AXON Foamboard Trainer and Light FPV Platform
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- Опубликовано: 29 фев 2012
- The Axon is made of Dollar Tree foamboard (Readi-Board) using the simple construction techniques described on this channel. Four sheets of foamboard plus hot glue, packing tape, plastic gift cards, four 9 gram servos, and flight electronics are all that are needed to build this plane.
Designed in the same category as the EasyStar, Bixler, HawkSky, etc. the Axon has a mid-mounted pusher motor for safety, crashworthiness, and for unobstructed front view for FPV. The construction technique provides 1-2 spare nose sections for replacement due to crash damage.
I made this one out of spare parts so it's not the most colorful in my fleet. Being a pusher prop it does still make that characteristic buzzing but for as well as it flew it's a small price to pay.
The motor mount 5 degree thrustline adjustment is to ensure the thrust force approximately intersects the aerodynamic center of the aircraft. This is very roughly at the mid-chord of the wing. The angled thrust avoids pitching forward and down upon adding power.
Below is a sample parts list as bought from HobbyKing. There are other good sources and many variations of these parts, so use your judgment and ask questions as needed.
PARTS LIST:
Colored Packing Tape:
www.tapebrothers.com/Colored-C...
D2826-6 2200kv Outrunner Motor:
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/st...
or for more power, (and use a larger ESC):
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/st...
30A+ ESC (below is one example)
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/st...
9G Servos:
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/st...
Servo Lead Extensions (many options, below is one):
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/st...
6x4 Propellers:
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/st...
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/st...
2200mAh Battery (many choices, below is my preferred):
www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/st... 
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Your building techniques have opened up a whole new way of scratch building with Dollar foamboard. The Axon is a design I thought of when I first saw your build technique for the fuselages. I'm glad to see it is possible. Thanks for opening my eyes.
I'd just like to thank you for taking the time to post your experience, tips and tricks for making scratch build rc planes! I've learned a ton from your videos!
Your building techniques have opened up a whole new way of scratch building with Dollar foamboard.👍👍👍💯💯💯
Hey ED, It's just great that you put so many elements in one plane and still manage to keep the design very simple. Amazing!
built it, flew it, love it. Thanks for the great designs and all your testing and sharing.
You are right to be concerned. What I like to do is roll up a rectangular wad of foamboard, about battery width and 3-4" long, and glue/stick it to a gift card, leaving part of the card sticking out. Tuck the gift card under the battery so the wad of foamboard sticks out in front as a crumple zone. If you crash then the wad will decelerate the battery somewhat as it crushes. Not a guarantee, but it helps minimize damage to the battery.
Thank you sir, your videos are very very informative plus so easy to follow making scratch builds of your models less frustrating. Thank you again I'll keep watching ,I've learned a lot.
See the "construction details" video on the Axon as a starting point. It's not step-by-step per se but I think it's an adequate description to get you going. You'll probably want to reference the wing, fuselage, and tail videos as you go. Let me know if you have any specific questions along the way.
That is exactly the motor I used, and it's in the parts list. It's good for light FPV, borderline for a GoPro. There are some 2836 sized 1800-2200KV motors if you need more power. If you build the plane exactly as spec'ed you will be stuck with the 6" diameter prop though, so high KV is good.
Ed, excellent!.. I think the key for your success is the simplicity and how neat are your constructions. Keep it up!!!!
Very cool, and cool looking! I have been waiting for this one :) Thanks for all you do Ed!
Thanks for the reply. I built the two fuselage pieces last night and I was surprised at how strong they felt.
Another awesome build. Well done.
Hey Ed, thought I'd update you on my builds. The previous comment I left at your Burning Man vid was mid-build of the scaled down, 1 1/2" fuse tube build utilizing the cannibalized electronics from a crashed-and-repaired-too-many-times FT Speedster w/ a 250 size motor.. First flight today exposed what I suspected might be the case , a dramatically under powered plane despite the attempt to compensate thru scaling down.
On launch from a slightly elevated position I was pleased to see an incredibly docile and easy to handle, well balanced flight. I just couldn't maintain any altitude and 3 times in a row landed gently and smoothly after prolonging the inevitable.
Being new to the hobby and looking for a starter this design has passed that goal with "flying" colors.
So it's forward with the full scale 60" WS, 7" cord, full scale version.
Thanx for the great info, sharing your brain so I can fly the "Haxon"
Thanks Ed, that makes since now that you have explained it... By the way I think it cannot be said enough, Thank You for all the videos You post.. very informative ,formatted, and narrated wonderfully, keep up the great work.. We do apreciate it...Tim
Thanks. You do great work. Can't wait to build my first plane.
Same place: at 30% of chord from leading edge (typically 2"). But with a longer tail you may need to add weight to nose, preferably in the form of landing gear, larger battery, FPV gear, or something else useful.
Great to hear - I hope to see your creations. I do use a 4" extension from the battery to ESC. It is preferable to extend the ESC-to-motor wires, but I just opted to keep it simple on this one. It's also kind of nice to put the ESC up there in the "power pod" with the motor. I think the rudder is probably not necessary. You could dial in a little aileron differential to help coordinate turns, but you might not even need that.
Hi Ed, If you mounted the rud' / eliv' servos servo much further forward and used a closed loop system you could achieve your CG without adding (dead) weight up front, I was a balsa builder and the general rule was - to many grams on the tail requires several ounces up front, so you must loose that extra tail wieght
Awesome build. I think I might make this my weekend project. I was thinking of starting on the Peace Drone but I think I like this one better for FPV. Thanks for sharing.
For building simplicity, the Noob Tube is better, and uses a single section wing. This build technique really only hit's its sweet spot for flying ease at about 45" wingspan, so for new pilots I would recommend going the extra way of joining wing sections. 3 channel would need dihedral to turn if using an active rudder and no ailerons, but you could use elevator and ailerons and skip the rudder.
You are really inspirational!
As always cool video
Nice! I really like the look of this plane, would be great for FPV
Brilliant!
The wings do great, the nose will crush. But the nose is replaceable and the build technique includes making a spare nose.
Hi, I like to build my own planes too, but I think that I will use your amazing buil techniques. I saw almost all your videos and I realy like your job and the fact that you share your wisdom with the world. About this plane (Axon) it is in the same category as the bixler, easystar, etc, but in my opinion its better, talking about construction quality and flight, and is for sure more beautiful that the others to me.
keep doing that Great job, I'm your fan ;D
Greetings and sorry my bad english.
Thanks again.
I don't see why not! Biplane tractor setups have definitely been done with this build technique.
@ExperimentalAirlines Think of pushing a frisbee through a swimming pool. You would need to push right at the center to keep it from pitching off to the side. This is what you'd be doing by adjusting the axis of the motor - to point through the aerodynamic center of the plane. Usually no compensation is needed for different speeds, etc.
I don't have an apples-to-apples on that but I can say the Axon glides pretty darn well, especially with the 60" wingspan version. Bixlers are pretty cool, just a matter of whether you like to build your own or buy one from the shop.
The battery with the highest C-rating and best reputation (or personal experience) is generally the recommendation. By the way it is Ed. Slab City huh. I landed my trike there once. Very cool spot!
The wing is two 27" sections joined by a carbon arrow shaft (a dowel would work) and simply taped around the center joint, with the wings just butted together and the servo wires run out the bottom toward the front. The control horns are just little pieces of plastic gift card bent and drilled. See the "stabilizers - control horns" video and the "plastic gift cards for rc" video for more details.
Nice.Thank you!
You can try squishing it back into a squareish shape by jamming it into the corner of something, like the corner of a room or door jamb. You could also just use shims under the wing. Installing crossbracing inside can be done in a certain way that shifts the upper surface this way and that, just have to experiment.
Sure, go for it. I think your biggest bang-for-buck would be on the ailerons, as long as you have them set up as true ailerons and not flaperons. I don't think you NEED a gyro, but gyros can give an element of locked-on'ed'ness that is kind of cool.
Yes i'll try and i let you know. Thank you for reply.
thank u i will start working on it today
The tractor would end up being pretty close to a Photon. Twins are awesome. I have seen a triple: one mid pusher and twin wing-mounted tractors. Go nuts with it!
I would give slight preference to the Axon only because it's a little easier to build and flies more "conventionally". The PD can be kind of floaty, which if you are not used to it can get you into trouble. I do love them both though.
@Tommp Having the motor thrust straight forward, parallel to the airframe, will tend to pitch the whole plane downwards when power is added. The thrustline should ideally intersect the aerodynamic center of the plane, which is hard to explain succinctly, but very approximately at the half-chord of the wing. This way the thrust force is countered by an equal amount of drag above and below the thrust axis, so any pitch-over caused by the motor becomes balanced.
@quickpix123 It's a big question with many good answers from many smart guys. I my opinion a mid-mounted pusher design is a good start. If you like to build, and inexpensively, then the Axon is a good suggestion - easy to make and repair. I have added a parts list to the comments for the Axon build. Poke around the forums like RCGroups for beginner suggestions. Radio selection is too varied to detail here. Many to choose from - HobbyKing has some cheap ones that work, I use Spektrum.
Would a COX 049 be powerful enough to push this? I believe the put out about 50-60W of power. I am looking to build my first RC plane after having only had small quads, I'm looking for something that carry fpv/gopro and fly fairly slowly and for a longer time than a quad does. I hardly ever hover so it looks like a plane would be much better for me than a quadcopter. Also for a homemade first plane would a $30-40 ebay controller receiver combo be good enough? that and a few servos and I can use the 049 that I already have.
Thanks
Start with CG 25-30% back from leading edge, so about 2". If you build the full-length version of the Axon you will probably need FPV gear and/or landing gear and/or ballast in the nose to balance. If not, consider making the tail a few inches shorter.
I've flown it with a keychain camera and the roll stability was acceptable, at least as good as the Peace Drone, my main FPV ship. It's never as perfect as a trike, what I'm used to shooting video from. I think the Axon would be a better plane to consider putting a gyro on the ailerons than the Peace Drone, where I've had mixed success on the elevon gyro. As the foamboard artiste that you are I think you should try it out.
Hello Ed, I built the axon as a beginner/fun flyer airplane using depron. It has a 2" fuselage and 5" chord.I'm just getting into the hobby and teaching myself to fly using scratch build airplanes as store brought planes are very expensive in India.it is the first plane which returned home without damage.I think the plane I built was heavy and needed full throttle for level flight. What should the weight be without battery.
Thanks again for wonderful techniques and awesome videos.
So when hooking up the motor can I just reverse the wires to make it a pusher- or do I have to pull the shaft and turn it around? any help would be greatly appreciated! Another great video.
I always go with 30C or better for all battery applications. The SkyLipo 40C is a solid workhorse, pretty hard to go wrong with it. I find they keep low internal resistance longer and puff less readily, so overall you'll get more flights with better amperage delivery over a longer lifespan.
Same place as for short tail - about 2" aft of LE, at about 30% chord. You will likely need to add some weight to the nose in the form of landing gear, bigger battery, FPV setup, etc.
Right around 2mil seems to be good. Thinner actually seems to stick better around contours, if anything.
@ExperimentalAirlines Also note tractor props with high wing planes often need the motor pointed down a few degrees too, but to keep the plane from climbing, since the aerodynamic center is above and behind the thrustline. Same principle, different arrangement of forces.
Any tips on fixing odd shaped fuselage tubes? My main Axon tube is fine but the one at the top for the motor and wing mounts isn't level on top from bad construction. I didn't realize this until after I had already hot glued everything together. I'll need to figure out how to level it so the wing and motor are straight with the tail.
Hey Ed! this will be perfect trainer for me to build as a starter plane! Any plans on making step by step tutorials of how to build it? Thanks! and great job on making these simple and affordable planes!!!
Built and maiden-ed the Axon over the weekend, it flies great right from the first launch. Thanks for sharing your designs with us.
In the Axon FPV videos you have a set of landing gear on the Axon. Do you have any details (perhaps in another video) of the landing gear?
3M Scotch brand Heavy Duty mounting tape. Home Depot has a fine price, as good as anything I've found online. About $16 for a large roll, easily good for 5-10 planes for mounting all the parts you need to stick together.
Hello Ed
I have been enjoying your videos. Thank you for all the great info.
What did you use for the servo rods?
Where to get the motor mount?
Are did you just bend a piece of metal for the motor mount?
Looking forward to your reply.
Hoping to start my Axon build soon
Walter
Thanks for the videos Ed! I just built my own Axon but I need to find the cg for the wing or how would I find the cg on my own? I built the 5" wing
Awesome, waiting for the build video! I will for sure build this one!
Question. Will the motor and prop used in the AXON work in the NOOB Tube?
40 amp ESC is a good sweet spot for value but with good amp draw capacity, good for nearly any motor in the 28mm rotor diameter (like 2826, 2830, 2836) and under 2500KV. Many to choose from. I usually go with Turnigy for price and familiarity. These are foamboard planes after all. Never had a failure yet though.
Also consider using a rolled-up piece of foamboard located just in front of your battery to act as a crumple zone to protect the battery in case of nose-in crashes. Otherwise you can swap out the nose section of the fuselage as much as you need. You should get three noses per 30" section of fuselage tube.
hello, learning from your videos, awesome instructions, how long does the battery last while flying the trainer plane? thank you for motor list I will share wnen I start and complete my 1st plane I just have to gather the materials cant wait :)
have you experimented with adding a little dihedral to the Armin Wing at all? Or would it be too complicated for the amount of gain in stability?
Would need more specs on that motor. Can you see if it gives better than 600g of thrust?
Which Sky Lipo's do you use from HobbyPartz? I'm not sure if 20c or 40c is better? Looks like they only have 20c in stock.
Hey Ted, how do you connect two wings together with a shaft? Do you glue the shaft in one of the wings when you put it together and just slide the shaft in another, without gluing to it, or you just put unglued shaft between two wings when you finish both of them, then how do you run the wires, after you make a big wing or before? Thanks!
@usarmyfl1 It's complicated, but for any single given motor, the prop is the variable which most affects amperage draw. The more resistance from the prop the more amps needed to turn it. Amps multiplied by the voltage delivered by the battery equals watts. In a good quality, high-C-rated, pack of adequate capacity, this voltage will be pretty close to the nominal voltage (11-12v in a 3 cell lipo). In crappy batteries the voltage sags, giving lower voltage and less wattage.
What ESC would you suggest for the larger motor?
@rgthd007 I think a GoPro would balance out nicely at the mid-nose position with the 42" fuselage. I haven't tested payload but the configuration you see here had plenty of surplus power so I think it would be OK. You might need to slide the battery back a bit inside the main fuselage to balance, but there is plenty of room to do so.
Thank you so much for your detailed videos! I am sure it takes a lot of your time, but I love the simplicity and cleanliness of the lines. Anyways, the only way I am not sure about of how to do, is the Wing... I saw your other video where you connected two separate wings together to make a wider wing, but on Axon, it seems like you used a different technique and you didn't put a new piece of foam in between, the way you showed in the older video? Also, how did you put the control horns? Thnx!!!
One last question. If I'm doing a 60" wing, do I use 2x 30" x 1/4" wooden dowel in each wing section or one 48" dowel in the center?
Could you add a say, 1 1/2" nose wheel in the fuse tube to aid in landings?
Just be sure the convex side of the propeller, which also has the "writing" on it, faces forward the way the plane travels through the air. It does not have to be a "pusher propeller" - any prop will do as long as it matches the motor recommendations for size and pitch. If needed, the motor rotation can be changed just by changing any two of the three wires.
For a first time FPV'er, and would you recommend the axon over the peace drone? Why or why not?
Thanks
Noah
Well you can still go with the 2200KV motor and 6x4 prop with a smaller battery, provided it has the C rating to compensate. I recommend 30C minimum. But you can use different motors and props too. 3-blade prop is a good solution for getting clearance.
I always faithfully following your channel video, Just some some question, can you advise me what is the ideal plane based of EA model for beginners like me,?
Hi Ed, your videos are so fantastic and helpful. I plan to build the Axon, but my only concern is where the battery is mounted. In the event of a crash, how well would a Lipo battery hold up to impacting the ground. Thanks for your help
Hi Ed. Love the use of inexpensive or free materials. What is the AUW of the Axon with your FPV gear installed? I'm not going to use FPV so added weight in the nose for a CG close to what you mentioned.
I've been simply covering my wings with ordinary clear packing tape from 3M, it's available at most stores in a 3 roll pack for under $10. One roll goes a long, long way! If you want to decorate your model with Insignias, numbers, letters or patterns, you can try "Trim MonoKote" it"s available in a variety of colors and patterns in sheets 36" x about 6" and it's peel and stick.
Hi. Hope you doing well. I love your videos. And you explain very well. Plz explain what is the fly weight?
Hi Ed,
I just received my order for my motor, battery ect and I goofed up the battery order the one you listed was backordered so I tried to match up the numbers with another battery and got a 4s instead of a 3s 2200mah 45 90c. will this still work or do I need to return it and wait for the other one to become avialable ? I did get the motor and speed controled you listed.
Cool, man, glad to help. C-ratings are kind of voodoo. There is an actual scientific principle behind it, but every manufacturer is going to interpret it a different way. What's 30C mean? Before the battery puffs? Before the wires melt? Before the lifespan decreases? Etc, etc. First choose the cell number you need for voltage - hard to go wrong with 3-cell for most applications. Then consider how many amps you need for a given power system, measuring it with a wattmeter if possible.
Gotcha thanks.
nice
Hey I noticed the motor you listed under the specs said to use a 40amp esc but you have a 25 listed, am I missing something? Is the motor not gona push past 25 because of other factors?
What brand double sided foam tape you use and where you buy?
So I built the AXON, unfortuatly it repeatedly nosed into the ground on launch. I did eventually get it to fly....and it was pretty nice but had some sketchy tendecies to flare a wing . maybe it was nose heavy?
would your recommended motor (D2826-6 2200kv Outrunner Motor) work this plane with 60" wingspan and fpv gear or do i need a bigger motor?
If your ESC's BEC can handle 2 or preferably 3 amps then no external BEC is necessary for running the 4 servos plus the receiver this plane uses.
Hey Ed do you have any luck with the Turnigy 9x or could I go with the dx6i.I want dsm2 compatibility, but I want enough channels
. I would like to have a camera on board also any suggestions?.
What charger do you use?
Can you add some details about the 5 degree down thrust. Why would the nose pitch down without the offset? Is it because the down thrust compensates for the increased lift generated by increased speed? With 5 degree down thrust, what compensation, if any, is needed for cruising flight? More up elevator? Any help clarifying this would be appreciated.
Another thing, I have seen a lot of 3s 2200 batteries for around 10 bucks, is there a need for the higher discharge rate that this bat. has?
How do these plans hold up to crashes? I thinking of building the Axon but was wondering how it will hold up. I think you should make a video about repairing planes that you've crashed.
Okay I'm a noob still, so it is the prop which plays the most part in generating watts?
Thanks for the tips. I'll post a video once finished. One last question. I'm using $1 Duck brand packing tape from Walmart and from their website it shows that the standard packing tape has a 1.9mil thickness. Is this good or should I use a thicker packing tape?
what is the different between the 5 in and the 7in cores in flight on this plane
Hello ED, I am new to this hobby and I was thinking to go for the Axon. Do you think it will be easier for me to fly it, if I do it 3 channel instead of 4?
Thanks a lot and keep it up.
For this plane it's easier to make the commitment and fly ailerons than it is to build in dihedral for 3 channel. It's a pretty docile plane, kind of like a Bixler.
Hi Ed This may be a dum question but how do you make it a pushe?? motor prop or reversed motor leads ?? thanks for any info you can give me
Could I use a 2628-10 1400kv motor on this build ? These are the only motors I have left to use and I wanted to start learning to fly planes.
Have you flown FPV with this plane yet? Is is a stable FPV platform? The only reason that I ask is because the Easy Star/Hawk Sky are great planes, but they are a bit wobbly for FPV for my liking. This is such a sweet design. I love the simplicity and the functionality