•
Engine Mounting Hardware - To mount our F.P.E. 6.8 Twin
•
Fueling System - The J'Tec #F2G EZ Fueler or the Bisson
#29011 Fuel Dot recommended
•
Nylon Pushrod Set - For throttle servo pushrod - see product
suggestions
•
Yellow AeroKote
®
, #SIGSTL330 - Hinge Gap Sealing
•
Gas-Compatible Fuel Tubing - Large ID Tygon tubing
suggested - Du-Bro #506, about 30"
•
1/2" 2-Sided Velcro Tape - To secure receiver, fuel tank and
radio battery packs
•
1/4" Thick Foam Rubber - Receiver and battery pack
cushioning
•
Small 4" Tie-Wraps - Used to secure and organize wiring
•
Thread Locking Compound - Such as Loctite
®
#242
•
30-Minute Epoxy - SIG 2-Part Epoxy Glue
•
5-Minute Epoxy - SIG Kwik-Set Epoxy Glue
•
CA Glue - SIG Thin, Thick, and SIG Accelerator
•
Scrap Lite-Ply - Used as needed for custom mounting
purposes - battery packs, etc.
•
Heat Shrink Tubing – Used to secure connectors
•
A selection of appropriate tools and materials, such as:
Electric Drill
Dremel
®
Tool with assorted bits
A selection of drill bits and/or a drill index set
Assorted sizes of Phillips screwdrivers
Assorted hex wrenches & ball drivers (a 3mm ball-driver is
required for the hex head wing mounting bolts)
Hobby knife with #11 blades
Fine CA Applicator Tips
Scissors
Masking Tape
Radio Equipment System Choice
The SIG Edge 540T ARF is a giant scale radio control aircraft
that benefits greatly from the use of a sophisticated computer
radio system that includes at least the following features and
capabilities:
• Servo Reversing
• Dual Rates, including rudder movement
• End Point Adjustment (EPA) for all flying surfaces
• Exponential
• Coupling and Mixing Capability
• Differential Mixing
There are a number of excellent computer radio systems on the
market that provide the above capabilities and in some cases, even
more. It is obviously not possible in this manual to cover every
radio system and its installation in the SIG Edge 540T ARF.
Instead, we will cover the installation of the radio system that we
used in our prototypes, the Hitec Eclipse 7 Q-PCM system. This
excellent and affordable 7-channel computer radio system has
provided us with virtually every feature required to control,
optimize, and enjoy our Edge 540T models.
Receivers & Battery Packs
In the interest of redundancy, we chose to use two separate
receivers in our Edge prototypes. These were the Hitec Supreme
IIS 8-channel receivers, P/N 23972.
In addition we used two
separate 2-cell 2400 mAh Lithium Ion battery packs - one pack for
each receiver - to power the airborne system. These battery packs
have 7.4 volt capacity, which meant that we needed a voltage
regulator for each pack to drop the voltage down to 6 volts. This
was easily accomplished by using two 6-Volt Regulators, one for
each battery pack. The small, lightweight regulator we used was
the unit sold by Maxx Products, P/N ACC134.
Servos
As mentioned earlier, the servos you choose for your Edge 540T
are extremely important to the success of your model. This is
because the servos represent the last link to your flight surfaces. If
you are trying to save money, DO NOT try to save money on your
choice of servos! As also mentioned, we chose to run our airborne
system at 6 volts. A 6-volt system provides considerably faster and
more precise servo response. This is very desirable, especially
when flying this airplane in 3D maneuvers. Earlier, we provided
you with our recommended minimum torque requirements for the
flight surface servos used in this airplane. The following is a list of
the specific Hitec servos we used in our own Edge prototypes:
Rudder:
#HS5745MG Digital Servo - 249.9 oz/in Torque @ 6 volts
Ailerons & Elevators:
#HS5985MG Digital Servo - 172.2 oz/in Torque @ 6 volts
Servo Output Arms
As mentioned above, the servos are the last link to the flight
surfaces, and this is true.
However, the servo output arms
themselves are likewise of equal importance. On a giant scale
high performance R/C aircraft, such as the Edge 540T, plastic
servo output arms are to be strictly avoided, with the possible
exception of the throttle servo. The flight loads are just too high to
risk the use of plastic output arms.
We chose to make our own aluminum servo output arms. Doing
this allowed us to make our arms at the exact distances from the
servo to maximize mechanical advantage. As the basis for our
servo output arms, we used the Air Wild Uni-Hubs, fitted for our
Hitec servos. This is a nice system if you want to make your own
custom output arms. If you would rather work with commercial
aftermarket heavy-duty servo arms, you can purchase good
quality arms, such as the SWB products, for your specific servos.
See the Referenced Manufacturer Information section at the end of
this manual for contact information.
Servo Extensions & Y-Harnesses
Due to the remote elevator and aileron servo locations in the SIG
Edge 540T ARF airframe, servo extensions are a must.
It is
therefore important to minimize electrical resistance by using servo
extensions that use heavier wire. We have used and like the new
Maxx Products 20g twisted wire servo extensions, without inline
chokes. These efficient extensions tend to stay neat within the
airframe and are available in eight different lengths, from 3" all the
up to 48". These can be ordered from Maxx Products with the
connectors of your choice, at reasonable prices. In our Edge 540T
prototypes, we used the following servo lead extensions:
Elevator Servos:
2 each 36" Extensions
Aileron Servos (outboard)
2 each 36" Extensions
Aileron Servos (inboard)
2 each 18" Extensions
In addition to the servo extensions, you will also require "Y"
harness connections, with heavy-duty wiring, for both the aileron
and elevator servo leads, in order to connect them to your
receiver. These are also available from Maxx Products, fitted with
the connectors of your choice. The extensions and other wiring
products that are required will depend upon your own particular
radio system.
On/Off Switches
One of the most failure-prone components in any radio system
tends to be the simple On/Off switch. This is because these light
duty assemblies are subjected to almost constant vibration and
contamination from the elements. This can be especially true with
large gas-powered models, such as the Edge 540T ARF.
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