fpshell

Greetings, SGF323...

First of all let me make it perfectly clear that I am "NO EXPERT" on the T-2. However, as someone who is working thru the "Quality Issues", I may be of some assistance.

I have only had experience with the Firebird Freedom, and ParkFlyer Cessna 182, prior to the T-2. As a basic "NEWBIE", I mistakenly expected everything to work just fine as long as I followed the instructions. Well, it did not really work out that way.

The instructions say that all of the Servo Reversing Switches should be in the "UP POSITION" for the T-2. Actually, all should be in the "DOWN POSITION", except for the Rudder Switch, which should be in the "UP POSITION".

Now for the "BIGGIE". There is nothing I could find that indicated which way the "ORANGE WIRES" should be installed in the Receiver. I assumed the wires were installed correctly in China. Wrong idea. My Brown wires were installed towards the nomenclature on the Receiver. As a result, the first time I powered up the model, there was no communication between the Tx & the Rx. Once I discovered the "ORANGE" wires should be nearest the nomenclature...the model finally came to life.

That is except for the Rudder Servo. It was totally dead, which I confirmed by moving some of the other servo wires over to the Rudder position on the receiver...and those servos worked. Called Horizon and the new Servo Replacement arrived yesterday.

The final issue I had was with the battery charger. After 40 minutes I got an indication that it was Balancing the cells. At 50 minutes I got an "Alternating" red and green, which indicates an "ERROR". At first it looked as though I needed to send in both the charger and the battery for Horizon to check out. One last call to Product Support, and they suggested I lower the Charge Rate from 1.5 V to 1.0 V. I did that and got the Solid Green light within 10 minutes.

I believe you can see that "YES" there are quality issues, however, I am not sure they are any different from other RTF model from China. It is disappointing when you follow the instructions and nothing works. But with a little perseverance, things start to fall into place.

Hope that is of some help to you. From what I have read, once the Bugs are worked out, flyers really like the plane.

Fred

sgf323

Since I'm looking for a fun RTF plane I'm considering this or the Stryker C. From the looks of the videos online the Typhoon is more fun to fly, even though the Stryker has a huge online fan base. When you talked with Product Support did they give any indication whether your problems are common? I'd be curious to know how many people had zero issues with their kit as it seems that the majority of people posting online have had issues. Either the people with no issues are just out flying oblivious to other's problems or those people don't exist

I'm new to this hobby as well. I've only flown a Firebird Commander 2 which I outgrew rather quickly. Shame on me for not researching anything prior to purchasing it. I've got around 30+ hours on Real Flight with Brian's Typhoon2 model and can fly and land without incident so I'm hoping if I take the real thing easy the first several flights that I'll be fine.

fpshell

Greetings, SGF323...

Product Support addressed my concerns and problems, but gave no indication if my problems were shared by any other T-2 owners.

I to am interested in the Stryker C, but decided to put it off until I get on the other side of the T-2. I did read some outstanding reviews about the Focus 400 EP, so got one...still in the box while I work on the T-2. I seem to be able to buy the planes faster than I can fly them.

It is an exciting hobby which I am really enjoying.

Good luck with what ever plane you choose. I suspect they all have their +'s & -'s. Someone once suggested that you just have to pick a model and then do everything necessary to keep it flying.

Fred

jmir

My Feedback: (1)

I don't think you can go wrong with the RTF version.
Even if you already have a TX/RX combination, you end up with the li-po battery.
You can list the TX/RX on E-bay. They've been going for around $20 to $30.

Considering the price, you get a good, durable plane backed up by a very reputable company.

cgpro856

I've been happy with mine so far. I had what appear to be the typical out of the box problems with things being either missing or wrong in the manual, and I did have a servo that appeared DOA ( moved it manually a few times and tried it again and it started working fine). But barring the occasional defective part which is going to happen with anything you buy, and seems to be happening more and more lately with everything I buy, I think that anyone who has the RC skills to buy a plane like the Typhoon 2 in the first place should have no problem getting it set up just fine.

The manual won't tell you to hook up the aileron rods, but you should know that you have to, and the manual is wrong about the reversing switches on the Tx and about the control horn on the elevator......... but if you are ready for a 3D plane for an experienced RC pilot, which is what the Typhoon 2 is marketed as, than you should be able to work thru these minor glitches just fine.

And if you throw out the airframe I think you still get a good deal on the rest of the gear anyway. TX, RX, 4 servos, 25A ESC, 400 brushless motor, 3s 1800 lipo, and 2-3 cell variable ouptut lipo charger......

Chris P.

Flyin C

Can everyone please post in this thread

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6383614/tm.htm

jatomex

Is it possible to install a gyro to the thypoon for 3D?

bilboa

Sure you could, but what would you want it to do? Which axis did you want the gyro to control?

jatomex

I want for hover and harriers so i think that it´s for rudder and elevator. Could you tell me which gyro and where to buy it? Thanks.

Jaxx

Just bought mine this past Sat., got it assembled and have yet had to chance to go up. Once I got it together, I did a check on everything and the rudder servo wasn't working. I disconnected the battery and all the servo leads on the Rx, reconnected them and the rudder started working, so I'm not sure as to why it wasn't to start with. My only gripes so far are the foam wheels, especially the tail wheel, cheap foam IMO. But other than that I'm satisfied with it, that may change once I get it in the air.

Parky50

Hey folks,

Quick update on my Typhoon 2...

I was fortunate enough not to have any issues out of the box. I did work through the wiring issue and then it took a bit to figure out the toggle settings on the radio were wrong in the manual. I must say that I'm VERY pleased with this plane thus far. No glitches or issues of any kind. This is my first 3D plane, and I have it all set up to be as "mild" as possible. All the servo throws set on mild and the TX set on normal mode. The response of this thing in the air is spectacular... it seems like it's riding on rails !!! I tried the sport mode on the TX and it was way too much for my current skill level. I feel that I have a lot of "growing room" with this plane and I look forward to flying it every chance I get !!!

Still trying to get those perfect landings mastered...


Cheers for now,

Parky50

I hear ya there...

First trip to the LHS fixed that cheapo back wheel/tire !!! [sm=thumbs_up.gif]

jmir

My Feedback: (1)

I take a relative long approach and let it glide till about 3 or 4 feet from the ground (I sometimes give it a little down elevator to maintain speed before I get to that level). Then I give it a little throttle till the plane levels (I could keep on flying at this level without landing). Then I start decreasing power slowly until it touches the ground. It works every time with winds up to 8 mph. With higher winds, it becomes a challenge trying to guess how the wind is going to push it around.

Hope this helps.

IrishRC

Did anyone ever have this problem,

Once I go into full throttle the typhoon stays at full throttle until I plug the lipo out, all controls function apart from slowing the motor

BryFlyGuy67

Hi, everyone. I am a complete Typhoon noob here. I just purchased a Typhoon 2 a couple of days ago, as a matter of fact. I have flown a Sky Fly park flier and also have experience in the Heli world with a Blade CX2. I am hopeful that - along with reading this entire thread - someone can point me in the general direction of some online resources for this plane.

I "think" that I have everything sorted out on the installation except for the rudder. I cannot figure out how to trim it properly such that the rudder is centered when she is powered on. I can get her pretty close with the rudder trim on the stock Tx, but it seems to me that there should be some kind of manual adjustment.

TIA

BryFlyGuy67

Oh, and I should add that I also picked up the GreatPlanes G3.5 simulator and I am wondering is someone has a Typhoon 2 model that I can import and learn from. TIA!

sgf323

Manually adjust the rudder by removing the control arm from the rudder servo and repositioning it as necessary. Before you do so make sure to put your trim back to 0.

You can find several Typhoon models for Real Flight on their forums, knifeedge.com. Check the Swap pages for both Aircraft and Modified Aircraft. The one made by Brian is set to be the closest to the real thing.

Actually, you can download all the files you need from this zip file: http://raminal.com/typhoon.zip

jmir

My Feedback: (1)

There is a manual adjustment for the rudder. Just center the rudder control on your TX and then adjust the clevice at the end of the pushrod connecting to the rudder until it is centered. You can turn it right or left to achieve the proper purshrod length.

Flyin C

YOU MADE A GREAT BUY! I bought the G3.5 last year after crashing one of my planes, since getting it I have not crashed once! And yes, you can download the T2 for free on the Knife Edge site. Its like RCU but for the sim.

http://www.knifeedge.com/forums/index.php? Look for swap pages, it has hundreds of FREE planes, search for typhoon and download all of them! I think there are 4 different ones, just search around to find witch one flys more closely to the real thing.

I was just flying the T2 on my sim, great flyer

BryFlyGuy67

Thanks to all that replied.

Well, I got froggy and decided to fly it teh first time Tuesday. It flew GREAT for about 30 seconds before I nosed-down. Luckily, that Z-Foam is tough and I was able to repair it twith expoxy. The tech I talked to at Horizon said to always use foam-approved CA adhesive and that epoxy can get too heavy and throw off the balance.

rjb63

NOTE: I posted this in another forum, but with minimal response (Thanks for your reply JMIR). So I thought I'd try it here where there seems to be more Typhoon activity. I apologize in advance if I did something wrong.

When I removed the ESC from my Typhoon 2 to return it to Horizon, I noted that it was jammed in to a pretty tight space. That, even though there is a heatsink on the ESC it is so tight in the nose cavity it would appear unlikely it could cool properly, especially in all that foam. Is it usual to place the ESC in such a tight place? Or is it possible the "tunnel" from the battery compartment to the firewall is particularly narrow in my model?

Also, when I removed the ESC the plastic case was opened, permitting foam, etc. to get inside on the circuit board. (My guess now is that this is the cause of the issues I was having with the plane!)

When I initially opened the box from the LHS I noted a small, blue, vaned piece of metal laying loose in the box. I didn't know what it was, saved it, and now think that was one of the heatsink pieces for the ESC. My guess is that the ESC was damaged when it was installed. Perhaps due to the small space it was shoved into.

When the replacement arrives I am considering enlarging that space to allow for more air movement OR lengthening the wires to the motor and moving the ESC back into the compartment.

I'm not sure exactly where, but either way it will require some removal of foam. It is so thick around the nose that It would not appear that removal of just a small amount would change the strength of the fuselage.

Anyone else done something similar or has this not been a problem for anyone? (JMIR indicated that he had no heat problems, etc. with his Typhoon 2.)

Thanks,

Ray

IrishRC

rjb63 (Ray), after maybe 6 flights on my Typhoon2 the motor would start, but then not respond to any input (the motor would remain running until the lipo was disconnected).

All controls worked as normal apart from throttle, after removing the esc I noticed one of the heatsinks moved around due to the cover of the esc being open.

I too have sent it back to Horizon.

And yes it was jammed in pretty tight.

rjb63

From the other forum that I posted my inquiry on I received the following reply from JPOSE:

Quote:

Unlike what Parkzone says, the E-Flite ESC does NOT default to settings which are good for the Typhoon 2.

For some reason after my first two flights my ESC "reset" itself.

I experienced exactly the same thing you are describing after this happened.


I went nuts looking for and replacing all of the front end hardware to cure motor "stutters" and what seemed to be gear grinding.

Even though I put in a whole new front end, including motor, mounts, etc. the problem remained.

Then I looked up the ESC programming manual on E-Flite's page.

Well it turns out that the default timing for the ESC is for an OUTRUNNER motor.

Changing the programmed settings back to 2 pole Inrunner cured the problems I had with the motor/gearbox behaving erratically...

I also changed the auto-cutoff to 70% and made sure that the brake was off, even though it already was on mine.

It seems like JPOSE may have found a solution to part of the problem via the reprogramming of the ESC.

I'm expecting replacement parts from Horizon Hobby soon and will try this solution immediately.

Good luck,

Ray

bigwood212

Hey I just had a pretty bad crash. Broke the nose off and cracked it in half also wing came right off. Slightly bent the prop shaft too but im gonna see if it makes a difference its really slight. Anyway i glued it all back together. Even my reciever had opened up. Im ready to go now. My question is the wires from the esc are red blue and black. The motor wires red green and yellow. So how do they go???????

sgf323

You can hook up a brushless motor any way you want. If it spins the wrong way simply swap any two wires.

Be sure the nose is straight. You wouldn't want the thrust to pull the plane wrong. Also, the prop shaft is super cheap <$3 so if you have a hobby store nearby pick one up if it spins weird.