Galloping Ghost in the 21st Century - current state of play

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Phil_G
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Galloping Ghost in the 21st Century - current state of play

Post by Phil_G »

As with much of the project work lost when 'reunited' was unexpectedly closed, the original 'GG on 2.4ghz' thread is gone, with no accessible backup. Here's an attempt to recreate the detail of the thread.

Without rewriting a whole load of history, I'll try to summarize where we are with Galloping Ghost today.
Whilst the concept of "New age GG" isnt new, this is our take on it - a joint project (Tobe & me) which has developed into a dependable, repeatable GG setup using any modern transmitter & receiver.
It consists of a "Rand clone" actuator, designed, 3D printed and assembled by Tobe, driven by PIC re-coder electronics which convert conventional rudder & elevator channels into a variable mark/space and rate pulser with a high current FET bridge to drive the actuator. Tobes "Rand clone" is superb and emulates the original in every way other than it has no throttle mechanism - that comes direct from the receiver throttle channel.

Considerable effort goes into these units and they are passed on almost at cost - there is no profit as such, hence if anyone wants to fly GG again after 50+ years, first you need to convince Tobe that yours is a worthy cause and that it will actually be used - in fact a GG flight video should be the 'final installment' of his fee :D

For those who wish to DIY, maybe with an original Rand, a bare Tobe-GG or a Mighty-Midget/birdcage arrangement (as perfected for the second time in history by a member of the Lovegrove family!) then here is a vero recoder layout, actually two, a flat, easy one and a piggy-backed compact one thats a bit harder to make.
Tobes version which he supplies with the plug-&-play version is even smaller, barely larger than the PIC chip, and is neatly integrated into the actuator moulding. Whilst Tobe's P&P actuators are complete and ready to fly, the recoder PIC chip itself is available for DIY fans, email me, and the DRV8838 bridge comes from Technobots or Hobbytronics in the UK. US members try Mouser, Digikey or Pololu.

Baby-brother to the GG actuator is Tobe's rudder-only Adams replacement, not a clone as it works on a different principle using a geared motor - so whilst its far more powerful than any Adams, in practise it works in exactly the same way as its ancestor. It uses a similar PIC recoder circuit (but with different firmware) to provide the necessary pulsing, driven by the rudder (ie aileron) channel of any conventional propo radio.
The end product is a totally convincing Adams installation, just like the old Ace sets!

Here's one of my favourite GG videos, courtesty of Otto (Mr Flyguy!) Do check his channel for more!
.


.... and the Tobe GG actuator itself:

20170123_170724_resized.jpg
20170123_170635_resized.jpg
20170123_170616_resized.jpg
tobeGG.jpg

Please note that when the piggy-back layout was devised, I had to slightly change the PIC pin assignments used in the original 'flat vero' layout, so although software 'b' and 'c' are identical in function, the PIC pinout is different. Having two versions is a pain, so I've changed the 'flat' layout so both 'flat' and 'piggyback' layouts use the same pinouts and therefore the same software version. Bear this in mind if you're comparing last-years 'flat' layout with the 'new' diagram:

Revised Apr 2018 for common software 'c'
Revised Apr 2018 for common software 'c'

Here's the preferred 'piggyback' layout. Both function the same - whilst the 'flat' layout is easier to make, the piggyback layout is much smaller & neater:

ggc_2.jpg
gg_pulserdrv8838_vero_7x5_vC.jpg


EDIT:
Since this was posted we now have a choice of Re-coders - the original PIC version,
Martins GG Recoder for ATTiny85 &
Phils GG Recoder using the DigiSpark


I just ordered some more DRV8838 bridges and while I was on the Technobots site I checked my previous orders, adding up all the bridges... & was surprised to find that I've made at least 60 GG recoders!
This is in addition to the (many more) P&P actuators Tobe has supplied !
and Martins recoder also has a strong following, dont know how many...
Seems there are quite a few GG flyers out there, more than I ever expected! :D
GarydNB
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Joined: 15 Feb 2018, 23:12

Re: Galloping Ghost in the 21st Century - current state of play

Post by GarydNB »

.....and Otto has 2.4 'MegaHertz' all to himself!😉
Tobe
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Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 06:19
Location: Varberg or Stockholm, Sweden

Re: Galloping Ghost in the 21st Century - current state of play

Post by Tobe »

.....just checked my quasi records and found out that I must have built in the range of 225 actuators of all kinds included all try and error in development/blue smoke phase. I would guess that of them about 125 of GG-Tobe and 30 Adams clones are out there of which about 2/3 have been PnP, the first out were in March 2016 but the project started almost 2 years earlier. The recoders were built up separately utilizing an IC-socket as base.
I have to thank everyone that made this journey possible starting with Phil and Shaun followed by none mentioned - none forgotten because there are so many of you out there but you know whom you are.

The first GG-TOBE from the first batch, March 2016
The first GG-TOBE from the first batch, March 2016
Last edited by Tobe on 04 Aug 2019, 08:45, edited 4 times in total.
Cheers,

Tobe
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RON
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Location: Stokesley North Yorkshire

Re: Galloping Ghost in the 21st Century - current state of play

Post by RON »

Well done guys,
Nice to know someone is flying them somewhere.
Ron.
G0MBV Class A Radio Amateur, North Yorkshire
ChrisBe
Posts: 13
Joined: 16 Feb 2019, 06:49

Re: Galloping Ghost in the 21st Century - current state of play

Post by ChrisBe »

Hey all. First off a big thank you to Phil, Shaun, Jay, Martin and all the other folks in making vintage R/C fun and reliable! Thought it was time share some of my projects. In the GG category this time is a Controlaire GG transmitter converted with a Phil G GG board and DHT diy transmitter with a Tobe two function actuator. Is was a fun project and everything works well. Still need to put it in a plane. A TF Schoolgirl of School Master perhaps. Also have a few GG actuators to test. Will update soon.

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Twitcher
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Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 12:17

Re: Galloping Ghost in the 21st Century - current state of play

Post by Twitcher »

I'm still flying GG as often as Her Majesty's Government will allow me to, the last occasion being about three weeks ago.

Some weeks before that, following a disappointment with the performance of another GG project, I looked around for something new that would be suitable and lit on the Titewad by L.F. "Randy" Randolph. I think I might have built this model many years ago - it seemed very familiar - anyway, it's a simple build. It has a somewhat quirky look to it but with generous areas and a decent moment arm, it looked a good bet. And it's on Outerzone.

At 48" w/s the original size was a bit bigger than I wanted, so I reduced it to 30". Also, as the original had ailerons, I simply omitted them and increased the dihedral to about 14 degrees. Powered by a 2S LiPo driving a 2805 EMax motor, it flies very well indeed; smooth, responsive and stable in all axes. Success! Highly recommended.

I should add that I used one of my homemade actuators which employs the 100:1 cheepo Ebay gearbox (like the one in the photo above) mounted on a vertical sub-former so that it is aligned fore and aft. This makes connection to a torque rod easy. The "birdcage" at the back end was also straightforward and the whole set-up is more than adequately powerful. It would comfortably fly a much bigger model.
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