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How to Make Your Own Y Harness for an RC Servos

A Y harness is used to drive two servos in an RC vehicle from a single receiver channel (such as an airplane wing with separate servos for each aileron). While Y harnesses are widely available from hobby stores, making your own harness can both save you some money and let you have a harness that is the exact size you need. Y harnesses are quite simple to make, requiring only basic knowledge of soldering and electrical work.

Things You'll Need

Connectors to match receiver and servos (two female and one male)
26-gauge wire (red, black, and white)
Heat shrink tubing
Heat gun or lighter
Soldering iron
Wire stripper
Crimping tool

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the area where the Y harness will be installed and cut the wire to length. You will need three pieces of each color of wire: one the length from the receiver to where the Y joint will be, and one the lenght from the joint to each of the two servos.
- 2
  Strip one end of each piece of the black wire. Twist the stripped ends together to form a Y and solder them. Repeat this step for the red and white wires.
- 3
  For each set of soldered wires, cut a piece of heat shrink tubing long enough to completely cover the stripped wire. Slide the tubing over the stripped wire so that it is all covered. Heat the tubing with a heat gun or lighter until it shrinks tightly over the wire.
- 4
  Strip the other end of each wire (where the connectors will attach) just long enough to insert into the connector pins. Insert each wire into a pin and crimp the pin to the wire.
- 5
  Insert the pins into the connector bodies. Be sure the pins are inserted into the correct holes so that the servo wires will connect to the proper receiver pins once the Y harness is hooked up.

Aviation