evdreamer

Glenn,

The Audacity Pantera 50 uses an air filter, but it is hard to find parts for it. I am wondering if they went under because their main website isn't working.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

I looked up and down for an air filter for the SDX, but there is just not enough room to install one where the carburetor air intake is.

I asked Charles at MHA about it one time, he's been flying for years....and has never used one. So I guess for the small amount of air these engines inhale, it's not that big of a deal. But it would make me feel better...

I just got back from flying the MCPX. I was doing great inverted...then bent a feathering shaft when it tipped over on take off...

I only have one left, I hope the LHS has some. The price is outrageous ($5.99) for one shaft, and dampers...the thing looks like a little wood fininshing nail or brad...lol..

I may even try to straighten one in my vise and see if it comes out any good.

Jeez, I just looked at what I typed...all "I"'s...lol...

Anyways, I was having a good time before it bent. Getting so much more inverted practice on this heli compared to the bigger ones.... Should make it easier to do on them after this...the FBL keeps it stable, but it'll still get away from you pretty quickly.

I was reading on HF that a few guys have had minor injuries from getting hit with their MCPX's....actually draw blood in a lot of cases...[X(] I haven't hit myself yet, but been pretty close...

Glenn

mike79

Use a stocking or something of that natureand ziptie it or secured it around the carb. Air is dirty.

rotarydoc

Mike,

Thanks for the suggestion...and I almost did that, saw a post on an airplane forum.

Some liked it, but some said it got dirty very quickly and clogged....ended up making the mixture rich...

I guess if you kept a close eye on it, and/or changed it regularly, it would be a good way to go....definitely better than nothing!

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

That is good you are getting better at inverted flight with the mCP x.

I imagine those blades are spinning pretty fast on the mCP x and could cause some harm to humans.

I got the crankshaft out and the rear bearing is notchy. The front bearing isn't too bad, but I will replace it anyways. That rear bearing didn't last very long.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Yeah, the MCPX can do some damage to human flesh....it has pretty high HS for sure...

Does the rear bearing have any evidence of rust? That can be a problem if the engine sits over winter without enough oil left on the bearings...the methanol will attract moisture and rust the bearings...but most oil in the fuel nowadays sticks to the bearings pretty well for over-winter storage. Cool Power even says you don't need any after-run oil in the crankcase, like some people put in their crankcase/cylinder for long term storage.

Other than that, the only other thing I can think of is if it had a bit of a lean condition for some time, that may have damaged the bearing. The guys at MHA tell me that O.S. 50's are hard on rear engine bearings as well. I've only got about 4 gallons of fuel on my engine, so that's not enough to base anything on as far as bearing life.

Hopefully the new bearings will be more durable.

I'm kinda bummed, the feathering shafts are on backorder (as are most MCPX parts) from Horizon until early June, so that it going to make me nervous about crashing...[&o] I am going to check my LHS just to see if they might have one, but I doubt it. I may try to straighten it if I can, to use as a back up.

evdreamer

Glenn,

Over the winter I cleaned the crankcase of all the fuel and put the new rear bearing in at the same time.

Here is a pic of my rear bearing. I was thinking about getting a toaster oven to heat up the crankcase to remove the bearings. I saw some online at Target and Sears for $20. Then I wouldn't stink up my oven. I came up with these drawings real quick to use to install the bearings. They are more simple than my original design and would probably be cheaper. The darker grey part is the bearing.

Sorry the spindles are backordered.

Nick

jroo

Yea, the MCPX stings a little when you get hit...

During my first flight I was flying on my back porch. I was doing some nose in hovering when i lost orientation and it headed toward the concrete patio. Rather than wanting it to hit the concrete, I reached for it... It didn't quite draw blood, but left a good red line that is still on my finger a week later. The other night i was doing the same in my living room. I was running it back and forth in the living room and it caught my upper arm. Few drops of blood there... heheh

I got a question. How much height do you need to flip it? My living room has 9' ceiling. Think you could flip it at say 5-6' and practice inverted?

JPEE

Glenn, I can call the LHS after 10:30 my time and see if they have any and mail to PRONTO if you like. Let me know by email. I will be there this after noon.



I still say you can get a small pices of green foam like they use on weed eaters and other small motors and folt it over with a rubber band?


Later

jroo

I'm looking to buy some more batteries for my 250. I currently have Zippy 800mAh 20C, but I feel they are nearing the end of their life. They just don't seem to have the 'umph' they use to. Any recommendations? Should I go with a higher C rating than 20?

I was looking at this one:
[link=http://helidirect.com/outrage-nrg35-3s1p-111v-860mah-35c-brick-xtreme-power-series-trex-250-p-17065.hdx#write_review]Outrage 3S1P 11.1V 860mAH 35C[/link]

At the end of the page it states:
The ESC is 15A and the motor is 3400KV. Is the motor limited to drawing 15A? I'm a bit confused.


Here is the Align 250 battery
[link=http://helidirect.com/align-3s1p-111v-850mah30c-hbp85001-trex-250-p-13606.hdx]Align 3S1P 11.1V 850mAh 30C[/link]

rotarydoc

Nick,

That bearing looks HORRIBLE! It looks like it totally overheated and burned up...[X(]

I'd say it had to have failed from a lack of lubrication somewhere along the line...I'm not sure to tell you where to look, other than make sure the engine isn't leaning out under certain circumstances, and you just aren't realizing it.

I think you said you have a governor? From some articles I have read, you have to be careful, as a governor can mask or hide a lean running condition in a nitro engine...by reducing the RPM's when it goes lean.

For example...when I had (and still do have, it's unresolved) the issue on the SDX where it was running real lean when it transitioned to the header tank, the engine RPM's would go sky high...and so would the temps...but if I had had a governor, I may have never even noticed that, because the governor would have reduced the throttle opening/RPM's....just something to consider....

It is one of the main reasons I have not yet gone with a govenor, I am not yet comfortable enough with the engine tuning on the SDX...

The toaster oven sounds like a good idea. They get plenty hot enough, and mom might like it better too...

I like your drawings of the tools for bearing installation tools...nice job!

JPEE,

Thanks for the offer, as we now know, seems there are no spindles to be had....I have not done a web search yet...maybe I will later on. At least I got the one that the LHS had a couple of weeks ago, or I'd be down now....and I still may try to straighten this one in the meantime.

James,

5-6 feet is all you need to flip the MCPX....I do it all the time from 4 feet or less...it's just what may happen AFTER it's inverted that's the problem...you may find you need a lot more room than a living room...[X(] I have gotten pretty good at tail in inverted, but nose in is a problem...but, that's what the MCPX is all about....more practice needed!

I'll let the electrical expert, Nick advise you on the motor amp draw/battery choice. In my opinion, those 30C packs will be just fine. The ESC may be rated at 15 Amps, but that is continuous, it will allow peak amps quite a bit higher. I'll let Nick go from there...

Glenn

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Dag-on guys, I'm gone for just a few days and you all go and fill up almost an entire page.

Glenn,

I have a feather shaft from the extra head I got when I bought mine...send me a PM with your address and I'll ship it tomorrow...its all about getting back in the air you know.

Mark

jroo

Glenn,

Concerning the 4' flip. So you are hovering at 4ft, give a little collective pump and then flip either forward or backwards. Can you pretty much flip it over at 4' or does the collective pump raise you to 6' 7'? Also, are you using the stock DX6i settings from the manual?

evdreamer

James,

The max current your motor will draw is 17A. Glenn is right about the ESC. I don't know if your ESC has a current limiter. If the ESC has a higher current rating than the motor, the motor is the limiting factor. With a 800mAh 20C battery it is right at the limits. .8A x 20 = 16A. A 800mAh 25C battery should be just fine. Any higher C battery won't do anything more than just be cooler after a flight. I read that some higher C batteries weigh more.

Glenn,

I noticed my engine was running hotter than normal the last time I was flying. The engine got up to 200 degrees and I could hear the engine RPMs overshoot. I can kind of tell when the engine is leaning out by the sound of the engine, but it is probably too late by then.

Yeah, I have a govenor. I am kind of nervous not running a govenor because the last time I did that the tail case came apart. I should just get a DX8 and I could have an alarm go off when the engine starts to over heat.

Nick

jroo

How did you calculate the motor could draw 17A, or is it listed online somewhere?

JPEE

Hey Nick,

Don't forget there are heat guns, for peeling paint and such Harbor freight sells them for just a few dollars. That way you have somehting for multi use rather than a toaster. These pups get HOT 1,112 degrees

[link=http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html]Heat Gun[/link] LINK

evdreamer

James,

Align gives the specs on their motors. http://www.align.com.tw/shop/product...oducts_id=2826

John,

I have a heat gun, but the oven works better for the engine bearings.

Nick

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Last post before my big test....

Mark,

I just installed my last F. shaft...you should hold on to your last one in case you need it, it doesn't take much to bend it....if I get really deperate, then maybe I'll take you up on your offer... THANK YOU, however!!

James,

I give it a little positive bump before the flip, but not much. It has a really high cyclic rate, so it flips pretty fast, but I don't think I could flip it much lower than that, it certainly won't flip in place (like a larger, more powerful heli will)...I flip from a right aileron input, a right roll. I am using the stock DX7 specs from the book on my JR 9503.

Nick,

That lean run could have done some damage. Hard to say if it did it all, but it didn't help. Yeah, by the time you hear it, it's a bit too late. I have been lucky on the SDX when it went lean, I got it down on the ground pretty fast and shut it down, no harm seems to have been done. It's good that you have a feel for the sound when it goes lean.

Yeah, you can justify a new radio now....you NEED IT....lol...

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Good luck on the test.

Nick

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Hey guys,

Sorry the last post was rather short but was short on time.

Glenn,

Good luck on your test...at least you have the time off to recover afterwards.

Fortunate you had one last F-shaft left...that's thinking ahead. I hope I won't need my extra one anytime soon. I do know that my LHS does have several which is why it was no big deal.

Glad you got some good flights in with your mcpx...hope those kids don't cause troubles down the road.

I too have gotten close to scraffing myself with my lil'heli on more than one occasion, not a fun experience.

James,

I would highly suggest you do your first flip outside and with plenty of altitude. Don't underestimate the collective management needed to do a sucessful flip...trying to do it indoors (and for the first time) is asking for a crash.

BTW, stop hitting yourself with the mcpx...you might damage the blades.

Nick,

I see you and Glenn were able to track down that noise in your engine. I think the video helped a lot. Ooooh, a DX8 with all the new bells and whistles...just do it!

JPEE,

I bet your looking forward to that nice cool front passing by your area...80's are much better than 100 to fly in.

Speaking of flying...I got 4 flights in this morning with the mcpx. It was so nice.

I did have a few crashes and one instance of it just slowly losing altitude while doing an inverted hover...it just slowly dropped even though I had full negative pitch...just hit throttle hold when it got to the ground and no problems. Made a quick adjustment to the negative side to give it a bit more pop. I think Dave mentioned this about his slowly dropping to the ground even though he gave it full positive pitch...can't remember what he called it.

I mostly did inverted hovers with all 4 packs...and it was great to have more than 1 or 2 flights that I'm used to doing with my larger heli's. Plus I noticed I was more comfortable by the time I got to the 3rd pack. Mostly worked on doing nose-in and right/left side-in hovers. All in all a good day, but will need to bring bug spray next time as the rotor wash was waking them up.

Mark

jroo

hey all.

Pretty crazy weather here today. WE had very heavy rain for a few hours and a tornado touched down no more than a mile from my house. Nothing was damaged at all. When I got home, the air was perfectly still. I took out all 3 helis.

MCPX: I tried a back flip prolly 5-6 times but failed, hehe. It's really tough. I think I am giving WAY to much positive collective. It seems I have a tendency to flip over, and give too much negative collective because it seems to piro. After that, I'm in the grass. I LOVE how resilient this thing is to damage. I had the main gear pop off once. Two other times, the main gear didn't completely come off, it just twisted and slid down the main shaft a bit. I have yet to loose a linkage; the hot glue mod rules.

250: I forgot to mention earlier, I got a new 15T pinion for this heli. Remember all the problems I was having? Going from the 16T to the 15T seemed to fix it. If feels much better now.

450: I just can't say how much I love this helicopter. I am going to need to get some new batteries as mine are starting to puff a bit.

Anyone use the Voltz batteries from ReadyHeli? They are a really good price and have gotten some good reviews.

JPEE

Hey Mark,

Great news on all of your flights.

Today, for only a minute or two I held in my hands/hand at the field an MCPX dah dah! Man the sucker is small, YIKES!!!!!

A guy I know there got one and loves it. I looked at all of the links and such and to tell you the truth, if one popped off on anything

less than a snow white smooth carpet you'd never find it, I see what you guys are talking about when you say they are gone in small crash.

I called HeliHobby which is a few blocks away here and asked my guy if he had any F shafts for you guys and sorry to say, they had none.

But I do want to offer a suggestion that I did with my Blade 400 F shafts. When bent and they were soft and look just like a 450 f shaft I would

heat them with a propane torch and then roll them flat on a 18" "perfectly" flat tile with smaller piece of tile like rolling out dough, it worked a

great many times! Not knowing what your f shafts are made of this might help or not.


We have a big Dam and Recreation Area not far from my field. In the old days you could fly there but now it is for people and horseback recreation. But

a guy told there were some new signs up in the area where flying used to be so drove over and gave a look see. When I saw the sign I was surprised,

it was "very" clear like the sign that Glenn posted at the Moose I think it was. Then when I left there I dropped over

to the club field and flew a pack out in the 600-2. Overall just a nice day.


Glenn, good luck there my friend, I know you do well. Just leave your iphone where you can see it and leave it in Skype, then I can look up your answers on the net!

JPEE

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the well wishes on the test...just got home...I'm a zombie...lol...

I feel as though I did well, time will tell...ASE is very slow, I won't know my results for a month..

I think the smoke has stopped coming out of my ears now...

Mark,

So, did I understand you correctly that your LHS may have "several" feathering shafts???? If so, I would grab them, as no one that I can find even online has any....

I have also expereienced the loss of alititude when inverted, no matter how much power is applied....it's referred to as VRS, or "vortex ring state" and has been the subject of at least one thread on HF, and Rob1260 metions it here;

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10...m.htm#10395191

And more on it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settling_with_power

JPEE,

They have thought all about that on the tests...no phones allowed!! Or calculators...etc. I took mine with me, but left it in the car. Some guys had them, and the test director said to turn them off, and if your phone rings during the test, you will be disqualified, and be sent home...[X(]

They sure weren't beating around the bush with that sign....lol...gets right to the point, doesn't it??!!

Cool that you got to see/hold an MCPX...and can appreciate those tiny links...

I don't think it would be very easy to straighten these F.shafts, they are too darned small to even hold in place with anything much less roll a red hot one on tiles or what not...I actually broke one right off, trying to get it apart, they seem very brittle...

James,

It takes a good bit of practice with the collective to get the MCPX to flip smoothly. Keep up the practice....

Glenn

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

Glenn,

Congrats on finishing the test...I have to admit I'm a bit surprised with the age of computers that your test results aren't instant. When I took my certification test (and I heard the nursing test has the same turn-around time) you got your results at the end of the test...instant gratification or misery (depending on the result ). Geez, tell ASE to get on the ball. Sorry you have to wait but the worst is over.

Ah, vortex ring...that way the term I was looking for. Yep, strangest feeling just to have your heli slowly drop and there's nothing you can do.

James, keep working on the flips...it'll come in time.

Also wanted to add: when you do a flip, try and only do half at a time...bit of positive pitch to start, full up elevator, then when it is inverted, catch it with the throttle/pitch at midstick, hold for a sec or two, then continue with the flip...bit of neg pitch and again up elevator to finish. If you try and do it all at once your going to have the tail blow out almost every time. Even with my extended boom the tail still blows out a bit if with a continuous flip.

Mark

Aframomum

My Feedback: (10)

JPEE,

My heart dropped when I saw that sign before reading your whole post...I thought you had the same situation with your field that Glenn did. Glad it was at another site...That'll teach me to read first instead of looking at the pictures.

So you got to hold a mcxp...now you just need to go buy one. Yep, very small parts. Its amazing the stuff they crammed in there and to have it work so darn well is incredible.

I see you were able to get some flying in with the nicer weather you've been having...days like that are in short order during the hot summer months for sure.

Mark