AeroRecon

Hey guys,
Similarly, my first flight was at night in my office and I too bumped a wall and sheared off a screw. I emaild DFI about it and asked for a few extra screws and told of the problem. Their sugggestion was to use a very small screwdriver and heat the tip with a flame just enough into melt the nylon. Then press it hot into the nub, let it cool for a few seconds and back it out. Like cutting a new slot. I guess a heated xActo blade tip would work well that way too. Just not too hot and to NOT touch anything else. Might melt the plastic threads. I have also had luck just sort of pushing it in reverse and it backs out.

Now I am saving my money for a Predator. That looks amazing. The plane looks great but what makes it really interesting is the GPS autopilot being offered with it.

Allen

AeroRecon

Also just wanted to stress this...if you ever have ANY question about ANYTHING related to your Draganflyer, send an email to DFI or call them. They have been VERY helpful and responsive to any question or issue I have had. Great bunch of guys. And for a real thrill, call and ask for the inventor; Zenon Dragan. He is a contagiously enthusiastic person to talk to.

Allen

durf786

I considered heating a jeweler's screwdriver to melt a slot in the nylon. However,
I don't remember much of what I learned in chemistry (it was quite a few years
ago) and could not be sure that the vapors released by melting nylon are safe.
If they are safe, it's a good option.

Captain Pugwash

Durf you will have more chance of harming yourself walking down the street were there are car engines spewing out poisnous gasses, i wouldnt worry about little nylon screws!!!

Today a third brass cog failed on my DF luckily i was only about 3 feet off the ground when it did so no damage, it slipped down the motor shaft just like the other 2 so i guess im just waiting for the 4'th one to fail now then ive got a complete set!!![:@]

fixed it back like the other 2 with Loctite 641 bearing retainer and its on solid now ,, Has any body else had a brass cog do this on thier DF's or is it only little me in the UK that has had this problem???

NIKE.... How you get on with the Gyro problem did you ring DFI? Let me know how you get on !!!

Laters H

durf786

Captain, I wouldn't be so cavalier about the possibility of toxic fumes. Teflon, for example, gives off dangerous fumes at 285 degrees. And, in fact, nylon gives off toxic fumes when it burns - its melting temperature is 428 degrees. Probably the risk of carcinogenic or other negative effects is small, but I prefer to play it safe when possible. As you mentioned, there are plenty of hazards that we can't avoid.

I suspect that your problem with slipping motor gears occurred during your early training days. If I recall correctly, you had long sessions using a power cord. It is possible that high motor temperatures affected whatever is used to bind the gears to the shafts.

Ciao for niao,
Durf

Captain Pugwash

I see you have been swatting up on your chemistry then Durf my friend!! well done!! But seriously! a tiny bit of vapour or fumes of a tiny little nylon screw aint gonna do you no harm wotsoever.. I work in a Large printing company and we have a substance we use for cleaning our rubber press blankets its called M.E.K (methyl ethyl ketone) the whole factory stinks of the stuff and its HIGHLY toxic if breathed directly from the tin!! In 16 years of working there i havent yet seen one person drop dead or die a slow lingering death from years of breathing it!! So Believe me i wouldnt worry one bit!!!

nike25

Hey Captain,
Sorry to hear about your continuing "cog" problem. So far, mine are all intact. However, as you know, mine hasn`t left the ground much and when it does, it ends up upside down! Yes, I called DF this morning and talked to Zenon. I told him about your experience versus mine with the gyros and he agreed that there must be a problem with the circuit board. He was originally going to send me a replacement but didn`t have one available with the correct frequency. He said they currently have back orders for over 150 DraganFlyers! He provided me with the address for a company called Spectrolutions, in Brooklyn Heights, Minnesota that does repairs for these circuit boards. He assured me they are quick and I should be "hovering" in about 4 days. Once again, Thanks for your help in pinning down my problem.
Happy Flying!
Nike

AeroRecon

Nike,
Mike at Spectrolutions is very prompt and helpful. He has my DF now. They seem like a good bunch and it sounds like they work very closely with the folks at DFI.

Captain,
I would have to agree with Nike. I bet your problems stem from the long running times. It was recommended to me not to fly for more that 15-20 minutes at a time even if using the tether for that reason. Slipping cogs was not given as the result but I could see how that could happen...and it obviously does.

I knew after talking with Zenon back in November that there would be a mad rush for new DFs once the TV shows came out about them. And the Predator was on one of the Cable shows the other day so I guess I need to get my order in for that too!!

Allen

Captain Pugwash

Thats great nike hope they sort it straight away for you coz believe me you NEED to be up and flying ASAP, Ive not had this much fun in years appart from when i got my first Jet Ski ( Now that was FUN)... [8D]

Just as an afterthought Nike , who is gonna pay for the P+P for you to send it to spectrolutions??, after all its not your fault you got a defective board! I thought i read somewhere that ALL the boards are "Pre Tested And Pre Flown By An Expert!! " !!! Hmmm, i wonder!!

Laters My Friend and im glad i could be of assistance!!

LoL im just imagining you trying to control that DF without proper gyro help !!! that must of been a sight to see!!!! Anyways on the + side of things i bet you will be a goddam expert by the time you get it back up flying !!! your reactions will be like lightning!!!

AeroRecon

I am curious how others are keeping orientation on the DF once it does get up and away. Once I lose sight of the top/bottom of the front rotor, I get edgy. I thought of tying a flourescent ribbon like 4 or 5 inches long near the front rotor. I would think the down draft would keep it from ever getting to the blades but would really help identifying orientation. Anyone have thoughts on this topic??
I am hoping that my Eyetop glasses will assist in the orientation however I have not been able to fly with them yet.

Captain Pugwash

Aero .. i have come up with wot i think is proberbly the best solution for orientation! [&:]

First off go to the local Motor Factors store and get a tin of illuminous orange spray paint! Then Lightly spray the underside and the top (if you wish) of the front rotor blade. I say Lightly because you should give it a couple of light coats over a period of about 1/2 hour or just enough so its truley visible. Then go to your local stationary store and get some illuminous orange self adhesive paper or vinyl,either will do,, Cut the paper/vinyl long enough to cover the front carbon rod and wide enough so it just wraps round the front carbon tube (i.e. a strip ). carefully cover the front carbon rod with your flourecent self adhesive strip and there you go !!! An instantly recognisable "FRONT END" of your DF from below your waistline to way above the houses!!!

I would send some pics of mine but i aint got a digi camera (yet) and my computer is slower than a Mexican Village and would proberbly take 3 months to upload it!! [X(]

Draganfly4u

Hmmm ribbon would get caught. Say like you go down real fast. Just never know. So i guess the DF is kinda hard to see if you are very high up.Understandble. Be neat to see it go a mile high. Have anyone went this high? Can you go up steady? I would like to fly over an airport. So small there never know it's there=) They say the blades are foam? They look more like hard plastic to me. AeroRecon you have the li-ploy battery? Predator dose look like a nice plane with 1.5 hour of flight time. Oh yea that GPS system cost $6000!! I would get the x-pro for that. If you do get the Predator let me know how it is. The other good thing about this plane you can get an ac/dc charger with it. The draganfly iv don't come with a ac/dc charger dose it? If not what is the best to get? you are not that far from me AeroRecon. Fredericksburg and norfolk is kinda near. well happy r/c flying!!!!

AeroRecon

What are you guys using to transport your DF around? For Christmas, I got my wife a wreath case. Clamshell in design (with latch) and round in shape except for the hinge edge which is flat. I cut foam to fit the shape and a hole in the middle for the DF base. Two long strips that go over two struts each and when I close the lid it is held firm. Works great and total cost was $10.
--Allen

fjrcrazed

test

baggins

does anyone know if u can buy a rx for the tx that comes with the dragon fly? mine came with a zhen hua pcm 4ch? i was wanting to use it in a plane with a micro rx is there 1 that can work with it?HELP

Bluefangs

Aero,
Good suggestion with the heated screwdriver. What I ended up doing because I didn't want to wait to go to the hardware store for the drill bits, was to use a #11 sugical blade and heated it. It worked great. The #11 blade comes to a very sharp point but still needed the heat to penetrate the nylon nub. Still haven't hovered, but having a great time anyway.

AeroRecon

Hey Blue,
Do you have the RealFlight sim yet? An indispensible tool for learning to fly the DF or any chopper or plane. And great fun too! Really has built up my confidence when I DO get to fly my DF. I know, I know...it's very expensive but then so is the DF and that is my justification. Seriously consider getting the RF G2 Sim. Worth every penny.
-Allen

CanadaKen

My Feedback: (1)

Again, when trying to hover, I found that taking it to just under half throttle will have it at about 2-3 feet off the groung with much less ground swirls and more real control.
I concentrate on nothing but trying to keep the nose (front yellow blade) forwards at all times. Just try and keep it straight and give it very small nudges to get it back to center and you should start to get a good feel for it.
Works great for me and I got full control in no-time.

Just keepin' this string alive to hit 100 here...

AeroRecon

When I flew R/C planes years ago I always gripped the sticks instead of using thumb control. I experimented on RealFlight and found I had MUCH more control using thumb tip control. Sure surprised me!!

And I agree on the directional control while learning, Everything I do is facing away from me. Always aware of rudder movemnt. That was the hardest part coming from planes.

-Alllen

Captain Pugwash

Nearly there.... The Magic 100 mark!!!!!

Bluefangs

Aero,

Yeah, I went out and bought the G2 a couple weeks before I ordered the DF. I have about 4 hours on the G2 trying to get that trainer helicopter to hover. I can fly it around and land it with no problems, but can't hover in one place more than a second or two. It seems the small electric helicopter is easier to fly than the gas trainer. Anyway, I only have about a half hour on my DF due to the demands of work....and a sheared off nylong screw or two. I'm looking forward to my first real hover instead of skidding it around the floor chasing dust bunnies.....

AeroRecon

Blue,

You will be amazed how much the G2 helps. I flew 4 different choppers on it last night trying different things out. If you are planning on doing video stuff with your DF, on the G2 set up a new view window and then click it and hit F5. This sets the view out the front window. Then fly around and see if you can stay focused on your target in that window. Fun stuff!

The screw shear-off is the first thing I did too! Clipped a wall in my office 5 minutes into my first flight. But it was fun.

--Allen

CanadaKen

My Feedback: (1)

Ordered 2 sets of blades from Spectrolutions a week ago last tuesday. They sent it rush airmail that day and it's not here as yet.
I guess our "The Great White North" has less frequent air service to these remote parts of the globe?
I haven't flown in weeks cause the nice empty space I cleared in my basement got filled up again real fast by my loving wife.
Can't wait till spring. The snow here in Toronto has finally melted away with 55 degree plus temps, so I can take it outside real soon.

Almost there....#97 and counting...

Captain Pugwash

Ive noticed on several occasions now that when i go to FFF into the wind (and sometimes downwind) that the front rotor blade starts "clipping" the front carbon rod very slightly , i can hear it start to clip the rod and notice my DF start to wobble because of this.
Has any one else had this happen to them?

ive worked out, this is because the rotors are so flexible that as i go into FFF the force of the air pushing down on the front rotor is causing it to "catch" the rod.. So far its not really caused me any problems but im worried that one day it might catch the rod so hard that it may break the blade!!!!

I wonder if Zenon knows about this hmmmm!

Im sure its not just mine that has this problem , all you chaps that are proficiantly flying their DF's like me must have seen or heard this!!!
[]

Bluefangs

Captain,

I'm a real newbie to RC flying and this forum so what is FFF? I've seen it in other posts and can't figure it out.

Thanks.