Ok, this is now done. For maiden use I have to wait until weather will get warmer. It might take 6 months or something. I still made some changes to design and then printed final version. Some notes regarding printing & actual installation:
- Use infill of approx 70%
- I used temp 205c
- Use normal speed, ie. do not use faster than normal speed
With these settings and my Miniboy this thing takes approx 2-3hours to print. Then actual installation is breeze.
- Final weight including MG-14 servo is 32g but this varies with printing settings
- All holes must be drilled for final spec. STL-file contains holes set so that servo screws are 2mm, installation holes are 2mm and hook pin is 3mm.
- I used 3mm brass tubing for pin with piano wire epoxied into it for servo actuation, I drilled pin hole to 3.5mm
Just as christmas is approaching I decided to set this to public download. You can copy it from aerotow S 06 (I had to put it into .zip file as wp does not allow .STL-files as media files). As 3d-printers are somewhat rare I also set up shapeways account so that you can get it printed. You can find it here. Actually, I have not printed this using shapeways, but they make great models out of normal .STL-files so this should work well. But just to be cautious I set this product to beta. If there are problems pls. let me know. Also, I am well aware that the use of MG-14 is a bit risky, but this is inteded for light aerotow of light planes etc.
Some pics of final sprint are below.
This is first design I have done with 3d-cad. Or actually I have done several ‘things’ which are used in several places, but this is first which has any further use. I am quite happy with Autodesk Fusion 360, but the learning curve was quite steep for me, I have long history of 2d-cad work and model aeroplane design. This new tool is an new tool requiring adaptation of workflow and different mindset.
Still, final design looks kinda spiffy 🙂
Final disclaimer : this has no guarantee whatsoever. It might work in it’s inteded use or then again it might not.
Edit : I added video of Z-400-maiden. It was year 2008 and weather was bad. Really bad.