4 more useful tips

by rick_harriss | October 16, 2013 | (4) Posted in Tips

4 more tips to keep costs down and speed your building.

1. Making control horns from Beechwood Tongue depressors

2. making control horns from an old CD

3 Making linkage stoppers for less than £0.60 each.

4. Making larger wheels with polythene pipe tyre.

 

Although the tongue depressors are a single layer they appear to be strong enough to withstand the rigours of flying, (up to now anyway). The CD version is stronger but harder to cut out. I generally us a jewellers saw that has a very fine blade. This is a good tool to have for cutting all sorts of material from steel to foam board.

 

The linkage stoppers work well. The stud diameter is 3 mm so rather than fit into the servo control horn. I fit them at the other end of the control wire in the elevator control horn.

I have also cut off the 3mm stud and replaced with a 2.5 mm bolt soldered to the bottom. This is about the largest you can get through a servo control horn. I fit nylock shake proof nuts to prevent them coming loose and it allows me to leave a little play so the linkage stopper can rotate in the control horn.

 

The wheels are easy to make in any size and light. the plastic pipe protects the foam boad. If you want a black tyre use some electrical cable glued to the foam wheel.

 

The modification below allows you to use the linkage stopper without having to drill a larger hole in either control horn. The wire is a large paper clip.

COMMENTS

JustinTime on October 18, 2013
I like the idea to use the stand-off as linkage stopper.
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rockets4kids on October 18, 2013
Hey, that linkage stopper tip is really cool!

I have been wanting to get a bunch of linkage stoppers ever since I discovered just what a PITA z-bends are. Unfortunately, no place that I have ever ordered RC stuff from has ever had them in stock, and I'm too cheap to pay for shipping from someone who does.

The only hex standoffs I have are in use, so I thought I would try to brainstorm something using parts I already have. This is what I came up with:

http://imgur.com/a/BMKON

Not flight tested yet, but I just wanted to share. It seems to work well.

That's just two small strips of gift card and #4 x 1" bolt. Needless to say, I need to get some smaller bolts or trim that one down. The only "trick" that you can't really see too well in the pictures is that the main control rod is bent in a "U" shape.

The control horn is one of those toothpick/floss thingies that someone posted a few weeks ago, and the "wing" is just a test of a modified Armin wing design that more closely approximates a Clark Y airfoil.

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RoyBro on October 18, 2013
I hadn't thought of using the standoffs as linkage stoppers. I have a bunch of these. I suppose the best ones to use would be the longer ones that are designed to pass through the motherboard and into the PC case. I'll have to see how well my dremel/drill press works, or if I'll have to put it out on the REAL drill press.
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rick_harriss on October 18, 2013
Assuming they are brass they drill very easily even by hand.
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rick_harriss on October 18, 2013
You can take a short piece of wire and turn a loop in the end round a 3mm drill - 25 mm along the wire (1 inch) bent the other end into a Z shape to fit the control horn.

The linkage stopper will bolt through the loop giving you a linkage stopper at the servo or the control horn end without needing to drill a larger hole in either control horn. I try to attach a picture to show what I mean tomorrow.

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rick_harriss on October 18, 2013
Image added to main article.
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JustinTime on October 19, 2013
The cool thing about the linkage stopper is that you can adjust the length of the pushrod on the fly at any increment. How do you do it with the modification that you posted or in the linkage that rockets4kids posted?
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rick_harriss on October 19, 2013
Just like the ones you pay a lot for the adjustment is by loosening the screw and adjusting the control rod.

This is very easy with the linkage stopper in the control horn and almost as easy in the modified stopper I posted at the end. There isn't any difference between what I show and what you can buy (other than price)
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JustinTime on October 19, 2013
Then I must have missed something since in the picture it looks like the rod is wrapped around the stud, which doesn't let you adjust it anymore. Maybe I need to buy some glasses. lol
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rick_harriss on October 19, 2013
It is BUT that section is only 1 inch long. The longer - and adjustable control wire goes through the stopper.
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Yogenh on October 8, 2014
Love the stopper
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rick_harriss on October 14, 2014
Thanks.
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4 more useful tips