http://www.instructables.

com/id/Complete-Guide-to-Building-Your-First-DIY-RC-Foamb/
Food Living Outside Play Technology Workshop
Complete Guide to Building Your First DIY RC Foamboard Plane
by FoamboardRC on May 16, 2014
Table of Contents
Complete Guide to Building Your First DIY RC Foamboard Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Intro: Complete Guide to Building Your First DIY RC Foamboard Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Step 1: Ingredients: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Step 2: Getting Started With the Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Step 3: Transmitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Step 4: Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Step 5: ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Step 6: LiPo Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Step 7: Brushless Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Step 8: Servos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Step 9: Which Connectors Go Where? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Step 10: Soldering Time! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Step 11: Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Step 12: How To Make Push Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Step 13: How To Make Hinges on Foamboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Step 14: Different Types of Foamboard Cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Step 15: Building the Fuselage p.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Step 16: Building the Fuselage p.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Step 17: How to Fold the Fuselage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Step 18: Building the Fuselage p.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Step 19: Finishing the Fuselage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Step 20: Making the Rudder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Step 21: Making The Horizontal Stabilizer p.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Step 22: Making The Horizontal Stabilizer p.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Step 23: Making The Horizontal Stabilizer p.3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Step 24: Connecting the Vertical and the Horizontal Stabilizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Step 25: Gluing the Stabilizers to The Fuselage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Step 26: Installing The Rear Servo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Step 27: Armin Wing p.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Step 28: Armin Wing p.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Step 29: Making The Ailerons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Step 30: Installing Wing's Servos and Control Horns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Step 31: Attaching The Pushrods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
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Step 32: Mounting The Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Step 33: Colet Adapeter Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Step 34: Access Hatches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Step 35: Adding Wing Mounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Step 36: Adding the Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Step 37: Finding The Center Of Gravity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Step 38: 37 Steps Later, Finish! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Step 39: Adjusting The Pland BEFORE Flight! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Step 40: Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
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Author:FoamboardRC
Qu tal? I'm 16 and enjoy learning about electronics. I am self-taught. I love programming my Arduino and soldering circuits. My newest hobby is to make
RC planes. I've spent many fun (and mad :) hours building and flying my planes. I'm looking for an Arduino club in my area and an RC club. I also like
Spanish! Estoy comiendo pizza porque son mejor que hamburguesas!
Intro: Complete Guide to Building Your First DIY RC Foamboard Plane
Now I'm sure the main question you have right now is why would I make your plane over somebody else's? Well let me explain why I feel my plane is the right one for
you, a beginner.
"When I began to get land sick and wanted to get up in the air I was all pumped and excited about RC flying! So I saved up about 100 bucks and I went to my local hobby
store but was sadly disappointed when I noticed that all the decent sized planes were $200+. So I spent some time researching RC planes, and decided to make one
myself. But what material should I use? I need something easily available and pretty cheap. After seeing guys like Experiment Airlines and Flight Test I decided upon
using foamboard. It cost a dollar a sheet and was at my local Dollar Tree. I had my material, and they suggested using HobbyKing.com to purchase products from.
Although HK is cheaper quality stuff I knew that spending 10$ on a battery was definitely better then spending 60$ for a name brand battery at a hobby store. So far all
my of my HK parts have been working fine, especially the motors! I've had this same motor for a year now, and I've crashed it so many times and that thing just keeps on
working!"
Finding material and electronics for a plane is just half the story. You need to have a design! After browsing on Experimental Airline's page I absolutely loved his Armin
Wing and his tape-covering technique. But I wasn't to happy with the method he used for making his fuselages. So I looked over at Flight Test, and I really liked their
foam-folding technique, so I decided it was time to mix and match and to design my own plane. Combining techniques from FT and EA, as well as using my own head, I
made my own foamboard RC plane.
Here is a list of the many advantages of my particular plane.
Step-by-step instructions with video (coming soon!)
Very inexpensive
Easy to build
Not very time-consuming
Sturdy and durable
Easy to repair
Simple design
Fully modifiable
Fairly large
Easy flying for beginners
http://www.instructables.com/id/Complete-Guide-to-Building-Your-First-DIY-RC-Foamb/
Step 1:Ingredients:
So you've decided upon making an awesome foamboard RC plane, but it's time to do a little e-shopping! Now all of the parts listed below are from HobbyKing.com, the
cheapest website to get RC equipment. If you go to the hobby store (like HobbyTown USA) for a 3S 2200 mAh 20c battery you would pay $60 and up. On HobbyKing you
only pay around or less then $10. So far all the pieces I've gotten from them have worked very well, and none of them were cheap or nonfunctional.
All the parts below are from the global warehouse, which takes 20-30 days to ship. They also offer most of the same parts from the US warehouse, but they might be out
of stock. To find a piece in the US warehouse set your location at the very top bar of the website to US. Look at image 1
Oh and by the way I will be explaining use of all the electronics later in this i'ble. Just click on the description of the part and it will open a new tab to where you can buy it
on HobbyKing.
Now before I give you the list of items I need to tell you something. I am going to give you two lists, the first list, the Premium package, has a better battery charger
(Turnigy Accucel-6) and the OrangeRX Trasmitter and reciever. Both of these items are highly recommend. The Premium Package also includes a handy tool, wheels,
and some coloring equipment (not crayons :).
However, if you are short on money like me you can go with the Money Saver Package, which includes a HobbyKing brand 2.4 Ghz radio and a 5 dollar Turnigy battery
charger. Now I have both these cheaper items myself, and they work great! What they lack in features, the make up in price! I will explain more about these items later.
Note: The packages only include the items that you need to order (except the foamboard). The rest of the pieces can be found at local hardware and grocery stores. For
the list of these items please look under "Additional Items"
Premium Package:
Adam's Foam board. This can be found at Dollar Tree or Dollar General for a dollar per sheet. It must be Adams Foam Board because it is very cheap and the paper
can be removed. It is also lighter than other foamboard companies.
160 watt 1450 KV Outrunner Brushless Motor ------------------------$8.95
3s 2200 mAh 20c Li Poly Battery ---------------------------------------$8.50
Turnigy Accucel-6 Battery Charger --------------------------------------$22.99
20 Amp ESC (electronic speed controller) -----------------------------$6.70
Transmitter ---------------------------------------------------------------------$64.99
Receiver ------------------------------------------------------------------------$8.99
Propellers (5ps) ---------------------------------------------------------------$2.38
4pcs Servos (9-gram) -------------------------------------------------------$8.36
Control Horns (10pcs)--------------------------------------------------------$0.97
2 mm Gold Connectors (10 pairs) ---------------------------------------$2.85
XT60 Male/Female battery connectors (5 pairs) ---------------------$3.99
2mm Heat Shrink Tubing ---------------------------------------------------$0.25
11-inch Servo Lead Extension ------------------------------------------- $3.24
11-inch Servo Lead Splitter (Y servo lead) *2 -------------------------$4.52
Z-Bend Pliers ------------------------------------------------------------------$6.49
Wheels (5pcs) -----------------------------------------------------------------$1.50
Colored Packing Tape
Push Rods (Music Wire size 0.47" (1.19 mm)
Grand Total ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ? $180
Money Saver Package:
Adam's Foam board. This can be found at Dollar Tree or Dollar General for
a dollar per sheet. It must be Adams Foam Board because it is very cheap and the paper can be removed. It is also lighter than other foamboard companies.
160 watt 1450 KV Outrunner Brushless Motor ------------------------$8.95
3s 2200 mAh 20c Li Poly Battery ---------------------------------------$8.50
Battery Balancer Charger --------------------------------------------------$4.49
20 Amp ESC (electronic speed controller) -----------------------------$6.70
6 Channel Transmitter and Receiver ------------------------------------$25.10
Transmitter Programming Cable ------------------------------------------$2.99
Propellers (5ps) ----------------------------------------------------------------$2.66
4pcs Servos (9-gram) --------------------------------------------------------$8.36
11-inch Servo Lead Extension -------------------------------------------- $3.24
11-inch Servo Lead Splitter (Y servo lead) *2 --------------------------$4.52
Control Horns (10pcs)---------------------------------------------------------$0.97
2mm Gold Connectors (10 pairs) ---------------------------------------$1.83
XT60 Male/Female battery connectors (5 pairs) ----------------------$3.99
2mm Heat Shrink Tubing ----------------------------------------------------$0.25
Push Rods (Music Wire size 0.47" (1.19 mm)
Lovely Total of ---------------------------------------------------------------- ? $85
Additional Items:
1/2" sheet of balsa or 1/4" sheet of basswood (for 2" x 2" motor-mounting squares)
MiniWax Polyurethane Oil-Based Semi-Gloss -----------------------$6.47
Paint Brush
Spray Paint
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Kabob Skewers
Rubber Bands
Duct Tape
Clear Packaging Tape
Tools:
Box Cutter (more on this in step X)
Metal 3-foot ruler
Metal 1-foot ruler
Metal Square
Pens/Pencils
Hot Glue Gun
Drill
3/16th Drill Bit
Little Clips or Clamps (more on this in step X)
Wire Strippers/Cutters
Pliers
Soldering Iron
Various Sizes of Heat Shrink Tubing
Electrical, Packing, and Duct tape.
Paper Towel, (napkin, or a few tissues)
*For the music wire it is kinda hard to order the correct type unless you've seen it before and used it, so hit up your local hobby store and check out their collection of
music wire. The guage wire I found to work great is (size X).
Image Notes
1. Select the warehouse closest to you.
2. Set your country.
Step 2:Getting Started With the Electronics
Instead of showing you how to make the plane first I will show you how to connect all the electronics and what they do. This is so that you can order your electronics,
know what they do, connect them all, make sure that they work, then build your plane. If you wish to go to the build skip to step 11.
If this is your first plane you will need to gather all your electronics and begin to solder on all the connectors and jacks. Below is the list of electronics:
Transmitter/Receiver
Battery
ESC (electronic speed controller)
Brushless Motor
LiPo battery
Servos
Servo extenders and spitters
2mm gold bullet connectors
XT60 battery connectors
Tools and equipment needed:
Soldering gun and solder
2mm and 4mm heatshrink and heat gun
Wire cutter/strippers
Helping Hands (You WILL want these!)
Small screwdriver
In my previous instructable I explained a little bit about what each electronic part does but I'm not going to make you go there. In the following steps I am going to give
you an explanation of what each part does. I will not go in depth, but you are just that awesome and want to know more than you can Google each part and find great
articles.
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Step 3:Transmitter
A transmitter is a handheld device that transmits a signal that is picked up by a receiver. Most RC transmitters nowadays work on the 2.4 Ghz frequency. RC transmitters
can be classified according to how many channels they have. Channels are the amount of things you can control. For instance a 3 channel transmitter means you can
only control 3 motors/servos/accessories. For your typical RC plane it has a rudder, elevator, ailerons, and a motor: 4 channels. In this case, a 3 channel transmitter
wouldn't work for us. Most transmitters are 6 channels, which includes the rudder, elevator, ailerons, motor, and 2 AUX channels. Auxiliary channels can be connected to
additional servos to control various things, such as bomb drops or air brakes.
Transmitter can either be computer programmable, in-radio programming, or non-programmable. Computer programmable transmitters are connected to a computer via
a USB cable and software on the computer can program the transmitter. In-radio programmable transmitters have a a small LCD screen on the front with several buttons
for control. Instead of having to connect the radio to a computer you can change all the settings from the handy little screen installed right in the transmitter.
Why would you need to program the radio? Well programming a radio allows you to change most settings, such as reversing the direction a servo goes, changing the
functions of the AUX switches, and setting in and out points for the servo.
Step 4:Receiver
The RC receiver is what picks up the signal sent from the transmitter and converts the signal into commands via PWM (pulse width modulation) for servos and ESCs
(electronic speed controller). Oftentimes the more expensive receivers are equipped with gyros for flight stabilization, and even GPSs!
Random receivers cannot just be controlled by random transmitters. You must have a specific transmitter(s) for a receiver, and they must be wirelessly bound together
using a process called, you guessed it, binding!
The receiver doesn't to get power directly from the battery, rather it gets the power it needs to run from the ESC, which converts the 7.4 or 11.1 volts down to a save 5v
for the receiver.
Range all depends on the receiver! With my TX/RX system I can fly so far away that I cannot even see my plane anymore, and yes, I was sooo close to losing my plane!
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Step 5:ESC (Electronic Speed Controller)
The ESC (electronic speed controller) does three main things. First, it converts the 7.4v ~ 11.1v of the battery to a safe 5v for the receiver to run on. This capability is not
offered on all ESCs. You can know that it will lower the voltage to 5v if it has BEC or UBEC printed on the side. This stands for Battery Elimination Circuit and Universal
Battery Elimination Circuit. Second, the ESC controls the motor based off of a PWM signal sent from the receiver. Third, it converts the the battery's direct current (DC)
into alternating current (AC) that is required by the brushless motor.
ESC's have different max amperage ratings. So say if I have a motor that pulls 50 amps and my ESC is only rated for 20 amps then we have a huge problem! My ESC
will catch on fire and my plane will come crashing down in flames!
ESCs will also show whether they are for brushed motors or brushless motors. All the RC motors that we use now in our RC planes are brushless.
ESCs are programmable too, but that are a bit harder to program! Things you might want to program on an ESC include things like how fast the motor starts off,
helicopter mode, timing and many other things. Take a look at the second picture to see all the different types of programmable features there are.
Step 6:LiPo Battery
Before I even get started with this LiPo (lithium polymer) batteries are very dangerous when used incorrectly, so be sure to read all the safety information before using
one!
If you'd like a really good video by Painless360 (youtube).
LiPo batteries are standard for the RC hobby mainly because of their light weight and high power. Unlike alkaline batteries (AA, AAA), LiPo batteries are composed of
multiple cells that each measure 3.7 volts. For instance the battery shown above is a 3 cell battery, so 3 cells @ 3.7v is 11.1v (3.7v x 3).
Next there is the Amp capacity, the amount of energy stored in the battery pack. The battery shown above is a 5000 mAh battery. This means the battery can supply
5000 milliamps over a 1-hour period. Milliamps are 1000th of an amp, so 5000 mAh = 5A.
Then there is the C rating, which in the battery above it has a C rating of 20. The C rating is how much power you can pull from the battery at any given time.
The way Painless360 explained it was like this, "Think of the amp capacity as how much the tank of water holds (pic 2). Think of the C rating as the size of the hose is
and how fast water can flow out of the, and think of the voltage as how much pressure the water in the thank is under."
http://youtu.be/Oda0JYzGG3w?t=5m22s
If you click on the link above it will take you right to the part of the video where begins explaining this analogy.
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Thanks Painless360 that really helped me understand it all!
Step 7:Brushless Motor
The motor is the power plant of your plane. The motor will turn your propeller at a high speed to propel it through the air!
In RC planes there are two main types of motors, brushed, and brushless. Brushless motors are more common, more efficient, have faster rpms, have more torque, but a
little bit more difficult to control. Brushed motors run on DC power, and brushless motors run off of AC power. As brushed motors are mostly not used in RC hobbies I will
not talk about then.
We have a little problem. If we use brushless motors that are powered by AC power, then how do we get them to spin from our battery, which supplies DC? That is what
the ESC does, it converts the DC power of the battery to AC.
Brushless motors' speed are measured by a unit of measurement called KV-- RPMs per volt. Even though you think this might mean Kilivolts per volt it doesn't. It means
revolutions per volt. So if I have a 1500kv motor then it will spin at 1500 rpm when supplied 1 volt, 3000 rpm when supplied by 3 volts, and so on.
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Step 8:Servos
Although servos and brushless motors are both types of RC motors, they are drastically different. Servos are meant for moving a surface, such as the ailerons or
elevator. Inside the servo is a little DC motor that is controlled by the receiver. The DC motor is geared so that when it turns, the speed is lowered by a huge percent but
the torque is increased. A servo arm gets attached to the gears and can move has a 180? rotation. They cannot spin all the way around though, they come to a stop.
Step 9:Which Connectors Go Where?
Step 10:Soldering Time!
Now that we know what are electronics are and what they do we need to do a little bit of soldering work before we continue. Each electronic component needs a special
connector, and this step will show you how to do all that.
I'm not going to show you how to do all the plugs but I'll show you how to do them for the ESC, and you can just copy that for the motor and if need be the battery. The
step number below corresponds with the photo above- step one matches with pic 1 etc.
Fill the XT60 gold plug with solder. 1.
Strip the ends of the two big red and black wires coming out of the ESC. 2.
Slide heat shrink tubing over each wire. Don't mix up the colors! 3.
Solder the red and black wires from the ESC to the connections on the XT60 plug. On the sides of the plug it will have a + or a -. DO NOT MIX THESE UP! So be 4.
super careful when dealing with this. One the plug the tapered side is the negative side.
Slide the heat shrink over ALL exposed wires and shrink it! 5.
The battery connections are finished. 6.
Fill the end of a 2mm female bullet connector with solder. The end that you need to solder to will have a little hole on the side of the tube. 7.
Slide heat shrink over all the tubes before you begin. Place your soldering iron the the bullet connector to heat it up and push the wire into it. 8.
Slide the heat shrink up and shrink it! 9.
All done! 10.
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Image Notes
1. Pic 1: Fill the XT60 gold plug with solder
Image Notes
1. Pic 2: Strip the ends of the two big red and black wires coming out of the ESC.
Image Notes
1. Pic 3: Slide heat shrink tubing over each wire. Don't mix up the colors!
Image Notes
1. Pic 4: Solder the red and black wires from the ESC to the connections on the
XT60 plug. On the sides of the plug it will have a + or a -. DO NOT MIX THESE
UP! So be super careful when dealing with this. One the plug the tapered side is
the negative side.
Image Notes
1. Pic 5: Slide the heat shrink over ALL exposed wires and shrink it!
Image Notes
1. Step 6: The battery connections are finished.
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Image Notes
1. Pic 8: Heat the tube up and pus the wire into it.
Image Notes
1. . . . and the three smaller wires go to the motor with the 2mm bullet connectors.
2. The XT60 plug attaches to the two big red and black wires. . .
Step 11:Preparation
This plane requires of lot of measuring and cutting, but if you don't want to have to do any measuring, you can just print out this PDF! In there I have all the lines and
guides that you need. Here are the steps:
1. Print out the designs on a large printer. Make sure the printer is not resizing the image. It must be printed at 100%. If you were thinking about tiling the print, it's not
worth it! You'd get better results if you measured everything with a ruler. You need a printer that can print at least 3x3 feet if you were to print out the designs. Oh no! I
don't have that big of a printer! No worries, an office supply store like Staples or Office Depot will have these large printers. You can get several plans printed off for a
small fee.
2. Cut along the dashed orange lines. These lines form a 20"x30" box, which is the same size as Adams FoamBoard.
3. Tape the 20" x 30" square to the foamboard.
4. BEFORE you start cutting see the video attached to this step explaining the different types of cuts. Cut out the designs following the guide provided on page one. Make
sure you are certain what type of cut you are going to make before you cut! As they say, "Measure once cut twice-- wait, that doesn't sound right-- Measure once, cut
twice" While cutting you may find it easier to align a ruler up with the lines so that you can rest the edge of the razor blade on it. This will ensure that you get straight cuts.
This is especially important for the fuselage. Take your time when cutting!
If you are not using a template and you'd rather do it the old fashioned way and measure everything out with ruler well then lets get started!
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Image Notes
1. My awesome kitty helped me a ton with designing!
Step 12:How To Make Push Rods
Sorry for my dead voice! When I did this it was 3 AM because I needed to get it done for the contest!
Step 13:How To Make Hinges on Foamboard
Above is a small video explaining how to make hinges.
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Step 14:Different Types of Foamboard Cuts
Above is a small video explaining the main 3 cuts I will use during the build.
Step 15:Building the Fuselage p.1
1. Begin with a full sheet of foamboard that should be 30" long. Make markings that are parallel with the length of the board at these: 1 13/16"-- 2"-- 3 13/16"-- 4"-- 5
13/16"-- 6"-- 7 13/16". Refer to Exhibit 1 & pictures 2A, 2B. (no clue why I used the word exhibit when I drew these plans :D) Repeat on the other side of the foamboard.
2. Draw lines running parallel to the length of the board (30") across all the little markings you made. When you are done it should look like the blue section "Fuselage" in
picture 4.
3. Cutting time! Now make sure you watch the video in step 13 on the different cuts before you get to hackin away! On all the lines you drew except for the last one (the
line that was 7 13/16" in) will be cut through the first layer paper and foam, just leaving the last piece of paper uncut. In the video I call it a 90% cut.
On the 7 13/16" line just cut that all the way through. Try to use a ruler as a cutting guide so that the line is as perfectly straight as possible. Do not try to cut it without a
guide.
Image Notes
1. 20" x 30" foamboard piece!
2. These are very important! :D
Image Notes
1. 1 13/16"
2. Pic 2A
3. I have NO CLUE why I used the word Exhibit :D. I didn't even spell it right!
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Image Notes
1. Pic 2A
Image Notes
1. This is a 20" x 30" square. This is a representation of a sheet of foamboard.
2. Pic 4
Step 16:Building the Fuselage p.2
1. After you are done scoring the foamboard, break the foamboard on all the lines. This adds bends to the board. See picture 1. You should be left with four panels that
are 1 13/15" wide and three smaller strips that are 3/16" wide.
2. It's time for those little 3/16" strips to go! You should be able to push them out with your thumb. See the video if you need help. When you are done peeling out the
strips, your piece of foamboard should look identical to the one in pic 4.
Image Notes
1. PIc 1
Image Notes
1. This board has been successfully broken on all the score lines.
Image Notes
1. Start peeling off those 3/16" strips. You should just be able to break them off
with your thumb.
2. Pic 3
Image Notes
1. When you are done peeling of those strips you should be left with a flat board
with 3 grooves.
2. Pic 4
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Image Notes
1. 3/16" gap between each piece.
Step 17:How to Fold the Fuselage
When I say 90? cut I mean 90? angle.
Step 18:Building the Fuselage p.3
Now the way I designed this is quite simple! After you cut out the gaps, all you have to do is to fill them with glue, and fold them over. Click on the first picture. It is a GIF
so it will show you how to fold the board.
Fill each crack with glue then fold it over on top of the previous piece of foamboard. See images 4A, 4B, & 4C for reference. It is easier if you use a square to make sure
that each piece is level. The more level you make it, the better quality your tube will be.
After you have glued this all together you should wind up with a really strong 2x2x30" tube!
If you are still clueless see the video! The should help out!
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Image Notes
1. Click on me, I'm a GIF!
2. This is how to properly make a fold. Fill the gap with hot glue, them bend the top
piece over the bottom piece.
Image Notes
1. 4A
Image Notes
1. 4B
Image Notes
1. 4C
2. Try to make everything square!
3. Use a square here to get this piece up and down, them rotate and repeat.
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Step 19:Finishing the Fuselage
We will begin working on the back of the fuselage, and taper it a bit. Since the back won't get banged around too much we can cut off some unneeded foam to lighten up
the back, because we want the tail (the back) to be as light as possible.
Start by making a mark 6 inches from the back and 3/16" from the bottom on two sides of the foamboard. These sides must be opposite each other. Then draw a line on
underside of the tube. What I mean by this is when you folded the tube over, you ended up with the end of the foamboard on one side, so the foam inside is exposed and
the cut isn't very nice. You want this side down.
On the same sides as your first markings draw a mark 3/16" from the top and 0" from the back. Make a mark on either side draw a line that extends from the line you
made to the very edge of the top corner. See picture 2. You will repeat this on the opposite side of the tube.
Time to cut the foam along these lines! When you are done it should look like pictures 3A and 3B.
Image Notes
1. Try to make this mark 3/16 a inch under the top.
2. Pic 2
3. Don't cut all the way to the bottom. Just cut the flatside of the foamboard. I
explain this better in the video!!
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Image Notes
1. BOOM!
2. Pic 3A
Image Notes
1. This is the underside of the plane.
2. Pic 3B
Step 20:Making the Rudder
Now this step is super hard, and requires many hours of experience. . . just kidding! This step only takes a few minutes to finish. Here are the steps:
Make a 6" x 6" square on the foamboard. 1.
Look are picture 1 to see where marks should be made. 2.
Connect the lines like pic 2 3.
Cut out! 4.
Image Notes
1. Pic 1
Image Notes
1. Pic 2
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Step 21:Making The Horizontal Stabilizer p.1
Now you can either print out the designs provided in the beginning, or you can get out your ruler and begin measuring!
Start from a corner of a sheet of foamboard and measure 12" to the left/right. 1.
Draw a line straight up that is 4" inches tall. Make a mark at 2" on the 4" line. 2.
In the center draw a line that is 6" tall. 3.
Connect all the lines. It should look like picture 2. 4.
Draw a 1" line from either side of the center line at the top of the 6" line. See pic 3, 4. 5.
Draw a line from the 1" mark line at the top of the 6" line to the 4" mark on the far left/right side of the design, and repeat on the other side. 6.
From the 2" line to the 6" line draw two lines that are 3/16" on either side of the middle line, running up and down (parallel) to the middle line. It should look like 7.
picture 5.
Cut around the perimeter! Pic 6. 8.
On the two parallel lines from the center make a 10% cut (just the paper) along these lines. Then you should be able to peel that middle piece of paper out just 9.
like you see in pic 8. When you are finished it will look like picture 9.
Image Notes
1. Pic 1
Image Notes
1. Pic 2
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Image Notes
1. Pic 3
Image Notes
1. Pic 4
Image Notes
1. 3/16" on either side from the middle.
2. Pic 5
Image Notes
1. Pic 6
Image Notes
1. Make a paper cut along this horizontal line in between the two vertical lines.
2. Pic 7
Image Notes
1. Pic 8
Image Notes
1. Pic 9, paper gone!
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Step 22:Making The Horizontal Stabilizer p.2
Flip the horizontal stabilizer(elevator) upside down so that we are looking at the bottom. Make two markings running lengthwise, one at 2" and the other one at 2 3/16".
On the line at 2" will be a 90% cut, (first layer of paper, foam, but not the the last layer of paper), and the line at 2 3/16 will be a 10% cut, which is just the first layer of
paper, so basically, a score. Then peel out that little 3/16" strip of paper. Bend the the 2" flap of foamboard back, just like in picture 3. Now take a sanding block like the
one in picture 4 and begin to sand away at all the foam in that 3/16" strip. When you are done it should be sanded just like in picture 5.
The goal of all this is to make a hinge for the 2" control surface, which will control the up and down movement of the plane. If you are confused as to how to make a hinge
watch the video in step 12.
Image Notes
1. 3/16" strip of paper peeled. . .
Image Notes
1. 2" line: 90% cut
2. 2 13/16" line: 10% cut.
Image Notes
1. Pic 3
2. 3/16" strip of paper peeled.
Image Notes
1. This is just some sandpaper glued to a piece of scrap wood.
2. Pic 4
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Image Notes
1. 45% sand angle. Since there is still paper on some of the foam it will act as a
guide, so just sand all the exposed foam, but don't sand the paper.
2. Pic 5
Step 23:Making The Horizontal Stabilizer p.3
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE: At this point you will want to paint and coat the horizontal and the vertical stabilizers. Once you tape them you will be unable to get a good
coat of paint on them.
Since the horizontal stabilizer is likely to get beat up and tossed around it would be a good idea for us if we added some reinforcements to the edges of it. Clear packing
tape will do just the job, but knowing a few tricks before you get started would be helpful.
Start by centering the tape over the front edge of the horizontal stabilizer as shown in picture 1. Then, on the bends of the stabilizer, make small slits with a razor blade
upwards and downwards, just like in picture 2. Next push the top sides and the bottom sides of the tape down onto the foam. Use a flat object to help you. On the bends
the tape should overlap. Finally, at the ends use a razor knife to trim off the excess tape. See picture 3.
Put a piece of tape across the back edge of the stabilizer, and fold it over the back. Cover the sides with tape as well. See pictures 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8.
Image Notes
1. Pic 1
2. You will need about a 14" piece of clear packing tape. Center it and place it over
the front edge.
Image Notes
1. Small slits in the tape going upwards. . .
2. and downards. . .
Image Notes
1. Pic 3.
2. Trim off any excess tape.
3. There will be some overlap in these areas.
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Image Notes
1. Leave this little bit of tape here for now, we will cut it later.
Image Notes
1. All edges taped!
Image Notes
1. Leave this little bit of tape here we will get to it later.
Step 24:Connecting the Vertical and the Horizontal Stabilizers
This part is quite simple but it's important that you get the vertical stabilizer (rudder) as straight as possible. In order to do this you will find a speed square quite handy.
Place the horizontal stabilizer (elevator) on a table. The hinge should be on the bottom, leaving the peeled strip on top. Down the area of removed paper in the center
squirt a large strip of glue down it. Don't get any glue onto the 2" control surface. Place the vertical stabilizer down on the glue just like shown in picture 1. Use a speed
square to make sure that it is standing up perfectly straight, and check to see if the is pointing straight, and not pointing slightly right/left. Pictures on and 1 and 2 should
help you understand.
Image Notes
1. Pic 1
Image Notes
1. Pic 2
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Step 25:Gluing the Stabilizers to The Fuselage
Still with me? Well good! Lets hurry up and finish the back end of the plane! From the very rear of the fuselage (the side with the taper) draw a line that is 3 13/16" from
the end. Fill the area with hot glue then press on the horizontal onto the fuselage. Once again, check all the alignment and that everything is straight. Look at all the
pictures they will help to explain this!
Image Notes
1. Draw a line 3 13/16" from the back end.
2. Cover this whole area with hot glue and press the elevator/rudder onto this
part. The front of the elevator should not extend past the line. Try to make sure
everything is squared off.
Image Notes
1. If you glue the elevator any higher then this the elevator won't work properly,
because the hinge will be hitting the fuselage on the underside.
Image Notes
1. Get this rudder pointing in the same direction as the fuselage!
Image Notes
1. If you glued the elevator any higher than the 3 13/16" then this hinge would hit
the fuselage.
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Step 26:Installing The Rear Servo
This servo controls the elevator, which controls the plane around the lateral axis. This makes the plane either go up or down.
Trace the shape of the servo onto the fuselage and cut the rectangle out. 1.
Depending on which side your servo arm is sticking out, glue a control horn onto the elevator, pic 3. 2.
Create your pushrod. If you need help watch the video or go to step 12. 3.
Attach the linkage arm (push rod) from the control horn first then to the servo arm. It's much easier if you remove the servo arm, attaching the rod to it, then re- 4.
attaching the servo arm. Make sure the servos are in the middle. You can do this by quickly plugging in your battery. The servo will automatically go to the middle.
Image Notes
1. Trace the shape of the servo onto the fuselage.
Image Notes
1. My servo arm sticks out to the left, so I will put my control horn on the left side
of the rudder. Give yourself enough room to work with!
Image Notes
1. Review the steps for making a pushrod in step where I show you how to do
it for the wings.
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Image Notes
1. Now would be a good time to cut out this tape holding the hinge shut!
Step 27:Armin Wing p.1
The Armin wing was designed by Experimental Airlines, and he has a really good build video that I suggest you watch. In the plane that I made I used my own design of
wing but I don't have a camera to take pictures of it yet, so in about another month I will add my design of the wing and take down this one. But for now the Armin wing is
a very good wing and it will work for you.
Find a complete piece of foamboard. Try to find the smoothest one that you have. 1.
Draw lines across the board lengthwise at 1", 7", and 14" from the bottom. On the last cut measure from the top down. From the very top of the board measure 2" 2.
down and make a line.
Cut off (100%) on the 2" line, and for all the other lines (1", 7", 14"), make 10% cuts. 3.
Peel off the paper from the bottom to the 1" line, then again from the 7" line to the 14" line. See picture 2. 4.
On a new sheet of foamboard cut 2 more strips that are 2" x 30". You should now have a total of 3 2" x 30" support strips. On your last strip, peel the paper off of 5.
one side, just like in picture 3.
This next part is to help with getting the wing the correct shape for a smooth airfoil.
Lay your wing on a desk or table with the 1" paperless strip of wing facing you. Using a sanding block, sand down the foam at a steep angle (pictures 4, 5, 6, & 7). 1.
Alright lets add the support to the wing
Lay the wing flat on the ground. Place one of the 2" strips down and along the 7" line (paper/foam transition). See pictures 8 & 9. The top of the 2" strip should not 1.
go past the 7" line. The bottom half of the strip should be on the 5" from the bottom. Glue the other two 2" strip on top of the first one. The top strip should be the
2" strip with paper removed. This will leave you with 3 2" strips with the top layer having foam exposed.
Image Notes
1. All of these are measured from the bottom up. . .
2. And this one is measure from the top down.
Image Notes
1. The paper gets peeled off here.
2. And here.
3. Pic 2. Completely cut off the 2" strip.
4. Don't peel this paper off! It's very important to keep it on!
Image Notes
1. Pic 3
Image Notes
1. This is the paperless 1" part of the wing.
2. Pic 4
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Image Notes
1. PIc 5
Image Notes
1. Pic 6
2. Don't sand past the paper!
Image Notes
1. I made this sanding block by hot gluing sand paper to a scrap piece of wood.
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Step 28:Armin Wing p.2
After you glued the supports in the wing it should look like picture 1. Take a blunt object and try to mash it down and to make it look like picture 2.
Time to bend the wing! Cover the top support strip with hot glue and fold the wing over on itself! Watch the video (picture 3) so you know what you are doing!
Step 29:Making The Ailerons
When you folded the wing over on the underside you should have had a lot of over hang. Well this is going to make our ailerons. Our ailerons will be 1 1/2" long, so cut
off any excess.
Place a straight edge or ruler up against the overhang on the underside of the wing and make a 90% cut. 1.
Place the a ruler or straight edge 3/16" away from the 90% cut you made and make a 10% score. 2.
Peel the paper off the small 3/16" strip. You should have a small piece of foam showing. 3.
Lay the wing on a desk and fold the aileron back as far as it will go. It should be able to rotate all the way on top of the wing. See picture 5. 4.
Using a sanding block sand away at the 3/16" strip of foam until you have a nice 45? angle with the foam. See picture 5. Once you have sanded away at this foam 5.
you should be able to move the aileron both forwards and backwards pretty easily.
But we need separate ailerons so lets get to cutting them apart!
On the aileron make a line that is 1 1/2" away from the middle on either side. 1.
Cut it out. Now you should have a 3" gap between either aileron. See pictures 7, 8, & 9. 2.
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Image Notes
1. Our ailerons will be 1.5" wide.
Image Notes
1. Right here where the overhang begins you will make a 90% cut.
2. This is the overhang
3. This is the wing. . .
Image Notes
1. PIc 3: Line that is 3/16" from the 90% score. . .
Image Notes
1. Peeling off that paper
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Image Notes
1. Pic 3
Step 30:Installing Wing's Servos and Control Horns
Note: For all these lines you will want to use a pencil so that you can erase them. I just used a red marker so that you can see the lines well. Otherwise you will have big
lines on the bottom of your wing.
In the middle of wing (15" inches from either side) draw a line straight up and down. Then draw a line that is 5" from the bottom of the wing (the thin part). Next draw a line
that extends the 8 1/2" on either side of the middle on top of the 5" line, outwards, just like picture 1.
When you are done making reference lines place a servo on the ends of the 8.5" lines, and trace around it. See picture 2. Repeat on the other side and cut out the
rectangles. Also, in the middle, cut out a small square, no bigger than 1" x 1". After that your wing should look like picture 3.
Feed the wire into the wing from the servo hole then push the servo down into the wing. The after shaking the wires you should be able to get them to fall out the center
hole. Install both servos with the head facing the ailerons (the side of the servo with the circular gear column should be closest to the ailerons). Put servo arms on both
the servos and face them inwards towards the center of the wing but don't screw them down yet. See picture 5.
Attach both the servo leads to the servo splitter, and check to make sure the positive and the negative leads are matched up. See picture 6.
Glue both the control horns onto the ailerons. They should butt up against the hinge but not into it, and they should be straight behind the servo. This way you can put a
straight wire going from the servo arm to the control horn. See pictures 7 & 8.
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Image Notes
1. The square below should be up here. I made it a little bit smaller than 1" x 1".
2. 5" up. . .
3. 8.5" on either side from the middle
4. Pic 1
Image Notes
1. Pic 2: The wires from the servo should be sticking out the bottom.
Image Notes
1. Pic 3
Image Notes
1. Pic 4: Put a light ring of glue around the servo, and place the arm on top, but
don't screw it in tight. The arm should be facing inwards towards the center of
the wing.
Image Notes
1. Rotate the servos so that the head is closest to the ailerons. Attach the
control arms, but don't screw them in yet. Both arms should be facing the center
of the wing.
Image Notes
1. Servo splitter
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Image Notes
1. The control horn (the white piece on the aileron) gets glued on the very edge
of the hinge and goes right behind the servo.
Image Notes
1. Butt the servo horn right up to the hinge. Don't get the horn into the hinge or
your range will be limited.
Step 31:Attaching The Pushrods
The tools that you will need for this step are two pairs of pliers and a pair of wire cutters. Now all the bends we will be making should either be at 45? or 90?. All of the
90? bends should be made as small as possible. Pictures 2 and 3 show you how the ends of the music wire should look like. In the middle I make a little V. Now the
reason for this is so that you can easily adjust the length of the push rod.
So make a end bend like the one show in picture 3, then put it into the servo arm. Make a V bend, and lay the wire down. Make a mark where it hits the control horn, and
make a 90? angle at the bend. Make the bend so that the wire sticking out is facing the control horn. Then make another 90? bend and cut the wire off 1/4" from the last
bend.
Image Notes
1. Make the bend shown in picture 3 and put it into the servo arm. Then lay the
wire down.
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Image Notes
1. While checking to make sure that the aileron is straight make a mark on the
music wire. In this picture I will make a 90? bend to the right. (from our
perspective)
Step 32:Mounting The Motor
Ok! Now that you are done cutting and making all the pieces it's to put them together! Let's start by putting the motor on.
I designed the tube so that the outside of the tube is 2" x 2". This is easy enough! So on your 1/8", 1/4", or 1/2" piece of balsa/bass wood all you have to do is to 1.
cut out a 2" x 2" square. Draw lines that cross the middle like picture 1. This will come in handy when trying to center the motor.
Hold the fuselage up and down with the tail near the ground. Squirt hot glue over the rim of the open end, then press the balsa wood onto the end. Wipe away any 2.
glue that squeezes out. Your finished product should look like pictures 2 & 3.
In picture 4 are all the parts that come with the motor, except for the bullet connectors. You need to have these on the motor's wires before you mount it. 3.
The screws shown in picture 5 will be the screws that I use to mount my motor. These are the screws that came with the servos. If you servos didn't come with
any screws then pretty much any small screw will do the trick.
Screw the mounting plate to the motor using the screws provided. It is important to get these very tight because vibrations from the motor can cause loose screws 4.
to jingle out. See picture 6.
In order to mount the motor to the plane simple center it on the firewall (the piece of wood in front) and screw it down! Check all the screws to see that they aren't 5.
stripped or loose. You don't want your motor flying off mid flight!
Image Notes
1. Pic 1: 2" x 2" piece of 1/8", 1/4", or 1/2" balsa or bass wood.
Image Notes
1. All glued on! You may want to round the edges of the wood with sandpaper, or,
my personal favorite, a CHAINSAW!
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Image Notes
1. All the pieces that come with the motor.
2. Bullet connectors
Image Notes
1. Make sure that you get these really tight!
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Step 33:Colet Adapeter Assembly
Your motor came with a bunch of weird-looking hardware so what do you do with it? Read the steps below then scroll the the pictures to help you.
Collect the shaft, head nut, and the pressure ring. 1.
Slide the open end of the pressure ring over the shaft. 2.
Slide the propeller onto the shaft above the pressure ring. 3.
Screw on the head nut very loosely. If you make it really tight, we won't be able to get it on the motor shaft. 4.
Push the propeller with the colet adapter onto the motor shaft. 5.
Tighten the head nut. You don't want to go too hard and crack the propeller but you don't want you propeller coming off mid flight. 6.
Image Notes
1. Pressure ring
2. Shaft
3. Head nut
Image Notes
1. Pic 2: Slide the open end of the pressure ring over the shaft.
Image Notes
1. Motor shaft
Image Notes
1. Tighten it really hard! You don't want this falling off mid flight either!
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Image Notes
1. If your head nut has a hole through the top you can insert a small rod through it
to help you tighten it.
Step 34:Access Hatches
Even though we have a nice solid tube for a fuselage we must cut into it so that we can get our electronics into it! In my plane I made two hatches, one for the
battery/ESC and one for the receiver. Lets start with the first one.
I'm sorry please ignore the red lines. When I was doing this I kinda messed up, so the correct lines are the black ones.
From the front of the fuselage makes lines at 3" and 6". 1.
Draw the edges 1/2" from the ends of the fuselage, and create a rectangle. Look at pictures 1 and 2. 2.
Cut three edges of the box, leaving the edge closest to the front of the fuselage uncut. (pic 3). 3.
Stuff a small wad of paper towels/ napkins in the front. 2 napkins or a 1 half-piece of a paper towel will do. 4.
Draw two more lines further down the fuselage at 3" and 5" from the 6" line you first made. Again, draw lines 1/2" from the edges of the fuselage, and make 5.
another rectangle. See pictures 6-9.
Cut the second hatch completely out. I didn't in the pictures but go ahead and do it. 6.
Now would be a good time to put your receiver and your ESC in. If you forgot how to plug the ESC into the receiver go back to step(X).
Image Notes
1. Draw lines at 3" and 6".
2. Draw the edges 1/2" from the ends of the fuselage.
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Image Notes
1. Pic 6
Image Notes
1. Pic 7. Here I forgot to cut the hatch completely off.
Image Notes
1. Pic 8, receiver fits perfectly!
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Image Notes
1. Pic 9: the two hatches. Remember, on the smaller hatch completely cut it out.
Step 35:Adding Wing Mounts
For my plane I decided to use the quick and easy connecting way of rubber bands and skewers. I like this because for one it makes wing remove quick and easy and two
when in a crash the wings will harmlessly pop off the plane.
For the first skewer poke it through the foam right where your hatch ends. All you need to do is to poke the sharp end of the skewer through the foam and trim it with
scissors or wire cutters.
Place the wing on the plane and butt the front of the wing up to the very back of the first hatch. Poke the second skewer in the fuselage right behind the wing. See picture
4 to see where it should go.
Find an unused credit card and cut it into 4 small squares that about about 1" x 1". Drill hold at the very top that are the same size as the skewers. See picture 7. Slide
these over the skewers while they are on the plane, and glue them to the fuselage. This will take strain from the wings off the foam. See pictures 8 and 9.
In picture 10 you can see that I covered the credit cards in some white duct tape to make it look better. If you wanted to you could find your white spray paint and give
those cards a coat or two.
In pictures 11 and 12 I show how to correctly attach the wing to to the skewers using rubber bands.
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Image Notes
1. This should go anywhere from 1/2" to 1" behind the wing.
Image Notes
1. Pic 7: Thanks Ace!
Image Notes
1. Glue this card to the surface of the fuselage. Make sure that no glue gets on the
skewer.
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Image Notes
1. Pic 10: I covered the cards with white duct tape to make it look better. If you
wanted to you could spend the time to spraypaint the credit card white.
Step 36:Adding the Electronics
The wires from the motor should be off to one side. Wrap them around the edge of the fuselage just like in picture 1. Cut a small hole on the side of the fuselage for the
wires coming from the ESC. Connect the wires from the ESC and the motor together. Don't tape the wires down just yet. We need to make sure that the motor is spinning
the correct way first. We'll do this a little bit later.
The ESC should slip right into the tube, and push it up against the side of the inside of the fuselage. The battery can slide alongside it like shown in picture 3. Push the
battery as far up in the nose as it can go. It should slightly compact the paper towel you placed inside earlier.
In the second hatch further down the body put the receiver in. Using a servo extender on the servo lead from the tail, connect it into slot 2 on the receiver. Consult with
your receiver's manual to see which side the positive and negative wires go. Also plug the servo lead from the ESC into slot 3. (pic 4).
Plug the servo splitter into slot one on the receiver. Again, consult with your receiver's manual to see which side the positive and negative wires go. (pic 5).
Put a piece of duct tape on the hatch door so that you can tape it down for flight! (pic 6).
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Image Notes
1. The ESC is right here.
Image Notes
1. This wire should be inside the fuselage.
Step 37:Finding The Center Of Gravity
Now that you have put in all the electronics, including the motor, propeller, battery, ESC and the receiver, it is time to see where the center of gravity for your particular
aircraft is. This step has to be done after ALL pieces have been loaded into the plane. If you forget something then you will have to re calculate the CG.
Lay down two rolls of tape (pic 1). 1.
Balance the wing on top of the tape (pics 2 & 3). 2.
Place the fully loaded fuselage on top of the wing and drag it forward or backwards until it balances perfectly on wing (pic 4). After it balances move it forward just 3.
a tiny bit until the nose it a bit lower than the tail.
The CG will be a 1/3 the way back from the front of the wing. Our wing is 7 inches wide, so 1/3 the way is about 2.3" back from the front. Make a small mark on 4.
the wing 2.3" back from the front of the wing. Lay your ruler along the wing and measure from the very front of the fuselage to the mark you made. As you can see
in picture 5 my CG is around 8.5" back from the center.
Keeping the plane balanced measure how far back the front of the wing is from the front of the fuselage (pic 6). You can see that mine was 6" back from the front. 5.
Here you can draw an line and now you know how far up to place your wing! Your CG and this second measurement should be similar.
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Image Notes
1. My CG is about 8.5" from the front.
Step 38:37 Steps Later, Finish!
Yeah! You are so close to being done! Strap the wings down to the skewers with rubber bands taking care to stuff the servo splitter down into the smaller hole in the
fuselage. Test the CG one last time by putting your fingers 1/3 the way back of the wing and seeing if it balances slightly nose heavy. Picture 2 will show you were to put
your fingers. I
f you plane is still not balancing then move the battery around. If the plane is too nose heavy, add another wad of paper towels to the nose and scooch the battery back a
bit. If the plane is tail heavy, mash the battery forward some more. If you sill can't fix the problems, scoot the wing up or down on the fuselage.
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Step 39:Adjusting The Pland BEFORE Flight!
There are several important things to check before you are ready to launch your plane!
Always make sure that your CG is good, and that the plane is slightly nose heavy.
Plug in the battery and check to see if all the control surfaces are level. If they are not, adjust the V-bend in the push rods until the surfaces are flat. For the
ailerons make sure they maintain the slope of the wing.
Is the motor spinning the right way? Turn on the propeller and see if the air is being blown backwards. If it is being blow forwards, then just switch any two wires of
the 3 attaching the motor to the ESC.
Do both ailerons work and does the elevator work?
Here's a problem you might have! You push up on the stick, and the elevator swings upwards. What's happening is that the servo is needs to be reversed. Find
channel 2 on your radio LCD or computer program and change that channel. You may need to do the same thing for the ailerons.
All wires are secured and nothing is hindering the prop.
Before you fly please watch all the videos in this step! You don't want your brand new plane to crash on its first flight because of a build error!
Step 40:Conclusion
Well I must say that I have being going through this i'ble as fast as possible because I wanted to get it done for the Launch it Contest. I will be regularly fixing the
instructions and adding more videos, and eveuntually, a complete video. I just bought a new camera that will be coming soon so I should have the complete build video
up soon! I hope you learned a lot from this i'ble if there's anything you need help with or want to know please PM me or leave it in the comments below.
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