Zeta FX-61 Phantom Wing Number 2
April 2016
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| FX #2! |
Introduction - Phantom FX-61 Number 2
On this new build I have decided to go a lighter weight route and a swoopier (smoother) airframe in terms of add-ons like antennas, VTx's cameras etc. On the lighter side I am going to use a Cobra 2814/16-1050kv motor and an 4S/5200 Multistar (442g) or one of my 8 cell Panasonic 4S2P packs (405g). I am also going to try the Corona CS939MG 12.5g/2.5kg servos because I can't currently get Hitec HS-82MG so this also saves me about 12g as well. These three things plus not using a GoPro in its case are collectively 564g lighter than what I was flying on my first FX. AUW should then be close to 1600g which should make for an easy flyer!
On the swoopy side I am going to put the DL 433 dipole in one of the vertical stabilizers and let the lower element flop in the breeze. I have done this (flop in the breeze) on my MiniTalon and the range is still much more than I need. I will also print up a cover for the Mobius and FPV cam.
I will keep the servos on the bottom of the wing and use a servo arm cover to keep it safe from landings. I will use a limited amount of 3 mil laminate on the leading edge, wing tips and wing roots. I might add some monokote to the bottom to cover the spar and other gaps. I will print covers for the thumb/finger cutouts and the downward camera hole. All of this will make it much more slippery and lighter which will add to the flight time.
Wings
I started with the wings (again). The first task was to glue on the 0.5mm X 3mm CF strips on the trailing edge of the Elevons.
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| Strip glued on with thinned 30 minute epoxy |
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| CF strip profile |
I then printed up some mount pieces to be inlaid into the elevon foam for the purpose of making a stiff, solid mount for the control horn. Using a soldering iron with a flat tip I scoured out just enough foam to lay in the two pieces so they are perfectly flush with the top and bottom of the control surface.
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| Horn mount pieces |
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| Gluing it all up |
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| Top view of horn mount |
I then made up a pair of carbon fiber control rods and assembled it on the wing to get the length sizing correct. I also printed the servo covers which will be inlaid after the servo is completely set-up and glued in.
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| Control linkage details |
Fuselage
This kit is a bit different from my first as this is version one which doesn't have the hardware for removable wings. This is no issue as I had the first one glued and this one will be as well. The good news here is the v1 spar which is an 8mm fiberglass tube is 50g lighter than the v2 spar with all its extra pieces. I did decide to use the center tube section out of the v2 as this will make the whole wing significantly stiffer than a standard v1 and the weight penalty is only ~14g. So, the net weight savings is near 36g instead of the full 50g.
I decided to bury the DragonLink 433 Dipole antenna in the left vertical stabilizer to keep it off the wings. The bottom element hangs out the bottom about 30mm but this has only a very small effect on range. Also, this position will give me less component separation but still about the same as my MiniTalon which has no issue with range and it too has a dangling lower element.
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| Fuselage with 433 dipole, spar tube and FPV camera mount |
Canopy
For this version I decided to go with a Mobius instead of one of my GoPro's. This of course meant carving up the canopy a little. I started with a bolt on mount for the FPV camera (shown above) then added a deck piece to hold the Mobius and to act as a canopy hold-down. I may change this at a later date to a Mobius only to save more weight, I'm just not sure of the reliability.
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| Camera deck with and without the Mobius |
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| 3D Model of the mount |
Graphics
Had to have some! First I layed on 3mil laminate on the leading edge wing joins and spar. I Had a roll of fluorescent green Monokote and piles of Navy blue Ultracote so I ironed some of this on to make it a little unique.
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| Top and Bottom |
Power
As I wrote in the intro I have decided to go a lighter route and use a smaller motor. The motor is a Cobra 2814/16-1050kv and some prop tests using this with some of the more popular FX61 props is shown below. I will start with an old favorite, a 9.5x6 Aeronaut.
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| Cobra prop tests |
See Also
Project 3D Print Files
- TBA
Some Vendors used for this Project
Comments? Questions?
