I’ve started converting an Aristo RS-3 to Battery/Airwire/Phoenix/Kadee remote couplers. First project is the couplers.
Luckily, the opening in the front and rear are at the right height for the gear box. Here are the steps I took to installed the Kadee couplers:
- Remove the front plate and existing coupler.
- Grind off the post that held the stock coupler.
- I designed a little 2-part bracket to hold the coupler. Here’s a rendering and the real thing:
This slides over the lower two screw posts on the front plate.
- Install only the lower piece first and drill through the screw posts with a bit large enough to pass a #4 screw. You’ll need to route out some little access holes:
- The upper piece acts as the nut, and should not be drilled. The screws will cut threads into it and cinch the whole assembly together.
The ends of the screws sticking out need to be trimmed off. I did this by backing them out, cutting them, and driving them back in. This worked fine, since the threads had been established.
- The gear box need to protrude through the plate that is part of the frame. Cut a hole for it, with special attention to the servo horn.
- Reassemble