J-MICHAEL

Its looking good Glenn... Boy I would be a lost monkey fiddling with that Nitro ! Ya just had to go and poke out one of the antenna's there huh ?! I know, there's just something about it that makes me want to expose the antenna's. But I was just browsing some other crafts from like E-Flite which they have that Ar6100 crammed all inside the fuse (foamy) and the antenna's just smashed up against the sides ! Whatever works... At least I feel better about it.



Glenn ~

That's scary right there in my eyes....! I don't blame you at all about wanting some kind of air filter for sure. That's very weird I'am thinking, but I wonder why that is having no air filter ? Restriction of airflow or what ? [&:] Hmmm...... Lol, here your a mechanic and I BET it really bothers you ! (LMAO)

J-MICHAEL

Nick ~

You mean the angles were wrong from the factory ? Or just when you had to fix it from the last time ? Curious........

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

It's getting there....balanced the woodies, they were not bad...a little bit off...lol...had to use some really wide package tape...I'm used to using scotch tape on the 450 blades...it's actually harder to get these blades balanced than it is to get the small ones right...more momentum on the balancer when they are moving...takes a while to settle down...

I was actually happy to see that the CF blades he had on there were also quite a bit out...maybe that was the shake he was referring to...that, and I'll bet the tracking might be out as well...this guy didn't seem to be too much into the helis, more a plane guy...

So, we'll see...

Glenn

evdreamer

Jeff,

It was fine from the factory. It was what I designed that was a little off.

Nick

J-MICHAEL

Cool Glenn.... You'll like the woodies. I bet that's why he had vibrations. My Logo was sensitive to that, having the blades not balanced and also the missing washers/spacers in the spindle area that I just kinda jerry rigged for now. Yeah I ended up just using blue and red Duct-Tape on the Logo's 500mm blades ! LMAO there ! ...........And it works ! You've seen the video, and the tape is used as you possibly saw before...

My last flight with the Logo I tried my first loops, and I was curious to see how the woody blades would perform under a little stress. They did great ! There also only rated for 1700 rpm's, and in that video I was using my Outrage 6s batts which my headspeed was around 2350 rpms. I'll never be out there doing 3-D with it, so the woodies will probably be a permanent cheap solution for sure. Can you believe I just said that ?! I still hate the Dean connectors though !



http://exposureroom.com/members/J-MI...748faa9166959/



~ Jeff

J-MICHAEL

Gotcha........ I'am not sure if you saw on the Wheeee thread, but Jay listed a COOL webiste where a guy could buy some awesome planes having CF already designed into the plane, and the planes are just pure.... I'll only buy my next plane from Precision for sure ! They have a Katana 40" CF ARF like my Funtana, which is only $119.00 among that... Cheaper than my kit which lists for $160.00, and made out of flimsy Balsa....

His webiste is copyright protected, so you can't save any pictures and such.... Dang it...! But It helped me see where the possible weak areas are with these planes, looking where he upgraded to some CF.



http://www.precisionaerobatics.com/home.php



~ Jeff

evdreamer

Jeff,

I like their electric Extra 260.

Nick

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Whew, lots more to think about than I thought!!!

I learned that the Raptors have a built in pitch gauge...lol...and it's pretty darn accurate too!! I double checked it...and got it pretty much perfect zero at mid stick...for now, I just mirrored the throttle and pitch curves in idle up...don't want any unpleasant surprises should I accidentally bump the idle up switch..[X(]

Another problem I didn't give much thought to until a few minutes ago was how to shut the engine OFF at the end of the flight...lol...

Then I realized I have to enable the throttle cut button on the DX6i...and it's kinda weird, been reading this one guy's website, "raptortechnique.com"...and it's full of good info...

I think for tonight, I'll be doing good to just fire the engine, make sure I can get it to shut off, check throttle hold, throttle cut, get it idling the right RPM's etc...even just figuring out the starting technique with the starter, etc...filling and unfilling the fuel tank, remembering the fuel hose pinch off....etc, etc, etc...[X(]

A lot different than plugging a battery in and flying...lol!

I hope I haven't killed the receiver pack...lol, which brings me to another situation, I'm not 100% sure how to set my charger to charge a 4 cell NiCd..never done it before....hopefully, it has enough juice to get me through some testing tonight...

Glenn

JPEE

Jeff,


Jay's site is HOT!


Nick,

Today was a maiden for me in that I did something I have been waiting for since December when I got the 600..................I went idle-up! I know that sounds silly but I have been so affraid to have a problem and crash the 600 I fly it very "safely". Well today I wanted to make another video with the cam onboard. I thought that idle-up might steady the cam. Well it did steady the cam, but it also gave me so much power and so ALIVE my adrenalin level was rushing so high I dang near couldn't fly as my thumbs were shaking so bad uncontrollably.

I was right, the video picture was much better but trying to leash her in was some work, everything was so much faster and tigher. I know I can push in some expo and mod the pitch a bit but with a bigger area I would be a better I think. Whenever I fly at the Park I am flying with one eye and watching for fools with the other. And of course today was no different. While I am flying the 600 and coming low and trying to handle her, parents walked under my flight zone with two very small children so I got past them and put them to my back so I would not be anywhere near them.

Next I drove up to a fly zone a guy told me existed (a club field I found later) but the gate was never open before. Today it was so I drove down in and spoke with some folks. They told me the clubs name, where to join, and that like you and Glenn I have to be a AMA member for the insurance and such. Giving that some thought. The helis fly in the morning and the planes come in about 3:00 they said. Its a visual and Sun thing. I am just always looking around for new fly zones.

Hope you had a good day!

JPEE

PS: We all know what Glenn is doing today

J-MICHAEL

JPEE ~

That was a killer little video BTW...! LMAO... A required item for landscaping...


Glenn ~

There is always the option of shutting off and ending the engine like this guy does.........! BIG YIKES THERE ! Only 2 minutes long, but you need to see the end so this won't happen to you...! Be advised.... LMAO...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdrBi...eature=related

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdrBihTT3p0&feature=related[/youtube]

evdreamer

Glenn,

A guy with a Raptor 30 showed me that pitch gauge on the frame.

I don't know if you are doing this or not, but you might want the motor to idle with the throttle hold. Then use the throttle trim to shut the engine off. There is an option on the DX7 to remember the position of the throttle trim when you turn the transmitter off, so you can use the same one when you start the engine and it will then idle. There might be something like that on the DX6i. You probably know this, but hold the rotor blades while starting the engine.

It should be easy to charge your receiver pack with your TP charger. Set the number of cells and capacity just like a LiPo and charge at 1C.

Nick

JPEE

Jeff,

Lifes like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get.........with a heli doing the funky chicken on the ground.



Yes I figured you most of all would like that new LIPO hedge trimmer[8D]

JPEE

evdreamer

JPEE,

Congrats on using idle up.

I used to fly in a park, but I was also nervous about hitting someone. Then I went to a baseball field, but was worried about hitting the fence or lights. That is why I like flying at my field. I know no one will go out in my flight line and there are no obstacles. There was one time that freaked me out at my field. I was flying the 600 close to the run way and someone decided to walk their plane out on the run way without alerting me.

I found the website that makes the real Edge 540's and they have some close up pics and specs on the plane. So I am going to try and duplicate the frame, since mine wasn't totally like the real one. Then I might try and duplicate the paint scheme with airplane covering.

Nick

evdreamer

I just ordered the wood that I need to make the mock up parts. I couldn't get just the quantity that I needed, so I am getting enough to make 2-3 planes. I am going to try and use screws to hold this one together and see how strong it its. I got a 100 screws from RTL for $5. I looked around and I couldn't beat that price with other companies.

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Well, all went about as well as could be expected for the first time out!

After checking to make sure the throttle was going the right direction for like the 3rd time...lol..I put the Ni starter on it, gave it a bump with the starter, and it fired right up...but at a pretty high idle..and yeah, Nick I was holding the blades... I haven't forgotten too much from the GMP Cobra days...LOL..

So, I hit the cut button, and it worked as planned, shut it right off...I ended up having to lower the throttle pitch curve on the lowest setting way lower than the guy suggested on that website...he said 20% on "L"... it sure looked like too much throttle opening to me, and it was...so I bumped it down a couple of times, till I ended up at about 5% on "L" ....that seemed to do the trick...got it so it will idle really low, with the throttle trim, or quite high the other way...

After I calmed down a bit, and stopped shaking...lol...I figured I'd at least spool it up a bit...so I took it out in the middle of the lot, and gave it some throttle, and it has a lot of wobble on spool up, until the blades got straight..I think that is what he was talking about...anyways, it smoothed out nicely, and I checked the tail, which was fine, I had to reverse that in the radio this afternoon...good thing I checked it...

So, I gave it a bit more throttle....and it was just bogging...the guy has this thing set SOOOO rich, it's not even funny....it's like he was breaking in a new engine or something...just blubbering..smoke, oil literally dripping out of the pipe...lol...puddles forming...so, I shut it down to be safe, and gave it a few clicks on the main needle valve, to lean it a bit....and then it wouldn't start....but it was because my Ni starter was dead...I had left it plugged in for like 3 minutes earller by accident... One of those noob things...lol!

It felt great though on spool up, once the shakes were gone, it looked like the blades were tracking great, I wanted to hover it soooo bad!!! I think I'll love it when I get it dialed in a bit more...

Overall, it's going great, the thing starts right up, basically a bump or two...I need to modify my approach...I am doing everything from the left side of the heli, (like the Cobra was) but this heli is more set up to be started from the right side, since the on/off switch, the glow plug, and the mixture screw are all on that side...so I gotta break that habit right off...next time it's from the right side...

There are lots of odds and ends to do...I should have gotten larger fuel line, it's a PITA to get on the nipple on the filter...and I would like to put little fuel line clamps on the lines, since they come off pretty easily..I have to loctite the starter stick adapter to the starter shaft, since it spins counter clockwise, it wants to undo itself...minor things, but they add up...

If I keep flying it, I'll need a field box...maybe even with a power panel, glow starter wire, battery, and fuel pump, like I had setup for the Cobra...it's like a little tote thing, with the fuel bottle on one end, and the power panel on the other....you've probably seen 'em...

Whew, not bad for the first time out...if I hadn't left the Ni starter plugged in, I probably could have brought it up into a hover...

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

I was thinking you got to fly it once you said you spooled it up. That is good to hear you are getting everything worked out. I am still wanting to fly a guy's Raptor 30 at my field, but I haven't seen him there in a couple of months.

Yeah I have seen the flight boxes, since my club is mostly Nitro people. A few are starting to convert to electrics. The few that have are saying they like the electric planes more than their Nitros. I think I am slowly converting a few over to helis. People have been coming up to me and asking about them. I have offered a few people to fly mine with a buddy box, but they have refused to try. I think they might be intimidated by a heli.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Nah, no flyin' yet...lol.

I figured out the TP charger, it was a little confusing, since it was setup I guess in auto mode...it didn't specify or ask cell count..it said something like "auto v." so I guess it detects the cell count..I just put in the 1C, and hit the button, seems to be doing fine...

Yeah, some people are just intimidated by helis, like this guy that I got this from...he fies like giant 110cc gas planes, and has no fear of them even coming straight at him, but he is just not a heli person, by his own admission...I honestly don't know how he could have flown this heli the way it is, unless someone moved the needle valve since he flew it, it didn't have enough power to lift off...I tried full throttle/collective, and it had the blade pitch, but no RPM's...

The blades make a cool sound when they are spinning, even slowly...

I'll charge everthing up tonight. and give it another try soon...maybe tomorrow night, not sure yet, I hate doing things that require alot of mental activity on Mondays...LOL

I needed to charge that Ni starter overnight, that was probably why it died so quickly, the instructions said to charge 24 hours before the first use...

I'm a LOT less intimidated by it now...having seen it idle very well and calmly, and have all the throttle controls down pretty close to where they should be as a starting point...I'm sure it will be a bit tricky to get the engine mixture dialed in perfectly at first, it's going to take some practice.

What I really should do is get ahold of Rob, and if he has some time, let him fly it, and get his feedback...

Glenn

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

JPEE,

Congrats on your first idle up with the 600! I know what ya mean, the 500 scares me a bit...and it's going to be quite some time before I try that with the Raptor!!!

Jeff,

LOL, yeah, I have seen that vid before, crazy stuff!! That was running through my mind when I first hit the starter handle today for the first time...LOL!!

I actually saw that happen to a guy at that heli fun fly a while back...it was the only crash I saw all day...but he had the "chicken dance" going just about as well as that guy in the vid!!!

Scary stuff, actually...never had anything too bad happen with the Cobra, I did turn the TX off one time while it was runnning...not a pretty sight...but I held on, long enough to turn the TX back on...it revved up quite nicely...lol!!

Heli,

Cool on the Trex 250....some pics please!!

Glad to hear you are also considering a 500 class heli as well...they are really nice...I need to get mine out more often!!

But right now, (well, before this new project..) I am practicing doing new things...not exactly what I want to be trying with the 500...they are great helis, but sure can be expensive when you crash...so I'll try the new stuff on my crash test dummies, the B400's and the CPP2's...lol.

I rarely fly the Gaui for the same reason...it's not too expensive to fix...but kinda a PITA, 'cause things are so TINY...

Have fun!!

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

It sounds like you are getting really excited to fly the Raptor. I think the auto v you were talking about was for the Voltage drop the charger looks for to know when a NiCd or NiMh battery is fully charged.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Yeah, it has my attention, that is for sure!!

I think you are correct, it said something like that in the manual for the Turnigy when I was looking at that...

The RX pack was pretty low...I checked it when I got back, and it was at 4.8 volts...it took 1900 Ma....so it was actually pretty low. The voltage after the charge was 5.4 volts. So, I'll know to be careful when I see the pack voltage at 4.8 if I'm out flying.

Well, no one complained when I started it up and ran it in the park where I usually fly the B400's....there is only one house there, and they seem pretty cool, have never said anything about flying there so far...it would be good to have a test area close to home, to fine tune and test stuff without going all the way to the club field.

Ultimately though, I do believe that it will come down to mostly flying it at the club field...I just don't see myself setting all that stuff up in a baseball field, only to be kicked out, and have to pack it all up again...

We'll see how it goes in time...

Hope you can get the 540 repaired soon, you're gonna be an expert at model airplane structural design!!

Glenn

JPEE

Glenn,
Congradulations on the spool up of the new heli. I can just imagine how hard it will be to break your electric habits and convert them over to Nitro as you mentioned on the approch of the heli and such. You know you can do it. I know WE all can't wait to see some picks of her running


Nick,

Good to hear you got your materials ordered. If you start building planes you will be busy. I like the idea of screws too. If the small screws for my old Hirobo which were super small like Gaui screws you should be able to that. Keep us informed on that progress.

JPEE

evdreamer

Glenn,

I don't think I will be flying the 540 anytime soon. I might be able to finish the mock up in a couple of weeks, but I don't know how to do the rudder part yet. I want to try and finish the CF version at the beginning of September, because there is a fun fly at my club at the end of September.

JPEE,

Yeah I think this plane will take a lot of my time, so I probably won't be out flying the 600 as much.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Yeah, it sounds like the 540 is going to be a big project, for sure....I wish you luck on it, and hope it turns out well...

I don't know if I'll be testing the Raptor tonight or not, got some other stuff to do, I'll probably hold off until tomorrow at least on it...take a breather, I spent most of the day and evening on it yesterday...lol...there is no real hurry on it, I bought it as a long term project anyways.

I test flew the B400 today, set the blade tracking, it flies better than it did...I don't remember if I told you guys, I had an incident on Saturday morning (yes JPEE, MORNING..lol)...have no clue what happend, just a complete loss of thought, my mind was somewhere else, and I lost orientation for a minute, wasn't even doing anything cool...lol...and it smacked the nice soft muddy infield at the big baseball field...

The rebuild wasn't bad....all the usual stuff, but the PITA is the see saw holder, I was going to get a CNC one, I have seen where some of the guys on here have had a hard time with them, and now I know why...the CNC see saw holder is only made for the CNC head, it doesn't fit the stock rotor head...and forget that, I'm not investing all that in the B400...so I bought the plastic one for $2.99..lol.

Glenn

HeliStyle

My Feedback: (2)

glenn, and nick I have a question on the 250 bulid maybe you guys can help me with

I just got to the align 3400kv motor and the 15t pinion . It says you have to use green loctite r48 supplied with the kit on the pinion to secure it to the motor shaft because there is no set screw. Its hard to believe this will hold :/


what do you think of this?

rotarydoc

Heli,

Sounds scary to me....

I have never heard of such a thing...maybe Nick or the others have...sure doesn't sound very reassuring, with no setscrew at all...[X(]

Did you watch Finless's vid to see what he did?

If that doesn't answer it, you could always post in the HF Trex 250 forums...those guys will know for sure, or maybe just look around in there...

Good luck, let us know how it does work...I'd be interested to know...

Glenn