rotarydoc

Jeff,

LMAO...yeah, got my eye on a new gadget here soon...sort of a get well present to myself...lol....it's not a heli though...I'll save that for over-the-winter...

That thing going 144 is amazing, isn't it? It had a good running start, no doubt, but still....wow!

Glenn

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Hi guys,

Havne't seen the vid yet but the thought of a heli doing 144 is mind boggling. And here I thought those brushless V-wing plane things were fast.

Hey Nick,
You could always do a speech on the wonderful world of RC heli's - no preparation necessary!

Glenn,
So your going to keep us in the dark as to what get well gadget your getting?? Not fair!

Jeff,
Just think of this: next time on a fishing or hiking trip you can use the same fuel that you cook with to fly a heli. How cool is that? Also saves backpak room.

Heli,
Just couldn't do without a mSr could you? Yeah, those guys at Eflight come out with some additing stuff.

This morning was really nice and the temps were in the 50's (unlike crazy Jeff and his 30F flying ). Got a chance to play around with the CPP2 and the rex450. Need to do some adjustment on the pitch for the rex but at least the tail shake is gone. I think I got used to flying the CPP2 and had to readjust to the rex with the more open space needed. Just did some basic flying around and decided to stay away from any flips or rolls, but I did indulge a little and did a loop. All in all a very good end to the workday. Got the batteries charging now so I can fly in the morning.

Jeff, are you flying around 6'ish to get those kind of morning sunrises? I get out of work at 7:30am and the sun is already shining good and above the horizon. Dang early bird!

Mark

jroo

Got all my batteries converted to EC3 last night.

Weather forecast today for my noon flighttime will be a clear 78 degrees. w00t

rotarydoc

jreue,

Congrats on the EC3's...they will get easier to do next time around...

Have fun on your gorgeous weather day down there...

Glenn

rotarydoc

Mark,

Sounds good on your after work flights, and preparing for this mornings as well...

I know what you mean no having to adjust between helis...when I take two different (even the B400's) at one time, it takes a minute or so of flying to get in the groove with each one, since they do fly a bit differently. But especially when going from like the Gaui or CPP2 to the 450 sized helis it takes some initial adjustment, for sure..

Hope you have/had a good time in your adventures this morning...today would be a good day to fly for me, it' about 50, no wind yet...but, I'm not quite up to that level of comfort just yet...I got a bit sore after my little trips to the local strores yesterday, so I know my limit for the time being...maybe by the weekend...

Oh, I dunno....just LOOKING at newer PC's...with the new Windows 7 operating system....and faster processors, etc...

I don't really NEED a new one...but that has never stopped me before...LOL...we'll see...

The way I look at it, sure, I could get a new heli...but which do I use more? I spend hours on the PC every day...more than watching TV...and I fly the heli for 6 minutes at a time, mostly on weekends...

We'll see...the primary motivator here is I still have 2 weeke of vacation pay at work that I have not used yet....and have to before the end of the year...so why not buy myself something that I'll really enjoy?

Anyways, just looking at the moment...

Hope you guys get to fly some today or this week!

Glenn

jroo

Well I'm back.

HOLY *#$!

Gorgeous day; 75 degrees, clear, extremely little wind.

Battery 1: Eflight 1800 mAh
400 is extremely stable with this. I can hover with no hands. Once I had my first flight like this, I marked the battery with a marker where the front of the heli frame is, so I can continue to have this perfect center of gravity. Although it can hover stable, the flight was not exactly perfect. I had 2 VERY close calls. The first happened when the heli got to the left of my and I was looking at its right side. I gave some rudder input to get it tail. Somehow, not sure, I dived toward the ground, at about 50 degrees left aileron, the simulator practice kicked in subconsciously, and I saved it by swooping up no more than 4ft from the ground. My friend with me, was like 'Did you mean to do that?'. heh, NO. Got her under control an continued to mainly hover tail in, 20-30ft up, moving back and forth, just feeling it. Well, she went behind me, I had to turn around, now the heli is nose in, right in front of the sun. Got very scary for a moment, but again, the simulator practice subconsciously took over. I flew nose in toward me and a pretty damn fast pace, came around and got it back tail in. I didn't set my countdown time, so i have no clue how long i've been up. I finished up the pack hovering at about 10 ft, tail in, until the tail started to wag and I brought her down.

Battery 2: Zippy 2200 mAh
This was my first flight using these. I had transfered my center of gravity mark from the Eflite battery to this one, and installed it in the heli. Took off, and man, it seemed very unstable. I was constantly having to give left rudder input as the nose kept want to to point right. I was trying to let off the rudder and see what it would do and it didn't seem like it wanted to constantly spin clockwise, it seemed like the gyro just wanted me to be pointed that direction. I flew out the pack constantly trying to fight the rudder, but it was pretty nerve wracking.

Battery 3: Zippy 2200 mAh
sAme deal on this one. Heli wants to nose right, so I'm constantly having to give rudder input left. I had the time set on this one, and 4 minutes in, I'm about 7ft up and the power just seems to drop. I landed soft but I was like ***. I called it a day here.

Well, I ran through 3 batteries without a crash. I had 2-3 insanely close calls, but as strange as it seems, when I was in the process of recovering, that's when I really felt like I was flying. Although I was in survival mode, it was the same uninhibited feeling I get when I'm on the simulator.

All in all, a blast!

So, can anyone give me a clue as to:
1) Using the Zippy batteries, the heli wants to rudder right. Is it a center of gravity issue, or is the gyro out of whack somehow?
2) Whats up with the 'drop from the sky' experience I had with my 3rd battery?

evdreamer

Mark,

I already did a speech on brushless motors and plan on doing my last two on something RC related.

Good to hear you had a good day flying.

Jreue,

Good to hear you had fun flying too.

The zippy batteries might be holding the Voltage better, so the tail blades would be spinning faster. You might need to readjust the gain on the gyro.

That third battery might be a dud. I have had one LiPo only last one minute brand new.

Nick

jroo

I thought the indicator to adjust the gyro would be that the tail is wagging? Mine is not wagging (i dont think). It is just going left...

evdreamer

Jreue,

If the gain is too high the tail will wag, but if the gain is too low the tail won't hold. At least it is worth a try to increase the gain and see what happens.

Nick

jroo

That's exactly what i was looking for!
Thanks!

Are all your battery packs the same brand? Do you find you have to adjust the gain from pack to pack?

rotarydoc

jreue,

Congrats on your sucess today, however scary, glad the sim helped save the day...I am a firm believer in sims, and use mine when I have time between real flying.

I agree with Nick, try the gain adjust, bring it up until it wags, and then back off just a tad...and see how that goes...

Unfortunately, the variance between your packs might be causing it....I usually try to stick with the exact same packs, I usually buy packs 3-4 at a time, for each heli, so the variance between the packs is minimal between flights...

Not only the voltage...but the weight and it's effect on the CG, as you pointed out will make a difference...I can tell a huge difference if I put in a 2200 pack from the Trex 450 in my B400's..which I usually use really lightweight 1750 Rhino packs..

Good luck,

Glenn

evdreamer

Jreue,

I have 4 different batteries. I don't have to adjust the gain between the batteries, but I am flying with high end gyros too.

Nick

JPEE

Jerue,

If I use at 1800 pack in my 400 it flies fine but if I put in a 2250 pack then I do have to reset the tail by with inputting some rudder on the radios exterior trims switchs too. So with that said, I stick with the same packs of 2250 in all three of my 400s and thats how they are set up, no more goofing around with it. I fly the smaller packs in my plane which doesnt care what size they are.

JPEE

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Hi guys,

Glenn,
I would get the computer. This is probably the only time I would have to agree that another heli wouldn't really do you any good. My old computer only has capacity to hold 512 megs of ram so my G2 runs borderline on freezing up at a moments notice, so I have to be careful when on the sim. I think I am the one that needs a new computer...handouts not a problem.

Didn't get a chance to fly this morning despite having all my batts charged and ready to go. Had to stay over this morning for a surprise meeting so had to forgo flying, bummer. Of course will be trying again this morning, plan on jetting out at 7 before any big wigs get in.

JPEE,
Thanks for the paint links, lots of stuff there.

jreue,
Good deal on the sim-related saves for your diving heli, bet that got the old blood flowing.

Mark

evdreamer

Guys,

Here is a pic of a Voltmeter I have been working on. I finally got the bugs worked out of it. My adjustable power supply that I built worked great with testing this out. I will probably work on an ammeter and a temp gauge later this week. My Velocity parts came today, so I will try and finish that before the weekend.

rotarydoc

Nick,

Cool on the voltmeter project, and the upcoming ammeter and temp gauges..neat stuff.

I have only built that kinda stuff from one of those basic kits where you bend the spring contacts and insert the wires...the breadboard looks alot more professional...lol...

Good luck on the Velicity rebuild, hope you can get it in the air again by the weekend....how's the weather there, getting real cold yet?

Supposed to be windy here for the next two days, but the weekend looks promising. Maybe I can get out and fly a couple of packs anyways...we'll see...

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

It has been in the 50's lately. I think it will warm up a little by the weekend.

Hope you can feel better soon to fly again.

Nick

JPEE

Hey Guys,

Just jetting off to work but wanted to check in. Mark ...good luck on the painting, hope that post helped.

Nick, great news on the volt meter. It must feel great when a plan comes together as Hannable Hays used to say.

Glenn, hope your weather clears for your weekend perspective flying too.

ME: grey cold and supposed to drizzle today and tomorrow and then cloudy till Sunday, as Glenn says ARRRRG!


JPEE out

rotarydoc

JPEE,

That sounds like my kinda flyin' weather you got out there...

Don't work too hard...save some energy for Sunday's flying!

Have a great day!

Glenn

jroo

Morning all,

At what point should I take my training gear off? I've never flown with them off and I've been through 25 battery packs so far (a majority just hover practice though). I feel comfortable taking off and landing now, and was just curious as to what the indicator was for you guys to say 'ok im ready to fly without it'.

evdreamer

JPEE,

Yeah it feels good to see one of my projects work. For me it is like learning a new move with a heli. The controllers that I am working with and the ones that are in the majority of electronics can only do interger math, so I have been working on developing firmware to deal with fractions. It is a long process and is kind of cool to think that chargers are doing a similar process to find the Voltages of each cell in a battery. I got it to work on paper, but won't be able to test it until tonight or tomorrow.

Sorry to hear about your weather.

Jreue,

Usually once someone can hover a whole pack they are good enough to fly without training gear, so you should be ok to take them off.

Nick

rotarydoc

jreue,

As Nick said, you should be just about ready, if you can keep the heli under control in a hover for an entire pack...

What the heck....go ahead and cut the cord....you can always put them back on temporarily if you don't feel comfortable...

Just be prepared; it's going to feel ALOT different with them off....it will feel naked at first!!! And, quite a bit more responsive, depending on your training gear design and weight...

Cool feeling though, once you do it!!

Good luck...

Glenn

jroo

Oh hell yea, I'm goin for it guys. If anything, it looks cooler and is easier to transport without the ping-pong balls flailing around.

I'll be sure to notify you all when i crash and burn....

J-MICHAEL

jreue ~


You'll be fine..... Just keep concentrated on the flights. If you feel like your not quite ready, you could do what I did awhile back and instead of taking them off, just cut an inch off the legs at a time. Every week I then would cut off another inch from them until finally after awhile, there was nothing much left and I then removed them altogether. But like Glenn said, the heli will look "naked" at first ! But just think now with the less weight and drag, your motor and battery and esc should run a bit cooler, and possibly another 30-45 seconds of flight time.

In a sense, the heli will be more reactive now, but also since the drag is gone, your going to be able to control it quicker in a sense also. If that make sense.... Kinda like that weird understanding that with a lower headspeed the heli is more controlable, but also the heli can be more controlable with the higher headspeed. Confusing, but you'll see in time what I mean I think.

You'll be alright.... Let us know how things go, and just relax is all.... Less inputs are going to be required in way... [8D]


~ Jeff

JPEE

Nick,
Yes, nothing is better than to see something you made or created work and work right. You have so far to go and so many neat things to make or invent in your life yet, I am kinda jealious.

Jreue,
Boy listen to Jeff, thats a great idea if you really have second thoughts about being ready. Glenn and I, we just took them off when that day came. Just go down and get a set of extra blades, main shaft and f shaft, and landing gear. You may not nead them but you will sooner or later, we all do, thats part of the hobby.
"GOOD LUCK"

JPEE