kregan

The switches on the transmitter are for servo reversing.
Mine came set from the factory and did not need changing.

Left stick up/down = throttle, controls the height
Left stick left/right = rotation, standing behind the heli, left stick=tail moves left

Right stick up/down = forward/back pitch, like elevator on a plane.
Right stick left/right = left and right pitch, like ailerons on a plane.

hope that helps

kregan

I bought this heli from Hobby-Lobby for 89.00.

They price matched + 10% the Raidentech web site price.

It is the latest version with the servo reverse switches on
the TX and the trainer cord plug in the back.

This thing is really fun for $89.00. I wanted to practice on this
befor I flew my new Raptor 50 titan. This was the first heli I
ever flew besides the simulator and it is a blast to fly around
the house.

I have not crashed it yet, but I am taking my time with it and
not flying crazy.

mykl88

Here's my story. My wife Alison got me something for Christmas that I've always wanted - a radio controlled helicopter. She did a lot of research, knowing she needed to find one that was as easy as possible to fly. And she did great, don't get me wrong. She probably found the EASIEST possible rc helicopter to fly - but again, here's my story...

First attempt - immediately after opening the box. Place it in the foyee (how do you spell that area where people first walk in to your house?). I then tell my daughter Hannah and Alison to "watch out" (foolishly thinking I could protect them from what would happen next.) I flip the biggest switch on the controller to "on" - having no idea what the other 10 switches do.

Helicopter just sits there. We then hear a bunch of clicking. Ok..., not really sure what the clicking is all about, but I'll admit, I'm pretty scared now. (I would later find out this was the computer "calibrating" itself. Still scary - I've never had a toy that could think on its own.)

With some serious trepidation at this point, I go ahead and push one of the controller sticks up. The helicopter starts spinning rapidly, gaining flight. Having no control over what could happen next, I switch the controller to "off."

This, very unfortunately, only made things worse. The helicopter went nuts. It was like a crazed animal in our house, that just so happened to have spinning blades. (Don't worry, at this point, I had already tackled Hannah and was covering her head.) It finally crashes into a wall and goes silent.

Is it dead? I warily approached and went for its life line - the battery cord. Like everything else on the helicopter, the connection was very small, but I managed to unplug it. Ahhh. Sigh of relief.

Ok - probably better to try this outdoors.

"Honey, shouldn't you read the manual first?"

"Have you seen the manual? The "help" phone number is "86-0755-82124391" - pretty sure that's not a free call. It is (no kidding), the "Wantong Building" on "Sungang Road" in what I can only believe is China.

The manual was obviously written by a Chinese person who lied on his resume that he could write anything in English. Case in point - the big bold letters on the front - "TWF Ready for your fly!" I sincerely hope not.

Other noteable quotes in the manual:

"then following the instruction which in our website and operate it correctly" - yeh, ok, sure
"throttle down again and un-plug the flight battery if you are not to start flying" - ok, that one sounds a little kinky, but ok

So, now I'm outside, plenty of room to mess things up. Alison and Hannah are safely inside the house watching out the window. Feeling pretty confident at this point I won't be killed or maimed by my new toy, I go full throttle. Probably sent it about 15 feet in the air - something, again, I would find out is not a good idea as a beginner.

As you can probably guess, it didn't stay up there very long - man, the controls are sensitive. Smack, hits the ground, and then heads back up - this time not so high. And with not as much plastic as before it hit the ground.

Slight adjustment by me on the controller and, yep, back down to smack the ground. (Meanwhile, inside the house, Hannah is quoted as saying "oooh, bumpy.").

Finally, after probably four "smack downs", the helicopter (a real trooper at this point, no longer able to gain flight, but still spinning its blades wildly), heads for the front lawn and really does a great job at trimming a good portion of it.

Alas, it falls silent. Like too many thriller movies I've seen though, it's not to be trusted that it is actually dead. I approach cautiously. Finally, I manage to get the battery cord disconnected and am able to heave a sigh of relief. Any neighbor watching right now is seriously worried about their property values falling.

Ok, let's check the damage. 3 out of 4 blades (yes, 4 blades, that is what apparently makes this thing "ready for your fly") are non recognizable. Battery carriage is completely broken. Let's head back in the house and fix things. Honey, where's the duck tape?

After duck taping the battery back on and replacing the broken blades, let's try again. This time, middle of the street. Throttle up. And we're completely out of control again. This time, we've reached an altitude of over 30 feet and just one smack down this time. Pretty cool though - plastic flew everywhere!

So I'm out of replacement parts. My flight time (yes, I'm required to keep a log) is now at 25 seconds. Repair time: 30 minutes.

On the web for new parts. $20 dollars and two weeks later, I have my new blades, landing gear, and tail (pretty much everything you can break.)

After forty five minutes of dealing with really tiny screws that disappear quite rapidly in carpeting, I have what might be something flyable. Let's give it a go.

Ok, let's be careful this time. Ease up on the throttle. Just get a little air and bring it back down. Perfect. Good job. Try again. Yep, few inches off the ground and bring it back down. We are doing good.

Let's stop while we are ahead. Turn the big switch to "off."

And the helicopter goes into full crazy mode again. Off it goes, no idea where it's headed, and, yes, plastic once attached is no longer attached.

Hmm, I'm starting to think turning the controller to "off" is not really "off" in the literal sense. Let's check out some rc helicopter forums on the web to find out.

And I quote (from someone who apparently has been into the rc flying hobby for 25 years): "turning the transmitter to "off" before disconnecting the battery can cause the helicopter to go into half or full throttle mode."

Wouldn't this be something you would have in bold letters in the manual? I double checked, there is no mention of this.

The Chinese translator did manage to mention however: "Once happen warp, you are able to correct, and this will start to show smooth flight." My a@#.

tkris

ROFLMAO. That was funny.. I feel bad at enjoying your pain, but the way you wrote the story there's no way to avoid it.

I hope you've had better luck by now.. if not, do a lot more reading on the web before trying to take off again.. read (and try and ignore the annoying marine drill sargent voice of) Radd's school of flight. It might seem tedious, but once you get the basics down and can safely fly your lama around indoors out of the wind, you'll appreciate having taken the time.

Here's the link to radds.
http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html

Good luck.. I think you started with the right bird.. My brother bought me a full collective pitch 3d heli for xmas.. I went through radds, and I still have about 45 seconds of flight time on that bird, with 2 expensive crashes. I bought the lama to try and get the basic feel for it before trying the 3d bird again. I've flown about 12-20 batteries on the lama in the last 2 weeks.. A few crashes, but almost no repair costs so far except some time and CA glue.

Good luck

marc2d

im from england and a total newby to this sport. i orderd my v3 lama cant wait to take it for a spin (lol) atm im pratacing with a picoo z lol( u gotta start somewhere) wot does pitch mean in heli terms?

tkris

my understanding is that pitch refers to either the angle of attack of the main blades on an adjustable pitch or collective pitch helicopter, and it also refers to the attitude of the heli in the air... I think this one is a holdover from fixed wings, just like referring to the controls as aileron and elevator (it's really the collective control). The lama is a fixed pitch bird - it's main rotors don't dynamically change their lift characteristics by altering their angle of attack during flight.
the picoo z type heli's don't have much control to them.. you have to kind of will them to move forward. I enjoy flying mine around and tormenting the cats (they like to knock it out of the air), but it is a different experience all together from the lama where you have complete control over everything the heli does.

I found this glossary very helpful when first reading about rc heli's (about a whole month ago.. :-)
http://www.heliguy.com/nexus/glossary.html

Good luck with the lama!

vega2614

That was one of the greatest posts I have ever read, Mykl88. I cringed while I chuckled at your misfortune, mostly because my chopper has undergone similar "restructurings," although not nearly as bad as what you describe.

I have indeed broken a few blades because of the whole "turning transmitter off while battery is still connected." I quickly learned to never do that, although from time-to-time it happens by accident (I land it, then a few minutes later I turn off the transmitter forgetting I haven't gone over to the chopper to unplug it).

Sometimes the crazy half throttle mode doesn't occur when you turn off the transmitter, so I'm wondering if it's some kind of safety feature so that if the transmitter runs out of batteries or you get out of range while the throttle is on, the chopper doesn't just plummet to the ground. The Lama is so stable that it could probably just slowly drop to the ground with minimal problems.

Luckily, replacement parts for the Lama are pretty cheap online. I've pretty much purchased an extra set of everything structural (no motors, 4 in 1s, servos, etc.). The bane of my Lama's existence is the stabilizer bar holder on the top rotor. It always breaks on me. I've gone through 3 already. I really need to get the aluminum inner shaft with head, but the site I want to get it from are out of stock.

After many, many crashes and really slow meandering around the room, I've gotten pretty good at flying it. Granted, every once in a while my brain farts and I screw up the aileron/elevator control when the Lama is at a wierd angle, but I am getting better with every charged battery. I was doubting that I'd ever be able to fly a chopper when I first got it, but now the Lama is like an extension of my fingers. You can check out some of my earlier videos on youtube.com: http://youtube.com/watch?v=e5ji4mABGIk .

I found that the easiest way to learn is to first practice hovering and trimming the chopper out. As others have posted, throttle up until the chopper starts sliding only slightly, then throttle til the chopper is about a foot or two above the ground (make sure you have plenty of room). Make sure it doesn't laterally move (unless you tell it to) and trim it so that it has a slight forward motion. This will make it fly like a 2-channel chopper, which is WAAYYY easier to learn with. Just point the heli in the right direction and let it fly that way. You will quickly get used to controlling yaw no matter which way the chopper is facing.

The next step is to work on elevator control. Try moving forward and backward slowly, with the heli facing random directions. I've learned the following the hard way: don't go full throttle then cut back or pull a 180 right away. The Lama will go into a death dive where it will lose all horizontal stability. Be gentle when changing directions. You will have to test for yourself what the Lama can handle. Don't get me wrong, you can do some funky moves, but going from 6mph FF to reverse right away is too much input and freaks the Lama out.

Once you get elevator control down pat, work on aileron control. I found this to be the most difficult, but only when the chopper is either facing you or viewed from the side. Just be gentle at first. Once you're pretty good at all dimensions of control, you can get ride of that slow forward trim. Keep flexing those servos, and eventually you'll be able to fly in any room. My goal right now is to fly from my basement to the first floor through a very narrow and steep stairway.

I've gone from crashing into anything and everything in my basement to being able to land on a dime and do constant heading laps at FF around support beams in my room. You'll be there soon enough.

I have yet to fly outdoors. I mostly fly in a moderate-sized room with many obstacles, so I haven't really been able to unleash the fury so to speak. A gym would be perfect.

The Lama will take a beating, and with some patience and some glue, will still be flyable. It's definitely a lot of fun once you can fly with confidence. Good luck and I hope my basic tutorial helps (the manual certainly doesn't ).

mykl88

Thanks tkris and vega for the encouragement and helpful hints. Quick update on my flying prowess at this point - 1) I'm able to get it off the ground indoors (never more than a foot or so at this point to stay safe) and have a rudimentary level of control over where it is headed. Usually within 60 seconds I'm bailing out and setting it back down. Slowly but surely I see myself improving until I'm able to move on to my next helicopter - one I can fly myself to the store in. 2) I'm no longer terrified of it.

vega2614

Just take small steps and you'll soon surprise yourself. Maybe hold off flying real choppers for a while though .

I just had a bad collision today with my basement's support beam. The Lama was sideways and I aileroned the wrong way. One blade crashed into the beam and a piece 2 inches long broke off the end and went flying. I'm not sure where it went. I find that to be the hardest; aileron control when the chopper is sideways from your POV.

On a positive note, I can now confidently land on any reasonably flat surface (even the tops of my vertical couch cushions) that's at least 5"x5". For a while there, I had difficulties landing in a 5'x5' space. You really need to get accustomed to the ground effect for good landings.

PEDROB188

Hey Guys, I hope some1 can help.
Got the V3 and was having great fun with it. Everytime I try to move it in roll the motors stop and 1 servo goes to full scale deflection. I thought It was the 4 in 1 soo bought a replacement, its not identical to the original one, the old one is ek2-705b ad the new one is ek2-705. Now When i plugged in the new one exactly the same thing happned. When I try to move it in roll motors stop and servo moves to full scale.
Any one got any ideas? do you think it could be the tx??
Thanks for your help
Pedrob188

Richster

Hmmm well thinking about mine there really isn't any other electronics in the heli, so I guess the Tx would be a good starting point. As a suggestion, I fly mine on my Futaba RC aircraft Tx (it's a 6ExA) which works beautifully, plus has rates etc which can be useful on the heli. My advice would be to try another Tx with your crystal - borrow a mate's if you don't have one or maybe take it to a model shop so they can check it out. Certainly Futabs devices work OK with the eSky crystals. Or perhaps there is something iffy with the roll servo? Perhaps try swapping the pitch and roll servos i.e. run the pitch one from the roll channel and see if it behaves as expected - leave the roll servo disconnected. I think I mean pitch anyway - the forward/backward motion one. Hope you get it working as this heli is dead good once you get to grips with it.


Cheers - Rich

vega2614

Your problem sounds a lot like mine, but more severe. My Lama does the same thing when I apply FF elevator and then stop. I flew for about 20 feet FF and then gradually released the elevator because in the past I've had some stability issues but thought it was due to abrupt changes in direction. However, the heli still went into a death roll and crashed rather hard into the ground. It doesn't seem to respond to TX input.

My motors still operate, but the heli turns about 45 degree sideways as if I was applying full aileron. I really need to take some footage of it and figure out what's going on because it usually happens really fast. I don't hear any wierd noises like components colliding or anything, so I'm guessing it has to be the electronics.

Other than that, the Lama performs beautifully, I just have to be careful about pushing its threshold.

dstar5

Regarding Changing ESky Lama V3's transmitter from Mode 1 to Mode 2:

I didn't end up with any soldering, and to just try and switch sticks from one bay to another doesn't fit....

I looked at it a while and realized it is only the "up and down" action on both sticks we want switched to go from Mode 1 to Mode 2, so I took the following steps and it works great!:

1. Unscrew back cover of transmitter
2. Disconnect plug going from battery case to circuit board
3. Unscrew antenna an pull out somewhat
4. Unscrew both sticks from their bays by removing 4 screws each from the front, but do not remove, just do this to gain greater access to them from the back.
5. Look at the sides of the "square boxes" that houses each of the two sticks. We are going to swap the two sides that face the center, where the antenna shaft runs.
6. There are two small screws that hold this inside side of the box on. Remove these screws and gently slide the sides off. You may need to center the sticks to make sure no spring pressure is on, but they should slide right off.
7. Now, with both sides off, simply invert these sides and put them on the opposite box. Be gentle, but they will slide on and the fine adjustment tabs will still fit in the slot holes on the face.
8. Reinstall the small screws holding the sides on.
9. Reinstall the stick boxes to the face of the transmitter with the four screws on each.
10. IMPORTANT: On the left stick box, when looking from the back at the inside, there is a small metal finger that presses against a ribbed plastic tab. This is what gives the stops to the throttle sick, but you just moved the throttle to the other side. So you must remove this metal finger by removing the small screw at the top-left of the box and move it to the other box. Smear some grease from the left plastic tab onto the one on the right now before installing the metal finger on top of it. Now the throttle should ratchet up and down just as before, but on the other side.
11. OTHER IMPORTANT STEP: You have just inverted both the throttle and the aileron control when you moved them to the other side. So now you must go to the "reversing switches" found on the bottom-right of the face of the controller and flip the switch to the other end for "throttle" and "aileron".
12. Reconnect plug that connects battery box to circuit board
13. Reinstall back of transmitter
14. Reinstall batteries.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!!

Dstar5

paulospilot

Hello everyone,i am new to all this as it seems many of you out there are.I have a lama v3 wich spent its first week under repair under intense visual scrutiny by me.After re-reading instructions several times and doing a lot of stareing finally got her up in the air today.This forum has also been a good source of info and advice and a big help on the tech side of flying rc helecopters which brings me to a question.My controller or TX as i think its called came with all servos at the normal position.so as per instructions i had all trims at the centre except the throttle which i put to the lowest point.Following the supplied booklet i turned on the TX and then plugged her in and watched as the red led flashed and did so for more than 10 minutes.This went on for quite a few tries before my patience ran out and i started moving controls on the TX.All of a sudden she blasted off like a rocket and collided with the roof and did a heluva lot of damage to herself up there and then came crashing down onto the concrete when i madly starting pushing and pulling levers in an effort to bring my missle under control.rather carefully i approached the device and pulled out the battery.The damage was a tail completely fubar,busted in seven pieces and three broken blades and a lost balancer arm.Crivens,,,what the hell is going with this thing.This went on for a couple of days untill i decided to try something as once again i was losing patience.holding on like blazes i turned on the TX and then the battery plug,the led stayed red as on many previous attempts.Fiddle time, as i moved throttle a little bit YEEEE HAAAA lift off time again except this time i have hold of the brute and shes not gettin away this time.As i moved throttle the only way possible which is in a up ward direction she started slowing down.How come?Isnt that backwards?Next lesson was dont turn the TX of first or she goes mental.But i still had a rather firn grip on this thing as it was starting to really spin me out.So ,the next step to me was rather obvious,reverse the throttle servo on the TX and se what happens.Throttle now works in a fashion that makes sense ie when i push the throttle stick upwards thats where the lama goes.I should mention that this is in mode 1 where the right stick controls throttle.So back to the question(nearly forgott what i was doing,sorry)If i have reversed the servo on the throttle will i need to change any others?seems strange to have the throttle any other way.TX is now set with all trims centered except throttle all the way down and servos at normal bar the throttle at reverse.Will try again in the morning and see what happens subject to weather.
Cheers!
Hope someone can be of help to me

rhersh

I have a exceed falcon 40 and i want to know if i can use its TX with my lama V3 if i switch out the crystals. The falcon 40 TX is a 6CH . The pitch stick is not working on the TX that came with my lama. I had my lama for 1yr. it is a good heli.



Thanks, rhersh

WD2O

Yeah but try to buy one without a $46.00 shipping charge. Iv'e been on line all afternoon trying to order one with a normal stateside shipping fee. Seems they are all shipped from China with extensive shipping fees. The places like BoomTown Hobbies with a reasonable shipping fee are all sold out. I can't see paying almost 50 percent more just because it comes from China!![

rhersh

WD20,
I ended up buying a TX off of x-heli.com (i know everyone talks bad about them ) for $9.99 plus $8.49 shipping. I got it in
4 days . I live in Ohio. Weather S...........CKS today.

jl449

www.microcenter.com
do a search for Lama... 59.99 + 4 to 6 dollars shipping.

sirwiam

I purchased a Lama V3 about x4 months ago.
I chose it because my mag recommended it as a perfect 'first timer'
Wrong choice!!
The tail structure is way too fragile .. I have purchased x3 extra.
The shaft bearings fit like a *****-in-a-top-hat .. way too much slop!!
The 'trainer' gear simply does not fit and was designed for a heli with taller landing skid. I had to invent and build a new landing structure to house the training landing gear. As a beginner .. you simply cannot fly with the standard gear for more than a few seconds. You will break the rotors on every single flight attempt.
The instructions that came with the E-Sky heli were not for this V3 Model .. they were for a single rotor Heli and simply were not applicable. I had to learn the hard way how to set the stabalizer setting screws to achieve controllable hover.
Emailing the mfr was no help at all.
This is my recommendation.
GoTo .. Hobby-Wing.com (HW) .. They are very helpful and tried to help as much as they could. The problem was with the mfr (ESky) not them. They even refunded shipping when I became frustrated with the quality and diservice from ESky.
Choose from their web site a .. Walkera .. Make sure that the unit has an 'all metal' rotor structure. Ask HW questions by Email, they are terific communicators.
Make sure the package has PiPoly batteries and (if possible) brushless motors. I made the misstake of only looking at the purchase price .. the cost of ownership of the V3 has so far, far exceeded the cost of a better quality heli.

If you take my advice .. please let me know how you get on .. my Email is .. [email protected] (William)

tyro66

Hi Guys,
I'm a newbie to RC flying and bought an esky lama V3 to get some practise while waiting for the weather to improve. Fortunately I had joined a model flying club in the meantime (here in wintry England) and was given some advice. The first and most important is "NEVER, EVER, SWITCH THE TRANSMITTER OFF BEFORE SWITCHING OFF THE POWER TO THE MODEL". Apparently the transmitter actually works by preventing and then allowing things to happen on the model. With no control signal to the electronics on the model they do their own thing which is why the model goes haywire. This can be very dangerous and people have been killed by models which went out of control. You can imagine the damage one of those big models can do.

Having suffered a number of crashes when I started I found this forum and the advice to use RADD'S School of Flying was brilliant. This guy is a genius. Strange sense of humour but a genius. I can now fly this small beast around my lounge with a clear area only about 9ft by 9ft before something gets in the way. I attended my first indoor club flying session the other day and was able to hold my own with people who had years of experience. I'm now looking forward to getting started on fixed wing planes as the weather gets better.
Doug

barak1001

I bought my Lama V4 (no it's not a v3, but uses the same mechanics as a V3) about a year ago. My first flight lasted about 5 seconds. Just long enough for the chopper to lurch sideways and beat the blades to death before smoke came out of the 4in1.

Total cost of repair for a new set of blades, new 4in1, new inner shaft gear, new outer shaft, and new inner shaft: $69

After fixing then fiddling with the chopper a bit I decided to be smart and take it outside! Total cost of repair after chopper lost fight with tree: $34

Now at this point I discovered RCgroups.com where they have a 250+ thread on Lama V4. I started reading from page 1. About 2 days later I started ordering parts. I got an extended shaft, longer servo horns (the ones on the lama v4 are cut short), a set of hardened blades, a carbon fiber tail boom, a cnc upper head and swashplate, and a set of upgraded motors. I was flying outside immediately after putting the parts on and adjusting the chopper.

A little over a year later (and about 50 crashes+ later) I'm partners with someone running an online hobby shop that sells mods for coaxials. Although I do still crash occasionally (about once a month and usually in a 10mph wind or more), I fly my lama outside exclusively. I've modified it to the point where it will fly 25mph+ with flight times of 15 minutes.

Don't get discouraged. It may take you a while to get it, but if you stick with it, you will eventually get it. I've spent enough money over the last year in repair parts and upgrades on my V4 that I could have bought a cheap car for my kid, but to me it was well worth it. The longer you fly, the less you crash, the cheaper it becomes. I am to the point now that when I crash I get no damage at all. If there is any damage it's normally just an inner shaft gear that needs to be replaced (you can use CX2 inner shaft gears that cost $2.99 online). I've probably gotten more enjoyment out of this little coax than any hobby I've ever taken up.

Tony Skinner
Helitek-RC

pgroom_68

Here's a link to the [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8449974]Esky Lama3 Thread[/link].
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