Teksumo Build Log 05

Got a lot done today! First up, getting the motor all assembled up.

Loctite 242, the temporary one, was used on all the metal/metal screws to ensure they don't vibrate out during flight.

A hole was drilled in the motor mount for the shaft to go through, and the prop is put in place, ready to go. Unfortunately, I need some screws, washers and nuts to complete this stage, so I've put it aside for the moment.

Next, I tackled the servos. By default, the slots are for the smaller sized servos, but I've got the larger metal geared ones. I saw some people buried their servos inside the wing to reduce drag, so I've done the same.

Instead of having the servo vertical, I agonized for long hours (more like 15 mins) about how to place them. I decided, that since we want to a) make sure the least sticks out along the upper camber and b) the weight needs to be closer to the front of the plane.

As such I cut out a hole exactly the size of the servo in the wing, allowing the servos to be totally buried in the wing. The fit is very snug, so I think maybe a dab or two of glue along the edges should hold them in, and I will tape it over with some duct tape.

I still haven't decided how to route the servo leads, but I've seen that a soldering iron can be used to cut a groove in the foam for the leads to run in, which is again covered over in duct tape.

I still haven't gotten around to joining the two wing halves yet, but I've got some basswood, and cut it out in the outline of the cross section of the airfoil. It is my hope that I can use this as a guide later in order to create an upper section (perhaps) to hold the electronics.

I've never heard of basswood until today. There is an arts and craft place in the city called Michaels, and they carry a surprisingly large choice of balsa, basswood and plywood of various dimensions. I'd actually gotten piece of balsa yesterday (it can be seen holding down the battery connectors in the previous log entry), and while I had tracings of the cross section on them, I didn't cut them out yet.

The bass wood is much denser than balsa. On the flip side, it's very resistant to crushing, unlike balsa which gives under my fingernails. While the basswood is much harder to work with, it isn't _too_ much more annoying. The piece I've got is 2.3mm in thickness, and it rapidly melts under the attention of 60 grit sandpaper.

Will have to start thinking about getting the control rods in. I've bought some really nice looking nylon ones from the hobbyshop, but that'll be in another post!