PowerMatt

After having spent nearly two years with a CX2 and the past few months with an mSR, the bug finally got to me after tax season. I went out and bought a Blade 400 from my local hobby shop.

Wow. I know it's still considered a "small" heli, but the size really blew me away when I took it out of the box. My CX2 and mSR can fit inside of its main rotor span. I went online and found some "newbie" settings for the radio that I was reasonably confident in. My first flight nearly ended in disaster when the rudder decided to take my 400 for a flight without me. I was lucky to get it down with only some "trim" on the ends of the main rotors (no other damage evident, and my LHS was gracious enough to give me a free set of new rotors). After some more online research, I discovered that my radio had seven ticks of left rudder sub trim (the trim was in the factory default profile too, factory test flight maybe?). I dialed it back to zero, put the new rotors on, and took it back outside for the next flight. Low and behold, I could actually fly it, and it had stopped doing pirouettes on the ground! Only had time to hover it around for a minute or two before I had to put it back down (LHS didn't have the ac adapter for the charger in stock, and my car's battery isn't exactly convenient).

So I guess the moral of the story is beware factory sub trim settings. And I have a feeling my adventure in rc helis is only just beginning.

Ddaddy

Good Job! 

Jester966

How do you guys like the new "Beginner" settings? I'm wondering if I should try it out, or stick with the original settings. Is it noticeabley easier?

PowerMatt

Haven't tried Horizon's yet. I'm using a setup with fairly low rates (50-60%) and no expo. My curves go 0, 25, 55, 70, 70 for throttle and 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 for pitch. It flew pretty well considering I've done almost nothing to it. Landings are nice and soft with 50% at the low end. I'll give Horzin's a try next week when I can charge the battery easily.

Ddaddy

Haven't tried the stock one either but I'm sure the horizon noob one is easier....and it's easy to have both on the TX ;  )

Solman

I started mine out on the stock settings from the beginning. I didn't have any problems with it and I do hammer head stalls quite nice. I want to try a tail slide some time soon.

PowerMatt

With time and experience I plan to work my way up to more aggressive rates/curves. Right now I'm just trying to build self-confidence that I'm not going to crash my new $400 toy.

Solman

I haven't crashed mine yet. My CP Pro 2 had to deal with my learning curve. BTW, if you want to get blades cheap, go on Ebay. I ordered 2 set of carbon fiber blades for $20 and 5 sets of fiberglass blades for $20. Hard to beat that price and they balanced perfect. Only thing is that the delivery time is a bit lengthy, but well worth it. I have learned to plan ahead for repairs. Keep a few main shafts around, you will use them. any little blade strike with tweak your main shaft and make it vibrate bad. Like I said, haven't crashed, but the blades have touched the ground due to high grass and it don't take much. Nice thing is that the replacement on the 400 is very easy.

PowerMatt

Well, it was bound to happen. Smacked my B400's main rotors into a pole, one of the rotors popped out of the pitch control linkage, came around and smacked the tail boom. Which is now bent. And the right servo has a stripped gear. And the flybar is bent. And the feathering shaft likely is bent too. And who knows what else. Looks like I'm rebuilding it.

And of course, it was entirely my fault. It went back to doing pirouettes on the ground (though it flew good one time). I tried to take it up anyway, and what I got was a repeat of my first flight with it, only this time I wasn't lucky enough to get it back down without any serious damage.

I'm not ready to write it off, but I seem to have a problem somewhere I haven't pinpointed yet. Am I correct in assuming that once the head has enough speed the tail should not be moving around no matter how smooth the surface? Most vidoes I've seen of the B400 launching seem to show some twitchiness as the throttle is brought up from zero and then it holds steady once there is sufficient head speed. Mine only did that once, every other time I tried to get it off the ground it would keep spinning right up to being light on the skids.

The gyro seemed to be doing what it was supposed to, quick twists by hand would produce rudder movement in the correct direction. The only thing that seemed wrong to me was where the rudder would then come to a rest, which was always far off of 90, and very heavily left (rudder pitch control close to as far as it can be to the right). I'm really at a loss as to why it's so out of control.

So... bad gyro? Bad pilot? Buy a trex-450? I don't want to give up, but I'm not sure what I'm missing at this point.

-edit-

Add to the list a bent main shaft, feathering shaft, and two shredded o-rings.

Solman

Buy a Futaba GY520 gyro.  I just installed one on my 400 and wow, what a difference.  The stock gyro is junk, so just about any gyro would be an improvement.  It is  a  $180 gyro, but it is top of the line and setting up isn't that difficult.  I can help you with the process.

PowerMatt

I've seen the B400 flown fairly successfully, and fairly stable with the stock gyro. Seems like the gyro that came with my B400 is doing whatever it wants to. I have heard very good things about the GY520, I just hope that's what the problem is.

Solman

I have logged a few flights with the new gyro and the two areas I notice the most difference is hovering and backwards flight. After having a few backwards flights and unexpectedly swinging around on me, I completely lost faith in the gyro.

PowerMatt

I'm getting HH to send me a new gyro (as soon as I send the current one in). The final decision seems to have been made because I told the guy on the phone that the servo was not centering at 90 degrees. It wasn't centering at 90 even when I first got it, I kept thinking that wasn't right. But no, I had to press on. Well, at least I still have my mSR.

Moral of this story, if your servos aren't centered at 90, find out why before you try to take it flying. Or you'll be spending $60 on replacement parts like me.

Solman

My tail servo only centers when it initializes. If you move the rudder while on the ground, it will stay in that position. But, as soon as you spool up, it keeps the tail centered. It through me off at first, but it works.

PowerMatt

Hmm... the HH support guy said that it wouldn't recenter immediately, but it should eventually creep back to 90. That was the last thing we tested before he said "send the gyro back." And the only reason I can think of for the pirouettes on the ground is the gyro ignoring my rudder input. It would just keep spinning and no amount of correction would completely stop it. No trims, belt tension was good (made a point of checking that before the crash), so I don't know what else it could be.

Solman

Well good luck with that.  Like I said, I lost faith in it when it when it wouldn't hold while flying backwards.  If I can't trust, then I will replace it with something I can.

Ddaddy

Mine only returns to 90 in rate mode...I'm told and believe it doesn't return in HH mode. Mine is a little dodgy too but I find that before every spool up if I toggle the gryo switch 3 times (have < 50% in pos 1) the tail holds spot on while spooling up. else, I have drift spooling up. A new gyro would help.....

Solman

You rather spend $30 on blades than to change a feathering shaft?

PowerMatt

The thing is it never seemed random. It was just like if I had been leaning on the rudder while spooling up. Except I wasn't and opposite rudder would only slow it down at best. Oh well... rebuild, try with a new G110 gyro and go from there.

Ddaddy

LOL...I don't use $30 blade....$7 ordered, $12 at LHS.

Just easier/quicker to change.

Solman

I know what you mean, I ordered mine from Ebay.  2 sets of carbon fiber blades $20, 5 sets of fiber glass blades $19 shipped.

PowerMatt

I went over the whole heli looking for other collateral damage, and I noticed that the tail drive gear has (roughly guessing) a 2-3mm wobble going on. I've read around that a little wobble is normal, but how much is a little?

supra6

Any wobble is to much, 2-3mm at 10,000 rpm will render your gyro inoperative.

PowerMatt

Figured I'd have to replace those too. Also looks like the main drive gear and the retaining collar have some wobble. Ah well... add them to the list. I think I'll have rebuilt most of the heli by the time I'm done.

Solman

If it is too much work, there is a barebone 400 on Ebay for $150.