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Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 8/29/2005 8:28 PM   
mmc205



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From: Pottstown, PA, USA
Status: offline 		I have just ordered a Dragonly 36 heli on ebay for $188 rtf shipped. I can't complain abou the price. It sounds like these are decent little heli's, but a certain amount of setup is necessary, i know they are marketed as ready to fly, but if one yanks it out of the box and tries, they may have problems. Their seems to be several main categories of problems
*Exploding batteries when charged -- explanation -- the batteries included are nimh, and the charger they supply does not have an auto cutoff. otherwise, besides the batteries having poor capacity, they may be find
*low capacity li-po cells -- explanation-- I believe from my research that the lipos supplied with these helis are of poor quality, and probably are 6 cell (3 parallel cells in series for 11.1V) cellphone batteries, with high internal resistance due to their innapropriate use in these higher current draw applications. I would count on using these for your heli, though a few people have had OK experiences with them, as they are not part of the manufacturer package, different resellers include different batteries, but the general concensus is they are not great
*inadequate power even with good lipo packs --explanation-- I believe for one thing, people are not breaking the motors in correctly, which can have a pretty big effect on performance. Second, often gear mesh is set wrong at the factory, especially on the tail rotor (not an issue on the 36 though). Gear mesh could also be tight on the main gear. Third, when these are put together, they are slapped together, and are probably at least somewhat out of balance. Third, if the mix is set wrong for collective pitch, all the blade rpm in the world isn't going to get you off the ground.
*Bad electronics --explanation-- the electronics probably arn't top notch, but if you pay attention to the position of the reciever with respect to the esc, and don't coil the antenna improperly, and never get into a situation where the antenna is pointing straight at you (no matter how good the radio system, you can get glitches this way do to radio transmission theory)

I've done a lot of research in a lot of places, and the above seem to be the typical problems with the 6 channel dragonfly's and more specifically the 36. I would if i were you pitch the included charger and get a better one, or go straight to lipo's, take the heli apart when you get it and put it back together carefully, as this will teach you its working mechanics, as well as give a you a chance to put it together correctly (balanced with right gear mesh and such), and properly route your electronics. I believe this can be a cheap and good heli if it is given a chance. When i get mine, i will try to document its setup and trial runs as much as a can for everyone else out there who is relatively new to helis.



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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 9/4/2005 5:49 PM   
ewr101


 

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From: spring, TX, USA
Status: offline 		cool. i would like to see that process because i have a 36 on the way. also post pics if you can.

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 9/9/2005 6:45 PM   
mmc205



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From: Pottstown, PA, USA
Status: offline 		Okay,
I got the heli in the mail the other day. My first impression....not too bad. I have a hitec optic six, and could not make it work with the stock reciever, so i took it off and replaced it with a dual conversion hitec supreme 8. No chance of glitches here. I made sure everything was tight and balanced. and took it outside. I was using a 1800mah lipo 11.1v pack that i used with my planes, so i knew the pack was good as well. The heli was relatively stable, and after some trim adjustments, flew pretty decent. Extremely underpowered though. I got it about 6-7 feet off the ground and then the power dropped out. i have heard several complaints of this using the stock electronics. I however was using a good reciever and electrifly speed controller. I think what happened was that the motor becomes so hot and starts to gobble up more and more power, that it draws so much from the pack that the speed controller cuts out, causing a brief power loss. I know it had nothing to do with glitching because i was using a rock solid tx/rx combination and great equipment. Therefore i don't think that the stock transmitter/reciever are that bad. i used them briefly before i flew just to check servo directions and such and didn't have any problems (actually, i did fly with them once. btw, if anyone would like to buy the stock tx/rx, drop me a line) The only fault i see in this heli is the motor is too weak to power it, overheating and causing other problems. i am replacing it with a cobalt 400, which will have plenty of guts (and is only costing me about $10). Well thats it for now, more updates to come.


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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 10/2/2005 8:56 PM   
NOZZARCHELI



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From: newportGwent, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		HI....mmc205

Im interested in purchasing the stock tx and rx from you as spares, but i live in the UK.....any idea what price you are looking for....Thanks Regards Matt

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 10/2/2005 9:35 PM   
sparkling_fist


 

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From: London, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		yeah i could do with spare tx and rx as well

mmc205..
if you are still using the brushed motors.. you have to move on to brushless.
its amazing compared to brushed,. also the esc also has many amazing advantages

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 10/2/2005 11:22 PM   
NOZZARCHELI



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From: newportGwent, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		HI, Im using an align brushless motor with align speed controller at the moment......would recommend to anyone.....the power is awesome..................ebaY seem to have a surplus.....thanks Matt......i will post some more movies here once i get a new blade holder........broke in a heavy crash...........oh well...thanks again Matt

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 10/3/2005 5:25 AM   
Tiger27


 

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From: , AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		Have to agree a brushless is the way to go, equally important is a good charger I got the swallow advanced for $99au and the batteries now charge correctly, although as mentioned the supplied lipo isnt good for much.
Other than that Im enjoying my 36.

Anyone know what the maximum length main blades can go on this with a 180l brushless, Ive got a set of Align woodies lying around but they are 335 so I might need to cut them down a little.

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 10/3/2005 10:31 PM   
thecheatscalc



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From: fayetteville, GA, USA
Status: offline 		well if you do it right the supplied li-polys will do just fine with a efficent motor. 3200kv suggested.
since upgrading to a brushless I've gotten MUCH more power and have gone from can't get off the ground to able to have a payload, even on the "free" li-polys!

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 10/3/2005 10:37 PM   
sparkling_fist


 

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From: London, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		im planning on getting the align 420 3200kv with its 25 esc..
it looks so cute.. i think allerc is a good place to buy it from.. does any1 know anywhere else that sells them?

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 10/3/2005 11:23 PM   
thecheatscalc



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From: fayetteville, GA, USA
Status: offline 		grand rc, $45USD... best price I've found anywhere, look in the trex 450X motor section

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 12/30/2005 11:26 PM   
aquinasrc


 

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From: LITTLE RIVER, KS, USA
Status: offline 		I POSTED A QUESTION A FEW DAYS AGO ABOUT A RUNAWAY THROTTLE, I HAVE FOUND THE REASON IT HAPPENED. WHEN I THROTTLED DOWN TO STOP AND THEN SWITCHED THE TX OFF THE THROTTLE GOES TO FULL, SWITCH ON THE TX AND IT STOPS, WHY?!!
I SUSTAINED A SLIGHT BIT OF DAMAGE TO THE BLADES AND LINKAGE AND I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE COULD POST SOME DETAILED PICTURES OF THE ROTOR HEAD LINKAGE SETUP OR POINT ME TO SOME ALREADY POSTED PIC'S.
I DON'T SEEM TO BE GETTING FULL MOVEMENT IN TILTING THE ROTOR HEAD LEFT ,RIGHT FORWARD AND BACK . THE COPTER IS ALSO YAWING TO ONE SIDE AS IT'S JUST ABOUT TO LIFT OFF, ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 12/31/2005 12:09 AM   
thecheatscalc



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From: fayetteville, GA, USA
Status: offline 		look at the bottom link in my sig, oh, and NEVER, EVER, turn off your heli AFTER the remote, the heli ALWAYS goes off first!

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 12/31/2005 5:01 AM   
tom_sandiego



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From: San Diego, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Hello all and Happy new Year.

Beside the battery,motor and ESC do I need to change the gyro and servors?

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 12/31/2005 1:20 PM   
nickb00


 

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Last Login: 1/6/2007
From: Geelong, AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		Hi Guys
thanks for the reply to my previous post regarding some problems I am having. Seems like most people have some play in their blades, flybars, swash etc and when it takes off it goes to the left and back a little.

Was doing some hovering today with one of those 10C 1800mAh Silver Lipos (fully charged) you get from the Ebay merchants selling the choppers. The power just stopped and the heli dropped. No damage though, but my throttle wont start. The motor wont go, maybe its zapped? Though I could smell some burning when I took the bird in after my previous flight? Did not take any notice though as the smell went away very quickly. I also noticed that after the motor stopped, my throttle servo was rumbling at full throttle stick and would not stop. Dont know whats happened but no power to the motor, or motor has gone to heaven. Checking the servo too, just to make sure its ok.
Put the battery on a multi-meter to check voltage and current, 15V - sounds high but ok, 130mA - souns low, anyone know if this is normal. Also checked another fully charged Lipo - same thing 15V, 130 mA.....hmmm!
Any views, thoughts, ideas would be appreciated.
Hey guess what, its New Year now and all I am thinking about is helis.
Happy New Year everyone!!!
Nick B
Downunder.....way way down.

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 12/31/2005 6:27 PM   
stilly


 

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From: medicine hat, AB, CANADA
Status: offline 		if it is the 3e 10c lipo--l have the same one --l have never had a read of over 12.57 volts on a full charge---if you are getting 15volt ,something is wrong---on a 3 cell lipo you should have a full charge of 12.6 volt and not less than 12.1 volts or the cells in the packs are unbalanced

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 12/31/2005 8:47 PM   
nickb00


 

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From: Geelong, AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		Yeah 15V sounds wrong especially when the battery is rated at 11.1V.
Sounds like its time to invest in some good Lipos or NiMh's. Are there any good brands around?
Also how can I test my motor, I put a multimeter across the 2 terminals (no power to motor) and it it shows that it is still intact, but dont know if this is the way to check it
thanks
Nick B

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 1/1/2006 12:05 AM   
tbman


 

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From: Dallas, TX, USA
Status: offline 		I appreciate everyone's input. As a newbie, I have learned a lot about heli's and the Dragonfly 36. My 36 seems to be in fairly good shape and have not had any major problems (YET) although it looks like I will need to upgrade my battery from the 650mah to a LiPO along with a motor upgrade and I assume this could be my problem. The problem that I'm having is that as my heli gets light of the skids the motor suddenly seems to go into overdrive or like it may be slipping gears or something yet I'm not noticing anything unusual or stripped gears when I manually turn the main blades. I had a low impact crash where I did not get the throttle turned down in time and not sure if this may have damaged the motor. Any suggestions??????????

Also, I loose rotor speed once the motor problem kicks in @ 60% throttle. Everything seems to run smoothly up to that point. Thanks.......




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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 2/5/2006 6:51 PM   
mongrul


 

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From: , AZ, USA
Status: offline 		Sounds like the problem I have to fix today. The one-way bearing that is pressed into the main rotor gear may have lost grip. I had to buy a new gear, and bearing. Getting the main gears out was a pain in the ass. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get it back in with out taking the frame apart. Pay carefull attention to the other bearings that are stacked on the main gear. I had to pop them out one at a time to get the top rocker thing off. If anyone knows a better way to replace the main gear, please post.

Otherwise, with new Align moter, 35AMP ESC, and high quality 20c lipo the chopper is flying nicely.

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 2/6/2006 8:46 PM   
thecheatscalc



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From: fayetteville, GA, USA
Status: offline 		quite welcome!

the gears are a pain to get out, I've done it once already and will soon be doing it again (the motor wasn't positioned correctly and stripped a full mm off the tips of the gear teeth wow, it's amazing how fast something can go wrong, next time I'm using locktite to keep those motor screws tight!

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 2/11/2006 4:18 PM   
mongrul


 

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From: , AZ, USA
Status: offline 		I put in a new gear and got the heli flying again...for about 10 minutes. The one-way bearing started slipping inside the main rotor gear again! It almost seems like the new brushless motor and ESC are too much for these crappy parts! Does anyone know of a better gear that will fit in the #36?

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 2/24/2006 11:39 AM   
ranger175rgr


 

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From: anjung ri, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF (KOR)
Status: offline 		Hi guys,
i was going to buy a align 430L brushless motor and an align li-po 11.1v 1800mah batt but i notice in the pictures the current connections dont match up with what is stock on the 36. anyone smarter than me out there who can point me in the right direction?

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 3/3/2006 12:44 AM   
thecheatscalc



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From: fayetteville, GA, USA
Status: offline 		well, the only solution here it to just get a new connector for the heli that fits the one on the battery... my suggestion? use deans ultra AND a 420LF instead of the 430L, I think the 430 may be overhaul.

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RE: Walkera Dragonfly 36 - 4/23/2007 6:01 PM   
soreal


 

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From: Ottawa, ON, CANADA
Status: offline 		Hi All, Just thought Id give you my info with regards to Walkera

Lets Just start with my opinion. " For the Money, Your Going to Have a Lot Of Fun"

I now have 3 Walkera's 2 X #35 and one # 36. None of my Walkera's are stock and yes I have spent way more then I should have, but personally I Love to tinker and figure out mechanical issues. So I jumped on the band wagon and picked one up, at first I was somewhat disappointed because like many new pilots I thought the term "Ready to Fly" meant what it said. Not So! I have replaced the following, Motor, Speed control, Tail drive assembly upgraded to belt, full metal head, trashed the radio and servo's to new Spectrum DX6 setup and yes I too fried the batteries. Having said all that I did get to fly this heli all summer and had way too much fun, so much that I felt the need to spend more money to give the chopper some upgrades. So I set out to buy all available Carbon Fibre parts possible to get this puppy really going, WoW, it really looked good, for a wile that is. Turns out that this make's one very nice heli that is perfect for an expert pilot, myself on the other hand at that time was not. So after the repairs , I decided to return the original part back to the heli but kept the upgraded tail drive (Belt - 32 tooth pulley) and metal head ( My most recommended upgrade as it brings stability to the chopper). The rest of the package you get really don't affect the performance for the novice levels but as you improve you will need to step up a few parts. Your next upgrade should be the Motor & Speed control. Personal I find the Align 3250 motor & Castle Creation Phoenix 35amp perfect with the 1600ma Battery combination. More then enough power and flight times aground 15- 20 min for novices still learning to hover. Once you improve I'd increase the battery size. Your final upgrade would have to be the radio, Walkera radio is basic and will work ok as long as you have the servos setup properly, they are weak but handle ok for learning, once you become better you'll appreciate the better servos as the slop will be reduced and the precision will improve the reaction time in the heli. Your probably wondering why I haven't mentioned anything about the Gyro, well to tell you the truth I'm most like not going to be able to give you any advise as the Gyro seams to be working fine, yes the instructions are poor but the unit performs ok with keeping the tail behind the chopper. My current flying levels are more advanced and I'm starting to see that the Gyro wont be flexible enough but in time Ill change to something else, like the Futaba 401.

If you wondering what happened to my spare parts from the Fibre attempt, well I decided that enough money wasn't spent so I purchased the missing components to turn the parts into another heli, and what a heli it is. I decided to rebuild a new #35 with alt he spare carbon parts and added the Air Wolf fuse. Lets just say , Way Cool. Runs great Too, but ill wait till I have more know how before attempting to run 3D.

Now I also have a Walkera #36 heli only, that came with standard hardware. I decided not to even bother with getting the basic hardware working, although I'm sure that it would fly fairly well. I upgraded to the metal head and tail system, with the power plan mentioned above, I also use my Spectrum radio. I did place a standard walkera Gyro because like I said before I can find anything really wrong, yet. Between both my #35 and #36 I fly every morning and most of the weekends with little to no maintenance and both heli are still very fun to fly.


Thanks
Soreal

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