ArrowNaugtic,

My apologize, me being from Gary Indiana, it's sometimes hard to keep track of who's in jail and who's not... Last time I was in jail, I was visting my Mom.

Man o' live, you've made some great progress already, I'm impressed... Pictures are great, need to get some closer shots or macro shots for more details.. I love the details and pictures.. Keep us posted on the progress with the Trex..

Just a personal question, how many beers did it take you to get this far?

I can rebuild a Blade CP/Pro, from ground up in about 4 or 5 beers, can you beat that?

Great progress, just go slow and make sure everything is on the money,

Dave / Choppersrule

Hey choppers your from Gary? Your avatar says Greenwood. Just wondering cause i'm from Terre Haute but forced to stay here in Texas till August. I'm looking at new jobs around Indy. But again that won't be till August.

Oracus

Oracus,
I was born and raised in a Gary ghetto, lived there from 1946 to 1978, moved to Greenwood on a job transfer with the telephone company,. I worked in Indy for about 18 years with them, Greenwood is 12 miles south of Indy . I retired from the phone company in 1996. Now working, just to keep busy and keep in touch with people. Plus, gives me the extra heli money.. Nice thing about being retired is that you can work when you want or not.. In the last 10 years, I've taken about 3 years off, but love to work.

Been to Terre Haute a bunch of times, and Texas too... Indy's a great city, population about 1 million. Folks kinda layed back.

If you need any information about Indy or the surrounding towns, just PM me.

Dave / Choppersrule
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Hi guys, sorry for my absence. Been busy lately.

Arrow: The T-rex buil looks awesome, maybe after several beers I can convince my wife I need one (the beer is for her of course!)

Dave/Choppers: I read EVERYTHING you write, you are both insightful AND humorous, I like that!

Crashcrash: How have the glitches been? Was that you holding the sign in the picture a few pages back??!!

Lookyj: Hello. are you there?

Barrick: DITTO to the lookyj question.

wick: Ok, I forgot what you are up to!

I've developed a minor problem I can't diagnose. Whenever I land my CP now, as the blades spin down, the tail motor stops before the main rotor and the CP does a 360 on its skids all on its own! It's really pretty impressive. I've been trying to think of a "cool" name for it and say I invented a new manouver! I'm thinking I may have a tail motor going but don't know for sure.

I have to say I'm getting impatient with the weather here in PA. I can't get outside because of wind & I'm getting bored just hovering inside. I NEED FF and soon!

Jim

First guess...tail motor. Mine did the same thing. Now I got a bad main motor. Got a main and tail on order.

Hey guys...

Got a couple of boxes in the mail today. My order from BP Hobbies came - 3 sets of blades, 2 9 tooth motors, 3 tail motors, verticle fins, tail rotor drive gear and some bearings.

Here is a deal - these bearings are on close out for $1 and are the same as Eflite's tail shaft bearings (I ordered a set and they are the same):

[link]http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=W850843[/link]

Too bad they are not the bigger size for blade grips and main shaft but I will keep my eyes open.

Got two 11.1 volt 800 mah batteries from Common Sense RC - one is on the charger as we speak - seems to work great Arrow thanks...

Got several packages of feathering shaft / spindle shims, a couple of canopy mount hardware kits and a package of Align Trex velcro straps for my Blade's batteries from Hobby Zone.

I know I ordered two complete frame assemblies and another yellow canopy - havn't seen them yet.

Chopper I changed crystals on my Blade, twisted the motor wires and low and behold, I flew a whole pack with no glitches! Not sure if it was the twisted wires, crystals or just a good pack I was using but much better than it had been.

Most figured Arrow, Rich or Crash for being in jail - I had all my money on Wnuk! Even if I win I doubt he'll fess up to it.

Wnuk,

Certainly understand the busy thing, we've all had our share of that.. I too, read EVERYTHING I write(yuk-yuk)..
"Land and Spin" comes to mind with your problem. Weather bad, here in Indianapolis/Greenwood it snowed on Easter Day.. Bummer.
Indy is in "Tornado Alley", we have 5 to 10 a year....Some Really bad, some not, can't beat Mother Nature.

NOW TO BUSINESS:

Crashcrash has a good first guess, tail motor bad..The motors on the Blade, both main and tail are inexpensive and I guess we can't expect them to last forever for 10 bucks or less. One however, the same problem can be caused by a defective tail gear, that meaning a tooth(or more) has been chipped/burred or got deformed in a tail blade strike and gets stuck. Under power it's okay, as power goes down, ooops, I'm stuck.. Check the tail gear first, then go for the tail motor.. Always, have a few spare main and tail motors. Saturday, I ordered about 100 bucks of spare parts and need parts, from four different websites, to get me back in the air.

BPHOBBIES has some great prices on motors, tail booms, and other stuff that fits on the blades... Motors for 6 1/2 bucks..
Here's the link: http://www.bphobbies.com/view.asp?id=V019752

Dave / Choppersrule
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wick: You weren't the Corrections Officer I bribed with Twinkines to help me get out, were you?

Crash & Choppers, Thanks for the opinions. I am going to pick up a new tail motor on Wednesday. The more I think about it, the more that makes sene. On occasion, my tail motor will start spinning up AFTER the main, that has to tell me the motor/gear is binding somehow. It's funny how a problem can be staring you down yet you over look it somehow. That's what makes this thread and ALL of you so great!

Wnuk,

Glad to help out, let us know how it goes with the new motor.

Dave / Choppersrule
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I got tail motors down. Symtoms are:

1. The tail wont hold no matter what you do with the gain/pot.
2. The tail motor wont hold to changes in the main motor speed changes.
3. Tail motor gets "noisy", and/or speed of the tail motor will flux up and down even when hovering steady in one spot.
4. when you land, the tail will kick hard to one side.
5. heli spins like a top (motor really shot).

also check out http://www.heli-fever.com/index.php?cPath=7 for motors
main motors for $6.25 and tail motors for $4.38

I bought a bunch of them, and all I've done is burned them in. They look basically the same though. The only diff I can see is the esky pinions are a bit thicker down at the root of the spline, shouldn't make much difference though. I can post pics of the difference if someone wants it.

I agree with everyone else, I like the humor of this forum and just the good time everyone has, and all the nutty comments that are made =)

That's a good price on motors mrasmm...

Finally got to hover with lipo technology. First hover was pretty scary - all over the place. Less weight, higher head speed and not sure what else but I was a drunk moose on an ice rink. Got the gain turned down and made a proportional adjustment and the second hover was much better.

Photos of you guy's builds are fantastic......many compliments extended. I've found that things complex and mechanical make great desk ornaments and conversation starters.
I'm a mechanical engineer and for the last few years I've had a HO gauge BigBoy loco and a 6" high trebuchet sittin' on my desk and Pro has kept them company a few times lately. Can't get any parkin' lot time 'cos we're on a main street but I gotta scope out a place out back.
Worked a bit on the tight links on the mH head last eve.....the 3mm ball end driver seems to be working 'cos I got one end of one near acceptable.
Anyone had experience with the ball links from helihobby or are we just looking at the same animal dispersed over more than one supplier...?

LMAO dave...........too funny.
Took some more pics of my progress, will post them here for choppers, camera setting on macro, hope that helps a lil bud.
I am also posting in the TREX thread about this build and guess who I found in there? Thats right my fellow Eflite followers......Barrick!! Was glad to see him poking around in there.......You too wick! If I get lost for a day or 2, send bail money and check out that other thread.........heh


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Of all the things I ever lost........................................I miss my mind the most!

Great pic's Arrow! I guess when I grow up, I'll have to get a T-Rex. Looks like an awful lot of parts to break if you "crash" it. Note for Dave...I priced the brushless setup (all the stuff needed to effect the transition). About $200! Can't handle that being out of work right now...I'll keep burning up carbon brushed motors for a while. Next Monday, I have to escort the 5YO Gdaughter to school for a few hours. They said to "bring in a talent thing to demonstrate". Let me see....can I have the GYM for about 20 minutes? I'll have the wife check on that for me. That'll make the day worth it even more and little blondie will have something to get puffed up about. I live in an area where the only R/C you will see is "monster trucks" and "snowmobile's".

That sounds awesome crash! Wonder how many of the kidlets will go home and beg for a helicopter after watching ya fly yers Ya might have to send home flyers with heli pricing and personal build and setup instruction! heh.............


Of all the things I ever lost......................................... I miss my mind the most!

Might want to change your name on the flyers though. Crashcrash, Inc. helicopter fabrication and instruction might not generate many sales.

Can you imagine the warranty work involved??? You know every one of them is going to wrap it up into a ball of parts. [&o]

Remember guys...these are 5 year old's. I live in the FARM belt of central Michigan. Most of these kids will have a higher education than their parents at this point of the game. I think "CRASHCRASH INC." is very approprate.

I just come off a VERY nice flight with the "L-2". A little breezy, but overall very nice weather. Wind kicked it around a little up there but it all come back to me in a hurry how to fly in windy conditions (you fly with the throttle and trims). I didn't install the landing gears so I had to belly her in. Just a smear of mud from where it slid a few feet. I had to land...the battery quit. Had an outstanding flare with a gentle touchdown.[8D]

BTW choppersrule.............. At that point in the build I was only on beer 1........... 3 is my limit before I get overzealous and whiney. Well, truth be told, I only had 3 beers in the fridge......heh
Crash............... When you going to go incorporated? I want stock in that company! Ball of parts and super educated 5 yr olds........... perfect combo to rake in a pile o money......heh!


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Of all the things I ever lost.......................................... I miss my mind the most!

I've already had serveral top investor firms inquire (LOL).

Keep careful track of beers Arrow. If you build most of it on a 3 beer average, then try and fly it sober or on 5 or more beers it just won't make any sense and will be almost impossible to fly.

Crashcrash,
You pretty much hit all the nails on this one... With a new motor and the proportinal set up correctly and the gryo set up correctly, it should really never change, unless you have a bad crash and fry the controller.... Another, prime indication of bad tail motor is full right rudder, and you still can't get it to go where you want.

Dave / Choppersrule
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So i fiddeled with my tail motor today. If I pull on the pinion, the whole shaft pulls out about an 1/8" and the goes back in, almost like it's spring loaded. Funny thing is my tail is now behaving as it should upon landing. I still plan to pick up a new one tomorrow.

I did my 1st indoor pioruettes today, boy was that scary! I only have 8' left to right to fly in the basement and when doing a colckwise pioruette, the heli also likes to slide to the right. I can just stop and catch it before hitting the cabinets! Ok, so I did hit them once but these plasti blades (thanks crashcrash for turning me on to them!) are like the energiser bunny, they keep on ticking! I really need some outdoor stick time, I am even doing side in hovers in that narrow spot.

Arrow: I plan on following your T-Rex build, just to keep track of how many cases of beer it takes you to complete it!

Yeah...the bad part is that some of the symtoms occur gradually worsening. Multi-symtoms occur...drives me nuts beacuse combine two or more, the harder it is to pin it down. I think I got mains down toooooooo!

1. hipity hops (but could be servo too).
2. altitude fluxes in a hover by a foot or more.
3. full current draw indication early in the flight (like the first minuet or two).
4. head speed down for no apparent reason causing unstable hover.
5. unexplained increase in rotor speed that happens intermittently.