biglou13 - 21-6-2008 at 01:20 PM
ok has any one made a depower kite of a kite that wasnt originally designed to do so?
im assuming it would take major bridle tweak?
B-Roc - 22-6-2008 at 05:23 AM
You can by wingwarp kits from Pegas Kites and you used to be able to get a UDS (universal depower system) which I think was made by flexifoil?
Google those words and you should be able to find something at a reasonable price that would save you the effort.
Start with the wingwarp as it came with a nice instruction manual with good pictures. I looked at it for my blade but all upgrades to depower also
require a line upgrade (fronts and backs need to be equal in terms of strength) and a depower bar.
It could be cheaper to just by another fixed bridle kite to cover the range you are looking to add by modyfing a fixed bridle kite.
Baluk - 22-6-2008 at 07:31 AM
The UDS System was created by U-Turn [not Flexifoil]. I wanted to convert my 10.5 Blade to depower. It should be fun. A Project for the future I
guess.
krumly - 22-6-2008 at 07:54 AM
A lot of fixed bridle kites are not condusive to easy depower modifications, whatever type of system you are looking to use (Wing Warp, UDS, etc.).
Depower foils have their rows of primary bridles gathered into separate rows of A's, B'c, C's, D's and Brakes, so the pulley arrangements on the
depower rigs can pull proportionally on each row to alter angle of attack and camber.
If your kite isn't bridled with separate secondaries for A's, B's, C's, etc. then you are looking at creating new primary bridles, which could involve
a lot of math, measuring, and experimentation. That work is time consuming to do and to reverse if you don't like it. At that point maybe you'd
rather go get another kite. What kind of foil are you looking to mod?
Probably the best general info site for depower modifications is: http://www.powerkite.me.uk/
I believe the UDS sytem was developed by Paraflysurf, and that U-Turn is one company that used it: http://www.paraflysurf.ch/
Wing Warp is very similar to the older Ozone Frenzy system. Bottom line is there are lots of little tweaks in the number of pulleys and how they are
arranged to give different travels and mechanical advantage. Every manufacturer adjusttheir system to match the characteristics of their foil. One
system isn't perfect for all kites.
krumly
Bladerunner - 22-6-2008 at 08:19 AM
Powerzone has been doing this for a long time . I think he has found some kites take to the changes better than others ? Also different mod's work
better on some.
Unless you are truly "in to" the tinkering involved you may be best off just to send it out to him ?