Homemade Eco-Tuning and modifications

[Aceman2000]

Post your tips, special mods and secrets here!

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Robert Harker

"Facts are stubborn things"

"Flying is heavenly ...hovering divine...electric is ecstatic!

[Aceman2000]

I made a twin tailboom support for my ECO-16 out of carbon fiber arrow shaft. I drilled out some aluminum standoffs for the terminals and attatched them to the landing gear and tail. Not too much weight for a lot more strenght.

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Robert Harker

"Facts are stubborn things"

"Flying is heavenly ...hovering divine...electric is ecstatic!

[Aceman2000]

OK since ...YAWN...this forum is on the sparce side i'll add another of my little tricks.

The ECO is an extremely light frame with very heavy batteries and motor. If you want to make a set of very light training gear for practice or setup then:

Buy 4 ultrlight carbon fiber arrows (or shafts) they cost $2 ea in our town... make sure you remove the fletching since this will interfere withe the airflow.

Get 2 4 inch lengths of thin walled brass tubing from the hobby shop that will accept the arrowshaft on the inside diameter... and take a file and file half way through both peices exactly in the middle. Cross them in the middle at the filed area and solder them together to make an X.

Get 4 ping - pong balls and use a hot nail to burn 1/4" hole in one side and a 1/8" hole in the other.

Most carbon fiber arrow shafts have an alluminum cap under the notch. The plastic notch will cleanly break loose from this cap with some fairly vigourous twisting force.

The Al cap is conical .. file off the end of this cap so ther is a tiny hole...use this hole to accept a small machine screw (don't strip it!). Put the ping-pong ball over this end of the arrow shaft and then using a washer screw a screw through the 1/8 hole into the conical end, use CA on the threads but be careful not to glue the ball.

What you have left is 4 arrow shafts with balls on the end that rotate freely.

Us the crosmember to join them all into a large X that is about 2 meters square. Tape the shafts to the crossmember and tywrap the whole training gear under the landing gear so that each leg points to a 45 degree angle from forward flight.

This gear will save you equipment during those tenuous first encounters with rotory flight. They will keep it upright...keep the tailrotor from hitting and they add a measure of stability without a large weight penalty.

They also packup neatly and can be assembled and disassembled without cuting and wasteing tywraps...just slide the rods in and out.

[This message has been edited by Aceman2000 (edited 12-10-1999).]