j_jones84

Draganflyer V Ti (not pro). I busted one of the 4 carbon fiber struts/arms/whatever and have a replacement. Since the wires are inside it.. having a little trouble replacing it. Took off the board, un-allen wrenched the motor and the arm but I'm guessing I'm going to have to desolder the motor to get the wires out and re-thread them. Is this accurate? How do I de solder them? Im going to walmart and pick up a soldering iron. How do I solder them back in? Precautions? Certain type of solder? How EXACTLY does one solder something anyways?

BB_DF

Is the arm broken in half, or just split? I had one split longways over about 2/3 of its length, with the wires hanging out. I took a piece of nylon twine and seperated it out into thick threads. I assembled the wires back inside the CF rod and positioned everything back in place, then tightly wound the nylon thread around the cracked rod to make a splint about 1 1/2" long. The nylon laid down nice and flat under pressure, and I secured the loose ends to the nearby support members on both sides to hold it tight. I soaked the thread with CA (super glue) and cut the loose ends off after it set up - it's super strong, light and streamlined. If not this time, you might find this method useful in the future. Beats the heck out of all that soldering and wire pulling. I'm on the road right now, but I'll take a picture and post it when I get back.

Ciao,
Bruce

j_jones84

Sounds interesting, I'd love a picture.. Mine broke almost completely off right next the the joint in the center so Im not sure it that would be stable enough

BB_DF

Here's a pic of the splint.

- Bruce

j_jones84

I like it, if I ever get a split I will try and duplicate it. So you wound it as tight as you could, glue'd, and snipped and that's about it?

BB_DF

Yep, that's about it!

Sky High

That patch looks good but I've learned a few hard lesson about using damaged parts by crashing and causing even more damage. So, I always replace broken parts now, especially motor mounts. However, a fractured CF rod that is wound with a strong material and then glued would most likely survive longer than glued plastic.

scottslc

The best way I've found to replace the cf arm? After removing the motors, vertical risers and other clamps, pull the old cf tube out completely. Next, get some fishing line and thread it through the new cf tube. Tie the line to the end of the wires and simply pull them through the new tube. Attach and resolder and your set. Works like a champ.

Best, Scott