Morning flyers!

Can one of ya post a picture of your helo with the super skids on it. I want to see how the battery holder is fixed on the skids.

Thanks.

I'll post one, but I won't get home tonight until about 9PM...

Wade, if you mean the battery holder that actually comes with the SuperSkids, it's just two rods that have large rubber bands that wrap under the battery. My heli is apart now for a rebuild but you can basically see what it looks like [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6855651]here[/link] (see the first photo).

It is also posssible to slide the stock battery holder brackets on the SuperSkids when you install them. However, if you think you might go to LiPo's then I woudl stick with the SuperSkids arrangement shown in the photo.

Bill

Bill,

You answered 2 questions for me. The other was the fuse mod. Yours looks great......nice and clean!
I`m going to stay with the stock batteries for awhile so your picture was most helpful.

Thanks.

No parts yet.............................[:@]

Maaan, I feel like I'm missin' out on all the fun (of breaking things...)on my heli. [:@]

Still waiting on my servo replacement & new (stock) battery! UPS says it should be here tomorrow though - We'll see about that, it's already been rescheduled once! I can't wait to get that bird back together and try to fly it...

quick question,
Got a crack developing on my rotor head. Is it best to get the stock rotor head or is there a rotor head form another heli that is stronger?
Thanks!

Wade, did you get ClearView sim running?

Nope.......................never have tried it.

Glad to help. The stock battery will work with the arrangement in the photo or you can mount the stock battery brackets as I mentioned.

Michael at USHobby came through [sm=lol.gif] and I received my two replacement mainframes (2 for 1!) today so I'm hoping to rebuild my Falcon tomorrow.

Bill

Hey All,
I need some insight. It seems my f40 has developed a wobble in hover- it isn't a vibration, more like a low frequency dolphin effect. i landed and did some low rpm checking and it appears my main gear has a wave to it when spinning...what could this be from? it seems to transfer up to my swash plate and all the way up to the core (my tesing was with blades removed to eliminate them as a balancing problem)...

could my main shaft be bent? Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6903156]Here's[/link] an alternate rotor core/rotor head setup from BPHobbies that you might want to consider. The rotor core is plastic but doesn't have the v-notch like the Falcon one so it looks like it "might" be sturdier. I have this assembly and am going to try it when I do my rebuild in the next day or so. It will obviously take a number of flights/crashes before I'll have an opinion on how it compares with the stock setup.

I'd also replace that rotor head......you wouldn't want to have a blade come flying off in flight. It happened to a guy on the Walkera #4 forum (don't remember if it actually hit him but I know that fortunately he was not injured).

Bill

Edited 1/26/2008 - Please note for the BPHobbies parts, in addition to buying the rotor core, rotor core ring, and rotor head (blade holder), you also need to buy the control links (the equivalent of the short tie bars on the F40). The ball links on the BP rotor head and square rotor ring are larger than on the F40 so the stock tie bars won't fit.

For all of you who have the "upgraded" rotor head plate (that came with my heli), the rotor head core's without the V notch won't work. The upgrade plate has a center spar that travels within the v notch...kinda goofy if you ask me. Upgrade one part just to weaken another...

as i read further, this is addressed in billmay's link

Yes, you need to buy all 3 parts. It remains to be seen whether the solid rotor core is better. Even if it is, it's possible that the "new" rotor head might not be as good as the stock. Of course, this whole discussion comes out of the fact that a LOT of people end up breaking a LOT of rotor cores so it seems like it would be worth a try. I'm still pretty good at crashing so I should be able to give you an opinion in a relatively short period of time. I also have plenty of the spare stock assemblies to go back to.

Bill

I suspect that you may have already answered your own question.... a bent main gear shaft. You could remove the gear with the shaft and roll it on a flat surface and you should be able to detect even a slight bend.

Another possibility might be a crack in your mainframe that is causing a gradual flexing. You might want to closely check the entire area below the servos and above the main gear.

Bill

hi all,

my first post here, but have been lurking here for a bit (maybe two months)


i started out on the CHEAP R/C heli stuff by playing around with the AIRHOGS (pico Z) helo's. after a few months of playing and modding with that, i figured i would step up to the next level. so i purchased the EXCEED FALCON 40. sure there are way cooler kits to get, with extra bells an whistles, and such but i figured..."why pay large amounts of money only to wreck it.i know i am going to" so i went teh economical route. and i LOVE IT!! with the falcon being same and/or nearly identical to over 10 different brands of helis offered, i knew parts would be quickly interchangeable, and within reach of local hobby shops that carries at least ONE of the "exact heli" brands.


i will say one thing about the heli, TAKE THE TIME TO WEIGH/BALANCE/ EVERYTING!! at first mine was kind of twitchy and i did the "simple" things like making sure the blades were even (by hand) and such. after a few weeks i decided that i was going to completely disassemble everything, weigh/balance/check every part. after a few slow days of taking my time, and building jigs for the operations... after assembly its is as vibration free (and predictable) as you can get it without any superskids, or any other weight/ rigidity inducing items. i LOVE IT. i have no need for "3D" flying for now, just smooth "real heli" like operation, and i got it...

anyways here is a few mods i have done, and current pics (the broken tail rotor has been fixed since the pics)

(NOTE: i do NOT know if this really helps RPM ..but seems like it should/could, and have NOT had ANY problems with it.)

the main gear was THICK and HEAVY.. so i got my dremel tool, and cut out 4 holes in the alum plate on the bottom, and i also swiss cheesed the "spokes" from the center hub. they are really thick, and wide. so i essentially made 1 spoke, into 2 thin ones by carving out the center of the spokes. (pics are old, i have sanded and deburred all material since then, these fotos were right after i did the initial carving.) teh main gear is still very tough, and inflexible! plus it is aproximately 30 percent lighter. since this is a FP heli, rotor speed is directly proportional to the lift. (had this been a CP heli, i would be afraid of over revving the motor, with little blade bite, (possibly burning it up. )

(NOTE: copper wiring visible was one of the home made heat sinks i was trying out.. my way wasnt great and has since been removed)



since a heavier item spinning is harder to move than a lighter item, you have greater forces to react against. i do not know if stress has been relieved from the motor, or not.*due to gearing and torque)but it seems like it is running longer, IT MAY be a placebo effect. i will have to compare it to a stock FALCON 40 in person and flight times.




and just for kicks here is a simple light made i made by taking apart a 3 light LED "cap light" that clips to the brim of a baseball cap. (a stocking stuffer gift from christmas)

i tore the case apart, drilled 2 small holes in the heli body, set in the "chrome" lamp shades (which are reversable. coned out, they create a flood light, with the cone pointing inwards, it creates spotlight, i went with spotlight) then i cut a small hole for the canopy switch. after that i tapped the battery assembly into the body. i little added weight to the front, but not much!









anyways, just felt like sharing... sorry for jibjabbing too much :P but she fly AWESOME, and i WOULD recommend the FALCON 40 to anyone else getting into the R/C heli world. remember, i dont plan on going to a larger heli for quite some time.

I think it's fantastic! Any material you don't have to lift is that much work the heli doesn't have to do.

Welcome!

Wow, nice job! I'm looking forward to seeing how well everything holds up.

(forgive mispellings, i had some dental work, pain killers and cant think properly :P)

it flies great! with very little shake, i dont necessarily think its because of my modding. i REALLY think its because i balanced EVERYTHING out. items that were heavier or lighter compared to a matching part was either material removed, or tiny bits of weight added. (for main blades i didnt remove material, only added very fine tape to balance) the two SHORT tiebars even have molding where they flare out in the center, just a bit, so yup...they too had holesd drilled in the center. *pics in a bit*


the weights in the flybar were crossdrilled originally, but it felt like it was even more twitchy...??? (again maybe just my imagination!) so new undrilled ones have taken thier place for now. i think some wieght for stability is sometimes a good thing, i do not know aerodynamics/flight in real environment. some things are meant to be heavy probably. maybe its something i can get used too with time. but for now the stock weights are back one.

do NOT fly your heli with a LIPO battery pack WITHOUT HEATSINKS! i forgot to put mine back on after taking them off for some possible weight reduction, and FSSSSZAP. blown the 4 in one. local hobby shop should have it in stock. so hopefully only a few hours/day of down time. lucky me i am staying home due to desntist, so i dont need to wait too long for shops to open :P


something else. i know they make metal cores for the rotor head, i just havent ordered it yet. but i have noticed that if many of you are snapping the rotor head core, maybe you should use the training kit. (hopefully those breaking the cores dont have the kit) since i have had my trainers on, it has prevented the blades to dig into the carpet if i make a mistake when landing. just my two cents.

Without the flybar weights or having them drilled out will result in a twitchier helicopter - the flybar responds faster to servo input, transferring that motion to the blades faster.

Do you have any info on this metal rotor core? It appears there were a bunch on eBay awhile ago, but haven't seen any recent links lately...

Here is me with about 4 weeks of flight practice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVG6zgAp5W4

lol @ that cat broggy.....


Anyone with the superskids and stock battery have trouble getting the canopy on with the battery installed? I think I'm going to have to trim some canopy away to get it to fit right.

Good morning all:
To lubricate the moving parts I use Sewing Machine oil. Bought it at Wal-Mart in the sewing department. I also use an Insulin needle to put it spairingly where I want it (I am diabetic so that is how I get the needles). I oil all bearing type points. It dose make a difference as to the flybar and swash plate. DO NOT oil the blade attachment points as you want some friction there. Also be VERY careful when oiling anythin on the rotor head area. Too much oil there will allow centirfical force to pull the oil onto the blade mount points.

Have a great day.
Ron

Morning Mighty Mace:
To get the canopy to fit after the SuperSkids are installed you have to move the mounting holes towared the rear of the canopy about 1/2 inch. See the last page of your SuperSkid installation manual. I did this to my canopy and it fits great. Also the bottom mount points will no longer work, so I use a thin piece of elastic thread from the lower landing gear holes in the canopy around the back of the front SuperSkids mount to hold the canopy from lifting in a hard landing (OK a crash).
This protects the canopy from bouncing up into the blades when you bounce the chopper on landing.
Have a Great Day
Ron

Morning Flyers!


A few threads back we were talking about teflon lube. I was in a auto parts store yesterday and picked up a can of Tri-flow with teflon. Stuff is as slick as snot. That maybe TMI!!


GAU8
Nice Job!!! Looks Great. I like the lights