Autopilot Servos

[n144sh]

Surely somebody out there must have mounted Dynon or other autopilot servos. Searched here and on the Yahoo archived forums and can't find any information. I have Dynon Skyview and was thinking that the pitch servo could be connected to the bellcrank just aft of the control sticks. Roll servo I haven't thought of a great way to integrate yet - especially as my wings are closed out so mounting in the wings might be pretty difficult now.

Questions:
If you have mounted Dynon or other servos, where did you mount and connect them into the controls?
If you used Dynon servos, which models did you use? I called Dynon and they suggested SV-42 servos if there was no previous experience. Capstan model for roll.

Thanks! Any help or pictures are much appreciated.

Steve Harris
Bearhawk 4-place QB
RV-4 completed 2001

[mswain]

Ron Jones has some pictures on his kitlog sight, might help? http://www.mykitlog.com/users/displa...g=123830&row=5 There are roll servo pictures if you scroll through the "Avionics" section.

[n144sh]

Thanks! That helps a lot, just what I was looking for.

Steve

[dedgemon]

I've not decided on servos for the bearhawk, ... But. I have retrofitted a couple of RV's. One pretty easy way to do roll if you have access problems is to mount the servo (pushrod version) in the wingtip. Then run a pushrod down to the aileron bellcrank. I did this in a RV-9 and it worked great. Also know of a couple others that were done this way. Good luck

[aerolite]

Steve,
Here is some pics of how I did the servo's. They are TruTrak servos. I have found over time that you can never have a servo mount to stiff so I weld in the mounting plates. The two hose clamps were there to hold plate in place, to position servo solidly before welding. I try to avoid capstan versions if possible, just adds more to the install and if I can go directly to a hard point then so much the better. Also having both under the seats makes access so much easier. The roll servo will have a protective cover over it as it is at the front area of the seat. I ran the design past the engineer's at TT and they saw no problem with the installation.
In the Patrol I did, I put the roll servo in the wing, but the BH wing is just that much thinner to make it a bit too tight.

[mswain]

That looks fantastic Steve! Nice work.

[n144sh]

Thanks guys, very helpful. It is always good to see what others have done. I really like the idea of the servos under the seats.

Steve H.

[Battson]

I don't have autopilot, so just a bystander's question:

Surely you must need to have a rudder servo too, with the Bearhawk?

I just wondered about that, because the Bearhawk is so sensitive to rudder input. Without correct rudder input the aileron control forces are massive. Not to mention that the aileron, if used without rudder, create more yaw than they do roll.

[jaredyates]

I've often wondered the same.

[Enewton57]

Russ Erb told me that he doesn't need the rudder servo especially for straight and level flight. He just keeps the ball centered in turns.


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[fly_n_low]

I use regular SV-42s mounted under the seats. Works great. I use AP about every time I fly. Rudder would be nice but certainly isn't required.

Pics at http://www.foxflier.com/bearhawk/2011/June11/index.htm

Regards,

Ted

[SimonNicholson]

Hi Steve,

sorry to hijack the thread but I cannot seem to send a private message. I wanted to ask you how you placed the seam on the top fuselage using Oratex.

Cheers
Simon

[Mark Goldberg]

Hello Simon. On my LSA we glued a long over lap of 5-6 inches wide which runs up the top of the fuselage.from in front of the vert stab forward. Mark