Winter build project: Wolfgang Matt’s ATLAS

JonTappin wrote: Mike could buy a servo and a half for that extra cash

I resemble that remark. More importantly, my 4 servos cost less than one of Chris's. One of us will have a very eggy face if the model crashes due to a servo failure!!

Hi Jon, nice to have your approval... for once the servos have slightly better specs then the versions they are replacing, although not as fast or as light... or as cheap as Mike's so he can keep that warm glow of content about his choice of servo. I would eventually like to move away form Spektrum and JR would be a strong candidate, although I'm also keeping a close eye on the Frsky Horus. Either way, hopefully a perfectly capable servo for my intended use.

I've just measured the throws on the Blue Angel Plan:

Elevator: 18º up, 14º down
Rudder 25º left, 25º right

20 deg should be ok for elev but you will need as much as you can get for the rudder, before it hits the elevators probably 40 deg ish.

My BA has about the right aileron and elevator movement (according to the plan) but, like Jon suggests, I have given myself as much rudder throw as possible. This can be measured on the Atlas plan by looking at the angle that the elevators are cut at the root. Probably about 40 degrees each way.

Thank you gentleman.

Another question for you, standard servo travel is 60º, but you can increase this by setting the servo end points beyond this in the radio. Should you do this to maximize servo resolution and travel? Or is that servo travel beyond the 60º to allow for trim and mixes that might take you outside of that 60º range?

Not sure what others do, but I have my radio set to -100/+100 for the servo travel at first and adjust mechanically to get the throw I need. If I can't get the right movement I adjust the end-points up or down. I've never owned a programmable servo so for me it is all done in the radio.