Aframomum

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Glenn...

GOTCHA...


HOOK, LINE, SINKER!!!

Seriously though, congrats on your new mcpx.

Mark

PS. double check the blade grips when you get the heli...the updated ones will have a 'B' etched into the top of each grip.

rotarydoc

Mark,

Thanks, I can't wait to get it...

I felt bad not waiting for my LHS, but I'll be buying all my parts from them, and that's where they make their money actually...

I got it from a hobby shop in St Louis, and he included the "B" grips with it, no extra charge, I'll swap them when I get it, no sense taking any chances...

Now I just gotta hope that UPS Ground will get it here by the weekend...[X(]

Should be fun. I went to my LHS to see if they had any yet, and the heli guy was there (also named Glenn...) and he hovered their demo unit, and I got a chance to see how stable it is...and I was hooked, as you say....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...K%3AMEWNX%3AIT

Glenn

Aframomum

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Good deal Glenn...I understand wanting to support your LHS but as you said you'll be giving them your business when buying parts.

That's good that you'll be getting the updated head...so that will mean the existing head you can scrap for its feathering shaft and dampers...free parts!

I had a crash yesterday from another tail blowout...was flying in a bit too much wind and in a panic was flipping back over from inverted and hit the collective a bit too much. So another swash ball broken. I will be doing the pin mod for the swash and also extending the boom...the guys at HF are having great results with it. I already got the 2mm solid CF rod so just need to cut it to size and put it in.

Will get you the links to the mods in a bit okay?

Mark

Aframomum

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Glenn, here you go...

Tail boom extension mod: [link=http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=300326]Here[/link]

Want to make your own multi-charge board: [link=http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=293611]Here[/link]

Swash repair: [link=http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=298032&highlight=swash+repair]Here[/link]

Mark

Scotts CP

Congrats, you dog you!
I have not even looked at my heli stuff since emailing you last week.....maybe this summer sometime!

Have fun and I look forward to your reports,
Scott

JPEE

Hey Glenn and Mark,

You guys are KILLING my iPhone battery! [X(] RCU sends me and email on every posting you guys make! DAH...... you guys are burning up the thread today back and forth. Glenn, I am very happy to hear you got

your new heli ordered. I sincerely hope it arrives before the weekend. I know the scoop on the LHS but "it is what it is" no stock...no sale. With Marks guidance and being a few steps ahead of you that will be a big PLUS

for your mods and learning curve for that heli.


Happy for you man!!!

John

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Mark,

Thanks in advance for the links, they should come in real handy! Between that and the Wiki that Dave sent, I should be able to get off to a good start...I like that method of checking blade pitch by folding the blades back...I used that before on my Gaui 200 to set it up...pretty neat.

I now have no choice but to set it up on the JR 9503, since my DX6i took a poop...hopefully will be an easy setup.

Scott,

Thanks! I'll be sure and keep you guys posted...now ya gotta get that old heli stuff sold and get ya an MCP X!

JPEE,

Thanks....I'll be looking forward to having some fun with this little guy, maybe it'll be the spark I need to get motivated to fly some more!

I did fly 2 packs today at lunch, and things are coming back now...a bit more with each flight...getting more in the swing again, and having more fun...

I think it will be here by the weekend, the seller says he already sent it UPS ground, should be Wed or Thursday...should give me some time to check it out before the weekend...but I do have to work on Saturday...[&o] But the shop would be the best place for the intial setup anyways, no wind or sun to worry about...

We'll see....should be fun!


Glenn

Aframomum

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Oh yeah Glenn...flip it inside on its maiden...yayyyy!

Awesome to hear you may have it by this weekend and yep, your work bay seems to be a perfect proving ground for new micro heli's. I remember the mSr video you took from there.

BTW...Mine did come with too much pitch (think it was negative) and instead of turning the links I just adjusted the pitch mix in the radio...came out to something like 34 to get things close to zero pitch at midstick.

JPEE...here's another hit for your iPhone battery!!

Mark

rotarydoc

Mark,

We'll see....I think I'll leave the flipping part until I'm over some grass...

Yeah, the guy at the LHS was saying the ones he's seen have so much negative pitch out of the box, they won't even lift off...

I will have to see how mine looks when I get it. First things first, I'll swap out those grips for the "B" ones, keep everything safe...

The guy at the LHS was spooling that one (with old grips) up in his hand, at eye level today....even though it's been loctited, it still made me a bit nervous...although I have read that guys that have taken care of the loctite right from the get-go haven't had any issues, even with the old style grips...but it's not worth it...especially since I'll have new ones with it...

Should be fun!

JPEE, you'll need one of those add-on battery packs for your iPhone before it's all over....LOL

Glenn

Aframomum

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Looks like JPEE needs some more gadgets...lol...Iphone battery packs just to keep up with RCU.

Glenn,

Never did comment on your field...it looks perfectly sized for both your 450 and your new mcpx. I do hope those were some old markers and not any signs of things to come. I see the homes your were talking about, maybe no one is home when you fly? Nice to hear you had the chance to fly today during your lunch, I never have any luck flying in the afternoons...always seems too windy down here.

BTW, does your LHS have a good stock of mcpx parts? Just wondering since they haven't gotten the kits in yet. Yeah, I wouldn't be feeling comfortable with them spooling up a mcpx with the old grips...it was actually the bearing separating and pulling out of the grip that caused the grip flying off, so loctiting the bolt didn't make any difference. [X(]

Sorry to hear about your DX6...such a small part causing such a big problem. You use it for your Phoenix right? You may want to try calling HH first and see if they have any advice for home repair or if you have to send it in. At least either way you'll know for sure. One thing about HH is they do have very good customer service.

Mark

rotarydoc

Mark,

I was just reading some of those links you sent....and thinking the same thing about parts. While I was waiting to see the guy (my LHS was busy today!) I looked, and there are a quite a few BMCP X parts laying in the bottom of the display case...

Those guys seem to feel that a lot of the parts are hard to get right now, I'm thinking maybe I ought to go up there and grab some of the more likely parts I'd need...the links I know about, and the swash...I know they are fixing them, but I'd still like to have one good spare at least...

What else would you add to the list?

Also, have you done the link mod, where you put the bend in the elevator (?) control link to make it more swash-ball friendly?

Just thinking ahead here a bit....

Glenn

JPEE

Oh Crap! Smoke is coming from my iPhone charger! I need a higher "C" rated battery or........ with this chatter a freaking generator �

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Glenn,

That's good your LHS has a decent supply of parts. I would get a second set of links (the kit already comes with one)...they do tend to find the best hiding places during a crash and cannot be found. In all my crashes the canopy has held up well which is surprising as my experience with the CPP2...the canopy seemed to always take the brunt of the damage. You may also want to pick up some CF rods (2mm diameter) just in case later on down the road you want to extend the boom.

I will be looking into the Z-bend for the swash after I do the pin repair mod that I need to do to get her in the air again. Guess I should have looked into it after my first swash got broken.

Uh oh...JPEE's charger is going to go ballistic now.

Mark

rotarydoc

Mark,

I just spent $31 in parts, and I don't even have the heli yet...lol..

I ended up grabbing what seemed important, or likely to break...one set of the hi-perf main blades, one set of the links that pop off, one swashplate, and a hardware set with all the little tiny scews that if they fall, they are never to be seen again...[X(]

So that should get me started. I told the guy not to bother calling when the BNF's come in...I had left him my number. He wasn't upset at all, and like myself, he has some reservations about HH's time estimates (they are saying "early May")....remember the CCP2? If I recall, they said to be released in June, and it never made it until like September of the following year...[X(]

Anyways, I'm set on parts to get started, I hope....

I'm going to want more batteries, I'm sure...

Then a way to mass charge them...

And the list goes on...

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Have fun with the new heli when it arrives.

Your field looks cool. It kind of reminds me of some of the fields on the sim.

Good luck on the upcoming tests. I got the results of my calculus test and I did really good compared to my previous tests. Now I just have to worry about the final.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Thanks, I think I will enjoy the MCP X, but at the same time, realize that it may be quite challenging at times, from all I've read and heard so it should be interesting.

Congrats on your calculus test, that probably makes my test seem like a simple automotive quiz... I have never had a knack for any kind of math...

This field is great so far, I hope it lasts... I just wish it faced east, not west, but I'm not going to complain, as long as I can fly there.

Hope you do well on you finals, then you can kick back for awhile and enjoy the summer!

Glenn

Aframomum

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Hi guys,

Well last night I tried to do some modding of my swash to get it flyable again but the thing is just so tiny that I got frustrated waaay before and just replaced it instead. I was trying to use a tiny pin heated with a soldering iron to melt a hole in the swash but just made an ugly mess of it all.

I did, however replace the old boom with a solid CF rod and extended it by almost 1 inch. So I am really hoping that helps with blowouts and am looking forward to testing it out tomorrow morning.

Glenn, [link=http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=297548&highlight=boom+mod]Here[/link] is a link to Finless's writeup on some mods he did to his...I really like the idea of closing off the fork with a dab of hot glue to prevent the loss of head links in a crash.

I also read up on Rob2160's report of his motors after all his flights...I guess with the brushed motors the life expentancy is short. Funny thing with our brushless its the bearings that always go out. I wonder if oiling the brushed motors would help lengthen its life?

You will definitely be wanting more batteries after you get to flying this thing...2 is not going to cut it. Don't know if you have a large front/back yard but there is nothing like walking out your door and flying around...no driving, no hassel.

Nick,

Congrats on your calculus test...I always seemed to skin by in that area so major kudos to you.

Mark

rotarydoc

Mark,

Thanks for the link to Finless's 50 flight log...I actually had time to read that and a whole lot more on HF at work today, we're still dead slow....so I got a lot of insight into interesting things on the little bird...'

I have always wanted a hot glue gun, now I guess I have an excuse...never could think of a reason to buy one before... Sounds like a worthwhile mod, for sure...

I learned that the DX4e is compatible with Phoenix, so that may well become my sim radio...I don't like using my JR all the time on the sim, seems like I'm wearing it out...lol...but I do also think that it's best to sim with the radio you fly with, so I'll have to see how cheap feeling the DX4e is when I actually see/hold it.

I also learned a lot about the flipping technique, and how it requires very careful collective managment, as you already know...something I am not used to with relatively powerful helis, and the sim also makes you sloppy with collective management as well..so there will definitely be a learning curve...

Yeah, I watched Rob's video's before and after 500 flights....which is a lot of flights...and yeah, brushed motors do lose power after many runs....not so much due to bearing (the motor in the MCP X is most likely a bushing motor, haven't checked for sure) wear, but rather brush and commutator wear. After some time running, the brushes wear, and can also bounce on the commutator, and then wear it unevenly, which compounds the wear/arcing, and you gradually lose performance over time.

Back in the day, on our old RC cars, well before brushless motors, we used to machine the commutators, replace the brushes, with new springs, and have like-new power again...but it's not cost effective on these little throw-away motors...heck, we even had mini commutator lathes to machine the comms!!

That being said, it's definitely a good idea to lube the motor bearing/bushings with a drop of oil every so often...but not so much that it makes it's way to the brush/commutator area...

I see some threads about brushless motors....that would be cool if someone made a kit somewhere down the line...talk about an improvement over the existing motors.......that would be a sweet mod!!

I know exactly what you are saying about the swash fix....when I got mine home, I looked at it...and it is sooo tiny, I don't know how you would ever drill or melt a hole in it for the pinhead repair....any news on that CNC one you mentioned a bit ago?

Yeah, I know I'll want more batteries, and probably a charging jig for multi charging...that looks like a pretty simple project...

It looks like by UPS tracking that it'll probably be here on Thursday, it's stuck right now in Columbus Ohio, and just got unloaded there. Doubt it'll make it to Baltimore in time for tomorrow's deliveries.

I'll be curious to hear how you like the CF extension...I looked at my LHS, and they have CF rod, but it's in inch sizes...did you use metric (2mm) or something close in inch size? How did you extend or run the wire for the tail motor? Outside the boom, I got that much, but is the wire long enough as it is?

I also found that the setup for the JR 9503 is basically the same as the DX7, so I can just follow that setup....and I found another mention of setting the pitch by placing the main blades full forward/backwards and comparing their height...I want to be sure to get zero pitch at half stick in idle up before I even fly the thing...

Sooo....now it's just hurry up and wait!!!

PS Just found this thread on the motors, they are indeed bushing motors, and it sounds like maybe the bushings may wear out before the brushes...

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=300409

Glenn

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

He He...excuse for a glue gun.

I forgot your getting the RTF so that's great that you can use the DX4 with Phoenix, talk about timing for your DX6 to go fritzie.

Yeah, I'm still trying to get the flipping down pat so that even in a panic situation I don't give too much collective (which is what caused my last crash ). As long as you don't try doing a full flip in one motion...meaning positive collective straight through to negative collective...you'll be fine. You really do need to stop the flip half way (and catch it in the inverted position) before continuing back to upright...half to give the motor that moment in-between collectives to regain speed. Unfortunately much easier said then done.

But hey, maybe with my longer boom it won't be too much of an issue (fingers crossed ). I've included some pictures of my boom replacement. The CF rod that I got from my LHS was in mm...(0.080" X 24" for inches). The tail wires do go around the outside of the boom now and, unless your OCD about looks, its barely noticable esp. in flight. I did bevel the edge of the section that went into the tail case so to not compress the wires and possibly cause a short. And I added a bit of superglue to secure the tailcase (I can always heat it up to dissolve the glue if I destroy the boom in a crash and need the tailcase). I did a hover in the room and everything seems to hold okay. This mornings flight should let me know what I can (and can't) get away with.

Nice catch on the motor teardown thread. I took a look on Horizon's website at the motors and a new main only costs $12 and the tail motor comes with each boom kit, $14. So not really going to rob the wallet when that time comes. I also saw the brushless threads on HF but they seem to be doing major resoldering of the board, adding the separate ESC's/motors, and adding a second battery. A bit too complicated and not very crash friendly I feel in the end.

MicroHeli sells the metal swash for $22 but Horizon has it on backorder right now. [link=http://www.microheli.com/store/product_info.php/products_id/376]MH Swash[/link] Considering each Eflight swash costs $11 I could have already gotten the MH one...oh well. I also heard that some guys are using the metal threaded balls from another manufacturer's swash and screwing them into the broken Eflight plastic swash. I also looked into modifying the link (basically making a bend in it to help cushion the impact force)...but right now everythings on hold 'till I see how this tail holds now.

Hurry up Thursday!!!

Mark

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Duh, forgot the pictures...getting tirrrreed.

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Good morning guys,

This morning was quite windy but I did manage to get a flight in to see how the tail holds with the new boom...surprisingly it held with the flip and roll I did. I had it high so to recover if needed so the wind did blow it around but the tail did not blow out. More flights are needed to make sure but things are looking promising.

Mark

rotarydoc

Mark,

Thanks for the setup info on the tail extension...looks pretty straightforward, and as I pictured it from the thread descriptions...looks like plenty of wire there to work with.

I picked up the last 2mm CF rod my LHS had...the display setup had the sizes listed only in inches, but the labels had the metric equivilent size on it...so I should be good to go, whether for boom extension, or just repair...

I also picked up 2 batteries...I know there are probably better batts available aftermarket, but for now, I'll stick with these 4 Eflite ones, that should get me started...

That will be convienient if the DX4e works out for Phoenix, it will buy me some time in getting the DX6i fixed or find parts.

Looks like the package left Scranton, PA this afternoon, on it's way here for tomorrow...

I agree, I would not go to all the trouble and expense of BL for this little heli....as long as it makes for as good a trainer as everyone says, I'll be happy...

I read some (horrible) reviews on the MH aluminum blade grips, lots 'o problems there....but have not heard much yet about the swash...I am a bit leery of MH stuff, I've heard some bad things...but I have also been pretty happy with their stuff on the Gaui tailbox when I did that....

I guess I'll wait and see how often I break the stock swash balls off...and I may try the Z bend mod on that link...

Sounds like your intial testing on the extended boom looks promising....keep testing...

Hopefully the big brown truck will bring me a present tomorrow!

Glenn

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Bet someone's going to be camped at their front window tomorrow.

I am liking the boom extension and will try some more in the morning. I think we are getting a front in so the winds were blowing a bit hard and steady today. Even though this little machine can hold its own in some wind it does have limits...today on some of the upwind legs it was making good progress but as soon as I turned her to do the downwind leg she was on the other side of the field in no time. Talk about zoom zoom. he, he!

Glad you were able to get yourself some extra batts and the 2mm CF rod. I'll have to do some searching to see what kinds of batteries others are trying and if they are a direct fit to the connector w/o modifiying. Otherwise I'll probably just stick with the stock Eflight ones.

I remember someone on this thread that used to do the Microheli upgrades for his 450...bling, bling. Now what was shipping to WA state?

Mark

rotarydoc

Mark,

Check this out!

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=301163

I have somewhere to go tonight, but I'm going to try it out later, you can bet....looks like you have to edit the FBL to passive to make it more realistic...

Glenn

JPEE

Hey Guys,

Boy oh boy are you two guys having fun with the new heli's. I wish you both again best wishes with them and for goodness sakes, HAVE FUN WITH THEM!

What is ashamed and it does not surprise me is the need to mod right out of the box. HH spends all of this R&D ( allegedly ) and then has a recall straight off the bat,

it just ain't right I tell ya. Then the need to mod the swash, boom etc, honestly it just galls me [>:] I know we all make after market mods, CNC bottom plates and such

but to have to fix their short comings makes me red ass. When you buy a new higher quality item than a "clone" there is an expectation. Ok ok, I'll go get a Valium and calm down.


No real news, to windy to fly and it got near 90 today.

We are charged and loaded to go to the field tomorrow so when I wake up I'll look out the window and keep my fingers crossed.

No bench work done accept to mod the end of my new 2200 RX pack for 600-1 that arrived a day or two ago. I also bought one more 3000 6S for a 500 so in the end I

will have 3 ea. 3000's and 3 ea. 5000's. Should get through those I suppose I could re charge at the field. However at $4.69 FOR DIESEL I don't let truck idle much, I'll

take my small generator if needed, then I can 2C charge.

Peace, John


Smiles JPEE