RE: axe cp thread
 

My flybar moves easily too. It took me a while to get it that way.

Having the flybar hang up will no doubt cause control issues.

If you think the o-rings are the cause try pushing in on the blade grips (with some force) then pull them out. Hopefully the head will move more freely.

Also disconnecting the pitch links to isolate the binding helps too.

Try and get the assembly to move as freely as you can. I've noticed that the more freely it moves the more smoothly the heli moves, but that's just my personal observation.

RE: axe cp thread
 

The flybars on my Rex and Axe were good and floppy. So much so that if I sat them level and blew on them softly they would move. Now thats what I call smooth.

RE: axe cp thread
 

Now that is smooth!:D

RE: axe cp thread
 

Alright, I'll work on that some more.

When I put together the head with all new parts, the Flybar was stiff as hell! [:@]

I got it this smooth by polishing down the washers and the ends of the Control Hub with 400 grit sandpaper.

Its almost like the new-issue Feathering Shaft is a hair too short, causing the washers to bind in on the O-Rings. I checked the bearing individually and they are all fine.

I could polish down the spacers that sit between those bearings (inside the blade grips) too, further reducing the tension on the O-rings...

I figured this out because when I loosen the Feather Shaft hex bolts a bit, the Flybar swings freely.


I got some more stick time this morning was having fun nearly zipping around everywhere, and forcing myself to calm down and fly slower with more control.

Still, when from a pure hover I give a straight right stick, she still pulls forward quite a bit, requiring a bit of back stick keep her going straight right. All the cyclic inputs impart a signifigant error about 35 - 40 degrees counter-clockwise to the desired heading.

Still, its better that it was before I re-leveled the swashplate. Even so, this problem must be fixed for certain before I try outdoor FF again.

RE: axe cp thread
 

Have you watched the videos I mentioned to check for interactions? Once you eliminate those the heli will fly much better.

RE: axe cp thread
 

I just change over to seperates and put a Park 370 brushless motor in for the main. Now my flight times have jumped from 7 min to 13min. So far, I'm happy about that and my head speed. The problem I'm now having is that my throttle hold does not work for my tail rotor and even at the lowest position, the Eflite 90 Gyro that I now have installed will turn it on every time I move the helicopter. I am using the stock tail motor with the GWS ICS-50 ESC. I removed my Ebord and am using an Eflite 20 amp brushles ESC for my main. Does anyone have any suggestions on getting the thottle hold to work with seperations?

RE: axe cp thread
 

That's got to be in the radio somewhere...

Try going through the DX7 re-binding procedure again - make sure your left stick is all the way down. Also, probably set the Throttle Trim all the way down prior to re-binding. And of course, the TH Hold menu setting should be correct (minus 5% I think).


In other news:

DX7 binds with Blade CX2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a side note, I had fun this morning - I got my DX7 to run my E-Flite Blade CX2.

My idea is to run the BCX2 to practice nose-in hover. Its a great trainer and its been collecting dust like a regal hangar queen since I got my Axe CP.

The DX7 works great with the BCX2! The EXP and Sub Trims allow for hands-off hovering, and just the throttle is needed for smooth takeoffs and landings.

Very cool!

I have some time reserved in the big conference room today - more Axe CP development time.

I now think the root cause of my control problem, which resembles the Unwanted Swashplate Interactions problem, may indeed be my Flybar which has some friction in its movement.

First, I will have to partially disassemble the head again. Then, I will check that my Feathering Shaft is in spec. Then, I will have to polish down those washers a bit more, and probably lightly sand down the outer ends of the Control Hub a bit more.

The goal now is to get that pesky flybar totally free and flappin' in the breeze.

I note that on the BCX2 the flybar is really super-loose and 'swingy'. Ah ha...

RE: axe cp thread
 

I took apart the rotor head last night and isolated the source of the flybar friction.

Everthing is super loose and swingy except for the ball links on the Stabilizer Control Hub, which is in my case is a CNC aluminum part.

So, I polished them down using 1200 grit sandpaper on the balls (great, so now I'm polishing my Axe's Balls), and carefully honed out the linkages with a diamond tipped Dremel bit which I used slowly and patiently by hand. Ugh that sounds worse that it was...

They are still snug but the flybar swings MUCH better now, especially after I put in a little machine oil. Ugh again...


Flight Test


This morning I spun her up in the big conference room - MUCH better!!! She feels a quite a bit 'looser' and more squirrely - I will program in a bit more EXP to compensate.

Trying to slide straight right and left was pretty good, requiring only a little forward/back to stay on track. Probably, that little bit of correction is due to the little bit of remaining friction in the flybar!!

So then, the Axe is unflyable with a stiff flybar and becomes more flyable as the flybar becomes freer. Hmph. The friction induces a lag of control.

Probably, I will again sit down and tediously polish the balls and links more. That flybar really NEEDS to be totally free and loose.

Even so I flew out a couple packs and had a fun time hovering around and doing some coordinated half-turns and some decent flares. I felt like she was flying more like the sim now, but still off a bit.

Great progress!! Good luck all! Keep her flyin'!

RE: axe cp thread
 

Well, here is my tail mod. I did it to address the lean my Axe was having while in a stable over. As Heliko suggested, it doesn't remove the lean, it only lessens it. Beyond trying to "fix it", it was just a fun little project.

Problems I still have to overcome/address:
• It's not adjustable. Figuring out the height was pure trial and error but the period between setup and results was a long one since it required soldering, cutting, glueing (epoxy), and screwing it back up. I initially had the center of the tail rotor above the plane of the main rotors and that resulted in a lot of drift to the left and instability. It's currently a tad lower than the main rotors and is much more stable

• It's not rigid. The only things holding up the system are a small piece of shaped balsa wood, a 3/4" section of a BIC pen, epoxy, and screws (HMXE7342). This minimized added weight, but there's an obvious vibration of the inverted vertical tail fin and thus the entire tail rotor.

• It's turning about the tail boom. Many people have mentioned how weak the four screws that hold the tail boom in place are and it's evident here. I know, I know...this is not the intended application and I've accepted that. So, what I've done is added a thin coat of epoxy and zip-tied that section the best I could. But still, as the vibration and the torque adds up, it still gradually turns and angles off-center.

Again, just a fun little project. If it happens to get some gears turning in others here then that's just an added bonus.

RE: axe cp thread
 

SM that came out pretty cool. I'd like to see a hovering vid if possible. The vertical fin from mircoheli.com might work better. It's stiffer than the plastic Axe fin.

You could also get a longer piece of tubing and bend it up with a small tubing bender or carefully by hand to get the height you need.


About the frame screws your right they don't hold very well. I've replaced the screws with [link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD973&P=SM]these[/link] and they work much better. The heads even work with a 2mm allen wrench.

RE: axe cp thread
 

SM, what about 2 rods going from the frame to the end of the tail or adding a horizontal fin and the rods go to that to keep the boom from twisting? Perhaps some flat carbon to use as rods and if you can find it wide enough make a carbon support post for the upwards fin/mount for the tail motor? [sm=idea.gif]
like you said - just some thoughts.

You know, that setup would save on tail fin strikes some wouldn't it.

RE: axe cp thread
 

Heliko and others, on your brushless setup - you have probably answered this elsewhere, was your decision to go brushless based on battery/motor running cooler for longer lifespan? If that was the only reason to upgrade to BL, do you think the expense of modifying justifies the mods based on your results/experiences? No harm intended - just trying to decide if I want to go the same route. Motor and batts get hot now with about 8 mins hovering - still learning - and I know it will be a long time before I do any 3D or inverted (intentional that is) flying. What do you think (ball park figure is fine) the cost was/is for going to brushless main and tail motors? I know you have many posts etc on what items in particular you used and I can do a search on that if and when I switch over. Thanks

RE: axe cp thread
 

K94max BL motors have more power, better efficiency, and lower weight compared to their brushed counterparts. Also the absence of brushes means the absence of brush wear. Those are the main reasons why most people switch. My heli runs much better than it did stock, but my main reason for doing the switch is none of the above.

I simply like to tinker and get alot of satisfaction from making something better as opposed to buying something that is already top notch. Remember this is a hobby, a means to have some fun, practicality and justification do not factor into the equation. If your trying to rationlize the BL conversion then you may want to hold off. Yes it works better than the stock set-up, but the heli will fly either way.

As for increasing control and making the Axe easier to fly the two best mods are Li-Po's and an HH gyro. For an all out Axe then BL motors are an option. There is also a belt drive tail conversion from Freestyle hobbies for the ultimate in tail control. There is no real need in this hobby only wants. You have to ask yourself how far you want to go with this heli.

For a BL conversion this is about what I can figure:

KB20 2900Kv main motor--------------------------------$15
main ESC: H-Wing Pentium------------------------------$15
Program card for main ESC (optional but recommended) --$10
Tail Motor: Ammo 12-30-4110---------------------------$25
Tail ESC: Phoenix 10------------------------------------$50
CC PC link----------------------------------------------$22
Gyro (I went with a GY240)-----------------------------$110

RE: axe cp thread
 

Ok thanks. I like to tinker also and find that (weird to some) after a crash I "enjoy" making it right again. I guess part of my equation is in part - shorter life span on batteries and motors = X amount of dollars vs. BL system gives longer life = Y amount of dollars.
I am (at this point) looking at 3 different aspects for purchase. 1. I would eventually like to go to a 50 ro 60 size heli with an apache cabin. 2. a better new style transmitter 2.4 ghz? 3. voltage alarm and/or BL system and/or HH gyro. With a bigger / different Heli in mind, I obviously want to get a transmitter that will not only control the Axe but whatever I get later on. If I understand correctly the motors/gyro/etc are pretty much model/size specific so part of my decision is to either spend now or save and use on a newer heli. Like you say, mine flies now as is with the only mods being the lipo batteries, added weights to flybar, and the plastic training blades. To each his own as we debate logistics of income vs. outcome for our desired results.
I appreciate your reply and the list of items. I forgot to add a simulator for winter months "flying". You know, as much as I think it would be nice to have, if there was a "cookie cutter" list of what to buy and how to modifiy it, this would much less fun as a hobby (an example is your bell / Hiller mod and SM's tailmotor location mod)

RE: axe cp thread
 

Looks like we're on the same page K94max.[8D]

The best thing you can do at this point is really plan out where you want to be. This can save you some money. For example going nitro. This requires more than 6 channels. I'm thinking 9 or better especially if you want to go scale with an Apache. You may need some extra channels for lights and other scale touches you may want to do.

You could upgrade some equipment that could be tranferred to a larger heli making it more of an investment than model specific. Like a better radio and gyro that could transfer over to a larger scale heli. This way you won't have to say uppgrade your radio more than once. Same with a gyro. I bought a GY240 first then upgraded my Tx to a 7CHP. If I would've bought the Tx first then I could've went straight to a 401 since it's so close to the 240's price. The 240 is fine, but aggressive 3D would require a 401.

RE: axe cp thread
 

I noticed after looking at those pics that you seem to hae the beginning of a blackhawk or other scale style heli. Are you going to put a body on this now?

RE: axe cp thread
 

I have always wanted to fly a scale heli - such as an Apache, Cobra, or Blackhawk - but I just don't have the tools or materials for it, unfortunately. I'm very much the MacGuyver-type and like working with materials around the house as much as possible. Beyond the "fun" and "challenge" factors, it's also cheaper that way. :D Once I work out the kinks in my tail mod, I'll start looking at my plastic soda bottles for inspiration (they're as close to polystyrene that I've got).

Heliko, K94max, thanks for brainstorms - I'll definitely explore both options!

As for the video, although it's more stable than my previous revisions, there's still a bit of left-drift that I'm fighting. When I find that sweet spot and get it into a stable hover, I'll get some video up for sure.

RE: axe cp thread
 

That thought gives me cause to look around my LHS to see what kind of models would be big enough and not too heavy. I will have to stop this train of thought before I wind up with a U.S.S. ARIZONA HELI. Maybe something in a catamaran. (something tells me that I have said tooo much.) I suddenly pictured a witches cat with the legs splayed and the tail for the boom. Mayhaps I should just learn to fly the stock heli first.

RE: axe cp thread
 

Great to see there is a sub-forum for the Axe CP! :D Here's the problem I have. Hope someone has an answer for it since I've never crashed my heli yet and I hope to keep it that way.

I seem to be having some issues with my tail rotor. How do you test to see if the motor or the e-board is starting to go bad. Everything has been flying great until yesterday. I would fly one battery, let it rest about 10 minutes, then about half way through my second battery, the tail keeps wanting to spin around counter-clockwise. If I continue, it gets worse. This has happened twice. Could the motor be going bad or is there an issue with the e-board or something else, and, how do I test all of these components to find out which I need to change out. I've been flying for about 3 weeks without any issues until now. Any info would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

RE: axe cp thread
 

Greetings fellow - heliphiles?

Another newb Axe CP learner here. My story covers many years. I first got captivated by R/C when I was about 12 years old and my dad took me into the LHS. I've always been fascinated by aircraft of all types. Of course, when you're 12 you don't think of associated costs with such a hobby, but somehow I talked my dad into at least getting me a kit. It was a TopFlite Headmaster. If that model is unfamiliar to you, it's because we're talking about a model from back in the 70's. As I recall, I think he paid about $30 for the kit, maybe less. I started building it and got all the way to the point where it was ready for Monokote. It actually came with a tissue-paper like covering that was a bit less glamorous than Monokote, to say the least. I had picked up an engine for it and had played around with that, having fabricated a test mounting board where I could run it. The engine was an Enya .40 if my memory serves. I wanted something big enough that I could transfer into something bigger. But alas, I never did finish the plane. I got it to the point where I needed a radio and servos, and the money just wasn't there. Convincing dad to spend what then would have been in the neighborhood of about $150 for a 4 channel radio and servos was just not in the cards. In the meantime, I developed a new fascination for helis. So as teeneagers so often do, I switched gears, and instead of saving for the radio, I saved and bought a helicopter kit. Who remembers the American R/C Mantis? I think I paid about $135 for that kit. Well I won't bore you with that whole story. Suffice it to say it went the same way as the plane. They both remain intact, half-finished in the same basement of my dad's house where I started them.

I never did get any further into R/C but I always remained interested in it. I'm now about the age my dad was then, and although I don't have a 12 year-old, I still have some boy in me and I'm ready to pick up where I left off. So I picked up an Axe CP and have been having fun trying to get it to hover for the last few weeks. And of course, like so many of you I'm learning in my garage, the hard way. and I'm currently awaiting new rotor blades to continue the practicing. Unfortunately, I don't have a LHS where I live anymore. Nearest one is about an hour away and it's a very nice store, but they carry the Blade CP and TRex stuff, not the Axe stuff. So I've been going the Tower Hobbies route. I decided to order a set of training blades along with the standard main blades; I'll keep the sym blades in their pristine state until I get better.

It's been interesting reading the posts here and playing catch-up on all the tricks and tips. You guys have been an invaluable learning tool. At some point, I'm going to go and get the plane and Mantis and finally finish them; looking forward to that.

I haven't gotten a sim, mainly because after convincing the wife that I just had to take up this hobby again, starting out with a $400+ investment for the Axe and a sim would have been a tough sell. Plus I still have to shell out for a lipo setup. What can I say, I guess I married my dad! ;) But it's ok, she likes nice clothes, so when she goes shopping, I get to go shopping. It's all about the compromise guys! Ha!

Onward...batteries...obviously, I'm ready to get a Lipo, since the stock battery is less than desirable. But I've become overwhelmed with the varying recommendations here and I'm not sure which way to go. It would appear that the most popular battery is the TP1320, but there are various charger/balancer options and it would appear you have all chosen something different. I don't want to break the bank and get the best thing out there, but I don't want bare bones either. I need assistance. Also, what is with all the different connectors?! Anyway, I've rambled enough; don't want to overstay my welcome in my first post. So let's start there. Help!! :)

Happy Hoverin'!

RE: axe cp thread
 

Hey kjelld. Personally I love the Axe CP and love it. The only thing I don't like are the price of parts. They seem pretty high compared to the Blade. I've seen main blades almost twice the price of Axe blades, and about a $26 tail motor? That seems pretty stiff. If I knew more about the options available I might have gone withe the Blade CP instead of the Axe because of that, but my LHS only sold the Axe EZ/CP, which I bought both. I learned on the EZ which was great but motors seem to burn out too quickly. Been hovering, foward, backward and side to side for about 3 weeks and now having trouble with the tail motor it seems, not sure yet. Too late, I already own the Axe, but it does fly great when things are working. Good luck in whatever you get and most of all have fun!

RE: axe cp thread
 

Jimweda

i dont know even if i qualify to be answering questions with my VAST "expertise" [sm=49_49.gif] ... any-who this happened once to me and it turned out the motor was not affixed firmly in the tail boom - and with a little push and straighten i was back flying....hopefully it is this simple for you ... if not dont quote me .. i DENY DENY DENY E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G [sm=sleeping.gif]

ciao

RE: axe cp thread
 

If your LHS only stocks gobs of parts for the BladeCP, you can opt to use the rotor blades for that on the AxeCP. They are a direct fit once you remove one of the black caps that cover the lag bolt hole. They are a bit shorter and this will increase your headspeed a bit. But they work.

RE: axe cp thread
 

Although I did enjoy flying my Axe EZ until the motor stopped providing enough lift to even hover. I tried to contact Helimax/Hobbico and didn't get much support from them about this matter. (Went through 4 Axe EZ's then gave up) I bought the Axe CP. Again, I enjoy flying it and it seems to be a great first time heli. My tail motor is going out. Tried to contact Helimax/Hobbico and although I haven't heard from them yet, I won't be disappointed if I don't get a satisfactory response. If I can't get some answers then I'm going to stay away from their products from now on. I've heard people say how great their support is, but I've yet to get anyone to give me real answers. Its a shame because I was thinking about going with the Helimax Kinetic 50 next. Its a shame that a new Axe CP burns out a tail motor and I have to pay $26 for a new one. I'll start saving up for a T-Rex if thats how support is. Good luck on your search for a great heli. I love the heli's, but if you can't fly them, what good are they. Just my 2 cents, not trying to bash Helimax, I'm just frustrated, especially since I've never crashed one of my helis.

RE: axe cp thread
 

Its a great first time heli when its working. I've never had a crash fortunately, but I am having issues with the tail motor now. It seems to be going out because for no reason, its constantly turning clockwise as the motor heats up and trimming or pushing the stick right does nothing. It was flying great until this started happening. I'm hoping customer support will give me better answers than they did with my Axe EZ. Its a great heli when its working.