Thoughts on panel upgrade?

On Fri, 03 Feb 2017 21:37:46 -0800, Surge wrote:

I used single side, copper clad, FR4 PC board soldered together to make
the case. Don't do this unless you like to itch and make all your tools
blunt! In hindsight an aluminium case may cost more and be a bit more
difficult to manufacture but it would be better than working with FR4
board and look more professional to boot.

That sounds good to me. I've made up a number of bits for my Libelle
this way, though I use epoxy (24 hour Araldite) rather than solder to
join the boards. Here's a description and photos of a replacement battery
box lid that also serves as a logger mounting:

http://www.gregorie.org/gliding/libe...ttery_lid.html

The main platform is a sandwich of 1.6mm epoxy board top and bottom with
3mm balsa in the middle so its a sort-of mix&match with my Libelle, which
has balsa wing skins.

I've also used epoxyboard to build the adapters you need to attach a PNA's
mounting clip to a RAM flexi-mount and to make a latching mechanism to
clip a Glassfaser 'bum bag' onto the Libelle's wing assembly lever
attachment points.

If you don't want copper-clad epoxy-board, plain epoxyboard is readily
available as model building material in a variety of thicknesses from
0.2mm to 6mm (1/128" to 1/4"). Copper clad PCB is typically 1.6mm or
0.8mm. I think no workshop is complete without some of this in the supply
cupboard. I normally use 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6mm sheet.

In the UK I get epoxyboard from HobbyPlastic,
http://www.hobbyplastic.co.uk/ but in the USA I'd use Aerospace Composite
Products, http://www.acp-composites.com/ if the local model shop doesn't
stock it.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |