I think the only thing that are holding people back into getting into actuator controlled planes is the confusion of making them work, and manufacturing them. I hope all this helps all you out htere to get into the wonderful world of actuator controlled micro flyers that fly in your local school gym

WHAT YOU NEED-

-three servo heads (must be circular, preferably MINI servo size)
-very thin copper wire (coated)
- A long screw with a very tight thread( diameter 2-3 MM)
-a drill
-thin C/A
-white glue
-saw

Procedure: Thread two of the servo heads onto the screw, making sure they fit tightly with some resistance when you turn them. Cut the stub (where the servo head sticks into) in the middle off of the third servo head off flush with the side of the head flat part of the head with a saw. Sandwich this small stub in between the two other servo heads with the stubs on them facing away from it.

Take the beginning of your copper wire and thread it through one of the holes in the servo head and fish it through from the inside of the little crevice you have made, and leave about a 30 CM lead..Wrap the 30 CM around the rest of the screw. Start the drill and wrap the wire around the stub in the middle until it bulges to about 1.2 cm. Take some white glue and rub a bit in the wire where it ends and starts to leave the rest of the wire. Let this dry. Unwind the lead on the screw, and un thread the servo heads at the same time by holding both while drilling in the opposite direction you drilled them on.

Carefully separate the servo heads from the actuator. Rub some more white glue into the actuator, but do not rub in the center!!! or else the center will stick in! Let this dry Slowly work the stub from the center of the actuator out, one step at a time, and once out soak actuator with thin CA. Voila! An actuator!

THE REST-


the actuator works by creating a magnetic force to move the position of a magnet attached to your rudder. thus, moving the rudder with it. the magnet should be set up as shown- it should be some rare earth magnet glued to a pin (minus head) and glued onto the rudder with the magnet on the hinge line in the middle of the actuator coil. make sure that when you turn the rudder, the magnet stays put adn doesnt move off to one side, becuase this will give you maximum torque and more efficiency.

I hope this cleared some things up!!! shoot me a question should it be nesissary!

Buddy6,
I have a couple of questions on how you are using the mini servos circuit to drive the actuator. What exactly are you hooking the board up to? Do you run the leads to the motor to the actuator? What do you do with the potentiameter and its wires? How well is this working for you. Does it give you proportional control?

Thanks
Ryan Fritts

I have been experimenting with Nanomuscles, and using the small actuators that my company buys for magnetic `flip disks'

What puzzles me, is how to keep the control neutral, and allow a rcvr to switch functions to left/right control. Someone out there has the miniature actuator parts that allow `return to center' function, while the rcvr sends a pulse for right, or left.

All I'm finding is a sort of on/off function, energized, or not, as this doesnt allow anything more than a series of constant `left turns' or up elevator, reduce power to dive, and repeat, any help?

FANMAN

fritts/fanman,


In the servo there is a POT, when I take the amp board out of the servo, I take the pot with it. it weighs next to nothing. I mount the pot to the side of my fuse, and adjust it until when my stick is neutral, no current is going to the actuator. but when I turn the stick left/right, it puts current in the actuator.

as for hooking it up, I jus tplace the actuator in and connect it to where the motor would go quite easy and simple. c'mon guys!!!, dig out all those dead MINI servos and make urselves a gym flyer

Thanks for the info Buddly6. I'll try to build my own actuator plane as soon as I've managed to find suitable magnets.

-=Mike=-
http://www.careliawin.com/tyson

If you do find suitable magnets please post the source. I've got a couple of walnut scale kits just begging for some tiny actuators.


Gerry

Radio Shack sells some rare earth magnets, or you can take them out of a destroyed or damaged cobalt motor

Bud,

From looking at other actuator-magnet setups, I thought the
combination would act like a solenoid, with the magnet going
in and out of the hole in the actuator. With your setup on the
rudder, it almost looks like the magnet goes from side to side
of the actuator. Which is it?

DNA,

Neither. The magnet should stay in the exact center of the coil. The electromagnetic field causes the magnet to rotate in either direction but it stays in the center the entire time.

VW,

If you look at this picture, maybe you can explain how the
magnet can rotate. It looks like it goes in and out like a solenoid.

http://pease1.sr.unh.edu/aew/rc/cann...s/DSCN0800.jpg

I have a qicktime movie (15 seconds) of the actuator moving. if I could just find out how to post it....

Bud,

You'll have to put the QT movie on a web site for download.
Maybe you could just explain it.