A couple of new products at Sloperacer

We're always scouring round for good hardware and accessories and if we can't find them for our beloved gliders then we'll make them or get them made for us! Here's a couple we've done exactly just that.

The first is a tiny high current electronic switch we spec’d up exclusively for Sloperacer for use in moulded gliders. It’s called the Secure Switch Harness.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em the humble switch along with batteries are the most common source of failure in our high tech, ultra sleek and not to mention expensive composite gliders. Digi Servos can draw much higher currents when asked and this can cause greater wear in the contacts, whether its a switch or a simple plug.

Treat your glider to a safer solution!

The 'Sloperacer Secure Switch Harness' (yes I know, SSSH!) is designed to deal with higher current, in fact up to 20a continuously, far more safely than the mechanical switches we all have used. The beauty is that the power to the RX doesn’t go through the ‘switch’ at all- only a tiny current is used here and that is just to ‘switch’ the electronic switch contained in the harness. So it looks like a normal toggle switch and works like a normal switch but if this toggle fails it defaults to open so you still have power going to your radio gear. There’s a blue light to tell you when it’s on and you have a normal charge lead. When you turn it off, the light goes off, simple! Of course we could have bypassed the toggle switch and used a fancy 'magnetic switch’ instead but for me at least, I know I’ll loose or forget the magnet. Heck, I find it hard enough to remember the joiner, the ballast and oh yes, the tranny as it is!

Tech sheet to come but other features are high quality German universal plugs for Futaba and JR type (just remove small side tabs first), 200mm total length with 100mm leads (all 22swg) that will be enough for most skinny gliders. Available now, £22 incl post and packing in UK, overseas + cost of airmail letter.    

Next we have CNC motor mounts for geared motors covering Hacker and Kontronik. These are tough 2.4mm G10 and all approx 43mm in diameter. The biggest problem supplying motor mounts is that every body wants a different size to fit their glider nose. Maybe its 31.5mm, or 37.5mm or something really strange! Well these come with a CNC spinning plate to bolt onto the mount which finds you the exact centre. Its sized at 2mm so straight fit onto a Dremel arbour to spin up the exact diameter you want (or even with a slight chamfer!). Priced at £7.50 per set of Motor mount and spinning plate or available individually. Buy them to use or buy them as really accurate templates and make your own!  

Vampire's coming!!!

You really don't have to wait a long for some of the hottest 3m exotica! The new batch of Vampires are being finished off and will be here soon from master builders Zdenek Jesina and son. Here are the schemes available. All light carbon for F3F and F3B use.

The Vampire competition results in F3F and F3B speak for themselves but the quality of the workmanship and finish have to be seen to be appreciated. Here's some pictures of ones that have already been and gone to very happy customers already!

New Aer-O-Tec models

Oooh, shiney new plastic! Here's a taster of new models coming to Sloperacer in next few months.

Entry is open for Champion of Champions race

   With nothing to stop Mark Redsell taking the Northern league (again!) it was the fight for the Champion of Champions places and congratulations to Paul Middleton, Richard Bago, Paul ‘Iron pants’ Garnet and Keith Wood.

  5 races in a winter season is a great achievement and John Edison should be thanked for his superb efforts.  I think this is 9 winter leagues in the North now.

  In the Midlands it has to be a case of ‘if only’ for Adam Richardson.  2 races and 2 emphatic wins but only 2 races!  It was left for the ‘laughing assassin’ Mike Evans to take the Midland title.  After  a tight struggle the other Champion of Champions fly off places have gone to Mick Walsh, Scott Ravenscroft, Mark Treble and especially Ian Webb, who managed to slip up the inside on Tom McPherson.

  The Welsh winter league is still to finish on Mothers day, so a chance to see if Simon Thornton can carry the league off.

  As places are limited, please can qualifying pilots E mail their confirmation, frequency and models to willowf3f@yahoo.co.uk.

RDH adapters

RDH, roll drive system, is featured in significant new models such as the Rotmilan and Freestyler 4. It allows a clean installation using a conventional linkage mechanism not to be confused with RDS, which is rotary drive system. RDH is more of a conventional pushrod system which we are all used to, just done very well! It has to be as using small arms and horns puts a much bigger load on the linkage system, which great servos like MKS can take but all a bit wasted if you linkage system bends or distorts! Problem is RDH in new models is designed with a 2mm pin located in the flaps or ailerons instead of a horn which is no big deal to replicate but...We developed a  brass adapter to use conventional 2mm pushrods (super duper 303 grade stainless steel ones preferably!) and your existing horns! It's 2.4mm thick much more than a normal horn which is usually 1.6mm. So now these super strong arms, which incidentally only fit MKS splines, can be used installations without major surgery on your existing horns and where a really short arm length is beneficial. They come as 5 and 6mm and easily the strongest solution for this kind of arm size. Take a look at the movement possible without binding and it can be used in conjunction with the Fu-Fix external bearing kit too for an incredibly strong installation!  

over 100 degrees travel

Bearing kit shaft fits!

The adapter has other uses!

Instead of 90 degree L bend!

The adapter is also a great solution for using small arms when clevises are just to big or you don't fancy grinding away to make them fit! The other solution and previously the only way to do this was to use a 90 degree L bend. Not easy to do with stainless steel push rods and certainly not adjustable. This way is! Its tighter to the arm too, so reducing some of the side load forces. The adapters (have to think of a better name for these!) are available now and so too, the RDH arms.
Adapters are £10 for pack of 10 and RDH arms are £11.99/ pr.   

Rotmilan from RTG model

Ohh, this one is hard to get hold of and here's the latest we have at Sloperacer. It's just beautifully made in spreadtow with a clean wing using the RDH system. We love the model, love the linkages and now stock the system. (We are developing an adapter to use conventional horns for retro fitting).
Back to the Rotmilan itself- this is Norbet Habe's latest masterpiece and conceived with the late Milan Demcisak Snr. Son, Milan, has now taken the reins of RTG model (makers of Extreme & Skorpion) and quality of his work is outstanding- just check out the moulded wipers! Others with a more serious approach to drooling over beautiful new models should have a look at the comp results!