E.T.s Versa Wing....The easy way.

English Turbines · January 30, 2019, 12:30:20 PM

VERSA WING.....DEPRON STYLE.

Those boys at Flite Test with their fancy paper faced Dollar Tree Foam Board have got it made. Add in a Laser cut profile, and well it's enough to drive a true Brit over the edge...lol. Over here, we have to be far more resourceful...:)

For those who fancy making one without printing all those bits of A4 and sellotaping them together, here's my CAD version of the "Plan" to make life a lot easier.
Mine will be in 6mm white Depron (it's harder than the coloured) with my particular spin on it with more serious FPV in mind.
As it unfolds, I will document it on here and amend the Plan if there is enough interest... Im off to B and Q for some Gorilla Glue.

:vulture:

Dillwhacker · January 30, 2019, 09:46:58 PM

This is a good starting point...

https://fwcg.3dzone.dk/

HTH

English Turbines · January 30, 2019, 10:55:09 PM

Quote from: Dillwhacker on January 30, 2019, 09:46:58 PM
This is a good starting point...

https://fwcg.3dzone.dk/

HTH

Cheers Dill...............Looks good, bookmarked it.....Thanks..

:vulture:

English Turbines · January 30, 2019, 11:51:24 PM

Update:

Here is the updated plan with CG calculated...

:vulture:

English Turbines · January 31, 2019, 11:45:24 AM

UPDATE:

So,this morning I started to draw it out for cutting and realised how unfriendly the drawing was...lol

Here is the drawing revised to make life easier...Not done a Scratch build for a while..

:vulture:

English Turbines · January 31, 2019, 07:47:02 PM

Progress :

This mornings efforts, cutting out, and a bit of taping of the lower skins.
In addition, the Plans have been updated, and now a modification of the wing spar depth.
It became clear to me that the wing spar was too deep for the Chord of the wing, and since this model will be having a fuselage I decided to reduce the wing section a little. Im guessing they made it that thick for those making one with no Fuz..I will be using the motor from my Ranger G2, its brand new and I may as well use it, should be okay on this very lightweight creation.
All hot glue so far...

Tip:...Cut the wing Spars about 10 mm oversize, bond together, and then cut to finished size so they are straight and flat.

Coyote · January 31, 2019, 10:22:31 PM

Looks good so far :)

English Turbines · February 02, 2019, 12:48:18 PM

Quote from: Coyote on January 31, 2019, 10:22:31 PM
Looks good so far :)

Cheers Ian...and some more work done for those wanting to have a go at Scratchbuilding..:

UPDATE: APPLYING THE UPPER WING SKIN AND HOW TO DO IT.

This bit is arguably the most tricky part of the entire build, and it needs to be done right, so you have nice straight wings.
The photos are NOT in sequence.
If you follow this procedure, the upper skin is hot glued in 3 easy stages, without the need to rush it.

If you can get this bit right, the rest of the build is very easy in comparison.

Basically:

1. Fix a line of Tape, glue side up to the bench using masking tape to hold it down as in the photo. Put two marks either end in the centre of the tape so you can line up the Leading Edge. Drop the lower skin assembly onto the tape and smooth it down firmly. You can now line up the Leading Edge of the Upper Skin accurately with the Lower, and smooth the Tape around the joint to hold it in close position while you glue it.

2. Bond the Leading Edge joint, setting the upper skin at 45 degrees, allow to fully harden. The tape will hold the joint together and prevent the glue seeping out, while its cooling, keep smoothing the joint tight together along the entire length while the glue cools down, (plenty of time to do this) Allow it to fully harden before proceeding.

3. Bond upper skin to the vertical spar using a large straight edge to hold it flat while the glue cools off. This bits really easy. The aluminium ruler pulls the heat out of the joint faster, so be aware of this and ensure its held flat on the bench.

4. Finally, bond the Trailing edge together, be careful where you apply the bead of glue and try and avoid putting too much on or trimming the edge flush afterwards will be more difficult as the glue is pretty hard. Use the Straight Edge to hold it flat while the glue cools. This bit is again pretty easy to do right.

I was going to remove the LE Tape and sand it rounded, but TBH, I dont think it needs it....:)

Upper Skin Score Lines:

The easy way to do this is to first mark the guidelines on, and then using the edge of the big Ruler, press an indent into the surface. Simply position over the line and push firmly down, I used a small soft towel to protect my hands while doing it.
You need a firm solid Worktop to do this bit. Then, you can use the radiused edge of the worktop to pre-form it a little more if you want to. This technique avoids the horrible faceted upper wing skin as on the original Dollar Tree Foam Board method.
Sorry Flite Test...lol.

Sorry, the photos did not load in sequence, but they tell the story well enough I think.
I was a bit surprised at how rigid the wings came out considering it has no carbon spars. I think the 12mm fully bonded vertical spar is what is making it work so well, and I have not taped the Upper Skin yet.

:vulture:

English Turbines · February 02, 2019, 01:06:39 PM

UPDATE TO THE PLAN....THE FUZ (FOR THOSE WANTING ONE)

This is my slant on a Fuz for this Model, I want one so it can carry a variety of Lipos and a Fuz allows a re-position of the battery.
Im considering making it from Lite Ply and simply bolting the wing in place, dont know yet.
You could also make it from 2 layers of Depron if you want to, it will be easier for sure, but not as strong or durable..
The longer nose will allow a Panning Camera.

English Turbines · February 03, 2019, 02:39:54 PM

UPDATE: WINGS.

The two wing halves are skinned and taped ready for joining.

The most surprising thing about this pair of wings is how incredibly light and rigid they are. As someone who has hot wire cut Foam wings in the past and skinned them with veneer or Balsa sheet (very expensive now) these are a very cheap way of making a set of wings, particularly suited to making a Flying Wing of any design.
The spar is a full 30mm deep x 12mm wide (reduced from 44mm) and this is key to its rigidity I think. If I was to build another set, another Spar behind the existing one would make them even stiffer.
Certainly, all of my moulded Chinese wings are nowhere near as rigid (or as light) as these.
If you are a basher crasher, maybe they aren't for you, but for normal use they seem okay so far.
Next time I make a set, I will try not indenting the upper skin, as I think it's possible to fold it over without using this method.

:vulture:

Badlands · February 03, 2019, 09:44:35 PM

Thats actually pretty good - well done.

English Turbines · February 05, 2019, 02:44:43 PM

Quote from: Badlands on February 03, 2019, 09:44:35 PM
Thats actually pretty good - well done.

Cheers mate, thanks...It very satisfying making Scratch Build stuff TBH. Mainly because you get to make all the important design decisions on the fly.

Here is a little more progress....The two wings roots are sanded flat using a Perma_Grit Sanding block (very useful) and then taped together along the underside to keep them lined up while gluing together. The glue is also applied to the upper front skin just at the front. This allows the large hatch to be cut our revealing the inner skins. A long patch 50mm wide is glued onto the base side to reinforce the joint and then another one glued on the inside for good measure. Glue the outer one on first before cutting the hatch opening.
A small ply plate is glued into place with the Omnibus FC mounted on it to further reinforce the centre joint line.More photos showing some of the install. Hollow wings are fun, no channels required...;)

The 50mm wide strip on the underside of the wing is to locate it when the Fuz is glued on...

:vulture:

English Turbines · February 08, 2019, 02:30:36 PM

Some more progress with the Depron Versa Wing:

Decided to go with the Depron Fuz, its cheap and quick to do.....A bit of Box type construction and its fairly rigid. I need to add some plywood bits now.
Here is the discarded motor from the Ranger G2 I intend to use, It has no Prop diver Hub, so not ideal and it will have to run inside the Fuz which is also not good, but I think it will be okay as long as I provide a cooling duct for it..
Having tested it with a balanced, decent prop, it runs quite smooth and is certainly powerful enough for this wing, even on 3S.
The Fuz like the wing is very lightweight, I will probably cover it in Glass Stranded Tape to make it more durable.

:vulture:

English Turbines · February 08, 2019, 04:39:15 PM

Dry test fit of the motor and its mount....Not keen on internal motors but I have made some cooling holes for it.
This model is so light it will probably stay up on 2 amps anyway....lol.
An opportunity to use some Hex drive Servo Screws.....:)

:vulture:

English Turbines · February 13, 2019, 02:50:47 PM

Update:

Fitting the electrics to the Fuz:
The Fuz sides get strengthened with some doublers, and the ESC is installed after checking motor rotation is correct. I decided to use the Matek PDB I had hanging about as I hate bundling wires together.
Besides, the 5v supply may come in useful later to keep a Moby topped off. When I measured it, the 12 V supply was in fact 10 volts, a bit weird, but it didn't matter as I was going to use my favorite LC Filter to supply FC / VTX / Camera with a clean 3S supply.
The 1.2G VTX wont tolerate voltages higher than 3S, and I need to see main pack voltage in the OSD as I dont use a current counter either. Space in the Lipo Bay for a 2200mah 3S brings the CG where I need it which was a pleasant surprise as I thought it was going to be tail heavy.