How to make a transmitter
stand.
You can make an excellent transmitter stand to hold your
transmitter in an upright position when it is on the ground. The stand
will work like a tripod. All you need is some 5/8"OD plastic water
pipe, a 5/8" pipe cap and a few tools. A ten foot piece of pipe should
be enough to make stands for everyone you know. The stands work very
well on my Vanguard and a friends Quasar Airtronics transmitters and
should work with any transmitter providing that the handle is round
and sticks out from the back of the transmitter case. If the handle is
even with the back of the case the stand will not fold up flush with
the back .
Measure from the transmitter handle to the bottom of the
transmitter then cut a length of pipe one half inch longer then this
measurement. Cut one end of the pipe square and the other end at a 45
degree angle to make a point that will keep the transmitter from
slipping on smooth surfaces.
Measure the diameter of the metal handle that is attached to the
top of the transmitter. Find a drill that is only a little smaller
then the diameter of the handle. One half inch from the square cut end
of the pipe drill a hole through the center of the pipe. Looking
through the hole the point at the bottom of the pipe should be to the
right or left of the hole. Now take a small toothed saw and making two
cuts, cut a slot from the end of the pipe to the hole. This slot
should be a little wider then the hole at the top and a little smaller
then the hole at the bottom (hole end). When done it should look like
a key hole.
Holding the pipe with the point side of the pipe next to the
transmitter snap it onto the handle. It should fit tight enough so it
will not turn by itself on the handle. It will still work if loose,
but is annoying when holding the transmitter.
To finish the job buy a plastic pipe cap and slip it over the
handle end of the pipe. It should fit tight enough that there should
be no need to use glue. If you did not leave enough room between the
end of the pipe and the handle you might need to file small rounded
cuts in the end of the cap so it fits down all the way. The cap will
also tighten the fit of the stand.
TRANSMITTER TIPS
Better Grip
To improve your grip on your transmitter, especially during
hot summer months when your palms are more likely to sweat, stick
some handle wrap (the stuff they use on tennis rackets) on parts
of the transmitter where you hold, you'll get a better grip and
it won't slip so much.
Ernie A. Lee
Installing Triangle Stock
For me, triangle reinforcements have always been difficult to handle
due to their shape, especially if they're coated with epoxy.Try sticking your Xacto knife loosely into one end of the triangle.
Then lay it on the bench so that the wide part of the triangle (the
hypotenuse) is against the bench top. Now apply the epoxy or other
adhesive to the sides that will contact the airframe.Next, by using the knife handle, insert the triangle into position in
the airframe. Press down with your finger onto the wide side that has no
glue, and carefully slide the knife out of the piece.This way you can
cleanly install triangle stock, and not get any glue on your fingers.
TRIMMING
building
and trimming hand and catapult launched gliders
10-Step Trimming
Guide by John Koptonak
TUNED PIPES
Tuned Pipes
have a natural resonant frequency, usually dependant
on its length, and the speed of sound in air. This means that some oscillations
will die away quickly, but one in the right range will resonate, and be strengthened
in force, when the wave length
matches the resonant length of the tube. As a pressure wave in the sound reaches
the end of the pipe, a reflection is set up, and moves back up the tube. This
occurs at the end, whether open or closed, and at changes of section or taper.
Now, if we arrange a length of pipe as a muffler for a two stroke engine, we will
find that at a certain rpm, the pipe will resonate, and boost the engine's rpm
up. This is because the reflected pressure wave arrives at the exhaust port just
in time to push some fuel/air mixture that was about to be lost out the port (due
to timing overlap), back into the cylinder, where it will be burnt, producing
more power than without the pipe. All we have to do is arrange the length of the
pipe so that the boost in rpm occurs at a rev range that is useful to us with
the relevant load (propeller). It may be that the engine cannot produce enough
power to turn the fitted prop at a useful speed. Some engines have port timimg
that cannot benefit usefully from any pipe.
The major factor in setting up a pipe
is the length for a given propeller and rpm range
some
examples are given later. Some different designs of pipes will produce different
lengths, because of the effects of diameter, taper angle and type of end reflector.
Many pipes also have a muffled section which hides the rear cone or reflector's
shape. Here are the basic questions to ask yourself before trying a pipe.
TUNE -UPS
Spring
Tune-Up
