Fixture for bending the copper wire for a 5.8GHz antenna by cbc

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

This is a fixture for bending the copper wire for a circularly polarized cloverleaf or skew-planar antenna for the 5.8GHz FPV backpack as shown on RC Model Reviews' YouTube videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yohKRzMAJAg
Thank you RC Model Reviews for some great information.
I should also thank punkkills and his inspirations for getting his Micro 105 FPV Quadcopter featured on Thingiverse and sparking my current obsession with micro quads.
The dimensions are based on the info in RC Model Reviews' video. This works for 18ga thermostat wire with the insulation striped off. It measures about .97mm which is very close to the 1mm that is called for. With this fixture you cut the wire to length after it is bent.
It might work for the .8mm welding wire that motorpixelgimbals is using on his fixture but I have not tested it. If that wire is too stiff it might be a problem. I also like motor's fixture to bend the radius for the loop. Maybe I will add something later.
You will need 2 needle nose pliers and a wire cutter, some 18ga copper wire and the fixture. I just stripped out 18ga thermostat wire. I will try to post a video demonstrating the use of the fixture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOdpVqwQfIY
To use the fixture start with a straight piece of wire (I would use at least 65mm). Place the wire in the top of the fixture fully embedded in the end stop. Hold the wire in that position with one pliers to keep the wire from pulling away from the end stop as you bend it. Bend the wire around the pivot post with another pliers. You need to twist the pliers at first to get the bend started and then you can squeeze the wire to get a tight corner. Be careful not to squeeze too hard as you can break off the pivot post. Do the same for the two other corners. Make sure to lift the wire gently over the next retaining post as you make each bend to keep each leg straight. After the wire is bent cut off any remaining wire flush with the edge of the fixture.