Tail control rod too long???

[Motomikey]

Hey guys,

Any of you chaps had a problem with the tail control rod being too long on your Beam?

I've fitted a Futaba S9650 tail servo (with Spartan 760 gyro) and it's mounted on the tail boom hard up against the boom clamp (servo arm at the boom clamp end).

With the tail servo centred and short ball links on the control rod (screwed right on as far as they can go to make it short as possible) I can only just manage to get 0° pitch on the tail rotor, let alone the further 8° of pitch required to offset the main rotor torque.

I'm confident that my tail drive belt is set at the right tension, so I can't stretch it out any more to effectively lengthen the tail boom (even a fraction).

I've already CA'd the control rod ends on, so can anyone think of a solution that doesn't require me to order a new tail control rod assembly and cut a bit off the rod?

Perhaps someone could please measure the length of their tail control rod (just the exposed carbon bit) so I can compare it to mine and check that I've pushed the rod ends on all the way (one of them was very tight to get on).

Also, does anyone know anyone in or near Ayrshire that might be willing to check my setup and maybe even give it it's maiden flight? I also drive through East Kilbride and round the south side of Glasgow every day, so I could visit anybody willing to take a look en route.

Thanks for your help.
Mike

[volvoc304]

Hi Mike,

Mine measures 29.8cm from the tips of the rod ends.

Exposed carbon bit is 24.5cm.

Steve.

[unwind-protect]

The ends are alloy, aren't they? CA usually softens under enough heat... get your soldering iron onto the job.

[Mikee]

sounds a dumb question.. but is your servo horn towards the boom...

[Holst]

DUmb question number 2

Do you have the blade grips the correct way around? if you have them backwards then this will affect the ammount of + and - pitch you can get on the tail.

[Motomikey]

Exposed carbon bit is 24.5cm.

There's my problem there!
The exposed carbon bit on mine is 252mm, so I guess I didn't get the rod ends pushed on enough. Like I said one was very tight to the point that I struggled to get it on at all, so I must've only got it on a few mm's.

Thanks for the other replies as well guys, I double checked everything before I posted and it all checked out as it should do - I thought it would be something silly and noobish that I overlooked as well.

Cheers
Mike

[Mikee]

There's my problem there!
The exposed carbon bit on mine is 252mm, so I guess I didn't get the rod ends pushed on enough. Like I said one was very tight to the point that I struggled to get it on at all, so I must've only got it on a few mm's.

Thanks for the other replies as well guys, I double checked everything before I posted and it all checked out as it should do - I thought it would be something silly and noobish that I overlooked as well.

Cheers
Mike

It's better to ask than just continue blindly.... glad you have it sussed now... and it's not noobish... just a continued learning process.. that sometimes even eludes the experts here


Mikee

[Motomikey]

It's better to ask than just continue blindly.... glad you have it sussed now... and it's not noobish... just a continued learning process.. that sometimes even eludes the experts here


Mikee

Yeah, spot on buddy... Cheers again.

The beam is just about ready to fly now