making your own extensions
 

hey guys i was wondering if there was a kit out there that a guy could buy to make his own extensions

RE: making your own extensions
 

Yeah there is, but its not really any cheaper to do,, especially with some of the newer online stores,, hobby king comes to mind here...dont mean to advertise for them, but you can also buy in bulk and then classified what you dont need...and end up paying almost nothing for them...Rog

RE: making your own extensions
 

I make many of mine. but you have the cost of crimpers 20+ bucks. Then you have to practice until you get a good crimp. I make mine when I have a long run so I don't have to spice a couple together. Might want to take flyinrods advice.

RE: making your own extensions
 

Yep, you still have to buy the connectors.

I hate to solder so when I have to, I just strip and square knot the wire and kind of braid them around. Then reinforce with a little heat shrink tubing. Works fine.

Tom

RE: making your own extensions
 

I would rather eliminate as many plugs as possible for reliability reasons so use very few extentions.

For ailerons for example I cut the new servos lead in half and splice in new heavy duty twisted servo wire to the exact length needed and no more. Its a very simple solderjob and its a technique that will serve you well in the hobby worth learning.

John

RE: making your own extensions
 

Same here!! There are only two extensions in my planes, I have made up two short ones and leave them in my RX so when I put on the wings I don't need to plug my ailerons in or out of the RX. Extensions can lead to too many problems over time. Why bother when it's easier to custom fit your leads.

RE: making your own extensions
 

+3

A mechanical joint (plugs) is less desirable than a soldered joint.

RE: making your own extensions
 

And you don't have to pull them apart every year to clean them!! I really am lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

RE: making your own extensions
 

Ditto,

Cheers,

Colin

RE: making your own extensions
 

Sure is.

http://www.hansenhobbies.com/product...connectorkits/

RE: making your own extensions
 

Another couple starter kits.  The second link has the components about mid-page.

http://www.rcaccessory.com/makeyouro...tarterkit.aspx

http://www.thefinishcrew.com/FLY2BUI...mp;servos.html

RE: making your own extensions
 

I do my own all the time. I hate having an extension that is way too long because they only come in a few lengths. As others have mentioned, I often cut the plug off a servo, solder a new piece of wire to it then crimp a new connector on the end of that. That way I eliminate one connection point. I got all my stuff from these guys when they were at a local event:

http://www.emsjomar.com/

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RE: making your own extensions
 

I've been making my own extentions for all the reasons above. I have a few decades of esperience of crimping wires, so with the right tool, IEa crimp tool designed for job, and a good wire stripper that strips the covering but doesn't score the wire, it is a straight forward project to put on new ends to a wire.

However, on one of my last new projects, actually a rebuild of someone elses plane, one with JR servos going to my Futaba RX's, I ran into an unexpected problem. The wire crimp conectors are designed to make good electrical contact, male to female. The housing that hold the conectors are to supply the latching or friction to keep them together. I've found that "futaba" housings don't always latch to "Futaba" housings, IEthe aftger market ones were a slip fit to the Futaba 4" extentions for my ailerons.( I always use a short set of extentions from the receiver toplug the aileron servos into so the wearon the the receiver pins from pluging and unpluging the aileron servos every dayisalmost eleminated. My home made extentions pulled aparr with the same ease as slipping a dollar bill out of the pages of a book when pluged into the Futaba Extentions. Not good.. Test your new ends to make sure they really latch together and are not a slip fit. Some keepers will resolve the problem. Youneed to check to see if you need them.

Don

RE: making your own extensions
 

I make all my own, it's a custom clean fit and more reliable. Don't fear learning to solder; it's part of the hobby

RE: making your own extensions
 

I have a crimper that is made for this application. I don't trust my soldering so I use the crimper. Make several for club members. Knock on woood, no problems so far.

RE: making your own extensions
 

Here is a picture of the crimper that I use.

RE: making your own extensions
 

I do what John B and Grey Beard do, splice in extensions by soldering. Much more reliable than plug in extensions.

RE: making your own extensions
 

So John if you use that servo in another application and the new lead is now too long, what do you do? Maybe I am the only one that switches servos from one plane to another.

RE: making your own extensions
 

If the servo is reused Its easy to cut one with a long spliced addition agine at one of the splices and just shorten to the perfect length. Thats three solder joints to be made that can be done in quick time no problem. To splice in a length of wire it is six joints.

I usually get my servo wire from servo city but I think tower has it also.

I keep a full range of soldering irons since it is so handy from time to time in the hobby for example I never use wheel collors and always solder the axles never loosing wheels. I see that one happen every day at the field. But the point is for the simple jobs of splicing wire harness you need only an iron that can be had for ten bucks, just a 25w pencil type and keep on hand some shrink wrap and a little solder. A wire splice is the simplest soldering job of all and an ideal first type of soldering to start with. Exactly like monocoat it soon becomes fun after getting past the fear of just doing it.

John

RE: making your own extensions
 

Hey John, what do you use that big puppy for?:D:D:D

RE: making your own extensions
 

I hard wire and shrink tube mine also.

RE: making your own extensions
 

Here you go Gene, one stock servo wire and one I made up for a plane by soldering in a splice to get one the length I need. If I use this servo in a smaller plane {or bigger} I can just cut the shrink wrap off and unsolder the wires then do what needs doing. I solder on all three wires and shrink wrap then I use a piece of bigger shring wrap over the splice. These also slide through the lead tubes easier and I never have to pull and clean them. It takes me about 15 minutes to do a splice with 6 solder joints.

RE: making your own extensions
 

:DI call that my 'Racing Iron' because of what it does to my service meters wheel every time I plug it in! It was my dads when he worked at Vultee during the early part of WW11. That tip is one inch in diameter.

As a young fella I use to solder up boats out of the five gallon lard tins I,d find behind cafes. Worked great and it still makes soldering up to 1/4 inch piano wire a cinch as long as you use acid core solder.

Have always purposely avoided checking what it costs me each time I plug it in though:D

RE: making your own extensions
 

No extensions via plugs in any of my planes....exact length through soldering like many others. Learn to solder and solder well!! It is a vital tool that I use on every single plane I have put in the air!

RE: making your own extensions
 

Extensions? Nah, Ilike my hair the way it is.