Raptor30_V1
03-19-2011, 09:12 AM
Hello
As promised in my last post about the Zero-degree-swash-height, please find enclosed, the simple tool for linkage-reproduction of your bird.
Assumption: the control geometry of the linkages of your bird remain the same over time, e.g. no swash-geometry changes etc. by manufacturer or using a different tuning-part
Pre-requisite: you need to set-up your bird perfectly. Perfectly means:
1.) right swash-plate height at Zero-degrees collective (symmetrical min./ max. collective output)
2.) all linkages and levers being lateral or parallel to the main-shaft
Meanwhile the first point is pretty obvoius how to be checked, the second point can be checked by using a simple trick. Set the pitch/ throttle stick on 3D-mode to the mid and as per your setup the main-blade should now have some Zero-degree angle (swash-plate is level). Now turn the main-blade by increments of 90 degrees and measure each time your pitch-value. If you did a good main-rotor linkage/ lever setup, all positions should show values very close to Zero-degrees. Furthermore the pairwise related linkages should have the same length, the only slight exception from this can include the linkages related to blade-tracking tuning.
A *perfect* linkage setup includes test flying and correcting the relative linkages for blade-tracking.
Now it’s time to make the simple and cheap linkage-reproduction-tool. All you need is:
- a 8” x ½” x ½” wood piece
- 7x steal-balls with self tappering thread (size used by AHF or ALIGN)
- some CA
- some tape
- a water-resistant marker
Now remove main-rotor-linkage one by one (only one side required, as pairewise equal), clips the steal-balls on each side of the removed linkage and screw the steal-balls with the linkage on the wood piece. Your steal-balls should be lateral to the wood piece surface. When steal-balls tightenend, unscrew them, put some CA on the self-tappering thread and retighten them in the wood. Continue until you have done this with all linkage rods of the main-rotor. In order to economise on steal-balls, always use the last steal-ball from the precedent linkage, as a starting point.
Excluded from the main-rotor-linkages are the push-pull linkages, as finding their length is very easy and no need for measurement or to be included in a tool. Hold the 2 linkages of a push-pull control system simple over one centre of the lever and the other end over the servo’s centre and your done.
Maybe some may say, hey, I don’t need this tool ? But believe me, building a new Aeolus or mainly when you crash, often some linkages get bent or even lost in action. Pretty convenient to reproduce perfectly the missing linkage and no need for lot of flight-testing and linkage length modification on the FF. I have pre-assembled linkages and makes life really easy. As all of my Aeolus 50 3D GF have the same linkage geometries, I can even take away one linkage and put it on an other Aeolus 50 3D.
Using this tool later, you don’t even need to clip the linkages on the steal-balls, just hold them over the steal-balls and adjust until skimming through the linkage ends hole you see the of being centred.
The abreviations on my linkage-reproduction tool are (compare picture 1 and 2):
- SWP – FLB -1/4 CCW .. swashplate to flybar linkage with ¼ turn counterclockwise
- WB – FB .. washout base to flybar
- WB – MB .. washout base to main-blade (grips)
***************** other side of the tool ***********************
- AIL L+R .. aileron lever left and right side
- THR .. throttle linkage
***************** other side of the tool ***********************
- Aeolus 50 3D GF (mainly when you have different such tools for different bird recommended)
How to find the perfect throttle linkage setup and the length of its linkage, can be found on one of my other posts (I guess it was in the Raptor forum on HF?)
You can use tools as a caliper with some special cones to measure linkage-lengths, but this tool needs to be setup any time with your linkage length values. Same applies to the linkage-maker-device sold for USD 80.- .. for every linkage you must first setup the desired lenght ..
Best Regards,
Oliver
P.S: This tool together with pre-assembled complete tails and main-rotor-heads, after a normal crash I can repair my birds before my engine got completely cold again. Anybody can do this, but naturally way easier if a bird is really modular (as the Aeolus is) and parts are cheap and kits even cheaper ..
As promised in my last post about the Zero-degree-swash-height, please find enclosed, the simple tool for linkage-reproduction of your bird.
Assumption: the control geometry of the linkages of your bird remain the same over time, e.g. no swash-geometry changes etc. by manufacturer or using a different tuning-part
Pre-requisite: you need to set-up your bird perfectly. Perfectly means:
1.) right swash-plate height at Zero-degrees collective (symmetrical min./ max. collective output)
2.) all linkages and levers being lateral or parallel to the main-shaft
Meanwhile the first point is pretty obvoius how to be checked, the second point can be checked by using a simple trick. Set the pitch/ throttle stick on 3D-mode to the mid and as per your setup the main-blade should now have some Zero-degree angle (swash-plate is level). Now turn the main-blade by increments of 90 degrees and measure each time your pitch-value. If you did a good main-rotor linkage/ lever setup, all positions should show values very close to Zero-degrees. Furthermore the pairwise related linkages should have the same length, the only slight exception from this can include the linkages related to blade-tracking tuning.
A *perfect* linkage setup includes test flying and correcting the relative linkages for blade-tracking.
Now it’s time to make the simple and cheap linkage-reproduction-tool. All you need is:
- a 8” x ½” x ½” wood piece
- 7x steal-balls with self tappering thread (size used by AHF or ALIGN)
- some CA
- some tape
- a water-resistant marker
Now remove main-rotor-linkage one by one (only one side required, as pairewise equal), clips the steal-balls on each side of the removed linkage and screw the steal-balls with the linkage on the wood piece. Your steal-balls should be lateral to the wood piece surface. When steal-balls tightenend, unscrew them, put some CA on the self-tappering thread and retighten them in the wood. Continue until you have done this with all linkage rods of the main-rotor. In order to economise on steal-balls, always use the last steal-ball from the precedent linkage, as a starting point.
Excluded from the main-rotor-linkages are the push-pull linkages, as finding their length is very easy and no need for measurement or to be included in a tool. Hold the 2 linkages of a push-pull control system simple over one centre of the lever and the other end over the servo’s centre and your done.
Maybe some may say, hey, I don’t need this tool ? But believe me, building a new Aeolus or mainly when you crash, often some linkages get bent or even lost in action. Pretty convenient to reproduce perfectly the missing linkage and no need for lot of flight-testing and linkage length modification on the FF. I have pre-assembled linkages and makes life really easy. As all of my Aeolus 50 3D GF have the same linkage geometries, I can even take away one linkage and put it on an other Aeolus 50 3D.
Using this tool later, you don’t even need to clip the linkages on the steal-balls, just hold them over the steal-balls and adjust until skimming through the linkage ends hole you see the of being centred.
The abreviations on my linkage-reproduction tool are (compare picture 1 and 2):
- SWP – FLB -1/4 CCW .. swashplate to flybar linkage with ¼ turn counterclockwise
- WB – FB .. washout base to flybar
- WB – MB .. washout base to main-blade (grips)
***************** other side of the tool ***********************
- AIL L+R .. aileron lever left and right side
- THR .. throttle linkage
***************** other side of the tool ***********************
- Aeolus 50 3D GF (mainly when you have different such tools for different bird recommended)
How to find the perfect throttle linkage setup and the length of its linkage, can be found on one of my other posts (I guess it was in the Raptor forum on HF?)
You can use tools as a caliper with some special cones to measure linkage-lengths, but this tool needs to be setup any time with your linkage length values. Same applies to the linkage-maker-device sold for USD 80.- .. for every linkage you must first setup the desired lenght ..
Best Regards,
Oliver
P.S: This tool together with pre-assembled complete tails and main-rotor-heads, after a normal crash I can repair my birds before my engine got completely cold again. Anybody can do this, but naturally way easier if a bird is really modular (as the Aeolus is) and parts are cheap and kits even cheaper ..