Tips & Tricks

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PLUG PROTECTION

When the banana plugs from his starter kept breaking off and were too easily pulled out of his power panel, Karl looked for a better solution. He found it at RadioShack: a double banana plug that can better handle strain than two single plugs. He colored the negative side with a felt pen and soldered it to his starter. Since he has begun using this system, none of the plugs have broken off or even pulled out! We can't wait to try this one out.

Karl Byman, Longview, WA

NO-FUSS BATTERY JIG

Here's a tip that doesn't require any building, gluing, or soldering! When Jim needed a battery jig to keep his battery cells aligned while he made them into packs, he looked around his workshop and found the perfect fix: a sanding T-bar and a scrap of 1x2-inch wood. This arrangement keeps the cells in place and provides a good heat sink to keep the cells cool while he solders them. When he's finished with it, the T-bar returns to its usual function: getting his masterpieces ready for covering.

Jim Miller, Salt Lake City, UT

EASY COOLDOWN

Battery packs heat up enough during flight, so you definitely don't want to put a hot-from-the-recharger battery pack into your plane. Here's an easy way to avoid having to wait for your pack to cool down: hook a fan up to blow cool air over them while they're being charged! Gary found an inexpensive 12V DC computer fan at a computer hardware store, and he uses it to cool the packs while they're being charged. Because the fan runs on 12V DC, he wired it with alligator clips and hooked it directly to the 12V battery source. By the time it has been recharged, the pack is cool and ready for flight.

Gary Ritchie, Olympia, WA

HELPING HAND

Ever wish you had a third hand when you solder wires together? Here's the easiest fix we've seen yet! John cut two slits opposite each other on the edge of a spray-can lid and uses them to hold the wires while he solders them. And the best part? You can put the lid back on the can when you've finished! Now, that's modeling ingenuity.

John Bruno, St. Ann, MO