Bowden cable installation: is there an easy way

davidleitch · Oct 10, 2002, 04:23 AM

I haven't done any bowden cable installation in small fuselages despite building 10 models this year (most with servos in tail or big fuselage or glue the top of the fuselage on).

Is there an easy way to glue the outer tube to a small fuselage. I can put tape around the spots I want to glue and then glue the tape, but how do I get pressure in the bowels of the fuselage? Could push some foam down I suppose. Does seem like a pain and prone to failure.

Suggestions from the folk who have been there and done that appreciated as always.

I have some carbon fibre rods lying round, maybe I'll just glue a clevis to that.

tim hooper · Oct 10, 2002, 04:51 AM

David,

I haven't tried this myself, but I've heard that those pencil-shaped balloons (beloved by kiddies entertainers for making animals out of), can be fed down the fuselage and then inflated to provide some internal pressure.

I suppose some form of lubricant would ensure easy withdrawal.........Hang on, I've had a thought.....

tim

leccyflyer · Oct 10, 2002, 05:30 AM

One method I've used for installing snake outers in an already built fuselage has been to make a small support from a piece of balsa strip that is the correct width to jam in the fueslage. I then drill a hole the size of the snake with it's tape wrapping in the desired position in that cross brace and and slide this down the snake into the rear of the fuselage with the crossbrace oriented diagonally to give it room to move. When it was in the right place I then rotated the piece with a long scewdriver so that the crosspiece was then jammed against the fuslage sides in the correct orientation.

At that stage a dribble of CA down the carefully positioned screwdriver can be used to secure the cross brace to the fuselage sides and to the tape bound snake outer. it worked for me with a slab sided fuselage anyway. For a change it didn't irretrevably weld the screwdriver to the inside of the fuselage, which is what I thought might happen.

Brian

Andy McCowan · Oct 10, 2002, 06:10 AM

Having recently built an FVK Aquila which has very thin and flexible control snakes for rudder/elevator, the method I used to support them was to cut a disc of 1" thick EPP the same dia as the fuselage (half way between the wing seat and the tail) and this disc was rammed, sorry, pushed down the fuselage trapping/supporting the snakes.

Works well for me.

Ben Diss · Oct 10, 2002, 06:28 AM

I cut foam bulkheads that I push back into the fuse to support the tube.

Bill Glover · Oct 10, 2002, 06:34 AM

If there's a straight run from the servo to where the snake exits (there usually is), the method I use is to bind a support to the snake before fitting. Then you only need to support it at the servo end - which is easy.

I've used sq. section balsa for this in the past, but carbon rod would be good (tube even better). I bind with thread every 6" or so and apply thin cyano, heat shrink is quick & neat if you have the right size.

You can often use a single stiffener for both snakes.

HTH

Radek Z · Oct 10, 2002, 07:39 AM

I have just done Trendy cables yesterday.

- spread layer of epoxy / microbaloons on the rear end of the cables (about two inches) and put into the fuse and leve to cure

- using hard wood stick (4mm x 1m) with wider piece of wood glued at the end (like a spoon) get the epoxy on the front part of the cables (2 inches) where these will be fixed in the front

- at this point of time the cables are longer than necessary and stick out of the front of the fuse, I use cloth pegs to hold the cable while the epoxy cures as well as making sure that the cables are held with enough slack withing fuselage so that the cables can kind of wind around the inside diameter of the fuse (maintaining contact with fuse as much as possibel)

- leave to cure and then use the same "spoon" to get more epoxy alond the lenght of the cable so the stick to the fuse

It gives me cables perfectly fixed to the fuse. The disadvantage is that I thend to use a little bit more epoxy/microbaloons thatn needed. On small trendy I have used about 20g of epoxy. Not too easy but works (actually sound more difficult than it actually is). Hey, after I have done SD like this I think I can do anything...

Oct 10, 2002, 04:23 AM	#1
davidleitch Tragic case Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 5,188	Bowden cable installation: is there an easy way I haven't done any bowden cable installation in small fuselages despite building 10 models this year (most with servos in tail or big fuselage or glue the top of the fuselage on). Is there an easy way to glue the outer tube to a small fuselage. I can put tape around the spots I want to glue and then glue the tape, but how do I get pressure in the bowels of the fuselage? Could push some foam down I suppose. Does seem like a pain and prone to failure. Suggestions from the folk who have been there and done that appreciated as always. I have some carbon fibre rods lying round, maybe I'll just glue a clevis to that.

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Oct 10, 2002, 04:51 AM	#2
tim hooper Single-task at best... Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Telford, UK Posts: 6,546	David, I haven't tried this myself, but I've heard that those pencil-shaped balloons (beloved by kiddies entertainers for making animals out of), can be fed down the fuselage and then inflated to provide some internal pressure. I suppose some form of lubricant would ensure easy withdrawal.........Hang on, I've had a thought..... tim

Oct 10, 2002, 05:30 AM	#3
leccyflyer Get One Up! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Cheshire, England Posts: 9,302	One method I've used for installing snake outers in an already built fuselage has been to make a small support from a piece of balsa strip that is the correct width to jam in the fueslage. I then drill a hole the size of the snake with it's tape wrapping in the desired position in that cross brace and and slide this down the snake into the rear of the fuselage with the crossbrace oriented diagonally to give it room to move. When it was in the right place I then rotated the piece with a long scewdriver so that the crosspiece was then jammed against the fuslage sides in the correct orientation. At that stage a dribble of CA down the carefully positioned screwdriver can be used to secure the cross brace to the fuselage sides and to the tape bound snake outer. it worked for me with a slab sided fuselage anyway. For a change it didn't irretrevably weld the screwdriver to the inside of the fuselage, which is what I thought might happen. Brian

Oct 10, 2002, 06:10 AM	#4
Andy McCowan Mmmm. Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Selkirk, Scotland. Posts: 294	Having recently built an FVK Aquila which has very thin and flexible control snakes for rudder/elevator, the method I used to support them was to cut a disc of 1" thick EPP the same dia as the fuselage (half way between the wing seat and the tail) and this disc was rammed, sorry, pushed down the fuselage trapping/supporting the snakes. Works well for me.

Oct 10, 2002, 06:28 AM	#5
Ben Diss Registered User Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977 Posts: 1,689	I cut foam bulkheads that I push back into the fuse to support the tube.

Oct 10, 2002, 06:34 AM	#6
Bill Glover Registered User Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Bracknell, Berks, UK Posts: 8,291	If there's a straight run from the servo to where the snake exits (there usually is), the method I use is to bind a support to the snake before fitting. Then you only need to support it at the servo end - which is easy. I've used sq. section balsa for this in the past, but carbon rod would be good (tube even better). I bind with thread every 6" or so and apply thin cyano, heat shrink is quick & neat if you have the right size. You can often use a single stiffener for both snakes. HTH

Oct 10, 2002, 07:39 AM	#7
Radek Z Registered User Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Pampigny, Switzerland Posts: 412	I have just done Trendy cables yesterday. - spread layer of epoxy / microbaloons on the rear end of the cables (about two inches) and put into the fuse and leve to cure - using hard wood stick (4mm x 1m) with wider piece of wood glued at the end (like a spoon) get the epoxy on the front part of the cables (2 inches) where these will be fixed in the front - at this point of time the cables are longer than necessary and stick out of the front of the fuse, I use cloth pegs to hold the cable while the epoxy cures as well as making sure that the cables are held with enough slack withing fuselage so that the cables can kind of wind around the inside diameter of the fuse (maintaining contact with fuse as much as possibel) - leave to cure and then use the same "spoon" to get more epoxy alond the lenght of the cable so the stick to the fuse It gives me cables perfectly fixed to the fuse. The disadvantage is that I thend to use a little bit more epoxy/microbaloons thatn needed. On small trendy I have used about 20g of epoxy. Not too easy but works (actually sound more difficult than it actually is). Hey, after I have done SD like this I think I can do anything...