Ok, I’m finally completing my carbon fiber outer shaft update.
Only two down sides to this is,
1. Making it.
2. Leveling the lower main assembly head and swashplate.
3. Shaft will get damaged from the lower assembly's locking screws.

The great things are,
1. Lighter, -3.15g’s
2. Stronger, Won’t bend
3. Faster/easier spin

Overall I would recommend it.

Here is a quick guide on making one.
1. Tap/Press the aluminum shaft out of the gear. (picture #2)
2. Tap/Press the aluminum shaft out of the locking collar. (picture #3) (picture #4 shows them seperated)
3. Measure and cut a .157” OD carbon fiber tube. Found at most local hobby stores.
4. CA/Super glue the CF rod into locking collar. Use small amount of glue so that it still can be broken out if needed to be replaced.
5. Before the glue dries install the gear and roll it on a flat surface with the gear hanging off the edge. Adjust the shaft so that there is no wobble as the gear and shaft rolls.
6. The let dry.

Installation.
1. No need to drill holes into the CF shaft.
2. Make sure that your swashplate is level with the blades
3. Tighten all 4 main lower assembly screws evenly.

That’s it Congratulations, you now have a carbon fiber shaft, enjoy.

I'm having problems posting pictures [:@]
Don't know why the pictures are getting posted huge size.
I'll post them again later tonight
Whats with the pictures ? [:@]

Ok, its fixed

I like the fact that the CF rod is lighter than stock steel and will not bend.

thanks for the detailed instructions with photos

i might try this one day.

Happy New Year to you and great flying in 2008 whatever heli that might be!!

how about manufacturing a few and selling them, I would buy one.

I'm in for a cf outer and titanium inner as well.

Rick

Rice--

Ya got a couple orders up......That should help fund your new Trex.....


-- Jeff

Not sure about selling them. I would have to charge at least $20 to just make/list/ship one. Then I would also have to make an installation manual and warrenty it[].
If someone is really incapable of making one, then i'll help them out.
This is my hobby and I don't intend on turning it into a job []. It will loose all the fun.

Hey eat,
I'm doing the same mod, but I found it easier & better to just leave the serrated bushing in the spur. I drilled a 4mm hole in an old 3/8" nylon cuttting board and slid the assembly shaft-side-down in the hole and rested it in an open vise (propped up boards will also do). The bushing will stay put (larger dia. than the shaft) and there is no stress on the fragile spur. I then used a slightly smaller than 4mm hardened rod and with a couple of hammer blows, the outer shaft popped out. It's a press fit and now I have two (I did two) perfect outer shafts to give away to whoever wants them. I then slid the .157" carbon tube through the bushing/spur and it's a perfect fit (needs a bit of epoxy to set) and there is no wobble of the gear teeth whatsoever.
Doing it this way will save a few steps and possibly deforming or breaking the spur, namely the thin legs from the center to the teeth ring. I also noticed in your pics that the bushing has a mold ring perpendicular to the serrations and seperating it from the spur hub could posssibly deform or split the hub. Maybe you had no problem, but it saved me some labor.

That's how I made mine last month. The whole project took about 8 minutes ready to put in heli. I knocked out a couple more tonight.

I just put the shaft loosely in a vice so that the whole plastic, aluminum assy. was flush at the top and only the steel shaft was held loosely, and used a 5/32" punch; took 3 light taps, and 'Violla!' Came out cleanly, leaving everything in place.

This will make certain that the new c.f. shaft will be true. (as true as the factory anyway).

Then, use thin C.A. at the top juncture and bottom, (it will wick in) and quickly getting rid of any excess so that the bearing and step washer will be good and flush.

Watch the depth at the bottom, be sure to allow for the bearing.

Gary

We are here to share!

If ANYONE, puts up the assy. on E-Bay for sale, I will put a listing right next to it for instructions on how to make Your own, charge 25 Cents, and e-mail them a link. I will pay sellers fees, I don't care.

Gary

ViperRR, Thanks for showing me some shotcuts. I'm still on my first CF rod and havn't need to make another. This posting was of my first attemp and needed to figure out how everything came apart, gotta learn the hard way[:@]. "knowing is half the battle"....G.I JOE!

Goldslinger, Better start monitoing e-bay.

Hey guys...Anyone else getting chipped teeth on the outer shaft gear? I'm not having lots of problems with it but it seems the carbon shaft thing is a lot of work for a gear that is substandard. If anyone knows how to get a stronger set of gears, this would be worth it. Am I correct in this assumption? My outer shafts are holding up better than the gears.
quattro

I'm having an interesting problem with the CF outer shaft mod. I had no trouble at all making it, your instructions worked perfectly. Rolled it on a table and the shaft was perfectly streight and the gear ran true. But when I installed it in the helicopter and tightened the lower head on it, the outer shaft would wobble. When I loosened the lower head screws the shaft went back to true. Has anyone else had trouble with the lower head bending the outer shaft when the four screws are tightened?

You shouldn't be breaking teeth all the time.

I've been flying mine around through dozens of packs over the past couple of months with no chipping problems. If Your mesh is too deep and bottoming out, it puts alot of side load on the teeth. If the mesh is very shallow (not likely) the pinions are working on just the tips of the teeth and they sheer easily.

The only time I see people chipping teeth is either the pinions (on the XTREMES) don't fully line up with the shaft gears and use the whole depth of the gear, or if You're extreme flying or try to get out of trouble by hitting the throttle, and hit something hard with alot of throttle going; that's the other thing.

You gotta learn how to 'crash'

When in trouble, cut the throttle before You hit something.

The CX-2 can take alot of downward drop without damage, but hitting something laterally is something else.

dlgnim, You need to evenly tighten and adjust the 4 screws on the lower head. If they are off it will wobble the shaft. You can just eye them to make sure the screws have the same thread length. If you need to adjust them then.

1. mark one side with a marker/paint/sharpie.
2. 1/4 turn in/out on the marked screws.
3. 1/4 turn the oppisite way on the oppisite screws.

Mine has a very slight wobble to it, I think it also might be that the CF tubes are slightly off.

It does amaze me how many of us come up with similar but different solutions to the same problems.

I too have been making /flying with carbon fibre shafts since November, I do leave the hub in the gear and CA on installing new shaft (bphobbies.com, 4mm OD X 3.65mm ID). I also had some problems with wobble/runout untill I started to drill locating holes for the lowerhead lockscrews top and bottom, does not seem to weaken shafts and runs much truer.

Am also running 2mm carbon rod for inner shafts (bphobbies also) much better quality then local hobby shops. Yes they do break if you crash hard...but they run true till then. It is unreal how much torsion effect you get when rotating upper blades till the gear starts to follow.

Have been useing 1.5mm carbon rod for the flybar, remove steel rod from stock flybar center section and CA in the carbon rod... now I wish had'nt thrown away all those bent ones.

I'm amazed on how many people are starting to do CF shafts . I think Goldslinger has also done a great job with extending his.
One day we should make better instructions on making the perfect CF shaft and see if soloboss can add it to his guide.

can you give the measurements for the proper hight of the blade spindle
and how tight is to tight for the screws

Bommer76, I'm not sure what your asking. Give me a little more detail about what measurments you need. The length of the CF shaft should be 101mm long, 96mm long from top of the gear, and 108mm total with the gear. You can do what Goldslinger did and extend the shaft by 5mm but you need to also extend your inner shaft with it.
As for the screws, well its hard to tell you how tight is tight. Screw them in so that they dig themselves into the CF. They don't need to be all the way in, they just get a sercured hold.

How'd you remove the steel rod? I'd love to figure that out instead of buying the Xtreme aluminum center hub...

Yes please let us know

How's everyone's CF outer shaft mod holding up? I'd like to attempt.

anyone still there about this?

I've attempted to make one however I broke the gear off the original outer Eflight shaft trying to seperate the two. Any good methods of doing this?

From ViperRR

Just wanted to bump this up to the top