Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped?  
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All Forums >> RC Helicopters >> Electric RC Helis >> Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped?
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Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped? - 4/5/2003 1:43:00 PM   
rotortiller



Posts: 28
Joined: 3/24/2003
From: Boulder Creek, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I just got my heli today and set it up. I also switched from mode
1 to 2 and stuff. But I have a problem the rotor hub is de-formed.

The rotor Hub has a slant defect in it which causes
one rotor blade tip to hang 1 inch lower than the other
even if I remove the rotor and position it 180 degrees
around it still slants to the same side. It is not a blade adjustment.

I can see it wobble with the main rotor head removed when you
spin the main shaft. The main shaft is not bent, just the Hub.
It seems to have a mold defect. Or maybe when they melted
the bearings on they warped it.

For a humingbird (like the feda) it is part CNE004
For the FEDA mini-Dragonfly it is part number 5017 rotor head
This comes with bearings but I just need the rotor hub.


Has anyone else had this problem?

Any quick fix for it like boiling it and it will pop back into shape or something?

Or do I have to shell out another $12.95 for a 2 cent piece of plastic?


Thanks for any help

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       Post #: 1

a piture of the problem - 4/6/2003 3:35:48 AM   
rotortiller



Posts: 28
Joined: 3/24/2003
From: Boulder Creek, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Here is a picture of the deformed rotor head.
The top slants down to the right making the
rotor blades track in different planes. And it
is very unbalanced.

Do I just replace it or is there a better fix?

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(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 2

Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped? - 4/6/2003 9:25:48 AM   
Thrustline



Posts: 82
Joined: 1/7/2002
From: Cedar Hill, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Haven't seen that one, I think you will probably have to get another, the plastic is abit too solid for boiling. I had to smooth the rocking out on one with a piece of heat-shrink on the shaft to make it run smooth.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 3

Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped? - 4/6/2003 10:26:37 AM   
CliveHenryJones



Posts: 9
Joined: 3/11/2003
From: Pontypridd, Wales, UK
Status: offline 		Rotortiller,
As it is new, can't you get it replaced under warranty?

Clive.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 4

Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped? - 4/6/2003 10:37:43 AM   
Thrustline



Posts: 82
Joined: 1/7/2002
From: Cedar Hill, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Yes, you can, but they will have you pay for the shipping, I haven't returned anything, but have heard others have and complained about shipping cost for the return/exchanges.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 5

Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped? - 4/6/2003 10:50:12 AM   
CliveHenryJones



Posts: 9
Joined: 3/11/2003
From: Pontypridd, Wales, UK
Status: offline 		Ah, another reason to support your local Hobby Shop

I can talk....I imported my FEDA from Singapore

I have since found out that there is an importer in the UK importing HB's .......

No damage to mine though - apart from the self inflicted kind! Very happy with my Heli - you'll find that it is almost indestructable - it has to be, with me at the controls!
Good luck!

Clive.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 6

rotor hub / head - 4/6/2003 10:50:31 AM   
rotortiller



Posts: 28
Joined: 3/24/2003
From: Boulder Creek, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I have contacted the seller (from ebay)
he sold 4 of these. He is out of Chicago and I am
west coast so I do not know what he will do about it.

Theoreticaly he is not responsible as warantee is with
the manufacture out of China or Hong Kong or somewhere.

I can go down the street and get one for 12.95 at
Century. I just do not think I should have to pay for it
but that will be much quicker.

Assuming I get a new one how smooth should I expect
this heli to be or is there always some bad vibration
at various speeds?

It is so bad now it shakes violently and the electronics
get wierded out to the point that you have to unplug the
battery to stop it. Total loss of radio control.

Hoping all that goes away with a new rotor head and some
balancing and counter weight tape etc.

Thanks for your input.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 7

Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped? - 4/6/2003 11:07:08 AM   
Thrustline



Posts: 82
Joined: 1/7/2002
From: Cedar Hill, TX, USA
Status: offline 		They are very smooth if you have the paddles and blades balanced, easy to do, with the motor slide back , first check the paddles with the mains off. lay it on its side with some books are something make it parralel to the floor(the paddles) and see if it moves one side or the other. If it moves you can add a small piece of tracking tape to the lighter one until it satys put...or lightly trim the excess flash being sure not to alter the shape until it balances. Then add the mains and do the same.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 8

Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped? - 4/6/2003 11:07:56 AM   
CliveHenryJones



Posts: 9
Joined: 3/11/2003
From: Pontypridd, Wales, UK
Status: offline 		I'm not sure what the situation is in the US, but over here, if a vendor sells you something that is not up to the job that is is supposedly designed for, you are protected under the consumer act, and can claim your money back or get a replacement.

This doesn't apply to a private sale, but as you say that the vendor had four for sale - does this make him a trader?

As you state, it might be better to "bite the bullet" and shell out the cash on a replacement from Century.It'll certainly get you the air quicker!

Clive.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 9

Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped? - 4/6/2003 11:19:15 AM   
Thrustline



Posts: 82
Joined: 1/7/2002
From: Cedar Hill, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Yea, I'm not sure, All take the chance on E-Bay sellers, it is the Sellers best interest to stand behind what they sell though, the word gets out , they don't back their sells, can hurt future ones, and you will see the statement "as is" to keep the return or support from happening. I don't know the legalities as you say "consumer act" which we do have, and the new one, which is very strong here is Internet fraud, the law goes after them hard now especially if it is $100 US or more it is a Federal offense.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 10

Got the part but now have other problems - 4/8/2003 9:42:30 AM   
rotortiller



Posts: 28
Joined: 3/24/2003
From: Boulder Creek, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Good and Bad/worse news!!

I got the part I needed from Century in Milpitas,CA.
They are helpful and nice to deal with.

I put it all back together, trimmed it and tried flying. It flew for about 2 minutes fairly smoothly since replacing the part and adjusting the tention on the rotor blades. That was all the good news!

And then it lost radio signal or it was jammed for some reason. This was luckily at just under hover speed. It had fully charged batteries everywhere.

I put my foot on the training gear and then I grabbed it and held it until the battery wore out so I could take the cover off without catching the blades and un-clip the battery. Kind of scary!

I brought it back in the house and put on a fresh battery and it still would not get signal. I disconnected and reconnected the battery a few times and then it started working for a few seconds and then glitched and the blades spun even though the stick was down and servos twitched a couple times.

It is kind of off and on, very unreliable radio or electronics. Must be something with a bad connection somewhere. It did this once before as well. I do not know if it is the radio, the Gyro or the
mixers.

This is a FEDA min-dragonfly with
GWS PG-03
FEDA mixer (I guess)
Zhen HUA PCM_4CH trans
??? receiver


Last time when it would not respond to the radio, I pulled the plug for the gyro out and the servos started working.

Also this time when flying when it failed the gyro light went from green to red for a moment. What does that mean?


From one problem to the next.
I wish it would just work so I could fly it.


Does anyone have any experience with these parts and do you have an idea as to what it might be?

Are the mixers or receiver just too cheap to function properly?

Time to buy better electronics?

Attached are the electronics pics.

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(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 11

Hummingbird/FEDA mini Dragonfly, rotor head warped? - 4/8/2003 10:14:32 AM   
Thrustline



Posts: 82
Joined: 1/7/2002
From: Cedar Hill, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. The electronics are fine, what isn't in the whole bunch is the servos, the quit and cause alot of problems. They short inside and cause the positive to touch the signal wires, they are only held together with tape. First, replace them with Hitecs or other micro servos, the only thing is the plugs are tiny on the existing servos and reciever, just cut and splice, or if you don't want to, then you have to replace the receiver to keep from altering the new servos, I did the solder job, the receiver is a nice weight and size. But of course you, If you decide to replace the receiver let me know and I will be happy to buy it from you. I ahd one short out on the second or third flight that did what you are experiencing.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 12

more info - 4/8/2003 10:36:28 AM   
rotortiller



Posts: 28
Joined: 3/24/2003
From: Boulder Creek, CA, USA
Status: offline 		The radio does not seem to work.

When I connect the battery the servos go to
idle position, non responsive to TX and then in 3 seconds
the pitch one goes full back and stays there.

It does this every tme. What does that mean?

Playing some more ....
Hmmmmm, now disconnecting the gyro does not help.

Playing some more ....
Now it is working, now it is not.
Something loose somewhere.

I think something on the mixer is loose. I pushed on the bottom left and everything started working again.

If I have it all loose and tap the mixer or receiver it seems OK.


Playing some more ....
Now I just tapped the mixer and everything glitched and the
rotors started spinning fast when it is stick down.

This thing is dangerous! Every connection is sodered to the mixer so I can not disconnect the main rotor.

I am still not sure if it is the FEDA mixer ( it is feda, on the back it
has the typical green FEDA with light etc. and says FEDA MODEL MIXER & SPEED CONTROLLER) or the RX or the gyro.

But it seems like it is either the mixer or the RX.


I will play more tommorow, when I can get more hands
to help hold this thing.

Anyone have ideas on how to diagnos this?


Thanks.

(in reply to rotortiller)
       Post #: 13

servos - 4/8/2003 10:50:34 AM   
rotortiller



Posts: 28
Joined: 3/24/2003
From: Boulder Creek, CA, USA
Status: of