Kinkade Slow Hawk 2 Instruction Manual

Kinkade

Original Radio Controlled Ornithopter

Slow Hawk 2

Instruction Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Introduction and specifications

2) Required for Operation

3) Tools required

4) Before you begin

5) Radio selection and preparation

6) Basic Assembly

7) Installing the Speed Control

8) Installing the Receiver

9) Installing the Servos

10) Tail Assembly and Servo Arms

11) Installing the Wing

12) Battery Charging and Precautions

13) Flying and operating tips

14) Disclaimer

15) Basic layout diagram

16) Spare parts and optional parts

Introduction and specifications

1)

Slow Hawk 2

Congratulations on your purchase of the Kinkade Slow Hawk 2 electric R/C ornithopter. The
Slow Hawk 2 is a new and unique electric powered R/C "park flyer" based upon the ornithopter
principle, that is, the model obtains its lift and thrust from flapping wings like a real bird. The

Slow Hawk 2 also utilizes an articulated bird-like tail for positive control which functions as both
rudder and elevator. Years of research and development went into the design, resulting in a
simple and efficient model with excellent flight performance designed for the seasoned hobbyist
or newcomer to the realm of R/C micro-flight.

New and improved features include:

* New sleek and aggresive looking fuselage design
* New high power Fusion 380 ball bearing motor with replaceable brushes
* New improved wingsail planform for better handling and control
* New heavy duty gearbox bearings
* New heavy duty ball bearing wing hinges standard
* New velcro battery and reciever mounting system
* New design accepts Hitec HS-56 micro servos
* Now great flight performance on only two lithium polymer cells
* New no glue required, tail parts are now factory glued for you

Slow Hawk 2 Specifications:

Aircraft type: Ornithopter, Micro R/C Park Flyer, Hand launched
Motor: Fusion 380 ball bearing D.C. electric motor
Battery: Requires a 2 cell 1200 Mah 7.4 volt lithium polymer battery pack.

or 8 cell 720-830 Mah NIMH 9.6 volt battery pack may also be used.
Construction materials: G-10 epoxy-glass, carbon fiber, aluminum, steel, Delrin plastic,

polyester fabric, Dacron

Wingspan: ~ 42 inches
Length: ~ 31 inches
Weight: ~ 14-17 ounces
Channel: 3
Flight speed: 5 to 20 mph
Flight time per charge: 9 to 18 minutes depending on battery, power setting, and flying style.

Wind speed: 0 to 8 mph
Flying area required: roughly 50 X 50 yds.
Designer: Sean Kinkade
Manual written by: Sean Kinkade

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2)

Required for operation :

1) 3 channel radio, 2 sub-micro servos, and a sub-micro receiver.

2) A 2 cell 1000-1500 Mah 7.4 volt li-poly battery pack.
( Examples of 2 cell packs in this range are the Apogee 830, GWS 1050, E-tec 1200, Kokam

1500, etc.

OR.........one can still use a 7 or 8 cell, 720 mah nickel metal hydride battery pack)

3) One electronic speed control (ESC) with battery eliminator circuit (BEC), min. 8A rating.

4) DC quick charger capable of charging 2 cell li-poly batteries ( or 8 NIMH cells, optional)

Warning: a lithium battery charger must be used to charge lithium batteries!

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3)

Tools required

1) One small Phillips ( cross-head) screw driver

2) One 3/32" and one 5/64" hex wrench.
(Hex wrenches are usually sold as a set such as by Bondhus or Allen brand. The Bondhus

brand set with sizes ranging from .050" to 5/32" with ball end drivers is recommended for ease
of use)

3) One 40 watt soldering iron with 1/8" tip, solder, and solder paste (flux).

4) One pair of wire strippers, wire cutters, and/or scissors.

5) One 1.5mm drill bit or equivalent, hand held drill chuck or hand drill
( drill bit and tap are often sold together as a set)

6) One 2mm tap, (available at most hobby shops, brands include Great Planes, Du-Bro, etc.
If you buy your 2mm tap from a hobby shop it normally will come with the proper drill bit
which takes the place of the 1.5mm drill bit listed by itself above.)

7) Small bottle of BLUE Loc-tite or equivalent thread locker. Must be BLUE thread locker and
non- permanent bond, not RED!

8) Heat gun for shrink tubing on solder connections ( soldering iron may also be used)
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4)

Before You Begin

Please read entire manual before you begin so you have an overall idea of what to do.

Check all parts. If you find any missing or defective parts, contact your local HobbyTechnik
dealer or HobbyTechnik.

Your Slow Hawk 2 box should contain the following items:

1) One fuselage plate with assembled gearbox, motor, connecting rods.

2) One main parts bag.

3) Two main carbon wing spars with aluminum hinge ferrules and vinyl end caps.

4) Two smaller diameter carbon rods with ball link housing ends.

5) One wingsail and one tail assembly.

6) One instruction manual CD.

The main parts bag listed above should contain the following parts:

1) Small nylon tie straps for neatly gathering up servo wires

2) Adhesive backed velcro for battery mounting

3) Ten small 2mm screws for mounting servos, optional ESC switch, and HS-55 tail mount

4) Approximately 14 neoprene O-rings

5) Two #5-40 X 3/4" screws for wing hinge axles

6) G-10 cross shaped tail piece (for HS-55 servo use only)

7) 2mm flat head screw for elevator pushrod

8) Heat shrink tubing for solder connections
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5) Radio Selection and Preparation

The only criteria required for selecting a radio is that the receiver be of the micro variety, the
radio have a minimum of three channels, and the two servos be of the sub-micro variety. An
example of micro receivers currently available are the Hitec Feather receiver, the MPI MX 6800
Pico universal FM receiver, the GWS R4-P micro receiver. Slightly larger and heavier is the
"M5" dual conversion 5 channel micro receiver from FMA Direct and the Hitec Electron 6
receiver.

All of the radio gear referred to in this manual is readily available or obtainable from your local
hobby shop, select online HobbyTechnik dealers, or directly from HobbyTechnik.
HobbyTechnik.com can provide you with complete radio, servo, ESC, and charger packages for
your ornithopter.

A good complete inexpensive radio for your Slow Hawk is the Hitec Laser 4 FM which comes
with rechargeble transmitter ni-cad batteries and transmitter charger. However, the best
complete radio set up requires a receiver not offered by Hitec so some mixing and matching is
recommended. The best overall radio system ( function plus economy) for the Slow Hawk is:

1) The Hitec Laser 4 FM radio ( transmitter and charger)

2) Two Hitec HS-56 servos or one HS-56 and one HS-55.

3) The GWS R4-P receiver with horizontal leads
(The above turnkey radio systems along with speed controller and battery charger are available

directly from www.HobbyTechnik.com either with or without ornithopter kit in combo package.)
For flying in congested RC fields with multiple radios in use, the larger dual conversion M5

receiver from FMA Direct is recommended to avoid possible interference.
The recommended electronic speed controls at this time are the Pixie 20 from Castle

Creations, the GWS ICS 300 8A controller, the GFS! 12 amp controller from Mikro Designs,
Inc., or the Geat Planes C-10 Electrifly. These are all good speed controls with smooth control
response and low weight. A minimum rating of 8 amps is required for any ESC used on the
Slow Hawk. The GWS ESC is the most economical but there is no auto shutdown so care must
be taken not to over drain the battery.

Do not use any of the 5-amp or 2-amp "slow flyer" speed controls on the market and expect
them to work. They will overheat and fail. Many slow flyer planes use a Mabuchi 270 motor
which has low current drain. Although almost identical in size, the motor in the Slow Hawk is a
higher watt motor and therefore draws more current. Install a minimum of an 8-amp controller
and you should have no problems.

Testing of various speed controls, receivers, and servos is ongoing at Hobbytechnik so other
makes and models of various electronic components will most likely be suitable for use, but at
the time of printing the above are the only ones recommended.

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6) Basic Assembly

Before you start assembly, it's a good idea to arrange a neat and clean work area such as a
large table or work bench and if outdoors avoid working directly over grass. If a small screw or
O-ring falls in the grass you may never find it.
Lay out all parts included in your kit and make sure you are not missing anything. Place small
parts into bowls, or other small shallow containers to prevent them from rolling off your work
table onto the ground.

A hobby vice can really come in handy for securing the fuselage of the bird while you work. If
you have a vice that does not have smooth jaws, be sure to use wood blocks as soft jaws to
prevent scoring of the fuselage frame when you clamp it.

Keep the wings and tail a way from the hot soldering iron!
Your kit comes with the connecting rods attached to the crankshaft for shipping and as an

assembly aid but the cap screws must be backed out and loc-tite applied, then re-tightened
before flying.

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7) Installing the Speed Control:

When soldering the speed control wires...PAY ATTENTION TO POLARITY! The positive

speed control lead must solder to the positive motor terminal AND make sure the MOTOR leads
coming off the controller go to the MOTOR, and the BATTERY leads coming off the controller
go to the BATTERY side. Most controllers have leads labeled "MOT" for motor side and "BATT"
or "ACCU" for battery side. If you hook it up backwards and apply battery power you may
smoke the speed control and ruin it. Burning out a speed control in this manner voids
manufacturers warranties on most if not all controllers so be forewarned!

Arming the speed control:

Read your speed control manufacturers instructions before operating. Some brands of
controllers have safety features which require the user to arm the controller before it will
operate. If your controller does not seem to work, most likely it's not due to a faulty controller,
but rather due to the a safety feature so please read your ESC instructions.

All soldering should be done before the wingsail is installed on the fuselage to avoid the
risk of damage to the wingsail.
Wingsail is not warranted against burns!

The Slow Hawk 2 is designed to use either JST connectors or the 2 pin polarized Deans
connector (Deans part no. 1001, available at hobby shops) to connect the battery pack to the
speed control.
When using polarized connectors, the POSITIVE battery lead (red wire) goes to the side of the
connector with the exposed pin. The mating polarized connectors are opposite of each other so
this means you will have to solder the mating speed control connector so the NEGATIVE lead
(black wire) goes to the side of its connector with the exposed pin. There is no on/off switch with
this arrangement if you use a typical 10 amp controller. Plugging the battery into the speed