RE: Predator II ??  
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RE: Predator II ?? - 5/18/2006 2:48:35 AM   
Lifes a Drag



Posts: 957
Joined: 1/10/2003
From: La Habra, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Help!


I’m assembling the V-Tail control linkages am not happy with the way they are coming out/the way the mfg. wants it done. I was going to use the Sullivan clevices but the control horn ends spin on the threaded shafts back and forth, and I believe over time they will eventually work loose and finally detach themselves.

Does anyone know how I can create ball links for this setup? The DuBro ball links in my possession have a threaded shaft on the end as if mounting through a servo arm. How would you mount this to the threaded control shafts?

Dave/Kane I stole a couple pictures from your setups. How did you guy do it? Please don’t tell me there is welding involved......

TIA.

Ron


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RE: Predator II ?? - 5/18/2006 1:19:31 PM   
Super Splatter



Posts: 395
Joined: 3/21/2006
From: , MN, USA
Status: offline 		you'll want to hurt your self when you see how easy it is.

I use CF rod (.125", I think?) and 2-56 rod and med. CA.

The size that just fits a 2-56 rod inside

you cut the CF to size, roughen up a 2-56 rod with a dremel. spin the ball socket on now.

Drip a couple drops of CA onto the 2-56 rod and insert it into the CF, kinda twirl it as you insert the rod. Let it set up.

Use the whole rod for stiffness and grip

prepare the other end making it a little onthe long side then roughen it, glue it in, let it set.

install the rod, make a mark on the long side for the Z bend/ servo hole, you are doing Z-bends, right?

If you need to make adjustments afterward be sure to grip the 2-56 rod to spin the ball joint, not the CF rod

< Message edited by Super Splatter -- 5/18/2006 1:21:10 PM >

(in reply to Lifes a Drag)
       Post #: 127

RE: Predator II ?? - 5/18/2006 1:29:20 PM   
daven



Posts: 6908
Joined: 12/7/2001
From: Andover, MN, USA
Status: offline 		Dubro sells balls that are threaded for 4/40 rod. The balls that are threaded are for either serovs or to be put on the throttle arm.

My guess is that the predator uses some sort of metric wire, so not sure if those will fit.

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Dave Norman

klasskote.com
supertrc.com

(in reply to Super Splatter)
       Post #: 128

RE: Predator II ?? - 5/18/2006 1:49:20 PM   
kane


 

Posts: 255
Joined: 6/28/2002
From: Arlington Heights, IL, USA
Status: offline 		Reno,

What Dave is saying is that DuBro sells a ball link with a female threaded portion for 4-40 in addition to the one you have with the male threaded stud.

I use 4-40 threaded pushrods from DuBro and thread the female portion onto the the wire.

As Dave said the Predator is probably metric so I don't know if it will work. This might work. In our F5D ships we used the ball links with the brass ball and the black connector. Remove the brass ball and solder it to the end of your wire. Clean the wire and scuff it up then use silver solder to hold the brass ball in place.

Dan

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Dan Kane

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RE: Predator II ?? - 5/18/2006 3:23:18 PM   
Lifes a Drag



Posts: 957
Joined: 1/10/2003
From: La Habra, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Thanks Dan. Thats exactly what I needed. I was getting frustrated with the rosin-core. My workbench has some neet artistic patterns now though!

Ron


Ps. Thanks Splatt. I'm going with ball links all the way around.

< Message edited by ***Reno*** -- 5/18/2006 3:27:39 PM >

(in reply to kane)
       Post #: 130

RE: Predator II ?? - 5/19/2006 7:31:21 AM   
Lifes a Drag



Posts: 957
Joined: 1/10/2003
From: La Habra, CA, USA
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Super Splatter

you'll want to hurt your self when you see how easy it is.

I use CF rod (.125", I think?) and 2-56 rod and med. CA.

The size that just fits a 2-56 rod inside

you cut the CF to size, roughen up a 2-56 rod with a dremel. spin the ball socket on now.

Drip a couple drops of CA onto the 2-56 rod and insert it into the CF, kinda twirl it as you insert the rod. Let it set up.

Use the whole rod for stiffness and grip

prepare the other end making it a little onthe long side then roughen it, glue it in, let it set.

install the rod, make a mark on the long side for the Z bend/ servo hole, you are doing Z-bends, right?

If you need to make adjustments afterward be sure to grip the 2-56 rod to spin the ball joint, not the CF rod




Wow Splat! This is a great tip! I've never done such a great job on my linkages! I couldn't believe how fast I had to work before they set up! I used to use black CA and would have to wait three days, now it's more like three seconds!

Thansk again!

Ron.

Ps. I noticed in another picture reinforced landing area on the inside of the fuse. Has anyone ever thought about using a reciever life preserver as a pad between the landing gear and fuse to absorb some of the shock from rough landings? Just thinking out loud here......

(in reply to Super Splatter)
       Post #: 131

RE: Predator II ?? - 5/19/2006 1:11:10 PM   
Super Splatter



Posts: 395
Joined: 3/21/2006
From: , MN, USA
Status: offline 		Well, I can't let Daven take all the glory.

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RE: Predator II ?? - 5/19/2006 1:37:28 PM   
daven



Posts: 6908
Joined: 12/7/2001
From: Andover, MN, USA
Status: offline 		I use epoxy, normally 30 minute, or JB weld.

I don't trust CA.

What Glory?

As to the shock absorbers, I don't like anthing on a quickie that is not hard mounted.

They are not to hard to land.

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Dave Norman

klasskote.com
supertrc.com

(in reply to Super Splatter)
       Post #: 133

RE: Predator II ?? - 5/19/2006 1:57:46 PM   
diggs_74



Posts: 1281
Joined: 1/20/2004
From: Emerald, WI, USA
Status: offline 		I use med. CA on all my CF pushrods... Even my Q40's... So far so good.. The key is to resist the temptation to use the kicker.. Just let it cure normally.


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RE: Predator II ?? - 5/19/2006 2:12:21 PM   
HighPlains


 

Posts: 2666
Joined: 3/2/2003
From: Over da rainbow, KS, USA
Status: offline 		Of the many areas of quickie airframes that are weak and give trouble, the landing gear seems to be the worst.

They should be easy to land on the wheels, but the control is minimal so often poor landing result.

The typical design seems to be to mount the gear to a 1/4" plywood plate that is often sized to match the landing gear in width. This in turn is epoxied to the fuselage sides (hopefully plywood) and toss on a bit of glass/carbon/ or triangle stock to hold it in. Something like the first picture.

But this type of design does not hold up to real world loads when you hit (I mean land) in the weeds. The second sketch shows a method of construction that is rugged, and will hold up to the average landing into anything. To absorb the torque from the landing gear load, I use a 1/8" plywood plate that is 3" long. It is doubled by another pair of 1/8" ply strips about 1/4" wide for the length behind the bulkhead (also 1/8" ply). On top of this is the 1/4" triangle stock. All epoxied to the plywood fuselage doubler. The plywood bulkhead ties the landing gear up the side of the fuselage to the front wing hold down block (which is also a U- shaped plate made from two layers of 1/8" plywood. It there is a theme here, it is I use a lot of 1/8" plywood, and none of it is that crap called lite ply. But then I don't have problems with landing gear ripping out.

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(in reply to Lifes a Drag)
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RE: Predator II ?? - 5/19/2006 3:04:39 PM   
Lifes a Drag



Posts: 957
Joined: 1/10/2003
From: La Habra, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Sounds pretty heavy-duty. I like it! What kind of cement are you using to glue all this wood together?

(in reply to HighPlains)
       Post #: 136

RE: Predator II ?? - 5/19/2006 3:39:51 PM   
DMyer


 

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From: Potomac, MD, USA
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quote:

ORIGINAL: daven

I use epoxy, normally 30 minute, or JB weld.

I don't trust CA.

What Glory?

As to the shock absorbers, I don't like anthing on a quickie that is not hard mounted.

They are not to hard to land.




I have been using epoxy or CA on my CF rods/2-56 without a single failure(inflight) for years... last weekend an old predator finally had it's last mid-air(exploded) and when sorting through the remains I saw where one of the 2-56 rods pulled out of the CF... I believe I used CA on that plane. One other step I take is to wrap a little thread around the end of the rod and wick some CA on to prevent the CF from end-splitting. Maybe now I will take the extra minute to just use a good epoxy.

Another thing I do for the internal ball links is I have a bag of balls from McMaster Carr that I drill out to the linkage wire size and silver solder... very neat and an excellent ball link fit.

For the landing gears you certainly don't want a shock absorber! HP's idea of overlapping a slightly larger than gear plate with the surrounding ply is excellent advice... I don't go quit a far as HP... but enough that I have not had a gear separate since I can remember.... in fact... by overlapping with the surrounding ply gaurantees that the gear assembly becomes a solid part of the eventual fishhead assembly! If you are worried about tall grass landings wrecking the plate out of your plane... just attack your gear with small plastic bolts and have extras.


Dan

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RE: Predator II ?? - 5/19/2006 4:16:42 PM   
Super Splatter



Posts: 395
Joined: 3/21/2006
From: , MN, USA
Status: offline 		I wonder about CA too, that's why I mentioned not to twist a completed rod. My last quickie I noticed how the tube wants to split and wrapped each end with a little thread and CA.

(in reply to DMyer)
       Post #: 138

RE: Predator II ?? - 5/19/2006 4:24:39 PM   
HighPlains


 

Posts: 2666
Joined: 3/2/2003
From: Over da rainbow, KS, USA
Status: offline 		I use 1 to 3 hour epoxy on all the plywood to plywood joints. The entire fuselage is really a plywood box from the nose to the servo tray behind the wing. That is, a plywood box supported by the balsa skins and 3/4 oz. fiberglass on the external surfaces. The nose gets a double wrap of 2 oz. cloth over that, back to the landing gears as well. I only use 1/8 balsa on the fuselage sides, top and bottom, which sounds light. But it's only function is passing distributed loads, and with the fiberglass on the outside, and the 1/32" plywood on the inside, is both rigid and light. Last fuselage without landing gear or tail, but servo tray installed was 6 1/4 oz.

The landing gear is screwed to the landing gear plate with 4 metal flathead wood screws. I don't want the gear bolts to shear off, that causes too much damage to the wing, and aft fuselage as it tumbles behind.

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(in reply to DMyer)
       Post #: 139