Two Sides of the Power Pod Fence

[BATTLEAXE]

Can you show a pic of how you did it?

This was on my Baby Blender, pretty simple actually. Of coarse I used the wire to make the connections at the control horn and at the servo but the BBQ skewer runs the length in between. HG is used to tack the wire to the skewer in position, thread wrapped around both, then soaked in a few drops of thin CA to solidify the joint. Finish one end first, I usually do the servo end first, dry fit to the control horn end and cut the skewer to length as needed then repeat for the control horn.

This is on my Scout aileron pushrods. I wrapped the whole length with thread of 2 different colors and soaked the entire length with CA. It may have made it stronger but I did it for aesthetics. Give it a shot

 

[PoorManRC]

View attachment 140689
This was on my Baby Blender, pretty simple actually. Of coarse I used the wire to make the connections at the control horn and at the servo but the BBQ skewer runs the length in between. HG is used to tack the wire to the skewer in position, thread wrapped around both, then soaked in a few drops of thin CA to solidify the joint. Finish one end first, I usually do the servo end first, dry fit to the control horn end and cut the skewer to length as needed then repeat for the control horn. View attachment 140690
This is on my Scout aileron pushrods. I wrapped the whole length with thread of 2 different colors and soaked the entire length with CA. It may have made it stronger but I did it for aesthetics. Give it a shot

Your Scout Aileron Servos AREN'T in the Wings?? 😲
Any advantage of that, you can see?

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Your Scout Aileron Servos AREN'T in the Wings?? 😲
Any advantage of that, you can see?

Probably no advantage whatsoever. The plane was originally built as a RET 3 channel just like my Mini Scout which treated me so well in flight, so I made the standard the same. But after my 15 second maiden of the Simple Scout which turned right and wouldn't come back left to level out no matter how much left rudder I put into it, cartwheeled so hard it bounced off the ground and surgically tore the tail feathers clean off, I figured since I was fixing it anyway I might as well get some testicular fortitude and make it a 4 channel. Because I already made the top hatch/no power pod/opened up the LE of the wing inside the fuse/ glued a battery tray modification, running servo wires through the wing wasn't an option. So the servos went into the side of the fuse. Probably isn't the most efficient placement since now it pulls/pushes from the end of the aileron instead of the center it may sacrifice even strength along the control surface length. Mind you i wont be doing high end 3D move with it so I will fly it till she dies or gives out. And I used 5g servos out of necessity instead of the recommended 9g ones so there may be a couple weak links in the system. Time will tell, either 15 seconds, 15 flights, or who knows it might outlast the plane.

How did you like the BBQ skewer control rod trick?

This seems to be a BBQ skewer heavy thread lol

 

[PoorManRC]

Probably no advantage whatsoever. The plane was originally built as a RET 3 channel just like my Mini Scout which treated me so well in flight, so I made the standard the same. But after my 15 second maiden of the Simple Scout which turned right and wouldn't come back left to level out no matter how much left rudder I put into it, cartwheeled so hard it bounced off the ground and surgically tore the tail feathers clean off, I figured since I was fixing it anyway I might as well get some testicular fortitude and make it a 4 channel. Because I already made the top hatch/no power pod/opened up the LE of the wing inside the fuse/ glued a battery tray modification, running servo wires through the wing wasn't an option. So the servos went into the side of the fuse. Probably isn't the most efficient placement since now it pulls/pushes from the end of the aileron instead of the center it may sacrifice even strength along the control surface length. Mind you i wont be doing high end 3D move with it so I will fly it till she dies or gives out. And I used 5g servos out of necessity instead of the recommended 9g ones so there may be a couple weak links in the system. Time will tell, either 15 seconds, 15 flights, or who knows it might outlast the plane.

How did you like the BBQ skewer control rod trick?

This seems to be a BBQ skewer heavy thread lol

Yessir.... It IS the "Better Living through BBQ Skewers" Thread lol

I have that Testicular Fortitude myself, making my Scout a 4 Channel from the start! FIRST Aileron Plane I'll be flying... (NOT counting the 1:1 stuff).
Nervous? Why yes! Yes I am.

My Tubby Cubby was such a disaster.... it's not surprising me that I've almost got NO Comments on my Scout Thread. 😒😞
It's OK. I'm building this one for ME! Not the Forum, like the Cub. I'm sure people will show up - WHEN She Flies!!! 😁 Yes, she will be a little heavier. Yes, she WILL have a Steerable Tail Wheel (MUCH simpler than the Cub, AND acting as a FIRM Rudder Support!!). All described in my Thread. 😉

What I WON'T be doing this time, is let conflicting advice and "You're a N00b, you're GOING to CRASH" make me second guess everything.
I actually took out Fuse Bracing on the Cub - that might have SAVED the Airframe anyway!!! 😖 lol

THIS is why I really like "out of the box" think tanks like this Thread!!
Like you, I feel that the Tinkering is more fun than the actual building!!
Also like you, I CARE what it ends up looking like. 👍👍

A Taste..... Here's the WWI style Basic Cockpit I Scratchbuilt.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Yessir.... It IS the "Better Living through BBQ Skewers" Thread lol

I have that Testicular Fortitude myself, making my Scout a 4 Channel from the start! FIRST Aileron Plane I'll be flying... (NOT counting the 1:1 stuff).
Nervous? Why yes! Yes I am.

My Tubby Cubby was such a disaster.... it's not surprising me that I've almost got NO Comments on my Scout Thread. 😒😞
It's OK. I'm building this one for ME! Not the Forum, like the Cub. I'm sure people will show up - WHEN She Flies!!! 😁 Yes, she will be a little heavier. Yes, she WILL have a Steerable Tail Wheel (MUCH simpler than the Cub, AND acting as a FIRM Rudder Support!!). All described in my Thread. 😉

What I WON'T be doing this time, is let conflicting advice and "You're a N00b, you're GOING to CRASH" make me second guess everything.
I actually took out Fuse Bracing on the Cub - that might have SAVED the Airframe anyway!!! 😖 lol

THIS is why I really like "out of the box" think tanks like this Thread!!
Like you, I feel that the Tinkering is more fun than the actual building!!
Also like you, I CARE what it ends up looking like. 👍👍

A Taste..... Here's the WWI style Basic Cockpit I Scratchbuilt.
View attachment 140759

I saw that on your thread when you first did it. Looks great, love the seat.
How is it coming along otherwise, when is the maiden?

 

[PoorManRC]

I saw that on your thread when you first did it. Looks great, love the seat.
How is it coming along otherwise, when is the maiden?

Twisted the Tail while installing the Landing Gear.
I'll be able to fix it...

 

[CheckMySix]

the powerpod is designed to be the weak link in the chain...to break before anything else !
easy to replace and so on ...(or supposed to be) ...i have experimented with the usual reinforcements and found them to be mostly inefficient or a waste of time or causing more damage to the fuselage than needed !
only my opinion of course..
the most used (in my case )mods ,are the use of the gift card braces for the fuselage where the skewers pass through and reinforced packing tape to wrap the pod and removal of the fixing tabs ,which(only my opinion )are uneeded in most cases.
the most damage i get in a nose in crash/heavey landing, is the skewers break in half and have to be replaced...or the firewall mounting skewers rip out .

Totally agree! You don't want anything besides wings to be too strong on these planes. Crumple zone concept in cars, right? Power pods are super easy to fabricate. I like to use just a touch of hot glue on surfaces that contact and help prevent delamination.
I do like the credit card for skewer holes idea. I'll have to incorporate that in my next build. Maybe use them on the exterior for now on the cub since I don't plan on painting this one. It's my first FT build and want to work out all the mods and tweaks before I go the paint route. Like, engineering a method for attaching winds without bloody rubber bands. I mean...they work, but just kill scale look. Still deciding on carbon cub/flying cowboys scene or original idea of Marines WW2 L4 arty spotter.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Recently I had a crash with the Bloody Baron, straight nose in lawn dart from a decent height. Even though I had a foam box between the firewall and the battery, the impact was hard enough to crush the foam and shove the in-runner shaft from the motor a half inch into the battery. I have had this happen before and so I think I have come up with a better solution...

The firewall material is the same sheeting used to cover the boards in a hockey rink, super durable and is cold resistant. It's the box that I epoxied around the back that is the game changer. This box is a double edged sword, protects the battery from the motor shaft, and creates more surface area to HG the firewall to the power pod. This may also eliminate the dependency for tape around the front of the firewall, not to say that it will not be needed, but it won't be the only thing holding the firewall on. If you are sick of the firewall coming off every time you belly land this might help the situation.

 

[Grifflyer]

Recently I had a crash with the Bloody Baron, straight nose in lawn dart from a decent height. Even though I had a foam box between the firewall and the battery, the impact was hard enough to crush the foam and shove the in-runner shaft from the motor a half inch into the battery. I have had this happen before and so I think I have come up with a better solution...
View attachment 157012
View attachment 157011
The firewall material is the same sheeting used to cover the boards in a hockey rink, super durable and is cold resistant. It's the box that I epoxied around the back that is the game changer. This box is a double edged sword, protects the battery from the motor shaft, and creates more surface area to HG the firewall to the power pod. This may also eliminate the dependency for tape around the front of the firewall, not to say that it will not be needed, but it won't be the only thing holding the firewall on. If you are sick of the firewall coming off every time you belly land this might help the situation.

That's a really good solution!! I took the redneck route and cut the shaft

 

[The Hangar]

That's a really good solution!! I took the redneck route and cut the shaft

That works too lol. I don't want to ruin the warranty on my $65 motor though... On your $5 motors, it doesn't really matter...

 

[The Hangar]

Recently I had a crash with the Bloody Baron, straight nose in lawn dart from a decent height. Even though I had a foam box between the firewall and the battery, the impact was hard enough to crush the foam and shove the in-runner shaft from the motor a half inch into the battery. I have had this happen before and so I think I have come up with a better solution...
View attachment 157012
View attachment 157011
The firewall material is the same sheeting used to cover the boards in a hockey rink, super durable and is cold resistant. It's the box that I epoxied around the back that is the game changer. This box is a double edged sword, protects the battery from the motor shaft, and creates more surface area to HG the firewall to the power pod. This may also eliminate the dependency for tape around the front of the firewall, not to say that it will not be needed, but it won't be the only thing holding the firewall on. If you are sick of the firewall coming off every time you belly land this might help the situation.

Where does the battery go on the kitfox? Would this be helpful?

 

[Grifflyer]

Where does the battery go on the kitfox? Would this be helpful?

In the PP I believe.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

That's a really good solution!! I took the redneck route and cut the shaft

I came close to doing that but I don't want to lose the in-runner option

Where does the battery go on the kitfox? Would this be helpful?

Where does the battery go on the kitfox? Would this be helpful?

I will 9 times outta 10 put the battery in the PP, and yes it would work there too. The PP will be a 1/4" wider then normal, helped to fit the 5450mah battery in, but yea a 2200 would need to be right up in the front. It actually flew even better with the 5450 almost to the front as well, better nose weight for penetration in the wind

 

[The Hangar]

I came close to doing that but I don't want to lose the in-runner option


I will 9 times outta 10 put the battery in the PP, and yes it would work there too. The PP will be a 1/4" wider then normal, helped to fit the 5450mah battery in, but yea a 2200 would need to be right up in the front. It actually flew even better with the 5450 almost to the front as well, better nose weight for penetration in the wind

I'm planning on keeping the rimfire mainly in this plane as the rest of my fleet all have their own motors. I also plan on using my 5000 3s batteries. I have 4 of them so I should have about an hour of flight time!

 

[daxian]

had a similar problem with that type of motor...also had screw points through the plywood mount in the early days !!
once again ,i went with the gift card remedy... folded over and taped to the battery ,adds only a few grams and is very resistant to puncturing !!

 

[BATTLEAXE]

folded over and taped to the battery

That's a good one too. I am wondering how well this will hold up to belly landings as far as the firewall coming off.

 

[PoorManRC]

Recently I had a crash with the Bloody Baron, straight nose in lawn dart from a decent height. Even though I had a foam box between the firewall and the battery, the impact was hard enough to crush the foam and shove the in-runner shaft from the motor a half inch into the battery. I have had this happen before and so I think I have come up with a better solution...
View attachment 157012
View attachment 157011
The firewall material is the same sheeting used to cover the boards in a hockey rink, super durable and is cold resistant. It's the box that I epoxied around the back that is the game changer. This box is a double edged sword, protects the battery from the motor shaft, and creates more surface area to HG the firewall to the power pod. This may also eliminate the dependency for tape around the front of the firewall, not to say that it will not be needed, but it won't be the only thing holding the firewall on. If you are sick of the firewall coming off every time you belly land this might help the situation.

AWESOME IDEA 💡!!
That's better than any idea I've come up with. The extra mounting area to the PP is a real game changer!!

 

[daxian]

@BATTLEAXE ...wont stop the firewall coming off ...just stops the battery getting punctured...!!

 

[BATTLEAXE]

@BATTLEAXE ...wont stop the firewall coming off ...just stops the battery getting punctured...!!

There are no guarantee's, but it will help. Everything I have done to the pod so far has made an improvement to the pod from a stock pod. Plus this hasn't been field tested yet so I am just speculating. I don't think I will be running out and purposely crashing a plane in nose dives to try it out but theoretically it makes sense. I will say from the time when I was using a stock pod till now the firewall has seemed to be fixed much better just changing the type of tape used, the material used for the firewall, and the skewers buried in pod itself. I am starting to break more props on the harder hits but that is to be expected in any case, but the firewalls don't just pop off on reasonable belly landings and I have used the same pod for over three months after multiple hits, that says something there.