VALIDOL DLG MANUAL INSTRUCTIONS 1. Start with the wing

VALIDOL DLG MANUAL INSTRUCTIONS
made by: O. Golovidov, A.Yakovlev, Star Flight Japan Inc.
1. Start with the wing servos installation. Using a straight edge and Xacto knife, cut the skin inside the recessed area where the servo wells
must be located.
2. The cuts must be inset about 3mm from the
boundary. Carefully peel off the rectangle of skin.
3. Start picking the foam from the servo well. Make a shallow cut
around the perimeter first to define a clean vertical boundary. Then
make angled cuts and remove foam in thin slices.
4. Don't go all the way to the top skin initially. You
should see the servo wire channel at this point.
6. Clean the servo pocket of all foam, scrape the top skin
gently. You need all of the wing depth to hide the servo
without the servo arm touching the cover.
5. Finish removing the foam either with a dremel tool or
with a flat spade knife, to avoid puncturing the top skin.
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7. Note the locations of the wire channel holes at the servo wells.
"Draw" an imaginary line between the outer ends of the wire channels
in both servo wells and mark a spot on the wing's centerline where the
start of the wire channels must be located.
8. Put two additional marks, one about 5mm forward and one
about 15mm back from the wire channel mark. The wire exit pocket
must be about 20mm long. Use an X-acto knife or a sharpened
brass tube to cut through the skin.
10. Pick out the chunks of
foam/skin/epoxy, dress up the edges
and clean the bottom of the elongated
exit well with a dremel tool.
9. If using a brass tube, make multiple cuts down to
about 80% of the wing depth. Do not touch the top
skin.
12. Mark the locations of the aileron pushrod exit holes on
the top skin, about 102mm from the centerline of the wing.
They must be just inside of the outer edge of the servo
wells.
11. The wire channels can be plugged
with epoxy/microballoons mixture. Clear
out the wire channels.
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12. Draw lines marking the slots for the pushrod exit and the aileron control
horn. The control horn must be offset a little relative to the pushrod slot
towards the wing tip, to allow for the wire bend.
13. Use a straight edge and an X-acto or cut-off
knife to make clean slots. Be careful to not cut
the opposite skin.
16. Heat up one end of a piece of straight spring wire with a torch (or a
cigarette lighter), then melt a pushrod channel through the wing. Use a
piece of wood about 6-8mm thick at the trailing edge for resting the wire
on.
15. Remove the foam from the control
horn slot (full depth), and the pushrod
exit slot (1/2 depth).
17. The hot wire end must enter the servo pocket near the outer edge,
just above the bottom skin. Repeat the procedure a coupe times to
extend the pushrod channel in the vertical direction a little.
18. Drill out the holes in the control horns using a sharpened piece of pushrod wire
0.047-0.049" diameter. Cut off a small rectangle at the lower front part of the horns to
clear the reinforcement balsa plank embedded along the hinge line of the aileron.
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20. Dress up one end of a piece of 0.047-0.049"
wire, make a tight L-bend, insert into the control
horn.
19. Verify that the control horn fits in the slot, the hole must
be right above the hinge line, and the slot must not be tight
to allow for easy glue penetration.
22. Place the servo (without the servo arm) into the servo pocket. Mark the
location of the bend on the pushrod wire right above the servo shaft or slightly
forward of it (to allow for a small forward servo arm deflection at neutral
ailerons).
21. Insert the other end of the wire into the pushrod channel, insert the control
horn into the slot temporarily. Tape the ailerons at the root to block any
movement.
24. Insert the pushrod through the channel again, apply foam safe CA
or epoxy and insert the control horn into the slot. Make sure the wire
hole is right above the hinge line. Avoid getting the glue onto the
hinge! Let the glue set before continuing.
23. Pull out the pushrod wire. Cut it about 2-3mm past the mark. Dress up the
wire end (it is MUCH easier to do before bending the wire) then make a tight
bend at the mark. The L-bend must not be too long or it won't fit through the
pushrod channel.
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25. Set servos to the neutral position. Find the one position of the servo arm that gives the
most square angle relative to the servo body. Cut off the 3 unneeded ends of the servo
arm, drill out the nearest hole (or make a new one) with a sharpened piece of pushrod
wire. The hole must be about 4.5mm from the center. Trim down the servo arm close to the
hole.
27. Sit the servo in the pocket. Offset the neutral position (with radio trims) to
about 15-20 degrees forward, same number of 'clicks' for both servos. It is very
important that the final servo arm angle is the same on both servos before
gluing them in the wing, otherwise the ailerons will not move in unison!
26. Insert the front end of the pushrod into the servo arm. Remove the servo
connector and snake the electrical cable through the channel. You may have to
use a very thin music wire with a hook end to fish the cable through the
channel.
28. Use light balsa shims to wedge the servo on both sides. Avoid putting
pressure on the top skin of the wing or visible surface distortions will appear!
30. Attach a small balsa block behind the pushrod to prevent it from coming out
of the servo arm. The block can be lightly touching the pushrod but must not be
rubbing the pushrod too much to avoid friction.
29. Use thickened 5-min epoxy to fill the gaps on both sides of the servo. This
will lock the balsa shims and attach the servos to the walls of the pocket, while
still allowing to easily remove the servo for repairs.
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32. The servo installation is done. You can leave the servo wires and connectors
unchanged, but it will be VERY difficult to assemble the model without an autoconector.
31. Trim the servo cover if it does not fit. Tape the cover around the perimeter
with regular clear tape.
34. Solder the male part of the connector to the wires. Use heat shrink tubing to
insulate wire ends and relieve stress (although there will be no movement once
the connector is installed, so heat shrink is mostly for insulation).
33. Cut the servo wires about 15mm from the wing. Strip and tin the wire ends.
Ready to solder the connector to the wires now.
35. Make a wire harness from two servo pigtails soldered to the female part of
the connector. You can eliminate one positive and one negative wire if desired
by joining both positive and both negative pins at the connector.
36. Set the male connector into the wing temporarily. Mark the location of the
connector on the fuselage pylon.
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38. Insert the wires through the opening. Insert the connector - it must be tight
in the opening now (adjust by varying the amount of masking tape). Drip some
CA around the perimeter to lock it in place. Masking tape allows to easily
remove the connector if needed - just run X-acto blade around the perimeter.
37. Make a nice opening in the fuselage pylon for the female connector part. It
needs to be slightly oversize. Wrap the female connector part with some good
masking tape, 2 layers or so.
40. Mix some quick epoxy with microballoons. Apply epoxy to the bottom of the
connector pocket in the wing. The connector can be easily lifted up and then set
back into the pocket. Plug the connector onto the fuselage, then attach the wing
to the fuselage.
39. Wax the connector and pylon area around it to prevent epoxy from getting
into the pins or gluing the wing and fuselage together. Use lip balm if you don't
have wax handy.
41. Bolt the wing down all the way. If you applied too much epoxy, it may be
squeezed out between the wing and the pylon now. Ideally there should be just
enough epoxy there to bed the connector and not run out of the pocket.
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42. After the epoxy sets, detach the wing and inspect how the connector is
bedded in epoxy inside the wing pocket. Clean excessive epoxy if needed around
the pocket and off the fuselage pylon.
43. Move on to attaching the tails. Trim the stab mount - remove nearly all of
the skirt around the base of the mount. Tailboom will go into the fin up to about
5mm from the spar. The stab will be about 5-10mm in front of the fin. Mark the
loation of the stab pylon on the tailboom.
44. If you are planning to use a wire pushrod for the elevator, it can be routed
under the stab mount (as seen on the picture). Make an exit slot for the pushrod
between the marks. Scrape the tailboom where the stab pylon will be glued.
46. You will need small magnets for internal pushrod installation. Prepare teflon
tubing and pushrod wire. If you are using carbon pushrods, you will need a
0.032" music wire for teflon tubing installation. A 36" piece of music wire sold in
hobby stores is just long enough for this.
45. If you are using a carbon pushrod, it is best to route it on the side of the
fuselage because it needs at least 50mm of free end for the end L-piece
attachment, so the exit slot must be on the side just in front of the stab pylon.
47. Insert the wire into the teflon tubing. Insert the whole assembly into the
fuselage through the exit slot. Protect the fuselage from running CA glue with
masking tape right next to the exit slot. Then tape the end of the teflon and
pushrod to the fuselage also.
48. Stretch lightly the teflon tubing at the front end and tape it to the
fuselage wall, just under the canopy opening.
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49. Use small magnets to keep the internal pushrod attached to the
fuselage wall. The stainless steel pushrods are not very magnetic, but
they are magnetic enought to make it work OK. With a 0.032" music
wire the magnetic force is very strong and you can move the wire inside
the fuselage by moving the magnets.
50. Drip thin CA along the teflon tubing starting from the front; 6-8
drops is usually sufficient if the CA is fresh and thin. Hold the fuselage in
the vertical position and lightly tap on the wall to help the CA run down
the wall.
52. Repeat the procedure with the rudder pushrod. The rudder control
horm must be on the outer side of the model (right side if launching
with your right hand) You can route both pushrods to the same side of
the fuselage at the front, or to the opposite sides, depending on how
you want to install the servos. Tape the front end of the teflon tubing,
lightly stretch the aft end and glue it at the aft opening of the tailboom
with a drop of CA (see next picture).
51. Periodically check the aft exit slot where the CA must appear. As
soon as you see CA there, stop adding more CA and tapping the
fuselage. If too much CA runs out of the aft exit slot you will have a big
mess of CA on the tailboom.
53. If using a wire pushrod for the rudder, the pushrod can exit right through the aft
opening of the tailboom (shown on the picture). In case of a carbon pushrod, the exit slot
must be made in front of the fin otherwise there will not be enough space for attaching
the end piece of the pushrod. Use magnets again and drip thin CA to bond the teflon
tubing to the fuselage wall.
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54. If you routed the elevator pushrod under the stab pylon, trim the aft
end of the pylon to create a small opening for the pushrod exit.
55. Attach the stab to the pylon with screws. Attach the wing to the
fuselage. We are ready to glue the stab pylon to the tailboom.
56. Put the model up side down on the table. Put an old phone book
under the stab area. Put the stab with the pylon attached under the
tailboom. Check for squareness in both directions.
57. Press down on the tailboom to sit it well in the stab pylon. Use a screwdriver or a spade
knife to deliver a drop of thin CA to the joint. CA will run around the perimeter of the stab
pylon. You can add a little more CA after removing the stab to avoid getting the glue on it.
If you are concerned about the stab pylon coming off, wrap a piece of light fiberglass from one
side of the pylon over the tailboom and to the opposite side. Mount it first with spray
adhesive (3M77); then saturate with thin CA.
59. Use a round file to shape the foam inside the cutout such that it
conforms to the tailboom tightly, but not too tight.
58. Move on to the fin. Mark and draw the fin's centerline on a piece of
masking tape. Draw the cutout shape as wide as of the tailboom
diameter or slightly undersized and about 5mm short of the spar. Cut
out the middle piece with a band saw and/or X-acto knife.
60. Scape the area of the tailboom where the fin will be
glued for better adhesion.
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62. Apply thin foam safe CA to the joint and let it penetrate into the
foam. If you prefer you can use epoxy for this joint - slide the fin off the
tailboom, apply the epoxy to both surfaces, slide it back onto the
tailboom, adjust for squareness.
61. Slide the fin onto the tailboom. Check for squareness relative to the
stab and the wing, adjust as needed. The hinge side of the fin must be
on the inner side of the model (left side if launching with the right
hand), and the control horn must be mounted on the outer side.
64. If you don't like the look of a white semi-transparent fiberglass
patch, you can color it with a black marker either before or after
saturating with CA.
63. Make reinforcement patches out of fiberglass or very light carbon
fabric. Attach with some spray adhesive (3M77). Apply thin foam safe CA
to saturate the patch.
66. Use a X-acto or a cut-off knife to make a slot in the rudder for the
control horn. Do not cut through the opposite skin.
65. Shorten the control horn to about 12-14mm. Sand the bottom part
for better adhesion.
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67. Use foam safe CA or thin epoxy to glue the control horn into the
rudder. Trim the teflon tubing to within about 15-20mm from the hinge
line.
68. Prepare servo arms for the fuselage servos. Drill new holes in the arms if needed
with a sharpened piece of pushrod wire. The moment arm must be about 9mm for a
14mm rudder control horn, and about 7mm for a 12mm rudder control horn.
69. Wrap fuselage servos in good quality masking tape that will not get
gummy in hot temperatures or with time. Masking tape allows for easy
removal of the servos later if needed for repairs.
70. Mix some 5-min epoxy and microballoons, glue the servos to the fuselage at an angle
such that the servo arms are close to the side wall. There must be enough space behind
the servos for inserting ballast later, and enough space in front of the servos for your
battery and receiver.
72. Trim the teflon tubes to about 20mm from the servo arms. Insert the
front ends into the servo arms and install the servo arms temporarily.
71. Bend the front ends of the pushrods into an offset L-bend.
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74. Fold the rudder over. Cut the pushrod about 3-4mm past the
mark. Dress up the wire end with a file or sandpaper.
73. Mark the location of the rudder control horn attachment point on
the pushrod. Make sure the servo and the rudder are in neutral position.
75. Make an offset L-bend on the aft end of the pushrod.
Insert into the rudder control horn.
76. Create a small balsa support ramp for the teflon
tubing, otherwise the pushrod will buckle in compression
too easily.
77. Move on to the stab. Make a slot for the control horn right on
the centerline of the elevator. Do not cut through the opposite
skin. Trim the control horn such that it fits under the stab without
touching the tailboom.
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78. Glue the control horn into the elevator with foam
safe CA or thin epoxy.
80. Pull out the pushrod. Trim the excess wire to about 3mm past
the mark. Dress up the end of the wire. Re-insert the pushrod
without attaching the servo arm, to have some extra length at the
aft end for easier handling. Make a tight L-bend at the mark.
Remember to NOT bend the aft end of the wire with the pushrod
pulled out or you won't be able to re-insert it!
79. Attach the stab to the pylon. Make sure the servo
and the elevator are in neutral position. Mark the
location of the attachment hole on the pushrod.
82. Make small support ramps at
the front ends of the pushrods.
81. Re-install the servo arm, attach the elevator
control horn, check for the neutral position and
deflections.
83. This is an alternative way of installing the
servos. Two carbon pushrods are routed to the
oppostite sides of the fuselage. A balsa rail is
glued to the bottom for supporting the servos.
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84. Servos are wrapped in masking tape for easier
removal later in case of a repair. A mix of quick epoxy
and microballoons is used to attach the servos.
86. If you plan to use a switch-jack, you can install it
without anything sticking out of the fuselage by using
a plywood nut as shown here.
85. Servos stay flat on the bottom (actually top) of the
fuselage, and leave enough space for a receiver or a
battery on top of the servos.
88. Glue the switch-jack (the plywood nut) under the
hole with medium CA. Avoid getting the glue inside
the switch-jack.
87. Place the switch-jack in a suitable location inside
the fuselage, mark and drill the hole through the
fuselage wall.
90. Move on to the launch peg. Trim the molding
flashing around the perimeter.
89. The plug goes right through the fuselage wall and
into the switch-jack.
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91. Mark the peg location on the wing about 15mm
inside the outer edge and about 20mm from the
trailing edge. Scape the middle of the peg a little for
better adhesion.
92. Make a hole for the peg using a drill, a knife, and
needle files. Sand the area around the hole for future
reinforcement patch adhesion.
94. Insert the peg into the hole and glue it with foam
safe CA or bonding epoxy. Make a generous fillet
around the base on both sides.
93. Optional - remove some foam between the skins
around the perimeter of the hole and fill the void with
foam safe CA or epoxy.
95. Make 2 reinforcement patches oval in shape, from
2-3oz fiberglass or carbon cloth. Make a slit in the
middle of a patch, pull it over the peg end carefully,
press it down neatly around the peg.
96. Saturate the patch with foam safe CA or thin/laminating epoxy. Avoid getting
too much glue on the wing outside of the patch. Optional - mask the wing surface
around the patch and sand the patch down a little to feather the edges down.
Smear some thin CA to restore the shine. Repeat on the opposite side.
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97. Ballast is installed by bending the aft wire ends of
the "lollypops" into a paper clip shape. The length of
the wire must be such that the center of the ballast
stick is slightly ahead of the CG.
98. Make a hole in the recessed area at the rear
canopy edge. Slide the ballast stick into the fuselage
past the servos.
99. Insert the paper clip end into the mounting hole.
100. When the canopy is closed and taped for flying, it
locks the ballast in place.
101. Done - ready for the first flights
and for the total contest domination :)
Install the battery and the receiver, use
some nose weight if needed to set the
CG, go fly your brand new Validol!
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