Yesterday I broke the tail rotor on my Axe CP. I ordered a replacement, but then I noticed that the tail rotor on my eSky Honey Bee FP looks similar. I tried it on the Axe and it works great. It looks like the tail gear is the same size too. So, if you have an FP you already have some spare parts for the Axe.

I am parting with my beloved Axe to support my need for bigger toys. It's a good one with no problems, and has a Titanium main shaft. Anyone interested?
[link=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300098951078]Axe CP w/Ti mainshaft[/link]

I hope this is not breaking the forum rules.

There are two chargers in that pic, one Quick Field Charger MKII, and one Electrifly/GP PolyCharge. The batteries are two TP1320's, with their associated TP205 balancers. The MKII does indeed support LiPo batteries, there's a mode on the charger for such on each charging channel (it supports two independant charging cycles). However, I'd have to say that I was a little unhappy with the fact that the MKII has a hardwired charging mA rating for LiPos, as opposed to NiCads or NMh. The dials on the front of the charger are supposed to allow you to adjust the charging mA rating, however when the Unit is in LiPo mode, it ignores the dial and charges at 1000mA with the 'Constant' parameters required for 'proper' LiPo charging. I have the balancers connected throughout the charging cycle directly to the batteries, and I can monitor the voltage of the batteries directly on the charger itself. It seems to work well, although I have found that the MKII does not seem to charge the 'entire' pack (Meaning equal voltage for each cell across all cells) enough to trigger the 'Done' alert from the TP205 balancers before it stops its charging cycle automatically.

The Electrifly/GP Polycharge however I would say does a darn fine job, if not too good of one (a tad on the overcharged side perhaps). When I use the PolyCharge to charge up the TP1320's at 1000mA, it takes about an hour, and the balancer chimes right up and yells 'Done' without issue. About ten minutes later the PolyCharge throws out it's 'I'm Done!' alert too, and shuts down the charging sequence. The balancer never reports an overcharged state, however it is obvious that the two devices are not looking at the batteries from the same perspective.

The results from both chargers in regards to operating time for the Axe on full charge seems to be the same.

I'd have to say that I'm a little concerned that the ThunderPower balancer does not tell me the ThunderPower battery is fully charged and balanced when running on the MKII charger. My DMM reports voltages in the proper ranges off the charger, but, honestly, I haven't gone and tested the voltages from cell to cell to examine the variances.

The MKII I picked up from Tower, I want to say it was in the upper 40-50$ range. You'll need bananna plug adapters for whatever battery connectors you use. The PolyCharge I picked up at my LHS for about 30-35$ and it has a JST connector on it. I've built/tapped/replaced all connectors with UltraDeans assemblies for all, and everything seems to be working well.

The batteries are ThunderPower (TP)1320mAh batteries, 50$+, and the balancers are TP205's, 50$+/-.

Here's a companion thread for this thought: 'What LiPo/Charger is everyone Running?'
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_52...mpage_1/tm.htm

FYI, my 12v power source for my chargers are either (1.a) The 12v Terminal taps I installed in my car w/Bananna Plug options and/or (1.b) a spare Cig. Lighter adapter for portabilty, or (2) my 250w Desktop computer power supply, off a spare MOLEX, Yellow & Black. Works just fine, though the amperage output might not be enough for some of the more powerfull chargers out there, but for 1000mA/1amp to 2amp charging rates, it's more than enough horsepower.

Cheers and Safe flying/charging!

Gy240 is installed!

Ok, I got some kind of logical response from my new Gy240 on the Axe tail motor, in a static bench test with the mains unplugged.

I set the Gy240 Gain to about 25%, and put both the On and Rev switches UP.

I guess I am ready for hovering trials, but am a bit nervous

I got no response until I adjusted the 3-in-1 board TR Trim to about 50%, and I assume that the Gyro Gain should be Zero there.

Any tests or pre-flight confirmations you can think of before I try this thing?

markind,
Any REVO mixing in your DX6 radio should be turned off. Not sure if this is applicable to the DX6, just a heads up.

Spool her up and get her slightly light on the skids and watch to see if she holds true. If the tail spins radically to the right your gyro needs to be reversed. 50% gain in your tx is normal, I started @ 42% w/ my T-rex and ended up comfy w/ 51%. I left the manual gain setting untouched.

Make sure your switch for the HH mode is ON.

You're gonna love the HH gyro once you get it locked in.

BOOYAH!!

I flew out a couple packs, and she was wanting to buck me off like a bronco a bit,

but after a few tweaks, got into a pretty stable hover in the large clubhouse.

I dropped down hard a couple times, SLAP! Probably due to these sudden losses of lift we have been chatting about. I think I caught a nasty downdraft at least once.

I had to tweak my pitch and throttle curves - this is always a brain puzzle and I think I am closer tot he correct settings for me for now.

I upped the gain on the Gy240 to about 40% and set the e-board TR pot to yes, about 40%. This was after playing a bit with 0/25, 25/25, 50/25.

Yes the Gy240 must have its REV switch ON - its Reversed.

The old fart that locks up the clubhouse at night kicked us out - but the last hover was really good! Just a very slight soft tail wag that I am sure I can dial out on the next pack!

Yes!!! So far I am pleased with the Gy240 and stock e-board working together.

Check out the pics of the installation - looks nice and neat, and I am glad I get to keep the stock e-board, and I am happy to be rid of the stock radio!

Markind,

Based on the install method you have pictured above, exactly how do you get adjustment screwdrivers inside that tight space to peak and tweak settings? I just got word from Tower that my GY240 is finally on its way, and should be here early next week. I'm dying to get my bird flying again, however after having my E-board take a hit, I like the idea of hiding electronics in nice, reinforced, internalized spaces rather than having the gyro outside and on top of the whole darn thing, just asking to take a hit somehow.

Regardless, I will be installing mine with the Mini ESC that HeliMax recommends. I assume the only variable that I will affect with that is a slight reduction in operating time as opposed to running everthing off the stock e-board. (I do realize, of course, that having a damaged e-board would make that piggyback mod impossible anyway.)

Oh, and FYI, the 1kohm POT did not repair my failed e-board middle 'gain' pot. I was debating on trying a 10, and then 100K pot for the heck of it anyway, since they're so cheap.

StIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiillll waiting.. Nothing works slower than Tower... they keep chugging, and chugging, and chugg...

Easy! I read a tip (I think from here or Model Airplane News) that says you should not stick your gyro directly onto the foam sticky tape.

Instead, take some regular clear tape, and tape some on the bottom of the gyro. Then put the taped bottom of the gyro on the foam sticky tape.

It holds very firmly, but can be pried off and re-atttached several times without degrading the foam tape much.

If you have to, its easy to remove the clear tape from the gyro and clean it with alcohol. BUT getting that foam sticky tape off can be a nightmare...


I did some hovering here at work in the big, unused conference room. The tail is like 99% ROCK SOLID - BUT there is still a slight drift to the right - I have to input some left stick every 5 or 10 seconds to correct the heading.

I am very pleased with the operation of the gyro with the stock e-board. So far, so good. I hope to nail down the tail settings over the next couple packs.

Also, I replaced the 'see-saw' bit in the main rotor and had tightened those two screws down too tight - this made for some NASTY control problems in flight. I loosened them about a quarter turn, so the flybar was again floppy and loose, and the control problem was fixed.

My tip for the day is: Make sure you work out all the slop in the main rotor head - replace any loose ball-linkage parts. Give a light lube with plastic-safe light machine oil BEFORE you install new ball-linkage parts - they will snap on easier and last longer, and the whole rotor head will run smoother, giving a more glass-like, motionless hover and better, smoother control overall.

For those of you that are reading posts on this thread for the first time and possibly confused and maybe deciding to buy a an AXE CP, I'd like add my story:

I've owned a Kyosho Nexus 30 nitro heli for about 6 years and after spending about $1500 for the heli, accessories and parts from learning to hover, it's been sitting on the shelf for about 3 of the 6 years in basically new condition. A friend had a similar nitro heli and actually had his off of the training stand a few times with minor mishaps almost everytime. After grounding ourselves for years due to the frustrations from learning and spending money on replacement parts my friend did a little research about a month ago and we both decided to buy an AXE CP.

We put our decals and training gear on and charged our batteries. I kept telling him, "Tomorrow, I'm going to lighten this thing up and see what happens". Both having experienced the frustrations from our nitro heli's we kind of laughed about it and he said laughing out loud "Yea, you first!". He definitely had more success than I did being the owner of the training stand that we used for our nitro heli's along with having his nitro a year or so longer than I had mine. But it’s been at least 3 years since either of us had ours running. I should mention that he has RealFlight and had been flying the AXE CP on the simulator. I tried it a couple of times but have chose to get my training more hands on, aside from the simulator.

The next day we took them to where I work which has a 100' x 40' indoor parking garage. After business hours, it's empty and the perfect place to learn to fly. I turned my radio on, plugged in the battery and put the canopy on. Having a few quick flashbacks from the nitro days we kind of looked at each other with that old familiar fear. I slowly gave it some throttle and aside from the torque turning the nose a little, it came off the ground about two feet and I hovered it for about 5 seconds until I lost control and set it back down. Understanding hovering height & trim along with slowly remembering stick usage, within our first three charges we both had done better in those three charges than the years that we experimented with our nitro heli's.

I've been a little more daring and less cautious with mine learning to fly so I've had some mishaps and had to replace a few parts but I've came a long way even from that good first day. I may have gone about a few things the wrong way but I bought three standard battery packs right from the start instead of a higher capacity battery pack. I'm starting to second guess that decision a little and may upgrade soon but if you are new to heli's, I think it's going to take you a long time to get comfortable flying using just one battery. Trust me, the addiction cannot be fed by using just one battery.

I haven't read where anyone mentions a list of spare parts to have on hand. I would recommend a minimum of having a spare set of main blades, blade grips, linkage set and a tail rotor. All of these, I have replaced. Again, if you take it very easy, you may not need any of this but a little more aggressive training may cause you to have some mishaps. I've had three mishaps. The first was when I was trying to hover in my driveway when it was a little windy. I knew better but instead of picking up the heli and moving it back to the center of the driveway after having kind of a poor hover, I lifted off close to the wall in my driveway and got a minor gust of wind and lost a little control and while setting it back down, it slid and hit the wall. The main blades were going so slow that when it slid and the first blade hit, the tip broke and the blades stopped spinning. That crash cost me main blades but definitely was my fault for being stupid. The second was in my parking garage at work where I was hovering nose in and lost orientation at only about 3' off the ground and came down on the back of my skids (with the training gear on) and it bounced hard enough off center to hit the main blades, break a blade grip, one of the linkage arms and bend the tail boom a little. Both my friend & I were very surprised at the damage caused by what didn't appear to be that bad of a crash. And, my 3rd and most recent mishap was yesterday when descending and it started to slide backwards and caught on the tail fin support rod and flipped over. That cost me a blade grip & tail rotor blade and I had to straighten the tail boom again. Only about an $8 fix. I also had to tighten the screws on the main motor, which worked loose and moved the motor away from the main rotor gear in which one screw took nearly 3 turns. That sounds like it may have been fairly loose from the factory to take that many turns. The funny thing was after that crash, I was back up and running in less that 10 minutes and it flew more stable than before. I was very glad to see that even though I broke a blade grip surprisingly neither main blade was damaged.

So, what would my suggestions be to someone thinking of buying an AXE CP? BUY IT! Get some basic spare parts when you order the heli and do something about the battery even if it's to buy a few spares but most of all have fun. It probably sounds like I’ve destroyed mine while learning but most all of my crashes were not “drop out of the sky� crashes, very minor and I would write them off to learning. What about buying a simulator or upgrading the servos or buying a different radio? I would buy the heli, learn to fly it and then decide if you want to put more money into the upgrades. This thing flies great right out of the box. I do think that the simulator can help you with nose in flying and coordination but there is no replacement for actual in field learning. I'm already excited about going to fly today even as I am typing this message

Really? My Nexus will sit in a hover with very little input from the radio. Maybe that's why it was easier for me to putz it around the field than the Axe. The Axe is all over the place for me when i'm hovering it even though I can keep it in the air. If I start doing circuits though it's flys ok. I had to send it in for servicing though because I think it had a defective receiver in it.

Mine is going back for the same problems. It sounds like this is happening to a number of people.[:@]

What exactly are you guys experiencing. Just what to know so I can look out for the problem on my heli. Have had a couple of glitches, but think iits from interfierence.

Well here is what I have had so far......Turn on TX then connect heli to battery. The Gryo/ESC/RX arms. Wait for the light. Then good to go. For the first 5 flights this went just as expected. For the next flight I repeated the same steps but while carrying the heli the main motor tried to spin. I dropped the heli from about 3 feet and there was no damage. I changed batteries and rearmed the 3 in 1 unit and it blinked and armed just like it was supposed to. TX was turned on first and the head moved as always while the ESC armed. Then while mounting the canopy the main motor tried to engage again. This is really disconserting while your hands are right there in the main rotors of the heli.

Next I disconected the main and tail rotor motors and checked all controls and it looked good. This was all done on my build table and computer desk next to it. When I stepped between the TX and the heli the controls started going nuts. I then took the the TX and heli outside and found out that I couldn't get 20 feet of range from the heli.

I called tech support and they said I probably had a bad TX or 3 in 1 board. Now I have to send the heli back. Bummer!

All I hope is that I get a good working heli back from repair.

What ;ipo and charger/balancer do you guys recommend for the axe cp?

I use a Thunderpower 1320mAh LiPo, most people like this pack, as far as chargers it depends on your budget. I just got the new Bantam e-STATION BC6, nice unit.

I'm running my Axe on an E-sky 11.1v 1000mah 10c and charge it with the e-sky 2-3cell charger.

I got it on ebay new for $40.

So much for being efficient, safe, and prepared. [sm=drowning.gif]

I rec'd my new GY240 yesterday in the mail. Yay.
I installed the gyro with the GP C-12 Mini ESC per Heli-Max instructions. I put Ultra Deans connectors between the new ESC and the battery feed. I also followed spec and put an U.Deans on for the Rear Rotor connector. I mounted the Gyro to the foam tape, but used 3M UltraLoc velcro-like strip to secure to rear lower chassis. This has proved very secure, and yet removable for adjustment, just use a small screwdriver to seperate. Set Gyro for about 60% Gain.

Tested, stable. Flies pretty good. Tail's pretty stable, but it sure takes some getting used to flying with a HH gyro.

WARNING!!: They're not kidding when they say the tail will start up the second this Gyro detects about a 10 degree change in heading. Surprised the crap out of me for the first 5 times or so that I moved it myself with the main rotor parked. When you're learning to hover from scratch, this can be a problem, because every time you orient the heli on the ground for initial takeoff, if the Gyro's already locked on, it'll forever attempt to compensate to return to it's ZERO heading. [sm=what_smile.gif]

Back on the bench it goes.
Installed SPST Microtoggle to top of Tail Boom mount, wired in main battery path (-) line.
Test flight: Success, no problems, and at my skill level the amperage draw on the microtoggle won't exceed it's thresholds.
Benched again, this time to install the LiPo LOA from Appogee (Loud Obnoxious Alarm).

And for the screwup:
I had all the Ultra Deans connectors disconnected at the same time. They're all red. Apparently I became distracted, and plugged in the LiPo into one of the other Deans connectors, which I think, amothing other things, bypassed the switch, and reverse polarity zapped the receiver. Spark. snap. uh oh. Plugged the battery into the right connector, flipped the switch and watched the magic SMOKE escape from the receiver board's IC. [sm=angry_smile.gif]

I have no idea how much damage I really did to the bird, but the servos didn't look happy, and now the Rx won't even power up. I have a new Rx board on overnight from Tower heading my way, but I'm concerned I cooked more than it's worth now.
Live and learn: I've now color coded all the Deans conectors on the bird for future reference. Grrr....
[sm=48_48.gif]

Man all I can say is that SUCKS! You didn't fry the gyro too did you? The 3 and 1 boards arn't cheap either. As you say Live and Learn ans pay to play...

Good Luck

Chaseman81[8D]

I don't know if the GY240 got fried too, I know that the C-12 ESC is still operational, it's blue light happily blinking away. The 3in1 I tested on my lunch break with my DMM, and I was picking up some voltage off the feeds to what would be the Rx, but, if I'm not mistaken, they seemed high. I need to investigate further to see what it's putting out on all wires.

Question One:
If anyone out there would be so kind as to throw a meter on the outputs of the 3in1 ESC/Gyro board and let me know what kind of output voltages they see per wire while 'at rest' (i.e. motors disconnected, Tx off, disconnected from Rx, etc), it would be most appreciated. I REALLY don't want to plug in the 3in1 back into a new Rx module just to fry it as soon as I flip the switch. [sm=47_47.gif]
---Answer: Black = Gnd, Red & White = 5v+/-.

I'm about this *pinches fingers together* close to just ditching the whole electrical hooey and buying a new Tx/Rx kit, maybe a DX6 or something. I don't know. I just don't know where to go next; it's not worth it to me to keep futzing with this shrinkwrapped stuff, might be easier to jsut go and buy the whole assembly (I'm assuming then I'd only need an standard ESC to replace the existing, currently damaged 3in1 board anyway).

Question Two:
Curious thought though: What would it really take (part specific, rx, ESC, gyro, etc) to replace everything that makes the AXE tick? How much would I really be looking at? I know it'll all move to a better copter in the end, but hey, for now it'll make the AXE zoom around.

I was going to write this earlier, but now that you've asked...

Not knowing what is and isn't working, you could just remove the 3-in-1 all together since you have an aftermarket gyro. Just use a brushed ESC of appropriate amperage for the main motor (GP c-12 is $23). If the RX is fried, get a 4 channel Corona at BPhobbies.com about $20. Use the chrystal from the old Axe RX and you're up and running.

Sorry for your loss...[]

Thanks for the info, I already ordered the replacement Rx, but do you think the GP C-12 (which is the one I already have for the tail rotor) can handle the main motor? So I would literally just remove the 3in1 and just run from the Rx to the new ESC to the main motor, and then same for the tail, and of course the servos just plug in...

My only question left is: What's the deal with the voltage stepdown? I know it might be a newbie question, but it seems like Rx units run at something around 6-8v, but the motor runs at 11v, and the 3in1 takes the 11v, and somehow spits out power to the Rx board that then makes everything else run too (servos, etc). Where does the power modulation happen? If I go with an aftermarket ESC for the main rotor, then I KNOW I can just tap off the main battery feed just as I did for the already installed c-12. So.. by having a BEC (Battery eliminator circuit) mean that it does the step down FOR the Rx? So, for example, if I were running two C-12's, I would have to make sure that both BEC's weren't fighting with each other, huh?

Just need a little clarity, thanks.

Yes, the 3-1 has a BEC and steps the voltage down to 5 or so volts for the rx and servos.

Hopefully, you removed the power wire in the tail ESC per the instructions so the 3-1 wasn't fighting the tail esc. Most ESC's have a BEC.

Yes, the c-12 should be enough. Some guys have measured the amperage to the main motor and its never above 10 amps, more like 6. If I were you, I'd buy a c-7 and use it for the tail. (cheaper) and move the c-12 to the main motor. Just remember that only one ESC should power the rx, and I wouldn't try to power it through the gyro. (disable the tail's BEC per instructions)

Do you have a way to connect a 4.8 volt rx batt to check the receiver without the 3-1? (Just run the servos) Maybe its still good and only the 3-1 is fried.

Just re-read and you stated smoke from the rx. You're just gonna have to experiment with replacement rx. Good Luck...

Hey just to let you all know. I was surfing around ebay for LiPo's and chargers this evening and saw a combo that has a esky 11.1 V 1000mah bat and a 2-3 cell charger for $30.90 to your door. Thought that was a great deal. I am going to get that and probably an additional battery at those prices. Just FYI!

Hey Guys
New to flying helis and like everone one else has payed the price of learning. My question is since my crash and waiting for parts i have been trying to find info on factory setting on such things as pitches on fly bars and servos and all the ball connectors or any other settings that might be of importance. Any info would be great. Been having a blast with the Axe Cp

Thanks RON

For minor crash repair you shouldn't need to do too much adjustment so be careful. Touching on the specifics you mentioned--

Pitch on flybar paddles is always zero relative to each other and to the frame.

Pitch on the blades should start between about -9 and +9 degrees in idle up, and for learning, between about +1 or 2 up to +9 or 10 in normal; even if you're learning, though, if you're flying outside in any amount of wind (>5mph or so), the low end should be -2 or so instead. If you're using the stock transmitter, then you don't have end point adjustments, so just adjust the low pitch in normal mode to start and ignore the others. Always disconnect the motor leads when you're messing with these adjustments so that you don't accidentally start it when you're checking travels.

The manual describes how to set up the servos and adjust the ball links; start the setup by adjusting the servo arms and lengths of the pushrods as described in the manual, then adjust individual pushrod lengths to level the swashplate, or all links together if you need to make large adjustments to rotor pitch. Tracking the blades is described (briefly) in the manual, but the description there should be sufficient.

Beyond that there is a lot of info on setting up CP helis on this board so I'd suggest some targeted searches, or take a look at bladecprepair.com-- that site is targeted toward the EFlite Blade, but the two are very similar so you can get some good insight there.