup is the same for any model. First of all, I
have been running a brushed setup, and a brushless setup. I'll list
the components for both. Both set-ups have full 3D and hovering
capability. However, the brushless version takes it to the extreme.
If you use the components listed, these setups will provide the
performance levels that are seen in the videos. Feel free to
experiment and test other motor/prop combos. I have not tried an
outrunner type motor yet, but I'm anxious to try one.
Brushed
setup:
Power: GWS EPS350C "DS" gearing (6.6:1 ratio) comes with the
motor **GWS discontinued the EPS300C and replaced it with the
EPS350C**
Speed Control: Castle Creations Pixie 20P (or equivalent)
Prop: GWS 12x6
Battery:
8 cell KAN 650 Nimh
Servos: (3 or 4) 8-9 gram servos
Brushless setup:
Gearbox: GWS EPS350C "DS" gearing (6.6:1 ratio) take the motor
out.
Motor: Motor/gearing combos shown below in tables
Speed Control: Castle Creations Phoenix 25
Battery:
E-Tec 3s1p 1200ma (3 cells in series) Lithium Polymer Batteries
Everything else is the same.
Brushed Motors
– The GWS EPS350C with DS gearing is now the brushed motor/gearbox of
choice. GWS replaced the EPS300C with the 350C in mid 2003. The
original 300C motor needed to be re-timed in order to get the optimum
performance. With the introduction of the 350C series, re-timing is
no longer necessary. However, with this newer motor, the amp draw has
risen a bit, and the originally recommended Sanyo AAA 720ma cells just
don’t hold up as well under the increased load and performance is less
than stellar. If you will be using an older 300C, the Sanyo AAA 720ma
cells will work. If you are going to be using the EPS350C, I highly
recommend NOT using the Sanyo cells. Instead, I have found that the
KAN650mh NiMh cells out perform the Sanyos by many times. In any
case, the GWS EPS350C comes in many gearing choices. The favored
choice is the “DS” gearing option which is a 6.6:1 gear ratio. With
the DS gearing, a 12x6 prop is recommended. If you go with the “CS”
gearing (5.3:1), an 11x4.7 prop works well.
NOTE:
A 3S1P 1200 E-tec Lipo will burn out a GWS350
prematurely, and in that situation, a 2S1P would be desirable, but may
not produce enough power to fly 3D effectively. The best route being
to step up to brushless.
Brushless Motors
- The obvious motor of choice is a brushless motor. Brushless motors
provide much more power and significantly better overall performance
and longevity. With the newer and less expensive brushless motors now
on the market, it makes sense to “Go Brushless” as soon as possible.
Brushless motors are almost maintenance free and will last for years
if properly cared for. The same cannot be said for traditional
brushed motors.
Himax Brushless
Motors
– Himax motors have only been available for a few months here in the
States. However, they have proven their worth in the power
department. The new Himax motors are great little powerhouses and the
pricing is VERY attractive. Himax motors are easier to find too as
most retailers are supported by a fairly extensive distributorship.
Himax motors have become the “Recommended motor of choice” for Foamy
Factory models.
Hacker Brushless
Motors
– Hackers are the cream of the crop as far as brushless goes. If you
have the money, “Purple Power” is the way to go. For the smaller
30-36” inch span airplanes, the B20-xxS series works great in the GWS
gearboxes. The B20-xxS series also can be had with a Maxon 4:1
gearbox already attached to the motor. On the larger, 40” span
planes, a Hacker B20-15L geared 4:1 is a great choice.
Razor Brushless
Motors –
The Razor RZ350, RZ400, RZ300, and MicroHeli are all great choices.
However, they have become about as rare as hen’s teeth and are
extremely difficult to find. Also, the prices of the Razor motors
have been increased by the manufacturer, and in my opinion, a bad
move. The prices of Razor motors are now in line with Hacker motors.
For the money, I’d choose a Hacker over a Razor any day.
Below is a listing
of brushless motor/gearing combos that will work very well. Just
remember, with a brushless combo, you are looking for ultimate
performance, so select a combo that will give you a 2:1 thrust to
weight ratio or better.
Motor/Gearing combos for the 36" class airplanes -
The highlighted
combos are those I have used with outstanding performance.
The 40" Ultimate
Biplane also does VERY well with a Mega 16/15/4, Astro 709 3.3:1
gearbox, APC 12x6 SF prop and a Thunder Power 3s 2100ma Lipo pack.
The Mega 16/15/3 will work also, but prop it down to 11x4.7 to keep
the amps down. This setup will give you in the 40+ oz. range of
thrust and will rival the big 30% 3D gasser planes in sheer WOW power.
Don't use the Mega combo on the 40" single wing planes as it it just
too much power.
Radio/Receiver
- I fly most of my electrics with a JR700 receiver with the case taken
off to save some weight. JR has some nice smaller receivers too. If
you want to go with the best small receiver, I would suggest the
Berg 4 or 5 DSP
It's a great little unit and it
will work with JR or Futaba. Make sure you order the correct crystal
too. Another great little unit is the GWS Pico receiver. I use a JR
8103 transmitter. I use the 8103 mainly because that’s what I have,
and I like the mixing capabilities this radio has. However, any basic
four channel radio will work just fine for any of the Foamy Factory
models.
Speed controllers -
These are another issue entirely. They
are broken down into 2 basic types. ESC's for brushed or brushless
motors. I just bought a Castle Creations Pixie20P (brushed) and a
Phoenix 25 (brushless) and am VERY happy with both of them. They will
work well for the smaller, front yard/park type flyers. Brushless
controllers are a bit more expensive than the brushed, but brushless
motors put out more power, last almost forever, and are pretty much
maintenance free.
Servos
– Any 8-9 gram servo will work well. There are so many servos in this
category, that it’s hard to list them by brand. If you order them,
get a few sets of replacement gears too. Hangar bumps tend to strip
them sometimes. 6 gram servos will work well too, however the loads
imposed by all out 3D flying can tax the capabilities of these little
servos. A good mix might be one 6 gram servo on each aileron, and one
9 gram servo for elevator, and one 9 gram servo for rudder.
Batteries
- I
am using an 8 cell
KAN 650ma NiMh
battery in my brushed motor planes. Great cells and pretty cheap too.
You can get these cells pre-made into 8 cell packs, or you can buy the
individual cells and make up your own packs. If you are using the GWS
EPS350C, I would suggest using the newer KAN 650ma cells. These cells
hold up much better under the increased amp draw of the 350C. Try to
stay away from the Sanyo 720 cells if using the GWS EPS350, they just
don’t hold up under the amp load very well.
Lithium Polymer
- I'm
using an E-Tec 3s1p 1200ma LiPo pack from
Park Flyer Motors
for the 36” span planes. For the 40”
span planes, I’m using a 3s1p Thunder Power 2100ma pack.
Brushed Motor and gearbox
is the
GWS EPS 350C with "DS" gearing
(6.6:1),
try
Park Flyer Motors
for great prices. If you are
planning to use a brushless motor, you can get the GWS EPS gearbox
without the motor.
If you get A brushless motor, you
need to get a pinion gear for the motor. Order the 10T (DS) pinion.
Props - Of course, prop selection depends on motor/gearing
choice. The GWS 12x6 and 11x4.7 work great. My favorite
props are the APC SlowFlyer props also in 12x6 or 11x4.7 Make
sure you get a couple of props, you will break
them...
NiMh Charger - I would seriously look at the Great Planes
Triton charger. The nice thing about it is that it will charge NiCads,
NiMh, and Lithium Polymer batteries. It's a bit pricey at $147.00, but
the only other chargers that will do everything are in the $250.00+
range. The GWS NiMH charger does a great job and is very
economical at around $39.00
Lithium-Polymer Charger - I use the Apache Smart Charger 1500.
It will charge up to 4 cells in series. However,
Apache chargers are being re-designed, and
nobody will have them in stock before mid-February, if even that
soon. For an entry level Lipo charger, the BEL works great and is
priced at about $32.00. Another great charger that
just came on the market is the AstroFlight Deluxe Lithium-Polymer
Battery Charger. This LiPo only charger will charge pretty much any
pack configuration you can think of. It’s a super versatile charger
and for $125.00, it’s a bargain if you plan on moving over to LiPo
cells. Both the BEL and AstroFlight chargers are available at
Park Flyer Motors
Carbon Tubes
- I get my 4mm carbon tubes here:
Part CT1570L - Carbon Tube Pultruded '1570'
(4mm) 48"
$2.50 apiece. When I ordered them, the shopping
cart feature was not working on their website, so I just called and
ordered. They are by far the cheapest (retail) I've found.
4mm pultruded carbon tubes are also available
here:
www.nyblimp.com
and here
Goodwind's Kites.
**4millimeter = 0.1574803 inch,
5 millimeter
= 0.1968504 inch**
Colored packing tape is available
here
This tape was used on several of the models.
