Mode Zero

I have after my late Dad passing at last started to sort out all his stuff not least in his workshop that he left like he was expecting to be back there soon. Despite we were both avid model builder and flier our line of action was not always the same.

In his “archive” I found this poor old photocopy in how to build your own mini/micro GG actuator. This didn’t surprise me as Dad often spoke how they flew with small home-made actuator utilizing some gears from servos for the time quite small models and throttle control was not an essential commodity….
As I study this photocopy and some scribbles on the back, at last I understood what he meant as I have never had the opportunity to see any of this “original” actuator, anyone have an idea where this page came from? All this brought me to start with a case study to see if I could replicate all this in some way and guess what…
It took some little work for the Grey Cell but at last I got there, thus I want to share this with you all and in some way in memory of Dads legacy, sure that he would have love it.

The original design is based on the main gear from a Rand actuator mounted on a small plate modified accordingly. What comes out is a tiny actuator with extremely few moving parts. So, I started to create a proper base and a Rand kind main gear to have a suitable platform to work with and slowly build on all function. What differ this actuator from original Rand/Controlair is that it can’t be allowed to cycle so, from the beginning it is only intended to have 2 functions Rudder & Elevator. From the original sketches I couldn’t figure out a possible spring and to be honest I’m not sure they used one. After some experimenting, I came up with this actuator which I would call a “Combo Actuator” as it can be used both as single-channel as multi-channel.
In single-channel mode no spring is necessary as it’s equipped with end stops like the Adams Clone but in the multi-channel a spring is added despite the need of end stops plus an “elevator clips”….if you set your regular GG recoder rate - elevator - to a fix value by connecting it to an AUX channel you could use the same recoder both for single-channel as multi-channel by just swapping from an AUX channel to elevator.

This actuator has taken life in an act of love to discover how it was done when not everything was available over the counter.

If it ain't on YouTube it....


….and last, yes it has been flown in a PageBoy as the size & Wright is the same of a regulat Adams or my Clone actuator

Original article for Mini GG actuator

Thank You, you made my day.
It all make sense as Dad was an avid user of ACE's electronic/designs as I'm almost sure he flew it with a K3VK receiver with the addition of a small pulser.
Original article in RCM 1967 February, found the magazine both in Dads boxes but also here

https://rclibrary.co.uk/files_titles/11 ... y_1967.pdf

This is brilliant for mini models..... micro galloping ghost.. Are you going to make some for sale Tobe?
If so put me down for one please.

Shaun

To kind there Shaun.
Will bring a batch to Ponte for the chosen ones to Beta test them and will take it from there.
One is officially flown in an old Pageboy and worked surprisingly well. At the moment the set up is such it requires 2S though my regular Pageboy flies on a 1S set up. Hope to get a different motor package so they work well also at 1S set up.
My supplier has promised me to help me there.

Brilliant. This could start a new genre of mini GG models.

Shaun.

Hi Tobe
There are so many variants of those micro gearmotors. Can you confirm which one you are using for GG on 2S ?
Is it the 6V 600rpm one ?

I use several different gear ratios based on the set up and I also get from my supplier a motor set for 4,5 volt. 600 rpm at 6 volt sounds on the high side but not to much far off as a normal Rand gear ratio gives around 300-400 rpm in an unloaded condition but this is based on their pulse rate. The secret here is to get the set up to change direction due of spring or end stops very close to when the pulse reverses otherwise your motor will go unnecessarily hot reducing life span of the motor itself.
Not all motors are able to reverse at this kind of pulse rate and will just stand still. In the development of the GG-Tobe I have must tried 10-15 different motor/gear box ratios/combinations.
It has to be kept in mind that in this kind of "modern" actuator are using a high rpm/high ratio gearbox compare to the original ones that used a low rpm/low ratio set which might call for special attention in some details like the choice of the centering spring.

This is interesting Tobe. Some time ago I experimented with a similar layout but never finished it off. During the past couple of weeks I've tried to make a mini-MightyMidget actuator using UMX and smaller prop-drive units but ran out of donor units. There are still possibilities but time is not really on my side at the moment. I wanted an actuator for a half-size model I've built for Ponty. Weght is critical and I'm aiming for 7-8 grams or less.

How much does yours weigh?

David

This one weighs slightly less than a regular Adam's unfortunately.
Some time ago I did some experiments for a really light and small actuator.



....but I had difficulties in finding a good power source as not all small motors would be compatible with the recoder.
Let me see if I can dig out some of it and catch up with the experimenting.

This was the only set up I found at the time to work, will check if I have anyone left

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingtm ... ystem.html

Cheers David

Tobe