Asuga ADU racing steering plate defect

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So I have another theory, this part is being sold for both the Asuga and the Kagama, but the Kagama uses a completely different steering system.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807268414389.html

So maybe the hinge pin holes are "off" for both cars but close enough that they kind-of work for both? It's still hinky engineering though. Even if the screws thread into the holes they will sit crooked in the shock tower screw holes and the head will not be 100% parallel with the tower and only supported in one spot where it makes contact. And if you have a plastic differential housing it might possible slightly warp the housing when everything is screwed down.
 
Maybe i am a simpleton to you, but my conclusion was: "It needs a thicker washer"
That's all it took to make it fit and work properly.
 
Problem with shimming it up by 0.7mm is that is that it would also raise the two horizontal screw holes in the front by that amount so they wouldn't fit instead.
 
Atomic Skull said:
Problem with shimming it up by 0.7mm is that is that it would also raise the two horizontal screw holes in the front by that amount so they wouldn't fit instead.
Click to expand...
It doesn't, though.
When i mounted the plate without the washers, like you, i also couldn't get the upper hinge pins in. So i loosened all screws a tad and tried again. I noticed that with the hinge pins in, there was that 0.7mm gap on top of the steering rack. If you try to close that gap without washers, by screwing the plate down, the hinge pins are getting stuck. And that basically also pulls the shock tower back, so there's tension we don't want. So i put washers on top of the rack, to close the gap and release that tension. Problem solved.
I agree now, it's not 100% perfect machining, but it's a problem we can easily solve. So not worth the hassle of returning the item, for me.
Edit: I never considered this a problem until you made me think about it with this thread.
Thanks man. 😀
 
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SirCrashALot said:
It doesn't, though.
When i mounted the plate without the washers, like you, i also couldn't get the upper hinge pins in. So i loosened all screws a tad and tried again. I noticed that with the hinge pins in, there was that 0.7mm gap on top of the steering rack. If you try to close that gap without washers, by screwing the plate down, the hinge pins are getting stuck. And that basically also pulls the shock tower back, so there's tension we don't want. So i put washers on top of the rack, to close the gap and release that tension. Problem solved.
I agree now, it's not 100% perfect machining, but it's a problem we can easily solve. So not worth the hassle of returning the item, for me.
Edit: I never considered this a problem until you made me think about it with this thread.
Thanks man. 😀
Click to expand...
I'm not sure how raising the back is going allow the screws at the front of the plate to thread in smoothly though, the problem is that the screw holes are too low. I'm not saying you are wrong as I have not tried this, I just don't see how that would work. Even if it does not shimming the front will result in a crooked steering plate instead so no matter what my OCD is triggered and I loose sleep.
 
Like i said.
You're not raising the back. The back of the steering plate hangs those 0.7 mm, as by your measurements, over the steering rack. It needs shimming.
Mount the steering plate to the bulkhead and tower, but leave the screws from the steering rack out. Mount the upper arms and secure the hinge pins. You will see everything fits tight, except for that gap between steering rack and steering plate.
Put proper washers in there and screw the plate down. Done.
I never gave it a thought, until you mentioned it. I just fixed it. It's been in there for months.
 
In that case the steering plate will be crooked and the hinge pins will be crooked in the shock tower holes, the heads will not be perpendicular to the shock tower and and the shock tower may apply leverage on the diff housing depending on how much tolerance there is in those holes. If it's loose enough for it to sit crooked freely it won't if it's tight enough they will be levers pushed own by the steering plate and applying force to the shock tower from the inside of the hole. The entire steering plate has to be lifted by 0.7mm for all this to not happen.
 
Only if you crank that plate without the washers underneath.
You're overthinking this, my man.
Just assemble that front. You'll see.
I haven't had any problems at all, since it's in.
 
SirCrashALot said:
Only if you crank that plate without the washers underneath.
You're overthinking this, my man.
Just assemble that front. You'll see.
I haven't had any problems at all, since it's in.
Click to expand...
That's not how I roll, 15 years of flying large R/C helis has instilled an insistence that things should be "right". Because on a 700 size helicopter with a 1.5M rotor if it's not it could kill you, or someone else, or put you in a lot of debt for property damage. Hard to unlearn that. And lets be real a 70mph capable 12lb land missile is no joke either.

I actually had a run in with that with a 10 second radio lockout where it was going full throttle across a field toward a parking lot in the distance, thankfully I got control back in time. That put the fear of god in me. It was my mistake for not updating the receivers to the latest firmware, turns out ELRS 3.1 (the version Radiomaster ships with their hardware) has a rare bug with PWM receivers where it locks out for 10 seconds and holds the PWM ports rather than moving them to failsafe until the watchdog notices the CPU is stuck in a loop and reboots the receiver. I should have updated to 3.51 but because it doesn't affect serial receivers and the majority of ELRS users are drone guys nobody talks about it much. Still my fault though it would have been nice if Radiomaster put a warning sticker on already packaged PWM recievers about that bug.

10 seconds with an out of control car roaring across a field at 55mph seems like a looooooong time btw.
 
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Well, you are overthinking it.
I explained to you, how to solve an issue, that i didn't even know was an issue, because the fix was so easy.
Twice!
You could have sat down and get that part fitted in minutes!
 
@Atomic Skull on your pictures you show the ADU higne pin holes sitting lower compared to the bottom of the plate. This in itself could be fixed with washers. The problem you are pointing out here in your later comments is the screw holes that mount to the shock tower are also lower compared to the hinge pin holes, correct? You haven't show any pictures comparing the ADU part to the corally part with the brace on top. If the distance between the screw holes that mount to the shock tower and the hinge pin holes is also different you should suspend both parts at the hinge pin holes and then compare again. If you compare from the bottom, then that 0.7mm that could be removed with a washer carriers through to the screw holes.
 
Niekname said:
@Atomic Skull on your pictures you show the ADU higne pin holes sitting lower compared to the bottom of the plate. This in itself could be fixed with washers. The problem you are pointing out here in your later comments is the screw holes that mount to the shock tower are also lower compared to the hinge pin holes, correct? You haven't show any pictures comparing the ADU part to the corally part with the brace on top. If the distance between the screw holes that mount to the shock tower and the hinge pin holes is also different you should suspend both parts at the hinge pin holes and then compare again. If you compare from the bottom, then that 0.7mm that could be removed with a washer carriers through to the screw holes.
Click to expand...
I haven't checked but I suspect it's only the hinge pin holes and that the shock tower screw holes are correctly positioned because I did not notice any trouble getting those screws to thread. Because of that those holes would be moved up 0.7mm too high if I shim the plate up by 0.7mm.
 
Atomic Skull said:
Because of that those holes would be moved up 0.7mm too high if I shim the plate up by 0.7mm.
Click to expand...
You don't shim the plate up. That's what i am trying to tell you.
When you mount the plate to the bulkhead and tower, the under side of the plate is over the steering rack, leaving a (0.7mm) gap.
You put washers on top of the steering rack to fill that gap. Not to move anything up.
If you don't put washers there, cranking the plate down, will pull on the entire front assembly. That's why you couldn't get the hinge pins in.
If you do put washers there, everything will sit and work correctly.
Edit: the plate should have been a bit thicker to not leave a gap between the plate and steering rack. Since it is not, i used two washers on the rack.
 
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SirCrashALot said:
You don't shim the plate up. That's what i am trying to tell you.
When you mount the plate to the bulkhead and tower, the under side of the plate is over the steering rack, leaving a (0.7mm) gap.
You put washers on top of the steering rack to fill that gap. Not to move anything up.
If you don't put washers there, cranking the plate down, will pull on the entire front assembly. That's why you couldn't get the hinge pins in.
If you do put washers there, everything will sit and work correctly.
Edit: the plate should have been a bit thicker to not leave a gap between the plate and steering rack. Since it is not, i used two washers on the rack.
Click to expand...
It is still wrong. It will still cause the hinge pins to be non perpendicular to the shock tower. It will still apply force to the diff housing through the shock tower by means the the hinge pins being pulled down in the shock tower holes. It is wrong engineering, full stop. I don't know how else to say this.
 
Atomic Skull said:
It is still wrong. It will still cause the hinge pins to be non perpendicular to the shock tower. It will still apply force to the diff housing through the shock tower by means the the hinge pins being pulled down in the shock tower holes. It is wrong engineering, full stop. I don't know how else to say this.
Click to expand...
It is wrong engineering, i agree. But no. If you shim with the correct thickness of the washer, there's no play, no tension, no force.
But you do as you think best.
Mine is in there, doing fine.
 
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