Meeting
ProgramsMeeting
Programs
Listed here is a brief history of RAMM meeting programs.
For more information please check the NEWSLETTER
archive.
PROGRAM FOR THE July 2007 MEETING:
Jamie and his Dad (Jim Strong) - brought in a couple of PBY WW-II era models
Jim Strong flew with the group that used PBY's during WW-II and was stationed in Hawii
during the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese.
Jim gave vivid details about the plane and other interesting details.
Jim also was with the PBY's during the battle of Midway.
The presentation was both interesting and very reminding of what our US Military does daily.
We appreciate the time and sharing by both Jamie and Jim.
PROGRAM FOR THE June 2007 MEETING:
Jamie brought in a home video of Hodges Hobbies and the Guntersville SPA event
- Jamie Strong
PROGRAM FOR THE May 2007 MEETING:
Soldering tips and technique (ESC's and other devices)
- Jamie Strong and others
PROGRAM FOR THE April 2007 MEETING:
Jamie brought a video of Florida Jets.
- Jamie Strong
PROGRAM FOR THE March 2007 MEETING:
Electric Planes and set ups Volume #2
- Jamie Strong
PROGRAM FOR THE Februay 2007 MEETING:
New Spektrum Radio Transmitter / Receivers
- Jamie Strong
Jamie covered the new Spektrum Radio transmitter for all models (not the one for little park flyers).
Included a very informative DVD, see Jamie if you'd like to borrow it for home review.
PROGRAM FOR THE January 2007 MEETING:
More details on Jamie Strong's Electric Systems
- Jamie Strong
Jamie covered the many things we can do with a big electric motor ESC and battery pack!
We got to see various systems both large and small - and wonders you can do with these versitile systems.
PROGRAM FOR THE December 2006 MEETING:
The Christmas Party!
- Food / Fun / Bingo / Prizes - mmmmm Dessert too. . .- Oh, and we installed the new officer's too. . .
PROGRAM FOR THE November 2006 MEETING:
Improvised details on Jamie Strong's Electric Powered Trainer
- Jamie Strong
Jamie covered the many things we can do with a big electric motor ESC and batttery pack!
Actually weighs less than and has more power than a comparable .40 two stroke w/o the mess.
2007 RAMM CLUB OFFICERS ARE:
- President - - - - - - - - - - - - - - David Walker- Vice President - - - - - - - - - - -Jamie Strong
- Secretary - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ed Sims
- Treasurer - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Dave Carlton- Safety Officer - - - - - - - - - - -David Connelly
- Member at Large - - - - - - - - Jon Little- BOD Representative - - - - - - George DeMuth
- Newsletter / Webmaster - - - Jim Beam
PROGRAM FOR THE October 2006 MEETING:
Prop'n for Speed / Torque / Power, Do's and Don't - General definitions and much more!
- Gene Hannah
Gene covered the many things we can do (that we may not know) and things we should and shouldn't expect for proper propeller sizing.
PROGRAM FOR THE September 2006 MEETING
Computer Transmitter Setup and Programming, Do's and Don't - General definitions and much more!
- Gene Hannah, David Connelly, and Pat Williams
We covered the many things we can do (that we may not know) and things we shouldn't expect from our complex and powerful transmitters!
PROGRAM FOR THE August 2006 MEETING:
Batteries & Charging methods: Where to begin, what chemistry?, Do's and Don't - General definitions and much more!
- David Walker & Jerry Vogel
David & Jerry gave great insight to this often confusing and complex topic of batteries.
David and Jerry discussed some of the basics of lithium-polymer battery technology. Following is a brief summary of their presentation.
We sometimes conflate the terms 'cell' and 'battery.' A cell is a single unit, and a battery is two or more cells arranged either in series or parallel (or both). Lipoly cells have a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts as opposed to the 1.2 volts of Nicad and HiMh cells.
The convention used to describe batteries is of the form XSXP, where S stands for series and P for parallel. Thus, 3S2P is a battery pack with 3 cells in series and 2 in parallel. In the case of lipoly's the 3S2P arrangement would have a voltage of 11.1 and a capacity of twice the rating of the paralleled cells. Ratings are expressed in amp-hours, or more to our purpose in RC, milliamp-hours (mah). A typical mid-range lipoly battery is the Thunder Power 3S2P with a capacity of 2100 mah at 11.1 volts.
There are numerous disadvantages to using lipoly's: they are expensive; they are relatively fragile, both physically and electrically; they require chargers specially designed for lipoly's; they must be charged slowly compared to other batteries; and they can catch fire if not charged with care. However, there is one distinct advantage these cells have that far outweighs the disadvantages. Lipoly cells are extremely light, weighing just one-third as much as nicads of the same capacity. As we all know, lighter is better when it comes to flying.
As already mentioned, lipoly cells must be charged with great care. Always use a charger specially designed for lipoly batteries, always charge as per the manufacturer's directions, and always charge batteries in a fireproof container. Lipoly batteries should never be charged while one is away from home; always closely supervise charging.
When cells are wired in series with one another, it is quite possible that after discharge some cells have a much lower voltage than others. In order to charge the entire pack to the proper voltage, the charger will overcharge some of the "normal" cells because of the low-voltage cells. This can damage the normal cells and presents a fire hazard. Consequently, the newer battery packs have balancing connectors on them. These connectors hook up to a balancer that discharges the higher voltage cells so that all cells in series have the same voltage. Now that all cells are at the same voltage, the risk of overcharging cells is minimized.
Lithium polymer technology has had an enormous impact on electric flying. Practically every day the technology improves, making RC electric flying an enjoyable hobby accessible to anyone who will take the time to learn the basics.
PROGRAM FOR THE July 2006 MEETING:
Painting: Where to begin, what tools?, how hard is it? What will or will not mix? Types, methods?
- Andy Anderson
Andy will give the details on painting - a great follow on meeting to last month's fiberglassing meeting!
Additionally. . . . . .
We built Delta Darts to see who would have the longest flight - distance and time.
We had a blast - click here to see more pictures and commentary!
Mose Stuart (left) won the longest flight time
Carter Done (right) won the longest distance
Both won some nice plaques for their effort!
PROGRAM FOR THE - June 2006 MEETING:
Fiberglassing: Where to begin, what tools?, how hard is it? - Pat Williams & Jerry Pate
Pat and Jerry covered the details on this unique building material. We had several samples and lots of hands on material!
PROGRAM FOR THE - May 2006 MEETING:
The "in's and out's" about selling on eBay - Dave Carlton
Dave covered several details about selling RC items on eBay, RC Universe.
Thanks!
PROGRAM FOR THE - April 2006 MEETING:
Everything you ever wanted to know about fire walls - Jerry Pate
Jerry Pate gave some great insight to material selection, reinforcements, fastners, and covered the importance of vibration (hard engine mounts vs. soft engine mounts).
PROGRAM FOR THE - March 2006 MEETING:
Ways
to balance your model. - Presented by Dennis McKenny
Dennis cover many aspects and methods to balance your plane. This was a very informative presentation and we actually balanced a model and learned a few tricks or two!
PROGRAM FOR
THE
- February 2006 MEETING:
Ways
to to hinge control surfaces. - Presented by Henery Andrews.
Henry covered the in and outs of various control surfaces with hands on detail (meaning we had hinges, surfaces, to touch and feel during the meeting) - a very interesting demonstration.
PROGRAM FOR THE January
2006 MEETING:
How
to tune your Glow Engine. - Presented by Gene Hannah
Gene covered many details on glow engine tuning and operation including pumps and carbs - again we had live demo parts to touch and feel. Gene even put together an overview that you can download here.
