Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Hi Glenn,

Nice to hear you had the chance to get out to fly. I remember seeing pictures of that field in some of your earlier posts. My field is composed of soccer areas and so during the warmer months the only time to fly is during the early morning hours - and sometimes even then you'll get the occasional group practicing.

I bet you are super relieved to have the snow melting, and for warmer weather. Washed the car already - probably good to get all that winter salt off. That stuff is just plain nasty to metal.

I am finally finishing my repairs to my CPP2 that I crashed this past January. I learned my lesson not to fly in 20* weather because the plastic parts just become too brittle and hard to control. In the end, the head basically self-destructed when the heli hit the frozen ground. [] I am planning to test out my repairs in the next few days when it's not raining. Strange thing was at one time nobody seemed to have all the parts I needed - Helidirect and Ready Heli would always have one or more parts on back order at the same time. Guess Eflight was behind on parts manufacturing - blame it on Chinese New Year.

Mark

JPEE

patryn,
About that buff out. We tried SemiChrome and it really help straighten the tail boom out!

Glenn,
Man I am so glad you got out to the dream field "Heli Heaven" and got to fly! Good riddens to the CNC amd MCX stuff too.


Mark,
YEP it will be a 500 world for at least this week................poor me, stuck flying a 500 EPS


Nick,
No worries, I dont like to see a heli like that but as I said, this is the push I needed to complete the 450 Pro.


JPEE

JPEE

Guys,

Man oh man I am starting to feel like Glenn, no luck and bad luck trying to fly.

The Gods are "again" me. Big winds at home, so what! I'll drive to the field and it will be nice as has happened before. NOPE high winds and the gate was locked...no one there. The very good part of this report is...........I came home and unloaded the 500-600 and my plane and NONE of them had any flight damage LOL

JPEE

evdreamer

Glenn,

That is great you got to fly at your favorite field. Hope you can fly there some more this year.

JPEE,

Sorry you had some strong winds preveting you from flying.

Nick

JPEE

Hi Guys,

I went to fly Sunday at the Club Field and got in half a flight as you can see. The sun got me. So I just got a new $50.00 pair of sun glasses that are nearly glare PROOF called Cocoons a guy turned me on to. They fit over my own eyeglasses, or at least my smaller perscription sun glasses. I can damn near look right at the sun now. Further the glare that we had on Sunday that was just horrbile, these glasses take that away. I cant wait to try them flying but I have put them and looked into our pool that was reflecting the sun and they worked great.
http://www.cocoonseyewear.com/

Today I started on my HKING 450 Pro. I took apart the head and re loc-tited all of the screws. I took the frame apart and "greased" the frame tail boom drive bearings and main bearings. I got one side off the frame and got it sanded on all of the rough edges. I robbed a set of servos out of a 400 so those H65mgs will go in. I still need to buy a good tail servo, but I'll snap one up soon.

Nick Glenn, I hope you guys some time in!
JPEE

JPEE

Hey Guys,

Does this guys flying look familure.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-Aew_CYF_g&feature=channel[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgKjBt9H7og&feature=channel[/youtube]

JPEE

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Yeah, I think that guy used to come around here every now and then with his 450 video's.

I guess things are going good in WA for him.

Mark

JPEE

Mark, SPOT ON you have a great eye. I happen to run into these yesterday and they are hours to a few days old.

Smiles

evdreamer

I got my power panel today along with my glow plugs and glow plug extensions. I watched my ammeter on the power panel and it took 4-5A to get my engine started, but it runs so much better with this glow plug. I could also hear the hum from the switching power supply in the power panel. I took it apart, but if I wanted to see any more of it I would have to desolder some parts. I also got my engine tuned again. It was running really lean because of the weather.

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Not much new here, just typically windy in the month of March....not too much incentive to go flying in this, maybe the weekend will be better....

Yeah, I'd recognize those vids anywhere! Hope Jeff is having fun over his way....

JPEE,

Glad to see you are getting a start on the HK 450 Pro, you'll have to post some build pics as you go along....I'd love to see the difference (if any) between the HK 450 and Mark's Tarot 450.....

Mark,

Glad to hear you got your CPP2 rebuilt and ready to go too...my "twins" are sitting here ready to go (I got two of them, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment!), I charged a couple of packs for them when the wind goes down...

Yeah, just had to get that nasty stuff off the car....although the Forester spent most of the harsh winter buried in snow... It is certainly very capable in the snow, but most of the idiot drivers around here aren't....so the safest place for it is buried in the snow, away from the salt, potholes, and crazy drivers!

patryn,

I have to agree, I'm no big fan of the RX-8, it's a shadow of it's predecessor, the 3rd gen RX-7, which is by far the highest performance production car Mazda has ever made...

Nice to hear you have a '91 RX-7...

Nick,

Sounds like you are on the right track now with the glow starter, glow plug, and the engine tuning...

Yup, the cold dense air will require a richer mixture for sure!

Hope you guys get some flying in!

Glenn

evdreamer

Guys,

I was curious on how the output of my power panel looked, so I hooked it up to my O-Scope. The glow plug portion operated at 3-5V and as the current increased the frequencey increased. I was thinking the frequency would stay constant and the Voltage would be lower around 1.5V.

Nick

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Hi all,

Seems everyone is doing well.

Glenn,

You may have to resort to flying in the early morning hours before the wind picks up. Been breezy here also but mornings seems to be the most promising, as long as you don't mind being an early bird and get your flights in before around 9am.

I too am curious as to any differences between JPEE's HK Pro, mine, and yours. It would be interesting if the only difference was in the suttle shape variations in the frame cutouts.

Speaking of 450 Pro's, I nicked the stinkin TT with the drill bit while drilling the hole to pin the boom. [:@] But, ReadyHeli was kind enough to get my order in ready fast () so I have a new TT - decided to go with the higher torque rather than the standard one. Figured in a crash the gears are going to get eaten up a bit and what's the point in tempting fate with a questionable TT?

Yep, I was able to finish repairs to my CPP2 and got in a test flight this evening. Looks like I put all the parts back were they belonged. And to make my day even better, my new canopy for my Pro came in. Doesn't that just look purty??

I saw Jeff in the V2 thread and looks like he got rid of his 450 so it seems like he just has his 500, with a new house and a large yard to fly in.

Nick,

Sounds like you've been busy with your power panel. Good luck with it. Sounds like your getting to know the minor changes that those blasted nitro engines go through with simplist change in the weather. Isn't it nice electric motors don't really care how thick or thin the air is?

JPEE,

Great to hear your 450 build is coming along. Definitely get some pictures when you get a chance.

Mark

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Forgot the pictures.

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Nothing new here, just checkin' in...

Nick,

I also thought that glow plug batteries/Ni starters, etc, were 1.5 volts...in fact, I'm pretty sure my Ni Starter is a 1.2 volt single Ni cad battery....

Cool that you are experimenting and learning about the power panel now.

Hope you got everything dialed in and can get some flying in soon...


Mark,

Nice new canopy there! Looks sharp, for sure, should help with visibility too....

That would be cool to compare as closely as we can what the detail differences are in the various 450 Pro offerings....I seriously doubt I'll be able to see the huge price difference between mine and ya'll's... I got mine early on, and it was a Super Combo, with all the servos, Align GP 750 gyro, and the works....and I paid dearly for it.... $629 if memory serves me correctly...[X(]

Interesting thought on the TT....now, I'm not sure if they've made any changes, but when I got my kit, it came with the "standard" TT in the kit....which is the stronger one, less resistant to break away....and I ended up getting the optional "break away" TT for mine, and installed it right off the bat...

I have not had the unfortunate opportunity to test it yet...lol... So, I can't say how effective it is at saving the gears....I really dont' mind the rear gears blowing, but the front ones are enough of a PITA that the break away TT seemed like a good idea to me.


The weather here is spotty at best, I think rain all day tomorrow, with some clearing for the weekend, but chilly...not sure about wind yet....but it IS March...[&o]

JPEE,

Get anymore done on the build?


Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

I thought the designers of the power panel would try and replicate a Ni-Starter, but they might not be concerned about Voltage as much as Current.

I got my electronics today. I worked on my battery balancer before work. My transistor wasn't working like what I learned in school. It was some how turning itself on when it was supposed to be off. I tried it will all the same model tranistors and it did the same thing. So I redesigned it to work with FET's and now it is working like it should. I am a little nervous about my 7W resistor. The data sheet said it would get up to 400 degrees when operating at 60% of its rated power. I am used to resistors being cool when they are below the max power rating. It got over 200 degrees when I was only disapating 5W. The data sheet did say it had a fire proof coating on it.

Tomorrow's weather looks promising, so I might fly then. I am supposed to fly for the boy scouts on Sunday, so I should see if the engine is running good during 3D before then.

Nick

JPEE

Hello Mark,
Boy oh boy that Tarot looks nice! I'll take some pictures of the frame of you. I did not get time to play with it today. We worked on some last minute electrical work at the house till 8:00 pm. I came home and crashed and burned in the Lazy Boy last night. Glenn..........Today I needed a break from the house stuff (which is where the heli is) and went to the range with the guys for the day and we shot our socks off! A great day and diversion to the all of the construction. OBTW Mark, your garage looks like the house was just built CLEANO. Also if I might complement you on the house interior colors, that's what we are doing here and is the new trend. Bright white base and casings and crown if you have and a soft beige/brown, coffee with cream color for the walls...........very nice.
Nick, looks like the O Scope is getting a workout, I am glad it is a good working tool for you.
JPEE

evdreamer

I got to fly today. I got 4 flights in with my Velocity and 1 in with my 600. I had to tune my engine some more today, but after that I enjoyed two 11.5min flights. I couldn't do much, since it was gusting over 20MPH. However, I enjoyed being the only one flying there. People would have had a hard time landing planes today with the cross winds. One guy showed up and was suprised how well my helis were doing in the wind. I had to angle them 45 degrees into the wind, just to hover in one spot. I enjoyed using my power panel glow starter today. The engine started up right away and I don't have to worry about a dead Ni-starter.

rotarydoc

Nick,

Sounds like you had an awesome day overall, despite the wind, which we all know takes some of the fun away....

Good to hear you got to dial the engine in a bit better yet.

Seems like your power panel is working well for you...glad to hear that too...

That's pretty windy to have to angle those large helis at 45 degrees to hover...I can imagine a 450 in that wind!

Kinda cold and windy here, it's like 15 degrees below normal, I think tomorrow is going to be about 50 for a high, and kinda windy and then rain for Sunday....but I think mid week of the next week is supposed to be real nice, so maybe then I'll get some time in...

Glenn

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Nick,
Glad to hear you got to fly today. Now stop gloating about your 11.5 minute flights with your slimer! I have seen a few video's of 600's in high winds and am amazed at how well they handle it. I know my 450 has a hard time, esp during the landing. Good job on the power panel.

JPEE,
House work can really take the life out of you can't it? I remember when my house was being built I had the chance to do some custom installs (put in the surround sound wiring before the drywall went up) and had some very exhausting nights doing wiring. So yes I can relate. Thanks for the comments on the interior - I really didn't want stark white walls, reminded me too much of apartment living.

Glenn,
Hope this weekend brings some nice weather for you - it's been very windy here the past few days, a front is coming through I believe.

About the price for your Pro - ouch! I can't believe they used to be that high. But as with anything fresh off the assembly line prices will be high in the beginning. It just depends on if you are willing to pay it or not. Before our son was born I was able to be relatively unrestricted in my 'toy' fund but now things have a priority list, and my 'toys' are sorta at the bottom for now.

Weather looks promising for this weekend so am planning to get a few flights in with my repaired CPP2 and the Pro. Really looking forward to trying her out with the new canopy.

Mark

JPEE

Mark, yes you can relate it seems. I too when my house was down to 2x4's after the big quake ran around at night after work and ran surround sound to both sides of my living room so I 'd be covered. I ran a "home run" telephone and cable tv line to each room of the house. Nothing was in a loop, all home runs. It has made for perfect service for the last near 15. years. Again your choice in colors are purrrrrfect. I had my daughters house painted the same way and now mine will match. Yes, all white is very stark and apartmentish.

Nick, I am so glad to hear that the power panel and glow starter worked perfect for you today. Top that with your high wind flights and YOU DONE GOOD BOY!

Glenn, sorry about your poor weather. I hope mid week works for ya.

JPEE

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

JPEE,

The same here, doing wiring work in the middle of the night with only a large flashlight and a ladder to see what in the heck your doing. My house has a cathedral ceiling in the living room so that was fun trying to find a low point to run speaker wire from one side of the room to the other. I was actually very lucky in that the builder didn't mind me coming after hours to do my own wiring. I later found out from some neighbors that the builder they dealt with didn't allow that at all. I have to say it was nice to have things exactly where I wanted them to be. Sounds like you went several steps beyond me with the cable and phone line in all the rooms - great job!

Glenn,

Looks like I missed the part about your weather being not so great - sorry to hear.

Don't feel alone though, this morning was a bit more windy then expected and so I decided to forgo the 450 and just did the CPP2. It did great until the double sided tape holding the gyro let go during a roll and sent the heli into a piro death spin. I knew I should have secured the gyro during the build, with a ziptie or at least some scotch tape. So now back to the repair table to take care of the boom and tail that were damaged in the crash. Ho hum. []

Mark

JPEE

Hey Guys,
Me too, WINDY WINDY WINDY but they are Santa Ana's so they are warm. It was a summer day here but to windy to do anything but mow the lawn with a mask on to hold down the POLLAND.

JPEE

evdreamer

Mark,

Sorry your gyro came off in flight. I had that happen to me on my Velocity, but I was close to the ground and it wasn't that severe.

Nick

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Yeah Nick,

I am actually glad it happened to the CPP2 rather than my new Pro - but lesson learned. For now on not relying solely on double sided tape to hold a gyro. Damage wasn't all that bad so now waiting for parts order.

Mark

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

I did get a little flying in today after all....

I took the other MCX, the MSR, and the Quark to work....the other MCX to check it out, it's going on eBay next...and the MSR as well, I do believe....I test flew the Quark after the tuning and adjustments I did to it last time after I flew it...and it flies soooo good!! I basically did a "reset" on the 4 in 1, and it brings it all back to factory specs....which are about the best for indoor flying.

I flew the MCX first, YAWN....then the MSR, and it's fun little heli...but it's not even in the same catagory as the Quark, which is just an amazing little heli when it's right...so that pushed me over the edge....gonna sell the MSR as well...I just can't stand how it's so reluctant to turn left (CCW) as that is my weak side, so I like to practice that when I fly....the Quark has no preference on which way it turns..

Then I finally dusted the 500 off...and put it's blades back on...I stole the spacers from it to use on the B400 last year, and never put them back on. So today I stamped some spacers out of an old credit card, and put the nice (and IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND) aluminum blade spacers back on the 500 again.

I took it out in the late evening...and I am not sure what to think...something just doesn't seem right, I'm going to have to go over it again, I think the throttle and pitch curves are not right, and I don't think I have enough headspeed, as the tail was doing the bobble thing that these do when the HS is low...and it seems really twitchy on the cyclic.....super responsive...I may have to tame that down a bit...

I only did one pack with it, in a very small field, so I really didn't "fly" it...but it's a start...got some homework to do!

Mark,

Sorry to hear the gyro let go....I'm surpised that hasn't happened to me yet, as I only use LHS servo tape to hold mine on as well....

About the only thing I had happen that was close was when the stock G110 gyro on the stock B400 let go mid flight...no warning....just went away...lol....and it did the spiral right into the ground...it's first crash...that's the one I'm now dismantling for parts...

JPEE,

Sorry about the wind...at least it's warm...it's windy here, and pretty chilly...rain coming tomorrow...

Glenn