Baby gets a new pair of shoes

I have decided that now that I can actually fly my helis, and they are all up, I would revisit my CopterX 250Se. She was one of my first helis, back before I understood how challenging helis are to fly and that the smaller they are the harder they are to handle. Some of my first heli blog posts were about the CopterX 250. I remember somewhat her last flight, but a search of my blog reveals I may not have written about it. I don't think it was that crash on May 6, 2011, but it may well have been. It would be odd, because she has a new Align tail boom on her, and I wouldn't have stopped there; I would have finished her. At any rate, it has been scaveneged for its servos, including its tail gyro, its reciever, and its ESC, and the blade grips are missing.
 
So today I inspected her and have been ordering parts. I have Solar 11g digital metal gear servos for the swash, and ordered an Align DS420 for the tail. Found a good price, around $25, and it weighs less than the Hitec HS-5084 I used to have on it by half, at around 12g. Its good to save weight aft since the Tarot ZYX weighs a bit more than a standard gyro. I ordered a HURC 22a ESC. Since I will be flying all digital servos and installing a Tarot ZYX FBL system, I opted to cut out the 2A linear BEC, and purchased a 3A SBEC to replace it. And as I mentioned, I purchased a Tarot ZYX 3-axis stablization system with a Tarot 250 FBL rotor head, from cnchelicopter.com. In working on her I found that the tail servo mounts were missing (the blade grips are missing too, not sure what happened there. Its one of the reasons I decided to go FBL since I needed to buy head parts anyway), and that the tail boom support bracket doesn't fit well. This heli uses Torx screws, those star shaped ones everyone hates because they are guaranteed to strip. One did on the boom bracket, and then it snapped off when I had to use Vice Grips to remove it... so I had to order another boom bracket. I also ordered a couple of feathering shafts. I have the intact original CopterX fiberglass canopy, but I have a nice Tacon 250 canopy I will use. All of these parts have cost me about 4x the original cost of the flybarred heli!

 
These parts, other than some blades I ordered from China, should all be here when I get back from my trip next week to Meridian. I will have a couple of days before I leave for Dayton to finish her up and flight test her. I will have the swash servos in tomorrow so that will save some time. Hopefully I won't crash the helis I take to Meridian and won't have to spend time repairing them... Maybe I will just take two?
 
So in addition to my two 450 FBL helis, and one 450 FB heli, and my two 500's, on FB, one FBL, I will have this baby heli, the most challenging to fly in my fleet. I think she is a prime candidate for the FBL system which should make her much easier to fly as it will tame down the impressive twitchiness 250s a known for. I wanted something small to fly in the parking lot of my apartment in Dayton, and I just can't have a complete heli frame in my lab that I haven't built to flight readiness (that's how I ended up with Frankeheli. I had a complete 450 heli, just in various parts, so lf course I had to put one together)! Besides, the 250 nicely rounds out my heli hangar, and when I get the 600 blt, and step up to a 700 in a year or two, why then I will have a complete set!
 

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Full nest: EXI 450 Sport Completed!

I completed the recycling of the Dynam Erazor, though I did end up putting new Solar 11g digital servos on the swash of the new EXI 450 Sport. Over the course of a couple of days she came together. Yesterday I dismanteled the Erazor, my old friend. She taught me to hover and to embark on my first forays into Fast Forward Flight. She took a beating, as you can see, but was pretty tough. I abandoned her because I want to stock parts for one make, and since her parts were unique and not Align compatible, as she aged it was time to decide to let her go. Hello new friend, good bye old friend, hail and farewell.
 

 

There were a couple of issues with the EXI 450 Sport I received from Xheli.com. The landing gear are one piece, which is fine, I will replace it someday. The issue was it was molded for a single midline screw attachment to the frame, not the 4 corners the frame base was molded for. I had to drill in the new ones. No big deal, but odd for a quality make. A second issue, a bit more perplexing and possibly significant was discovered when I set up the swash pitch. It tops out and bottoms out mechanically at the hard stops of the head and the frame at +/- 11 degrees of pitch! I usually fly 12 degrees, with a lot of room to spare. The main shaft is exactly the same length and drilled the same as a genuine Align 450 shaft I have on hand, and the rotor head, linkages and swash are also all look standard (maybe the rotorhead on the Sport is a pot longer that the Pro, and that could explain it). I plan to keep this a flybarred heli, so maybe at some point I will replace it.

 

Introducing my newest addition to my heli nest, my EXI 450 Sport! Excited for the maiden flight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The entire hangar is all ready to fly!

 
UPDATE: I just learned on the interwebs that the Sport does have a shorter Pitch range of motion by design. While capable of 3D it is designed for the less aggressive pilot.
 
Had to make one alteration to the canopy to fit the main gear, just on the left side, much like I did on the EXI 450 Pro. Also added some stickers.
 

 

 

 
UPDATE: Just maidened her in the driveway! She is quick, snappy on pitch change. A couple of small tweaks, and she is flying sweet. I did have an odd problem where a tail belt seemed to shred off layers of fluff that spindled on the tail shaft and the power takeoff from the main gear. I had to unbuild the tail, pull all the fluff that had wound itself on and around both tail gears (power takeoff and tail shaft). It covered the power takeoff such that the gear teeth no longer engaged the belt. Changed out the belt too. Problem solved.
 

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The Gang's All Here!

Spent the day getting my helis back on line. Yesterday I replaced the tail boom on Frankenheli, and ended up also having to change out the tail assembly. The boom that was on there was a remnant of the 450 Stretch project, where for some reason, I guess wanting a bigger heli, I went with the 345mm longer blades, which necessitated using the longer Outrage boom, and a longer belt. I could never get the longer blades balanced right (they balanced fine, but there was always a bad vibration in flight, no matter what I did. This went away when regular blades were put on her. Never figured it out). and gave up on it. So I replaced the boom with a standard sized boom, and rather than take the entire tail assembly apart to replace the belt, I opted to replace it with a new one I had on hand, already with a belt. Loctited it, and as has happened before, when the feathering screws are tightened it would not move. I did the best I could, installed it, and put the entire tail back together. Today I put the Tarot ZYX stabilzation system back on it, rechecked its programming, and replaced the bent main shaft. Took her out for a spin and hovered her in the driveway several times. Eventually, fortunately on the ground, she threw a tail blade, grip and all. I replaced it with a good one I had setup before, and she is good to go.

 
I also installed the Tarot ZYX on the EXI 450 from which I had stolen the BeastX for the HK 500cmt. This was a brand new one, and though the box was a little crushed and the device floating around inside it, it worked fine. Installed it on 3 of the thin foam pads provided, wired it up, then programmed it easily using the USB and my notebook. She is ready for flight testing.
 

Lastly, I put the final touch on the HK500cmt, installing the Tarot FBL head. These are the best inexpensive quality FBL heads out there. Just look at this thing. Solid, well designed and well built. Bolted on in an instant. Did have a little trouble with getting one of the plastic link end thingys on and substituted one from the HDX. The turnbuckle was threaded but on this one particular end would not screw in right. Managed to get it in place and secured but it took a lot of work. Took the head apart to inspect and grease the thrust bearings and Locktite everything, then installed it easily. Programmed the BeastX with the head, having preprogrammed most of it before the head arrived, and took her out to maiden hover in the driveway. She spun up nicely, but as the disc came up to speed, she suddenly leaned over to the right in an uncommanded ground roll. I hit hold and tried again, same thing. Took her upstairs to the lab suspecting a programming error, but she responded exactly as she should to manuevering. Then I decided to remove the main blades and spin her up to see what would happen. This is what I saw:
 
 
There was a vibration that really became evident at certain rpms suggesting an imbalance, and this vibration coincided with a reliably reproducible uncommanded roll. I removed the tail blades and spun her up, and the vibration, as well as the roll, was gone. Inspected the blades, removed a chip, rebalanced them (off by 0.1 gm) with some tape on a blade balancer (I do this for all my helis now). I suspect in the initial spin up a piece of the tail blade came off, the chip. Now that they are balanced, put them back on, spun her up, that vibration was gone and there was no roll command from the BeastX. Put the mains back on, took her to the driveway, and she spun up and flew perfectly on her maiden hover! Perfectly!
 
So all of my helis, save the Erazor which is being replaced with an EXI 450 Sport as I write this, are up and ready to go! Can't wait for the weather to clear to fly them!
 

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Woe be wood

I have never been a trusting soul when it comes to wood heli blades. I just couldn't imagine how a wood blade could stand up to the forces. I know that they work for a lot of people, and I know that I weakened the blades ability to cling to the rotor head by having to remove the lower plastic support to get them to fit. I also knew that I could have put the fiberglass blades from Frankenheli on the Erazor so I wouldn't have to worry about it. But what the hell, right?
 
So it was the last flight of the Erazor, which I am retiring anyway. I spun her up, and she promptly tossed a blade at me. Went whizzing past me, and she twisted herself to death. Over in an instant. Nobody died. Good thing I drove only a couple of minutes to get here... Butcher's bill: Blade, flybar, tail boom, tail control rod, and the elevator servo. Rather inglorious final flight...
 

 

Barely left the pad... Tossed the battery too.

 

 

 

Blade some 10 yards behind me. I saw it fly by at knee level.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Cost of My Education

Paul Verger once lost a beautiful giant sized plane that disintegrated in flight when a wing folded on him. It came down as confetti for several minutes. I was new to the hobby, and to me this was one of the most spectacular ends to a flight I had ever seen. I was speaking with him later as to me he seemed entirely non-plussed. He said something that has stuck with me throughout the high cost of my education in RC flight. He told me,"If you don't want to crash, don't fly."

 
Anyone in the sport will tell you that there comes a point where you just have to let go and fly. You have to let go of the fear of a crash, any thought to the hours that will be spent putting the aircraft back into flying condition, and that a once pristine, unblemished aircraft is no longer virginal. A corollary to this is, "Don't fall in love with an airplane, it will break your heart." And it does, not just for damaging something you've worked hard on, but to know that a split second decision was often the mistake that changed it all.
 
Flying RC is incredibly rewarding. Like in golf there are those moments you are about to give it up and you make that one sweet, perfect swing that brings you back to the fold. RC flight has its challenges. When you get them right, they make you fall in love with the hobby all over again. For me, the biggest challenge has been learning to fly helis, and recently I had that crossing over event when I just decided to start flying, and it all came together. Since then I have had several excellent flights, but every now and then, I shank one. I have learned not to let those mistakes spoil it for me, and chalk it up as the cost of my education. I bet this has been true for most of us. This is why I strongly recommend learning to fly with a flight sim, and putting these skills out in the field using a good quality clone. You will fly. You will crash. You will get very good at repairs. And you will fly again! And in time, you will crash less, and for more complicated reasons. And it is all worth it!
 

Today I took Frankenheli up, and flew a couple of packs. That vibration came back; I think its the cheap FBL head I have, that I couldn't get apart and grease. I know I shouldn't fly it this way, but what the hell... I already have a good Tarot head coming to replace it, but I wanted to do some light flying. Got into a low nose in hover and the vibration kicked up, and she dipped in roll and struck a blade. Saw it coming, hit hold. Only damage was the tail boom bent. No big deal.
 
I noticed in preflight that the Erazor's tail servo stopped working, and I didn't want to field fix it. Got it back to the hotel, and it was just a loose connection to the gyro. A little nervous about flying with the wood blades, the only ones the local hobby shop had, especially since I had to remove the lower plastic hub fairing to get them to fit. But for my pattern flight it should be fine. Looking forward to flying her tomorrow!
 
Up here in Meridian for a couple more days. When I get back I should have received all the parts to complete the FBL on the HK500cmt, and to move the parts on the Erazor over to a new EXI 450 Sport from xheli.com. Ant the Tarot FBL head will go on Franky whan I rebuild his tail. Psych!
 

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Mobile Hangar in Meridian, MS

Working up in Meridian, staying in a very nice hotel for the week. I brought up the Eflite Ultimate, the Frankenheli Tarot FBL, and the Erazor 450. I found a dirt field behind my hotel, and I went out to fly the Ultimate and the Erazor there today. It was very dusty, and my aircraft got a lot dirty. Not sure this is going to work, won't likely fly there again... I had planned to use the abutting road as a runway, but despite being off the main roads there were too many cars, more public than I expected. So I flew off the dirt... Very smooth, but unforgiving. Broke the wheel pant off the Ultimate on one side. I flew the Erazor, and for some stupid reason kept putting the nose down in nose in hover when I wanted to bring it back. I knew I was doing it but kept making the same mistake, and on the third time I over reacted and pushed the nose even further forward, and she dropped. Hit hold, leveled her out but suffered a blade strike. I think part of it was being very uncomfortable flying in this field because its not home... my focus was off. Another part was flying with my head up my ass: always on edge flying the helis. Dropped the Erazor, delaminated one main blade but that was it. The feathering shaft looks good, surprisingly. I am not so sure the main shaft is unaffected, but I spun it without the blades and it spun pretty damn true, no vibration. I didn't bring any extra stuff up, forgot the heli boxes at home. If I can find some in town she'll be flight ready again. I need to find a better flying field, one with more privacy. Trying to find the local field, Meridian Aeromodelers don't have a website. My boss thinks the local club flies out of Topton Air Estates where a closed runway exists, not far from where I am staying. I may try to run out there tomorrow and see what's up.
 

 

In the meantime, doing repairs in the hotel room! Wonder what the maid will think?

 

 

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HK500cmt Build Day #3: Idiot and the BeastX

Today I wanted to get the servos centered, install the Emax DS9257 tail servo and set the tail up mechanically. Some Trex 500 bling I had ordered from A Main Hobbies also arrived, wicked fast shipping! In addition, much to my surprise as it usually takes days to even get a shipping notice, the HobbyWing FunFly 80Amp ESC OPTO arrived today! Honestly they have been shipping pretty quick lately. I noted earlier, I also decided to make this heli FBL by taking the BeastX off the EXI 450 and put it on this heli today, so I also would be setting that up... which is the idiot and the BeastX part...

 
So, I soldered a JST connector I stole from one of my old 2S batteries for my Walkera CB180 onto the battery leads of the FunFly ESC, soldered on the EC5 and stole the female pins from the HURC 60A I had originally installed on the HK500 and soldered them on the other end of the ESC. Programmed the ESC with my HobbyWing card in 10 sec, and installed it. Uninstalled the exisiting tail and boom fins and put the Trex 500 ones on, sweet. Installed the tail servo, set up the center and tightened everything down. I prefer boom mounted servos, and use Finless Bob's tail set up marking the limits on the control rod and centering the servo, then centering the marks (I don't bother with the tail geometry he uses by changing the blades to leading edge control (or is it the other way around?)). I have that on one heli and honestly see no difference. Tested the servo with a servo tester. All set.
 
And then the adventure began, as the idiot fought to slay the BeastX...
 
Normally this whole process would have taken less than 5-10 minutes... It would take 3 hours including a dinner break and a good dump. Then it took 5 minutes... So here's how it went. It took a couple of seconds to remove the BeastX from the EXI 450. I brought the three BeastX leads, cut some anti-vibration gel, and installed the BeastX on the HK500, behind the elevator servo on the gyro platform. Sweet. I connected the BeastX to the reciever, powered it up, and put it in programming mode and reset it to factory settings. I then went back and did the primary setup, exited, and went back to the main flight paramenter set up. Now, this usually takes a couple of minutes, but when I got to the centering Step G I couldn't get the servos to allow me to center them, they moved odd, would not accept inputs, some wouldn't move at all. This was wierd... I tried the best I could but decided to move on. I didn't like this... Step I, I could not get the swash to move correctly. This is the step where you use standard combos to get all tihe servos moving in the right direction. In fact, the servo movements made no sense... the elevator moved in roll, some of the servos didn't move at all, if they moved they would barely or overdrive. I went through every combo, I reversed this, that and the other servo, I checked everything five times, I swapped wires and channels, I went back to the beginning and re-did everything, checked my setup selections, checked channels and plugs, checked servos on the tester, reset evrything and did it again, and it was insane! What was it? The servos? Does the BeastX not work with analog swash servos? Did I pick the wrong freq? I looked online... I re-installed the latest firmware. Finally I had to take a break. I was sure the BeastX was fine, I was surely doing something fundamentally wrong... My eldest and I went to the local Chinese buffet and I stopped thinking about this BeastX issue for a while. Drove home thinking I really didn't want to call Horizon Hobby and work this out, and I didn't want to send it in for service... I grabbed Model Airplane News and headed to the head. In the middle of my dump it struck me, as my best ideas often do: I had never reset my DX8 from 120 Mix to Single Servo... What an idiot... this is the very first thing they tell you to do. After my constitutional I went upstairs, reprogrammed the DX8 to Single Servo and in 5 minutes had the whole thing done. It works perfectly. For the love of Pete... its always something.
 
I used 65 Hz for the analog Hitecs, having looked on line and finding nothing about what freq they operated at, but knowing 55 Hz would work. I saw a Helifreak post where I saw most people using these servos had no issues and were recommending 65 Hz. Works fine, now that my frickin' transmitter is set up properly. I used the Futaba DS9257 settings since the Emax is a clone, and that works fine too.
 

 
I set her up 6S and spun the motor up, checked swash movement, vibration, tail response, all jolly! I estimated the pitch setup, but used my BeastX bevel box to set up the 6 degree roll in programming. Since I had the battery pack in place I went ahead and fitted the canopy. To get over the batteries she sits a bit up, but looks sweet! I moved the canopy pins from aft over the elevator servo, up to where the rubber bumpers were just above the battery. Worked great! Looks awesome!
 

Now, just waiting for the Tarot 500 FBL head to come in, install it and set up the swash pitch, and she is then done and done! Unfortunately I think the head won't get here until after the holiday, and I will be away travelling for work...
 

 

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