Long ranting email about my FW190

[MalcolmS]

Have already put a lipo in the Spit and it is great!!!

Am trying to get some spare airframes from anywhere and would also like to try a painting job. What type of paint do you use?

[Anthony]

Does anyone have the instructions/pictures of how to convert the plane for Lipo batteries... I seem to have lost my instruction manual.

[MalcolmS]

Hi Anthony

Here is a link to the European manual (three languages):
http://www.parkzone.com/ProdInfo/Fil...lHRCropped.pdf

It is page 25 you want which has the info about chnaging the jumpers to tell the rx you are using a lipo. You will of course need to solder the tamiya small plug that came with the plane onto the lipo - or better still convert the plugs on the rx and batteries from Tamiya style to EC3s or Deans style

[Anthony]

Ooo excellent thank's Malcolm, that's just what I was looking for! Perfect!!

[neptunecloud]

Originally Posted by MalcolmS

Have already put a lipo in the Spit and it is great!!!

Am trying to get some spare airframes from anywhere and would also like to try a painting job.

Yep, LiPo now tested out in the Spit as of yesterday - went through four packs and it was certainly better to handle than with NiMhs.

Still find that the FW190 flies better though (bizarre, eh?), especially since it doesn't tend to "porpoise". Flew it again this morning, and it was just perfect. Mind you, in pre-flight checks yesterday it managed to completely reset its elevator position, the TX developed an intermittent battery fault, and then it refused to respond at all when tested on full throw. All right as rain again this morning, very curious.

I know what you mean about spare parts, I've got a complete airframe standing by in reserve and a few spare cowls and firewalls just in case, but after that it's going to have to be hotglue I'm mostly hoping that my flying skills have just about matured in time to keep this little monster flying for the forseeable ...

[MalcolmS]

OK

After first flight or two with the Brushless FW190 today was the first good flying day I had when I wasn't busy with something else. I knew the plane was twisitng to the left and was tail heavy so spent the morning cable tieing the PZ noseweight to the engine mount and alos adding a washer to the left side of the motor to move it over slightly. Got to the flying field and all checks out, go to launch and about 2 feet after leaving my hand the motor stops for a short time but long enough for it to nose in the ground.

Ok these things happen I say to myself and so I check everything out - run the motor for 5-10 secs and all ok and so try again. This time the plane goes about 3 feet before the motor stops and noses in this time loosenign/busting the motor mount. I therefore return home cheesed off (had already spent about 10mins with my Sukhoi flying ok but motor pulsing too soon).

When I got home I then went to put the FW190 in the shed and as I put it down the fuselage cracks just where the pilot is and almost breaks in two!!

btw did I forget to mention that just before launch the prop wash managed to blow the canopy off?

I HAVE ALMOST HAD IT WITH THIS PLANE - it seems jinxed.!!!!

I have a spare fuselage which I was hoping to try doing a respray job on once I got the original bird working correctly but now it looks like I will be rebuiliding again.

No wonder this plane is being phased out - however I do love the look of the FW190 and so wish it could fly properly. Maybe PZ might upgrade the FW190 and not the Spitfire - sorry I know that is almost sacreligious but it is the way I feel!!!

This is turning into my Pitts story with similar problems to Dunney1!!!

OK rant over

[SmartMartY]

Sorry to state the obvious but I think you need to get to the heart of the problem i.e. motor / esc / battery problem mate, especially as you have the spares and knowhow to rebuild her. If you crack it (no pun intended) then you'll be so chuffed cos you beat her into flying again And yes she does look good.

[neptunecloud]

Good grief Malcolm, you really are cursed with this one aren't you? Major respect for sticking with it this far

Ironically, I'm only on the site because I've been ordering replacement parts for my Spit, which is currently a plastic bag of spare parts awaiting reassembly after its last crash. I'm looking them both right now, and the FW190 is grinning maniacally back at me. It's becoming (my God!) a reliable little flyer in comparison, whereas the Spit is giving me nothing but grief. There's no sense in the world sometimes

Honestly, can't even think of anything to suggest any more. Sounds like loose motor connectors, but life's never that simple of course. Just sleep on it and wake up refreshed. I know mine's given me nightmares before, and the fact that it's now flying nicely could evaporate any time at the whim of fate ...

[TLMARK]

Having just caught up with the incident!

Maybe it is time to give up I had the same thing with one of my Heli's the Belt cp it kept crashing. So I ripped out the electrics for some thing else.

With a bit of luck PZ will update the 190 like they did with the mustang.

[dunney1]

Hi, Malcome, whilst you still have all the parts stick at it, you will sort it out in the end. Just think of the satisfaction you will have when the D**m thing flys.

[Anthony]

Yeah stick at it, the first time i launched my FW190 that I built completly from SQL spare parts and the radio from a crashed spitfire it just swung left and nose dived into the floor, so I added the washer to the motor mount and tried again and it flew at a nose up angle of about 30 degrees so I added some nose weight and now it flys perfectly... better than the spitfire I'd say. It certainly doesn't have the annoying ballooning affect the spitfire does when you try to do a shallow dive at full speed and the FW190 will always easily pull out of a dive. It's also mush easier to orientate in the air, very seldom do i think "which way's it going".

[Anthony]

I have just got around to adjusting my receiver in my FW190 to take a Lipo battery, however I am a little confused as to which part of the circuit board is J3... the jumper I'm supposed to be removing. I wondered if anyone slightly more technically minded could tell me which part it is? I'm guessing it's the small black square bit between the red and black wire at the top with 'M1' printed on it? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[TLMARK]

No its the little black connector just above the servo wire, just pull it off with some long nose pliers

[monkiee]

I can only see one jumper on that pic just underneath the servo ports, the little black plastic part that lifts off, i think thats it anyway?

[Anthony]

Aha thanks people!!

I just remembered that it's an old spitfire receiver in my FW190, and therefore I should have re-programmed it using the transmitter! Anyway I have done that now and didn't remove anything from the receiver and all seems to work well! The Lipo battery certainly seems to give it an extra kick when I tested it on the dining room table, I shall have to see how it flies as soon as possible! I had to add 2oz of lead to the front to get the right CofG.