Tarot ZYX 3-Axis System: Strike 1

Last week I was chatting with Dick Ober, MCRCC club prez about my BeastX heli and how much I loved it. He mentioned he had bought a Taro ZYX FBL system and it was being installed and programmed for him by someone, on his Align 250. I had never heard of it, though I am familiar with Tarot. It is a FBL computer that is about $70! About 1/3 the price of the BeastX. So...I checked out the Tarot ZYX system online and it seemed to be well received. I was a bit worried about programming it, the way it was designed compared to the BeastX, whose programming is very easy, but this vid made it seem rather straight forward. I ordered a Tarot ZYX 3 Axis FBL system from CNC Helicopter last week. They are a quick shipper of great products, and I have ordered a lot from them. At the time I ordered just the computer, but later that evening found the generic FBL head I had ordered on eBay was a POS (I had another one just like it that was a great head, so this was a surprise. Looked fine, I took it apart and could not get it back together without binding as the feathering shaft seemed short: There's something screwy with either the grip bearings seating or the whole thing), so I went back to CNC Helicopter and ordered the Tarot FBL rotor head. I should have ordered both at the same time as was kinda hoping that CNC would give me the package price with a refund (I didn't ask for it, but they sent both in the same mailing bag...), but they didn't. Oh well, my bad.

The kit arrived yesterday, quick shipping! I checked it out this morning and noticed that the set button was a hole... I passed a paper clip and it met no resistance, nothing there. I tried installing it. I connected the ZYX to the receiver only, with the provided cables, turned on the transmitter (I had zeroed everything) and powered on the heli, then held the aileron stick left or right (tried both), all three lights came on, and the went out, and the red light came on steady. It never went into programming mode. I tried several times. So, no set button, but it didn't matter because it never went into programming mode. I even tried using the rudder stick.

This is a big disappointment. I contacted CNC Helicopter and am waiting to hear from them. I wish they had a phone number... but had to settle for an email. I suspect they will have no problem trading devices, but this is going to eat up another week or more!

I like the Tarot FBL Head on first inspection. I have to take it apart to grease and Locktite it, but this thing looks very sturdy. Unlike most FBL heads, the swash stabilizers are connected directly to the base of the head instead of on an adjustable link that is secured to the shaft separately. Positioning the adjustable heads isn't difficult, but one less thing to come loose.

I was pretty excited when it arrived. I wasn't sure that the whole low price-low quality curse would apply as Tarot makes very good Align compatible parts, like that remarkable FBL Head. I am a little more skeptical how this is going to work out, but really want to give it a try!

Keep tuned for updates!

UPDATE: Within a couple of hours XMHobbies/CNCHelicopter has a new one on its way. Running out now to mail them back the bad one. Stay tuned. Thanks, Jeff, at CNC Helicopter! One thing I didn't mention until I remembered to email Jeff about it... When I opened my box the device was "missing" having fallen behind its holder and was rattling around in the box. I wonder if that's how it got damaged?

RC Pilot Magazine

I received a promo email from Tower Hobbies about the newly launched RC Pilot Magazine, and thought I'd check it out. After going through the premier issue, available for free, I easily decided to subscribe. A project of Michael Kranitz, one of the cofounders of RC Universe, this webzine is amazing in its premier issue, and has three other issues since. In the premier issues I found really well written pieces exploring the personalities of our hobby, pilot, airplane, and heli stories, videos that a expertly done, with beautiful photos, in a format that is designed well for the screen. RC Flightdeck lists on an intactive map dozens of fly in's, rc events and shows, with information about each, and when needed online registration for the event. Even the ads are fun, many production videos by manufacturers (loved the short one for Realflight!). This clearly is designed from the ground up as an interactive experience. From what I have seen so far this is hands down the best emag out there. Period. Eye candy, brain candy, and rc addiciton fix! Every page was another wow!

As I write this the current iPad app (you can read the mag on a computer too) allows me to download the issues prior to April's issue, which requires an updated app that Michael tells me is done, awaiting final approval by Apple, and is expected to be released soon.

Get a subscription now and get a free RC Pilot T-shirt! I got the thumbs one coming.

 

Cornell Died-ed

Level flight, total electronics failure. Slow right roll into a high speed dive into the Southern Ents. The breast of the wing is 30 feet up in a tree with part of the wing, the other is missing. No idea where the receiver is. Recovered the tail in a bush beneath the tree, the nose beeping 10 feet away. Buried in the toxic effluent from the waste dump that our field sits on. Into which I sunk knee deep to recover these pieces. After forging through the poison ivy. And avoiding the rattlers. Afterwards, no ticks.

Curiously, I don't give a shit. It was jinxed from day one. I'll salvage what I can of the electronics (saved the pack) and when I get the itch, I'll build the NIB one.

Hangar 9 Sopwith Maidened!

Well, the day finally came. I wanted her first flight to be on a calm day so I could flynher without distractions, and yesterday was that day. She fills my Lexus CT200h, so only the Stearman and a coulle helis got to come out to BMF.

Kenny Chanlder helped me set her up, preflight her, and spot her on the runway. I was a little nervus, but I had pschologically gotten to the point I was going to fly her if I had to throw her pieces into the wind. She has a bigger engine an prop, and I had learned a few things with mynfirst two maiden attempts. I throttled her up, worked her stering down the runway, pulling bak the stick, and she took off with a lot of left rudder to overcome the torque roll! I got it off as fast as I could and she straightened out after a brief flirt with a left turn, but she was flying! Kenny was yelling, 'CLIMB, CLIMB!" as I was thrilled she didn't turn into the ground, and was focusing on keeping her level. She climbed out with a lot of work, and it took several passes to get her trimmed out. Despite her twisty wing, she flew awesome! She has power to spare and I stated settling down. She doesn't meed a lot of elevator ofr rudder range of motion, but she needs all of her ailerons. And man is she loud with the wind whipping through the rigging! She handles well, though sometimes she ignores a comand pereferring to fly the wind, then suddenly changing her mind. She is heavy and flies like it. I find she does awesome at half throttle flying scale, with scale aerobatics. Landing her is somehting I need some work on. She needs to land on her mains and roll out without tipping head over heals. Getting her butt down too early can lead to some nasty ground handling, something done carefully with this skid tail dragger. All in all, she's a blast, and I enjoyed several flights before calling it a day! But man, she takes up the whole car and so there are few other aircraft on days I take her out to play...

450 Revival

It would have been a great picture... My Erazor 450 came down hard in wet Mississippi mud, and was half buried. Somehow I failed to take one, probably because I was sinking ankle deep in that mud. I had to take it completely apart, and I mean right down to screws and bearings, to get them mud out. One servo died in the crash, but the electronics all survived. I put it all back together again last night reoiking anything that moved, rest her CCPM, and flew her again this morning! From flight, to crash in thick mud, to unbuilding and cleaning to rebuilding, to resetting the CCPM, to flight testing, all in a day!

Those following my Align GP 780 tail wag problem might be intested that the Erazor's GP 780 has been working fine since I worked her and addressed anything that might cause vibration. I thought she was a clean machine before, but now, especially after yesterday's rebuild, she's an enginnering marvel. The GO 790 gyro came in from mhein18 the other day. I put it on the Frankenheli, and the was a wag. I went back and changed the tail shaft, which I found ever so slightly bent. I also put a new head on it, fresh out of the box, since the used EXI head was pretty loosy-goosy. I snugged things up, cleaned things out, and bang, no wag!

So pretty excited that both of my 450 flybar helis are revived. My EXI 450 flybarless is still awaiting parts. It too should be up soon. Today I found out some electircla provlems I was having yesterday with the HDX 500 were from a failing and now failed BEC. Ordered a new one from HeadsUpRC today, so I think barring another crash, I will soon have all of mynhelis up at the same time!

 

If its not one thing its another...

I took the Erazor up after really working the main rotor and tail rotor mechanisms over, cleaning and lubricating everything. I decided to put the Align GP 780 gyro back on it, and whatta ya know... its working without the wag! I flew it at BMF today and got a couple good flights in, and the tail held perfectly, except when the whole heli would have a split second seizure. Did this every few minutes, quick, then back to normal. Sometimes it was yaw. mostly it was pitch that would suddenly change, once throwing it to the ground in full neg pitch. Sometimes it was a partial roll. I changed out the reciever to one I know is good, and its not the problem. I changed the ESC/BEC at home and in my last hop in the driveway the problem did not occur again. I think I have outed these recent gremilins. Tomorrow I will be back at BMF and flying the crap out of it!

I spun up the HDX 500 and the minute I did the main gear threw teeth... This was after taking the one way bearing out and deep cleaning it. I took the motor out and checked the pinion and its good. I reset it to make sure it meshes well without being tight or loose, and its fine. I fired up the heli without the blades and no lost teeth, no unusual sounds or anything. I had changed the ESC from soft start to very soft a while back. I don't remember when, and I am not certain that I did... but I noticed that the startup stutters in very soft start. Not sure that causes the teeth grinding... I set it to soft start and it doesn't stutter. I wonder if this was the problem? Shouldn't be, but I got nothing else...

Flew the C-47, the Ultimate, and remaidened the eHawk glider. Its an odd bird... doesn't fly smoothly, but she flew well. I will need to take it up again soon. Landing was a mess... tip stalled, needs to come in hot. I am going to set up flaperons.

Another Awesome Bloodbath!

It sucked but it was awesome!

First, I took up the EXI 450 BeastX and flew her like a crazy man. It was a great flight in tight control, figure 8s, hammerheads, everything but loops and rolls. Lost control when I made a conscious decision for a control input instead of just flying her when she was heading towards me, and compounded it by more thinking-flying, putting her in the ground. She suffered a blade strike on the tail, and the head is going to need to be rebuilt. Lots of work, but It was totally worth it.

I also took up the Erazor 450 for several flights, also doing some awesome fast forward flight with good control. She has that cheap gyro on her the Assan GY250, I think its called, and the tail kept kicking out, not holding well in hover (held fine in forward flight). I was bringing her in after another awesome flight and about half a foot off the ground a gust hit her and she spun her head around hard, a main blade striking the ground. The head needs work, but the blades are good. Plan to have both of these ready to fly again tomorrow!

Not to be outdone, I took the Sbach 342 up for a couple of spins. I flew her with the 10 x7 prop and liked her performance. I tried the 11x5 and she was mushy. Then she killed herself. Like my PulseXT she would not come out of a dive in the Dangerous Quadrant in Mordor, and slammed into the ground at high speed. Witnesses heard me call out that she wasn't responding to elevator just before the crash. On inspection she had not lost bind, the servos all work, the control rods are all fine. We have no idea why this happened... crap.