How Do You Size Up The Motor For A Epo Rc Aircraft

A Long Range FPV Plane¶

Overview¶

Among hobbyists, the Ten-UAV MiniTalon has get 1 of the well-nigh popular FPV Plane platforms due to its first-class flying characteristics and high efficiency flying. Durations of greater than one hour are easily obtained, with durations exceeding 2X that possible with easily obtained components.

It is capable a relatively high load chapters, allowing it to carry HD video cameras, on fully stabilized gimbles for long duration flights. And configured as a basic FPV aeroplane it is also very manuerable and sporty.

This guide illustrates some full general building tips, every bit well as a basic ArduPlane configuration for an FPV aeroplane.

Many of the photos and descriptions are borrowed from Mark QVale'due south website. which shows many other configurations, tips, and 3D printed parts, including many gimbles, for the MiniTalon. An RCG thread also has extensive information on variations.

The MiniTalon also leads itself well to QuadPlane applications.

General Specifications¶

Wingspan	1300mm
Length	830mm
Weight	1450 - 1900gm
Battery	4s 5000mah- 10000mah
Duration	lx-120min
Efficiency	<80mah/km

Parts Listing¶

Airframe: Ten-UAV MiniTalon RC Plane Kit
Motor: Cobra 2221-16 940KV or SunnySky 2216 1450KV
ESC: 40-60A, no BEC required
Prop: APC-E or Aeronaut folding 9X7 for Cobra, 8x6 for Sunnysky motor
Servos: 4- 9g to 12g mini servos. EMAX ES08MA, for example.
Autopilot: MatekF405-Wing
GPS: Any UBLOX MN-8 class GPS with or without compass (Compass is optional). BN-220 is an example.
Receiver: Any 6 Channel TX/RX system. For long range, 433 or 900 Mhz systems (Dragonlink, TBS, etc.) are appropriate, short range 2.4GHz (FRSky, Futaba, Spektrum,etc.).
Telemetry (optional): 3DR or radio systems, or via the receiver if information technology has that capability, like Dragonlink (bi-directional) or FRSky (downlink merely).
Battery: A 4s 5200mah 10C Lipo will give 45-threescore minute duration and fit the general layout for like shooting fish in a barrel CG (Center-of-Gravity) placement.
FPV Equipment: A miniature video camera and video transmitter are required (if FPV capability is desired, the plane can be flown simply line-of-sight, and nonetheless fly autonomous missions using a GCS (ground control station) only, if desired. See FPV Equipment department below for suggestions.

Assembly Tips¶

The instructions for building the MiniTalon are straightforward, even so, a few tips are shown below that volition aid.

Fuse Prep & Glue¶

For gluing EPO foam, use Beacon Foam-Tac or E6000 which works very well and it sets fairly speedily. To ready the pieces, ever wash all surfaces of all parts in hot water with a small amount of dish soap to get rid of any mold release agents. Next, practise a wipe down with denatured alcohol and finally a light sand on the glue surfaces with #100 grit sandpaper.

Before gluing the fuselage halves, set up up the motor mount plate with APC prop bushings and 3mm bullheaded basics to get the motor off the wood for improve cooling.

After gluing in the motor mountain, glue in the center structure. Optionally, add some cable guides to each side and some velcro lock to hold the Receiver. The center structure does non come with a floor in the kit to allow mounting the autopilot. Either add a ply plate to the bottom, or 3D print one of Marking Qvale's mounting plates from his website.

Optional Front Skid¶

The kit comes with a front wheel. This breaks quickly, so information technology's suggested that it not be used. Either tape the expanse with re-enforced packing tape or 3D print or fabricate a ply slip every bit shown beneath.

Blanket the tail skid with re-enforced tape will also increase its life.

Vtail Servo Linkage¶

The provides straight pushrods to the Vtail surfaces. Nevertheless, in that location is high miss-alignment caused past the stock geometry which puts the linkage at an angle to the control surface. The linkage, as provided will work reliably, however, to reduce strain and any possibility of wear, you lot can use a ball-link every bit shown below.

Power Train¶

It'southward important to keep the leads from the autopilot's ESC power terminals short (<4-5inchs)to the ESC. If long leads are unavoidable, you will need to add together low-ESR capacitors to the ESC input to prevent possible damage. Some ESCs already have these capacitors.

Long leads from the ESC to the motor are acceptable.

Increased efficiency will exist obtained if the ESC is programmed to brake hard when gliding. A folding propeller besides helps.

Folding Prop Stopper¶

If an Aeronaut or other folding prop is used to ameliorate efficiency, it volition crave a prop stopper. A 3d printed blueprint is available on Mark Qvale's website.

Component placement¶

The images below illustrate the typical component placement.

As shown, the GPS and Telemetry connections are uniform with the serial port defaults loaded when the firmware for the Matek autopilot is programmed.

The SERVOx_FUNCTIONS will accept to be set such that the following is assigned:

SERVO1_FUNCTION \| Throttle
SERVO3_FUNCTION \| Both Ailerons via Y-servo cable
SERVO4_FUNCTION \| VTail Left
SERVO5_FUNCTION \| VTail Right

Tip

If the aileron servos are attached to separate PWM outputs the flaperons office can be implemented. However, since the MiniTalon does not use total length ailerons, the flap effect will be express and can even be detrimental, causing increased sensitivity to "tip stalls".

If an LRS (Long Range RC Arrangement) is utilized, mounting the antenna is critical to achieving maximum altitude. Most LRS systems use a dipole. Shown below is a 3d printed mountain that assures that both elements are vertical. Any method that assures that the dipole is mounted vertically will exist satisfactory.

Configuration/Parameter Setup¶

See FPV Airplane for information on software setup.

FPV Equipment¶

Choices for FPV cameras and transmitters are numerous and increment daily. Be sure that both photographic camera and video transmitter can operate at 9V, since the MatekF405-Fly autopilot provides this supply for video. Optionally, the video supply tin be changed from 9V to 12V via a solder jumper on the back of the autopilot.

For long range functioning, the video transmitter should operate on 1.2Ghz or 1.3Ghz . For distances of 2Km or less, 5.8GHz manual is commonly used.

No external OSD (On Screen Display) is required since the MatekF405-Fly has information technology integrated.

See the FPV data page.

Options¶

Airspeed Sensor¶

With the improver of a digital airspeed sensor, precision airspeed control can exist obtained during cruise portions of flight, and tin can be attached to the MatekF405-Wing autopilot's CL1/DA1 or CL2/DA2 pins. Withal, this is optional and ArduPlane flies extremely well without this addition. Run across the Airspeed sensor section for more data.

Compass¶

Similarly, a compass can be added by attaching to the autopilot'southward CL1/DA1 or CL2/DA2 pins. This is also optional and provides marginally meliorate navigation tracking in Cruise and AUTO modes.

Gimbles¶

Many options exist for mounting either an HD recording camera and/or the flying video camera to a pan/tilt controllable mountain. In improver, these gimble mounts tin can fifty-fifty be stabilized in one or more axis. to provide movie theatre-like stability. Mark Qvale's website has many examples and versions.

Tip

Information technology is unremarkably non a good idea to have the flight camera mounted on a stabilized mount since the operator will lose the feedback of the plane'due south mental attitude while flight.

3D Printed Accessories¶

Many 3D printable accessories/parts are available on Mark Qvale'due south website

Videos¶

if link above does non work, try this straight link to video.