What's new
Aloft Forums

Welcome to Aloft Forums. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

New Single Stick Project

Up to you.. If you fly in really wet conditions might be a good idea to do both sides.
 
I hear your caution that "the plywood does not take stain very well. We do not recommend you use a stain."

But, but, but ...... a bunch of us who are interested in the wood version are also amateur woodworkers and have dealt with "hard to stain" woods and I guarantee that one of the future threads on this forum will be on user experience - with pictures - in coloring the wood version of the single stick.

Aniline dyes, available in small packets from outfits such as Lee Valley Tools, in particular, are interesting because they penetrate the wood while a stain sits on top of the wood, and are more translucent. The intensity of color can be easily changed after applying by adding more dye or lightening with the dye solvent (typically water, sometimes alcohol).

Can you tell us what wood species is the top veneer? How many plies in the plywood?

Michael in Ontario, Canada
 
Well, we are happy to see people give it a try as I think it would be great to be able to stain the plywood.

For that matter, if you have a wood you would like us to laser cut for the application, we are game for that too, but thickness matters here.. We may need to modify other parts to correctly fit if the wood has a thicker profile.
 
I have added a link to our instructions for building the Single stick. It is at the bottom of the product description on our website. Or you can click here to check them out:

We will fine tune the manual based on feedback from folks. We have refined the manual with each test build and I think we have a really good starting point. I'm sure you all will let us know what we may have missed.

We will be putting up a few wood kits tomorrow. We also have one completed radio that is available right now, $700 plus shipping. Email us at contact@alofthobbies.com if you would like to purchase the turnkey radio.

Thanks guys!
 
This looks very interesting, I always was intrigued by single stick.
I’m fairly new to all this open ,edge Tx stuff.
I’m currently using a Radiomaster Zorro 4 in one proto call. I’m interested in ETHOS. Am I going to have to replace all my recivers? Currently running spektrum, Radiomaster and lemon rx all on dsm.
 
Wayne, The Single Stick instructions refer to "Lube" on the screws. What Kind?
Bar soap, lithium grease, Vaseline? or what?

I do not see an internal clock battery?

What mode is now selected when using Companion or flashing etc.?

How do you index the wood panels to match the holes when using the spray contact cement?

Also does water based Polycrylic Work ok on the wood?



Tom
 
Last edited:
Hey Tom,

We are going to have some updates in the instructions very soon, hopefully today.

We used a little lithium grease because we had it sitting around, but just about anything should do the trick.

The radios are setup with Ethos, and they are Horus X10S.

We indexed with wood with our fingers, but are thinking that the use of contact cement here is probably not the best. Something like Quick Grip, Foam Tac, E2000, or similar would make things much easier and do just as well. You can also put it together with no glue at all, but the wood can be lifted up and possibly damaged, so a bit of glue in the corners would do the trick.

Yes, we used WBPU (water based Polycrylic) on our samples. We used a satin finish as I recall.
 
I’m currently using a Radiomaster Zorro 4 in one proto call. I’m interested in ETHOS. Am I going to have to replace all my recivers? Currently running spektrum, Radiomaster and lemon rx all on dsm.
if you have a 4in1 multimodule and OTX , I would say that you can continue using your DSMx receivers
 
He was asking about running Ethos. As far as I know there is no support for the MPM yet in Ethos.
 
Wayne,

Do you sell the driver for the chrome bezel nuts?

Do I dare ask why you changed the layout of the 3 knobs? The original looked SO MUCH BETTER!!!!

Will the final instructions include details on setting up the TX once it is assembled? You mentioned
that they are set up with Ethos, does that mean we just need to set up the SD card?

My kit arrived in great condition and I am working on the wood panels now.

Tom
 
Wayne,

Do you sell the driver for the chrome bezel nuts?

Do I dare ask why you changed the layout of the 3 knobs? The original looked SO MUCH BETTER!!!!

Will the final instructions include details on setting up the TX once it is assembled? You mentioned
that they are set up with Ethos, does that mean we just need to set up the SD card?

My kit arrived in great condition and I am working on the wood panels now.

Tom
Currently sold out of the nut drivers:

We moved Pot #3 as we had a clearance issue with the stick making contact with it. Some how we did not notice this issue until late in the game.

We have already installed the current version of Ethos, and that should include the SD card contents too. I may need to confirm that with the guys. But normally we fully set things up. In this case it was a little more difficult as FrSky is shipping us the electronics, not completed radios. So some additional setup like calibration will be needed on first power up, but Ethos steps you through the process. frSky also has a very detailed manual for Ethos. The manual can be found here:

Ethos is pretty darn friendly. While it may be very new to many folks, we finally have a radio that folks seem to understand as long as they have used some form of a modern radio. If you are coming straight from the Kraft days, then you will be in for a little more work, but since you are reading this on for Forum, I think you will be fine. And it is just a matter of asking should you need some help. That is what these forums are for.

As people are putting the kits together we are getting feedback on the instructions and updating them. If you run into issues, please let us know and we will get you going, and will update the instructions too.

Thanks!
 
I have added a link to our instructions for building the Single stick. It is at the bottom of the product description on our website. Or you can click here to check them out:

We will fine tune the manual based on feedback from folks. We have refined the manual with each test build and I think we have a really good starting point. I'm sure you all will let us know what we may have missed.

We will be putting up a few wood kits tomorrow. We also have one completed radio that is available right now, $700 plus shipping. Email us at contact@alofthobbies.com if you would like to purchase the turnkey radio.

Thanks guys!
Hi Wayne,

I would like to see one area of the assembly instructions expanded into "instructions for dummies" detail:

"Flash your SD card - this radio can use OTX, Ethos, FrOS, Edge TX, and ErSky TX. The radio model/flash target is the same as an X10S Express"

I've had a Taranis, a Taranis Plus and a Horus x10 and have not attempted to "flash updates" despite - or probably because - of the mind numbing discussion of the intricacies on the rc forums. And still enjoy using these transmitters, ignorant of any of the refinements the updates would have provided (smiley).

I initially had hoped, based on the store website description of the kit's features - "FrSky Ethos OS (Option to install OpenTX or FrOS" - that an electronic piece of the kit would come already loaded with the Ethos OS. But now I understand that is not the case.

No issue if I need to buy an SD card....... but please, at some point, do a detailed set of instructions how to "flash your SD card" and provide a link to the specific Ethos OS code that will bring this specific Aloft single stick project tx kit alive. .... without having to wade thru some generic website complicated with 'updates', what versions of hardware you have, etc.)

Reading through the instructions several times has helped to clarify some of the assembly points. Some areas of "what goes where" are still unclear and may become clear in time and in the kit in front of me.

A list, with pictures, naming the electronic parts, would be nice (smiley)
 
Wayne,

Do you sell the driver for the chrome bezel nuts?

Do I dare ask why you changed the layout of the 3 knobs? The original looked SO MUCH BETTER!!!!

Will the final instructions include details on setting up the TX once it is assembled? You mentioned
that they are set up with Ethos, does that mean we just need to set up the SD card?

My kit arrived in great condition and I am working on the wood panels now.

Tom
Hi Tom,

An Aloft single stick (wood) kit is on the way to me but probably won't arrive until late next week.

In the absence of tx nut driver, I think you could achieve the same function with a bit of flat 3/32" aluminum, a portable grinder and file to create the notch for the nut protrusion and engage the slots..... think of the vintage wrenches that came with the same Cox engines.

A firm decision on how I will finish the wood panels will await getting hands on the kit.
But I'll certainly trace out the outline/openings should I need/want to replace a wood panel.
Provisionally I'm thinking of using a red cherry aniline dye on the outside ..... also, to mitigate "hanger rash" may apply 2 ounce fiberglass cloth to the outside of the panels with laminating epoxy.

On attaching the panels to the chassis ... if more that the provided screw attach points are needed for the panels to rest flat, rubber cement is a low adhesion glue that rubs off with finger rubbing. There is also a ultra thin double sided tape - called transfer tape (Lee valley carries it) that would probably also work.

I am curious about whether the kit comes with a piece of electronics (SD card?) already loaded with Ethos OS and have posted to Wayne on this and possible adds to the kit instructions.

Michael in Ontario, Canada
 
If you guys want to get creative with the wood and it does not work out, just let us know and we will send you out a new set, just pay for the shipping. I'd love for you all to be comfortable to try things with the wood. Maybe we can include some scrap wood so you can test the stains, etc.

All of the radios come with Ethos installed and ready to rip. I'll double check the manual to make this a bit clearer.

Also, we just made a round of new updates to the manual this afternoon based on feedback from early users. Thanks guys, keep them coming! Instructions can be hard to write, and we have made many changes, and sometimes we failed to explain things as we are so used to these radios we forget that you all are seeing them for the first time. Something we are learning to refine in the manual!
 
That’s a great idea supplying scrap to practice with!

Again great service supplying the wood shell for the price of shipping should something go south.
 
Back
Top