rotarydoc

Nick,

Not sure what Charles does to make his last, if anything. His YS engines always start and run well, and make alot of power. He's been doing this for awhile, he makes alot of things look easy...

He never checks temps, about all I ever see him do is wipe the heli down and refuel it between flights...he's very meticulous about a clean heli, he'll wipe it for a long time...lol.

He and Justin are opposites...at the fun fly, Justin's heli was dripping with oil...he just loves to fly, and not so much into the cleanliness part...lol...

I think I'm somewhere in between. My SDX is still new, so it's not too grimy yet...but I do wipe it down after each flying session, but not like with a fine tooth comb or Q-tips or anything...

I think it's going to rain tomorrow, and then get hot again for the weekend...how's your weather??...since it'll probably be here in a few days...lol...

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

When my heli is covered in fuel and oil I know I had a good flying day. I am like you and only clean it once I am done flying for the day.

My weather isn't too bad. It was partially cloudy yesterday and in the upper 70's and it was sunny today and in the lower 80's.

Nick

JPEE

Hi Nick,
I hope you can start getting approx 80 flights out of your glow plugs, that would be sweet! even 60 flights would be managable. I'll bet you love your Velocity, you have done alot of work on it.

Glenn, aka Mr. Clean! lol glad you got to fly at the horse track. That open area is no doubt much better for you.


Today I flew a pack thought the 450 just sport flying. Then I took up the 500 and did the same for its $245.00 rebirth lol. Then later I took a second flight and did some barrels and flips and she is back. I took the 600 up between those 500 flights and she did well just sport flying but...........whenI spiked her a few times I heard a scretch somewhere in the heli. There might be a beraring going so I have grounded her. I do not have the time nor the room to take her to pieces and go thought it at this time.
Bad news: The new 3000 40C packs I got for the 500 won't fit under the canopy. I got the ones others guys are using and thatey touted were so good. So I may have to do like one guy did and sink the battery tray down about a 1/2" in the frame. The probelm is, I dont know to the mm if the frame will spread enough? The otherside of this is, if I cant use them on the 500 I can paralle them and fly them in my 600 if I have too. I am hoping for the best for the 500.

JPEE

evdreamer

JPEE,

That is cool you also got to fly today.

Sorry about your battery.

Nick

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

JPEE,

Congrats on the "rebirth" flight of the 500...sounds like you got it just about back to normal...

Sorry to hear those packs are a tad too big...I have not checked into and battery tray mods, so I won't comment on that...but good luck on it...any chance on using a different canopy?

Good idea to ground the 600 until you find the source of that noise...the smart thing to do. I fly the 450 still with that bit of motor bearing noise, but it's fairly constant, it has not gotten any worse...so it'll keep flying until it makes more noise, or something else bad happens...

Nick,

I just got done reading the article in RC Heli about glow plugs...and they are saying that some people get 15 gallons of fuel through a single plug, or 120+ flights..which is what I thought I had read somewhere else...

I'm sure it depends on alot of factors, especially engine tuning, I think they would tend to last alot longer for someone who is running a mixture on the rich side...so the plug element stays cooler.

One good hot/lean run might do one in pretty quickly.

Glenn

rotarydoc

Nick,

Here's the Quark SG...second generation...that you were telling me about a while back...

It's definitely on my wish list...

I hoping they will offer it less TX evenetually...

I see it comes complete with a HIROBO price tag too!![X(]

http://www.heliproz.com/prodinfo.asp?number=QUARKSG

It looks like enough stuff is different as to make it not worth trying to upgrade...[&o]

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Yeah, that is definitely a Hirobo price tag.

I have been looking at some full version 3D CAD software and most of them are charging an arm and a leg. Most are in the $4000 range and have a $1000 yearly fee.[X(] I found one for a $100 that looks pretty easy to use and has most of the features the other companies offer.

Nick

JPEE

Glenn,
That Hirobo is INSANE, $750.00, are they nuts! crazy! and more. $750.00 for a little plastic heli? ? ? ? For $800.00 I better get a sleep over if you what I mean. I saw it and cannot believe it.

Well the 500 did well today and yesterday. It was overcast so I only took one flight with the 500 and the 450 twice and lastly my plane before the breeze was to strong for my noob friend to try and hover. I was trimming his clone 450 pro and set it down on the dirt field where we always fly. BANG there went the tail TT gears I thought! What I stripped was the front crown drive gear. I could not believe what happened, the blades barely touched the ground but they did and that was enough. So we went back to my house and I quickly tore it down and replaced it and had him RTF the next time the wind lets up.

Something strange, yesterday I was using his DX6i to fly one of his helicopters. Then we installed a second battery for me to trim the heli as this was the maiden flight. I turned on the radio and is was grave yard DEAD. I asked him, hey bud, when the last charge on these batteries in the radio? He replied all last night. So then I took my DX6i batteries out and slipped them into his radio and NOTHING, DEAD. So we stayed around there at the Club Field and BS'ed with the guys and then started loading a bit later. He turned on the DX6i and WALA it was working now. Hummmmmm now we are worried thinking what happens if it craps out with a heli in the air. So back to today, he hovered a pack and then I took the radio to trim out his 3rd helicopter. I pushed the rudder outside trimmer to the right and that was it! It would not come back to center or beep or move and the top of the switch feels loose and broken inside. So we fed all of his models into my DX6i and and I lent it to him while his goes into HH for repair or replacement.

Hey Nick, interesting what Glenn said about the glow plugs hey?

Thats it from California.....................JPEE

rotarydoc

Nick,

That link changed since I posted it, and they don't have any helicopters listed under indoor/RTF....looks like Heliproz needs more work on their website yet...

That is a steep price for the Quark SG, it's going to be awhile before I could consider that...

I have heard of some outrageous prices on CAD software....sounds like your $100 version might be the way to go to get started, for sure...

I was looking at construction equipment simulators, looks like fun to run a big excavator and demolish buildings and stuff....I found one...it was $2500..[X(]

Turns out it was a professional version, with a seat, controls and everything to teach someone to operate a full size excavator...a bit steep for just some fun...

That put an end to that...lol.

Glenn

rotarydoc

JPEE,

I just missed your post...

Sounds good on the flying today, sorry it was overcast, I know you hate that...

Sorry on the TT gears, it does NOT take much, as I found out as well, when mine touched, it just kicked up a bit of sand...I didn't even think about it until later when I heard the clicking..

That is good that you found the bad DX6i...chalk up another one for Horizon to fix or replace...good thing they have such good service, because the DX6i's are beginning to make me wonder...[&o]

Before mine had the glitch in the pots, when I was setting the SDX up, I turned the DX6i back on, and EVERYTHING was gone...it defaulted all the way back to AERO (plane) mode...I was HOT!!! This also happened to me on the Gaui setup...seems to only happen when I am setting a heli up...and don't forget the habit they have of switching back to UP counter by themselves...which isn't serious, but quite annoying..

But, what can you say....they are a great value when they are working well... And Horizon certainly stands behind them!!

The Hirobo price doesn't surprise me...but I'll say this...when I looked at the ad, it said SOLD OUT...

If they offer it with no TX, and about $100 off, I might think about it...but it's a bit steep even for a loyal Hirobo guy like me!!

Glenn

evdreamer

JPEE,

Good to hear your 500 is still flying good.

Glenn,

I just ordered some building videos of a full size kit airplane. I saw an aluminum RC airplane and I would like to build one myself. I thought the videos would help me learn some of the building techniques. I wanted to use composites, but they are a lot more expensive than aluminum. Hopefully that would be able to handle a crash or bad landing better than balsa wood.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

That sounds pretty cool...I can't say I have ever seen an aluminum RC airplane before...at least not at any fields.

I would think it would hold up better in a crash than balsa...almost anything would...lol...

I wonder where you get the materials to build one? I have seen small aluminum sheets at the LHS, but nothing large enough to build a plane out of...

Sounds interesting for sure.

I got to fly 4 packs tonight, at the school field across the street. It's quite big, but it's almost never, ever free of people...it was supposed to rain all night, and I guess everyone stayed in..

It was great having alot of room to fly right across the street...I sure wish I could do that more often...I guess if I did like JPEE and Jeff used to, and get up at the crack of dawn....lol....[X(]

I got my TX leveler/neckstrap adapter from Ready Heli, but I haven't opened it yet...Heli Direct just shipped my stuff today... they are definitely slowing down some, normally I would have my stuff on Wednesday that I ordered on Sunday night...[&o]

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

I wouldn't know where to get the aluminum either, but that is the great thing about google.

That is cool you got to fly at the school. I got two flights in on my 450 today. I tried increasing the pitch on my 450 to get the same pop as my bigger helis, but it still lacked the power. However, I really like the 10min charge time.

Hopefully your parts will show up soon from Helidirect.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Yeah, I'm sure by googling, you can find just about anything you would need...it is amazing...

Cool on the 450...yeah, the B400 doesn't have much punch either, but the 450 Pro has quite a bit...was playing around in idle 2 some today, pretty amazing power out of that stock motor with 25C batteries.

What batteries are you charging for 10 mins?? Did you go with A123's on the 450? Or just some of the newer packs you can charge at 3 or 4C?

The neckstrap and some stuff for the B400 might be here tomorrow from Heli Direct. My TX case should be here tomorrow as well, it's in the Laurel UPS facility now. I love UPS tracking, you actually know when stuff is going to arrive...unlike USPS...

I just installed the KDE neckstrap balancer/adapter...with it adjusted all the way out, the transmitter is actually weighted to the top slightly...and since I like to hold the radio slightly antenna down (like I think you said you do), it is perfect...if I move it back just a bit, it is perfectly balanced. Real nice! The quality of the KDE adapter is top notch stuff...

I am just now getting around to setting up the 500 on the 9503...

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

I have a Hyperion battery for my 450. I can charge it at 5C's. It charges faster than my A123's.

Good to hear you like your neck strap adaptor.

Nick

JPEE

Hi Nick,
I saw this post and thought 5 C how cool is that. I went to the Hyperion site and reviews their batteries Dange near $50.00 smackers for a 450 pack. But they say is has 4x the charges in than the standard Lipo and as they say......the icing on the cake is that they are 5 C. Sure some food for thought. It appears in the long run the cost for their pack comes out the same as Rhino over a life time and again the goodpart is you can charge it 12-15 min!

Take care. JPEE

rotarydoc

Nick,

Wow, that's pretty amazing on the Hyperion packs....how much do those cost?

I've just been running the cheap old Hobby City packs, which do pretty good for the price.

I can't charge them at 5C though...lol...but I have been charging at about 2C, which speeds things up a bit for sure.

I got my Heli Direct stuff, and my transmitter case today...

Pretty windy here, I think I'll take an evening off tonight.

Justin got a Scorpion motor for his 700e, and he wants to do some flying and video this weekend.

It's going to be HOT again this weekend, but it looks like Saturday will be the better of the 2 days, so I'm planning on going to MHA then.

Hope you can maybe fit a flight or two in this weekend.

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

This is the battery I have. [link=http://www.helidirect.com/hyperion-2200-mah-111v-45c90c-lipoly-pack -p-19724.hdx]battery[/link] Because of the charge times I only need one battery.

Good to hear you got your stuff from Helidirect.

That Scorpion motor should survive the heat. They use wire with a high temperature insulation.

It is in the triple digits today. I got one flight in with my 450. I think I am going to try and fly that everyday like I used too. I need to work on normal inverted circuits some more. I normally practice constant flipping and piro moves and my inverted circuits don't look to good. I did some inverted funnels in my back yard and some basic inverted figure 8's. I think it will help improve my skills, since there are so many obstacles to avoid. I probably won't be able to fly this weekend because of work.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Thanks for the link on the battery....that is very cool...something to keep in mind for sure...I wonder how well it takes charging while it's still warm, like if you were out in the field on a real hot day? That would be my only concern, if you had to let it cool for quite a while, it might not be as nice as having 2-3 packs charged and ready.

Still great to keep in mind...I have all the batteries I need for a while, but when it comes time for new ones, I'll definitely consider those.

Yeah, I am curious to see how that holds up, and I'm pretty sure he has to run the KDE adjustable motor mount, so maybe no more stripped main gears for a while. Although, I don't think it's a gear mesh issue, I think there is simply too much torque for the stock plastic gear to handle.

Sorry it's so hot...that is my Sunday weather you are having now...mid 90's here, and humid, so they say...

Glad you are getting back to some basic moves with the 450. I'll bet it also is good exercise for your reflexes compared to the larger helis...esp with all the obstacles...

Sorry about your work schedule, and not being able to fly. I have been lucky, and not been scheduled for any Saturdays lately. I think they know how much I hate them..

I am building a Tru Spin prop balancer...like this;

http://www.amazon.com/Dubro-Products.../dp/B0006N72Y8

I got it for a new balancing method that I read about in Ray's heli tech book...he swears by balancing this way...you mount the entire rotor head, blades and all in this tru spin, and it's suppose to be alot better than just balancing the blades themselves, since it balances the whole head assembly at the same time.

You set it up like the big prop in the middle of that picture.... you just use a spare mainshaft as an axle for the prop balancer.

It's worth a shot, I'm going to try it on the B400, to see if it helps with the vibrations, but eventually would like to use it on all my helis. It can also balance tail blades on larger helis well. We'll see...

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Cool on the balancer.

Nick

JPEE

Hi Nick, and Glenn,


Sorry to hear you guys have hot nasty weather back there. Sorry you cant fly this weekend Nick and have to work, bummer forsure. Glenn, I am really interested your use of the prop balancer for the entire head, please let me know how this comes out. Glad your other stuff came in the mail too.

Bad news, my new 3000 mAh packs wont fit the 500 by not letting the canopy fit over the pack....CRAP! I read the rewiews and the guys all said the packs were ****-up so I bought them. Now to make them work I wil have to cut my frame where the red is highlighted to lower the battery tray. Now this "really" is not the end of the world and I would still be able to run the 2 ea 3S packs if I chose to, everything would just a bit lower. I will have to relocate the ESC to the side of the heli as it is now under the battery tray. I looked up the frame price and it is 65.00 should I goof, but I am not worried really. Now I have to justify the cost of the 3 new brick packs to modify the frame, is it really worth it, I think it is. Or I "could" use the 3000 mah packs on the 600 if I ran them in "paralle". NICK? that would that give me 3000 mAh and a mess of amps becuase there are two packs right?

Three of us are going to fly at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.

JPEE

evdreamer

JPEE,

If each pack is 3000mAh and you put them in parallel you would get 6000mAh and double the current output of a single battery.

Nick

JPEE

Thanks Nick, but the voltage is still 24vts because they are not in series.

JPEE

evdreamer

JPEE,

You are correct.

Nick

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Well, the balancer is interesting, for sure...I'm not sure what the end result will be, but I'll find out soon enough.

The way it's setup with the aluminum wheels (you really have to see it to understand) there is nearly ZERO friction...the head teeter totters on the balancer forever...it's extremely accurate.

Now, whether my method of setting up the blades worked remains to be seen...I followed his instructions in the book, and it seemed to have worked, but I think the method he uses to get the blades set out straight works better on larger helicopters.

Here's a quick explanation of his method....you want to get the blades out straight before balancing, and "freeze" them there, or hold them in place before you mount the head on the balancer....

So, you take the links off of the blade grips, so that the blades are free to flop around on the grip bearings...as in pitch wise flop around...if you can picture that...no links, just the blades flopping around on the grip bearings...

Then, if you have ever tried this, it does work...if the blade isn't perfectly straight out from the head, it will flop forward or backwards...if you get it perfectly centered, it will balance on the grip bearings....at this point, you want to lock down, or freeze the blades in that postion....so that when you go to put it on the balancer, the blades are perfectly straight out as they would be in flight....hopefully!

I did this, but the B400's blades are pretty light, and the bearings aren't the smoothest...so I'm not sure I got them 100% or not...but they were close...

I mounted it on the balancer, and the head was pretty far off...tipping consistently to one side, by quite a bit. Now, I know I had these perfect on the blade-only balancer last time...so I am thinking that there is somthing not centered in the head, or something along those lines throwing the whole thing out of balance..????

I ended up putting 6 one inch strips of tape on the light blade...which is quite a bit...so we'll see what happens...[X(]

I looked over the rest of the heli...and surprise....a bent mainshaft...never crashed...again...I thought that was behind me with the CNC stuff gone...

So, it got a new mainshaft, a new tailshaft, which looked the very, very tiniest bit bent...which could have been, just a little tail strike will do it..

I'll test it tomorrow.

Anyone know how close the B400 and Trex 450 (not Pro, earlier) mainshafts are in size, and hole placement? I am thinking the Align mainshafts are harder steel...I would love to try it...

I got my transmitter case....the thing is awesome...lives up to the quality of the radio itself...very nice! And not really too expensive, it was $55....looks like alot more...

I'm beat....I'll talk to you guys tomorrow!

Glenn