Micron Wings Balsa Craft Kits LiteStick Manual

LiteStick (Build Instructions)
Before You Start
This airframe has been designed to fit together easily with all components precision drilled and
CNC cut from high quality balsa and paulownia wood. However, you will be working with very
small components, so you will need patience and keen eyesight. We recommend working in a very
well-lit area and taking a break between stages to rest the eyes and hands. Most of all, take your
time, enjoy the building experience and you will be proud of what you have produced in the end.
Specifications
Wingspan: 37cm
Length: 27cm
Flying Weight: 24grams
Channels: 3 (Rudder Elevator Throttle)
Suggested Receiver: 3 - 4Ch Micro
Airframe Kit (Included Contents)
* Airframe Surface Parts (balsa)
* Airframe Skeleton (hardwood)
* Carbon pushrods
* Control linkages
* Undercarriage with Wheels
* Fine sand paper
* Geardrive, Prop and Prop Saver
* Decal Stickers
Needed to Complete
* Thick CA Glue or UHU Hart Glue
* Micro Phillips Head Screwdriver
* Hobby Knife
* Ruler
* Hobby Masking or Other Tape
* Patience
* Keen Eyesight
* Steady Hands
* Receiver Transmitter Charger Battery
(see instructions for suggested RC gear setup)

First, refer to this and the following pages to ensure that you have all the required airframe
components in your kit.
Decal Stickers
Airframe Wooden Parts and additional parts
Carbon rod

Before starting you may wish to very lightly
sand down all the flat surfaces of the parts if
you want to have a smooth finish. It’s easier
to do this initially, otherwise the ribs will get
in the way of sanding when complete.
When removing parts from the sheets, identify where the cut line is sectioned and cut that part
with a sharp pointed hobby knife. The parts should be able to be removed easily. Never twist or
bend the parts back and forth to remove them as this will damage the parts. Instead cut around
the parts as necessary to easily remove them.
Carbon push rods

Remove the ribs from the hardwood sheet and glue these in place in the wings.
Note: If you are choosing to put the war decals on your wings and in particular on the underside,
it will be difficult to attach them once the ribs are glued in place. You may wish to attach the
decals before you glue the ribs in place. If doing so, glue in all the ribs except the ones which will
go directly over the decals. This will give the wings their curve before attaching the decals. The
decals can then be applied to the curved wing and they will sit flat on the wing surface. Once the
decals are attached, go ahead and glue the final ribs in place. See image below to identify the
leading edge before gluing the ribs in place. Also lay your wings out with the centers together and
ensure you don’t make two left or two right wings by gluing the ribs to the same side of the wing
on each side.
It is a good idea to use Model
Masking Tape to hold down the ribs
while they dry.
Product Link
The front wing support is shown here. The one at
the front has three screw holes for attaching the
screws which hold the undercarriage in place. It is
easier to screw these screws in place now and
check the undercarriage attaches firmly. Use the
larger of the screws in the pack (the smaller ones
are not used –they are supplied because they are
used for the motor mount). The screws are not
screwed all the way in and the undercarriage slips
in behind them.
Leading Edge

Glue these wing supports in place onto the carbon body spar and to the measurement and
spacing guide shown below. Use the wooden spacer to get the spacing between them exact
(image on right below). Also ensure it is flush with the end of the carbon rod. Make sure the cut-
out gaps in the wing supports are facing in toward each other. These gaps are where the wings
slot in. You may need to sand (burr) the end of the carbon rod with some sandpaper to make it
easier to slide into the holes in the wing supports.
It’s best to rough up the carbon rod where the supports will be glued with some rough sandpaper
if you have it or a hobby knife. This will assist the glue to stick to the carbon. Use either UHU Hart
(CA Glue) or UHU Por (tacky foam glue).
UHU Hart (Product Link) UHU Por (Product Link)
Place the airframe upside down on a flat surface to align the wing supports and add a little glue
around the carbon body spar and onto the wing supports.
Flush

Remove the three left and right wing support pieces shown below.
Sand a taper into the ends where they fit into the locating slots. This will allow them to slide into
the locating slots easier later. Then glue the three wooden parts together. Finally, after allowing it
to dry, glue this assembled part into the locating slots in the wing supports. You can ease one end
in and then pull the wing supports apart slightly to let the opposite end slip in.
Then glue in place the wing center section as shown on the left below.
At this stage you can also attach the wheels to the undercarriage and secure them in place with
some 0.6mm heat shrink. Heat carefully with the tip of a soldering iron to shrink them in place.
Attach the undercarriage now if you wish and check the fuselage is level.
Next glue the wings in place.
Sand a taper here
Sand a taper here

Attaching your control horns. Don’t glue anything until you sort out your control system. If using a
brick type receiver you will have set elevator and rudder on specific sides and your control horns
will need to match up with that configuration. Also, you may need to reverse servo directions and
for that you will need a programmable transmitter. If using servos. You can easily change side
and direction.
Glue the control horns in place but in either case remember that you must have the control horn
for the elevator on the upper surface. For now, there is no upper and lower surface on the tail-
plane. But this will be important in the next step.
Also remember that if you are going to attach the War Decals to the vertical stabiliser then it
would be best to stick them on now before gluing in the control horn onto the fin.
Preparing the tail skid.
Next cut this piece off the tail skid. This piece is not
needed in setups which use elevator control. Its purpose
is to hold the elevator stable if the model is being set up
with just rudder and throttle control. However, we
suggest you use both rudder and elevator for control on
this model.
Glue the tail mount pieces together as shown below and then attach them to the the tailplane.
Remember that the elevator control horn is on the upper surface (the opposite side to the tail
mount). Also ensure that there is no glue obstructing the round holes where the carbon body
former slides in.

Glue in place the verticalstabiliser ensuring it is at right angles with the tailplane. Then glue the
tailplane onto the carbon body former and check it is straight. Add some extra glue around the
mount where the carbon rod passes through. Once again you may wish to rough up the carbon
where the tail attaches to allow the glue to adhere well.
Attaching the Motor
The motor is supplied with no connector. Depending on your
choice of receiver you may wish to solder the wires directly to
the receiver board or attach a connector which matches the one
on your receiver.
See the connectors section on our website for various options.
Link to Connectors page on MicronWings
Rough up the carbon body former with some sandpaper and
attach the motor by gluing it in place. Check it is straight with
the motor above the carbon body former. The motor will have
some degree of down thrust and this is needed for correct flight.
With this done your basic airframe is complete. You may need
to bend the undercarriage a little so the wheels sit flat on the
ground. You’re now ready to fit out the electronics and control
linkages.

Receivers
The kit doesn’t come with a receiver or servos so it is up to you to choose which one is best for
your needs. You may have a receiver from another model which you can fit. The two receivers
below are suggested for this model.
Option1 –Micro Receiver for Servos Option 2 –Brick Style Receiver
Receiver 4Ch DSMX With 2A ESC Receiver 24R6CLV11 DSM2 Brick
Product Link Product link
Servo 5320 Black SH
Product Link
If using a receiver and servos, the receiver is
mounted above the mounting board opposite
the battery as shown above.
If using servos, this spacer board is needed
and is placed on top of the mounting board
to allow the bottom of the servos to clear
with wings.
If using a brick style receiver, it is mounted as
shown above. Use hot glue, or the supplied
hook and loop tape to hold it in place.
If using a brick style receiver, the spacer
boad is not needed.
Battery Info: We recommend a small 100mah battery such as
the one below. These are available on the MicronWings
website for postage within Australia only.
Product Link
Note: Servo arm used is the short one.
Control linkages attach to the outermost hole

The kit is supplied with two types of control linkage connectors and you may choose which ones
you want to use. The wooden type on the left screwed into the servo arms. However we suggest
you use the linkages shown on the right which are a more reliable way to set up your control
system. The kit is also supplied with two 0.8mm carbon pushrods.
First, turn on your radio gear and make sure the servos are centered and all trims are set to
neutral. Then attach the pushrods to the servos first. If using the control linkages (non-wooden
type) then use the coiled ones on the servo end. These coil type linkages can also be glued in
place just to make sure they don’t come off.
Once this is done attach the linkages with a hook in them to the control horn and trim your carbon
rod as shown in the image on the right below. Then use a small amount of glue and the larger
1mm heat shrink to secure them in place. You may use a soldering iron tip to heat the heat shrink.
The finished linkages should look like the image below. Heat shrink is used to secure the joints
and the U shaped hook can be used to make fine adjustment later (similar to the effect of using
trim on the transmitter)
Note: Control linkages attach to the outermost hole

Next we need to prepare the control surfaces. The kit comes with a pack of tape hinges as shown
on the right below. These are stuck in place on the tail surfaces. Don’t stick them where the wood
is joined –stick them over the gaps in the wood. Use three for the elevator –one on each side
toward the tip and one on the inner part near the hinge. Use the other two for the vertical
stabilizer. Use a hobby knife to separate the sticker from the paper, and use tweesers or the blade
of a hobby knife to fit them in place instead of trying to do it with your fingers.
The wooden sections are then cut out to allow the control surface to move. Finally test your
control surfaces with the receiver turned on. You may need to dial down the throw so the control
surfaces don’t move too much.
Adjust your elevator travel on your transmitter so
that it clears the rudder.
Also check your rudder throws. The rudder should
move just 15 degrees either side of center. This will
usually require you to dial down your rudder throws.
Start with small throws for test flying and increase as
needed.
Make two cuts to cut
out the block like this
Don’t forget to cut out here
as well from underneath
Cut out
Adequate gap

Next attach the prop. If your kit contains a brass prop save then remove it from the shaft to
attach the prop. If your geardrive has a plastic prop adapter then leave it on the shaft and attach
the propeller to it.
Additional O-rings can be purchased on the MicronWings website.
Product Link
Balance Point.
Attach your battery and use it’s position to adjust the balance point. The balance point should be
27mm from the leading edge of the wing.
27mm

Decorating
We have supplied a range of stickers in this kit. So you can dress it up with the following styles.
Lively Red and Blue Theme Traditional Theme Go to War Theme
Basic Overview Video
What improvements have been made in this Version2 of the LiteStick? A quick overview and
comparison of the current version (V2) and the original LiteStick
Sample Flight Video.
A quick take-off and landing filmed outside in a slight breeze
Copyright © MicronWings 2017: All rights reserved.
This manual is for personal use only. No unauthorized copying or digital distributing permitted
without permission from MicronWings.