Controls
- Cindy Cai (Deactivated)
1. Basics
Ailerons:
control roll by raising one aileron or the other
raise and lower wings
raising right + lower left → roll to right
raising left + lower right → roll to left
Rudder:
control yaw (turning)
rudder moves left and right
left → yaw to left, right → yaw to right
Elevators:
tail section, control pitch (lift, angle of attack)
raise and lower
lowering → nose goes down, raising → nose goes up
2. Controlling the controls (motor options)
two ailerons, one rudder, two elevators is common
rudder controls yaw (essential for steering) → plane will start to roll on its own
ailerons control roll → without ailerons the pilot will lose control when turning
elevators are essential for controlling lift and angle of attack
propellers → essential for moving
landing?
Common types of motors:
stepper
designed for precise positional control & tracking
relative positioning → discrete “steps”, tiny margin of error
typical: 200 steps per rev, 1.8 deg per step
high torque, low speed
applications: 3DP, CNC, large robot arms
2. servo
designed for precise positioning → angular position of motor shaft (horn)
absolute positioning
a little more expensive
high torque
used as joints (robotic arms & legs) and steering for RC cars
ailerons, rudder, elevators
KeeYees PCA9685 Raspberry Helicopter Airplane
3. brushless
controllable speed
greater reliability, faster max speed, better efficiency than brushed DC (but more expensive)
not THAT expensive
high power output for small motor
propellers, camera gimbals
Brushless Motor DX2205-2300KV Racing
KV1000 Brushless Aircraft Multicopter Quadcopter
Motors Plan:
control both elevators with one servo
control both ailerons with one servo → blue mechanism:
minimum: 3 servos for controls
3. Control Mechanisms
planes have controls in fuselage, move ailerons with control rods
Linkages!!
Single servo aileron control:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2z-r5WeHHI&ab_channel=ValterVidaLealValterVidaLeal
More sophisticated version (for commercial planes):
Single servo elevator control:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8l_fzUYXMY&ab_channel=JeffersonMartinsAraujo
Flap control linkage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3AHgk0SUoI&ab_channel=JeffersonMartinsAraujoJeffersonMartinsAraujo
good to keep servo → flap angular movement 1:1
keep control horn right above flap hinge → symmetrical response
keep control horn and servo vertical at neutral position → symmetrical response
Flap attachment:
commercial: mostly hinges + brackets
some hobbyists stick the wires straight into the ailerons from the wings (probably very flimsy)
sometimes just connected with a few hinges (also hobbyists)
lots of options
Ref:
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/UEET/StudentSite/dynamicsofflight.html
https://maker.pro/custom/tutorial/what-type-of-motor-is-best-for-my-project
https://www.instructables.com/Beginners-Guide-to-Connecting-Your-RC-Plane-Electr/