a couple printed widgets

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

tail wheel chock. I make these and ship them, but I never know if they work very well. I just don't get any feedback, a mystery part. weight = 6 oz and they feel good in the hand with no sharp edges.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

security cam mount for the vertical stab. I don't have the correct profile for tip fairing, just whacked something in there. a prototype.

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there seems to be some interest in these. when I get it dialed in, I will make these freely available on Thingiverse under the name "RV Aircraft Trumpster CAM Mount".


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

the fit is not bad for a prototype. needs some kind of foam to replace the rag, but the rag works and keeps it stabile. the difficulty is getting it up there. I am thinking about a telescoping pole with a matching cylinder on the mount to set the camera in place. the mount is robust and could support a much bigger trail cam and I will probably go that way.

you want the installation to be simple and quick. just flick the camera on, put it on a pole and toss it up there. the main thing to do is talk to the FBO to let them know why you have camera's rolling. perhaps they will also let you know about their security camera's.

the trail cam will give motion detection and night vision.

I don't plan on selling this stuff but will give the models for free. they were quick to make.

AC/DC - Shoot To Thrill
https://youtu.be/xRQnJyP77tY?si=gI9h58R84eieZTY_


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aft facing camera test fit was fine. planned to be a wide angle. probably go white color.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

I have no idea if these tail wheel chocks work very well. I just keep making them.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

a busy printing week: gust locks, seatback trays, GPS docks, etc. I really like the new high flow nozzle for the tow bar stow mounts. I have to print these mounts with a full brim or they will lift from the bed during printing.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

I'm selling a few of these gust lock rope links and answering some questions, so I thought it would be better to sell these assembled rather than just the links. the slot allows pin tilt to ease attaching rope loop. the link is faster than tying a knot.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

seatback trays curing. it says 24hr so that's what it gets. these have been very good for me in my aircraft, and I bang stuff into them, like bikes and baggage and they are in perfect condition. I was able to reach around and get my O2 meter on my last flight at 13.5k ft.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

damaged spring on mechanized wheel chock. for some reason I jerked the rope outwards to release the rope instead of upwards and elongated the spring. it was the first time I had ever done that in 3 years. 5-minute spring replacement and good as new. rock on!

what about a loop of safety cable thru the spring or adjacent to, in order to prevent inadvertent spring over extension? I'll try that.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

vertical stab tri-cam. side brackets are .064 alum. monitor the entire airport. the most important thing is to talk to the FBO about having camera's rolling. at Jabara they could monitor my aircraft with the FBO security cameras. everything is recorded. I think I got extra attention by having my own camera's. when you toss this setup on the FBO counter, you will get their attention. hey, I am just trying to keep me and family alive.

heating the .064 before bending helps prevent cracking.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

vert stab cam, single or tri....




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LHS bracket folded and flat. print a thin pattern with slots to mark the holes and bend lines in order to make a perfect bracket the first time.


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printed flat pattern for bracket. there are a lot of ways to make the hole location and bend line mark. I chose circles. there may be a better method.

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Last edited by A2022 on Fri Mar 08, 2024 7:41 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

cable stop for mechanized wheel chock.... added a small cable to prevent the spring from ever being over extended. seems to work fine but has some end sticking out. I don't believe that will be a problem, but I'll test if for a while. the cable stop will only be used in case of an inadvertent direction pull to release the chock. I did that about a week ago. it was the first time in three years to occur, but it happened. another method to configure a stop would be a vertical pin through a slot in the slide but I don't have much room for that.


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fitted all my wheel chocks with cable stops. I place the nose wheel chock with the gust locks in the soft bag and drop the main wheel chocks in the seatback tray. they are easy to grab on the way out if you need them.

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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

flattened bracket patterns with bend line locations. trying to make these angled brackets perfect the first attempt. part of the camera system to catch a perp. I don't like people that wilfully damage aircraft.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

GPS Dock release slides.... these docks keep going. the method I use to print these makes them both thin and tough but takes more time.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

vertical stab cam mount.... brackets designed for .125 bend radius so I needed to find a way to make that radius. I used 3 sheets of .032 to make the bend radius. learned a couple things. when making a less than 90 bend you need to adjust the brake bend sight line. otherwise the brackets are perfect, so almost perfect first time except for the 30 deg bend line miss. these brackets were very easy with the CAD and printed pattern. thinking of adding a micro switch and bluetooth to the cam mount so that if is lifted an alarm triggers in the aircraft a cell call. next is the aft fuselage camera. the side fuse and aft fuse cameras are standard automotive motion sensing cameras.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

first protype vertical stab tri cam is pretty good. lifting the cam in place was easy with the rod but no wind in the hangar. need the rod fork. the mount is designed for that and should be fine for lifting in windy conditions. I'll be rolling back into Empire (Y87) this Summer with all cameras rolling. Summer comes early this year. that's where the fiberglass damage occurred that prompted the need for cameras. most likely someone involved with RV's. as I understand there is only one. I had the cam brackets painted yellow but stripped them using Ultra paint remover. I tested a thinned spray mist of the paint remover, and it totally destroyed the paint and removed it. good stuff. I will probably go with a camo green.

camera angles
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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

vert stab tri-cam.... a couple prototypes. they all seem to work but I don't like the center bracket on the last one. it pushes the camera too far forward and may catch more wind. if I were to use one today it would be the second one, but I needed to shave off some of the trial camera. I am modifying the center bracket for the third version to be tighter to the others. some friends are welding the positioning rod for me. it works perfectly. very easy to guide the tri-cam into position, even in a wind. total weight of the tri-cam with positioning rod = 3 lb.

you probably don't need this unless you are traveling to Empire airport (Y87). some guy there likes to damage RV's.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

forward bracket version 2, better.

for $30 you get a nice trail cam, batteries, 32 GB memory card, mounts, etc. and very clear to setup and operate. it works. amazing value. there is no way this trail cam can be built and delivered for $30 unless they are making millions of them. and yet the electronics involved, night vision, etc. how?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVZ82K3R?ps ... ct_details

you most likely don't need this security cam unless you are going to be traveling to Empire airport (Y87). watch for the RV7 guy. we are on a collision course.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

vert stab tri-cam positioning rod... friends welded this nicely, perfect fit. easy on and off.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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A2022
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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

dialing this one in.... thickness increased at side support location, increased angle 5 degree to allow side support to rest on metal. this tucks the mount in to the vertical stab and will also provide a positive stop. you probably only need this camera surveillance if you are going into Empire airport (Y87). I am going there. I will have my drone operating at the RC field.

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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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Re: a couple printed widgets

Post by A2022 »

custom panel cover... 10-minute design job. owner opted to drill since he had a pattern. it made a nice part.


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Steve Melton
N531EM, RV9A, Superior O-320, WW 200RV prop, Slick mags, CHT 330F, EGT 1300F, B&C, 1200+ hours
Freedom and Democracy are all that really matter.
Ride a bike, unlock the world.
https://www.rvplasticparts.com/
https://www.gpsdock1.com/

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