If you go the balsa route for your frame, how do people protect the electronics ?
I've been thinking perhaps I could encase them in thick foam or something.
Or do you just pray you've gotten the coding right for the auto pilot ? =P
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Hey Justin, I grew up with balsa wood planes and what has always worked well for me is to wrap the reciever and flight computer with 3/8 foam packaging wrap. I leave my ESC unwrapped so that it can vent to cool. I pack everything tightly into the fuselage with this foam as well. I don't secure anything besides the servos and motor to the fuselage. The method behind my maddness is that if you happen to have a bad crash everything should just pop out on impact and lay out safely on the ground. So far It has worked perfectly every time. Just like it did in this video.
What do you mean by "you people"? (Tropic Thunder)
You might try wrapping them in foam, and putting that inside a foam "crunch box".
Make sure that the heavy things (batteries, motor) are not in line to crash through your electronics, if the plane goes nose first into the ground.
Praying never hurt, just so you don't lie.
Stephen
You can't really build for a crash... I learned that over years of building and flying.
To build-in "crash-proof-ness" you have to add weight which you can't afford to have.
You can however use a bit of foam like others have just said, but in the end, its fate.
to increase balsa regidity, try spraying the frame with epoxy - such as fiberglassing epoxy. this alone can help protect the electronics without adding weight via lots of specialty devices or foam.
Thick Foam = Expanding foam?
Its dense to provide strength and is also relatively absorbent - Light weight also which gives you more Payload max weight.