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73” AJ Laser 230z 

Assembly Instructions 

Summary of Contents for Laser 230z

Page 1: ...73 AJ Laser 230z Assembly Instructions ...

Page 2: ... a safe reliable airframe Poor assembly will lead to an unsafe model and therefore the instructions must be followed closely Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us The safe op eration of this model is your responsibility and yours alone If you are a beginner or have never flown a model of this size and power you should attempt with the help of an experienced pilot This ...

Page 3: ...ensions 2x 6 2x 12 3x if electric 2x 18 if gas 1x 24 3 76mm Spinner 5 channel receiver Flight or receiver ignition batteries Powerbox smart switch Ignition cut off if gas Tools Blue Painters Masking Tape Denatured Alcohol Paper Towels Blue Loctite Metric Standard Allen Wrenches Hobby Knife Fresh Blades Thirty Minute Epoxy or Gorilla Glue Fifteen Minute Epoxy Thin C A Electric Drill w Assorted Smal...

Page 4: ...en when using nylon lock nuts Do your best to mechanically center all flying surfaces so little to no sub trim will be required in the radio setup Use a piece of tape to hold your surfaces level and thread the ball links in or out until it s perfect Take the time to properly balance and trim your aircraft Use the suggested throws at the end of this manual as your starting point and then fine tune ...

Page 5: ...e the 3 pre installed bolts in the tail and mount the tail gear with provided bolts and washers Section 1 Fuselage Landing Gear Tip It is a good idea to put a drop of thin CA in the holes after inserting and removing wood screws to harden the wood threads ...

Page 6: ...an washers into the pre installed blind nuts in the fuselage 5 Place the wood filler block over the landing gear Pay attention to the fit as it is directional While the cuffs will hold this in place we suggest using a piece of clear tape or white Ultracote for extra security 6 Install the landing gear cuffs using the 4 phillips head bolts and washers provided Note you can also use a silicon glue t...

Page 7: ...on Place a drop of Loctite on them prior to in 7 Remove the axles wheels wheel collars wrench and lock nuts from the bag Slide the wheel on the axle and secure with a wheel collar 8 To install wheel pants slide over tire and align horizontally to fit in the wheel pant recess Using the provided wrench secure the axle to the landing gear with a washer and lock nut ...

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Page 9: ...xposing the horizontal stabilizer slot on both sides and the hole for the elevator servo on the LEFT side of the fuselage 11 Test fit the horizontal stabilizer making sure it is centered and aligned to the fuselage Use a 12 ruler to get it centered in the fuselage Slide the wing tube in and look at the plane from the back forward to make sure that the horizontal stabilizer is parallel with the win...

Page 10: ...e left and right corners Extra time spent here will go a long way to improve the flight characteristics of this airplane 13 Once the stab is centered and squared up secure it with thin CA on both sides top and bottom You can go back and apply an extra fillet of medium CA along the joints for extra strength if desired ...

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Page 12: ...f the elevator The cut doesn t have to be perfect as we will be removing covering around this coming up 15 Assemble the horn in the order of bolt washer control horn ball link control horn washer lock nut Take note to use the ball link that does not have the extra half sphere here The other ball links are used on the servo arm end ...

Page 13: ...tor half to make sure they will fully seat down Sand the corners or bottom edge if necessary Trace around the base plate with a fine Sharpie 17 Remove the assembly and use a sharp blade to cut approx 1 16 in from your line and remove the covering Use caution to ...

Page 14: ...own on the base plate to ensure a flush tight fit Wipe away excess glue with a paper towel and denatured alcohol Keep the bolt ball link assembled to ensure alignment spacing as it dries Repeat for the other elevator half Set aside to dry 19 Slide the joiner into the other elevator half and mark the edge of the left elevator Remove all covering that will be inside the slot Tip To save some time an...

Page 15: ... the elevator joiner so as not to rub on the fuselage Should there be clearance issues you may touch it up with a Dremel and a sanding drum 21 Hold or tape one half of the elevator to the leading edge of the stab and ensure the opposite elevator half is also level with the stab If both halves are not level sand or shim the elevator joiner until aligned ...

Page 16: ...e any excess epoxy with a paper towel and denatured alcohol Slide the hinges in the rest of the way and again remove any excess epoxy Make sure the center pins have no epoxy on them Fully deflect the surface up and down to make sure the hinge gap is not too tight 23 Place some 15 30 minute epoxy into the slot for the elevator joiner on the right elevator control surface Use the same process as the...

Page 17: ...en the threads and provide a more secure mount 25 Install the servo with the screws that came with it Use a 1 5 heavy duty servo arm 26 Thread the included turnbuckle rod into the ball link in the elevator and then put a ball link on the other end Secure this end to the servo arm using the provided bolt washer and nylon nut Adjust the turnbuckle in out until the elevator is flat with the stab ...

Page 18: ...he line to remove the covering on both sides 30 Partially remove the horns to one side and apply epoxy to the half nearest the rudder on top and bottom Only apply it to half so that when you pull it back into the rudder it will spread the glue to the other half 31 Measure the horn on each side and adjust until centered Also look at it from the top or bottom to make sure both ends are even with the...

Page 19: ...l Rudder Setup 35 Install the rudder servo into the tray in the fuselage A 3 servo arm will be required 36 Secure a ball link and pull pull fitting to each side of the servo arm and each side of the rudder control horn 37 Slide an aluminum crimp tube onto the end of one of the wires and then loop the wire through the pull pull fitting through the crimp tube the other way and then loop it into the ...

Page 20: ...k and adjust the loops through the fitting and crimp until most of the slack is removed Crimp the tube and cut off any excess wire 43 Remove the bolt holding the ball link and twist the pull pull fitting in a few turns at a time and re mount it to the horn Adjust in or out until the wire becomes taut Guitar string tightness is not required just enough to remove any slack Secure the ball link with ...

Page 21: ...t through to the top side 43 Test fit the horns in the slots The fit should be snug If it feels like the bottom corners are digging into the wood you may want to round the corners 44 As before slide the base on and trace around it Lightly cut inside the line to remove the covering 45 Slightly roughen the surface of the horns and the base that will be glued into the aileron on both sides with sandp...

Page 22: ...ring and pull the extension through the wing 49 Install the servo into the wing utilizing the hardware that came with the servos Then install a 1 25 servo arm so it is roughly perpendicular to the servo case 50 As with the other control arms attach the ball link to the control horn with washers and a nylon nut thread on the turnbuckle and a ball link on the other side Secure to the servo arm and a...

Page 23: ...all standoffs or standoffs that will take your prop backplate to a distance of 9 1 16 from the firewall using your engine s recommended bolts washers and nylon lock nuts to check for clearance on the carbure tor You may find it necessary to remove some wood around the hole in the firewall to clear the carb If so a dremel sanding drum makes quick work of this You can also use this opportunity to ma...

Page 24: ...re s a pre cut hole in the bottom of the firebox for the throttle servo which should work perfectly for the majority of gas engines If your engines throttle is in a different spot you can use the provided ply servo mount box to locate your throttle servo where it works best Install the servo using the manufacturers hardware and then make a pushrod to connect the servo to your engine Use the provid...

Page 25: ...st placing the provided piece of foam under the tank to prevent foaming from vibration Secure the tank using the provided Velcro straps running through the slots on the plywood tray 32 If using stock mufflers block off the pipe tunnel by securing the provided plywood pipe tunnel isolation plate ...

Page 26: ...ut the exit in order to keep your engine running cool happy Baffling is not required but is always a good idea Electric Motor Install 52 Begin by using the provided template to mark the mounting locations of the electric motor box extension Drill 4mm holes at the marked locations Install blind nuts in back of the firewall and secure the extension to the firewall with the included bolts ...

Page 27: ... offsets depending on your motor length Test fit the cowl for clearance You will need 6 from the motor box to spinner 56 Use nylon zip ties to secure the ESC to the bottom or side of the motor box We recommend putting a small piece of foam be tween the ESC and motor box to dampen vibrations 57 An extra zip tie with a piece of large fuel tubing can be used to secure the 3 motor wires to the motor b...

Page 28: ...d then slide on the spinner backplate to check for clearance Pay special attention to lining up the paint decals to the fuselage The gap between the spinner backplate and front of the cowl should be approx 1 32 1 16 Once happy with the fit and alignment tape the cowl to the fuselage in several spots to ensure it doesn t move 62 Tape the other end of the paper to the cowl and carefully drill a 1 16...

Page 29: ...nner SFGs Optional 65 SFGs are included and can be added to the wings to add extra lift on knife edge 66 Each SFG is mounted with the included spacer which prevents it rubbing with the aileron The wingtip spacer and SFG have 2 laser cut holes Puncture or cut through both holes in each piece 67 Use the included bolts to secure the SFG through the spacer and into the blind nuts in wingtip ...

Page 30: ...ust your CG depending on your flying style If you fly aggressive 3D aerobatics you ll want to find more of a neutral CG meaning that when it s flown level inverted it requires little to no do elevator to maintain altitude If you enjoy sport precision aerobatics more you ll want a slightly nose heavy CG To test this fly left or right at about 3 4 to full throttle and pull to a 45 de gree up line Ro...

Page 31: ...enjoy flying the 73 AJ Laser 230z If you have any problems questions or suggestions always feel free to create a support ticket at aj aircraft com Once you get a few flights in we would greatly appreciate your review sub mitted on the site See you at the field ...

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