FrankenStick - Undercarriage and wheels

thingiverse

First off, this design consists of various components, including the body, tail, wing, and others. I've linked to these other parts at the bottom of this write-up for your reference. This paragraph explains all the different sets of parts, so you can understand what they're part of. The idea behind this modular plane is to assemble different wings and tails based on a 25mm round or 22mm square tube 'stick' body. This design allows anyone to play with various configurations. The concept is inspired by the actual stick planes, where a 'stick' represents an actual stick. I used 25mm plastic conduit for the 'stick,' but CF tubes would be lighter options. Each part comes with a PDF file that includes photos to help you visualize things and provides more information and instructions. I relied on 3mm and 4mm threaded bar, which could also be replaced with glued-in CF rods. However, I preferred the idea of unbolting and replacing any damaged parts for added flexibility. Some of the photos might differ slightly from the STLs as they evolved over time. The plane in the pictures has a wingspan of 110cm, a length of 90cm, with the front edge of the wing to the prop center at 20cm, and the wing's trailing edge to the front of the tail at 32cm. These sizes are just recommended averages, not fixed values. The CG is roughly one-third from the leading edge of the wing; feel free to adjust it closer if needed. Weights include a wing weight of 365g and the rest of the plane with motor, servos, nose weight, and undercarriage at 650g. The battery is an extra component, weighing in with PVC conduit 'stick,' while CF would be a bit lighter. If I make any changes or updates in the future, I'll add them here. Feel free to modify or upgrade any parts you like; just link them back to this page for others to access. Updates: None. This is the section on wheels and undercarriage. The wheels come in two sizes – 50mm and 15mm hub outer diameter – allowing foam tires to fit snugly. You can expand either size as needed using a slicer if required. The wheels consist of a center piece with an inner and outer rim glued to it, along with a central bearing that enables smooth spinning. These bearings are slightly smaller than the wheel center, making them work seamlessly. They bolt into the undercarriage, providing a secure connection. You can widen the wheels in a slicer by increasing the Z height. For the undercarriage, I used 6mm aluminum tube but CF would also be a suitable option. The legs splay out at 45 degrees and are held together with glue or small screws. The undercarriage consists of a wheel center support at the bottom, as seen in the photos, and a top support that will glue to a 90-degree corner. A horizontal support arm is fixed only at the ends, providing some movement. Both top and bottom supports have slotted versions if you prefer using metal or CF strips instead. An adapter for the Ping Pong wheel is also provided; however, I haven't tested it yet. Glue on the Ping Pong center piece found in the Tail section of the links will work just fine. The Ping Pong tail is quite impressive, but it would be even more exciting to see a plane with three Ping Pong wheels... Other Franken Parts: * Body: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3708532 * Battery: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3708528 * Wing: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3708569 * Motor: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3708547 * Tail: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3708553 * Control parts: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3708544