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Universal Mast Adaptor InstallationUpdated 3 months ago

Foil Drive is excited to offer the V2 Motor Pod and Universal Mast Adaptor.
Check out all of the important information, dive into technical videos breaking down all of the components or scroll down for important installation instructions.
If you have a custom mast adaptor, specific to your mast, click here.

The V2 Motor Pod is highly durable, made from injected moulded poly carbonate with fiberglass reinforcement, combined with the Universal Mast Adaptor or Custom Mast Adaptors, you'll be flying in no time. There are however some important instructions to install the adaptors, for a custom mast adaptor, click here, or scroll down for the Universal Adaptor Installation.

This article features:
- Part Definition
- Installation of the Universal Mast Adaptor
- Additional Design features and Tech Talk


Installing the Universal Mast Adaptor 

Installing a universal mast adapter onto your mast might seem straightforward, but there are a couple of key considerations to ensure a smooth process. Here's a detailed guide to help you through the installation.

Watch the video below to learn how to correctly install your new V2 Motor Pod & Custom Mast Adaptor.

What you will need:

- Foil Drive Hex Driver
- M3 x 12mm bolts
- Front + Rear Outer Universal Motor Pod
- Internal Custom Mast Adaptor Pieces (2x Front Nose Pieces, 1x Rear Piece and 6x varied Size Keys)

Instructions:

1. Decide where your Motor Pod needs to be placed on your mast and test fit the Internal Universal Mast Adaptor to decide between the larger or smaller front Nose Piece.

2. Begin to test fit the varied size keys. To find the correct size key consider the below:
- The Keys must only be placed in the front Nose Pieces. The small circular part will click into the Nose Piece when correctly installed. They are not designed to be placed in the rear of the adaptor.
- The Adaptor should have a 3-5mm (1/8 inch) gap between the two halves. If there is no gap, the two halves cannot pull together like a clamp. If the gap is too large, the bolts will not fully engage.
- If you are looking at the larger Nose Piece with the Largest Key size, consider swapping to the Smaller Nose Piece with no key. The smaller the overall size, the better.

3. Insert the Internal Mast Adaptor pieces into the Outer Motor Pod pieces. 

Note: The size of the internal and external pieces MUST match. Make sure the rectangular shaped hole on the nose piece is facing towards the base plate of your mast, this is where the Motor Puck will insert.

4. If your mast is NOT tapered, skip to step 5.
For tapered masts it is best to loosely install the Motor Pod at the narrowest part of your mast then slide it down into position before tightening the bolts. This is CRITICAL in order to have the bolts threaded straight.

5. With the two halves on the mast, it is CRUCIAL that each bolt is tightened evenly. This means that rather than tightening one bolt all the way and then moving to the next, you should tighten each bolt incrementally in a sequence, gradually increasing the torque on each one until they are all properly tightened.

The bolts should be tightened one turn past finger tight. Overtightening these bolts risks damage to the internal thread, under tightening will result in the loss of a bolt during operation and risks vibrational damage.

How to know if the Pod has been installed correctly?
When installed correctly, you should see the two internal pieces squishing/deforming together around the mast. - If they do not appear to be squishing, you may need to go to a larger sized key.
- If you struggle to get the bolts in and require force, the adaptor may be too small, try a different key.
- The pod SHOULD NOT be able to move when you apply force on it. Any movement in the pod means it is too loose and you need to try a different key.
- Some keys will protrude outside the shape of the Motor Pod; this is typical and will look different with every key. 
Reminder: Keys should ONLY be placed in the front Nose Piece of the adaptor.

6. Place the motor in the Motor pod and attach using the 3x provided bolts. These are locator bolts and only need to be one turn past finger tight.

Note: If your bolts are coming loose after correct installation, you can use a small dob of Loctite on the end of the thread to prevent it from unwinding when in use.

Related Articles
Foil Drive Battery Grease for Gen2 Systems

Gen2 Motor Plug Installation


Want to know more? Watch below for the Tech Talk on Universal Mast Adaptors



Want to know more? Watch below for the Tech Talk on Universal Motor Pods
Note: This video was published prior to the release of the Universal Mast Adaptors and features the Custom Mast Adaptors. The Universal motor Pod (Outer pieces are cross compatible). 


Related Articles 
Mounting Custom Foil Drive Mast Adaptors
Measuring Mast for Custom Mast Adaptor
Gen2 Motor & Puck not fitting older 3D Printed Pod
Gen2 Motor Plug Installation


To learn more, check out the other articles on our Help Centre which can be found under the 'Support' tab on the website.


As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected]


Happy Foil Driving!


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