Cermark Fantasy Racer

[Doozer]

I posted in the "did you fly today" thread a few weeks ago about smoking my ESC in the Cermark Gee Bee. I commented, almost flippantly, that I had an old Phoenix ICE 75 (discontinued) and that I would just swap them out. Well... that doesn't work out so well without some major surgery:


There were a couple of other choices that I had to cut into the fuse to to get to the ESC, but I felt this was the area that gave me the best chance to add carbon fiber rods upon replacement



This is where I installed the Ice 75. I epoxied in the brace so the ESC wouldn't come out. I know this looks like I'm adding weight to the nose, but I was having to add weights to the nose to make the CG perfect. This should help with that problem. Plus, I have the heat sinks on the ESC right in front of the vent in the nose and that should help with cooling the ESC.


A little closer view. I hollowed out a channel to run the wires.




The above two images show the hole I had to cut just to connect the ESC with the Rx lead. If I didn't have old sausage fingers, I may have been able to get away without doing this, but I tried. I found if I start swearing, it's time to look for another option This was my answer.


I beefed up the bolts on the engine mount and added a little more epoxy because it was a little loose.


Glued back with CF rods


I used a total of four 3" cf rods for extra support.


Plugged the hole.


And that is that. Everything checks out so I'm going to test fly it some time next week. I put the motor on my watt meter. With my 4S 25C 2500 battery @ 50% charge, with a 12X6 apc prop, it was pulling 48 amps @ WOT.  So, I'm guessing that the old ESC had just run it's course. I crashed the plane once or twice so maybe I did some damage to the ESC in the crashes.

Also, I had bent the wing tubes so I straightened them out. If it flies straight and true, and I don't start any fires, I'm going to give it a cosmetic make over. Make it look pretty. This is such a nice looking plane, It doesn't deserve to look like this.

[Doozer]

All back together and working. I'm sure it will fly, I just want to see how the CG has changed. Then I'll paint it over the Christmas break.

[19000rpm]

That looks like it's ready to fly. As long as your CG is good and you got the bent pieces straight it should fly like it is on rails. Good luck with the re-maiden!