Carl Goldberg Freedom 20 Electric Conversion Help

[Michael122]

Hi all! I've been working on building an old Freedom 20 kit and replacing the power system with electric. I've pretty much finished the build at this point, but forgot one crucial detail: battery retention. This being my first non ARF or BNF fixed wing, I completely neglected to think about how battery retention would work, leaving me with minimal and awkward working space (pictures below). I'd like to probe more experienced minds than my own on possible solutions to this problem. Some of the ideas that I've come up with include: 1. Designing and printing some sort of battery tray that slides in and out (tried once, a difficult endeavor), 2. Cut off the top of the fuselage above the battery and convert to a hatch, allowing for strap slots to be placed internally (probably the most practical method, but boy do I dread having to cut through the glue holding the top on), 3. Install hook & loop tape in addition to a strap or two without making a hatch, which would involve cutting slots in the fuselage to accommodate the straps, 4. Use a shaped piece of foam as a wedge in conjunction with hook & loop tape. The last option gave me hope, but the wing leading edge rest on the fuselage dips lower than the top of the fuselage where the majority of the battery is, which would probably not be ideal for this method.

Top down view of the fuselage. I should also note that I can't really afford to move the battery any more aft, as it is a generally tail heavy plane without a nitro engine mounted up front.

Battery placement and offending clearances. I'd like to keep the battery towards the right side to avoid contact with the ground steering push rod, I have a little over a quarter of an inch of play side to side for the battery.

Without the battery in place.


Any ideas or tips are appreciated, I'm at a bit of a standstill in this project and would love some guidance.

Thanks!
-Michael




P.S.
Power system is a 1000kv 3542 motor, 60A ESC, 3s 5000 battery and a 10x6 prop.

 

[Turbojoe]

Every electric or glow kit conversion I've built I've added a battery hatch. My Telemaster 40 has THREE access hatchesI I HATE having to remove the wing to change batteries or access electronics!!! I also don't use Velcro "straps". A simple strip of each side of hook & loop (Velcro) the size of the pack has always sufficed no matter how hard I fly the plane. It makes swapping batteries so much easier. To each his own. This has worked great for me for many years.

 

[TEAJR66]

Hook and pile, all the way.

Each of my batteries has a strip of pile on one side. About one inch wide, side to side (not end to end and long enough the ends fold over the sides), at the center of the battery.
The floor of the battery compartment gets a strip of hook. About one inch wide and running the length of the area the battery will sit.

 

[TEAJR66]

You have a fairly narrow space there. You could put the hook along the side opposite the steering push rod. At that size, it won't be a big lateral imbalance.