Mini Eagle. Maiden Flight.

...fly like a bird

I’d half considered a “bird-plane” before but, with lots of other projects happening, I’d never taken it further than that. However, seeing the Mini Eagle offered on special by Banggood was enough to spur me to get this nice-looking EPP kit.

It’s a great quality kit - nicely packaged with everything you need including linkages, control horns and even an engine mount - all you need is a 1100kv motor (I used a 2212 1000kv) an ESV (20-30A) a 3S 800-1300 (I used a 3S 1000) and a prop adaptor for the supplied beak-orange 8x4.

The only minor drama was with the wing-edge extensions - flat foam pieces to be glued onto the straight wing leading edge to give the wing an Eagle-shape. I was concerned that misalignment of these could end in disaster but, as it turned out, they caused no problem and do enhance the overall effect of the Eagle in the air.

The other area of concern, no ailerons and a V-tail configuration, also performed without a hitch. So it turned out that the maiden flight, undertaken on a beautifully sunny and mild winter afternoon, went of flawlessly.

It ended up really enjoying the unflappable nature of the Eagle - it flies super-slow with little effort, looks great, and has taken the spot of easiest plane to fly in my experience previously held, ironically, by the Walrus glider…

Kossel XL Firmware Fixes (fpos_t' after 'struct' and MANUAL_Z_HOME_POS)

...critical fixes for your Kossel XL 3D Printer



Runtime error fpos_t' after 'struct' 


Rename fpos_t variables in SdBaseFile.h and SdBaseFile.cpp to another name like fpos_t1.

C++ won't let you use typedef and struct for the same variable name. Thanks to webliya.

Can't Update MANUAL_Z_HOME_POS



The EEPROM on the Arduino Mega controller stores configuration values.

Sometimes these values override updates you make to Configuration.h. 

Deactivating mine solved this issue instantly, like this:

In Configuration.h.find the // EEPROM section, then change the following lines into comments (add // in front):

//#define EEPROM_SETTINGS

//#define EEPROM_CHITCHAT


Upload to Arduino Mega using Marlin, then home your Kossel XL (G28 command).

Your revised Z value should show in the LCD display. Thanks to zennmaster.

Did the Sketch Upload to Arduino?



Connect Pronterface to your 3D printer.

Check the side status bar - the top line shows date and time the sketch was compiled. Happy days !

Mini DV Camera

...low budget video

This morning I tried out the Mini DV 480p video camera while flying the Trainstar. I mounted the camera onto a cap so I could film on-the-go, as I've discovered that manually filming while flying isn't a good idea.

I've used a U1 class 10 SD card in the Mini DV, more than sufficient for the task, so the output reflects its true capabilities. The quality isn't great, however, although it only costs about $7 and the light conditions didn't assist, with the morning being overcast and dull.

Unfortunately, with a big cold front on the way, that's how it's going to be for a few days...