rotarydoc

Nick,

OMG....I hate to read stuff like that...so sorry man....I don't know what to say...

I guess you mean the Velocity?

I have lost a tail in mid-flight, and I know the feeling, the only differences were mine was a B400 and it was low, so not much lost there...but the feeling of helplessness is about the same, there is very little you can do...

Can you still go to the fun fly with the 600, and maybe the 450?

I came really close to having a parts list like yours last weekend with the SDX. I know mine would have been really expensive.

Rob is still recovering from his completely demolished 600N from last year, he hasn't flown a nitro heli yet this year.

I wish you the best on the rebuild....and I hope you can find the initial cause of the crash, so hopefully, you can prevent it in the future....

I just flew, only one pack. It was a great evening, it makes me want to get the new 450 finished, so I can get in more flights.

Sorry again...[&o]

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Yeah, I was talking about the Velocity.

I could take the 600 to the fun fly, but it is 50 miles away and they don't have electricity at the field. It would be a waste of gas for one flight.

That is good you had a fun time flying today.

Nick

JPEE

Hey Nick,

I am a bit lost here. While I can't find the post it appears your Velocity came down again due to a lost tail? If so man I am sorry for your loss.

JPEE

evdreamer

JPEE,

It was the last post on page 451. Yeah my Velocity crashed again in my backyard. I checked the crown gears and they seem fine and the main gears are fine. The two tail gears are stripped. I don't know if that was from the crash or from the flight.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Yeah, that can be an issue, figuring out what caused the crash in the first place...whether the parts that are stripped/broken were the cause, or result of the crash...

It's especially bad if it's an electrical problem, and if it's intermittent. In your case, it sounds mechanical.

Hope you can figure it out, and get parts on the way....

I just finished the tail setup on the 450 Pro...the GP 780 limit setup is a bit different than the 750, so I had to figure that out. I think it's better, just took awhile to figure out.

I am going to meet Rob at the plane field tomorrow for the big event of the year to get money from the B400. There might be a few helis there, maybe scale ones.

It's gonna be hot, so I'm not staying long. I want to save my energy for later at MHA.

Sorry again for your crash.

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Have fun at the plane field.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

I'll try.

Glenn

JPEE

Hey Nick,
Yes it could have been hidden damage from the first crash that then failed under stress. Hope you get it fixed pronto!

Glenn,
Glad you got the gyro dialed in and I hope she holds like a rock. Remember.................please tell me what Rob turns on the 400. I know you dont want to know, heck give him my email address and he can tell me........I just have to know.
Hope you have fun at the field!


On a personal note, Judy's retirement send off at the University was grand. They had people come from around the state! to say goodby. The banquet room was over full and the rest stood in the hall looking in the door. Then after that we brought 30 people back to the house. The carpet came and was installed on Thursday and the furniture came in 3 hours! ! ! ! ! before we left for the retirement send off, talk about cutting it close. All went well and everyone was gone by 9:00 p.m. and we loaded up her loot and headed to house 2 for the night. She got enough cash and gift cards from her work community to get a 700E RTF lol and several batteries as well.............OMG what am I saying?? that her loot not mine DANG NABBIT.


Smiles guys JPEE

evdreamer

JPEE,

I ordered my parts this morning. The crash really took its toll on the bearings. I don't know if it is from the size of the heli, but the main shaft, blade grips, and tail case bearings are shot. I really don't like the blade grip arms on the old flybarless version. They destroyed one pushrod again. Luckily I can still use one and put it back on the 600, so I can fly that one. Besides the blades the crash didn't cost too much. I ordered stuff that are probably fine, but I am going to replace it anyways. The mainshaft bearings are out of stock, so I will wait for those and the new blade grip arms to be in stock before I fly the Velocity again.

That is good Judy had a good retirement party.

Nick

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Wow, what a weekend...

JPEE,

Congrats to you and Judy on her farewell celebration, and all the new stuff arriving just in time!

Maybe she'll share some of the "loot" with ya, and you can split a 700e...lol...

I got the gyro setup all figured out, it's nicer, just different than the GP 750.

Nick,

Glad you got a chance to go over everything. I am thinking that the fact that it's a nitro heli that also contributes to the bearing failures....there's just a whole lot more vibration going on there with the good old single cylinder internal combustion engine screaming at 17,000 or so RPM's...

Sorry you have to wait for your bearings, I hope they arrive soon. Cool that you will be able to use the grip arm on the 600 so you can fly it.


Well, I build a new 450 this weekend, and crashed the old one...lol...had a dumb thumb moment at the field, and put it in...not too bad, usual stuff...although it's this heli's first ever crash, and my first for the year...so I guess I can't complain too much.

I think it's about $45 worth, but I'm going to start my 450 Pro parts inventory, so this first order is going to be expensive. I'm going to stock all the normal crash stuff, plus the the stuff for this crash.

Had a VERY STRANGE issue with the SDX....we were playing with flybar weights, and swash mixing, etc, to get the roll rate faster...and Justin took it up, and it was flying great, much better aileron rolls now. Then we brought it back down....spooled it back up, and it made this very strange ticking noise....almost like that noise when the guys were cutting the corn stalks at the fun fly...just an occasional tick, comes and goes...they could here it from the pits 100 yards away.

We looked it over, couldn't find anything. Tighentened the blades, since they were a bit loose. Spooled it up and hovered it, and it made one hellacious noise, sounded like a mainshaft bearing seized or something...nasty sound...so we grounded it, and took it back to the pits.

Took the head off to check bearings, etc. and counldn't find anything. I was at a loss, and so was everyone else. I figured I'd take it home, and tear into it for a look....even though everything looked great.

Later on, one of the guys picked the head up...was feeling the head, grips and stuff....and noticed something....I had put a piece of tracking tape on the blade, which was coming loose...

I could not imagine it making the noise I heard...maybe the tick, yeah...but not that bearing seizing noise (which they also heard clearly 100+ yards away..).

We took the tape off, reassembled the heli, and the noise was GONE....

No one there could believe that the tape could make that much noise....I could see the ticking at first...but if you'd heard that noise it made, you would not have ever imagined it would be a piece of tape!!!

Anyways, that was a HUGE relief...especially considering that I would have found NOTHING when I tore it down....and been pulling my hair out!


Earlier, I wrapped up the new 450 Pro, and maidened it....I could not have asked for a better maiden flight....2 clicks on the aileron trim and one on the elevator, tracking perfect, hovers like glass...amazing helis!! Flies great...one exeption though, this new one and the old one have the same tail issue....a very high speed oscillation in the tail (almost can't call it a wag, it's super fast) in idle up 2...with 90% throttle....need to look into that a bit...but I can rule out any worn parts, because the new one does the exact same thing...

Gotta go....

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Sorry about your 450.

That is interesting about the tape.

The gyro could be causing that oscillation. You could try increasing the delay.

Nick

rotarydoc

Nick,

Just placed a big order with Ready Heli. They had alot more stuff in stock than Helidirect for the 450 Pro.

I got most everything for "normal" crashes, so I'll have most of it in stock. It's not like the B400 where the LHS has stuff in stock...[&o]

Costs more now, but it's all really the same in the end, and saves some trips to the LHS.

I also ordered the SDX fan shroud cover.

I was thinking about increasing the delay..the GP series gyros have a large and small heli setting...Align says small for the 250/450, and large for the 500 and up...but it might be worth a shot to increase it and see what happens.

In addition to the large/small settings, apparently, you can fine tune the delay by using the rudder stick to increase or decrease delay...it's kinda trial and error though....

I'll give it a shot, maybe start off with using the large heli setting, and see how that goes.

My wallet took a hit tonight, but it will be worth it to have parts on hand, and to see the SDX run cooler.

Hope you can get some flying in this week.

Glenn

evdreamer

Glenn,

Hope the fan shroud helps out.

I started designing on my CAD software again. I am just working on the basic shapes right now, but I have half of the fuselage done.

Nick

jroo

Hey all!

Have not posted in awhile, but I've been sitting on the beach on vacation.

So on fathers day last week, I went out to fly the 250 and 450 in the morning. I attempted a 'Fathers Day Flip'; 1st ever flip attempt in any heli. Well about 80% of it went ok, 20% is in pieces . I'll post pics later.

I'm ordering some parts and I need some advice on tail rotors. I see a 37mm, 40mm, 42mm. What is the difference in the size?

[link=http://www.helidirect.com/align-trex-250-c-1_38_233_671.hdx]http://www.helidirect.com/align-trex-250-c-1_38_233_671.hdx[/link]

jroo

Where do you guys typically order your heli parts from? I've been using HeliDirect with really fast turn-around, but they are out of a few parts I need. Any recommendations?

JPEE

Hey Guys,

If you look close you will see the piece I cut off the frame on the table by the skids. The RED part is what I cut off. That allows me to use my new 3000 mAh 35-45C packs now in the 500. The CG is just a tiny bit heavy to the nose, and I mean a tiny bit.

JPEE

evdreamer

Jreue,

Sorry the flip didn't work out.

Besides Helidirect I order from:
www.grandrc.com
www.readyheli.com
www.amainhobbies.com
www.heliproz.com

JPEE,

Good to hear you can now use the new batteries on the 500.

Nick

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

Not much new here, big storms came through and knocked the power out, I just got it back....guys had to fix a burned connection at the transformer up on the pole...glad I didn't get a huge spike and burned anything up....[X(]

jreue,

That's interesting that they offer 3 different size tail blades for the 250. The longer the blades, the more tail holding/authority the tail will have.

If you are happy with the tail the way it is, I would stay with the stock size. Or, you could get the optional sizes and experiment. The tail setup on the small 250 size helis can sometimes be challenging, probably why they offer different lengths.

I normally order from Heli Direct as well, super fast, and they usually stock alot of stuff...however, just lately, I have noticed that their shipping speed has slowed a bit, (by about a day) and they are frequently out of stock. I just ordered a ton of parts for my 450's and I found that Helidirect was out of stock of alot of it. I ended up going with Ready Heli, which had everything in stock, and have been very fast with shipping....in fact, I ordered last night at about 1AM, and my order shipped today at noon.

I like Helidirect alot, and hope they can get their excellent service back up to the previous standards. Until then, I'll go with who has the parts in stock, and can deliver them fast...

Don't feel bad about the flip, the first ones are usually less than perfect...[&o]

Nick,

Cool on the CAD work...maybe you can post a PDF of your project...

I hope the fan shroud works well too...it sure costs enough for a metal plate... I could have made one out of plastic like some of the guys did, but I think the extra metal in the front of the frame is a good idea for strenghening the frame.

JPEE,

I can see now why you had to cut the frame, those packs are huge! Hope it all works out like you like...

I have been real happy with my Turnigy 2450, 30C packs from Hobby City, they give me about 6 mins in idle 1 flight, and have tons of power in the 500. I also definitely don't miss the "Y" connector from my older 2x 3S setup...

I may get a chance to fly a pack or two in the new 450 later....

Glenn

JPEE

Hey Guys,

Nick, glad you CAD program is giving you some fun!

Jreue, I agree with Glenn, if the present blades are working, "leave it alone". I will admit, I used longer tail blades on the Blade 400 as it would not hold with the stock ones. Head speed has TONS of impact on the tail too. I gave up the CF tail blades and now use the plastic tail blades that are either green or orange so I can see them. They do take a beating too and are cheap to replace. Oh I almost forgot. my friends and I have had (2) set of tail blades fly off becasue they were weakend from earlier crashes or hard set downs. Both time either I or buddy were spooling up and BIG a blad flies by. Now I only spool up standing off at say 5:00 position with nose at 12. I can see the heli but if a tail blade goes I am safe off to the side.

Man-oh-man Glenn, waz up with the 450 crash? Your the man here with hardly ever a crash, I am sorry to hear that you did go down. You are lucky you got out for a cheap fix. Remember, my 500 ESP just cost me $257.00 from that tail in crash OUCH. With regard to that blade tape coming off, I had that issue three times and NO MORE and heres how and why. Once for me, once for a buddy and I recognized that sound for him and once for a guy with a 700N at the Club field, it is quit a buzz. I no longer use tracking tape. I balance my blades and carry 1.5" of red tape stuck to the frame of my helis. When I need to check tracking I pull the tape off the frame and stick on the blade. Balance is no issue for that short time. After the tracking is complete then I pull the tape off the blade and re-stick to my frame up under the canopy.

JPEE

evdreamer

Glenn,

Here is what I have so far. I spent two days on the motor mount. I was having a hard time getting all the angles and cuts right. Most of the parts are pretty flat, so I am glad I don't have to work with a lot of curves. I am going to add more supports, drilling holes, and lightening holes. I decided to go with a wood frame again because it is cheaper and easier to work with. I am going to use a thicker and stronger wood. I can't remember the name of it, but I think it was birch wood. I used some when I repaired my 540 with it and it survived my second crash when nothing else did.

Nick

rotarydoc

Hey guys,

JPEE,

Yeah, my blade tracking tape days are over now too. I like Ivan's method, and one I read somewhere else, where you set one blade at zero, then mark it, and don't touch that blade...and just adjust the other blade up or down as needed...no tape necessary...

I still cannot get over the noise that made...

That's why I like the 450's...even the Pros are pretty cheap to fix...take the chances and learning experiences with those helis, and not the expensive ones...I loved the B400 for that reason, but it was just too many headaches.

In response to your curiosity about Rob and the B400, I doubt he's going to try to track that issue down in that B400, at least for awhile, he's got bigger fish to catch..he's working on a Hirobo nitro, it's like an earlier version of the SDX, called a Scedeau (spelling?). I think he wants to ease back into his nitro helis again. Seems that huge Trex 600N crash last year set him back a bit...that was a massive crash indeed...

Ready Heli shipped my parts, so they should be here Wednesday, and I'll put the original 450 back together, and have a pair...

Nick,

That CAD drawing is neat! Looks nice so far...

I think that wood might be called Basswood...my LHS has that stuff...much stronger than Balsa...I made my CPP2 battery trays out of it...

I tried the delay on the gyro...and making it think it's a bigger heli actually made the tail oscillation worse....so I put it back, and just went down on the gain.

I am still thinking the gain is like the DX6i, where anything below 50% is rate mode...but it's not...it seems to do well at just about 50%...it was at 55%...so I'll keep at it...it was looking good, even in idle 2...

I also had to remember to set the trims in idle 1 and idle 2...still adjusting to the new radio...

Glenn

jroo

My wife's cousin is in the Coast Guard and we got a AWESOME tour of their hangar this past weekend.

My little boy is the one giving the "thumbs-up" in the blue shirt.

jroo

pic's from the 250 loop/crash

psb667

Hi im hoping for some help with a cp pro 2. does anyone out there know what swash setup to use i dont seem to be able to get my futaba radio to cooperate with the heli

evdreamer

Jreue,

That is a cool heli.

psb667,

You will want a 3 servo and a 120 degree option. You will probably need to adjust the servo reversal to get the servos to move in the right direction. I don't have any experience with Futaba transmitters, but Spektrum transmitters have an option called swash mix and it can adjust how multiple servos act with each other. That can also help with getting the servos moving in the right direction.

Nick