chris6414

My Feedback: (10)

I clipped 2cm off my tips and with the stock packs fresh, she climbs pretty quick and I can hover with about 2/3 throttle. Punch it from a hover and she climbs out pretty quick. I usually get about 2 minutes of that performance with a fresh pack. I also got 1 or 2 minutes of extra time. I can't wait to try my 11.1 LiPo.

tomcatguy74

My Feedback: (4)

Dang! I fractured my tail boom in a nasty crash[:@][:'(][:@]!!!!
What are you guy's doing to replace tail booms? Stock or upgrades?

Rob

tomcatguy74

My Feedback: (4)

Hey, does anyone know if there is an addon to FMS that lets you fly indoors? Like an indoor scenery?

Schwede

tomcatguy74,

[link=http://www.rc-sim.de/dl_engine_eng/index.php?subcat=54&PHPSESSID=b85a60b9f73d99ad84685c099465b869]Here[/link] is a link that has an indoor scenery (Rainbow Stadium). You might have to create a profile to download the file..

Gunnar

chris6414

My Feedback: (10)

Heli-hobby has replacements. Aluminum tube would work if it was light enough and right diameter.

oops

You can buy carbon fibre rod by the metre for a few dollars.

Just cut to size.

The most difficult part (not hard) is to get the wires through it.

David

tomcatguy74

My Feedback: (4)

Which would be stronger, CF or Aluminum. Or shall I say MORE RESISTANT to rookie pilots in training like myself??

Where can I get them?

chris6414

My Feedback: (10)

I chose an Aluminum control rod for my new flybar because I kept having rotor strikes when practicing indoors and it just bends right back. The CF rod I had shattered and was usable but I had to clip the end off and slide the rod to center again befor I put the paddle back on. Not as much control and I wacked it again and went to the Aluminum rod. Aluminum tube could be had a plumbing store or Lowes/HomeDepot but I don't know how you would attach it to the tail unless you dremelled slots and clamped it. Unless you really bent it to a kink it would be very durable and give on impact. Watch the thickness as it will effect weight and balance. The Aluminum may be a little heavier but you could probably shorten the tail boom a little to compensate with no harm to control just watch the tail rotor arc that it doesn't cross the main rotor arc.

tomcatguy74

My Feedback: (4)

How is the stock tail boom held on? Glue? I could probably find an alternative to the cf with aluminum. i am sure there is a inner and outer diameter i could use on the tail. i just have to find it

NOZZARCHELI

HI, i have a DF4 and 36, i have recently been having problems wth the power of my DF4ch, i have a new nimh battery and i have even installed a new motor and it has no effect......i have installed heatsinks all round and balanced blades, im taking off and the heli doesn't have enough power to get much higher than about 1ft.................... im guessing it may be the receiver/speed controller.....or not......if anybody knows what could be wrong...PLEASE HELP......i wonna fly this thing again.......even though i have an upgraded 36 that works...............this little thing rocks!!

ANY HELP WILL BE MUCH APPRECIATED !!

Thanks,

MATT.

chris6414

My Feedback: (10)

I've clipped by tips down 2Cm and the thing jumps off the ground now. I was having the same problem. I would also try and take some pitch out of the mains. If the head speed sounds high then you might need to give the blades a twist to add some pitch to them. I had two sets of blades and they both had drastically different lift charactersitics. I even went as far as looking at the blades from the side with and making sure the trailing edges were even to ensure the trailing edge didn't have warps and curves in them that effect lift or lack of lift.

GTX SlotCar

I just got a used #4 and have a couple questions. I've skimmed through this thread, but it's getting kind of long and I can't find the answers. I could sure use some help.

1. One blade has been repaired. It broke pretty near the mounting hole and I'm wondering how well the CA will hold. The repair seems quite strong, but ....

2. The blades are really out of balance, I think. I screwed them together with one of their mounting screws and balanced it at the screw head on the tip of a pen. The repaired blade is quite a bit lighter. It took a 1/2" wide piece of cellophane tape the entire length of the blade to balance it. Is this normal and is this the right way to balance the blades?

3. I throttled it up and it shook quite a bit (before I balanced the blades). The flybar paddles look to be flat. The blades were quite loose when I did this. Should I tighten the blades? Should they just be parallel to each other (looking from the top) or should they have some kind of angle (leading or trailing tips)?

4. To level the flybar, I have to use full right trim. Is there a way to center this electronically? How about manually?

5. My transmitter is backwards, throttle on the right. Is it possible for me to open it up and change this? I'm just getting used to the BladeRunner controls and have a new DF #36 coming and I'd like them to all be the same. I can handle a right hand drive car, but this is a little different.

6. Since I'm going to replace the blades, should I just stick with the stock ones, or should I get something else (less breakable)? I know that other heli blades fit this #4 because there's a lot of mention about it in lot's of forums, but nobody seems to say which ones. And finally, I only got a car type (Great Planes) peak charger with this. Is there some other cheap, indoor charger I can get? I don't want to put a lot into this heli because I've got a $36 coming in a couple days. I'll just stare at the 36, though, until I can fly this a bit.

chris6414

My Feedback: (10)

I would just get a pair of stock blades. They are about the toughest you can get for the #4. The key to remember is when your getting in trouble kill the throttle and keep the rotors as level as you can get them. This lowers the force that the blades inpact. I've hit mine 2 dozen times and still using the same set. Still learning[&:] As for the flybar, I would turn on the radio and helo and make sure the flybar and swashplate are level to each other with trims centered. You can loosen the servo arms and move them to achieve this. As for trimming make sure you are out of the ground effect(3-6ft off the ground) otherwise you will not be able to trim it.

thecheatscalc

just a question, does the wire need to be IN the tail boom? I'd think you could just use a wooden dowel for a tail boom and tape to hold the wire in place. remember pics are good.

triton5150

can someone tell me where i can get parts for my dragonfly. i love my little heli and want it to fly again. thanks adam

GTX SlotCar

OK, stock blades it will be. The swashplate and flybar look level to each other.
I managed to change the transmitter to left hand throttle. It wasn't that hard to do but I had to swap one side of each gimbal to get the springs right.
I balanced the blades by putting a stripe of electical tape near the end of the ligher blade. When I throttled up, it was smooth. As the skids got light, it wanted to tip right, but I understand that skidding left or tipping right is normal for these.

On the transmitter DIP switches, should 1,2,3 & 4 be ON, or should 2 be OFF?

I didn't get the flybar level, though. It's not all the way to one side, but a couple clicks from it. At rest, it's level. But, when I throttle up, it tilts right. I tried moving the servo arm down one notch, but then I needed to set the trim a couple clicks from the other side. What I need is notch between the two, so I'm out of luck there. I could bend the rod a little, though, and that would do it. It's short, so I don't think it would put too much stress on it. I can trim it as it is, but like I said, it's a couple clicks from the end. I also remembered that I might not need and indoor charger because I've got a #36 coming in a couple days and I may be able to use the charger that comes with that.

I'd like to try hovering tomorrow, but really shoud make sure the DIP switches are set correctly.

lost872

Good to see so much interest in the #4, Have been out of the air the last few weeks and it's really starting to get to me (been trying other parts to get it going but no luck), so I got me one of these Swallow Advanced Chargers pretty cool little charger.
But it just comes with two brass butterfly pings for connecting the charger to the batt, no wires or plugs.

Thinking of just cutting the plug off me stock charger and soldering that onto them but just thought I would ask first to see if there is another way.

someone has to have one

triton5150 you can get parts for here: http://www.hobbyjapan2000.com/index.html

lost872

oops

Yep, just cut off the stock charger cable and solder it onto some banana plugs...

The swallow will tell you how much charge your battery is taking, which should show about 600 to 670 from flat (ground effect only).

David

GTX SlotCar

I think I figured out the DIP switches. I had read on a dragonfly 4 faq page that switches 1, 3, 4 should be ON and the rest OFF. I guess my transmitter is a little different. I'm assuming the switches just reverse the direction of the sticks for each channel, so mine are set as: 2,3,4 ON and the rest OFF. 1 is my tail rotor and it's OFF so that right input turns the nose right (clockwise) and left turns it counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise for the mates). Also on the right stick, forward tilts the spinning blades towards the front of the heli and back tilts them to the tail. On the left stick, throttle is forward and back, left tilts the spinning blades to the left (as seen from the tail) and right tilts them to the right. If this isn't right, I wish someone would tell me. (my transmitter came with right stick throttle, but I changed it)
I did manage to hover it in my warehouse for about 5 seconds, until it drifted near some stuff and I landed it. I put the training gear on and hovered it again, but it started rocking like a pendulum on a string.
How tight should the blades be? Is it something you have to play around with to see what feels good (and shakes least)?

lost872

Thanks oops

and by ground effect what do you mean?

lost872

chris6414

My Feedback: (10)

Trial and error is about right. I have mine snugged just enough so when it spools up it straightens the blades out. You can get them tighter by removeing the nuts in the holders and sanding down the edge that the screw goes in. This shortens the distance and allows you tighten the blades tighter. If they can't spin themselves straight it will shake quite a bit. [8D]

cardgabe

Well, hovering for me has become easier and easier... my problem is that once I'm in forward flight, its hard to bring it back to a hover. I slow it down and then i just start overcompensating I think. Last night it ended in a violent impact with the ground and broke my main body near where the tail boom goes into it.

My question is, what websites are the best for ordering parts from? Are there any in the U.S. that will take less shipping time than some of it's Japan/China counterparts? I've ordered parts from Hobby-estore.com before and it took like 10 days or so to receive my parts. I recently ordered a new set of main blades from helihobby.com but those have not come in yet, I only ordered them a few days ago. I've also looked at parts on hobbyjapan2000.com and wondered how they were on shipping? Any help would be appreciated. My main concern is shipping time.

For now, I am either grounded for a while, or I will try to repair the main body with some JB weld or something. Also, in order to fix this problem I need to disconnect my tail motor and wiring. What is the best way for removing all this? Should I take the plug off the wires and pull them out? Or should I somehow disconnect them from the tail motor itself? Thanks for putting up with my questions haha. Hopefully I'll find some input soon!

cptsnoopy

I tried cutting off the tips of the main blades a couple of cm's. no joy! I tried using the stock walkera blades and now it flys great again. the problem i have been running into is that the replacement blades that are included with the sale or purchased online are heavier and have less pitch than stock. I would guess then you have to increase the pinion size on your motor to use them. but it is just as clear that some people are having the opposite problem. their blades are making too much lift/drag and need to be cut down or flattened out (decrease pitch) to get the best lift out of the motor. so, if it is possible try increasing the pitch first by adding more curve, if that makes it worse then try flattening them out or cutting the tips. the only way i know of to get the original walkera blades is to buy another #4 heli. they do seem to work the best though... some folks have upgraded to like-90 blades and i have heard nothing but good things about them.

tjh1255

cardgabe
I have had the same problem with parts and the shipping. As far as the removal of the tail boom goes, if you look at the back side of the connector for the tailmotor (the side the wires go in) you will see two metal contacts. You can use a small pin to depress the tab that holds them into the plastic connector, this way you can pull the wires through the hole without any cutting or resoldering. Be careful though and label the plastic connector to make sure + is on the + side and - on the - side when you put it back together.

chris6414

My Feedback: (10)

I would just unsolder them at the tail motor. The boom is glued in and may prove to difficult to remove. I went flying with my new 11.1 LiPo at lunch today and it smoked the input resistor in the receiver but still flies. I flew it around in 7-10MPH winds[X(]Not fun but I needed to see if the thing would still work and it is still going.[&:] I can hover it at 1/3 throttle and if I go over 1/2 it takes off like a rocket and twists from the rapid torque so much that the tail can't respond fast enough. #4 on Nitrous![>:] I will most likely upgrade to the larger tail rotor but if your kind on the throttle it flies the same. It will pull out of a rapid descent like noones buisiness now which is what I was looking for. I just hope the electronincs hold up to the added juice. I haven't dared venture into the 3/4 throttle and above yet. I'll do a couple power pulls in a decent to see how she does.