pgroom_68

Hey again rikybob,

I think you bought this one on my recommendation[sm=72_72.gif] I fly until all three LEDS are red - and often touchdown just as the alarm sounds - but that is after a lot of practice on other birds using the same lipo alarm!
I advise you to wait until two LEDS have gone from green to red Work your way up to "perfect timing" over 100 flights........[sm=49_49.gif]
Did you know that the the audible alarm is louder if you remove the clear plastic wrap from over the black round plastic "screamers" hole?

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]
P.S. You are lucky - I never got any paperwork or directions with mine!
P.P.S. After a while (experience showing) you get to know roughly how long you have been flying for and can "guess" - so you time your last speed run to be close to the landing area The lipo LEDs are confirmation more than anything!
Edit: PPPS. IF ANYONE FROM AN ONLINE STORE IS READING ALONG - I WANT A 2.4G Big Lama WITHOUT transmitter.............[sm=49_49.gif]

billyrowlstien

When i look at everyones videos, it seems to me like that top blades start spinning before the bottom?? Mine is just the opposite, is there a reason? Or am i just to paranoid lol?

pgroom_68

Hey again William,

If you copy the url and paste it in your posts - it makes it easier to surf between programs

Makes it a lot quicker - for those of us with limited time!

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]

pgroom_68

Hey again William,

As long as the two blade planes begin within a small (two clicks) throttle adjustment - it doesn't matter which one starts first!
As an aside, the upper blade plane stops spinning last due to the centrifugal force of the weight of the flybar
Interesting - eh??[sm=49_49.gif]

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Billy,
that is a nice looking dog, oh yeh and heli too

aircrash

Hi William,

mine also starts one rotor before the other, but I can`t recall which one (and now it`s bits and pieces).
But that may be cause of the proportional adjustment and or how your (intergrated) gyro works. It`s mostly to the electronics (Tx + Rx also) rather than the motors themselves.

You should not concern about it as long as it doesn`t drift.
And a good adjusted one does not drift at fully charged battery, neither when the battery drains out.

I had to adjust the proportional after some flying hours. Now (when it was assembled) works as a dream, better than factory adjustment.
But the gyro gain do make a role also, and one affects the other (gyro to proportional adjustment and vice versa).
You can stop drifting by adjusting gyro, but it won`t be so stable when battery level changes.
Gyro should be adjusted so it has a smooth effect, not to correct heavy drifting.
You must find the sweet spot between the gyro and the proportional point.

Something else that makes a difference to your heli is the tail boom modification.
It affects the gyro effect. You need a little increased gain to gyro, as the tail is now longer and heavier.
The opposite stands true when trying to fly it without a canopy. If you have tried then you have seen how badly is the tail wagging (or it should by a properly adjusted gyro for stock canopy, if not then it is not adjusted well).


Spiros

Buz

Gosh, Peter... . when you look at this guy flying in your video link... that BOL seems very stable to me. The bobble on take off was, I think, because the pilot did not get the rotors up to speed before he took off. The rest of his flight is beautiful. From a hover, watch how far he dips the nose before advancing the throttle. The hover is perfect... and so is the landing. He actually hovers for a bit just barely off the ground, which we both know is harder to do than hovering higher out of the ground wash. The other thing I notice about his expanded extension shaft is, he is very stable on turns and he is actually banking the heli in a couple of turns. With a coaxial set up it's nearly impossible to bank a turn unless you're crashing. lol I have an extension that is 20mm.. and the BOL flies like crazy. I can make rotors clash with the standard extension kit.. but there is no way if you go higher with the inner shaft.
2 things I don't like about it... it looks odd, and if you do hit something ...or crash, it's likely that a shaft this long will bend and need to be replaced.

Oh, and meant to mention... I'm flying single rotors again! It's been years... but I bought a little (and I do mean little) Walkera CB100 single rotor w/brushless main motor and tail rotor motor. This little thing surprised the heck out of me. I took it outside when it was perfectly still... and flew it. Amazingly... this little thing is about twice as fast FF than my BOL'S ! It's good to see a banked turn for a change too. But, I still love my BOL's...

Buzz

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

Buz,
I'm not sure you are familiar with FP helis, that was the feeling I got when I read your statement "I think, because the pilot did not get the rotors up to speed before he took off. "
With a FP heli, it won't take off until you get the rpms up enough for the lift created by the blades to over come gravity. with a CP heli you can run it up to full throttle and be going no where until you change the pitch enough to create enough lift to overcome gravity.

Sky Soldier

Thanks for the reply Peter.

After watching that vid a few times I have to agree with Buz's comment. Looks to me like the guy just gunned it on takeoff and seemed to hover fine enough near the end of the flight. That tail really jumped when he honked on the forward stick.

Question: Didyour 15mm extension eleminate blade strike?

Any extension is going to eleminate using the original box as a carrying case. What do you use for transporting?

Thanks for your time, mate.

Jerry

rikybob

Peter, Buz......

That Estonia video is great! I saw it sometime back before I bought the Full Metal BOL, but now I really appreciate its beauty! I noticed the little bugger has GREAT forward flight characteristics like my old CX2 that I shortened the flybar on. I only shortened it the length of the original weights and kept the original weights. Along with extending the servo arm to its last hole that CX2 had AMAZING forward flight! Exactly how the Estonia BOL flys! Hmmmm........so's I'm studying the Estonia video like an FBI agent and I notice the suspicioulsly shortend flybar...........it WAS in fact, shortened! Same weights but shorter flybar..........maybe one of you with good eyes can calculate its length because I have a sacrificial one in route that I ordered just for the purpose of shortening and I just took delivery of the longer servo arm! I need my BOL to be as nible as the Estonia! If you recall from my earlier ramblings I installed the RC711 extended inner shaft (this put a STOP to blade clack) and I enquired to this board if anyone had simply shortened the stock flybar but got no reply. I figgered no one has done it.

Regards!

R/B

P.S. I need a light kit......just 4 lights similar to a real helo......who has the best for less?

pgroom_68

Hey again all,

Well, it seems that the Estonia video post got you all worked up. Yes, he was using a shortened flybar with the same weights, and yes - I also thought of the low head speed wobble on take off - and YES YOU GUYS ARE PARTLY CORRECT[sm=wink_smile.gif] The "wobble" is due to a number of factors including longer than necessary shaft length. I am pretty sure that 15mm is enough of a gap increase to make strikes a thing of the past - but I am willing to concede up to 23mm. This is the gap that I had on my very first home-made inner shaft, and performed fine (before I totalled it in a high altitude UNRELATED meeting with the ground[:@]
The main point is that you don't need to overdo the inner shaft length.

I just watched it again - large figure-8s using the dark tree-line as a silhouette so he can follow the white canopy-front - nothing special there!!

I did read rikybob's original post asking the shortening of a stock flybar question. I haven't - thus no answer. The prob. that I see is reattaching the weights again. You could drill, tap and use a grub screw - but may as well buy them adjustable if they are already made!

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]
P.S. Sven has a possible manufacturer of 10g weights - maybe!

rikybob

Hi Peter and thanx for addressing my most important of posts

On the Blade CX I simply committed to moving the stock weights forward toward the rotor the same length of the weight, bending the exact same bend in the modified flybar with a pair of long nosed pliers similar to that was there perviously, once I committed to the length desired. The little devil flew forward like a "scalded dog"! It was one the easiest surgeries I have performed. Yes, it was a huuuuuge commitment but when all was said and done, I tend to believe that as long as one does not go too short that this procedure is not a "deal breaker". The fact is, is that the fly bar on the BOL is, and I am not making this up, 1 mile long and needs to be shortened for the obviated reasons illustrated with the Estonia almost as important to me right now as the ([link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozx4_4DZp38]Zapruder[/link]) video!

Since no one will bite on this heady of issues and I actually want my bird to fly "forward" with some actual authority. I am willing to sacrifice my $4.50 (US) flybar that is coming in the mail tomorrow morning EST to what appears to be one whole weight length on the ole Estonia flybar! Worse that can happen is that it will fly better!

I hope you enjoyed this tongue in cheek, false sense of urgency post and I will keep you informed!

R/B

P.S. I just "Measured" the weight and it looks like he is runnin' 3 weights length for the total length of the flybar. Muuuhoooohahaha haaa!

aircrash

Hi rikybob,

If you already haven`t moved the battery a bit to the front then you won`t gain much.
First of all is the battery, then all the rest.

And do you want a little secret?

You don`t need to change servo horns. You need to adjust them so to give all the travell they can (based to Tx and hole they are).
If the battery is moved to the front and you have adjusted push link rods so it hovers with the servo horns positioned at the center (of servo) then you`ll have the best forward speed, or at least a very good speed.
Now (in a stock BOL) your servo horns must (should) be in a positive angle. Making the travell less.
Of course a longer servo horn will make travell even more bigger, but then again only when the servo horn is positioned at the center gives the most and you take advantage of all of its capability.
Then you may have problems with the swashplate, you may not.

But all these, including the extended inner shaft, make the heli more speedy but more sensitive, more difficult to control.

PS. Did you try the camera date & time adjustment?

-

To any who asks if an extended inner shaft will save you from blade strikes, the answer is not.
You make the blade strike, a stock flies fine, a stock with a bad, unexperienced pilot will have much blade strikes. That will continue to be present with an extended shaft, less than stock though but sometimes maybe even more as now the heli is less stable and difficult to be controlled in small areas. It is depended to the pilot and how he likes to fly, and that combined with his experience.
Now begginers suffer more from blade strikes as they don`t make a stiff connection of the blades to the blade holders, they leave them loose and that makes it a piece of cake to have a strike

Not that an extended shaft doesn`t help, it does help but does not dissapear. That`s the point. That which dissapears the blade strikes is the pilot.

Spiros

Buz

(snipped).....

To any who asks if an extended inner shaft will save you from blade strikes, the answer is not.
You make the blade strike, a stock flies fine, a stock with a bad, unexperienced pilot will have much blade strikes. That will continue to be present with an extended shaft, less than stock though but sometimes maybe even more as now the heli is less stable and difficult to be controlled in small areas. It is depended to the pilot and how he likes to fly, and that combined with his experience.
Now begginers suffer more from blade strikes as they don`t make a stiff connection of the blades to the blade holders, they leave them loose and that makes it a piece of cake to have a strike

Not that an extended shaft doesn`t help, it does help but does not dissapear. That`s the point. That which dissapears the blade strikes is the pilot.

Spiros

[/quote]

I have to slightly disagree with you on this, Spiro. You've seen my videos before.... I am a helicopter pilot of 30 years. Blade strikes can be caused with a full extension shaft if:

1. You're new and don't fly well yet

2. You're a good enough pilot to put the helicopter through it's paces and, in my case, I over fly what it is capable of. My blade clashes even with the super extension come from me pushing the BOL beyond it's limits. But, the extreme extension does not make the helicopter more unstable. And, you CAN take off with a FP heli when the rotors are not quite up to speed. It's ugly... but you can do it.

Buzz

rikybob

Hi again Spiros,

I will keep in mind about the battery and servo and do one adjustment at a time. I have not played with the clock yet but will tomorrow.

At the risk of over doing a point, did you modify the flybar yet?

R/B

aircrash

Hi again rikybob.
No I haven`t modified the flybar, as at my opinion is only helpful to the inertia of the movement change. I mean it helps to start moving forwards more quickly (the reaction time), but not more speedy. And to the side also. I like speed but not quick reaction.
As I`ve said I`m not that a good pilot, I want it as smooth as it can be, but speedy. I prefer to fly it very relaxed and I`m happy with some turns, as long as I can move it arround a small area, I don`t mind of bank turns. If I did then I`d probably wouldn`t buy a BOL. I sure would like to make some though.
Maybe it`s the fact I don`t have a yard and I have to be carefull of property and/or living beings. A very good place to fly is a bit away from me and all the times I have gone there there`s enough wind not to enjoy (a bit unlucky).
But that`s just me, I don`t expect or want all we have the same taste, or the same level of ability to control. As I`ve seen here you`re more experienced and/or talented, and sure you have better place to fly.

I have tried in the past to add more weight to a flybar on another helicopter. I liked it better, but that had too little weight for its size and rotor diameter.

Spiros

rikybob

Hi again Spiro,

I think your point is well taken. To wax philosophic a bit, many things boil down to ones personal preference, everthing from "running in" brushed motors, buying cheap batteries to my insatiable need to make this beginner aircraft more responsive! I'm jazzed for tomorrow I get to play with the little piece of plastic and metal until I get tired of it!

Again, point well taken about ones personal endeavors!

Happy flying!

R/B

Buz

I believe this is hitting the nail exactly on the head, R/B. We all set up our stuff differently and fly differently. So, we do what each of us prefers with the same helicopter. I believe that is why we are called individuals ... think about how boring it would be if we all thought the same way. "Necessity is the mother of invention"... and I believe we are all creative in our approaches ... to each his own. I'm not taking shots at any particular person... just adding the facts I have learned over the 30 years of r/c helicopters. There is no real set way to fly a helicopter. It's up to you to fly it scale, or fly upside down so you can mow the lawn.

Some people fly the tail..... Some people fly the nose. It really is personal preference and you should fly the way you are most comfortable. That's true of setting up a full scale helicopter for the pilot's preferences. Nothing wrong with any of that.

Buzz

billyrowlstien

Hello Everyone!

Ok so im all set with my fully body mod, i love enverything about it. And since putting on the extended innfer shaft which raised the total height of the BOL i dont feel the my tail looks too long

So this is thats next.....

I am lucky enough to have a hobby shop less then 5 miles up the road that carries an almost full line of E-Flight products. And even tho BOL is an E-Sky product the 3in1 gyro and esc should all be compatible right? So this is what im asking, if someone could take a moment and check this out larrys-rc.com/xcart/Eflite/Could u get back to me with exactly what i need to make the FULL swap?? The only thing they dont have is the metal upgrade

Thanks again guys!

William

aircrash

Hi there rikybob,

I think you can move the weights without having to cut the flybar rod. A little sellotape to the end so to make a stop to the weight.
After testing you can always put it back, but I`m conviced you will like it anyway. It won`t be dangerous as flybar will have the stock stop and sellotape will only fill the gap (I wish my English was better).
But this way you can try different lenght of the flybar`s weight position and do the cut at the point you liked most.

Keep us informed and with more videos.

Spiros

rikybob

Hi again Spiros,

Your English is just fine! It's funny that you say that about celo tape..........I was thinking the same thing at about 02:00 hours the other morning!


R/B

rikybob

Hi all!!

I had a great morning here in sunny, cold Florida! I was able to burn off 4 packs and I may be able to fly more! Whilst flying I was able to film one of the events and recalled that I did not show you my "HI-TEK" redneck camera solution for my bird!

DANGER!! Envy zone below!

Yup.....found one of spousal units sponges........hacked away at it with a razor and wedged same under the fuse.........it actuall works quite well so I am actually going sponge shopping in the coming days and find a cleaner solution!

R/B

p.s. Hurry up UPS guy!

EDIT: Ratz.........shortened flybar doesnt work. Perhaps cut it down too far......ahhh the psyche of a mad scientist!

rikybob

Hi again all!

It was a nice day here in Florida as I got to hang around the house and do nothing all day but play with me heli. I have several observations that I would like to share with the collective in no particular order:

1) I am an apparent idiot and shortened my new flybar too much and rendered it useless.

2) I really like the canopy and will keep it. It needs lights. Any company you can advise?

3) The little keychain cam is resiliant. I have had it unceremoniously ejected from the helo a half dozen times and it comes through unscathed.

4) The heli, even with its size is for the most part a "no wind" machine when used outdoors.

5) It flies really well when pushed.

6) I apparently have been fighting my left trim since I bought it and did not know it, I just automatically compensated. I trimmed it and it flies straight. Goof. I rekon I could adjust it. How?

7) I flew it so high this morning it made my heart rate rise. I flew it too high.

8) My top blades don't track properly and I cannot adjust them out. Anyone?


Many thanx all!

R/B

aircrash

Hi Rikybob,

What happened to the flybar? How does it perform?

I myself worked a bit to the tail boom project. I kind of assembled it and tested the center of gravity.
It has enough mass out of the center of gravity while the center is at the shaft`s point.
Those esc`s add enough weight but I saw that even with stock brushed motors I could manage to have it right.
Also it doesn`t needed the battery to be moved so far to the front, I have the luxury to move it more if it is needed.

I checked the center of gravity point with a round pencil. I put on the heli by the skids and saw where it gets balanced.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4noLjZER5M[/youtube]

Also I put two bolts to the rear of the frame to support the upper battery/tail holder, so stock frame`s brackets won`t break at a crash.


PS. I have to see what you all have done to support the camera.

Spiros

rikybob

Hi again Spiros,

The helo simply exhibited massive TBE and would not leave the ground. Dern.

I look forward to seeing your project when completed!

R/B