jangodog

Anyone tried replaceing these little tiny "switches"
inside a retract servoless thingy? I lost two when i pulled them apart
to install a thicker strut/pin
for the landing gear as well.

Panther

Used to be able to buy the board but there were a lot of differences between them. I eventually just bought new gear. I did manage to replace a single switch once but it is not an easy task. I took the switch off an old board.
I also swapped back to the plastic trunions as they were lighter and lasted better.

jangodog

I managed to assemble the nose wheel correct but the mains lacks the switches. Don’t know where to get new boards. The “trunions” are the retract casing, right?

Panther

The trunions are the castings that the oleos/gear stubs go into.
The guy I used to get the bits off is no longer in business. He used to make oleos etc. Your second pic is the trunion.

Those switches are dead easy to damage or wipe off as the solder is very soft.
Much as it hurts, you are better off to get new ones. ZYHobby has pretty good prices on them.
https://zyhobby.com/collections/landing-gear-387

jangodog

Your right. Finding the switches is nearly impossible so maybe i'll order the ones from your link.

Thank's

solentlife

Why did you open them anyway to install other pins ?

As another says - its easier to just replace whole units ...... todays electronics are not like the old gear !!

jangodog

Well for the thicker pins at 5 mm to fit the gear i had to drill the hole bigger. And the top end of the nose gear i had to make a new washer to keep the pin in place.
Don't think that would be possible just to drill it with the retract together?

solentlife

I reckon I could drill my retracts while still fully assembled ..... even the full metal 'layflat' ones I have

jangodog

Maybe the mains could be drilled without disassemble but nose gear has this lock ring/
washer so it had to come apart.

Panther

Funny... I had to pull some larger retracts to bits today myself. I collected a powerline in a fatal dive and ripped the retract out. Somehow it managed to bend the worm drive. There was a small dent in the trunion.
Larger retracts are so much easier to work with. I removed the worm drive and managed to straighten it almost to perfection. Reassembled after lightly greasing the gears and it is working as good as new again.
Then I had to replace both stubs as well. Now I need a plane to put them in as the other was sold to Redhead for matchsticks.

jangodog

Yeah, those freakin retracts!!! The ones on my Viper really sucks!

Panther

Those ones of yours are quite large judging by the fact that they have bushings that the trunion sits in. Mine are plain plastic.

jangodog

Sorry but i'm a little confused. You say your trunion are plastic? Could you post a pic, please?

Panther

When the sun comes up and I wake up properly I will. The ones I fixed yesterday were metal but I have some plastic ones.

Panther

Some pics of gear with plastic trunions and old control boards and the leg I fixed yesterday. No point mucking around with control boards as even though the legs look the same, often the control boards are slightly different. Retracts are dirt cheap now to what they used to be so the pain isn't worth it.

solentlife

Only time I took retracts apart was when the servo lead was partially severed by the case joint. Whoever in factory assembled the retract had allowed the lead to get jammed between case halves. Of course the retract already installed in the model - it was never noticed till after a few flights - the bumps and grinds led to the case biting through the lead.
I fixed it and that retract still works to this day years later.

My question though now is ... 5mm pin ? That's quite a pin for a Viper ? I assume we are talking about the Viper EDF Jet ? Its not a big heavy model - so I am wondering why 5mm pins ? I assume the old retracts had 4mm pins ?

jangodog

ahh, now i see why you ask about drilling without taking it apart. Plastic trunions are
easier to drill out. Didn’t know they came in plastic too. Nice pics, thank you. True the
retracts are cheaper now but out of stock almost everywhere. Question is now should
i go with the original Eflite retracts and drill them out or get some more sturdy ones with
5mm pins so i don’t have to drill? Only problem is i have to “mod” the place where the
sits because of their bigger size.

Panther

It was solentlife that mentioned drilling without dismantling and that is possible on the mains but not the steerable nosegear due to the circlip that holds the leg in.
It seems that all the stuff serious modellers want nowadays is in short supply or completely out of stock or backorder and nobody can tell you when new stock will arrive, if at all.

jangodog

Yes, unfortunately retracts are in short supply. Think i'll go with the originals mains and drill them out.
Thank's my friend from "Down under"