rotarydoc

Jeff,

LOL, reminds me of when Heliproz sent Carl that glow plug holder...and no one could figure out what it was...I got lucky and remembered my old nitro days...and called it...prob one of their less popular items that they needed to get rid of...LOL

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Cool to hear you got your stuff from Helidirect.

I bought some toys from Helidirect, so I could get my $7 servo case for the 450 today. If I remember right my next indoor fun fly is this Sunday, so I wanted to get the 450 ready for that. Hopefully my parts will come by Friday or Saturday. Then I need to join my flying club one of these days soon, so I can go fly out there.

Jeff,

Yeah I don't balance my Gaui to 600 blades. I weigh them and see if they are close. And every blade I have is very close to being balanced.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Something tells me this isn't going to be easy...LOL

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

I wondered how fitting a mini tail servo into a B400 would work out. The easy way would be to use a boom mount for the servo and cut the pushrod down to size or use a shorter one.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,


Yeah, after looking at it, you are correct.

To be able to get the correct straight shot back to the tail, I would need another boom mounted servo mount...and a shorter tail pushrod.

I am looking at ways to get it setup like it is, with the front frame mount, but I don't like what I see yet...[>:]

I'm going to keep at it awhile longer.

Wonder where I could get a shorter, adjustable pushrod? Any ideas?

Glenn

rotarydoc

Jeff,

I got some weight numbers for ya....I know how anal you are about WEIGHT...LOL


Stock DS75 tail servo ~ 7.4 g

Futaba 9257 tail servo ~ 26.2 g



Eflite G110 gyro ~ 11.4 g

Futaba GY401 gyro ~ 26.8


Now my B400 is going to be piggy...[X(]

I'm crossing my fingers that the 25C Rhinos will come through with some additional power...

Oh, BTW guys, my stuff from Hobby City in China arrived today, I ordered it on Sunday night!!!

I missed the mailman though, gotta go pick it up tomorrow...

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

I was thinking you might be able to use another 450 sized tail pushrod where the tail servo is attached to the boom.

I was also suprised by the fast shipping time from Hobby City when I got cheapest shipping option.

I am very excited right now. I got a really cool display a year ago, but it has a very strange start up procedure. So I looked at the recommend programming to start it up from the manufacture and it didn't work. So I tried on my own and it wouldn't work either. So yesterday I got the intrest to try it again with my new DVM. So I tried to do the start up and it still wouldn't work. I was about to give up again, but I thought I would try and do a quick google search and see what popped up. I searched a few pages and found some code to start it up. I thought it wouldn't hurt to try it and the first time it started up!! So now I am going to see what I can do with this display and my DVM. Once I write some code to display the Voltages I can take some pictures of this Display working or my original LCD working if you guys want.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Sounds cool on the new/old display, nice that you found the info you needed to get it setup...and of course we want pics when you get it up and running!

Well, I was able to get a pretty decent setup on the tail...for now at least, I think it's flyable...and I can iron out the details later on...I'll have to do some research on tail rudder pushrods and boom mounts...

I managed to shortent the stock one, it has adjustable threads, but they are not all exposed...covered with a plastic sleeve, so I cut some of the sleeve back, and had more threads to make it shorter.

With that done, and it mounted at the lowest position on the frame mount, it looks workable, but not great...the pushrod is not parallel with the tailboom...but it works quite well, and is very smooth.

I was able to get the servo at 90, and the tail slider lever at 90 with this setup...should be good enough for some testing until I find a shorter/adjustable pushrod and some boom mounts.

I think I'm going to stop on it for the night...

Glenn

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Here's my freebie stuff from Helidirect...nice of them!

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Cool to see you got the servo mounted. I got a couple of those stickers with my last order too.

I started messing with the display and it is very easy to display stuff on it. The hardest thing was to get the thing to turn on. It might take a couple of days and maybe most of the weekend to get everything to display like I want it. The manual is vague, so I am going to use trial and error to see what happens.

Nick

Evan T.

Glenn that's cool that you got your stuff

Man I'm happy finnless isn't actualy leaving lol

evdreamer

The first picture is my newest display that I just got working. What is displayed is my initial idea. Below the cell numbers will be the Voltages of those cells. Then to the right is the imbalance, high and low cell. I don't know what I will do with all the empty space on the bottom. I could add spaces inbetween each Voltage, add a bar graph, or a graphic of some kind. Then I might have the Voltages in the color red. I thought it would be easier to read than having everything red. Then I probably won't use my auto cell select, since there is enough room to display everything. Then the regular LCD is the one I have been working on and worked all the bugs out of the code. And that is showing my auto cell select.

rotarydoc

Evan,

I hope this stuff works as good as it looks...LOL

It should be a big improvement over the stock servo and gyro...we'll see...

Is Finless staying? I hadn't heard anything, was it all an April Fool's thing, or what? [sm=confused.gif]

Glenn

rotarydoc

Nick,

That new display looks cool, nice and clear, bright too...easy to see and read, for sure!

I like the cell select too...and glad you finally got all the bugs worked out on that too...nice work!

So Finless is not leaving after all?

Has anyone heard officially yet?

Glenn

Evan T.

Yeah it was an April fools joke lol and a good one

Yeah I want to fly but I need to turn in the tx and the wind is still fast... We have a fire watch lol which is very rare the humidity will be at 25%

rotarydoc

Evan,

OK, cool that it was just an April fool's joke, I am so glad!

So you still havn't sent your DX6i in to Horizon yet? []

You know to call them, and they will send you a shipping label, so it doesn't cost you anything, right?

Just call the 800 support number, and they'll take care of you.

Sorry you have high winds and a fire warning, it's windy here too..I guess that's to be expeceted this time of the year...next comes the rain...what's that saying..."April showers bring May flowers" ARGGGGHHHH!![>:]

Oh well, what can ya do?

Glenn

J-MICHAEL

Glenn ~

Amazing weight diffs between those 2 servos ! And yeah the 401 is a pig huh ? Some of the other good gyros out there like the new Hitec one is only 10 grams for the 450, and the logictech is around the same. My next gyro will be something much lighter. I cut half of that huge honkin' lead off of the 401 for my 450 as it was just way to long ! Lost like 3-4 grams or something like that. Got it around here somewhere, I should have documented that. Haven't done it to the 500 yet, that 401 is still under warranty. Oh... Those stickers from HD are free if ya ever want more. Whenever I place an order I'll swing over to the sticker section and then type in the box of how many I want and they send them free if ya wanted a few more. I've gotten 15 before, and still have a few. The bag is crazy cool though ! I wonder if that has a box to click on for how many ya want...Lol ! Go trick r treatin' or something. If ya get stumped on that gyro and servo, I'am sure there is a wealth of info out there considering many have gone that route already. Maybe the B-400 bible ? But knowing you, like me, you'll just figure it out yourself I'am betting... Hek... That's half the fun anyway huh ?! And besides, if we run into trouble we know who to come crawling back to... Ol' St. Nick....[8D]

Yeah I had to stay up until midnight last night and see if Finless was coming clean and he did...LMAO... Glad I kept up on the thread as it grew fast ! 48 hours ago he posted that and its got almost 25,000 hits already... Think he's popular ?!


Evan ~

Dang... Fire watch already ? Crap it was snowing a bit today here...Lol... So don't be playing with matches eh ?! Hek, don't crash your 400 and have a lipo fire...Lol !


Nick ~

Ya always got your nose in some kind of electrical components or wires.... Awesome. Your gonna go far in this world, I know that much....


~ Jeff

evdreamer

Glenn,

Yeah this new display is very cool and looks better in person. There are a lot of features that it can do, but I don't know if I will use all of them. I can use most of the code from my other LCD, so it won't take so long to develop it. Once I have a final product I will take some more pics of what it will look like.

Evan,

Hope you don't have a fire down there.

Nick

Evan T.

We will be fine it's raining now

Glenn I already have the shipping label I just haven't shipped it yet

rotarydoc

Evan,

Cool on the rain, (I suppose in your case, it's a good thing!) and glad you already have the label to ship your radio... I wasn't sure you knew about the shipping lable procecure, didn't want to see ya spend money on postage if you didn't need to.

Hey guys,

I got to thinking about this servo issue, and the fact that between it, and the gyro, I'm already hangin' lots of extra weight on the back of this B400...not so sure I want to boom mount that heavy servo or not...I'm thinking I want the servo as far forward as possible...[8D]

The only issue I see with the way it's mounted now is that it's not a perfectly straight shot, parallel with the tailboom. I am thinking as long as it works, and I get smooth, full travel, how much difference am I going to even notice?

I know correct geometry is important, but in this case, I am thinking I won't even be able to tell the difference. If it were for JK or Alan Szabo, of course, but me?? LOL

Glenn

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Any idea what a "switch mode BEC" is when referring to an ESC?

I am planning on re-installing my Eflite 40 amp ESC, with the warm/hot weather arriving, and figuring that it will offset the tail heavy servo/gyro setup some, if I mount it forward as far as possible...I'm also thinking I'll need it for the 4 digital servos, I doubt the stock ESC is up to all that load..[X(]

At any rate, I was wondering what the BEC/servo voltage was on it, and came across that in the description...

Here: http://www.robotmarketplace.com/prod...-EFLA1040.html

Depending on the voltage output (I'll measure it) I am wondering if I'll even need the step down for the Futaba 9257, which needs a 4.8 volt supply...

P.S. I was just thinking....the ESC has an external on-off switch, I wonder if that is what a "switch mode BEC" is...?

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

The switch mode BEC is more efficient than the normal linear regulator. It can take a high Voltage and step it down to any lower Voltage by choosing how long to keep the switch closed. So say if you have 10V coming into it and you have the switch on half the time and off the other half you will have 5V coming out. It should help with warmer climates.

I use my stock BEC on my CC60 to power my 3 digital cyclic servos, my 9257, 2100T gyro, and my Skookum SK-360. CC doesn't list the max current of the BEC, but mine doesn't get warm after a flight. One of these days I will get an external BEC.

Finless said you can actually use a regulated 6V on a 4.8V servo. The servo companies only give the specs out at 4.8V, which is the nominal Voltage of a 4S NiCd receiver battery. However, the servo can actually operate at a higher Voltage close to 6V when the 4 cell pack is fully charged. Then 6V servos are rated at the nominal Voltage of a 5S pack which is higher fully charged. I just can't remember the full charged Voltage of a NiCd cell. But you won't see me testing this out on my electronics.

Nick

J-MICHAEL

Glenn ~

Yeah my Jazz esc utilizes a switching mode BEC. This is one benefit that helps keep it literally still cold just about after a flight. My Castle esc is linear like Nick said, but it still doesn't get to warm, but does get warm. Nothing like my Align esc for my 450 though where it got pretty warm after a flight. However, then my Trex 500 stock Align esc hardly even gets past the cold stage from the external castle 10 amp BEC I'am using also....

I've heard that the 4.8v wanted from the rear servo like the 9257 and using the 5.1 stepdown together actually still is pulling 5.5 volts from others testing that out with there electrical testing toys like Nick knows and uses. I've also heard pro-pilots on bigger birds using Futaba 4.8v servo's on the tail without no regulator and running 8v's ! Crazy there huh ?!

I've ran my 9257 in my 450 before without the regulator before for awhile testing it out using my Jazz esc, but then opted to put the regulator back on...

Yeah one reason why I like to stow my 401's under the front canopy for the 450 and 500 is I like the majority of the weight aimed more toward the front of the main shaft, and not to much stuff toward the back past the shaft. With my 500 and the TT kit being heavier than the belt kit and using the heavier 9254 tail servo having the 401 up front balanced things out nicely. With the 450 same thing and it keeps my battery then more snugged up toward the shaft on the battery tray instead of more toward the front if that makes sense...Lol..


Cheers,

~ Jeff

rotarydoc

Nick,

Thanks, I should have researched it before I posted, since I just read a wiki ariticle on it...and your description is great, it basically switches a transistor using using a variable duty cycle (like PWM, I would imagine), rather than the linear mode...thanks for the clarification!

This Eflite 40 amp ESC's BEC is rated at 2.5 amps...should be more than enough to run all the servos, gyro, etc., I would think...I think it's rated at 5 volts on the BEC, I'll measure it...

If that is the case, I shouldn't need a step down to the 9257...

Now, the question is, if I put the step down on a 5 volt power supply, will it just not step it down any lower, or will it step it down like .8 volts more? (it is rated to step down from 6.0v to 5.2v)

I guess I could check and see, I'm more curious than anything.

At any rate, if I find that the BEC is at 5v (I don't think it's adjustable?), I'll probably just let it go at that...I assume I should just check it with a fully charged pack, and see what I've got for voltage at the red and black wires of any servo?

I don't think I want to try my brand new 9257 at 6 volts either...lol [X(]

I just found out that this ESC is PC programmable, with the software and cable, which I didn't realize....any advantages, other than being simpler and faster? I mean, I should be able to do all the same settings manually with the TX stick, right?

I have set one of these up on this B400 before, this is a brand new one from Horizon, to replace the one that was making the tail go haywire last year. It was kind of a PITA, trial and error type thing, but I did eventually get it.

I think I will bypass the on-off switch, since it threw me for a loop last year...LOL..I was all upset because the heli wouldn't power up...tried different batteries, double checked everything, thought I had a radio problem...and found that the swich was turned off...

Glenn

rotarydoc

Jeff,

Thanks for the input....and the ideas...

You gave me a great idea on the 401 up front...I currently have no room for it, since the stock ESC lives there in the front of the lower plate/frame area...but, since I can't fit the bigger 40 amp ESC there anyways, it's going on the side of the frame, like last year.

That will leave me space where the stock ESC is now, in case I'm still tail heavy after the servo/gyro upgrade, plus, it might give me enough weight up front to boom mount the 9257 later on, if I decide to do that..

I'm pretty confident that this ESC will handle all the servos demands, with 2.5 amps to work with...the only reason I sent it back last year was the persistent tail wag issue, which I am not so certain was the ESC after all...other than that, I never had an overheat or shutdown issue with it all summer...

With any luck, if I measure 5 volts coming into the tail servo, I'm going to let it eat at that...and should be fine...if it's over that, I'll throw in the step down...

Glenn