HElIF00L

What's the flying and charging time for a 3.7v LiPo battery and a 7.4v LiPo?
THx

flyachopper1

Hello all,
Been off flitting around with railroad "wigs" making a little money. Will be taking them up into Utah tomorrow and will be out of town for two days.

AAARRRGGGGHHHH-I am getting very frustrated with shippers. First I get the shirt I sent to JD back marked undeliverable by the US Postal service. The package looked like it had been dragged down a dirt road in the rain. Torn open, wet and dirty. How the h**l they did that is anyones guess. I double checked the address on it and it was correct. Still they couldn't seem to get it to him and couldn't get it back to me in good shape. I tried to call in a complaint to the local postmaster and got talked to like I was bothering him. I will be filing the complaint up the ranks. Don't know if it will do any good.

Next, I called MSComposit to check on the shipping of my A Star kit and they tell me it was shipped. Tracking it on the UPS site told me it was on the truck here at 7:20 AM and was out for delivery. Well, it was a no show. I called UPS local number and asked about it. Had to wait until after 7:30 PM to get a call back saying that the package wasn't on the truck and had not arrived here. When I told them their site showed it here this morning I got told that "it must have been a bad scan". Whaaatt?? Oh sure blame it on a computer. Why in the h**l would it be scanned here if it wasn't here? Now as far as I know my kit is lost in their system somewhere and could be anywhere on the planet. Probably got here, was turned around, sent to Bulgaria via Lower Slobovia after stopping at sorting houses in Transyvania and Serbia. I can only hope it works its way back here someday. These inefficient and inept shippers need to hear from all of us. We provide them with a ton of business and are constantly being treated as if our stuff has no value as well as our time. I am going to start registering complaints everytime a promise is not kept and a schedule is missed. I am tired of being treated like we are. Yes, I am trying to rally you all to let them know each time you are screwed.

JD,
The shirt is coming out of the dryer right now and will once again be out there in someones system trying to get to your house. I sincerely hope it works this time. It did clean up nicely. This time I will enclose it in something moisture and dirt proof.

As you can tell, I am in a bit of an Irish mood this evening. I will quit now and go play some online pool to calm down.

See you all later.

flyachopper1

Hey JD,
did some surfing tonight. Don't know if you already know of this site, but they have some real nice stuff for lighting.
http://www.laureanno.com/shop/index.php
http://www.laureanno.com/RC/picaxe-m...n.htm#Building

The mini beacon is one of the best gizmos i have found yet. I think I'll be getting the lights for my kit from here.

I'm feeling better now. I played 9 games of 8 ball online against some guy calling himself "The Master" and won 7 of them. I've been participating in a tournament for about a week now and I'm in 3rd place so far. It's fun. The table is in 3D and is very realistic. It's a site set up by a group in California somewhere and they are planning a shooting site soon. Should be fun. Participation is limited right now. If they ever open it up to the public I'll pass it on to anyone interested. I got in with Ames when they first started it up.

dooleyje

Hello Helifool: The flying times vary but for an electric 7-8 minutes is normal with some 3D setups lasting no more than 4min-5min. The charge times will depend on the charger and how much "fuel" you drained from them. For lipo batteries I always discharge no more than 80% of the batteryand my chargers, Cellpro 4, will take 30-45 mins to charge back. The balancing of the batteries takes the longest to do. I charge at 1C only. What are you using?

Welcome to the thread,

Jim

dooleyje

Hey Jay, Yep I found that site. The switches are a super product and the variables in the programming are nice. You can sequence the lights to match you black beauty. The only problem I see is that the leds are 5mm and to me a little large for 400-450 helicopters. But wow nice and nicely priced. I have found this site also that has a couple of nice sets with all that you need and you can have them in 3mm leds. http://www.rc-lights.com/

I am waiting on my corporate checks to arrive before buying anything. Even musicans have to wait on payday, LOL

Donica: So you are doing some work for a change LOL and not playing teacher. To be serious I think anyone who works the floors and ER are heros to me. I cam from a great group of nurses from my G-ma to DEB. Deb was a Mash nurse in Vietnam. Deb's Ma was also a nurse as is my sister-in-law. The hours they put in will kill most folks.

You will like the CX3 520. I have flown one at the last indoor- fly-in. The receiver is a Spektrum 6100E. It also has a heading hold gyro. Check the box before you leave with it because the bodies are cracked by the left forward landing gear on some. Horizon will fix it. Get the RTF set and it will come with a little transmitter and charger and so forth. Charge and play. I did read that the lights were listed as an option. I am not too sure about that. All the CX2 parts and upgrades will work on it and most hobby centers I have been in carry the parts. That is why I suggested it. I have seen an a-star fuselage for that size heli and will have to dig up where I saw it.

Take care everyone. I have to hit the road myself in a few minutes and start an 8show road trip. I will have my CopterX with me and my lap-top. My desk top is still trashed on the internet side. We had to run several scans to remove all the bugs. The sim still work on as will every thing that is not needing the web. Hey Matty it got trashed in the SURF!!

The A-Star so far

Jim

axel8000

were those pictures recent? because You look about 25 in em! lol

That's right.. I remember you and Jay were together. You guys married? He's a nice guy too... sooo, maybe your the lucky one? lol

It's always great when two good people are together. Sucks to see a nice girl with a jerk, or a good guy with a B*tch.

Well, the nice weather here is gone.. Woke up this morning with snow on the ground. It sucks because I can't even take the bad weather time and use it to set up my heli better. Because I can't test fly it while I tweak. I still gotta get those blades tracking correctly. :/


later guys! I'm gonna go drink a beer and watch a movie!

marg2

sound like a good plan a cold one in honor of jay and Donica plus the movies for us oldies
Have agood nite folks
Mariano

cajungirl

Hey everybody,
Done with another good day at work. I'm lovin' bein' a real medical person again. I miss my young nursies, but am happy to be back in action on the floors.

Axel,
Thank you too many for your compliments. Those pics are about two years old. Me and my sisters get our youngness from our momma. She's 60 yrs old and don't look a day over 40. No, Jay and I aren't married but I am wearing a diamond. We don't dwell on the marriage thing. We both know it'll happen if and when it's 'sposed to. Yeah, I think I'm purty darn lucky in a lot of ways. I have a great family (well, two countin' Jays), a good man and a good job that lets me help people. God has been extra good to me.

Hoo-haw, talked to Jay this morning before he took off to Utah for a couple of days and they finally got his A Star kit to him. He has some pics and will post as soon as he can. I 'magine right now he's sleepin' off the long flight to Utah.

Hay JD,
How ya doin' thar mister? Feelin' good? Deb gettin' over her cold? I hope she's feelin'better. Wow, an 8 show gig. Gonna be lotsa light feet and hearts by the time you're done with all that. Looks like you're doing a right job on that little A Star of yours. Lookin' forward to seein' it all done up and floatin' off the ground. Finally got my mind all made up to get the 520. I know, took long enough. I'll do some surfin' tomorrow to try and find a shop in Dallas that might have one. If not, I'll order one from HeliProz and try my luck at havin' it sent overnight to my hotel in Dallas. If it beats me there they'll hold it for me.

Mmmmmm-a beer and a movie. Sounds good to me. Believe I'll follow y'alls lead there. Got a rented copy of "Next" starring Nick Cage all loaded in the player and brought two MGDs to the room with me after work. So, I'm all set.

You good people have a pleasurable night ya heah,

Donica

dooleyje

Donica: Try Hobbytown USA 214-987-4744 or Roy's Hobby Shop 817-268-0210 Dallas/Ft,Worth area or RC Fever Hobby 972-733-4006 They are all Horizon dealers. Great, Jay finally got the bird.

I received Matty's parts and will be sticking them in the mail today.

Oh yeah! lots of shows. Deb was really mad that I took on that trip but I really feel great. I lost another 10 pounds.

Well tak care all,

Jim

matty_p80

Hey Jim! thanks for doing that, you are a star!! [sm=biggrin.gif]

did you have to mark the windows or is there a mould line there on the A-Star?

got the letter off to Tower Hobbies yesterday so we'll wait and see! was toying with the idea of sending one each to the individuals in question but ended up sending just the one addressed to both of them!! we'll see if it actually gets to them and not get intercepted lower down the chain!![sm=72_72.gif]

well the weather here has calmed down enough for us to send out a snorkel trip to the Stingray sandbar but the wind is still in excess of 20mph (just coming out of the East) so even if my heli was in one piece i wouldn't be able to fly it, which gives me some consolation!! still waiting on parts; it's compounded by the fact i have to wait for one of my colleagues to go and check the PO Box to see if there's anything and when it does arrive we get a slip notifying the person they have a package, which we then have to go and pick up from the airport PO and it's opened in front of us and then they (the Custom's representative) decide what duty is to be paid!! like all gov't officials with a moderate amount of responsibilty, they behave like they're doing you a favour and you know you can't say anything as they just charge you more or don't give you your package!! balls in a noose, as they say!![sm=angry.gif]

anyways

Gatorz

enjoy

Matty )<}}}}]@>

still very bored sitting in the shop!![sm=bananahead.gif]

axel8000

Donica,
That's so funny that I got "Next." I just watched it a few days ago... What'd ya think of it? I thought it pretty much sucked.. a suspense movie with no suspense. Was a cool idea at first, then it just got kinda.... dumb. I dunno, maybe it's just me.

Matty,
Sure wish I was snorkling.. Hope u get your parts soon!

dooleyje

Back from a show. Still have one tonight so I am relaxing a while. The clear fuselage has the molding lines but they are very faint abd shollw. It helps to take a sharpy and out line what needs to be masked, glued, trimmed and so forth. The marks are on the inside so when I sand it the marks will still be there so I can see to mask the windows off. Stuff like the intake still need to be trimmed and built to represent the scale A-Star. The details on this fuselage are squinty scale so a ly of it has to be made. I am having a ball with it. I changed the horizontal fin to have an airfoil on the bottom of it and that also allows me to insert wires for the nav. lights. Jay and I have been taling about some nice light kits. This fuselage is so light that 3D flying will not be a problem.

Lets eat!!!!

Check with yous later this evening,

Jim

flyachopper1

Allo me flitterin' friends,
I am back in good ol Nebraska. Got chased out of Utah by the upcoming winter storm that is about to engulf us all out here in the wildrness end of the country. Decided to cancel the work up in Utah and Idaho and head this way before I got stuck and had to sit it out in Salt Lake. I am not that fond of Salt Lake. Wouldn't have been able to shuttle the railroad wigs around in that weather anyway. The UPRR understood and are willing to reschedule for a later date.

Ooohh-yaahh, Got the A Star kit and it's a beaut. The fuselage is very detailed and a couple of things that aren't there I can make as I build it. It is going to take a lot of work to build this one. Absolutely everything has to be worked, fit and assembled. Going to be a ton of fun. I plan to take it slow and get things right on the first try. I now need to get some Hitec s-55 servos bought and decide which servo to use on the tail. I also have to get an 8 amp esc. I was surprise at how small and low amp the motor is, but have read the threads on this model and most all are using that motor and say it has plenty of power. Oh yeah, LiPos are different too. Will have to find a good buy on a couple of 11.1 V 1500 Mah packs. I am also ordering the clear window kit. I want them tinted and have found several places to get liquid tinting that will work. Earlier tonight I began a maintenance take down of the T Rex 450. I have had no troubles with it but have flown it a lot. I sat and stared at the 500 for awhile trying to decide if I want to finish it first or begin the build on the A Star. I really wouldn't mind holding off on the 500 and look into something scale for it too. Yeah JD, I am getting the scale bug bad too. I'll post a coupla pics of the A Star. Oh by the way, if any of you have been wondering how to pronounce Ecureuil it's 'you-cure-ill'. In French it simply means 'squirrel'. Thank Donicas dad for helping with this. That ol' Cajun boy speaks French like a native. He says to kind of roll the two ells at the end off the middle of your toungue so it comes out with an almost imperceptible "uh". Just thought you might like to know.

I am beat from all the hopping around these last few days so I am off to the bed.

See ya later.

dooleyje

Good morning all, I had a late night with a dance and a party. Two more shows today/evening.

Jay: yep a bucket of parts!!LOL It will go faster than you think. You may look at the Guai ESC. When you get the window kit don't bother with the tint fluids. Get a pack of Rite Dye and a little vinager and tint your own. I have used this method for 30 plus plus years. On the top behind the main shaft there is an intake is it a screen or louvers or what?
I am gpoingb to rebuild the vertical fin on mine so I can insert nav. light wires. Also on the stinger there is a rod that goes through it. Does yours have that and what is it for?.

That is a super nice kit. Is the fuselage styren /plastic or is it bleach bottle type plastic?

Time for breakfast and loading of the sound stuff. I have an open house to play "50's soda shop party and anothr party tonight. Last night's show was super. Had about 400 people and lots of dancing.


Jim

flyachopper1

Hello all,
Whoa, we got hammered with snow here. 7 inches overnight. More is expected throughout the day Saturday. I sure am glad I decided to return from Utah when I did. I flew above this storm on part of the trip back and outran it to Nebr. It is an iffy time of year for this part of the country and one has to really watch the weather patterns.

JD,
On my black beauty that panel on top behind the rotor is a removable panel for cooling. It can be tipped up at the back or taken out completely and allows air to flow across the turbine engine and exhaust tube. I have never used it and it is always closed flat. I have seen some that take it out all together and run with it wide open. There are some that have removed it and inserted a panel of screen similar to a heavy hail screen like on windows. It is not needed unless flying in very hot climates. Personally I don't like having the top of the engine compartment open to all the elements. When flying in rain, snow or dust the rotor would force all that down into the compartment. In the opening at the front on mine we have installed a piece of that heavy screen at an angle. It sits in there at four inches at the top angling to two inches at the bottom. Behind that are some drip rails that Ames made that run across it. Those are set at two inches apart and he designed them to catch water and route it off the ends. They help keep moisture from shooting directly into the intake. I think on my scale I will remove the top panel and put in some screen painted black to help keep the electronics cool. I have read of some problems with heat once the fuselage is on. As for the peg like thing that runs through the rear stinger, it is moulded as part of the fuselage on mine with a steel bar inside it and is simply there to use for tying down. Keeps the tail from being buffeted around if it is sitting outside on very windy days. Some have one that sticks straight out to the rear and are for the same purpose and also have a nav light in the end of them. On others there is one that sticks out to the rear like two separate parts in a V pattern. I have seen those turned into antennas. Thanks for the tip on the dye. Do I need to know anything else? Like how long to leave the windows in it to get a certain darkness. Do I need to rough up any surfaces? I want to end up with a tint that hides the internals at a distance but can be seen through close up. Is there a color that will give me a nice gray or maybe a dark blue color on the windows. The window kits are fairly cheap and I think I will get two so I have a spare set.

Dear little road warrior Donica is on the move toward Dallas. She is sticking to the southern routes to limit dealing with bad weather. Talked to her on the phone a bit ago and she sends a "hay" to all of you.

I am going to be up early in the morning to get out and help clear the walks and drives here at the complex so I'll be outta here for now to sleep.

Later me friends.

dooleyje

Good morning all. 6 down and 2 more shows to go and this contract will be done and I will have several days off to work on my scale projects.

Jay: I am embarrassed to say that it has been very warm and sunny here but..... so windy that even I won't fly in it. LOL. Thanks for the info. I have been researching about the A-Star and there are a buch of variations. I wished the 450 fuselages had the detail as the larger versions. Yep the stuff does heat up in the scale bodies so you have to leave the side window out and maybe cut an intake airhole under the nose so air can get in. On the MD500E the side windows and the top set were left out abd the jet exhause nozzle acts as a funnel for the air to escape. While using the Rite Dye I simply used Black and you soak the part to get the shade you want. On my EVO.50 I used purple and shot silver paint behind it to get a metalic look. Clean the part first with warm water and dish soap to remove any finger prints and oils.

Later,

Jim

marg2

hi all finally got the bird fix will test today, wish me luck, hope my bump on 30 thrttle curbe is fine for easy landing.
Jay looked at your pic is the heli on the left (yellow) a exceed g2? have one in pieces like to rbuilt
Have fun guys
Mar

flyachopper1

Hey hoppers,
Whew, finally done with the slave labor on the walks and drives. We got the seven inches of snow pushed off just in time for tonights 3 to 4.

JD,
Thanks for the hints on the tinting. I have several flat sheets of clear plastic of the same sort as the window kits and will experiment with those first. My brother is into planes and he told me about a method he uses to get the metallic look on the windows. He uses the tinting liquids and brushes it on the outside surface. Then he sprays a thin coat of clear on. He has a big scale Piper with big windows he did like that and they look real good. I am more or less just after the tinted look. I like the idea of the dye as you can control the darkness. My brother is intrigued by that too and is going to give it a try. Oh, by the by, your shirt is on the way again in a better package. Should be there is a coupla days.

Ola Mariano,
Yes that is a G2. I flew that persnickety little bird quite a lot. Crashed it several times. Since I have gotten into the T Rex birds I have kind of ignored it. It is all rebuilt to new condition now using stock parts including a new canopy. The radio that came with it was one of the junky glitching kind and out of frustration I sent it out with a bag of stuff to the recycler. I was using one of my 2.4 Futaba set ups with it that I have since moved into Donicas Copt. X. I have offered that G2 for sale a couple of times on the old G2 thread and have gotten no response. I think that thread has gotten more or less inactive. If you are interested in it I would sell it to you cheap. It would include the stock motor and esc. PM me your e mail and we can talk.

Gotta go. Have to make a quick call to get Donicas Valentines Day stuff delivered to her hotel in Dallas and my sis is taking her snow removal crew to lunch. Me dad always said "never pass up a free lunch or a government job" so I will be collectin' on that fer sure.

Later me flitterin' friends.

marg2

Jay i do have G2 have 2 of them never been able to fly them stock thahs why i went to nitro ,main problem was the tail motor gear been so fragil, but any way have them here one as spare parts, was sheper that way, any sugestion how to make it zoom zoom.( motor, batt, etc )
by the way got the k50 to test the traking on my bench drifting left but hit a plant an blade losse some monokote, so rebalncing, to bad was a nice sunday
talk later ear
Jim how was your gig?

dooleyje

Marg. 8 gigs in 3.5 days and I am whipped. I got home this morning and have been sleeping in. Not even thinking of helicopters today. My ears arestill ringing from the sound eq. In the bigger venues you have to use in ear monitors to hear yourself sing with the noise.

Donica did you get to Dallas OK? Jay the dye trick was all we had back in the old days but yes it is best to try it on scrap plastic to see how long to soak for the depth of tinting that you want.

Talk you you later,

Jim

cajungirl

Hay theah gravity snubbers,
Wowsers, a long drive behind me now. I took the southern routes all the way to Dallas and boy, did I get to see some purty country. Ran into some rain twice but not bad and didn't last long. I tell ya, I sure notice a difference since I traded my Mustang for my Bonneville. That Pontiac sure travels better. More room, quieter and much smoother. I'm not nearly as worn out when I get to point B. My Pontiac is 'xactly like Jays 'cept mine is black and his is silver. I'm now in dusty ol' Dallas. I start work here at 1 PM tomorrow for two weeks. I'm going to get out for a while in the morning to see if I can find one of those hobby shops JD told me about and get myself a heli.

Hidee thar JD,
Got through the maxi gig I see. Easy there bub. Get some rest and eat healthy. Real interestin' reading about the dye. Again, I'm a little smarter thanks to the brains on here. Coooolll. How's Deb doin'? Is she over that mean ol' cold germ? I giggled at how you tossed in some good ol' southern struttin' about nice weather and made it sound like an apology. Sounded the gentleman even in sarcasm. You're good mister, real good. I'm proud of ya. As for the weather here, wellllll I don't mean to be out of place here, but it sure is nice. I'm almost embarrassed to say it's sunny, warm and calm[8D]. Please don't take me wrong. I really do feel for those that are up to their b**ts in snow. Tell ya what I'll do. I'll get out and enjoy the weather enough for all of ya.

Hi Mariano,
I see Jay tried to sell you his little ignored G2. That poor little yaller birdie just sits on a shelf whimperin' for attention. I'm scairt that it has gotten forgot among the more elite crowd in there. Maybe I oughta steal it and start my own scale project with it. I wouldn't be messin' up anything fancy that way. A ways back when I was just gettin' interested in Jays helis and Jay was out workin' I snuck that G2 out to the courtyard in front of his place and tried to hover it. I didn't know squat 'bout what I was tryin' to do but I got it up about four feet and then stuck it in the grass. It was all over then. I was irreversibly hooked on helis and on my way to becomin' a member of this adicted group here. That's when I found out how patient Jay really was and how dedicated this bunch here were to helping rookies. I busted that little heli up purty good and Jay wasn't even mad. He told me he was proud I tried on my own, lectured me a little on safety and explained all about havin' someone experienced around to help. Oh, oh[X(], did I see where you said you were running your heli on the bench to track the blades and hit a plant[]? Oh my, I'm not a veteran by any stretch, but I will be surprised if ya don't get chewed on a bit by the vets on here for that. As far as I remember spinning up on the bench is a big no no safety wise. I've seen these guys come down on some others for that. Even Jay got his posterior gnawed on some once for admittin' to doin' that way back when he was a newbie. It's all meant well though. The veterans on here just want to save you some injury. As a medical person I do too.

Hey y'all, When I got to my room here there was some real neat Valentines Day stuff waitin' for me. Jay had flowers delivered along with a gift certificate for prime rib at my favorite restraunt here. Hangin' on the flowers on a little gold rope was a teeny little black box. Hoo haw, in that box was the nicest gold chain necklace with a really nice heart shaped ruby pendant. I'm still feelin' all warm and fuzzy. If that boy was close enough I'd be anuzzlin' him up real good. Tomorrow (well, today now, it's after 1 AM) is his birthday and I gotta think of somethin' to do for that. I'll figure it out by the time I get out and about today.

Okay now, I just reminded myself of what time it is so I best be gittin' and sleep for awhile.

Please be safe and healthy. Be happy too.

Donica

dooleyje

Never run up on you bench. Even if you have removed the blades the flybar and paddles will give you a bunch of stiches. You can not track your blades properly without hovering the heli. Never tie a heli down. I wife would kill me if I hit one of her plants or our expensive(early welfare)furniture.

Donica so how do you like the big city?Yuck? Makes you want to go back home I bet. There is a lot of crime in that area so be careful. I bet the ER will be jumping. Deb finally got rid of that cold. She spent a few days in Atlanta,GA. so I was home alone. Since it is hard for me to say no to bookings I took the 8 gig job. Deb was really mad about that and I still have not heard the last of it. We older gentlelmen know to nod our heads and stick our lower lip out but mouth shut and just take the - chewing. WQe Irish will always try to get the last word but as we grow seasoned the better part of valor is to shut up. LOL At any rate I had a great time and made some new fans and got a couple of contracts out of it. At one dance there was a gentleman that was 92 years old and did not leave the dance floor for 2 hours. He danced with all the ladies and all the smiles and dancing made it all worth while. The last party was a corporate outing and was really loud but they were partying down. LOL Drunks are the same everywhere. Yeah!!! 500 money.

Talk to yous later,

Jim

matty_p80

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY!!!

another year older, another year wiser!!????[sm=72_72.gif] hee hee!

have a good day matey!

Matty )<}}}}]@>

matty_p80

just reading an article in RCHeli about whether or not to add extra right cyclic input after levelling the swash plate! interesting stuff!!

M. )<}}}}]@>

matty_p80

Jim: does the Futaba s9650 need a step down voltage reg.? just wondering as Ka-Planes still have the Logitech with s9650 for $145!!!

Donica: glad you arrived safely! bin looking at the MD520N too! MMMmmmmm, bind and fly for $169!!!![sm=tongue_smile.gif] still pawing over the hdx450 though!!!

Jay: sounds like you gonna have to add some noodles on yer big skids very soon!! [sm=lol.gif]

Mariano: dood, you gotta be real careful! my one time of not disconnecting the battery before turning the Tx off meant that the blades started to turn at a slow pace but it still hurt like hell when the flybar paddles caught me! never done it again though!!

M. )<}}}}]@>