Flybar failure...

Up in Meridian, flew the CB100 in the large apartment. I brought up the one with seizures, and it started out fritzy. I worked the reciever, plugs and the ESC, and its flying good again. I hope it behaves.

The CB180 lifted off, hovered a bit twitchy, i took it out, started a turn, and it kpet turning, flying quickly to the ground. Broke a blade, snapped off a skid. On post mortem I saw something that made me wonder if I will ever learn to properly and completely preflight... The bearings on the flybar were sheared off. Did this exist before the crash, or after? If before it wld make sense. If it would fly at all, it would do fair in hover, and if the disk was tilted for a turn, it would become unbalanced. Did that cause a crash? Or did it result from the crash? I went outside to see if I could find the bearings, nothing there... not sure what that means.

Ordered parts, no more CB180D until I get back to Biloxi. I wonder if I can find less brittle skids, this is the second set...

I'm such a moron... Shorted LiPo

Did you know that when you cut a bad JST balance plug off a battery you should cut the wires individually, 'cause when you cut them all at once it shorts the battery in your hand, which smokes and burns your hand for just a moment, and your wife thinks you've lost it when you come briskly down the stairs and toss the Lipo Safe Bag with the shorted battery onto the back lawn (not the front, 'cause that's where the kids and neighbors are, who already wonder about you)?

I didn't want to risk a Lipo fire in the house... (like the one in this video):



I don't recall if a shorted battery can catch fire, but me fool once, not fool twice!

I'm such a moron... I KNOW BETTER, but brain farted.

Thankfully it was only a $5 2S from FMT (no name brand from China) that I think was already shorted. They clearly had tested the battery's voltage before sending it, but the guy who did it broke off a male plug in one of the sockets, so I couldn't plug it in to my charger. I realized I needed to change out the balance plug, and that's when, well you know the rest of the story.

EXI 450 Project Update

Last night I took apart the rotor head to check for grease and Locktite, very scary. The exploded diagrams in the Trex 450 manual were very helpful. I was so worried I would screw it up, but it went okay! Got white lithium grease all over everything... Kinda pathetic, really, like a Kindergartner with finger paint. One of the screws securing the feathering shaft was Locktited so well it was never going to come off. I finished much less afraid of the rotor head. Today I did the same for the tail rotor, less scary, quicker to finish.

At a downtime because I need the AR6200 receiver and the batteries to set up the servos before I can mount them, Finless Bob style. So I was checking out my Exceed Alpha 400 motor, when to my chagrin I found that both the mounting screws that came with the motor and the ones that came with my kit (they are the same screws) are too small for the motor on the pinion side that I will use (they were too large for the other end). What's up with that? The screws don't fit either end of the motor, most concernedly the pinion end I need to use.

I wrote to support at xheli, and Andy (yadac123) on rcdiscuss to see if they can send me what I think are supposed to be M3 screws. Am I missing something?

Too windy to fly today... Postman missed me with a package I have to sign for... Wonder what that could be?

Success!

Wow! I finally got my UFLYs to fly, having had it for over 2 months without managing to do so. I solved the tail shaft power takeoff pinion problem, learned that mine won't fly with the 3X gyro on, (goes all rogue), and that the servo NOR/REV are wrong on the WALKERA chart (All mine need to be in NORMAL position). I don't know why I didn't notice in all my previous preflights...

Replaced the blades that came in less than 3 days from WOWHobbies (Yay, WOWHobbies!), tweaked a few things, and got her up and hovering (too little room in my backyard to do much else). Not once, but several times...

It does have a curious vibration. Not present at low headspeeds, but as headspeed comes up it gets pretty violent and does a funky chicken dance, a few more RPM and it disappears, a few more and I'm flying smooth as butter. Its clearly some kind of resonance, a fine wobble that manifests itself at a certain frequency... Can't find it, and since its not affecting flight, not going to chase it.

Lost a pin that secures the tail blade ball link to the slider, replaced it with a snug fitting end of a large thumbtack... McGyver rulz.

Flew CB100 #1 for a couple packs today, tuned it up, trimmed nicely, runs sweet!

All in all a great day! Happy dance!

My Helipad and Hangar

Here's a photo of my Hangar. I just finished the shelf and hangar this evening. Its a small, or as I like to think of it, intimate space, but I like it that way. Its in the upstairs game room, behind the gaming couch. The top of the rack shelf is my Lipo charging station, and there really is a fire extinguisher at the base of it.  I am replacing my Flambeau toolbox with the PDY Lift-n-Lok (see posting below), which will neaten up the corner and make it easier to get to the tools and parts.  I will be moving the CB100 transmitters (the rightmost ones) to free up room when I start the 250 build. Nice and cozy!

EXI 450 Project Day #1

My EXI 450 CF Pro arrived this afternoon! The MKS GY-292 gyro (tiny) and the Alpha 400 motor (ginormous) also arrived, all from xheli.

In this pic is the EXI 450 body, and in the background on my notebook is the manual for the Align 450 Pro which I will be using, along with Bob "Finless" White's Trex 450 build videos on Helifreak.

I put the skids on and Locktited the screws, checked all the screws in metal for Locktite (all were on the frame). I sanded down all the edges on the CF frame, very sharp before doing so. I then removed the main gear (not Locktited because it would be removed for the build to work on the rotor head), and then pulled the main shaft and rotor head. I'll be taking the rotor head apart and checking all the bearings for grease, the screws for Loctite, and the ball links for freedom. I think that will all tonight. I want to read through the plans (on my iPad, too hard on the notebook) and review the first couple of vids tonight.

I also will be finishing up the shelf and hanger system I decided to put up next to my bench, which is already too crowded, to move my helis away from the bench itself to create more space. When its done I'll post a pick.

Excited to get started!

UPDATE:  Yay, our first problem... My Hitec HSG-5084MG tail servo is too small for the stock aluminum tail servo tray. I am trying to find an adapter. If not, I could try to adapt it to a boom mount, but I think I would rather try to find a tail servo that fits...

CopterX CX 250SE Project

I've planned, and now made initial purchases for the Trex 250 Clone project. I chose the CopterX as it has better reviews, and looks better, than the EXI 250 kit I was looking at. And it came in much cheaper. I think there may be some changes.The motor is a bit robust, but I like the Scorpion... I will need to consider getting a smaller motor, and think I may even use the Exceed Alpha 400 (3500kv) again, the same i am using in the 450 build.  I am using the 30A ESC only because I have it. For sport flying, the servos are more than adequate. I will only be building one kit at a time.

eHirobo
- CopterX CX 250 SE
http://www.ehirobo.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=8721

RaidenTech
- Exceed RC Volcano Series 30A Brushless ESC/BEC

Hobby Horizon
- Spektrum AR6100 Receiver (came with my Dx6i)
- Spektrum DSP75 servo (x2, with a third having come with the Dx6i)
- JR DS290G Ultra Speed Servo (tail)

HeliDirect
- Scorpion HK-2206-3900kv motor

HobbyPartz
- ESKY EK2-0704B Professional RC Helicopter Head Lock Gyro

I've ordered the CopterX since it will take about a couple of weeks to get here. I have the ESC/BEC, one of the servos, and the receiver. I may add an Infinity Kevlar belt for the tail rotor if the stock one fails.

So, this is the first draft of the CopterX project list!