Nice rule of thumb for COG testing

mikeruth @ rcgroups:

A general rule of thumb is on a calm day fly the plane upright and trim it out for straight and level flight at a moderate speed.
Then roll over inverted and see if you need to put down stick input in and how much. This is the tell tale sign of your CG.
3d planes typically will roll over and fly with no input and or climb becuase of the reward CG settings we like for 3D flying.
As you move the battery back, it's going to take less input or in my case require holding some up-stick just to stay level since I like a very tail heavy setup. 

XBee APM Overview

Got the XBee soldered and tested, but forgot to link to the video. Doing that now, and leaving this as a placeholder for all wisdom XBee.

Giant Cod guides

Here's the battery guide.  There's some others that look like they might be interesting.

Basic RC Electronics

Courtesy of AmpAviators, here's a nice article that covers the electronic components in an RC plane and directions for hooking things up.

Transmitter: Mode 1 vs. Mode 2?

Executive Summary:

• radios are either mode 1 or 2
• the difference: stick layout
• in the U.S., get mode 2.

Nice writeup with video demo.
Some historical context.

Deans Plugs, aka T Plugs, and Bullet Connectors

T Plugs: generic Deans Ultra Connectors

• popular 'Battery to ESC' connector
• male plug is soldered to the ESC
• get the polarity right
• sometimes tight fit, lube with graphite
• put shrink tube on before soldering
• plug M/F together before soldering
• polarity: while flat on table: vertical bar is positive, horizontal bar is negative

Connector-related youtubage: 

•  nice pictoral essay
• disconnecting the easy way
• all about deans connectors
• how to solder a deans connector
• soldering bullet connectors

3.5mm bullet connectors soldering tip:

• Drill three 3/16 inch holes about 1/4 inch deep and 1/2 inch apart in a small board.
• Insert a 3.5mm connector in each hole, with the end to be soldered upright.
• Heat a connector with a soldering iron and melt a little solder into it, then insert the wire into the melted solder.
• Move the soldering iron away from the connector and hold the wire in place until the solder solidifies. Works like a charm, and you don't need three hands!

The small connector on Turginy batteries is called  a JST-XH and is used for balancing.

Connector Quest

Hmm, can't find any beginner advice on connectors.

I'm getting these parts. What connectors do I need?

• Turnigy Basic 18A v3.1 Speed Controller
• Turnigy 1300mAh 2S 20C Lipo Pack
• Turnigy servo 16.2g/3.1kg/.16sec
• TowerPro Brushless Outrunner 2408-21

Unfortunately most of the pics don't show the ends of the wires!