horatio
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Posts posted by horatio
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Screenshot taken from a video I took of a 'Black' helicopter. You know - the ones they tell you that don't exist.
The crew were disturbed by a tractor entering the land, so they took off just a few seconds after landing.
They then circled around behind the woods that you can see in the background, below treetop height and headed North.
The Helicopter was a Puma HC2.
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Plasmoid UAP over NJ.
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15 minutes ago, James.S said:
Accidental surrealism
Brilliant - I love it! It doesn't get much more random or hilarious. 10/10!! 💪👌
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Yeah, the eye for a keyhole is pretty creepy! May as well be a camera I suppose by today's standards. 🫣😅
Walls have ears, beds have bugs, wardrobes have skeletons (although I note the hand had meat on the bone!). What I thought was a salt cellar is more likely a decanter and glass - either way I wouldn't be drinking the water! 🤣
It's just like going abroad. Or an Airbnb. 😝
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5 minutes ago, wolfie1 said:
Apex models, i wonder whatever happened to them
Good question. They were a company I dealt with a lot at one point.
I only ever had one bad experience from them, but it was a rogue member of staff over the phone. Otherwise, they had been consistently excellent to deal with. At some point in 2018 'poof' - gone. I think the last time I ordered anything from them was back in 2009. Parts for a Jammin X1 CRT. 😎 Great Truggy!
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I think all of the videos force the boxes to fail, it's kinda the point, but I hear you with regards to piling batteries on top of each other - it's exactly like an accident waiting to happen! 😝
In my estimation, a fairly good example of how real world humans put all their eggs in to one basket.
But there are still those who leave lipos lying around in a cardboard box, under the bed.
Somebody brought round their 8 year old son's RC car with a 4S lipo in the car, the other in the box. All kept in the child's bedroom. The charger - incorrect. A fire waiting to happen. 😬
Ammo boxes will vent all around the lid - even more videos on the virtues of the humble .50 cal ammo cans because they were around first.
Bat boxes vent above the lid. It all depends on how much lithium polymer is burning. Either way - they shouldn't be left in the living space.
Ultimately, people can pay their money and make their choice. So long as they do, that's the main thing.
Burying their heads and storing their lipos in a handbag doesn't count. That's the great thing about this thread - people are talking about it. 👍
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Having experienced a lipo fire indoors, through no fault of my own - on the lipo's first charge - I highly recommend keeping lipos outside, in a metal box, in the naughty corner. Because all lipos are knobheads, waiting to get you while you sleep. 🤡😝
The heat was so severe, that even on a glass mat, it burnt the table underneath.
Sadly, a little 6 channel Heli was destroyed on its first ever charge.
However - nobody died, and I learnt that even tiny, 2S 1000mah lipos can pose a significant risk.
I use .50 Cal ammo boxes. The seal keeps moisture out and if you're worried about an explosion, a small vent hole can be put into seal.
Bat Box XL:
My interest in Bat boxes dwindled following this video:
If you have multiple batteries inside a box, you want the box to be made from steel. The bat box is steel, but ☝️ - holy mother of God! 😬
Nobody needs this kind of event happening in their garage, let alone home. So be advised.
Ideally, lipos should be separated from one another inside your chosen container, preferably with cement board.
If you use an ammo box, put holes in the seal to allow it to vent. You don't necessarily need to perforate the box. In fact, in my estimation, it's better not to perforate the box to prevent moisture ingress.
Whatever you choose needs to be somewhere - or on something - that isn't flammable. Ie, a concrete floor, or inside a steel work bench, well away from other flammable things.
I don't doubt that Bat boxes are safer than lipo bags, but I'll take 5 x .50 cal ammo cans at less than £20 each over a large bat box at £100. Facts!
Lipos should be balance charged at sensible rates in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. They should be stored in storage mode (ie - about 30 - 50% charge) and internal resistance should be checked every few months.
Lipos prefer to be stored in a cool, dry environment. Whilst cooler temperatures below 15°C inhibit their discharge performance, this is a temporary artifact and performance improves as the temperature rises.
However over 30°C, battery chemistry degrades and leads to reduced capacity and permanent degradation.
Joshua Bardwell is the world leading authority on FPV drones.
Here's his take on lipo retirement.
When it's time to retire your battery - take it to a dedicated battery recycling centre - advising them that it's a lipo battery. Make sure they understand what a lipo is. "It's not just an AA battery mate - capeesh?"
Otherwise, this happens:
Somebody disposed of a lipo in a blue recycling bag and this local recycling centre burned for 2 days. I roasted a whole bag of marshmallows.
After this event, I didn't feel so bad about my burnt helicopter. 🙊
Lipos are an essential part of the hobby, but the risks they pose are very real. Perhaps the most overlooked danger from lipo fire are the fumes. They produce enough deadly fumes to readily kill you.
In this instance, the householder makes a hasty retreat with their pet and child. Good move. Spoiler: the E bike didn't make it out. 😝
Sadly, in this instance, 6 people where asleep when this lithium ion fire started. 4 died. 😱
RC car enthusiasts generally don't want to hear or accept that our lipos are potentially hazardous, but simply ignoring the risks they pose is not fair to the other people that may live with you, who are likely blissfully unaware of your growing collection of lipos. You owe it to them. To do otherwise is willfully irresponsible and negligent.
Our batteries require safe storage, away from living spaces and away from escape routes. Mitigate the risks and enjoy your hobby. Don't put yourself or your loved ones at unnecessary risk. Oh - and sleep easy. 👍
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...."Just watching an eclipse..."
"But we don't have an eclipse!!"
"Alright guvnor, right you are - I'll get my coat..."
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Can you imagine that in this day and age?!
"What are you doing up there on my bloody roof?"
....Police sirens gradually getting louder. 🤣😅
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Question:
What kind of car is this?
The answer may surprise you!
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3 hours ago, Stormbringer said:
thats some girth on it
Yes - it's a real Chode of a tree.....😝
And it needs a trim. 🤣👍
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- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Here's some fine Welsh mist. Landscape shots are my favourite. 😍
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56 minutes ago, wolfie1 said:
Taken earlier this evening from my back garden, scotch mist at its finest
What a fine view you have! 😍 Cheers for sharing. 💪👍
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21 minutes ago, steephill said:
The size of the rivets on the RSJ in the first picture. I can't imagine how scary it would be to punch them in at that height.
@horatio nice post mate
Pretty damned scary I would imagine! 😅 The balls on them. 🤯
Worker at 850 feet: "alright mate, fancy a sarnie?"
Me at 850 feet: "I say old chap, I've come over all giddy - I hope you don't mind if I skip lunch and just cling on for dear life?"
Apparently the photos were taken as part of a publicity 'stunt', promoting a new building. However, that doesn't make the photo any less real. No Photoshop back then or green screen. The 'stunt' was literally lunch, on a beam at 850 feet. 🤯
Allegedly, there were a number of photographers present, too - thus why Ebbets got snapped taking his shot. Basically - they were all totally bonkers by today's standards. JFDI mentality. 'Just F****** Do It'.
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A rare glimpse of the photographer, Charles C. Ebbets, casually squatting on a steel girder at 850 feet in the air. He is believed to be the person that took this:
Fun fact: the original negative for this shot, despite being a piece of American history, is now owned and archived by Visual China Group.
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Latest run - Louise tyres were excellent!
Temperatures were lower and my batteries were cold.
Rollout had a theoretical top speed of 71.7mph on 22v, so there was obviously a voltage sag in the 13° conditions.
Battery had been charged up the night before.
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57 minutes ago, Stormbringer said:
The carbon inserts really suit it
It's becoming something of a theme with this rig now! 😅
Carbon fibre, titanium - the only exotica missing is magnesium alloy. 😁
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Carbon inserts fitted top and bottom on both Kagama front arms. 😎
A longer counter sunk bolts hold them in place, with M3 countersunk washers and nylocs.
Clearance is marginal under the arm, so may have to replace nylocs for flat nuts. Sounds painful! 😝
Nelson over on the Corally forum gifted me this titanium front centre to use. It fits the 0° kick-up chassis and it is much stronger. The only issue being - it's much more difficult to remove the centre diff from the top once fitted.
In theory, it should give a more efficient driveline, with less wobble - but they are just 0.5g heavier, despite being much thicker & stronger.
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New Kagama front arms fitted:
Carbon fibre inserts are coming straight from Corally Belgium directly.
Front geometry did require slight tuning afterwards, as the Kagama arms are slightly longer because they include alloy reinforcement where the pivot ball mates up.
I generally run -1.5° - -2° negative camber on the front.
Interestingly, I also noted a slight increase in toe-out, so this also had to be adjusted.
The Kagama monocoque arms are a nice improvement and should help with steering authority. I still use 2 x 0.5mm shims on each side to prevent unwanted play fore/aft.
Time to give it another blast! 🤞
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39 minutes ago, James.S said:
27 years ago someone impaled a 60 pound pumpkin on the top of a spire at Cornell University in the middle of the night. It's over 170 feet off the ground
To this day, no one really knows who did it, why, and how this was accomplished without anyone noticing.
On October 8, 1997, passersby noticed a pumpkin on top of the tower's spire. Because of the danger involved in retrieving it, administrators decided to leave it until it rotted and fell off.
However, the pumpkin rapidly dried out in the cold air and remained on the tower until it was removed with a crane on March 13, 1998.
How the hell?!?! 🤩 There are pranks, then there's this ☝️
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5 hours ago, James.S said:
Bonnie Tyler filling up her Peugeot 309
From that - to this!! 😅
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Post up a random picture and keep it clean please
in The Lounge
Posted
Beautiful pictures! I'm hoping to head up there soon for a trip on the Jacobite. It would be rude not to go to Fort William and hike Ben Nevis. 😝