Looking for AXE CP set-up tips  
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All Forums >> RC Helicopters >> Electric RC Helis >> Helimax >> Looking for AXE CP set-up tips
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Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 4/5/2007 8:03:41 PM   
Nitronuts


 

Posts: 131
Joined: 5/16/2005
From: Clinton Township , MI, USA
Status: offline 		Just bought the Axe and looking for any tips on setting it up for first time flight. Any suggestions or simple mods welcome, thanks

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"Im learning to fly.......but I ain't got wings, coming down, is the hardest thing"----Tom Petty
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RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 4/5/2007 8:57:49 PM   
rollingball



Posts: 149
Joined: 2/24/2007
From: Amsterdam, NY, USA
Status: offline 		I find that setting up the swashplate to slightly tilted foward and slightly tilted to the right gives the best lift off and hovering (Lots of tweaking in this department)
Get lipos 1320's any brand. Get up in the air a bit say waist high then you don't have to deal with the rotor wash (seems like I broke alot more tring to skate the ground) A new pilot will find that the slightest wind will make this heli go crazy be ready to counteract or land.

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Trial&Error - Repeat - TRex 700N umm E, TRex 500, HDX 500, Century Hawk Pro, TT MT, MX450XS.

(in reply to Nitronuts)
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RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 4/5/2007 10:39:29 PM   
Heliko



Posts: 591
Joined: 1/16/2007
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Status: offline 		First balancing the rotorhead and blades will go a long way toward making flying easier.

Installing 1/16 wheel collars help by slowing the cyclic response making the heli a little easier to control.

Another easy mod would be to take the heatsink off the main motor and notch it so the side vents of the motor are exposed. This allows the motor to run cooler and last longer.

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"Gravity is a harsh mistress." The Tick

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RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 4/5/2007 11:09:47 PM   
Nitronuts


 

Posts: 131
Joined: 5/16/2005
From: Clinton Township , MI, USA
Status: offline 		Great tips, thanks guys

_____________________________

"Im learning to fly.......but I ain't got wings, coming down, is the hardest thing"----Tom Petty

(in reply to Heliko)
       Post #: 4

RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 4/7/2007 1:04:42 PM   
canmore flyer


 

Posts: 19
Joined: 3/29/2007
From: calgary, AB, CANADA
Status: offline 		hi...the biggest thing is make sure your swashplate is set at specs,,,,it flys best........and make sure your s. o.g. is close....its set up good from the shop but check your swashplate,,,its the onlt thing i could notice.....

(in reply to Nitronuts)
       Post #: 5

RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 4/11/2007 4:07:54 PM   
StrykerIncognito



Posts: 69
Joined: 2/22/2007
From: Mobile, AL, USA
Status: offline
Some of the information might be more general n00bie information, heck I'm still a n00b as it is.. but anyway...

If you ever need to adjust the zero pitch (neutral for the sake of relation to engagement of thrust for lift) of the blades, before flight or after repair:

Disconnect one of the main rotor motor power leads, and disconect the Tail Rotor's Ultra Deans connector, power up your radio, and then plug in the battery to the Axe. With the throttle already down, flip the 'Idle up' switch up and down, the pitch will change, and then attempt to zero. At Zero pitch the main rotor blades (and the flybar paddles for that matter) should be on a parallel plane/level to the ground. (You'll notice that the main blades can rotate counter and clock-wise, but they do that in tandem). After you idle up and down, rotate the blades so one of them is level with the ground/table, and look from the tip of that blade down through it at the other blade. If either of the blades need pitch adjustment, it should be reasonably obvious. Adjust the blade grip linkages in and out by twisting them 180 degrees at a time until both blades seem reasonably level.

Check the tracking of the blades at this point; if you haven't already marked your blades, now would be a good time.

Controversial Mod:

Besides leveling the swashplate, I had read previously that another first time flyer had brought his servo linkages in about two holes closer to the center. This reduces overall arm throw and essentially makes the copter less sensitive to twitchy input and overzealous response from the Tx. The problem lies in the knowledge that you are removing the 90 degree specification of the server arm to linkage setup.

I have done this to my Axe CP with no known harm to either the servos, or the bird itself. It flies fine. For a beginner it seems like a fine thing to do. You'll need to widen out the holes in the servo arm to accept the linkages farther in, and may have to adjust the lengths of the linkages to brig the swash back to level (which then declares the pitch of the main blades). From my review it adds about a milimeter of linkage length. If you do this mod you WILL need to go through the aforementioned pitch adjustment, but believe me, the first time you crash your Heli good, you'll likely need to know the above process anyway after repair.

Good luck!


< Message edited by strtykrincognito -- 4/11/2007 4:13:34 PM >

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Stryker Incognito, Master Computer Guru, Newbie Copter Junkie.
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(in reply to Nitronuts)
       Post #: 6

RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 5/3/2007 2:41:10 AM   
douglas4


 

Posts: 51
Joined: 2/28/2006
From: sudbury, ON, CANADA
Status: offline 		im new to this heli thing too. ive had my axe since mar 16th. im already flying waste high with a little caution off course. yes i broke more parts hopping around the floor than being 4 feet up out of the downwash. I have ample parts in my personal stock now in case of a crash. ive crashed 3 times now and learned my lesson. the only things ive done to my bird are as follows:

1). bcp paddles
2). 1/16th wheel collars at the paddles.
3). carbon fibre arrow shaft for tail boom $6.00 at archery shop.
4). bcp tail blades and rotor gear
5). cut heat sink to expose cooling holes on motor.
6). hs-55 servos
7). tweaked tr trim pot (holds good all tx trims centered.)
8). bought 3 extra stock batterys and a charger.
9). extra replacement stock tail motor (free).
10). factory spindle u/g with hex head screws (hmxe7814).
11). cut rounded tips off main blades straight across (better gyroscopic stability) i find anyways...works for me..more head speed no vibration at half throttle and less mass in rotation.

You know this heli wasnt designed in my opinion to go all out and mod it to the max. the little mods ive done and added as suggested online work for me and i dont find any other reason to go further with it. my next heli will be the prize purchase for me. this is a begginner heli and should remain as such. its plastic for gods sake and cost $200 what more do you want. i like it and fly everyday and its just darn good fun if your not after tearing up the sky and want to fly a heli circuits and have some scale flying. works for me thus far. just my opinion. i dont understand this facination with more power and speed on a plastic heli. i dont get it. more chance to really demo it big time and have to buy another kit cause the old one is unfixable etc. just me.

(in reply to StrykerIncognito)
       Post #: 7

RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 5/3/2007 3:39:48 AM   
osterizer


 

Posts: 1563
Joined: 3/10/2007
From: Sykesville, MD, USA
Status: offline 		The axe is a very good heli to learn all the things you've described, douglas4, but it doesn't offer a lot of control. The common curse of the motor-driven tail helis is that they don't provide control over the tail the way that the pitch-controlled, driven tail birds do, and control of the orientation of the heli is critical to aerobatics. I have a very finely tuned Blade CP Pro that I enjoy flying around, but it can't compare to either my MX450XS or my King v2; when I do a stationary flip with the King, if the tail flips out it's because of a problem, but with the Blade, it's just because that is how it flies. Fly the blade around for FF and upright maneuvers, then when you're ready to do aerobatics, get a helicopter that does them well. The tail-motor helis don't.

(in reply to douglas4)
       Post #: 8

RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 5/3/2007 4:09:08 AM   
CutAndRun


 

Posts: 7
Joined: 4/20/2007
From: LAKE SHERWOOD, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I've done several mods to my Axe CP, more in the interest of learning how it works and building my knowledge for a future helicopter than anything else. The best "mod", as many have stated, is lipo batteries. They're lighter, smaller, and last much longer. If you really want to fly this thing, you have to have them. The second best mod was the addition of a GY240 gyro. The 3-in-1 board that comes with the Axe is very basic and will cause you to spend a lot of time correcting the tail. Once I had the gyro in, I went ahead and went all "separates" by installing an ESC for the main motor and removing the 3-in-1. I have the hs55 servos but I have not installed them.

You might want to consider the carbon tail boom--the aluminum piece will bend on a hard landing. douglas4's suggestion of a carbon arrow shaft is great. I bought the Helimax piece. You should also keep several spare parts on hand, notably rotor blades and blade grips.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, you can save yourself a lot of grief and expense by investing in the RealFlight simulator. It sounds like a lot of money, but piling into the ground in the sim time after time will make you feel much better about the purchase.

(in reply to douglas4)
       Post #: 9

RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 5/3/2007 5:41:08 PM   
alienteabagger


 

Posts: 325
Joined: 2/28/2007
From: miami, FL, USA
Status: offline 		The best mod for the Axe or any heli for that matter is practice.
Anybody can plop down hundreds maybe thousands of dollars on a heli and still be the worse pilot ever!!

I have seen videos of Axe CPs doing aerobatics and for that matter I have seen numerous motorized tail helis doing all the same things that the pitch controlled tails do. Motorized tails may not have the same snap or quickness as a pitch controlled tail but they can and do all the same things.

Want proof?? Do a search on youtube for electric helicopters and I beleive on this forum there are videos from a flying competition featuring many motorized tail helis (micro and minis).

I have not dedicated much time on a sim yet. I fly my AxeCP in a very tight area (about 6 x 6 with furniture on 3 sides) and believe me it is not easy with so little room for error and the rotorwash bouncing off the furniture and making the heli jump and drift in random directions. But I can fly it in that small area! Every day I get little better at keeping it in one place under those conditions. The few times I have been able to go to a large indoor area, I have hovered to near perfection. Have I crashed my heli? Yup, Plenty of times. Have I had to spend money on parts? Yup. But my motivation is the money, crash less therefore spend less. Sims are great but nothing like the real thing. Do you think those guys who drive racecars spend time on a sim between races? NO! They get in a REAL car and drive it around on REAL tracks.

Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, even pros do it.

[/rant]


< Message edited by alienteabagger -- 5/3/2007 5:43:31 PM >

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RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 5/3/2007 6:26:45 PM   
PilotLight



Posts: 855
Joined: 8/15/2003
From: Benton Harbor, MI, USA
Status: offline 		The only thing I've done to mine was to open up the vent holes in the main motor heat sink so the fan inside could get some air, and to upgrade to ThunderPower 1320 Li-po's. It flies better than I can for now, so no sense in replacing parts until it runs low on performance.

Practice and have a plan. Radd's school of flight is helpful.

(in reply to alienteabagger)
       Post #: 11

RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 5/3/2007 7:20:10 PM   
s_mcflurry


 

Posts: 230
Joined: 4/13/2007
From: Santa Ana, CA, USA
Status: offline 		About the vent holes in the motors, I vaguely remember reading about someone doing this to their tail motor as well. Can you give me a link or possibly some quick steps for creating these vent holes in my main and tail motors?

(in reply to PilotLight)
       Post #: 12

RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 5/3/2007 8:05:49 PM   
PilotLight



Posts: 855
Joined: 8/15/2003
From: Benton Harbor, MI, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: s_mcflurry

About the vent holes in the motors, I vaguely remember reading about someone doing this to their tail motor as well. Can you give me a link or possibly some quick steps for creating these vent holes in my main and tail motors?



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(in reply to s_mcflurry)
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RE: Looking for AXE CP set-up tips - 5/3/2007 8:29:43 PM   
s_mcflurry


 

Posts: 230