xl1088

My Feedback: (6)

I could really use some help here. I have much heli experience and have never had this happen before. I am setting up a new trex.

It is an early 450x with the grey plastic parts. I have no tight screws or obvious binding of any parts. The "drag" or friction of all the ball links from the swashplate up through the head is really loading the servos and is unnecassarily tight. In fact, the for-aft servo(HS56) actually stalls while cycling the levers. Any hints for "sizing" the ball links???? Special lube?? I got all this new cool stuff on my bench, and I am just dying to get it all built up and do 3d in my living room!! THANKS!

Gorgok

Simplest way to make ball links a little more free:

With the ball link in place, take a pair of pliers and gently squeeze the plastic around the ball. Just a little. Then test how free it is. Don't make it too loose... Repeat as necessary. Its better to do it slowly and have to repeat it than to do too much and have to replace it =D.

Or you can get a ball link sizing tool... but why spend money when the above works fine.

credence

My Feedback: (2)

The plier trick does it. Use flat head pliers if you got them though. It's easy for the ball link to slip with needlenose pliers and you can destroy them.

N11634

Why not do it right and purchase a ball-link resizing tool for $7.00? Unless you like to worry about squeezing those links a little too much and possibly having one come off during flight or marring the balls themselves so they don't rotate freely. I hope you never use that trick on a 50 size machine or bigger and possibly kill someone when it goes out of control...

sportygreg

My Feedback: (2)

You could try some graphite lube-it's amazing how graphite reduces friction and never gets sticky!

Gorgok

If you can squeeze the plastic link ends so hard that you marr the actual hardened steel balls... you are doing something wrong. (And most likely the balls are made of cheap soft plastic, softer than the link, or you discovered some miraculously strong plastic links.) If you make it so loose that i comes off you are also doing something wrong. (Just like cutting things, its better to cut too little and repeat the process than try to the goal in one shot, and overshoot.)

All it takes is a gentle hold, not a power squeeze. Truely the best way to make ball links loose would be to let the balls make the links loose by themselves. Unless your tool is perfectly the same as every single one of your balls, it will not make them all right, squeezing the links makes that link match that particular ball.

As always though, if anything on the heli is too loose to fly, fix it before you fly. Links get loose over time as well, you should always check them before taking off, dangerously loose ones need to be replaced.

N11634

ORIGINAL: Gorgok

THESE BEGINNERS DON"T ALWAYS KNOW NOT TO SQUEEZE THAT HARD! Most of the little electric helis out there have aluminum ball links, not hardened steel like the larger ones.

AND Don't try to get technical with holding the resizing tool. It's round like your ball links, holding it at any angle is the same, I personally work them all the way around to make sure.

That's the sad part about these forums. Beginners come on here to learn the right way to do things and get advice like this. With the electrics, I guess I don't care. You guys just wreck all of the parts you want. It's not going to do any more than maybe give someone stitches. Someday the same beginner who got this advice is going to move to a 50 size machine or bigger...Not realizing how dangerous the larger machines are and do the same thing with the ball links that you "experts" told him instead of doing it right. Lots of kids like to watch helis fly, along with all of the people at his flying field. I hope it never goes out of control because of a ball-link...
If you're not going to do it right, don't do any flying around my field.
Good Luck everyone.

DebianDog

This what I do with my BIG helis to micros. Cost? 1 ball, a long bolt, and a nut.

Take a long bolt and run it through a ball. Put a drop of lock-tite on it and secure it with the nut. Now take a pair of pliers and squeeze the ball hard enough to put teeth marks in it but not change it from being "spherical". (i.e. Don't crush it) Do this all the way around it so you have a nice rough ball.

Take your new "tool" and put it in your dremmel or cordless drill. Snap a connector on the and run it backwards and forwards for a few seconds moving it a round a bit. You will quickly create and inter race or track in the inside of the ball link connector. The connectors will snap on so nice and loose they feel like they will fall off. BUT THEY WON'T.

You're Welcome

I have a ball link sizing tool I will use in a pinch but prefer this method.

N11634

Congratulations...You found another wrong way to do it.

DebianDog

WHY? I do it on the (4) helicopter I fly

VinceHerman

I use a similar home made link sizing tool.
Bolt through the ball, nut to hold the ball tight. I used an Xacto blade to run a score from top to bottom of the ball.
I drilled a hole in the end of a dowel, screwed the rest of the bolt into this, and wrapped the end of the dowel with some wire to keep it form splitting.
I put in in the tight link, turn the dowel while moving the link to different orientations, and then pop the link back onto it's original ball and check the results. Repeat as necessary.

Gorgok

I guess if you really have a problem with the way i suggested you should send a letter to RC Heli magazine to get rid of their build tips article (pages 30-32; issue 2). Maybe also contact Jason Krause as he is the one that suggests using it rather than a ball link tool. Jason Krause being, according to the magazine, the XFC and 3D Masters champion.

Hell, if its a big deal, start a campaign for all heli manufacturers to convert to captured balls instead of the standard balls helis have now; things happen and all ball links can pop off. A captured link, on the other hand, will never pop off.

tanasit

I am a bit surprised here when no one mentioned the soldering iron technique!
Touch the metal ball with the tip of the soldering iron and slowly move the plastic link until it starts to free up, remove the soldering iron and wait until things cool down. Check the fit and repeat if needed. Don't over do it!!!

jh4db536

My Feedback: (2)

im surprised no one has asked the fundamental question regarding ball links on a trex.

is the "A" facing the correct way (outside)??? ball links only go on ONE way...there's a frontside and a backside.

anyhow i am under the impression that the newer XL links (black) are better. maybe you want to give those a try. it cant cost over $3 for a bag

DebianDog

New links on ANY helicopter will be too tight (black or Grey). You want them loose enough to move very freely but not "pop off" If you can do that then your good.