General Swash leveler

[bigone5500]

How do I go about designing a swash leveler for my 270 CFX? What do I measure to get started?

 

[bigone5500]

Well I had an idea, and this is what I came up with. If I understand the leveler correctly, the center should fit tightly over the shaft and when level, all 3 pads should be touching the swash linkage at once.

 

[D.O.G.]

Pretty spiffy

 

[bigone5500]

Tony does this look right? Should the legs have been shorter?

 

[bigone5500]

Here is a modified version. It has a 5.1mm center hole. I had to drill the original one so this may alleviate the need. I'll do a test fit and report back.

Original post updated.

 

[Tony]

haha, this reminds me of a comment I received a bit back saying that the zip tie method of leveling your swash was incorrect because you should level the mixing/washout rams lol. Because the first thing I thought about is, use a zip tie haha.

But this is a great idea and thank you for sharing the .stl.

As for the legs being shorter, yes, they do need to be shorter in the X/Y axis. The leveler should rest on the swash, not the links. Sometimes there is a little nub sticking out the link ends or people cut it off (because it will scratch you and make you say 'not nice' things lol). If the nub is there, it will be higher than the rest. If it's cut off, it will be lower. The swash should be perfectly even on all 3 legs though. So I would shorten the legs to sit down on the swash.

 

[James M. Lewis]

Awesome job I LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bigone5500]

I'll be redesigning the part later when I get home. I'll shorten the arms and possibly replacing the round pads with square.

 

[Rackman]

Hey way to go. Those 3d printers are something else. Looks just like the one's I've seen on E-bay..nice work..

 

[Geena]

Tony does this look right? Should the legs have been shorter?

View attachment 24514

It doesn`t matter how long the legs are, as long as they are the same length and the leveler is nice and flat. The other thing that`s critical is that the hole has a really good slip fit on the main shaft. If it has any wobble in it all when you put it on the shaft, you`re going to get false readings when you try to level the swash. One thing that you could do to improve it, would be to make the center section that slips onto the shaft a little thicker/taller. That would give more surface to ride on the main shaft. But it does look good. Let us know how it works out.

 

[bigone5500]

Here is the final result. I increased the ID to 5.3mm and it fit without any drilling. I changed the feet to square just cause.



Original post updated with current design.

 

[bigone5500]

I need to find some videos on how to use this thing now. One thing I could also do to improve it is to glue a brass bushing in the center. I have the correct drill size so I can fine tune it to perfection.

 

[Tony]

I like Geena's idea of making the center hole longer for more support and less rocking.

And how to use, first, set your servos where the linkages to the swash are at a perfect 90º angle to the servo arms. This gives you equal throw in each direction. Of course, do this at mid stick with a linear pitch curve. Then, set all of your links to the exact same length going to the swash. Install the links, and set the leveler on the swash. All 3 legs should be touching. If one is low, extend that rod. If one is high, shorten that rod.

This is just the first step in a head setup. I always work bottom (servos) to top (blade grips) and set everything level at mid stick.

 

[bigone5500]

So hopefully this is the final iteration of this part. I have created a conical part to extend the hole by 3mm making the depth of the center hole 8mm. I decreased the diameter by .1mm making it 5.2mm. I had a little slack in the last version. I can sand the inside if needed to make it fit just right. I'll update the original post with current designs.

 

[Tony]

I like it. My idea I had to extend it was to do the extension on the top side, and use a raft to print. But, as long as that cone does not hit the center of the swash, that should do fine, especially if you have reduced the diameter of the ID for the mainshaft.

 

[bigone5500]

Ok. What a dumb idea. I should have put the cone on the other side.

Time for another iteration....oh man.

 

[D.O.G.]

Trail & error. It's always a learning experience.

 

[bigone5500]

OK. I think this is it. I updated the post with current files. And this is what I got. It fits great on the shaft and there is no play. I also measured the ends where the pads contact the swash and all three measure 8.2mm.

 

[bigone5500]

I measured the linkages and had to adjust one. They are all even now. I'll work on it a bit more when I get time.

Meanwhile, can someone post a like to a good tutorial on using this device?

Thanks!

 

[Geena]

I measured the linkages and had to adjust one. They are all even now. I'll work on it a bit more when I get time.

Meanwhile, can someone post a like to a good tutorial on using this device?

Thanks!

The main thing is to make sure that all of the servos are 90 degrees to the swash links. Your FBL system should have a servo centering menu, that will lock the servos at their center position. Once you`re in that menu, and all the servos 90 degrees, you can start adjusting the links. If they are not all 90 degrees, you must adjust the servo horn for each servo that is not 90 degrees to the link, before you start adjusting the links.

After you get the servos at 90 degree, it`s just a matter of adjusting the links until the swash plate is level.

*Edit: When I say the servo horn needs to be 90 Degrees to the link, that`s from the center line of the horn. From the center of the screw that holds the horn on the servo, to the center of the link ball on the servo horn.*