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Europa #435 G-RODO Build Journal - 2010 05

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15 In Maplin, look for small project boxes to house the fuel level sensor. Can't decide which is best so take the 3 most likely ones, plus some grommets for wire & tube exits. Find a momentary-contact press switch that might suit as a press-to-talk on the stick, and a centre-baissed toggle that could be used for trim, although I'd really prefer a rocker. Find that B&Q stock tube clamps in correct size for the 5mm bore plastic tubing. They are Eliza Tinsley brand but appear the same as the 2-ear O-clips from Jubilee that are closed with pincers. When I get it home and out of the packing, the press switch has little tactile feedback but otherwise looks good. The best box seems to be a Hammond 1591MBK (Maplin stock # N68AP) 85mm x 56mm x 21m in black ABS. It will fit in the seat recess for easy service access, but not sure yet how best to secure it.
17 Have a look at the fuel sensor conditioning interface in Tim's Europa. It uses a Burr-Brown INA118 and was produced by Brian Oke, but Tim has no circuit details. Phone Brian Oke and ask for copy of any info he has. He e-mails a schema of a voltage regulator - obviously I didn't make it clear what I wanted. Reply giving more details.
18 Brian replies saying he hasn't the specific circuit recorded but suggests what it should look like (much as the Burr-Brown application note).
19 Design and make (from timber etc in stock plus castors from Screwfix) a rolling cradle for the WAM-120 engine so it can be moved around more easily. Drill seat-back for the fuel level sensor tube. Re-tap holes in fuel sensor adaptor so AN842-4D elbows both finish up in correct orientations. Clean and degrease in acetone and blow dry with air line. Fit tube to adaptor with considerable difficulty - eventually succeed with the help of circlip pliers to expand the tube end. Secure it with 5mm clip. Fit sight gauge tubes and restrictor. Secure all 3 sight gauge tube ends with CLIP000. 1323.4
20 tickIan, Harry, Peter & Mike arrive to help with cockpit module bonding. Take cockpit module out of garage and round to patio. Take WAM-120 out of trailer, using horizontal ramp trick discovered yesterday to get crane far enough over ramp. Take fuselage mouldings out, take off top moulding and leave on grass. Roll fuselage bottom on its wooden dolly onto patio beside cockpit module. Grind off big lumps at firewall face and abrade generally with flap wheel on angle grinder. The others abrade areas more difficult to get at with various PermaGrit tools and sandpaper. Vacuum out fuselage and cockpit module. Degrease bonding areas with acetone. Do a trial fit to practice handling the cockpit module. The Redux hardener in the plastic bottle that was opened last year is not blue as before but black. Put it aside for the moment and use instead the hardener in a glass bottle that is a good blue colour. Mix a total of 6 batches of Redux between 140g & 168g each and add about 5 doses of flox to each. Ian stirs to mix and then to incorporate flox while I do the weighing. When all areas appear well-covered, lift cockpit module into position and start to weigh down and clamp. Starting at firewall, use skin pins with pop-rivet washers. Can't find the cleco pliers so Harry goes home & fetches his. Switch to pop rivets when skin pins and clecos run out. The others help to put the fuselage top back in the trailer then leave. Mix another 140g of Redux (which finishes off that bottle of hardener nicely) and pour into edges of joint areas where coverage appears poor. Add flox to remainder and make a fillet each side of tunnel/firewall junction. Put WAM-120 back into trailer, followed by wing slings (which were taken out of the garden shed to gain access to the sandbags) and close it up. Drag fuselage on dolly round to garage. 21.5C; turn on both fan heaters to thermostat 4 and leave running. Clear tools off patio. At 23:30, temperature up to 23.5C so change both thermostats to 4.5. 1332.5
21 Temperature up to 24C in the morning. Order INA118 for fuel level sensor output conditioning and some rocker switches that look potentially good for trim from Farnell. Garage temp 28C by the evening so reduce thermostats to 4 again.
22 Send e-mail to Woodcomp confirming propeller choices and asking for delivery date.
24 Farnell order arrives. Really warm day and garage temp up to 32C in afternoon.
25 26.4C at 20:30; turn off heaters. Start to open up port spar hole in fuselage skin with with padsaw. 1332.7
31 Remove some clecos and skin pins so Oscar & Phoebe can sit in the cockpit. Finish off opening up spar holes on both sides of fuselage with the Minitool jigsaw & diamond blade. Remove most of remaining skin pins and clecos. 1333.0

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