jmk92

Hi everyone...
Ok so i just got a HK 450 kit and I am pyshced! I can't wait for it to get here...but I have a lot of questions and problems...
Any feedback or help for this kit would be a lot of help.I really have no idea what to do. Any tricks or tips I should know?I have heard that some parts like the tail gear need to be replaced and I don't know what else I should know before I start to build this thing...

dmajchrzak

My Feedback: (17)

Sorry I can't offer any help, but I'm doing what you're doing! I'll be ordering the HK 450 within a week. It'll be my first heli (that isn't an AirHogs toy).

jmk92

dmajchrzak,
That's awesome! Im just wondering if you would give any pointers on first heli build ever. I have only flown crappy things before that took no skill to fly. I honestly have no idea what to go by besides poorly translated english directions......so anything from the HK450 kit or just building in general. I am only worried about NEVER doing anything like this before...and I have to build it to a tight timeline for this project im doing.

stevewashere

Ive just ordered the HK450MT, i got sick of My Belt V2 as they are to expensive and to fragile. My friend got the HK 450 V2 and its just a much better Helicopter, and far more robust than the belt V2.

jmk92

That's was one thing I was wondering about mine. People said to replace the belt and tail drive gear on the HK450 since they said it would slip and fail...but others said that the V2 has the upgraded system. I got the alloy kit...so I don't know if it is an alloy kit of V1 or V2...but the people have said that the V2 is a way better model. I'm sure you will love it...but I still gotta get mine and check it out.

Aside from that...anyone else who has and advice for this build would be great...other forums just go over general stuff or that is model specific...

jmk92

Ok,
So it finally camebut Im overwhelmed. If anyone who has built an HK450 kit please let me know what I need to do that the manual doesn't say. I'm gonna follow the manual but I;m concerned about things like locktite, missing screws, and other parts that I need that aren't included. I guess for starters thats it...im diving head-first into this...

gnd2

Loctite every screw that's in metal. Even the parts that have already been assembled if any, take them apart and put them back together with loctite.

Do a search for how to setup the Trex 450, the principles will be the same. Lots of info out there already. Most important thing is to take your time, go step by step and not rush it.

jmk92

gnd2,
I so far have done the frame...but I think I should also do the rotor head right?Also...how can I tell when the main gear and motor mesh well? Some said just to "feel" it but others said something about a peice of paper? I have no clue how to mesh it perfectly...

gnd2

Do EVERYTHING. Especially the rotor head, it's going to be spinning like crazy and holding your heli up, last thing you want is for anything in it to come apart.

There should be just a little bit of space between the teeth of the main gear and motor pinion gear. I usually just wiggle the main gear to get as little play as possible while not binding up. The paper thing is to just slide a piece of paper in between the gears and push them together, tighten the motor down then pull the paper out. That will leave just a little bit of space which works also.

Make sure you check the gear mesh all the way round. The main gear may not be perfectly round and you can have a good mesh in one spot but have it bind in another spot. I try to find the spot where the mesh is closest and set it there.

noobflyer01

+1

jmk92

          Ok new problems, but its really come along!
     So I just got the kit "built" I still gotta solder connectors and mount electronics and set up the swash plate. I got a few questions...

-What can I use to mount the ESC and reciever? Is velcro suitable?

-For the servo set up...do I bind the the reciever first, then find the neutral position, mount the servo horns, mount links at right height, and then adjust the swash plate trim?

-Should I loctite/CA glue the servo horn screws?

-Can I repair a servo wire that got pulled out of its plug? (The little black wire just pulled right out....quality $3 servo right there)

Any help is any good for me

gnd2

I use zip ties.

Yes, you have to bind it first. After it's set up you should bind again with throttle off to set the fail safe.
Again, do a search on how to setup the trex450 and the finless bob videos. There's a lot of detailed info out there that shouldn't be hard to find, no reason to type it all up again. But of course feel free to ask any specific questions you may have.

no, it's not screwing into metal.

Sure, why not? If the pin came out of the plastic, just slide it back in and hold it there when you plug it into the receiver. Once it's on the receiver it should stay. If the wire actually came out of the pin, pull the pin out and solder the wire into then then push the pin back in and it should be fine.

Thisstrangeengine

I agree on the Bob Finless videos! Go over to this site, you might want to create an account and check out his TREX build videos. Worth the effort of joining HeliFreak and you WONT be sorry.
Save this link in your favorites and Sign up. You can then save those videos on your computer for future builds and reference without haveing to logon and search them again.
[link]http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=41692[/link]

jmk92

Ya Thisst I did do that...and I've got updates now!
Ok so I got everything installed and I just had a few questions that have popped up
-Are there any hints or bad ways of cleaning up the wires for the bird (besides keeping away from gears)?
-I'm programing my Tx now. When I open the program I can set sub trims and the heli will react to changes...but when I try to move the sticks around the bird doesn't move ecept for the rudder servo and the program shows no stick movement except for just the rudder channel. What is possibley wrong (I'm using an HK6Ch Tx and Rx since I can't afford the Spectrum now)
What order should I plug in/turn on everything when I want to do my first test flight (hopefully soon :0)?

Any input is welcome...I'm stil a complete noob

jmk92

Hey everybody...update on the build....CRASH!
So it got flying! It was so awesome i couldn't believe it!. Between the the leveling, balancing, and trims it was able to hover perfectly. After about 6 flights, I tried doing some new manuevers in 20 mph wind (I couldn't wait and it was still really stable) and I overcorrected. It was bound to happen and I oddly feel relieved in some horrible way. Anyway, now I have problems with the aftercrash...

-Is a chipped tooth off the main gear so bad? It can still spin fine and mesh fine...
-On my HK 450 the rotor head can spin clockwise/counter clockwise...but when I spin the rotor head the main gear won't spin. It seems like the main gear and the shaft are connected but the rotor isn't. Is there a stripped securing screw somewhere and where would it be?
-I have a busted servo since the arm went from its neutral postion and made a 120 degree turn up. Should the motor still be good and can I just replaced a stripped (or smashed gear)?
-Good site for replacment parts???

Thx

joeyhatch11

What servos are you running? Most servos offer replacement gears so look into that, unless it's cheaper or eaiser for you to just replace the whole servo. For me I'd rather save money on spare parts, even if it means waiting for them. I ordered a ton of spares from HK-Parts.com You can get a 20 main gears for $20. Also look into the fly-bars, main shafts, feathering shafts and tailbooms. The main gear, even with one tooth stripped, can cause you bigger problems if you continue using it, so I'd say get rid of it. As for your rotor head not spinning, look at the set screw that goes into the main gear at the bottom of the shaft and the screw at the top of the rotor head that goes in the top of the main shaft. Hows the mesh between your main gear and the tail gear? Maybe it's binding there. You could have a stripped/broken tail gear.

jmk92

I have Turnigy TG9e servos so I dont know if it really is worth repairing the gears. Also, how can I tell ifthe servo is repairable?The servo armsonloy got bent...the servosthemselves weren't hit. Ireally don't want to change out servos and rewire everything and program...Any ideas? I'm gonna be getting a lot of spare parts now I guess like a flybar, feathuring shaft (although I think it survived), blades, etc. The last thing is this whole drive assembley. The tail gear is spinning fine when I spin the bottom gear and spins smoothly and when I turn the motor all the gears spin correctly including the rotor shaft BUT the rotors don't spin. It seems like the rotor head became unsecured from the shaft. I think what happened is that somewhere a screw securing the rotor head to the shaft loosened when it hit the ground. Where is this possible screw?

joeyhatch11

If the rotor head isn't attached to the main shaft then your be able to pull the whole assembly off with ease. There is a set screw at the top of the main shaft that connects the rotor head to the main shaft. See if the screw is missing. As for the servos and the spare parts, if the servo horn is all that broke and the gears inside the servo are fine then just get a new horn. Spare parts, everything I listed is pretty much what NEEDS to be replaced in MOST crashes. I wold put any money on it that your feathering shaft WILL need to be replaced. Then bend pretty easy and thats a good thing because it prevents other things from breaking and bending. is this help belt driven or torque tube?

jmk92

Ya...I was able to lift up the rotor head so it is the set screw. It probalygot stripped so I gotta get in another. The rotor head is aluminum but the screws are quality walmart material. The gears in the servos though are all messed up so I'm debating if I should try and fix the servo with replacement gears. How do i tell if the feathering shaft is bent? Is that the shaft inbetween the two rotor blades? I've heard of it but I never have seen it yet. Lastly, the tail blade is belt driven. The boom got pushed into the body so the belt loosened up. All I did was pull it out just a bit and the belt drive system is ok...i love crashes...

joeyhatch11

If you have time to wait then I would get some of these. http://hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store...idProduct=9392 I have them on my Hk450 Pro with over 40 flights, no problems so far. I have zero crashes so I dont know how they'll hold up in a crash but they are metal gear digital servo and I like them alot. I even ordered 2 more just for backups. The tail sounds good just make sure it's tight so it doesn't come loose in flight. The feather shaft is in between the Main Blade grips on the rotor head. Take the blades off and insert a 1.5mm hex tool on each side of the grips to unscrew the grips. Once there off you'll be able to pull the feathering shaft out. You may also benefit from downloading the Trex 450 manual. Do you have the Pro or Sport version? Either case make sure you download the manual. It's show step for step how to uninstall/install all these parts so you can get it wrong.

jmk92

I have the SE Full Alloy Version. I'll take a look at the feathering shaft and I like the servos you put up. I'll probaly get 3 of those and go from there...the only last question I have is the question of servo repair. I would rather like to get gears because I can hear the motor buzzing but no horn movement and I see that the gears did get smashed...

joeyhatch11

If you want gears then you have to start searching on the net to see where to get them. What brand are these servo and where did you buy them from? I think with the Turnigy MG90's that I posted you'd most likely break the servo horn or crack the case in a hard crash before you did any damage to the gears.

helimangler

I have been using these hobbycity.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp

Please note the nickname. LOL! These servos have held up to a lot of abuse and hard crashes. It can be done, but it takes a lot to ruin one. Turnigy is making the same one under their name brand now that I have not used. Could be same servo re-labled. I don't know. I love my MG14s though. I used the HXT900 for a while but I bounce my heli's all over the terrain doing silly things with them and I got tired of replacing gears!! LOL!! But the HXT900 is a great little servo, don't get me wrong!

I have yet to purchase the HK 450 metal edition. Ihave CopterX and EXI. Idid purchase a HK450 V2 heli (actually several) back when. Great price!!! When set up correctly they are good flying helis. Either way, setup is the most important thing in all these birds. Use the manuals and take your time. When you crash. Go through everything, and be prepared to at least replace the feathering shaft and main shaft after every crash with a blade strike. If you don't you will get vibration problems and pitch problems.

Happy Flying!!!!!

jmk92

Wow, those servos look pretty nice. I haveTurnigy TG9e servos that were only a few bucks with plactic gears. I think i'll replaced all three swashplate servos with some metal gear ones. I dont know if it will be worth replacing the gears I guess for now. Aside from that, I guess I will take my time and look at the feathering and main shaft. I gotta replace the main gear anyway so I will take apart the entire rotor system to be safe. I guess my last question is still for right now (while i wait for the new servos) is if i can repair the other servos with plastic gears at my LHS. Any ideas if I should or just wait for the new servos?

joeyhatch11

Order the Turnigy MG90 servos I posted and call it a day. Dont bother with replacing gears in the plastic servos. I've been through that and it's not fun and I thought it was a waste of time. I was using the TowerPro's and spending $3 on replacement gears. For $5 a piece your getting metal gear servos that kickass. Take the feather shaft out and roll it accross a smooth surface and do the same with the main shaft. If it's straight then re-install. If there is a slight wobble replace it because even a slight wobble will give you a nasty vibration in the hear and then the rest of the heli.