AIR HOGS HELIX
08-08-2006, 09:11 PM
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AIR HOGS HELIX
Just went to toys r us and came home with two helix micro helecopters. Has anyone else got these? A bit hard to fly indoors as what it says,took it to a patch of lawn and was hovering a bit and trying to steer clear of tree's and shrubs that seem to get in the way. Lots of fun its 6 way directional
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08-08-2006, 10:03 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
here's another thread on it: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550730
i wouldnt be surprised if there's another here on RCU.
looks interesting if nothing else, i didnt read the thread much, so i dont know what its got inside it for a battery. if its got a lipo and the functions are proportional, it would certainly be worth the money (for conversions, if nothing else).
nick
i wouldnt be surprised if there's another here on RCU.
looks interesting if nothing else, i didnt read the thread much, so i dont know what its got inside it for a battery. if its got a lipo and the functions are proportional, it would certainly be worth the money (for conversions, if nothing else).
nick
08-09-2006, 09:04 AM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
I read the thread and they said it uses a lipo and only the left stick is proportional. And they said the motors to push it forwards are very sluggish.
08-11-2006, 12:34 AM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
They have a bunch here at the local toyrus but I,m gonna wait for the Picco Z which will be coming out soon at radioshack
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...tId=2431387&cp
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...tId=2431387&cp
08-15-2006, 05:22 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
i picked one of these up a few days ago. i've flown the BR helis, and the SpinBlade heli, and i gotta say that the Helix is my favorite so far. the BRs and SBs have pretty limited control, but have lots of stability. the helix is a pig at 53 grams, but its just as stable as the other two, but it also has a lot more control once its tinkered with a little bit. the two side motors with their tiny props actually work pretty well, i was able to get some interesting manuvers out of it while flying.
i didnt check the flight time, but its certainly long enough with its 300mah cell. speaking of which, after about 4 or 5 cycles through the cell, mine puffed up so i dunked it in salt water - i dont trust any lipo that doesnt look perfectly fine (and even then i'm still careful). so, i need a replacement cell, but otherwise its a fun thing to play with. it takes a little more room to fly, or at least more concentration to keep it going where you want it. the CG is set too far forward, so maintaining a hover is just about impossible, but after i removed 7+ grams and changed the CG location, its hovers nicely now. and, unlike the BR or SB helis, you certainly dont want your fingers near the blades on this one, they're thick and heavy and spin up very fast, and would probably hurt like hell if you caught one.
there is no left/right trim knob on the TX, rather, they took some lateral thinking and put a trim wheel on the top rotor. turn it clockwise and it tilts the rotors up, turn it counter clockwise and it tilts them down. it works pretty well actually, unique design. the RX looks big and bulky, but the way its set up would be perfect for a plane with a single motor and ailerons/elevons. the props on the 6x12mm thrust motors look very intersting as well, i'll probably take one off and put it on the thrust stand and see how much thrust they produce. might work well for other applications.
the drive train is nothing like i've ever seen in a heli, it looks more like something that came out of a RC car. certainly not efficient as possible, but it works. here's some pictures.
nick
i didnt check the flight time, but its certainly long enough with its 300mah cell. speaking of which, after about 4 or 5 cycles through the cell, mine puffed up so i dunked it in salt water - i dont trust any lipo that doesnt look perfectly fine (and even then i'm still careful). so, i need a replacement cell, but otherwise its a fun thing to play with. it takes a little more room to fly, or at least more concentration to keep it going where you want it. the CG is set too far forward, so maintaining a hover is just about impossible, but after i removed 7+ grams and changed the CG location, its hovers nicely now. and, unlike the BR or SB helis, you certainly dont want your fingers near the blades on this one, they're thick and heavy and spin up very fast, and would probably hurt like hell if you caught one.
there is no left/right trim knob on the TX, rather, they took some lateral thinking and put a trim wheel on the top rotor. turn it clockwise and it tilts the rotors up, turn it counter clockwise and it tilts them down. it works pretty well actually, unique design. the RX looks big and bulky, but the way its set up would be perfect for a plane with a single motor and ailerons/elevons. the props on the 6x12mm thrust motors look very intersting as well, i'll probably take one off and put it on the thrust stand and see how much thrust they produce. might work well for other applications.
the drive train is nothing like i've ever seen in a heli, it looks more like something that came out of a RC car. certainly not efficient as possible, but it works. here's some pictures.
nick
08-18-2006, 11:50 AM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
MB, Does it fly a lot better with the changes that you have made? Have you tried putting lights on it? I have some 3.7v 10,500mcd L.E.D's I wonder if they would work.I was thinking about removing the throttle spring also.
09-08-2006, 02:02 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
Hey, Micro Builder,
I purchased a Air Hogs Helix Pro a few weeks ago and I think it's a awesome. The Control is great and I caught on to the heli much faster than my Century HummingBird V4. By the end of the Night I was flying down Aisles through obstacle courses and random landing pads. I would recommend this Heli for all. My only Con is the Li-Po battery got swollen on me after probably 50+ flights. I took the Heli apart and examined it. I was able to get a very small charge on the battery and the heli does fly better without the body. It noticeably has more thrust for so little charge the battery will take. I re-balanced the chopper with a Ka-Bob Stick for a tail and some E-Tape. I have been looking for diff 1 Cell 3.7v Li-Po batteries on the net and found a few. I was going to Mod some Adapters on the Heli to make Inter-changable batteries a possibility. It seems simple enough. I have the DuraTraxx Ice Competition charger so I have no problem using any Li or Ni batteries. I wanna know if someone has already modded a new battery in?
I purchased a Air Hogs Helix Pro a few weeks ago and I think it's a awesome. The Control is great and I caught on to the heli much faster than my Century HummingBird V4. By the end of the Night I was flying down Aisles through obstacle courses and random landing pads. I would recommend this Heli for all. My only Con is the Li-Po battery got swollen on me after probably 50+ flights. I took the Heli apart and examined it. I was able to get a very small charge on the battery and the heli does fly better without the body. It noticeably has more thrust for so little charge the battery will take. I re-balanced the chopper with a Ka-Bob Stick for a tail and some E-Tape. I have been looking for diff 1 Cell 3.7v Li-Po batteries on the net and found a few. I was going to Mod some Adapters on the Heli to make Inter-changable batteries a possibility. It seems simple enough. I have the DuraTraxx Ice Competition charger so I have no problem using any Li or Ni batteries. I wanna know if someone has already modded a new battery in?
09-10-2006, 03:21 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
DJ,
the heli was certainly easier to get moving with all the weight removed, flight times improved as well since i didnt have to fly at a higher throttle position. it would get squirly easier, but worth it in the long run - if nothing else, removing the body helps that motor stay cooler. i didnt put any lights on it, as the lipo swelled after only 10 flights or so, its been grounded for a while now.
caman,
i havent swapped out the swollen lipo with a new one yet, but it wont be too hard. i'll be putting some connectors on the new cell as well, since it'll be going in other planes/helis. the stock cell is a 300mah, i didnt see a name on the cell, so its probably generic, which would explain why it went bad so quickly. any other name brand cell near the same capacity would probably fair much better.
nick
the heli was certainly easier to get moving with all the weight removed, flight times improved as well since i didnt have to fly at a higher throttle position. it would get squirly easier, but worth it in the long run - if nothing else, removing the body helps that motor stay cooler. i didnt put any lights on it, as the lipo swelled after only 10 flights or so, its been grounded for a while now.
caman,
i havent swapped out the swollen lipo with a new one yet, but it wont be too hard. i'll be putting some connectors on the new cell as well, since it'll be going in other planes/helis. the stock cell is a 300mah, i didnt see a name on the cell, so its probably generic, which would explain why it went bad so quickly. any other name brand cell near the same capacity would probably fair much better.
nick
09-18-2006, 07:04 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
If anyone's got a funked-up Helix, I'll take it off your hands for a few $. I've got some "proper" micro radio gear, and would like to try replacing the frame and thrust motors with lighter alternatives.
10-28-2006, 04:02 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
heat kills just about everything, including lipo cells. so its best to give it a 5-10 minute break between flying and charging. i dont think they went for the higher perfomance cells in the helix, which is possibly why the seem to go south so often.
nick
nick
10-28-2006, 06:00 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
Nick, do you know where I can buy these better Lipos? I bought and installed some in other helis from BatterySpace.com but I dont know how good they were.
John
John
11-19-2006, 06:11 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
I saw these online at ToysRus.com a couple of days ago and now they dont show up. Its gone. its not even at Walmart.com, Ill check other sites, thought someone could give some information of this great little helicopters taking off of major retailers sites.
11-19-2006, 06:24 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
there has been a safety recall on the Helix due to lipo problems. they either put in a cell that cant handle the amp draw, or they just put in really cheap cells, so they get hot, vent, and some flame up. if you go to here: http://spinmaster.com/recall/helix.html you can get ahold of them to get a replacement.
nick
nick
11-21-2006, 09:22 PM
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RE: AIR HOGS HELIX
can someone post a pic of the swollen Lipos? Also after taking it apart how are you guys sealing it back together? what are you using to keep the styrofoam back in place?
