sheerider1026

thats funny because i have waaay more time on a ccpm than a fp. the only fp i have flown is the syma 9083 2 channel. so i hope the falcon should be a walk in the park for a while.. i hate to jump the gun or talk big, but i have a lot of stick time with the axe cp. it just got to where the tail had a mind of its own all the time.. could have finally wore out the motor or the 4 n 1 maybe?? oh well. i also got the brushless kit for the hbk2 along with a hh gyro. si it should be a lot easier than the axe to fly being that is also belt drive.

billmay

My Feedback: (1)

It will be interesting to get your candid opinions on the Falcon vs. the other helis you have flown. Please tell it like it is!

Bill

Wade2660

Hey Guys
I have a back to basics question. My Falcon has developed a bad habit. When I start to fly it wants to bank to the left rather rapidly. I have looked everthing over and rebalanced everthing.
The swash plate is as level as it can be and all batteries are good.I cant seem to trim this left bank out of it. My last filght I brought it up about 2 feet and it banked hard to the left and nose dived into the ground.
Nothing broke so I checked it over and tried it again. Same thing banked to the left and hit the ground. I then tore it down and found nothing bent or broken. I put it all back togather and had the same results.
Inspecting it I cant see anything wrong with it.

Any ideas???[:@]

Thanks.

GAU-8

a couple of ideas here on the banking. (i just went thru this before my 4in1's went kaput. i mention each of these because every single thing i mention here was going on all at the same time! it was horrible :P

- check your flybar, to see if it slightly loose in the rotor "ring" where it can pivot on its own without ANY input. (loose set/grub screws)

- did you happen to have the JS-55 servos on the heli? check to see the switch on the backside didnt get itself RE-reversed. (normal setting with stock servos)

- are the servos actually centered with the power ON? if they are centered with power on, are the flybar paddles completely level? turn blades 90 degrees, and recheck. another 90, recheck. do a full 360 of 90 degree intervals. after a few turns usually i found one of the blades was slightly on a different angle other than zero, while the opposite was at ZERO degrees. (paddle blades not fully tightened down, or loose part of loose set screws in rotor ring as above)

.possible ..just possible is it that the servo wires are in opposite plugs by accident..? only item i can think of that hasnt happened to me yet.

Wade2660

Hello GAU-8

I checked everything you have listed and yes I`m running the JS-55 servos. They are working correct and the dip switches are set as 1 on 2 on 3 off 4 on. From what I have read the other 4 dont matter.
I did find that the drive gear on the bottom of the drive shaft was loose. The grub screw had backed out but didnt back out enough to cause the gear to spin. With it being loose the main blades had a good 2 inches of play in them.
I applied a dap of lock tight to the grub screw and tighten it back up. Kinda strange because I have never messed with the gear or the grub screw. Going to have to add that to my pre-flight checks. I also found that the bearing on the bottom of the swash plate looked like it was starting to come apart and it was not spinning real smooth. I put a new one on it.
The play in the blades is now gone and everthing is nice and tight. I didnt test fly it to see if that fixed the issue but I will Monday afternoon as soon as I get home.

LOL.............The flybar paddels??? Oh yea they are a bit finicky to mess with. I dont know how many times I thought had them set just to find out that I didnt.

Thanks for the imput I`ll let ya know if it is fixed.

Thanks.

dknovick

To add to GAU's excellent ideas, is there any glitching with the servos when you turn the TX and and then the RX and then walk away with TX in hand?

Loose servo arm?

dknovick

Anyone know where to get a replacement antenna for the Falcon TX? Mine is a little bent...

-Dave

Disney1

Morning Wade:
I know that this mey be a redundant question. But did you check the rotor head core for cracks? I had a similar problem with my Falcon, only it would go straight FAST. Turned out to be cracks in the rotor head core below the bearings. I only found this with the head assy disasembeled and I pinched the core togeather.
Have a Great Day
Ron

broggyr

Good idea. On this note, maybe stripped servo gears...

GAU-8

oh yes! that was the last item i forgot! the servo gears!

thank you brog! i knew i was forgetting something! like DK said, see if the servo teeth on the gear or the arm are stripping. on that note, you have to use the arm that came with the new servos , and not the arm that came with the old servos, onto the new servos. there is a little play, and the teeth arent stripping per se, but loose enough that they arent going to grip well. that WILL drive you nuts because EVERYTHING will look fine/ operate fine, yet flying will do exactly as you stated. drove me CRAZY....until i swapped the correct servo arms on.

kudos to DK! (OH YEAH.. check P.M.s [8D])






EDIT:::: NEW FIND! (for me!) DARTHS MICRO BODY WEBSITE! PLUS PAINTING/MOLDING TIPS!!!!

http://darthdrk.4t.com/photo3.html

HE SHOOTS HE SCORES!!!! i love scale micros

broggyr

Those body kits look mighty fine. Too bad I don't have the flight skills to use a nice-looking body like one of those...

billmay

My Feedback: (1)

Dave, I replaced mine but it wasn't easy![] Radio Shack sells a "Replacement Hobby RC Antenna" but the threaded hole on the bottom is smaller than the threaded stud on the TX (you might know that Walkera/Exceed would use something different). Anyway, you need to drill it with a 3.3mm bit, then thread it using an M4 (4mm) X 0.7 pitch tap. Finally, the outer diameter of the antenna is just slightly larger than stock so you have to ream out the opening in the top of TX slightly (I used a small diameter Dremel bit...you need to be careful not to damage the threaded stud in the process). Anyway, not sure if this is worth it to you but it did work and the new antenna seems sturdier than stock. It also has slightly shorter sections so it collapses to a slightly smaller length. I could post a photo if you like.

Since I already have the drill and tap, I could do it for you and all you would need to do is ream out the antenna opening on the case. PM me if you're interested.

On a separate issue since you're one of the electronics guys, if I wanted to pick up a spare main motor diode, what would you look for/ask for if you went into Radio Shack (I assume they might have them).

Bill

Wade2660

Morning All,

Just to let you all know the servos are fine with no glitches, no stripped gears and the rotor head is also new. I went through 3 rotor heads this weekend and have 5 on order now.....LOL.
When I tore it down last night I replaced the rotor head and swash plate. I dont know if replacing those along with tighting that main gear grub screw fixed it. I`ll test fly it this afternoon when I get home. I did notice that it even shoots off to left with blazing speed when I am just driving it on the floor. The main shaft is not bent either.
This just started. The bird has been flying great.

What had happend.. I was getting ready to take off and I noticed the rotors baldes were vibrating I throttled down and bent over to check the blades. I use a neck cord to hold my radio. Well when I bent over the throttle stick mashed against my chest and full power was applied to the helo and it flopped over doing the dead chicken dance. I shut it down as fast as I could reach the throttle. After that I have had the bank to the left thing going on.
Nothing is bent or broken and everthing that I thought would cause it has been repalced. Rotor Head, new blades and new swash plate.

Could the gyro be acting up in the 4in1? Just thinking out loud.



Dave,
I have a spare one if you need it. but I think Radio Shack has them or one that will work................Just let me know and I`ll send it to ya.

Thanks guys!!

The_Seeker

My Feedback: (1)

Hi Guys,

I'm a complete noob to the world of RC. I've been reading through this thread on the falcon 40 and excited about getting into the hobby. I've seen many suggestions on simulators mostly for RealFlight but I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with the E Sky simulator they offer on this site and if so what did you think of it? Is it worth picking up for a complete noob to RC Heli's? Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can offer.

T_S

Wade2660

Oh My!!

I want the MD 500E body. Nice!.............Like you I`m not yet ready for one........LOL

broggyr

Seeker:

This may be just the thing to get you oriented before you buy your first heli. The entire kit ("Transmitter" controller and software) runs about $20-30 or so, and gives you a basic idea of how the main functions are controlled. Keep in mind that the sim is not like the real thing when it comes to actual performance, but will help you learn orientation and flight control - what each stick does, and how different headings can affect your perception of how the inputs have to be made.

broggyr

The only thing that really concerns me from a fitment point-of-view is that most of these bodies are shown on CP helis, and they likely have the longer tail booms. You might have to find a way to modify the heli (longer tail boom? 12" Super Boom?) or body so the OEM tail rotor still is operable...

billmay

My Feedback: (1)

The additional nice thing about it is that the "transmitter" also works perfectly with the ClearView Simulator so if you want to upgrade to a better simulator without spending a fortune you can do it for another $40.

Bill

The_Seeker

My Feedback: (1)

Guys thanks for the quick replies. I went ahead and ordered the simulator. Still haven't ordered the heli yet. Being totally new I want to get some sim time in before taking on the real thing. It'll at least give me a foundation, I'm kinda nervous about wrecking my Heli when i do order so I have no problem going with the simulator until I'm a little more comfortable with how you control these things. I know the Falcon 40 is considered a trainer and most of the parts are easily replaceable if damaged but I really want to minimize the costs for replacement parts , even on a trainer. Oh and any other advice you guys can offer a new guy will be well received.

thanks again

T_S

Wade2660

Yep I read somewhere on this form that the Hughes 500d body would fit the falcon. but I`m not perpard to spend the 30.00 bucks to find out. I need parts more then I need a nice looking body...LOL

I also have always like the look of the of the bubble canopy on the 300 hughes and that one would be alot easer to fix on the frame of the falcon with no need to worrie about the tail boom. After I stop crashing as often............maybe then.

broggyr

I have to say I'm quite the opposite. My first heli was the Syma 9093 2-ch heli, and what a piece of crap. It had a Hughes 300 body, and whenever I see one, just makes me think "cheap piece o' crap" - even though that may be the farthest from the truth.

Wade2660

The_Seeker
I have always been told that crashing is part of the learning curve and you are right the parts for the falcon are pretty cheap. Now days it seems the shipping is what is getting expensive. I will tell you this. The days I feel the most confident with flying my falcon are the days that I crash the most. I guess I get to feeling so good about it that I try stuff that I should not be doing yet. Dont be in no hurry with the process, take your time and one morning you will wake up and...........just get it. I still dot get it but I know I will.
Dont forget about RADDS school of flight. A very intresting place.

http://www.dream-models.com/eco/flying-index.html


Good Luck.

dknovick

Why doesn't this surprise me...

Bill, you're the Evel Knievel of Falcon 40 helicopters. Just like Evel, is there anything you haven't broken/replaced?


I just may take you up on that!

Wade2660: Thanks very much, but based on your luck, maybe you should keep it




The diode on the motors is labeled 1N5819, it's a Schottky diode 40V 1A. Anything in that range should work. If you can't find 'em, let me know, I have a bunch

Wade2660

LOL. I know I nearly bought a cheapo 2 channel hughes 300 but decided on the falcon. I`m glade I didnt buy it. I watched a bunch of videos on You Tube and all it would do is spin.

There are a few crop dusters out here that fly real 300`s and they are work horses.

You are too funny....

billmay

My Feedback: (1)

Nope. I've busted just about everything!! Know this heli pretty well except for the electronics part.

Thanks for the info on the diode. I'll take a look at RS when I'm getting you your antenna!!

Bill