europa-list
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Europa-List: Re: Autopilot Servos

Subject: Re: Europa-List: Re: Autopilot Servos
From: Bud Yerly <budyerly@msn.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2015 22:30:31
Will,
I=99m to blame for the install of servos under the passengers 
feet.  I did this in 1999 on 419PL when I started building it.  I 
don=99t do this any longer as taller passengers tended to dislike 
this loss of foot room as it puts their knees higher than comfortable 
while flying along.  OK for those who fly with their feet on the rudder 
pedals or are a standard sized 5=99 10=9D.  Also, these are 
heavy servos (Navaid, Blue Mountain, etc.) and weigh about 5 pounds.  If 
you put the battery in the front, watch the weight in the cockpit.  
Strive for the 60-61 inch empty weight CG.   You=99ll have to keep 
the panel light.  These are very long servos also, so in a crash, just 
unscrew it and it makes an excellent club for survival.

This setup under the feet also is a bit tough with the Garmin, Dynon, 
TruTrack and GRT servos.  These light weight servos (about 2.5 pounds) 
are very good also, plus they have a smaller footprint, but they are 
taller.  Reducing the foot well even more.

Here are two other ideas I have used for quite some time.
1st is a design I made to put the servo behind the baggage bay.  See the 
drawing.  It is dumb simple.  It is a 3 to 2 arm on a bearing and two 
push rods so as to allow the servo to move about 45 degrees.  Bob Berube 
and I consulted on this and I have made it my standard for retrofits 
where the only place to put the servo is behind the baggage bay.  It can 
be installed after the top is on in a finished airplane by access 
through the D panel.  It is not comfortable.  

In all my aircraft, the roll servo goes under the pax seat.  Make a 
simple metal plate of .060 aluminum and four nut plates to the face of 
the inboard seat hole.  Attach the servo to it.  Make an arm and 
attachment bracket for the stick.  Fab a fiberglass cover to prevent the 
pax from impacting the arm.

2nd is a simple extension to the stab tube attachment point and hook up. 
 Pretty simple, easy to bolt up if your plane has access panels which 
are positioned properly.  I always have three access holes.
A 4 inch sight hole for the MAC trim servo, a 6 inch abeam the mass 
balance arm as in the book.  I then put on the port side a single 6 inch 
to access below the pitch push rod to stab tube attachment.  If you have 
those small Europa mandated sized holes for drug addicted anorexic 
maintainers, this may be painful to try unless installed during the 
build and access holes are well planned.

Always plan your servos so they cannot go over center and jam the 
controls.  Many servos come with limit arms to prevent this, use them.  
The limit arms typically allow 45 degrees of movement max.  Why use 45 
degrees or close to that is to allow the servo to have a larger movement 
as the clutches and servo settings do not work well when the servo is 
limited to a full throw of less than 30 degrees.

I have better drawings in my archives, but it will be a while to get 
them as my servo was hit by lightning and fried so it needs to have its 
hard drive recovered.


Just a thought as legroom in the Europa is at a premium.

Regards,

Bud Yerly
Custom Flight Creations, Inc.


From: William Daniell 
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2015 4:05 PM
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Re: Autopilot Servos

Excellent thanks.  
Will

On Nov 6, 2015 1:16 PM, "Alfred Buess" <ykibuess@bluewin.ch> wrote:

<ykibuess@bluewin.ch>

  William,
  Attached is a picture of the Navaid Autopilot servo mounted on the 
passenger side footwell of my Europa. Pretty simple installation.
  Regards, Alfred


  Read this topic online here:

  http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=448888#448888


  Attachments:

  http://forums.matronics.com//files/navaid_servo_151.jpg


  ==========
  br> fts!)
  r> > w.buildersbooks.com" rel="noreferrer" 
target="_blank">www.buildersbooks.com
  rel="noreferrer" 
target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/contribution
            -Matt Dralle, List Admin.
  ==========
  pa-List" rel="noreferrer" 
target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Europa-List
  ==========
  FORUMS -
  eferrer" target="_blank">http://forums.matronics.com
  ==========
  b Site -
            -Matt Dralle, List Admin.
  rel="noreferrer" 
target="_blank">http://www.matronics.com/contribution
  ==========



<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>