dragon_not_fly
Heliman
Location: US
| Modular tail setup(removable tail) Version 1I am pretty excited, I think I may have stumbled upon a way
of making a modular or removable tail on my Walkera #4.
For a long time I didn't even think about trying to make the
Carbon Fiber tail boom let alone the tail motor mount re-
movable, it just never crossed my mind. I now have 5 flights
on it and have purposely landed hard several times on the
boom to try and jar it as well as sliding around on the ground.
It is still holding at the time of this writing. I have performed
all basic flight manuevers with it as well, piros, forward flight,
gaining altitude quickly, losing altitude quickly, turns etc... with
no problems. OK, now for the details...
[Parts used]
QTY 1 E-flite Blade CP CF tail boom
QTY 1 GWS tail motor mount(the one where the tail rotor is
on the right if facing the rear of the helicopter)
QTY 1 GWS tail support fin(used to support the CF tail boom,
since the GWS motor mount has no tail boom support
rod)
QTY 2 The tiny screws used to bolt on the stock D/C brushed tail
motors(I made sure to use the ones that have the large
heads on them; that is, an integrated washer)
[Parts not used]
NO glue whatsoever or tape!
[How tail assembly was setup]
{Step 1}
I made a hole just big enough for one of the screws to screw into
the top of the GWS motor mount
{Step 2}
I made a hole, very carefully, into the top of the Carbon Fiber tail
boom just big enough so that the securing screw could turn into,
but not so tight so as to crack the CF tail boom
{Step 3}
I pushed the GWS motor mount on as far as it went, aligned it
with the hole in the top of the CF tail boom and carefully screwed
in the securing screw into the top of the mount until it would not
go down any further. It was tight and flush with the top of the GWS
motor mount. There were no cracks detected in the CF tail boom
around the assembly joint.
{Step 4}
Very carefully increased the diameter of the hole in the main frame
of the helicopter using a sharp exacto blade. This was a trial and
error process, I was patient, but I was able to make the hole just
big enough where I could insert/remove the CF tail boom with ease
with no damage to the boom.
{Step 5}
Made a small hole just big enough for the other securing bolt to
screw into the base of the CF tail boom where it meets and inserts
by the main frame of the heli. I made sure that the tail was near
perfectly aligned with the screw out; that is, I made sure that the
hole used in the CF tail boom to lock it into place was accessible
at the main frame and that the screw would go in, while the tail
boom/motor mount assembly was aligned properly.
{Step 6}
After testing the fit of the tail boom with the securing screw and
making sure that the tail boom/motor mount aligned properly in
Step 5, I inserted the tail boom back into the frame of the heli-
copter and then bolted in the securing screw. The securing screw
goes in on the left side of the main frame of the helicopter if facing
the rear of the helicopter where the tail boom meets the main frame
where there is a rounded rectangular cut out, such that, the head
of the securing bolt overlaps or sits on top of the main frame and
then this screws in with force touching the CF tail boom preventing
it from falling out or turning from within the main frame of the heli.
[Notes]
That's it! Two, very light weight screws secure the motor mount
onto the tail boom and the tail boom to the main frame of the
helicopter, no glue, tape, foam or any other securing mechanism
is used! This is huge in my opinion, I can literally remove the motor
mount in 1 minute and replace it with a spare if the mount were to
break. No more potentialy breaking the CF tail boom in the main
frame of the heli and then having to drill out the pieces from the
main frame! If a tail motor mount in the past needed to be removed
I would typically have to hack saw off the mount and then glue on
a new one.....yuck!! Time will tell how rugged this setup is in
crashes, but I think it will be a winner. In the worst case, if anything
breaks, all I have to do is to unscrew up to two screws and pull
something off, I can live with that |
