flyingwings.co.uk Venturi FPV and laminating

[krikey]

I used hot steam from the kettle on the underside to cause the thin ply skidboard to bend. It only takes around 30 seconds of manipulation over steam to bend it. If you apply steam to the underside the ply will bend upwards as one face expands whilst the other stays cooler. This makes the plyboard sheet easier to bend around the curved EPP "chin" mentioned earlier. I will glue the majority of the board down first, allow it to dry and then glue the curve in place afterwards.

[Brucey]

A parachute coming out the back would be funny to see! I've gotten used to landing it now.

Looking good so far, yeah steaming the ply is the way to go.

[krikey]

Next question: The aluminium motor mount doesn't seem to come with any nuts/bolts. I'm assuming it should be bolted as there are already 2mm-3mm holes cut in the board.

What have fellow Venturi builders done here? Bolted/screwed/other?

[ROVguy]

There should have been some in with the control rods etc. however I found I had certain parts missing some sourced some nuts and bolts myself.


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[Brucey]

Yeah I had nuts and bolts included for the mount

[krikey]

I'm making up a little box to sit inside the centre space to strengthen the sides and also to give me a few extra mm much needed height which allows me to stand the LiPos on their shortest edge to get a bit more space. I've added vents to the front and the back to help with airflow too.

Take a look at the picture below as to where I'm going to position the kit, can anyone see any issues? My main concern was the FrSky Rx being close to the ESC. The Rx is going to be buried in the wing at exactly the same point so it wont be visible but I dont want to start cutting until I'm sure.

The VTx is out on the wing.
The LiPos and ESC are in the space towards the front
The OSD/Autopilot will go (eventually) next to the ESC
the motor is uh... where the motor should be :)
The Rx will sit inside the wing on the edge of the box.

[Brucey]

Looks good. Can't you push the rx out on the opposite wing to the vtx? It will also help balance the wing left to right.

[krikey]

Here's a side on image of the box that Ive made up, showing the front of the box protruding into two slots I cut in the wings. This was based on ROVguys build to add some strength to the airfarme when its all glued in place. Its also higher than the wing by about 8mm so that I can place the LiPos in the box with a bit of breathing room.

[krikey]

Some more shots showing the cable runs and the cutouts . I've lined the bottom of the VTx cutout with 2mm ply as the bottom sometimes gets a bit hot. I'm considering adding a small air inlet/exhaust for the VTx too rather than simply covering it up. I'd also like to be able to get the VTx out so I think a hatch is in order here.

[krikey]

Next instalment: After cutting the cable runs, I'ev started to lay out the cables and the antenna leads. Started adding velcro inside the box to attach things to. I also made up a V antenna mount that slots into the wing and will eventually be glued into place.

next up is to test all the equipment so soldering up the connectors between the motor and ESC and making sure everything works before I commit to Laminating it.

Should I laminate it and then affix the Elevons with tape?

[ROVguy]

Do the elevons after laminating and doing the colour tape/film.

[krikey]

Thanks ROV. Hoping to get the electrics done tonight so that I can laminate tomorrow in good light. As there is a hatch across much of the top, you cannot overlap the laminate across the middle other than directly in front of the motor. I'm just wondering if this is going to be an issue with rigidity.

[ROVguy]

Hence I put that bit of wood across the front mate. The one bit of advice I can give when laminating is take your time. When Simon did mine it took over 4 hours but it was a Stirling job and will probably save issues later.

[krikey]

I'm glad I followed your lead then and did the same thing :)

[joshua3m]

can you let me know what setup you are using at the moment in your venturi? I'm in process of ordering everything for build.

Thanks,