RE: axe cp thread
 

I finished my test jig. It looks pretty good.

What it is: just two 2' long 2x4 pieces of lumber. Around these are these 4 'springy rings' I made from scrap iron clothes hangers.

The foam training gear balls just fit under the rings. One for each. Now then, there is no freaking way this heli could lift those 2x4's, but I put two more 1/2" boards across those! Suffice to say, we are totally anchored, but the rings allow for a few inches of movement. I really doubt the heli could tear its skids out of the training gear attachments, either. Let's hope!! :D

Ideally, I should be able to hover freely just an inch or so off the skids, but be unable to blade strike or move off the wood bars.

I'll take a pic when its ready. If this works, I'll recommend it for any Maiden flight on any kind of small experimental aircraft or any newbie looking to get a feel for the micro heli controls in the living room with complete safety.

Muhuhahahaaaa... [>:] * batteries charging *

RE: axe cp thread
 

SUCCESS!!! :D

Check out the pics!

What we have here is a Helimax dynamic test stand. It allows a couple inches of free movement for the aircraft in complete safety and there it is right in the living room, freakin out the wife! :D


What I learned

My settings were conservative - at full up stick I could barely lift off. Good!

I made lots of adjustments and came up with a new Throttle and Pitch curve that should allow for a tame platform to learn the hover.

I needed more control Cyclic control throw.

The EXP function helps tremendously, compared with the stock radio.

When I get this all dialed in, I will post all the settings. That should really help the next guy to try this. I thought a bunch you had already converted to DX6, but I guess I am one of few (I doubt the first!).

I have now confirmed that the heli is safe enough to try at the large clubhouse, on the smooth flat floor where I can hop and slide around enough to see if the vehicle is ready to hover! I really don't think it will get away from me!! I will conquer the hover is short order!! BOOYAH!!

Semper fi, carry on!

~mArK

RE: axe cp thread
 

instant carnage with my first flight when i ran into a wall. ordered new parts from tower hobbies and am ready to replace blade grips, flybar links, and stabilizer control hub. can anyone give me the "easiest" way to do all this? i've tried to unscrew the blade grips, but it seems as though heli-max torqued them in there pretty good...and used a whole bottle of loc-tite.

RE: axe cp thread
 

Markind, What in the world do you have mounted on the flybar next to the paddles?

RE: axe cp thread
 

Sharp eye! I made some makeshift flybar weights. The are exactly 2.2g each and seem to be too much... The head is still balanced and spins smoothly at all RPM.

I want that extra stability...

RE: axe cp thread
 

Waksail17 Sorry about the crash[sm=cry_smile.gif]

I don't know the best way to fix those broken part [sm=confused.gif]because luckely the only thing I've destroyed is a set of blades.

But you said it happened on the first flight so some advise on learning the fly is when you get the Heli fixed try to adjust the gyro if the helicopter wants to drift all over the place.

I just bought my Axe Cp (first heli) last week and messed around with the gyro, got it almost perfect, it helped me greatly. Now, five days later I can almost hold it in a steady hoover.

RE: axe cp thread
 

This is why I'm going through the extra work - I don't wanna crash. I intend prove its an avoidable thing, by maximizing odds for success in every feasible way that can be thought of. Real heli pilots crash only in the sims - its just too costly to crash the real thing. And since the real thing behaves so differently than the sim (especially with my non-stock radio gear), I am taking this very methodically.

My approach is that this aircraft is a purely experimental and wild animal ready to spring off in a random direction the instant it has the opportunity. I can deny this opportunity and build up reliability of operation and control skill very gradually.

I plan on getting my hover down pat on the original blade set. Anyone wanna bet I don't have to buy another set? :) Remember, I'm a total nOOB at RC helis...

RE: axe cp thread
 

Markind I wish you all the luck!! I had my AXE CP almost a month before I got Realflight G3.5, the sim is remarkably similar to the real thing. After the practice on the sim my hover was much more improved. For me the Sim paid for itself pretty quickly. Between the sim and hands on with my heli I can hold a tail in hover dead on, that is until she(my heli) decides to take a short trip and then I have to bring her back to me. I still crash, but a lot less often:). I am working on my left and right side on hover and then NOSE IN!!
Don't get me wrong, I hope you never have to buy another repair part, that would be great but from my experience crashes are going to happen. It's part if the fun and challenge of flying a heli.
Ever see anyone scratch thier nose while flying a RC plane? I bet you never see that with someone flying a heli!:D

RE: axe cp thread
 

Must be lots of fake heli pilots out there in heli world crashing. Like Curtis Youngblood,Alan Szabo,Danny Szabo................

RE: axe cp thread
 

Yep should've qualified that - real heli pilots do crash but its a very rare occurance. Very very rare because of all the safety procedures - checking and double checking everything - knowing what the aircraft will do given all the conditions.

That's great news about Realflight - I am very encouraged by this because I am getting in an hour or so of sim time every day, and now I can fly fancy circuits, dabble with inverted flight, and generally not crash while flying around casually with this sim model.

But the real thing needs to be treated like the space shuttle - and even that thing can crash and burn despite the best efforts of the best people in aeronautics.

In short - it will take some luck to be able to get to the point where I am comfortable with the hover and not have to replace parts. I'll maximize this luck by minimizing the chances for bad luck where ever its feasible to do so. The test jig really helps here: I have a good feel for what the model will do as it spins up to the point of lift off. Much better than going into the maiden flight like a blind date! :D

I hear your caution about this model wanting to leap out in a random direction and then need to be pulled in again. It's a twitchy bird going into this project, and here I am ripping out the stock radio... heh [&:]

But I figure the long term advantages in smoother control and enhanced safety are worth the effort to convert to DX6. Its a good feasible move in this case, and should increase the odds for success overall.

RE: axe cp thread
 

I was just messin' with you about fake pilots. I hope your test rig helps you out. You will crash at some point but do not let that get you down. The stock radio leaves much to be desired. The news that Spektrum is making modules for other radios is good. Now I have the motivation to purchase a JR9303. Now if I could quit spending money on tattooing,homebrewing beer,DIY tube amps,DIY speakers,and my koi pond I would have that radio soon:D

RE: axe cp thread
 

UPDATE:

I reversed the blade grips, disconnected the motors, adjusted pitch, and was able to get it back to hovering* in less than an hour. Note to anyone though who might want to take those darn grips apart, the factory really did tighten those buggers up pretty good, and it's a small step between getting those screws out and stripping the heck out of those tiny philips heads and wanting to pull a 'HULK SMASH!' on it.

WOOO!

Thank you all.

*Note: Hovering, at this stage, was proof of vertical lift and proper throttle control. Me? Hover? Already? HAH. maybe in a month or so. I Just don't have the money to toss another 200$ into this for a sim at this point.

Rock on.

RE: axe cp thread
 

hey there smart Heli-ers [sm=49_49.gif] ...question: is the Great Planes G3.5 the only flight sim for the Max Axe out there? ...

mucho thanks

Jon

RE: axe cp thread
 

Great job! I'm glad you're back operational again! We nOOBs gotta stick together! :D

Thanks for the encouragement - I'm sure that will help shoo away the crash gremlins!! [>:]

You guys are gonna hate me - I read on another thread on RCGroups that to really fly well, you must replace the servos on your AXE. Apparently, they are sub-par and are the root cause of sudden drops and in general are guilty of having too much slop.

I am researching the issue further. I take this one seriously - I am compelled to investigate all feasible actions that can improve stability and safety through better control. Apparently, if you remove the stock servos and install HS-55 all around, you will be amazed at the rock-solid hover you can get.

Hmmm...

Here is the Quote:

Definitely replace the stock servos

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

All I can say is "Wow".. what a difference the HS-55's made in this little chopper.

I was having all kinds of problems with the helicopter dropping out of the hover when I input roll commands, even small ones. I was suspecting that maybe I was getting stray RF into the radio from the motors. But after taking a real close look at what the swashplate was doing with any type of control inputs, I noticed that the swashplate was actually moving up or down a small bit with with roll inputs. Obviously not supposed to be happening, because any up or down movement is going to change the collective on this machine. The HS-55's solved that and the first hover with the new servos was rock-solid.

Thanks to all those who have made the recommendation to replace the stock junk servos with the HS-55's!

RE: axe cp thread
 

Hello all, just got the axe last thursday and of course its time for new parts already. Has anyone gotten any of the cnc parts that are available? Was curious about the weight difference. Also have a question concerning the rotor blades. Crashed into a fence on saturday due to a wind gust, but luckily pulled the power down before it hit. There is no visible damage to the blades, but got a slight vibration since then that caused the swash plate damage. I guess the question is, do i need new blades?

Thanks a bunch!

Nick

RE: axe cp thread
 

Just half to say i got mine last week and this chopper is great. It is much more stable than I thought, I had it in a pretty stable hover my second charge and had it up the hole time in a small room. About 2 years ago I had a century hb and paid alot more cash for it than the axe and this thing blows it away, never really flew it smashed it first flight. That was before i had real flight g3:D I think it would be pointless to buy any heli without sim time it helps so mush. Anyhow im so glad I got this thing, keep the pics and vids posted im dien to see this thing really fly [sm=what_smile.gif]

RE: axe cp thread
 

nzak you may have bent the feathering spindle or mainshaft. It doesn't take much. I managed to bend both without blade damage and it caused a nasty vibration.

RE: axe cp thread
 

got my parts this week,put my axe back together and shazammm vibration,so i adjusted the fly bar,and the vibration went away

RE: axe cp thread
 

Heliko, thanks for the info. This is my first heli, was used to the old days when helis were very expensive. Made it hard to get into heli flight. I love the new inexpensive helis, makes it easy to get in and hard to get out.:) Plenty of good info here, thanks to everyone who has contributed. I can see my new money pit.......it has rotors.[>:] Batteries, parts, new radio, gyros...what else. I have airplanes, nitro cars, all easy...helis are a serious challenge. If u can fly a heli, the rest are easy...

all in favor say "I" :D

RE: axe cp thread
 

"I"

:D

Hey there rc-jj, yes I have only seen the AXE on Realflight. According to AXE pilots, its pretty close to how the real model responds, which is good news!

I just got done replacing all the stock servos with HS-55 servos :D I had to remove and reinstall the AR6000 receiver to get all the wires neat again.

I then did a static test and it looked so good I decided for a full power test - while holding the model carefully in one hand!!!

I then used the other hand to check the left stick response - hmmm, not enough revs on liftoff...

I shut down and upped the throttle curve and tried again - NICE!!!

I then set the left stick at about 70% up and checked out the right stick. Hmmm, she needs slight control arm adjustments to correct a serious down elevator and right cyclic pull - but I was able to compensate with the stick and I believe I got her into a nice hover while secured in my hand.

Tomorrow I will do the final control arm tweaks and then see if the large Club house is available for some hopping and sliding runs :D If it feels right and I have the confidence I'll attempt a hover, but not until I am confident with the sliding and hopping... ;)

RE: axe cp thread
 

Can anyone tell me if the HS-55's faster? It would be nice to have confidence that the servos would definately never fail in midflight. My stockers have taken some abuse and not stripped. In the pursuit bulletproofing I would like to install the Himax's.

RE: axe cp thread
 

Yep I went and removed all the stock servos and installed HS-55. [:'(] I took my time and got all the wires neatly routed and secured.

The servos plugged right in and I used the original control arms. The swashplate now is a bit off from its flat and level position, but 3 turns down on the front clevis got it really close. It still needs slight adjustment on left and right.

I spun it up to full power while holding the model (carefully!) in one hand. This allowed me to finally nail down the throttle and pitch curves in my DX6. I believe its ready for some sliding and hopping tests in the clubhouse tonight :D

Although I can't say for absolutely and for sure, it does appear to these nOOB eyes that yes indeed these HS-55 servos are superior in response speed and strength.

RE: axe cp thread
 

This is definitly a noob question. I just look at the HS-55 and the stock servo on tower. They look pretty similar to me[sm=71_71.gif][sm=what_smile.gif].(But what do I know; I'm a noob.) and markind did you have to adjust the gyro or the radio.


__________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

"Flying a r/c heli is like carying a bowl filled to the top with boiling soup, any break in concantration will result in a spill."

RE: axe cp thread
 

I'm just about to find out!

When I'm done, I'll post the 'recipe' for programming the DX6 for use with the Axe.

I went through another couple dry runs and made final tweaks on the mechanicals. I then put the icing on the cake with Sub-Trims to get the control arms exactly level at zero collective.

I then put a few turns here and there on the control rods so the swashplate appears perfectly flat and level at Zero Collective, and the sticks are dead-centered.

Whew!

Yeah I have the stock servos here and they appear similar but I have heard several reports on other boards that say when you are hovering, then apply some cyclic, the slop in the servos causes a sudden loss of altitude that must be fought with more throttle but then you could go shooting up so... It sounded like something easy to avoid so I splurged...

I will probably splurge next on a GY401 but more research is needed.

For now, its off to the clubhouse for our first sliding and hopping exercises! :D

RE: axe cp thread
 

Success!!

Almost total and massive success!

I did actually accomplish a couple very short 1 - 2 second hovers at about a foot off the floor, but it was unsustainable.

Sliding around the floor was fun and controllable. Hopping had its problems, as with the hover.

What I learned on this run was that my rotor speed is too high. I did see the model liftoff at a little more than half up stick.

So I went into program mode and dropped the throttle a bit to 60% at half-stick. I also notched up collective to 65%. I kept the CCPM setting at 40% (CP2 = CP3 = CP6 = 40%). If I set this higher, it appears I have too much total collective throw for a nOOB to learn on, so this seems fine for now. Example: With this set to 60%, it appears that the swashplate has total free reign over its entire up/down travel range - full positive to full negative collective. You could strip a servo gear if you set this higher, I would think.

So after those tweaks, I tried again and it was only a little better. I still think the rotor may have too much spin for a Normal Flight Mode Hover.

Another minor issue: I was wanting maximum stability so I had added flybar weights (from a T-rex). I was fighting that flybar way too much! It was a good learning experience though. I still want to see what they can do, so instead of removing them I just adjusted them all the way in. Should be fun to see what they do there.

And the final minor issue - I was fighting the flybar because I was fighting - - Wind!! Wind?!?! From where? I was indoors!! Ahhh sooo... the air conditioning was on, and there was enough airflow in my test area to mess up my ground effect and cause signifigant drifting away from the test area. Arg!!! [:@]

In fact, if not for the flybar, I am pretty sure I could have held position, even in the hover! But, too risky with that stupid indoor breeze... sigh...

In any case, she did not exhibit any naughty behavior at all. No shooting off in random directions, and rock solid servo action. Good solid control throughout the whole exercise.

I am confident I can get into a stable hover after a few radio tweaks. Other than adjusting the flybar weights, I see nothing more to do with the mechanics. She runs smooth and *wants* to fly!

:D Woo hoo!! :D