Skywalker Kit List Help

[cortex]

Skywalker 1900 EPO
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__57914__Skywalker_1900_FPV_Glider_EPO_1900mm_Kit_UK_Warehouse_.html?strSearch=skywalker%201900

Turnigy Plush 60 amp esc
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idproduct=28405

Turnigy aerodrive sk3 1050kv motor
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idproduct=38044

Turnigy 4s 5000mah lipo

fpv gear

12v security cam 2000 camera

Cylcops storm OSD/Autopilot

800mw 1.3ghz ready made rc tx/rx or similar/cheaper, any suggestions?

myflydream antenna tracker at a later stage

Chainlink

Go Pro


Questions

is the above esc/motor combination suitable?

what servo's shall i buy?

what size prop for 4s?

do i need to buy any additional hardware items to strengthen airframe?

should i run fpv gear off the same battery?

what Servo for Pan?

do i need a voltage regulator or step-down converter?

average flight time for 5000mah 4s?

contingency lost plane tracking device?



Thanks in advance!

[BlueFlyer]

ESC and Motor combo will work, but on 4S I would personally get either of these

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__29478__Turnigy_Aerodrive_SK3_3542_800kv_Brushless_Outrunner_Motor_UK_Warehouse_.html
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__38045__Turnigy_Aerodrive_SK3_3548_840kv_Brushless_Outrunner_Motor_UK_Warehouse_.html

Then I would use a 9x6 Graupner Aeronaut CAMCarbon Power-Prop

https://www.electricwingman.com/aeronaut-camcarbon-power-propellers

Either way, a 9" prop is the biggest one you'll be able to fit on the walker without modifying the motor mount... but then that causes different issues such as thrust lines and such... easy enough to get a good setup for a 9" prop :)

Servos... I've used both of these in the past, never had a duff one and never had one fail on me, but I would favour the MG90S (2nd link)

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__38062__Turnigy_8482_TGY_50090M_Analog_Servo_MG_1_6kg_0_08sec_9g_UK_Warehouse_.html
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__29628__Turnigy_8482_MG90S_DS_MG_Servo_1_8kg_0_10sec_13_4g_UK_Warehouse_.html

I have that exact same Skywalker from hobbyking, there's no need to strengthen the airframe, in fact that one comes with the T-Tail struts to keep it from flopping around... I didn't use them and I've not had any issues. Wings don't need any special attention either, not like the older versions.

Running FPV gear off same LiPo or it's own LiPo is entirely your choice, you will get opinions from both sides... neither way is right or wrong... most of the time it depends on which OSD or AP you're using as to whether a 2nd LiPo is beneficial or not. So I won't give you my opinion on that right now.

Pan servo... get this GWS S125 1T 360 degree servo... http://www.goodluckbuy.com/gws-digital-servo-sail-winch-s125-1t-2bb-360-degree-7-6kg-106oz-in-1-28sec.html

voltage reg/drop down... again, it depends on whether your OSD/AP does this for you, and ultimately what components you have on your aircraft and what voltages they require... you will most likely need a way to drop your 4S 16v(ish) down to 12v and 5v for various components. Some OSD/APs do this for you, some do not and you will be required to use voltage regulators and low noise BECs in the build

5000mah 4S, on the motor/prop combo I suggested above, I would expect in the region of 30-50 minute flight times on a skywalker 1900. it's all about HOW you fly, not just WHAT you fly lol.

Sometimes I hoon around doing low flying and formation stuff, of course this will yield shorter flight times... conversely I've been able to achieve 50mins plus from a 5000mah 4S by being very careful and flying just a few KMH above the stall speed of my walker.

The best contingency plan for a lost plane... in my opinion, is a DVR to record the live flight. This way you can watch back the footage of the crash and see some clues as to it's location... either GPS co-ords (depending on OSD) and/or being able to recognise features you could navigate to and correlate with a google earth view.

There are lost model alarms which simply beep really loud, and there are GPS/GSM (mobile phone network) trackers that can text you the GPS co-ords but this relies upon the model crashing in an area with cell phone reception... not always the case if you're flying somewhere safe like out in the countryside.

[bignose13]

I was gonna comment but I think Chris nailed it on the head, karma on me Chris, was thinking 1900 sw a few weeks back and that list is pretty good, all be it though I'd go for the mfd ap as I have the tracker and thing the ap is the bizz,

[cortex]

wow great reply blue flyer thanks very much.

which 1.3ghx tx/rx combo?

http://www.banggood.com/FPV-1_2G-8CH-800mw-Wireless-AV-Transmitter-And-Receiver-p-73201.html

or

http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_30_38&products_id=913
and
http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_34_44&products_id=912


or other suggestions welcome?

[BlueFlyer]

reading your OP again, properly this time lol...

Cyclops Storm OSD... great choice, it will work very well in a skywalker.
This OSD has 2 ways of being powered up...

1. main lipo plugs into current sensor, place a "jumper" on 2 pins on the OSD unit and this allows the current sensor to pass through the LiPo's voltage to power the OSD.
2. remove the aforementioned "jumper" and provide 12v from another source to the power in pins on the OSD. This could be from the main flight LiPo or a separate dedicated OSD LiPo

YOU DO NOT WANT TO USE OPTION 1

Why?

because you're planning on using 4S LiPos... the Storm OSD needs 12v and will be ruined if you allow the 16v from the 4S LiPo to pass through the current sensor into the OSD.

This means you're left with option 2. Provide 12v to the power in pins on the OSD.

I would suggest doing this in 1 of the 2 following methods

1. have a separate 3S LiPo to provide power to the OSD... this means you will need to remember to charge up not only your flight batteries but also a stock of smaller (sub 1000mah, 500mah will be fine for the flight times you will get) 3S LiPos for your OSD.

2. tap off the main LiPo power and run it through a voltage regulator to drop it down to 12v.


Either way, you're in luck.... the Storm OSD also acts as a power distribution board for your FPV equipment... the 12v you supply the Storm OSD (via one of the methods above) is then fed to the FPV camera and the VTX... both of which you've stated operate on 12v. This means no other voltage regs or drop downs required to power the cam or VTX.

When I had a Storm OSD I used the dedicated 3S LiPo method.

[BlueFlyer]

wow great reply blue flyer thanks very much.

which 1.3ghx tx/rx combo?

http://www.banggood.com/FPV-1_2G-8CH-800mw-Wireless-AV-Transmitter-And-Receiver-p-73201.html

or

http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_30_38&products_id=913
and
http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_34_44&products_id=912


or other suggestions welcome?

No problem mate... always a pleasure... I love my skywalker, I've built 3 in my time in FPV and each one benefits from lessons learnt in the previous incarnation... I think it's important that we share our experiences as to minimise any mistakes or potential failures for other people :)

Buy the banggood package, purely for the VTX.... it's cheaper than JUST the VTX from RMRC and it's the same unit (I know, I've got both ;) )

put the VRX from that package to one side and buy the VRX from readymadeRC... it's worth the money.

the VRX may look the same, but it has been modded by RMRC and is far superior internally with a better receiver module and SAW filter.

You "could" mess around with changing SAW filters in the VRX from the banggood package, but you'd be safer buying the VRX from RMRC.

[BlueFlyer]

I was gonna comment but I think Chris nailed it on the head, karma on me Chris, was thinking 1900 sw a few weeks back and that list is pretty good, all be it though I'd go for the mfd ap as I have the tracker and thing the ap is the bizz,

Yeah, not played with a MFD AP, so not sure what it does with it's power management... you probably know more about that than me...

I have a Vector in my current skywalker and it's PSU contains a few regulators and filters, there are 2 x 12v outputs and 1 x 5v output and you can chose which voltage to power your cam/vtx by simply plugging in the right JST connector. It also accepts up to 6S LiPos (25.2v) and safely drops the voltage to power the OSD. I don't need to use a 2nd Battery when using a Vector, although I could if I wanted to.

[cortex]

ESC and Motor combo will work, but on 4S I would personally get either of these

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__29478__Turnigy_Aerodrive_SK3_3542_800kv_Brushless_Outrunner_Motor_UK_Warehouse_.html
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__38045__Turnigy_Aerodrive_SK3_3548_840kv_Brushless_Outrunner_Motor_UK_Warehouse_.html

would lower kv mean less power?

[BlueFlyer]

would lower kv mean less power?

No mate, power isn't all about the KV... the KV is just the amount of revolutions, per second, per volt applied to the motor

how the motor is constructed internally will determine how powerful it is... it may be spinning "slower" but it will spin with more force...

the motor you initially suggested only has a max power of 505 watts, the 800kv one I linked to is more powerful at 625 watts and the 840kv one is even more powerful at 750 watts.

[cortex]

No mate, power isn't all about the KV... the KV is just the amount of revolutions, per second, per volt applied to the motor

how the motor is constructed internally will determine how powerful it is... it may be spinning "slower" but it will spin with more force...

the motor you initially suggested only has a max power of 505 watts, the 800kv one I linked to is more powerful at 625 watts and the 840kv one is even more powerful at 750 watts.

i will go for the most powerful one lol

[BlueFlyer]

i will go for the most powerful one lol

hehe, why not :)

take a look at this motor... it's a 2200kv motor... but it's tiny. it spins fast but with very little power (180 watts), albeit plenty of power for what it's designed for, pushing a AXN floater jet/cloud sky through the air :)

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__28422__Floater_Jet_Replacement_Motor_AXN_2208_2150_UK_Warehouse_.html

[cortex]

ESC OK?

[Dillwhacker]

I'm reading with interest as I am fitting out a SW 1900 with similar gear.
Blue - may I ask what motor / KV you would recommend for 3S 5000 LiPo?
I was looking at 3548-1050kV or 3542-1185kV...
I would value you opinion dude!
:)

[cortex]

Step down converter recomendation?

[BlueFlyer]

ESC OK?

ESC is spot on, get yourself one of these programming cards too... many people don't program their ESCs which is a shame, there are some settings you need to configure to get the most out of it

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__29330__TURNIGY_BESC_Programming_Card_UK_Warehouse_.html

In particular, the battery type, the voltage cut off type, the voltage cut off threshold and the brake

The ESC will shut down when the input voltage drops to a certain level in order to protect the battery from overdischarging. however, it's widely accepted that it's preferable to ruin a battery past it's safe voltage level than it is to completely ruin an entire airframe that crashed because the ESC shut off.

By telling the ESC that the LiPo is actually a Ni-xx type battery it will continue operating down to a lower voltage than it would if it was set to Li-xx
You can then tell the ESC to use low/med/high voltage cutoff threshold... of course, you set it to low
Then you tell the ESC whether you want the cut off to be slow and gradual or fast and immediate when it detects that voltage threshold.... here you would tell it to cut slowly in order to get as much prop spinning time as possible.

finally you tell the ESC to apply the brake when you're not giving it throttle... this way the prop does not "free-wheel" when you're trying to glide off the throttle. believe it or not, allowing it to spin freely in the moving air when gliding actually increases drag compared to having the prop fixed in the airflow.