The wing in a 60-size build (GP Extra) I plan to build is long enough that the existing wire on the servo (for the ailerons; 11" wire) will not reach to the exit hole at the wing center (about 16" on the plans). I see two options:

1. A single extension which runs to the Rx. However, I will need to plug it in every time and I am worried about breaking a pin if I fat finger it one time and that's a $100 ouch.

2. Use two extensions. One to get to the outside of the wing; the other to get from Rx to the wing saddle area. Is there an issue with either total length or having too many connections?

What is best solution?

I attach semi-permanent extensions in the wing (I plug and then tie them together and then wrap the string with electrical tape). Heat shrink tubing is another good way to affix the plugs in the wing. I then put another extension on the receiver. To each end I fold a piece of white adhesive label to make a little flag and number them according to the receiver slot used. Then, at the field, I just attach the plugs with matching flag numbers when attaching the wing. This also allows the receiver to be fully encased in foam rubber.

From my car days, if I could hardwire, I did! The more connectors you add, the more resistance!

If you have good soldering skills, I would suggest just cutting the servo wires, soldering the same gauge wire with the same colors and use shrink tubing on the solder joints. Use the existing connectors with strapping tape wrapped around them so they can't come apart.

Your #2 is what I use. The total length, is related to wire gage. If you have a long run, use a heaver gage extention. It really isn't an issue though unless you are flying the big guys win 150+ in/oz digitals.

I use some button thread to lace the extention to the servo. It add about 0.1 grams to the weight. You don't really need it other than pulling the wire through the wing may unplug it if you pull to hard.

The idea of the short extentions off the receiver is also what I do. Little 4" ones. Being an old computer repairman, big iron from the 60's throught early 90's, pluging cycles on circuit cards was an issue. Seeing as our pins on the receiver are just like the pins we plugged our cards onto, the continuious pluging and unpluging that takes place with our aileron and flap servo extentions would start to wear the pins in the receiver if you pluged into the receiver every time. The extentions from the receiver do two things, The make pluging the aileron servos easier, and they spare the reciver from all the pluggin and unplugging. If the pin or socket on the extentions wear, you are out a few bucks, less if you crimp on new ends, vs a repair to your receiver that may excede the value of the receiver.

By the way, I use four small cable ties for my color coding of the extentions. A black and a white one. Match the colors and you are done. Again less than a gram additional weight. I'm not a fan of tape as it leaves a lot of goo on things. I pulled the aileron servos out of an older pattern plane I bought the the builder and wrapped the servo leads and extentions in masking tape at each rib, then glued the tape to the ribs. What a nightmare it was to get that out of the wings. The extentions were trash as there was a lot of leftover glue that I couldn't get off. Always think about a repair or replacement of a servo when you are installing them.

Don

I do what Gary does, I buy servo wire in bulk when it's on sale and splice and solder to lengethen my leads. A few bad things can happen with extensions if you don't pull and clean them once or twice a year. Even the gold plated ones. I prefer mine to be permanent. I also buy or make up short leads that fit into my RX so I don't have to be removing and plugging in my leads into the RX.

Dittos

I keep rolls of both heavy and light gauge servo wire on hand. For ailerons, cut the stock lead in two and splice in new wire to the exact needed length and do use a short extension at the receiver that these aileron leads will plug into.

I never bury a connector I prefer to make up a lead to the exact length.

John

Sure makes for a cleaner hookup doesn't it. I see these photos of the radio compartment and there isn't a bundle of wire anywhere. cut to length sounds like a good path to follow.

Don

I haven't bothered to learn how to solder properly yet. All 3 of my planes have short servo extensions that I leave plugged into the receiver, and have servo extensions in the wings to reach the fuse. I haven't had a problem yet in two summers of flying with this setup. I do use the heaviest gage extensions I can find though.

Don, I don't care what I do, the insides of my planes look like a bird nested in them!! Joe, I have gotten away with extensions for years in some very big planes without problems then one day my servos started acting sluggish or would start twitching. It would just be corrision or a wire going loose. The most trouble I have seen was at IMAA shows with nice big scale planes. These planes don't get flown very often and do a lot of hanger time. Pilots tend to forget to open them up and pull and clean there servo leads, it's a lot of work sometimes and most of us are just lazy about it. Then the big opening day of the show starts and the plane checks out OK during inspection but all of a sudden in flight glitches start to rear there ugly head and controls quit controling!! It often got real ugly from that point on. It has happened to me more then once but I have caught it on the ground. By soldering my own extensions this is no longer a problem or threat. Seems to happen with the longer leads more often though?? Maybe I will do a photo shoot of extending leads with solder?? I just did it the other day for my new pattern plane.

For that size plane, this is the way to go.

Once one actually makes the effort to learn the simplest soldering task of all (a simple wire splice) and cuts an fits a custom length extension with no uneeded wire length and possibly buried plugs he will never go back to stacked extensions which are more expensive, often turn into spagetti nests and offer higher electrical resistance in many maybe most cases.

There is not much more disheartening than the need in some cases to have to do surgery just to track down a high resistance plug.

Beyond that soldering opens up a whole new world of options in many other areas of modeling that for instance will offer freedom from unreliable and ugly wheel collors.

Unfortunately it seems to be a skill that seems to be dying along with actually building an airplane rather than assembling it.

John

I agree Charlie P has the simple answer for your current needs. I use extensions, I solder leads but for what your doing I'd just do what Charlie P says.