misato70

anyone have some pics of how they ran the wiring? I dont want to run them wrong and have one rub through or something.
Also, I have the raptor 30 v2 and 401 (i think) and also got the DX7. are the servo's that come with the dx7 ok to use? when I mount them they dont sit in the center, they are a tad bit short. Do I just center them and split the difference?
The instruction on the servo mounting are lacking a bit I think. At least if you've never done it before.. do you use the rubber mounts? one manual says to use them the other doesnt.
It took me awhile to figure out where the #@% batt connection goes into the reciever. stupid once you see where it goes but I dont want to say how much time I spent on that!!!!!

I've flown the micros and the axe so I know I'm in for some learning.. and crashing.. I have a nitro Xfactor2 so I'm familiar with r/c in general but this is way more complex than that or even the plane I had way back in the day.. pitch curves throttle curves, idle up.. wth????
its only been a few days but man I want to at least hear the thing run!! I know, I'm not rushing it and want to do it right the first time.
thanks for any tips/pics/help.
tim

Neriyah

http://www.raptortechnique.com/manua...-v2/index.html
Everything you need to build, setup and tune it
And I would highly recommend reading through the entire site. The best Raptor info in the universe imo.

misato70

I'll check it out.. I also ordered some of those setup dvd's that I found on this site..

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Rays DVD's are good but if they conflict with Raptor Technique, I'd go with Raptor Technique.

As for the servos you use the mounting plates and screws that should come with the kit and only the rubber grommets that come with the servos, dont use the brass collets. When you install them make sure they are snug but dont crush the grommets to the point that you arent getting any vibration isolation from the rubber.

misato70

I put the rubber mounts on and that makes the servos line up fine..

I think I have the radio setup now and everything pluged into the reciever right. now I need to fasten the wires and make the links on the servos. I'd still like to see a pic of someones raptor with the canopy off.

thanks for the help so far.. I might be able to finish it tonite and try and start it.

perfectstorm2440

Try looking under raptors on ebay alot of people selling them show pics with the canopy off might give u some ideas

WhtBronco

Since you're new to glow helis, make sure you hold the main rotor head firmly when you start it. That way if you get a hot start, high throttle setting, the heli won't hurt you or anything else.

I don’t have any pics of my heli with the canopy off, but there have been several threads on this in the past. Do a search you should find some. Anyway all I did was route all the wires to the side of the heli that I had the Rx ports on and then use plastic wire tires to bundle them ensuring the wires remained away from the servo arms and pushrods. The Raptor 30/50 have gyro lead laces on the sides of the frame halves so they are not an issue they just get included in the bundle towards the front of the heli.

misato70

thanks for the help.. I did find some pics on that raptor website, I setup the reciever different than pictured but I dont think that matters too much. I'll get some pics of what I have so far.

I was wondering about holding the head. So if it was wide open throttle and you started it, youd be able to hold it from moving?
also, do you just pinch the fuel line to kill it? I know on my truck I can just hold my finger over the exhaust and it works great to stop the motor.

WhtBronco

Yes you are strong enough to keep the head from rotating ti will force the clutch to spin. The clutch will burn up if it spins like for long though. Yes just pinch the fuel line. I have fuel line clamps on my R50 and have used them in situations like that. They work great.

I can't easily plug the muffler like that since it's on the opposite side from where I start the heli and with a flexible exhaust diverter it it's even harder.

To prevent a hot start on my heli I always start the engine in throttle hold. I still hold the head tightly, besides the head is about the easiest place to hold the heli for starting, IMO.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

We had a hot start Saturday, I was standing right there so by the time the guy figured out what happend and started looking for the idle up switch I had pinched the exhuast diverter and killed the engine. Turns out his neck strap flipped idle up, we had a little chat about using throttle hold to start and carry. He didnt even hurt the clutch.

Just dont let go of the head, once it gets wound up its hard to stop!

misato70

ok.. so I fired it up. I was suprised how quite it is..
first, some of the controls didn't feel right, I had the gyro in the wrong plug. fixed that, then only the throttle moved, and not the pitch along with it. fixed that. Then I notice the pitch was backwards and I had to revese the servo, I had to do that on 3 of them I think. ok so it looks ok, but by that time the battery died on the heli. that didnt seem to last long? maybe it gets better with more charges on it. I'll try again tonite. No one had training gear so I zip tied some paint stir sticks on it. seem to work ok. I'll try again now that I think I have everything right.

so one question, the metal thing on the main rotor, I think its the swash plate? when that moves forward/back/left/right, does that corespond to the direction of travel? meaing if its tilted all the way forward will it also move forward, etc?

I also have to check the idle up switch, it doesnt do anything. I thought it was supposed to hold it at a high throttle level.
man I wanted to go up, up and away!!!!! but I know it has to be right before I can do that..

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Get yourself some help before you hurt yourself or an innocent bystander.

Carefully following Raptor Technique will get you the information you seek, having someone help you out will either save you money, your shins or both.

misato70

I'm not going to just try and fly it before its right.. I'm going over that site again, I followed it the first time but still had some things wrong.
I've just started it up at low idle and watched how the blades move with the controls. btw, I didnt just flip the idle up switch with it running, it was off. I know how dangerous these things are.
I've been able to show some restraint thats for sure...

misato70

I re-read the whole servo setup on his page. It sounds like I have it right, I just wanted to see a vid of the servos moving along with the transmitter, just to make sure type of deal.. cant be too careful with these things.

I've also got the g3.5 and have several hours into that. I think that really helps, as long as the physics are at least somewhat close to how its going to fly. Although it doesnt have the raptor so I'll have to buy the expansion pak.

WhtBronco

Don't worry about flying a Raptor on the sim. It won't be just like yours anyway. Just pick a heli and fly it, you'll learn how the controls work and how to react on any of them. I prefer the X-Cell Fury.

I know there are other heli pilots near you and I suggest you contact them for some assistance with the first few flights. Please don't be offended by this, but you had some serious mistakes there that carefully following the Tx manual, the heli manual and Raptor Technique should have prevented. My Raptor 50 sat for several weeks, never even started it, 'til I could get a couple local guys to check it out for me. Turns out the pitch curve was a bit off and that's it. However, they spent an hour looking it over very carefully and then flew it and checked it again before handing me the Tx and said have fun.

misato70

yeah, your right. I think I did start it 2-3 days too soon. but I had to hear it run.. I just barley spun it up to watch how the blades move, I was not going to try and fly it.

so last night after double and tripple checking it with the raptor tech site, I fired it up and got it off the ground a bit. I used some paint sticks and zip ties (dont laugh) for training gear because no one had them is stock around here. After a tank of just barely getting it off the ground I refueled and went up. It hovers nice! it seems a little easier than the sim, I stayed about 1-2 feet off the ground. NO CRASHING!
I'm hooked. I'll post some pics in a bit.

HeliTB

misato70...If you go the download page of Realflight, you can get there from the startup screen, and download the Raptor 30. I edited the Raptor so it would fly like mines (servo speeds, weight, pitch, blade type, engine type, gyro). I find that it's pretty darn accurate, especially since I have governor as well.

I would highly recommend it. If you fly something on the sim that's perfectly trimmed and has more power than your actual heli, you will get used to the extra power, thus when you fly yours it will take some unlearning since the characteristics will be vastly different.

Just my 12 cents worth.

misato70

I'll check that out. -thanks

misato70

so I mounted the reciever before I saw other pics.. should I redo it and turn it around??

any other issues that anyone sees?

HeliTB

How can you be sure your Aileron controls (Servo in the pitch arm) will be equal since the servo horn doesn't seem symmetrical? Maybe it is, it's hard to tell from the picture.

misato70

I thought they were wacko too. its what they came with (DX7) but I put a ruler on it and its straight. I think its the curves on the sides that make it look out of line..

HeliTB

Okay...Just trying to help you out.

BTW: The picture of hovering is great. Point of interest don't trim the helicopter with the canopy off. You'd be suprised how much that throws off the balance.

WhtBronco

I doubt anyone will laugh at the paint sticks. They did laugh at me for doing loops and rolls before I took the training gear off. It made me feel to have it there so I left it for a few flight. Helis can be nerve racking at first so fly how you are comfortable. If you still want training gear go get some 3/8" hardwood dowels from a hardware store and zip tie them to the skids in an X pattern. Then you can mount wiffle balls or a hul-a-hoop to them if you so choose.

I agree the real thing is a bit easier to fly than the sim, but also a bit more stessful at first.

Make sure that servo lead cannot get hooked on the tail rotor servo horn. I ran all my wires on the other side of the servo tray tied into 1 bundle.

PutU2Sleep

My Feedback: (3)

On your last pic, it looks like your fuel line isn't pushed all the way up on the nipple, could just be the pic. But it would SUCK for that thing to come off mid-flight. One other thing with the fuel line and maybe you've done it and its just not visible in the pic but get yourself a 3-way fuel filter and use the horizontal connector for fueling so you don't have to keep pulling your fuel line on and off your engine, and put a fuel line clamp between the filter and engine so you don't flood the engine when you fill up. And for your aileron servo horn, you are right the holes themselves are symmetrical it's just the angle of the plastic, I had the same horn on my aileron. But I agree with HeliTB just to look at them they look off, I measured mine about 10 times to make sure I wasn't crazy and falling victim to an optical illusion. Oh and if you feel the need for better training gear, the dowel and wiffle ball idea on raptor techinque works really well, that's the set up I used, just make sure you get the softball size wiffle balls.

Hey Bronco that's funny, I did my first loop and figure 8 with my training gear on too!! Funny how I was scared to death to take them off, thought I would immeadiately crash...but of course I didn't, that was 2 weeks later.......TITAN, HERE I COME!!

misato70

so after seeing how others wired their heli's, mine looks like crap. I think I'm going to redo it.

I like that 3 way fuel idea, I'll have to check it out. as for the clamp, is that something they sell or just a paper clamp or something? I'll ask at the lhs.

your right on the canopy, just last nite I put it on for the first time and flew and thought wth? I had to trim it out again. I couldnt figure out why.

one other thing after a few hovers last nite it died. I started it back up and it idles fine but as soon as I go to lift off it starts to bog down and then just die, almost like its out of fuel. I was going to check the lines and blow air threw it. I didnt have time last nite to trouble shoot.
what temp should the engine be at? right after it died I check it and it was 202. seems low. my r/c truck gets to ~240. am I too rich? well, I guess its suposed to be for a few more tanks tho.

thanks for all the help!!