OWL Extra 330LX

OWL Extra 330LX Videos and Pictures

OWL Extra 330LX – have fun with the beauty of Extra 330LX

If you love the look of Extra 330LX, this 3D printed RC model will always be with you. You can print the plane as many as you like. Please note this plane is not for 3D flying. The wing airfoil is not symmetrical. It is intentionally for sport and aerobatic flying. Certainly, it looks beautiful in the air when doing some maneuver and inherits the beautiful Extra 330LX shape plane.

Features:

  • Wings and horizontal stabilizer are supported with fiber carbon tubes (not only making stronger parts but also helping for alignment during assembly).

  • Landing gears are a separate part such as wings and fuselage parts. When landing gears are broken, just reprint the landing gear parts.

  • Two options when installing an outrunner motor mount (by gluing or screwing, the latter is really convenient when changing/replacing the motor).

  • Modular servos installation with options to choose from the same class servos. 

  • Reusing and replacing the servos are easy and STEP files are also provided so that you can customize to fit in your own servo brands from the same class servo.

  • Stabilizer servos are inside the fuselage, clean look of the plane (no servo attachment on the outside body).

  • Giving an option to customize your motor thrust line. The STEP files are provided.

Specification

Please use only profile provided for OWL Extra 330LX when printing with 0.32mm extrusion width (it needs horizontal size compensation to get internal structures printed correctly) !

Try to avoid printing all parts with 0.40mm extrusion width for getting the best experience with the model. If you still want to print with that extrusion width then try to print some parts with LW-PLA, ePLA-LW or PolyLight 1.0 such as stabilizers and wings whenever possible/strong enough (both are supported with spars).

OWL Extra 330LX flying videos posted on the youtube were printed with all PLA+ and 0.32mm extrusion width. It saves about 350grams of weight + 100grams to get the correct CoG (see the “Weight and Time Estimation – Summary Table below”) !

If printed with 0.3<x> extrusion width 3548 outrunner motor is more than enough and if printed with 0.4<x> extrusion width 4248 is better. Please note that 4248 outrunner is about 70gr more weight than 3548. 4248 outrunner motor helps on getting correct CoG with less weight battery.

Spar Requirement :

  • Wing Spar : 1 x 10mm OD – 1000mm long fiber carbon tube.
  • Horizontal Stabilizer Spar : 1 x 5mm OD – 450mm long fiber carbon tube.

4mm Nut and Installing Servo Bridge:

  • 4mm Nut, its Casing and “FUSELAGE-4 # P3_H15” : gluing this before doing fuselage assembly (see the assembly video).
  • Hot glue : OWLplane uses hot glue after attaching with CA glue to secure but use your preferred method to attach.
  • Cut some canopy part and fuselage part to allow installing the servo bridge after assembling all fuselage parts (must see the assembly video).
  • Suggest to use hot glue for quick servo bridge installation.

Warning Regarding Motor Installation :

  • This is seriously critical when installing motor mount ! The Motor Mount wall is already designed to prevent any unwanted move such as sudden pitch down or up when increasing the motor power. The thrust line is designed for certain up or down and also 2 degree right horizontally. The gap will introduce incorrect thrust line causing problem when flying.
  • If your motor can not move freely, try to enlarge the shaft hole on the motor mount and remount the motor right after.
  • If not happy with the default thrust line, feel free to modify it. The motor mount STEP file is provided for you under “SUPPORT.MM” directory. 

Motor Mount and Elevator Assembly :

FUSELAGE-0 Version :

  • Left side picture is screw version of “FUSELAGE-0 # N0”. To change the motor is by opening the “FUSELAGE-0 # N0” from the fuselage.
  • Right side picture is glue version of FUSELAGE-0 v.glue # N0″. Changing the motor is not as easy as “FUSELAGE-0 # N0” part.

Special Note for Rod Hinges :

  • Please use 1.1mm Rod for creating all control surface hinges when 1.5mm Rod does not fit into the holes.
  • If printed with 0.3mm extrusion width, may/can use 1.5mm Rod instead.
  • Just prepare both 1.1mm or 1.5mm Rod to create the hinges and pick whichever the best fit.

Canopy Assembly :

  • Suggest to use hot glue instead since hot glue is very good filling the gaps.
  • Watch assembly video for more details.

Special Note where Printed with 0.4mm Extrusion Width :

  • Due to get correct CoG, best to use 4248 650kv than 3548 kv (more weight on the nose).
  • 5-6s battery 2200mAh is suggested to use (weight about 420grams) with that outrunner motor.
  • Right side figure shows 6s 2200mAh battery from 2 batteries 2s 2200mAh and 4s 2200mAh in series with total weigh is about 420gr.
  • Suggested propeller to use is 12×6. 

Center of Gravity (CoG) :

  • CoG is 76mm from Wing Root Leading Edge.
  • Start with more solid flying and adjust gradually during the next flight.

Weight and Time Estimation :

Following tables show the weight of printed parts, number of required filament rolls and time required to print. The numbers are taken from S3D slicer calculation. From experience, actual numbers show about -5% less than depicted in the table. But the number may vary from printer to printer due to:

– Stepper Jerk value.

– Stepper Acceleration value.

– Steps per unit (either calibrated or uncalibrated)

– Extruder quality/condition.

– Nozzle quality/condition.

– Filament quality/condition.

– Etc. 

For sure the relative number are useful when deciding to accept the total strengths or weights when printing. Picking higher strength to some parts are necessary to avoid breaking during high impact landing or sharp maneuver for example.  

Here are the summary tables:

Table of Contents

Update History

No Update for this model yet

Recommended Setup

Printed with 0.4<x>mm extrusion width (either 0.4mm nozzle or 0.3mm nozzle) – more weight needed on the nose side.

  • Outrunner 3548 : required battery weight around 550gr.
  • Outrunner 4248 : required battery weight around 420gr.

Printed with 0.32mm extrusion width (either 0.4mm nozzle or 0.3mm nozzle) – less weight needed on the nose side.

  • Outrunner 3548 : required battery weight around 400gr.
  • Outrunner 4248 : required battery weight around 330gr.

Battery Protector and/or Weight Balancer Holder for 2200mAh 3s/4s and 3300mAh 4s Battery :

One of challenges in 3D printed plane is where it has a wide range of possible total weight result. For example, the plane printed with 0.40mm comparing to 0.32mm extrusion width may end up the CoG moved about 2cm – 3cm backward with using the same battery. You may need to move the battery forward or add more weight at the nose to get back the CoG to its previous location. To solve this issue at the same time protecting your battery, the following STL files are created for your 2200mAh 3s/4s and 3300mAh 4s. Feel free to download and use the files (G-code files are also provided for Bowden or Direct Drive setup including STEP files).

Tools and Materials

OWLplane Printers (for your ref.)

See figures below some printers used, created, developed and modified by OWLplane. Two group printers are set, the first one is utilized only for printing PLA/PLA+ and the other one is utilized to print with ABS, ASA and HIPS filaments (the one with enclosures). Just hover onto the figures to find more information about them.

Modified all Bowden setup printers into Direct Drive but leave Tevo Tornado and Anycubic Mega as is (still in bowden setup).

Hardware Needed

For Fuselage and Hatch:

For Wings (except the control surfaces):

For Aileron, Elevator and Rudder Servos:

*) Illustration only

Setup for Servo Travel/Throw

Suggested setup for medium travel/thrown are depicted below and you may adjust the setup according to your need.

3D Printed Motor Mount, Propeller Spinner and Collet

Motor Mount Requirement

Motor mount wall should be 3D printed with more heat resistance filaments such as ABS, ASA or HIPS. If your 3D printer does not have enclosure you may want to try with PETG filament (more heat resistance than PLA/PLA+). In case you still would like to use PLA, please do annealing process (not sure can do for standard PLA), some successful with HT-PLA/Hight Temp-PLA. Click here for you to read about annealing article.

Motor Mount
Propeller Spinner and Collet Requirement

OWLplane does not provide STL file for printed propeller spinner due to our concern about strength, shape and uniform weight when spinning at high speed. Not all 3D Printer has really free of skew issues for all their axes. The skew issue generates uneven shape that will lead to problem when spinning. Good spinner should be available in your local hobby store or online store, even that spinner, you still need to balance it before using it.

Spinner and Collet Requirement :

1. 56mm diameter size spinner.

2. 5mm or 4mm shaft propeller collet (check your purchased motor shaft to pick the right size propeller collet).

Please watch the following Videos to balance your Propeller and Spinner:

Assembly Figures

330LX Fuselage Assembly

330LX Wing Assembly

330LX Horizontal Stabilizer Assembly

LX330 Vertical Stabilizer Assembly

LX330 Canopy Assembly Animation

330LX Hatch Assembly

330LX Main Gear Assembly

Watch OWL Extra 330LX Animation and Assembly Video
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