Bidule 170

[BobM]

Here are some pictures of the reinforcements and modifications:



This shows the hardwood corner block I installed on the fuselage side plate to the firewall. I drilled out holes and recessed them also for the blind nuts that are for the cowl bolts. There is another block on the left side as well. West Systems resin was used here and cured overnight.



On the tail section I put an L of 2 pieces of 3/8" aircraft ply forward near were the pins go in the front. One plate is flat and just underneath the stab saddle, the other plate is vertical under the first plate forming an L so it is glued to both the saddle as well as the bulkhead.

In the rear of the saddle another piece of 3/8" aircraft ply was used as a plate under the saddle. On top of the plate between the saddle resin with microfiber filler was added for reinforcement.

This was also installed with West Systems and cured overnight. The result is a very solid mounting surface for the stab now that isn't prone to vibration or twisting.

[BobM]

The area where the fuel tank goes form the directions is forward of the CG. For this I made 2 mounting plates for the main tank to sit on and then the header tank is below. Both are held in place with velcro and velcro straps. The main tank needs to be movable as it is now over the CG and will block the wing screws otherwise.



The front plate is removable to allow access to the choke, throttle, and steering servos. The rear plate is permanently glued into place.



Here is the header tank below. This is also held in place with velcro and a strap so it can be removed easily should there need to be any work or adjustments.

The fuel line on the outside of the tanks is the yellow gas fuel line, inside for the clunks I used Viton that stays flexible.

[BobM]

The one area that seems to be a weakness is the steering system. It is actually designed with a pretty good idea. They use aluminum tub rid for the steering control and the rod is 2 sections with a rubber damper threaded between them. This is to allow for play so the servo does not get over stressed and burn out.

While in Cumberland I had to work on the steering for a couple days to finally get it working. Len helped with the solution based on how he got his to work. Using that as a base we got things in order. I did find it is very important to use a very high torque metal geared servo. 300 oz/in or more.

I decided to use a JR DS8911HV in the end which has about 470oz/in of torque (Thank you Scot for having one of these !).



Left to right are the servos for the Choke, the Throttle, and the Steering. Spectrum A6150 for choke and throttle, and JR DS8911HV for the steering.

Note the heavy duty servo arm that is used for the steering. It is a 1 1/2" Hangar 9 arm.



I have the fuselage upside down to view the steering on the nose wheel mount. The hole to the right on the steering arm is what the kit comes with. Len found that it needs to be moved in to be more effective.

[BobM]

I took the steering arm and nose wheel system out of the mount to examine the system.



Here is the steering parts assembled outside of the mount. It is a soft steel L bracket that is attached with 2 2.5mm cap head screws in the channel of the nose wheel assembly. The nose wheel rod is hardened steel which holds up well to the use.



Here are the parts disassembled. Note the L bracket has a fracture on one of the mount holes due to the stress. This bracket is soft steel and needs to be replaced. I am thinking of harder steel L bracket available from hardware and Home Depot or similar stores. I can cut the right width easily and use this instead of the softer steel (which bends too easily as I found out).

The brass collar also helps hold the assembly in place. It is notched on 2 sides. The one side that has been in use already has wear on it and would allow some slop at this point if I continue to use the supplied parts. By making a new L bracket I can size the width to be tight in the collar and have little if any play.

Note that all of these parts were assemnbled without and type of LockTitie or similar product from the factory. I found they all need to be removed, cleaned, and then reinstalled with LockTite. I decided to use Blue LockTite to allow disassembly should I need to work on the steering.

[BobM]

I final note here....I found that Revoc mage wing and stab bags for the Bidules. I ordered a set last week on Monday and they were at my doorstep form Europe this past Wednesday......10 days or less with normal shipping.



There are a variety of option when ordering. I kept it simple other than having the aircraft identified on the bags.



Wing bag front



Wing bag rear with compartment for holding the wing rod. I did note the pouch for the wing rid is about 1" to 2" short for fully enclosing it. I think is should be extended just a bit so it can hold the rod and be shut with the velcro.

[BobM]

Here is the bag for the tail feathers...



3 bags here. One for the horizontal stab and then 2 for each of the vertical fins. Note the fit is just a little off on the supported cutouts for the vertical fins. The cutouts should be about 1" farther forward.

I also ordered some covers for the props just because:



Makes it better so when I bump into the prop with my legs I don't get to bad a bruise

Also protects the prop well, which is good for this large a 3 blade carbon prop.

[BobM]

Another quick few pictures here.......

I worked on the steering arm on the nose gear today and replace the stock sheet metal with 3/16" angle iron that I machined to fit. Had to buy a 4' length of the angle iron to cut off 5/16" for the arm.

It fits very well and seems to be much stronger than the other.

Here are a couple of pictures of the before and the after.....



Before



After. Note the arm length has been sized so it does not interfere with the carb. This allows maximum movement now.

[Asher Carmichael]

Bob,
Congrats on your maiden. Hopefully you've worked out most of the major problems. We all appreciate your work in helping to import this first batch of Bidules as well as sharing your thoughts, mods and improvements during your assembly. I've adopted quite a few of your ideas while assembling mine.

[BobM]

Happy to help any way I can...makes it fun for all of us if we can get them flying well and enjoy them.

Bob

[BobM]

A couple of pictures of some of the recent work.

I finally received the engine mount that is made from aluminum and CNC machined. Here is what it looks like installed:






It is essentially a square block of aluminum that is CNC machined to remove as much material as possible while still remaining very strong. The 4 piers remain attached to each other in the front and back and hopefully this will help with the torque of the engine and keep the mount from having any rotational problems that might be seen in pier mounting alone.

The steering has been an ongoing challenge for me with this plane. Replacing the L arm on the steering column was a good step forward, but I also needed to work on the connection between the steering arm and the servo.

I looked for servo savers that are commonly used with cars and trucks and found a heavy duty/high torque one from Integy that seems to be very well made and should function very well in this application:

http://www.integy.com/st_prod.html?p...w#.VclMQHhYW-I

I installed it on the steering servo and got everything centered and in good shape. I think it will help reduce the stress on the servo yet still provide the needed torque for steering the plane well:






It is alloy construction and looks to be very durable. The threading on the arm is metric. I think 2.5mm if I remember correctly.

This should put my Bidule in good working order for towing. I'll have to try it out soon and see how everything works now.

Bob

[Asher Carmichael]

Great find, Bob. I'll be looking for one for the 111

[Swiss1]

Asher, our distributor carries these, and you can choose a colour!

Jeremy and Ben
SCCAAA TT TN

[BobM]

I talked with Len a day or so ago. He tried the servo saver from Integy and it wasn't up to the task. Just wanted to let people know.

I thought it was a good idea and might work, I guess not for this plane.....to big and too heavy for the servo saver from what it sounds like.

Bob

[lenb]

The nose gear has not really been much of an issue for me other than a few tweaks here and there.
The best answer to the shock absorbing concern seems to be a bell crank with a servo saver on it made from springs and a block of aluminum

I have about 25 hrs on mine so far with minimal downtime, so the nose wheel system appears to be pretty stout.
We'll keep improving anything we can. Love the plane

[Mac Powell]

BobM:
For some reason I can't open the drawings you posted in post #17.
Could you please post the dimensions of the CNC motor mount?
The DA drawing shows the hole center lines but nothing more.
Thanks