EFlite Night Radian Servo Plate

thingiverse

The stock EFlite Radian and Night Radian come with a subpar servo mounting setup, featuring short travel and lengthy servo arms resulting in unnecessary flex and control resolution loss (short servo travel utilizes only a fraction of available steps). This servo plate mounts two standard or updated servos, measuring up to 28mm x 13mm each, side by side, and provides more rigidity. The stock servo pocket in the foam needs enlargement (green rectangle in image), while the original elevator servo pocket requires removal (blue rectangular area). A small piece of foam should be added for extra rigidity, glued with E6000 or similar. Removing the original servo pocket also improves access for threading the wing LED wiring into place, which can otherwise be a challenge. If you are installing this on a Night Radian, it is recommended to create a small depression/channel in the rear wall and floor of the new servo pocket to route the tail and fuselage LEDs' wires under the servos. The LED wiring was hot-glued to the floor of the pocket. The servo plate has four bosses for mounting screws. The holes are undersized (2.55mm) to be tapped out to 3mm threads. A rectangular feature on the vertical section of the plate is designed for egressing servo wires. To secure the servo plate, E6000 or similar adhesive should be used and allowed to dry for 24 hours before mounting servos. The servos are swapped in position so that the starboard side servo now drives the rudder, while the port side servo controls the elevator. Shorter servo arms are required to fit within the bay (stock HiTec arms were cut down to suit). This adjustment is desirable for maximizing servo throw and utilizing available resolution. If the Radian/Night Radian is balanced correctly (about 3" to 3.25" CG position aft of leading edge at the root), then the control throws should be sufficient, even when selecting the correct linkage/control horn position. Version 1 of the plate is designed for standard Parkzone servos. Version 2 has been updated for HiTec HS-82MG servos and provides extra space for wiring egress. Thanks to clough42 at https://www.thingiverse.com/clough42 for inspiration, although this design goes beyond a simple remix with its comprehensive differences.