Electric experiments are proving tricky. I think I will stick to spades on the battery and engine...with EC3 in between..on my custom components, mainly because soldering wires on the plane itself is problematic; how do you hold the soldering iron, solder and brass cup, heat everything up, pick up the brass cup without burning yourself, put down the iron safely (not setting fire to the plane, the carpet or the cat and slot the brass cup of solder on the end of a wire before it cools (which happens almost instantaneously)?

It just can't be done.

On a positive note, my prototype jump-start contraption fits the trike well and I have high hopes of it doing the job.

power connection experiments

Following a friend's advice earlier (and having watched this youtube instruction film), I have this afternoon been soldering EC3 connections, which seem pretty solid.

One thing I did slightly differently was rest the tubes in a hole in a piece of wood instead of holding them in pliars, as the latter would tend to act as a heat sink.

I have connected the female plug to the battery using standard spade connectors, which will be wire-locked (permanently).

This is a work in progress, but the intention is to have a plug-in board (below) for jump starting from a battery booster. This could also be used for charging the battery using crocodile clips. But I'd prefer to plug a male EC3 with a Tamiya/Kyosho socket on the end into the battery one, connecting it to the charger that way.
The board (wood because it doesn't conduct) has steel bolts secured through it and wires clamped in place (see crude drawing). Each pair of wires will have an EC3 plug (a male one to connect to the battery's female; a female to connect to the engine EC3). This provides something really solid for booster jump leads to grab on to. It is crudely drawn but will be tidily constructed. (HTML problems, so can't shrink this bit of text!)

Persevering for the sake of pure flight

Thanks everyone who has written urging me not to give up; not that I planned on giving up flying - just Dragonflying. But I am not giving up just yet. I have to try a new battery, check valve clearances, spark plugs, renew my battery connections etc.

If I do end up selling, she is newer now than when I bought her (as I have replaced lots of parts) so I know I will get my money back, but I must admit that I do love flying her and she'd be very hard to replace.

So, I am ambivalent, but ultimately I come down on the side of persevering and overcoming obstacles, so that I can enjoy pure flight.

reflections

on reflection, maybe all I did wrong 1st start was flood the carb because, of course, the automatic choke will have been full on. I should have been patient and waited a few mins before retrying.

On the second attempt about an hour later, when I had boosted my by then discharged battery, it did fire and stop, so I should have tried again with 10% throttle. But I think I just flooded it again.

It would be nice to hope it was nothing more complex than that...and that if I'd had a second battery, I would have been fine.

I am taking Neil Hubbard's advice and designing a new set of connections using EC3 connectors and a break-out to a couple of lugs for jump starting and charging, plus another plug in tamiya connector for trickle charging. Off to Maplins now.

Email from Wayne Lofts

Hi Peter...
Happy Christmas.
I have just read your blog and can understand
why you feel so downhearted. Please take your time and think it through.
Would not the option of buying another battery be the simple solution?
You have a lot more experience of the Dragonfly than I do.

However having owned a permit flexwing I can tell you it's a
bloody hassle. The permit every year is a big expense,

plus you have to find and pay a BMAA inspector to do the job.
Yeh you could get get a nice blade 462 for about 4K but it will

be old and need a lot of maintenance.

You have come too far in gaining a pilots licence to
simply pack it in. Why not try a spare battery and get down to the
airfield that bit more regularly if time permits.

You and the aircraft will benefit from it so much.
Kind regards,
Wayne.

Thanks for the encouragement, Wayne
I am not sure the battery is the problem. It will discharge very quickly anyway if the engine does not fire up quickly. No, I am missing something. Simple fact is that it is not as simple as Ben Ashman always says, it simply does not fire up every time.

I keep telling myself how lucky I was that I wasn’t ready to fly the Channel for the Bleriot celebrations!

I get to the airfield as often as I possibly can. But I agree with both you and Steve Wilson that I may have knackered my battery, so a new one is on the cards (Flylight is closed just now).

Anyone fancy a Dragonfly?

It is glorious to fly, but I am tired of the times when it doesn't.

Don't buy an over-priced new one.

Buy mine...together with transporting equipment and I will even sell you the van, if you want.

Comes complete with all panels, new big-end bearing, new monopole and compression strut, new support plates, new foot throttle - all parts installed by Ben Ashman, except for the new nosewheel assembly which I installed but Flylight inspected - and engine serviced only a month ago by Paul Bailey himself.

If it doesn't go, I am the clown who can't get it to go. So if you are handy, this is a great opportunity to get one at an affordable price.
The aircraft itself is £8,000

the van, ramp, narrow-gauge undercarriage (for transportation and front door access), and roof-rack + ladder for supporting the wing etc are all up for offers.

built summer 2008

flown fewer than 50 hrs, including times used as sales demo by Flylight
SSDR
G-CFKK
the actual one seen in the assembly manual video and on the video on YouTube, where it flies in winter over Pitsford Reservoir.

bugger bugger bugger

all rigged and ready to go and the blinking battery discharged in seconds; guess I need a new one (and a spare)

got my trickle charger here but doubt I can take on enough as it is a slow charger.

damn

not happy

..............

Update

After an hour and a quarter I thought I'd give it a short burst and then go home; didn't hold out much hope of having enough charge in the battery to start up, but never say never. So, without putting my suit on, I pulled on a motorbike helmet, strapped in and tried it. And she fired up! But after 30seconds she died and wouldn't re-start.

But that has given me hope. So, though I know it seems idiotic, I am charging the battery again in the hope of being able to fit in at least one circuit before sun-down. I don't like the idea that it cut out again...but at least it is possible to get enough charge in an hour to fire up. There is a chance now, which is more than I thought I had an hour ago.

Just as well I brought a book and have the computer here in the clubhouse to keep me amused.

Final Update
No, I couldn't start it.

That's it, I am selling it. I live too far away from the hangar to do work on her regularly, and if I am going to take her home, as I did tonight, I might as well keep her at home and fly closer to home....or sell her. But I am sick of the down-time. It is too expensive and frustrating.

I packed up the trike to bring it home and rewire the battery connections.

.