Thanks to all who've replied. I like the idea of the magnets and will be employing that technique.
Thanks again, Mark -----Original Message----- From: Dick Williamson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 6:16 AM To: Mark Wilson Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [RCSE] Spirit 100 Spoilers Mark, You said: >Help! >My Son and I have just completed his Spirit 100 with spoilers. >I've noticed that the spoilers do not close all the way, is there a way to >remedy this? > >Or will they close when the plane is in the air? You can't count on the spoilers closing completely when in the air. There have been many proposed solutions to this problem. One is to operate the spoilers through push rods directly connected to micro servos buried in the wings. A second is to use rubber bands to pull the spoilers down. A third approach, and the one I have used, is to employ little magnets. I bought a package of two tiny rare-earth magnets at Radio Shack. I glued one magnet to the rear bottom of each spoiler. I then glued a small piece of a tin (i.e., steel, not aluminum) can to a little shelf under each magnet. The spoilers are pulled up by pull strings. When I want to close the spoilers, I move the throttle stick and the wind pushes the spoilers nearly closed. The little magnets then pull the spoilers down the last fraction of an inch and keep them closed. Regards, Dick -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dr. Richard C. Williamson Phone: 781-981-7857 Room C-317 FAX: 781-981-0122 Lincoln Laboratory Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Massachusetts Institute of Technology 244 Wood Street Lexington, MA 02420-9108 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]