are in your battery pack -- i.e. if you are using a lithium-polymer
battery pack, be sure you use a charger designed for li-polys.
NEVER use a nicad or nimh charger to charge lithium batteries,
and vice versa. Doing so can be very dangerous!
2) Make sure you use a "peak detection" charger.
This is a
charger that automatically senses when the battery is completely
charged (peaked) and then shuts itself off.
A peak detection
charger not only prevents overcharging of batteries, (which will
damage them in time), but it also insures that you are getting the
maximum charge into the batteries, so that you will realize
maximum power and duration from the motor.
RADIO EQUIPMENT
The E-FORCE gets its great flight performance from many factors,
but one of the most important factors is its light weight. The lighter
the final weight is, the better this airplane will fly! Since this model
is factory built and covered, you can only realistically control the
finished, ready-to-fly weight by choosing the most appropriate
radio equipment for a model of this size.
In short, the flight
performance of your E-FORCE will be directly controlled by the
weight of the radio equipment you choose to put in it. Maximum
performance can only be achieved with light weight components.
RECEIVER (not supplied):
A small or "micro" size receiver
should be used in this model due to weight and size constraints.
In our flight tests of the E-FORCE, we have used the following dual
conversion receivers:
receiver
weight
FMA M5
11 grams
Hitec Electron 6
19 grams
SERVOS (not supplied): You will need 4 mini servos for the
E-FORCE - 1 for the elevator, 1 for rudder, and 2 for ailerons.
Standard servos, the ones that come with most sport radio
systems, are too big and too heavy for the E-FORCE. You will
need smaller servos. In our flight tests of the E-FORCE, we have
used the following servos with excellent results:
servo
weight
torque
Hitec HS-55
7.9 grams
15 in/oz
Airtronics 94091
9.0 grams
18 in/oz
Note: Any other brand of servo that is in the same size and torque
range will also work just fine.
SERVO CHORDS (not supplied): You will need two 6" Servo
Extension Chords - one for the elevator servo and one for the
rudder servo.
COVERING MATERIAL
Your E-FORCE has been professionally covered with SIG
AEROKOTE-LITE
®
iron-on plastic covering material. This is a low
temperature covering material that is very tough and light weight,
weighing only 5.9 grams per sq. ft.
The colors used on this model are AEROKOTE-LITE
®
#SIGSGX100 Brilliant White, and
#SIGSGX060 Transparent Purple
Wrinkles In The Covering! After you remove the covered model
parts from their plastic bags, you may notice within the first couple
days that some of the covering material may become slack or
wrinkled. If that's the case, there is no need to be alarmed. The
covering is not defective! Your E-FORCE was covered in a part of
the world which has consistantly high humidity, and some of that
moisture is retained in the balsa wood when the parts were put in
1
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on your purchase of the SIG E-FORCE ARF. The
E-FORCE was designed for one purpose - to provide an all wood
electric powered 3D aerobatic ARF.
This is no "throw away"
foamie! Constructed of laser-cut balsa, the sturdy light weight
structure is designed to stand up to the rigors of 3D maneuvers
and turn in spectacular performances, flight after flight.
Assembly of your E-FORCE ARF is fast and simple when
following the detailed instructions in this manual.
A low parts
count and professional engineering ensure quick and easy
assembly. All parts are CAD-drawn, laser-cut, and jig assembled,
which means that everything fits the way it should! We urge you
to read this instruction manual completely before starting
assembly, to familiarize yourself with the parts and the assembly
sequence.
ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM
MOTOR (supplied): The E-FORCE ARF includes a super-torquey
Himax HC2808-0980 brushless outrunner motor. This light weight
motor produces more than a 1:1 power to weight ratio that will
blast the E-FORCE from zero to insane in just about a heartbeat!
Technical Specifications Himax HC2808-0980 Motor:
Kv=980, Rm=.220, lo=0.4, current=3-8A, 12A max 15 seconds
PROPELLER (supplied): A 9.25 x 5 electric style propeller is
included in the kit.
ESC ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROL (not supplied): A 10-12
amp Brushless ESC is recommended for the E-FORCE. Note that
3 Brass Connectors (female) are provided in this kit to connect
your ESC to the motor. You will need to purchase appropriate
connectors of your choice to connect your ESC to your battery
pack (see ESC INSTALLATION further back in this manual).
BATTERY PACK (not supplied): We recommend a 3S (3 cells in
series), 11.1v, 900mah Lithium Polymer battery pack. Properly
charged, this battery pack delivers excellent power and duration
for the E-FORCE power system.
Note: We do not recommend other types or sizes of battery packs
without thorough bench and field testing. Flight performance can
suffer greatly with the wrong battery pack. In some cases the
airplane won't fly at all with the an improper pack.
Use the
recommended battery pack to insure good performance.
BATTERY CHARGER (not supplied):
To get the maximum
capacity and performance from your battery pack, it is essential to
use a proper battery charger.
1) Make sure your charger is designed for the type of cells that