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StarMax F-16 90mm EDF
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Brett View Drop Down
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Posts: 230 		  Quote Brett Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: StarMax F-16 90mm EDF
    Posted: 25/Sep/2010 at 7:44am
I am thinking of buying the F-16 90mm EDF from HK and have been looking for other owner experiences.  
The plane in Grey:
in Camo:

While there is extensive info on other forums, sifting through 100s of pages to find small snippets of useful info, I found little info on this forum.

I am basically seeking feedback from owners that have persevered with the stock setup of the Version 2 offering.  Not "throw away the EDF, Motor, Retracts & Servos" and spend more than the cost of the plane again getting it tricked out, but work with what comes standard.

  • How good is the V2 EDF/Motor combo?
  • Any success tinkering with the Retracts to get them working reliably?
  • Do the Elevator pylons need reinforcing?
  • What size Battery are you running? I am thinking of using my Trex-600's 6S 5000mAH LiPos to save buying different size batteries for one plane.

I think this thread would then be of benefit to other HK Customers looking at this big foamy on a budget.
I reckon the camo is the pick mainly for orientation visibility.
I look forward to your comments

cheers
Brett
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Posts: 1978 		  Quote rcmodelreviews. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25/Sep/2010 at 8:22am
It seems that the gray color scheme is far more popular than the cammo though -- the stocks of gray sold out long before there was even a dent in the stocks of the cammo version.

And personally, I think blue planes against a blue sky are a "challenge" when it comes to orientation and visibility :-)
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Brett View Drop Down
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Posts: 230 		  Quote Brett Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25/Sep/2010 at 8:32am
I find that the color is fairly irrelevant with orientation.  At certain angles in flight any color including white can look black.  Contrasting colors, especially black & white stripes work best for my eyes. (invasion stripes where appropriate, but only on the upper wing)

So while I agree the grey scheme looks more traditional scale, the camo contrast will help me  when this fast mover goes "long". 

Still, I look forward to owners comments on the hardware.
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Posts: 154 		  Quote 4stripes Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26/Sep/2010 at 10:35am
  • How good is the V2 EDF/Motor combo?
Not usable unless fan is balanced. I flew without balancing and plane was very loud and the shroud motor mount cracked in several places. My adapter was not drilled in the center for the spinner screw (so I flew without spinner). The thrust was marginal on my 6S 30C 5000mah until I opened up the cheater air intakes (using a dremel sanding drum). Then the aircraft performs reasonably well (still less than 1 to 1 thrust). Perhaps 35 or 40C batteries would be best. 
  • Any success tinkering with the Retracts to get them working reliably?
Took 3 days of fiddling but they work well enough now off of pavement. I ended up taking the landing gear completely apart and reassembling to make sure all wires/flat spots/ set screws installed properly. The servo arms are flimsy and twisted badly on the first flight. I replaced them with circular arms and extensions screwed to the top to get the landing gears to lock properly. The nose gear will collapse if rough ground is hit at speed (the lock won't hold as the plastic is not positive). DON'T glue the gear assemblies in solid. Just apply a few beads of epoxy in areas that can be cut later (if necessary to remove them).
  • Do the Elevator pylons need reinforcing?
No. They work fine. My only concern is the servo strength. If elevator applied quickly I suspect one side doesn't follow the other (my model will occasionally roll during sharp pull outs). I'll upgrade them soon with stronger units.
  • What size Battery are you running? I am thinking of using my Trex-600's 6S 5000mAH LiPos to save buying different size batteries for one plane.
Good battery choice! Just use a high C rating (minimum 30C). 5000mah will give a 5 minute flight with mixed throttle then it's time to land (enough left for one maybe two go-arounds). My batteries are Turnigy 5000mah 25-35C 6S (best so far), Zippy flightmax 5000mah 30C 6S (OK but less power than the Turnigy), and Force-control 4800mah 30C 6S (about the same as the zippy batteries but one was a dud.)

I've replaced my fan with the HK 90mm 5 blade fan (with pointy spinner nut). It needs balancing and produces about 10% less thrust with a lower draw on the battery. 

Whatever you do, DON'T RUN THE STOCK FAN outside the plane. The faom plane supports the shrouds round shape. Without support, vibration will flex the shroud badly and shorten your blades (I made that mistake and that is why I'm running a replacement fan). My shortened original fan produces about 2.2Kg thrust and the replacement HK produces 2.0Kg.

Even with the reduced thrust, I'm happy with the performance. I'll try to machine a new adapter so that the original fan AND SPINNER can be used for better efficiency.
Another option is to get the Wemotec midifan PRO fan (as the Starmax is a clone of this type).

Visibility is bad on anything but a clear blue sky with the grey version so I have painted white sections on the under-side of the wings and tail. It helps a little but with an overcast sky there is almost no contrast. 

Forget the stock landing gear on grass. First the nose will collapse then the mains will bend back (The wires are too thin between the retract and the gear legs). If you have pavement it is an ideal setup. 

I hope this helps. 
Cheers
Eric
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Brett View Drop Down
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Posts: 230 		  Quote Brett Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26/Sep/2010 at 10:55am
Originally posted by 4stripes

DON'T glue the gear assemblies in solid. Just apply a few beads of epoxy in areas that can be cut later (if necessary to remove them).

Are you referring to the plywood sections that the retracts are mounted to. I assume they come pushed in but not glued so you can work on them or refit something else?

Originally posted by 4stripes

Whatever you do, DON'T RUN THE STOCK FAN outside the plane. The faom plane supports the shrouds round shape. Without support, vibration will flex the shroud badly and shorten your blades 

Do you mean the blades got shorter but rubbing against the outer shroud and wearing down. I guess there was a lot of friction at 30K+ rpm.  I ordered the other 90mm fan you mention in preparation as a back-up just in case one or the other doesn't balance. I would assume its a bit of a lottery if you get a good one.

Originally posted by 4stripes

Forget the stock landing gear on grass. First the nose will collapse then the mains will bend back (The wires are too thin between the retract and the gear legs). If you have pavement it is an ideal setup. 

The field I fly at is hard compacted and smooth dirt. We pull a land plane over it to keep it "brushed" and level, so it is as good as pavement as long as we can keep the weeds from growing up through it.

Originally posted by 4stripes

I hope this helps. 
Cheers
Eric

Thanks for that, I did read you comments on the Product page, but thanks for fleshing them out again here.  I hope other owners can add their experiences too now there is a dedicated thread for it.  I'll add my experiences when I get mine.

cheers
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Posts: 230 		  Quote Brett Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27/Sep/2010 at 6:08am
Ordered the Camo. 
 
First order from the Aussie Warehouse, lets see how home grown dispatch works to Qld. Approve
 
Big EDF, here we come...
 


Edited by Brett - 30/Sep/2010 at 2:40pm
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Posts: 230 		  Quote Brett Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27/Sep/2010 at 11:33am
Your parcel has been sent from the HobbyKing.com NSW warehouse!
 
shipped at 12:50pm same day....sweet! Thumbs Up
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Posts: 230 		  Quote Brett Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30/Sep/2010 at 2:36pm
After all the reports of fan failures, I've ordered the High Torque 5 Blader from the EDF Parts catalog:
 
 
 
as compared to the stock fan:
stock EDF
 
 
Did you replace just the fan/rotor in the existing shroud, or use the whole unit as is with the skirt?


Edited by Brett - 30/Sep/2010 at 3:32pm
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Posts: 54 		  Quote Kaldek Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01/Oct/2010 at 12:38pm
Hi folks,

I also purchased mine from the NSW warehouse and have been building it for a few days.  Basic airframe construction has gone well, aside from a couple of problems:

  • The ESC was glued to the foam, but separated and was not secured.  My long term intention is to create a mount similar to what the battery uses (plywood) and strap the ESC down.  For now, I have just re-glued it using hot glue.  I need to run some temperature tests of course, because a hot ESC will cause the glue to melt mid-flight.
  • The remaining screws to secure the engine cover (access hatch to the motor/fan) aren't long enough.  Only 8 long screws came with the kit and I needed to use those for the leading edge flaps.
  • The retracts needed work to ensure 100% positive gear locking every time, as well as guaranteed retraction every time whilst not causing stalled servos.  I agree that stronger pushrods and control arms are needed, because any flexing of parts reduces the ability of the gear to lock and retract without stalling the servos.

As for the fan, it's definitely out of balance.  Once it gets up to speed the pitch/sound changes dramatically and you can tell it's fighting itself.  I will be doing some dynamic balancing this weekend to bring the vibes down and regain some thrust.

Oh, also I have purchase a pair of Zippy Flightmax 4000mAh 40C batteries.  By the sounds of it, I'm not going to get much change from three of four minutes out of these?






Edited by Kaldek - 01/Oct/2010 at 12:56pm
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Brett View Drop Down
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Posts: 230 		  Quote Brett Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01/Oct/2010 at 2:33pm
Hey thanks for your feedback on your build. Thumbs Up  Good to know.
 
Still awaiting mine to arrive.
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