Battery Box mod while the wind blows

[Knackered Sailor]

Well the wind keeps blowing here in Cornwall (UK) too much for my first flight and set to get worse for at least another week so thought I'd better do something useful. I've taped the leading edges of the wing and where the elastic bands go plus a strip under tension down the middle of the underside wing. All suggestions from this informative site. 

Most importantly I set about the battery box. I didn't fancy moving everything in order to insert battery vertically or cutting through towards the nose as some here have done, as it seemed to me it might weaken the undercarriage support. So I cut away the box to the rear including half of each vertical support i.e. the inner part of the two box struts. It was fairly easy but time consuming with a knife and a thin cutter on a Dremel type tool. The battery slides in a treat and with the velcro quite secure but easy to remove. I then checked the CG and it was bang on.

[coupe1942]

The good thing about your style battery box mod is that you can still alter the plastic battery box later to allow for vertical insertion of a battery, as well. As long as you leave the front section intact enough to support the landing gear setup, then your pretty well okay. I'd still recommend using the Velcro strap to secure the battery in case the door opened up unexpectedly.

I have modified my other orange "parts Cub" with long 3mm screws that have nuts on the end and extend outside the battery box edging. It locks the entire box pretty securely, especially if I hook a small rubber band over the screws and door. Like say, it leaves you the option to further modify the battery box later, should you wish to do so. I enjoy these type of mods, as anything that makes battery insertion or removal a bit easier or even quicker is helpful to me with my arthritic hands.

[renard80]

Hi Sailor:

That is what I do with my battery boxes - cut out a bit at the bottom front, so the battery slides in and lies horizontally.

Unlike the 'vertically mounted' mod, it avoids the hassle of having to re-rout wires.

And yes, as coupe says, I always secure the battery with the Velcro straps.

Also, I attach a folded strip of duct tape to each battery, making a strong tab with which to pull the battery up and out of the box. It means I don't have to pull the battery wires when removing the battery, thereby avoiding damage.