mydartswinger

Hello all,
I've been hovering around with mini and micro electric helis (E-Flite Blade CX/CX2 [yes, I've had both], Blade CP Pro, Blade 400, Venom Night Ranger II[AKA Walkera #4], and Heli-Max AXE CP), as well as plenty of simulator flying for nearly 2 years (1 year was mostly simulator time, and about the last 6 months have been getting into planes). I've had a lot of downtime due to waiting for parts on the smaller helis, but have been doing better since getting the Blade 400. After watching a local pilot fly his TT Raptor 90 and speaking with him, I've decided that it's time to get more serious about helis and step up into a larger bird. I feel I should do this because a larger heli would be more stable and more productive in my heli learning experience.

One of my flying buddies/club instructor (fixed wing) attempted to get into helis by purchasing a Hirobo Shuttle Z? (don't know the specific model, but he has the manual and just has to find it. He thinks it's a Shuttle ZXX) from here on RCU. Around here, there's not much help in setting up helis (I do have some help at my local field in the form of the Raptor pilot), so this particular bird had too much negative pitch in normal flight mode. When he brought the heli down and pulled the collective back, it pushed the blades down causing a boom strike and a funky chicken dance. He's going to sell me this heli for $100 with an OS .32 SX-H engine, pipe, all Futaba servos, an older looking radio/Rx, training gear, and a few spare parts. He's done the research on what it will take to fix it, and he figures about $100 to repair it (obvious pieces are tail boom, tail belt, blades, tail rotor housing, and flybar). I know a few parts that I might want to check/replace for good measure (from my experience with mini/micro helis) would be the feathering and main shafts, as well as linkages, grips, and servo gears. My plans for this heli are to repair the damaged pieces and upgrade to a Spektrum DX7 (I have the radio, just need to get an Rx). I know that Hirobo makes a good product, so I feel that the price is fair for the motor if nothing else.

Is there anything else I should look out for? Setup tips? Is the horizontal fin needed since the current fin has about 1/4 of it broken off (the parts bin has an extra set of fins, but they're different than the ones mounted)? Any general info?

All responses are greatly appreciated. I'll post some pics tomorrow after I pick her up.

Happy flying.

Ots

It looks like you have the repair under control and know what to look for with respect to potentially damaged parts from the crash. The horizontal fin is not an essential part, especially at this point. I think what would be really important now would be to become really good at proper set-up. It's hard to fly a helicopter if it's not set up properly. Properly set up helis are fun to fly and easier. So, at the field or on the internet log onto some tuning tip pages - they don't have to be about the Shuttle. If you're serious about flying you'll want to fly in stunt all of the time and having things 'all squared up and level' at mid-stick is important to learn. If you can, hire an 'expert' for set-up guidance. It's well worth it.

mydartswinger

I'm somewhat familiar with setup from my Blade 400. I've balanced the blades, tracked the blades, and set up pitch curves on it. As mentioned before, I will have some help at the field (primarily an airplane field) in the form of a Raptor 90 pilot. The only reason I was mentioning the horizontal fin was because I like the paint scheme on it (matches the canopy) and it's shape vs. the solid white, flat spares that I have with it. I was, however, able to get the broken piece of the fin where it could be glued back in place for looks (I know, looks aren't important to the flying, but it is nice to have a good looking heli).

As promised, below are the pictures of the $100 deal. The guy I got it from, who I've been flying airplanes with for the last 5 months, says he has the manual, but is unsure of where it is at and will get it to me when he finds it. He also is pretty sure that it's a Shuttle ZXX. If anyone would be able to tell me their opinion based on the photos, it would be greatly appreciated.

Deal Contents


Helicopter Only


Frame


Piezo Gyro


Throttle/Swash Servos


Swash/Tail Servos


Head Close Up

mydartswinger

I went to the hobby shop this afternoon and brought the Shuttle with me. We went through a manual that they have and verified that it is, in fact, a Shuttle ZXX. They only had a couple of the parts that it needs in stock (belt and tail gear housing), but they are going to order the others as soon as they can get a $100 plus order together to order from Hirobo. As luck would have it, they had a Shuttle manual for sale. It was only 1 of 2 manuals that they had for sale. Me and this heli must've been meant to be. Despite the fact that the previous owner has one and will give it to me as soon as he finds it, I went ahead and picked one up so I can work on the heli until he finds it. Plus, it never hurts to have 2 manuals.

mydartswinger

A quick update on my new bird. I was able to easily replace the feathering shaft and main shaft, as well as a couple of links. Just waiting on the rest of the parts to get her completely together. I also put a newer battery pack in her, installed a Spektrum AR7000 Rx, and routed all the servo, gyro, voltwatch, and battery wires. Both the battery and Rx are resting on foam and are secured using zip ties. I also did a quick cleaning with an automotive detail brush. Once I got that done, I figured I could go ahead and start setting up the swash mixing on my DX7. Unfortunately, I'm running into some issues with that.

Whenever I get the swash level and everything going in the right direction, I would loose a bunch of travel. When I went to adjust the travel, I would loose the level of the swash. Then I would go back to getting the swash level, and then it was back to square one where I was loosing travel. I was able to get the swash mixing set up on my Blade 400, but this one is being a pain in my butt.

The remote gain for the gyro was easy to get usable, I'll just have to adjust it when I get the bird fired up and in the air. I know to do that I'll have to take off, see what the tail is doing, then set her down, adjust the gain, and take off again. It'll be a long process if it's a good ways off, but the results should be well worth the time. Of course, that'll come after setting the throttle/pitch curves, blade tracking, and dual rates. I'll determine if expo is needed once I can get her in the air.

On to my questions. Does anyone have any idea as to a decent starting point for the swash mix/servo reversing for this heli on the DX7? Any improvements that I should make to her for initial hovering/level flight practice? Any improvements that will need to be made when I start advancing into aerobatics/inverted flight? 3D if I choose to use this heli to advance that far? Or are there mods that should be done that would result in overall improvements for all of the above?

I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I know she's an old bird and I want to make sure that I have all my ducks in a row before that first hover with her. Thanks again and happy flying.

glydrjocky

Hello DartSwinger,

Sounds like you are on your way. You should be using 1 servo: non CCPM standard heli mixing on your DX-7 per the manual. You have a mechanical mixing helicopter so make sure your not in the CCPM modes or you'll have major headaches till you change that.

The trick to a good flying Shuttle is to make the control system as tight as possible. I started with worn out JR 501 servos and now have some JR537 ball bearing servos in my ZX. My Shuttle Plus is using Hitec 625MG servos which are very slop free. Both helis are running the JR810G high speed tail servo, a must in my opinion.

I was looking over the pics of your servo install and am a bit concerned about the aileron servo horn. My ZX uses a wheel and is only slightly offset (one hole foreward of center) in comparison to the offset in your futaba aileron wheel. Your setup is far more radical than what the manual shows. My Plus manual uses the aileron connections straight across from eachother per the manual. I think your aileron wheel may be adding to your setup confusion. I also see that your washout block guide pin is twisted on the main shaft. The pin should be in line with the small vertical cuts where the upper aluminum hub attaches to the main shaft.

Make sure you have replaced your tail rotor shaft and pulley after that crash!!!!!!!! They bend like Butta! Shuttles turn a pretty quick tail speed and any vibration will cause bearing wear, broken boom supports, and gyro issues........(ask me how I know this) I am using the Quick UK aluminum pulley and hardened shaft. The same goes for the feathering shaft and the main shaft. The stock ones can bend easily. I'm using Quick UK parts here too.

Dont underestimate the abilities of your Shuttle. They can loop, roll and fly inverted with the proper setup. Once again, I have my Shuttle Plus set up with an all aluminum Quick UK head, and mixing arms. much more clearance on the linkages at extreme deflections!!!! If you look up Shuttle 3D on youtube there is a guy burning up the sky with his ZXX, its worth a look.

The link .......... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yMUx83g6Lo

Otherwise, I set mine up with -4 0 +10 -4 0 +10 idle 1 and -10 0 +10 in idle2 I use all zero pitch in the middle as I dont like things to change when I flip from one to the other. Make sure your using thrust bearings in the head instead of the stock spacer between the blade grip bearings. Makes for far smoother transitions of cyclic and collective. I have them in all my birds!

The stock paddles with the vinyl tape on them truly blow because the tape comes loose with utter regularity. I put the Vblade 80mm carbon fiber paddles on and have had not issues since. I have Funkey fiberglass silver blades on the ZX and the Mavrikk G5 ultra rigid 550mm on my Plus. They both work well but the nod goes to the Mavrikks!!!!!

While the .32 is no OS .37 it will hold its own and seems to like a head speed of around 1700-1800. I tossed my Hirobo Cox .049 muffler for a Century Torpedo muffler and must say it not only looks better but is quieter and makes nice smooooooth power! I've also used some throttle cyclic mixing for better response from the .32 in my ZX. Made that bird come alive once I did that!

Otherwise, check the fuel system, gass her up and fly it like you stole it!!!!![>:]

T

mydartswinger

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Where where you a couple of days ago when I first posted this? J/K. Really, thank you for your advice. I was told that this heli was CCPM (SWM), and was attempting to set her up as a 3 servo 90 degree swash on CCPM. As soon as I read your post, I pulled out my DX7 manual and looked up the settings. I set it up on 1 servo normal (mechanical mixing), and re-arranged my servo leads on the RX. She works like a dream now (at least the results I was expecting using the 3 servo 90 degree setting). As for the servos, I'll probably upgrade them in a month or 2 as I get better and need better response, or these get tired. Not looking for high end, just cheap (by the time I can start her up, I probably won't have more than $250-$300 into her at the high end, plus electronics that I already had laying around [Rx, newer Rx Battery, DX7 from my other helis and planes]) and safely and enjoyably flyable for the moment.

As far as the servo horn, that is how it was flown from the previous owner. He did manage to fly it a little before he set her down and caused a boom strike, which is where the current damage is from. If I'm reading my manual correctly, my links should be 1 more hole out on the center servo (it shows 11mm at 90 degrees, with what looks like about 11mm between the 2 11mm points from the rods. This heli has 11mm with no spacing between the 2 points). If that is an issue, shouldn't that be something that can be taken care of with some expo? Not trying to be lazy, just curious. If it would be better set a bit different, please recommend where it should be (I'm a total noob at setting up a nitro heli, and I never had to set my linkages on my minis/micros, as they were all RTF).

I'll definitely make sure to check the tail rotor shaft and pulley. As far as upgrading them, I'll stick with stock for the moment, as I want to go relatively cheap to get her in the air. I'll most likely upgrade the next time they need replacing (somethings gotta give, right? LOL).

Definitely not underestimating the capabilities of this heli. I'm just saying that eventually I'll most likely want the better power/weight ratio of a .50 or .90 size heli to get that extra "pop" for more demanding 3D later down the line (waay later). The vid, if it's the one in Japan where he's flying the black and blue ZXX, I've seen it, rated it, and favorited it. Awesome vid.

Pitch range sounds like a great one, I'll set that up as soon as I get the blades on it, and my pitch gauge back (the guy I bought this from borrowed it to set up his Blade 400. No big deal, I see him every weekend, and go to his house often.). Speaking of blades, I too, plan on going with fiberglass at the suggestion of our field's Raptor .90 pilot. He said they fly better than the woods, and aren't much more expensive. I'll wait on the Mavrikks until I'm ready for aerobatics. I don't really want to shell out the extra cash on something that I know WILL be broken before I make it through the learning curve (it's been a long one, believe me).

Vblade 80mm paddles, huh? Sounds like a first upgrade to me. Again, going back to getting in the air cheaply (i.e. no real "upgrades" yet [CF, Aluminum, hardened this, hardened that, etc...]), without skipping over necessary repair parts that could be overlooked (i.e. the tail pulley and shaft that you brought to my attention)

I'll definitely look into getting thrust bearings. My Blade 400 has them, and she flies pretty nice for a cheap RTF 400 size.

Thank you again for taking the time out to help this poor nitro noob. Your time and advice will and has not gone to waste.

EDIT: I've already gotten the washout block guide pin straightened out. It looked like the washout block was traveling enough to pull it out of the guide slot. I'll probably go to the LHS tomorrow to pick up everything but the tail boom (out of stock and won't be in until the middle of next week. [:@]). I'll also pick up some fuel to crank her up as soon as the boom comes in and I install it (after checking for proper pitch curves, probably replacing the glow plug since it's been sitting for about 6 months or so, checking that everything is going the right direction still, and that my remote gain adjustment is active of course). Then time to check head tracking, trim centering, take her out to the field, install the training gear (until I get a feel for her), fuel her up, and take her up for her first flight in my hands.

EDIT #2: I may also go ahead and run her for a tank or 2 without hovering to make sure that the engine is still OK and not gummed up after sitting for so long.

glydrjocky

Wow MDS!

I must be getting better at my read between the lines trouble shooting. Either that or 20+ years as an aircraft mechanic has paid off? In any event, I'm glad your on track. There is an SWM conversion available for the Shuttle so the previous owner wasnt completely off on that point.

As for the servo wheel, and actually it looks like a cut down star wheel and that is going to move the two ball links too far ahead of the center line of the pivot. The reason for the off set in the manual is that the aileron links swing outward from centerline to link up with the aileron bell cranks. The offset of one hole forward brings the linkage closer to perfect 90 degree geometry, however, the Shuttle Plus book just tells you to connect the links straight across from eachother. I did both of mine straight across and it works fine. When I moved the links forward on the servo wheel I noted some elevator interaction at the swash plate at full aileron stick movement. Notice in the picture on the left, the holes in the servo wheel just ahead of where the ball links are mounted is as far forward as you would want to be.

I found the quickest way to check for a bent tail pulley is to gently chuck one end in a drill and spin it slowly. if it wobbles its bent! Its hard to tell if its bent in the tail housing because sometimes the bend hides near the pulley and you see the pulley wobble a bit but dont notice the bend until youve got this vibration going on that you cant find and your boom supports start falling off in flight.......kinda scary I must say!

I'll send along a few pics of my servo setup. I think you should put a servo wheel on there for better geometry or at least another star wheel but use the opposing arms instead. I'm still not sold on the previous owners setup. Oh and you should have a bit longer arm on your pitch servo. I know it gets close to the rudder servo up top but it makes getting your pitch range a bit easier.

Watch the stock anti rotation pin, its a bit short for radical negative movements. I put an aluminum single pin on my ZX, but I havent seen them sold anymore. The Plus has the double pin Quick UK set up. It will work for now but be careful you dont disengage from the washout block.

Otherwise, sounds like your in good shape. 20-30% nitro should have your .32 singing a sweet song. An OS #8 or Enya #3 plug will work fine too. You can get away with 15% nitro but an A3 plug is better for that. Do you have your OS engine manual? You'll need the proper needle settings but I'm not sure off hand what the starting point is.

Happy to hear your on your way! Hirobo is selling Sceadu Evo 50's for $249, might wanna park one under the tree for next years upgrade!

Tony

glydrjocky

Took some liberties with your photo but wanted to illustrate what I think is incorrect about your aileron servo arm. I have my set up on what is depicted by the green line and notice how your arms are more in a V pattern when referenced to the center screw (red line) The Shuttle plus says to use the green line setup. My ZX manual says to use a servo wheel and drill holes slightly forward of the green line but not as far forward as your futaba arms are.

mydartswinger

Thank you for the images of proper servo setup. I can now see exactly what you're talking about. When I go to the LHS this evening, I'll pick up some Futaba horns (all I have are JR horns) and get it squared away.

For fuel, I was planning on running pink Cool Power 30%. Glow plug will probably be an OS A5, which is what I use in my airplane motors (ranging from .55 to .91 in size, all 2-strokes).

Unfortunately, I don't have the engine manual, but I should be able to download it from OS's website.

Sounds like a sweet deal on the Sceadu, but for now, it'll have to wait. It costs me a bit much to keep 5 airplanes flying, plus 2 helicopters (now 3 with the Shuttle), and 2 cars too be looking to buy too far up at the moment. A Sceadu EVO 50 is a bird that has been on my list of wanted helis for a while, and if I like this Shuttle, I'll probably wind up with an EVO by this time next year (maybe sooner depending on other factors).

Thanks again for all the valuable input.

glydrjocky

I havent run the A5 personally but I would consider that to be on the Cold side for an OS .32 heli engine. I'd rather err on the side of hot than have your first nitro flame out early in your nitro career. My .32 was running awesome with 30% Cool Power and the OS #8 , which is a step hotter than your A5. I switched to the A3, a step hotter than the #8 when I was running 15% CP but didnt like the touchy tuning of the lower nitro so I went back up to 20% nitro but being lazy at the moment I just opened up my needles but left the A3 in place. Honestly it was running so well on the A3 I have no intention of changing it. The Enya #3 is also a fantastic choice if you find one during your travels.

Be cautioins with the A5 though, I have no experience with it but havent heard anyone recommend it for the .32 either.

Tony

mydartswinger

Thank you again for saving me a lot of frustration. OS #8s are readily available here, so I'll go down to the LHS tomorrow and pick up a couple, maybe even see if the other LHS has the boom in stock, or if he can strip the one off the used Shuttle he has in stock. Speaking of the LHS, I went there this evening to pick up my parts (except for the tail boom). I've already got the flybar w/paddles level and parallel to each other and stabilizer assembly installed. I also picked up the tail rotor shaft/pulley assembly for good measure. My primary LHS doesn't have a direct line on fiberglass blades, so I just went with a set of TT Raptor 550mm woodies. I didn't realize the extra work required on the larger blades to install them, as the Blade series main blades come with the blade "grips" pre-installed on the blade. A little extra work, but no big deal, I'm used to that type of work on my airplanes (epoxy and covering cutting), I guess the Blade series spoiled me. Not to mention that I picked up the servo disc that you recommended. I'll be installing that while the epoxy dries on the blades.

I also picked up my fuel. A gallon of Cool Power 30% pink for $32.95, OUCH [sm=angry_smile.gif]. Again, I'm used to 15% airplane fuel for about $23 - $25 a gallon.

Anyway, I'm off to get back to wrenching on her.

Thanks again.

glydrjocky

Here is some basic OS .32 needle settings I copied off a post I put on Run Ryder some time ago. Depends on the carb you have on your .32 The carb type is cast or stamped into the carb housng and should be visible from the front of the carb. The 3H has a smaller venturi than the 20C newer style.



There are a number of differnet carbs that came on the OS .32's and the settings vary from one to the other. I have found that the idle needle is critical to the hover temps and is quite responsive to small movements.

These settings come from my OS manuals

Main needle 2 1/2 turns ( 2 turns with muffler pressure) (1 1/2 for the 20C carb)
Idle screw
Type 2H carb 1 1/2 turns out from seated with rotor fully closed
Type 3H carb 2 1/2 " " (I have this carb, leaned to about 2 turns)
Type 20C carb requires looking down the carb bore and aligning the shoulder of the mixture screw with the edge of the inner throttle bore.


Now that I have fully overloaded you with info, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

T

mydartswinger

All info is greatly appreciated, as it makes my setup time less frustrating, and my flying time more enjoyable. I'm not much of a carpenter as is needed on airplanes, but I'm more of a wrench turner, as is needed on helis. I enjoy this kind of repair, setup, and maintenance. It's just the cost of repair that gets me every time. OUCH!!! [:@] This little adventure has cost me about $150, including my first gallon of fuel for her, so about $120 for parts and a new battery (I pulled the old 1500 out before ever flipping the switch on her, replaced it with a JR Sport 700 from one of my airplanes for initial setup, and replaced it this evening with a JR Sport 1500 which will stay with her through her first flights). Like I said before, the only thing missing now is the tail boom. I should also probably go ahead and go over every screw and nut to make sure they're tight, and all metal to metal is thread locked. Again, more setup and inspection = few or no surprises and less frustration during flight. She's on the shelf for tonight though, as it's already after midnight here. I'll probably go ahead and put her on the charger before I hit the hay, just in case I need to turn her on tomorrow.

glydrjocky

Sounds good.

Remember dont skimp on battery power with your Spektrum receiver as you are now driving five servos and a gyro to boot. I'm running Mpi 2500 (ZX) and 2700 (Shuttle Plus) mah 4.8volt packs with my FM PCM JR receivers. I believe the threshhold your receiver dropping offline and going into the dreaded brownout reboot is in the 3volt range. I opted for the 6volt pack at 2300mah in my Sceadu's AR7000 with a volt drop regulator to the tail servo as most all of them are rated for only 4.8 volts.

Dont want you to lose it now that youve done all that work to bring her back!

T

mydartswinger

Just pulled the motor out to change the plug. Put an OS #8 in it. I have no clue as to what was in it before, it had no markings and had some kind of coil protector (similar to the prong on a car's spark plug that you bend to adjust the gap, except that this went from one side of the plug to the other). Gave the engine a basic inspection. Compression is still good, it isn't gummed up, no apparent varnish in the cylinder or on the piston, the carb is not stuck or slow moving, the mixture needle is tight (so tight that this is the only part of the entire engine that has me concerned of it having some gunk in it gumming it up), but not so tight that it cannot be adjusted, and the clutch seems to be in good shape. I also found out the carb that it has on it. It's a 20C carb. I'll have to reset the needle to 1 1/2 turns out once I get the engine re-installed. As long as the tail boom comes in this week, I'll be looking forward to flying her next weekend.

Happy flying.

glydrjocky

I'm guessing your glow plug was a Fox R/C Standard Idle bar plug. That was the plug of choice for my OS .40 FSR back in the 80's. That metal bar is supposed to help keep the incoming fuel mixture charge from snuffing out the glow plug at low power/idle rpms. On my return to the hobby after 20 years away I found the newer plugs like the OS #8 work just fine without the idle bar. Not sure what changes they made but it seems to have worked. I've been very impressed with the idle quality of all the newer plugs I have used.

Getting the plug out can be a bear. I have a Husky brand thin ratcheting screw driver from Home Depot that comes with a square socket drive and 5 screw driver tips. Using a 6 point socket and the square adapter I can get in to change the plug without pulling the engine. It was well worth the investment, although most Heli suppliers sell specialized glow plug wrenches for just this purpose.

Good to hear you have the 20C carb. Thats good for a smige more power than the carb and engine I have. Should add a bit more top end umph to the system. I think mine was rated at 1.05 hp and the 20C at 1.15 hp so be careful when you unleash that extra .10 hp!!!!

Had some awesome flights on my Shuttle Plus today! Hang in there, your almost finsihed!

mydartswinger

Really, my LHS told me that there was no glow plug wrench for getting in at that angle. I went to Lowe's and bought a 5/16 Gearwrench, hoping that it would get the job done. Unfortunately, it did not. The cooling fins got in the way. The glow plug was the main reason I took the motor out (not really hard, just a bit more of a hassle than I'd like to change glow plugs), and while I was at it, I checked the rest and added a needle extension to make it easier to tune while mounted in the frame (just a piece of linkage rod cut into about an inch to an inch and a half in an "L" shape, screwed into the center of the needle using the set screw on the side of it. I do this with my planes that have their needle recessed in the cowling).

Whoo hoo!!! That extra .10 HP will make me a better 3D pilot in no time. J/K. Seriously though, it's good to know that there is a little extra power for a little extra "get out of trouble" "pop" (depending on the situation, as I know sometimes, that "pop" could get me into more trouble than I would already be in). IE, inverted hover, "OOPS, I'm loosing it. I think I'll add a little positive collective. OMG, it's falling faster!!! Oh, no, negative pitch, negative pitch!!! DOH[:@] !!! Too late. Why did I do that? I'll just say it was the wind (how many times have you heard that one?). That looks expensive. My wife's gonna kill me when she sees the repair bill for this one." Sorry, let my imagination run wild on that one.

I'm hanging on, but only by a thread. The desire to fly this heli is killing me waiting on my tail boom. As a matter of fact, to kind of push me along, I pulled out my copy of the 2006 XFC heli competition and watched it while eating dinner. Watching guys like Alan Szabo Jr., Scott Gray, Matt Botos, Marcus Kim, etc... do their thing on the sticks gets me excited and wanting to fly more. I even went as far as to watch Curtis Youngblood flying is JR Vibe 90 in the FAI F3C Schedule A hovering maneuvers on YouTube. It wasn't as exciting to watch as the 3D flying, but it was inspiring how well he controls his heli with such precision. That's what F3C competition/flying is for (at least what I gather from it anyway). I think I need to scratch this itch with a bit of sim time. I know it won't cure the itch, but it will put some Calomine lotion on it and sooth it a bit.

Happy flying.

glydrjocky

Whoa now, eaaaasy big fella, yer gett'n a bit over excited, we may have to try and talk you down..........

I've enclosed photos of the Husky Home Depot wrench. You put in the square drive adapter and you can use it as a shallow socket wrench. With a standard 1/4 drive craftsman socket it fits right in and pops the plug loose without any issues. Flip the reverse lever and you snug up the new plug lickety split!

mydartswinger

Just havin' a bit of fun there, sorry. Besides, this week, I've been to wore out to be excited (long days all week long). I'm sure getting that tail boom will kick my excitement back up a notch. But then again, just typing this reply is re-invigorating me a bit .

That wrench looks like it's definitely worth looking into. I'll have to go check it out this weekend.

Now if my LHS only has my tailboom, I'll be just about in business. Which brings me to another question. My ZXX has the shaft starter system (vs. belt start as the manual shows on the Z and ZX models). After putting the tail belt on the drive pulley and re-installing the motor after changing the glow plug, I can't seem to get the darn hex starter adapter (not sure what it's actually called) to keep from spinning on the shaft after a few turns. The manual states NOT to use Locktite on the set screw. I'm unsure of what to do. I was thinking about removing the shaft and grinding a flat spot in it, but I don't know if that would affect anything else, or even help my problem at all.

Thank you again for your patience and assistance. You have been an excellent resource of information. It's members like you that make RCU such an excellent site.

Happy flying.

glydrjocky

Dart DUDE!!!! THERE IS A FLAT SPOT IN THE STARTER SHAFT ALREADY!!!!!!!!! (not yelling, just making a point) You might have let the shaft drop down into the clutch and your not engaged on the flat spot!!!! I have not had any slippage on mine and I know I hit the flat spot when I put it together. you should have about .5mm play up and down when the start coupling is tighented on the flat spot. You may have to pull the shaft up and use something thin to press against the side of it so it doesnt slip down while you slip the drive coupling over the shaft.

mydartswinger

OK, thanks again. I just never saw the flat spot on it. I figured that there should be one, just didn't see it. I'll get it taken care of.

Later.

glydrjocky

[sm=drowning.gif] Hang in there, keep your nose above water, we've almost got you airborne! Its within your grasp![sm=punching.gif] Keep fighting, just a few more steps and one tail boom away from that sweet smell of nitro exhaust..............

Hovering directly upwind smells wonderful until the oil gets in your eyes, you tear up [sm=cry_smile.gif]and then have trouble seeing your Heli....

glydrjocky

MDS,

Not sure if you used a starter when the drive coupler spun but make sure it didnt score the start shaft with the allen screw. This morning I remembered a Shuttle top start that someone was selling on Ebay because they didnt know how ot replace the snapped off starter shaft. It broke off right above the upper bearing. When I built my Plus I upgraded the start system to the one with the dual bearing block that sits above the pinion. The block holds the upper drive pinion with one bearing and holds the upper start shaft with the other bearing. This system also has a longer start shaft due to the thicker bearing block. I've heard that the start shaft can make a rattling noise but with the extra support bearing up top mine has been extremely quiet and I've been totally pleased with it. Yours may have the original one with the single bearing. It was a bit of a pricey upgrade I thought at the time but its been worth it so far.

T

mydartswinger

I'll have to take a look to see which version I have. I think it's the 2 bearing version. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to do that this evening. My Blade 400 had a bit of an incident today at the field that needs my attention tonight, in addition to a wing on one of my planes (I'm just taking a quick break from repairing the 400 now). When I got to the field today, I thought the battery on the 400 was charged (my first mistake, I should have at least put it on the charger to verify), but about a minute into trimming it (when setting up the Shuttle on my DX7, I accidentally erased the programming for the 400 [:@]) it lost power, telling me that the battery wasn't charged as I had thought (no crash or damage from this. On that first flight, the tail wanted to pirouette hard to the left, so I tried to counter it with trim. It worked somewhat for this flight since the battery wasn't charged fully. After charging the battery, I took off again. This time, she pirouetted fast to the left. So fast, in fact, that I had no time to counter it, or at least attempt to counter it. She tipped on me, hit the ground, and for a brief moment she started doing the "funky chicken" [:@]. Post crash investigation revealed a slipping tail belt. The tail boom was slightly bent, but not severe enough to cause the belt to slip that much. A $50 lesson learned. Lesson: Always check belt tension before flight. Parts that needed replacing: Tail boom, flybar, main shaft, feathering shaft, blades, servo gears on 1 swash servo, and main blade grips. Luckily, this lesson was not learned on the Shuttle. That would've cost me another $100 in parts vs. $50 on the Blade 400. All that's left to do on her is to re-route the wires (I had to cut my zip ties to remove the servo for repair), replace the main shaft, replace the flybar, install the blades, do a check and re-check of all screws, re-check the belt tension (back to today's lesson learned, and I already checked and re-checked the belt for improper wear, missing teeth, etc... while the tail boom was off), install the battery, track the blades, set up the pitch curve, and charge the battery for the first flight tomorrow. After all of that, I still have to repair the wing on my favorite plane (a Carl Goldberg Decathlon with an OS .91 FX ) so I can fly her tomorrow [&o].

Anyway, better get back to fixin' my birds.

Happy flying.