jtprouty

I sincerely doubt there will be any active policing of the 400' policy unless there was a high profile incident that would bring un-needed attention to the hobby. I enjoy flying sailplanes and we usually come off the launch at more than 400' on a good day! Let's all keep our fingers crossed. Jimmy

Hi All, I just received word that the FAA has released its ruling on RC and UAVs. (See: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01...07/E7-2402.htm) Pretty much reiterates the previous position on RC flight but severly effects flying beyond line-of-site and commercial use. Basically you'll have to license ANY aicraft used for commercial purposes under experimental class (big $$$ and time consuming, I'm sure.) Take a look at the link or a google search for FAA-2006-25714; Notice No. 07-01 will bring it up if the link doesn't work. Happy flying, Jimmy www.jtmodels.com

Hi All, Is there a tutorial anywhere that shows how to interface a PIC with an RC RX? I'm learning how to work with PICs and would eventually like to be able to turn things on and off via a channel on the radio either incrementally (two or more items coming on at different "stick" positions, or simply an ON/OFF relay controlling one device. Also looking for info on how to control a servo. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Happy flyling, Jimmy

Hi All, I'd like to control my Sony DSC-P150 from my R/C receiver. I'd like to plug a "device" into my receiver and then into the camera to be able to control when the shutter is activated. Has anyone done that yet? Any information on how to connect to the camera would be greatly appreciated also. Thanks, Jim

Dan. Carr Precision sells one that's a converted weed eater engine. http://www.carrprecision.com/Pages/prod02.htm The PTO runs right through the oil sump and is perfect for hooking up things that you want to drive. The only issue is that the shaft gets pretty hot so you have to come up with a coupling that won't tranfer the heat to the motor. Cheers, Jim

Dan. You're correct that the FAA wants to regulate UAVs because we fly in "their" airspace and technically amongst the manned aircraft. It's coming whether we like it or not. We just have to see what extremes they go to when the do it. There are those in DC that see the UAVs as a potential threat, which has nothing to do with the regulation. There is active testing going on to determine how to counter a UAV that uses off-the-shelf, inexpensive avionics. The are using some very ingenious methods other than just flat shooting at them. AMA is concerned that using an autopilot to fly an airplane spawns terrorism (they said that to us when we questioned the ban on using them at an AMA sanctioned field.) I guess the think that the bad guy would go to the local AMA field to practice for the big event rather than some back road in Kansas where nobody will see what's going on anyway. Sure, they could be used to do damage. So could an SUV, Cessna 152, sailboats, weather balloons................................. Jim

That's what I was thinking about. I'm concerned about driving the motor through the gearbox. I don't know how long the gearbox would hold up. Jim

1350 RPM/V

Ok, hooked up a 3 phase bridge and put the Hacker B50 in the drill press to do some testing. I'm currently getting 1V per 1400 rpm. Does that seem correct? This is a no load voltage and I still need to check how many watts I can get out of the system. Looks like I'll need to gear the system to get the voltage that I need. Anyone know of a good source for gears? Happy flying, Jim

Thanks, Cyber-flyer. I found the following page to be very interesting and helpful as I stumble through this project: http://www.windstuffnow.com/main/3_phase_basics.htm I assume that we're dealing with a delta configuration as show towards the bottom of the page. I have a few different brushless motors (all Hackers) and will post any progress that I make as I make it. Thanks again for your help! Happy flying, Jim

Cyber-flyer, Great work! That's a beautiful install on your X-cell. I have a gas X-cell as well and will hopefully add power to it in the future. Right now I'm trying to add a generator to my Telemaster which has a 31cc gas 4-stroke on it. Luckily it has a power take-off shaft on the back of it with threads on it. Is there any place I can read up on what I need to do to make a 3-phase bridge? How do you determine what diodes to use? Happy flying, Jim

Hi All, Is it possible to use a brushless motor being turned by the aircraft's engine as an alternator? I know the alternators on jets (biz-jets anyway) are triple phase AC that is converted to DC but don't know if we could do this on our R/C stuff. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Would love to try it on my Telemaster with the 31cc 4-stroke and have a couple of motors to try it with. Happy flying, Jim

OK, sorry I can't help. My boss uses these connectors on his micro servos for his Piccolo heli. Hope you can get yours in a reasonable amount of time. Jim

Mr. RC-Cam, The part number that we use is a 51021-0400. I can send you one if you'd like to see if it will work for you. I think the only difference is the alignment pins on the bottom. They are a real pain to crimp because of the small size of the crimp. If you drop one I swear it'll disappear before it hits the floor! Cheers, Jim

Servo City www.servocity.com has them. They sell them with wires or just the connectors and the crimps.