twoslick2

My blade 400 shakes a little and spins when I try to power it up! When I get enough power to take off it tilts foward and to the right. Any body got any ideas on what could be wrong?

JPEE

Hello Twoslick2,

Welcome to our threads. What you dont say is.......if the heli flew fine before this just started or whether you had a small crash?

Generally, when a heli shakes something is off balance, new blades perhaps or.........................a bent main shaft or feathering shaft but most likely it is the main shaft. You only have to blink your eyes and they bend and just a thousandth or so and the heli will shake rattle and roll. Now regarding your heli upon lifting off going forward and to the side that generally means your swashplate is not level.
Turn on the radio, plug in your battery as if your ready to fly. Make sure all of the surface trims on the radio are centered. Then flip the throttle hold, the bottom right switch on the front of the radio. Now slowly bring up the throttle and keep a safe distance. The blades should NOT have moved as the motor should be locked off in the HOLD position if your radio in set up correctly, but rather only the swash plate will rise up and down. Now we are ready to give a look at the swash plate. Remember, your in a postion right now to fly but with that throttle hold on for safety the motor will not spin. Now you can run the throttle from zero to full and watch the swash plate move up and down "evenly" with out it tilting at all. If you set the radio at 50% throttle all servo arms should and "need to be level". If they are close but not level then you can either go inside the radio to SUB TRIMS or use your surface trims on the radio and move them until that swash plate is dead level! This should end your heli want you run off forward and to the side.

Back a few lines I said; move the throttle from zero to full. When doing that listen to your servos to make sure one or more dont have stripped gears, especially if your using stock servos.

Give that a try and get back with me if you like...................good luck!

JPEE

twoslick2

Hey Jpee,
I did forget to say that I had a small crash trying to takeoff. The heli tilted down and to the right, It nicked the blades so I have put on a new set. I did the steps you took me though. The swash plate is level. You mentiomed a bent feathering shaft or bent main shaft. I looked at the feathering shafts and don't seem to see anything wrong. As for the main shaft I don't know. I am waiting on the sun to come up so I can go out on the deck and see if it still shakes.

JPEE

twostick, good morning,

Ah Ha you've touch the blades with another object, the main shaft is bent 98% as they are soft...real soft. Take the J-screw out of the head (thats the screw just under the blade grips in the top of the head block) that holds the head to the main shaft. Next, pop off all three swash plate links from the servos arms, next gently lift off the head **** be sure to hold it together! as you slide it off. Set it aside for later. SHORT CUT, if you like you can take the blades off and save some work and then follow the next step................Now battery up just like your going to fly (set it on the ground) now stand over the heli and look down on it. Spin up the motor like you ready to take off "real" slow. If that shaft is bent you'll see it. BACKTRACK #1 when you go to lift off the head "carefully" as you slide the head to the top of the shaft "bend" back the auto rotation post so the swashplate arm will slip through it. Your top J-screw should have a nut with nylon in it to stop it from vibrating off. If you when you reinstall your good. However, if that nut is not nylon lined then you MUST use loc-tite blue lock-tite on it. If you have to replace the shaft the same rules applies for the bottom. If the screws have ANY bends in the can them and get new ones. This means........you dont want one to let go and send the head flying at YOU during take off or flight.

BACKTRACK CHANGE ADDENDUM To check your feathering shaft you pull off the blades, perhapS do this test first before the above. Stick your hex driver or Allen wrench in one side of a blade grip. As you turn the the driver the entrie screw will turn through the head. "IF" the other blade grip on the other side of the head starts to move up and down then the shaft is bent!
Let me know

sorry for some of this out of order, its 6:00 a.m. here and I only had one cup of coffee

twoslick2

Jpee,
I just tryied and the heli still shakes and spins counter clockwise. I am now going to check the main shaft and the feathering shafts too. Sorry to be bothering you before you have your coffee LOL I have to leave for a while and I think while I am out I will just go ahead and pick up a new main shaft and feathering shafts. I'll be back in touch with you! And thank you for all your help!

JPEE

twoslick2,

Before you go buy parts, check your rudder and make sure it is not stripped. Move the stick left to right and make sure you did not strip the tail servo gears and watch the tail blades. Also with the battery on for take off.....close the throttle and set the heli on the kitchen counter/table and shake/wag the heli left to right , right to left and see if you hear a buzz and the tail servo moving. What this is doing is making the gyro think it needs to compensate. This too will check the servo and gyro.
JPEE

if you like you can send emails which bing! on my computor or phone unlike the Forum.

jroo

For the shaking, you will also want to make sure your main blades are not on too tight.

To test:
1) Extend the main rotor blades
2) Rotate them such that they are perpendicular to the tail boom
3) Hold the heli by the tail; nose down
4) Ensure the blades do not fall forward
5) If you give the heli a slight bump (I tap my hand holding the heli), the blades should fall.

If you have these on too tight, they will not extend all the way, and you will get a pretty good shake during spool up.

Enjoy!

twoslick2

I checked out the main shaft and ended up changing it. Now I need to get the heli back together and see if that was the problem