Tamiyaguy

My Feedback: (3)

People please go easy on me as I'm new to the whole heli thing. I'm working on assembling the rest of my Raptor ARF w/ the .39 and I got some questions due to the fact that the TT instructions are terrible and I'm trying to learn about it!

- Linkages. They require special sizes. 73mm, 60mm, etc. These measurements are for the center point of the connectors(according to the instructions). Is there anyway to accurately measure? I have been using a ruler and just "eyeing" it. Is that OK?

-Main shaft lubrication. Is there a specific brand of lube for the swash plate, etc.? What do I use-do I use anything at all? It looks like some grease from the factory is on the main shaft.

-Tightening of tail blades and fastners. All the screws that hold the frame together and as well as screws that have metal to metal contact are tight. I found that fastners with bearings in front of them are kinda loose and not fully tight. Is there anyway to gauge the snugness of these bearing screws. Why are they not super tight?

-What fastners are suppose to have loctite on them?


Thanks guys. I want to get flying but I don't want to be breaking down!

Atomrcp Matt

I am also fairly new at this, but I can answer a few of your Questions!

Answer1: I use a 4" Digital Caliper but using a Ruler should be fine as well, as long as you are not very far off.

Answer2: I use heavy Wheel Bearing Grease on my Raptor 30 V2 Mainshaft, and it works well so far!

Answer3: For one thing, when you have a Steel Fastener going into a Bearing, overtightening will either bind the Bearing or break the Bearing. So keeping it fairly snug but not overtight is a good idea.

Answer4: All Fasteners going into Metal should have Loctite on them. Fasteners going into Plastic don't require Loctite but you can use some SuperGlue for added security.

I hope I've helped you, and if anything I've said is incorrect please correct me. I am also still learning.

edge_pilot

My Feedback: (73)

I agree , for an excellent entree level helicopter the directions suck. I use a pair of calipers also but a close eye on a ruler should work fine, be sure pairing control rods are identical in length (thats most important). Yes , locktite anything metal to metal, even though they don't tell you to in many steps of the book. Hope this is helpfull

grittykitty

Question #1:
If I'm not mistaken, check your raptor manual, but I think they show "blow-ups" of the linkages in real-size. You can just lay your linkage on the page to compare with the picture (check the picture with a ruler, of course). I don't know if you are aware of this, but with raptor links, the "lettering" on the links is always supposed to face out, away from the ball. Also, even though it is an ARF, check all of your balls (on the helicopter ). If you notice, one side is smooth, and the other side has a "lip". The lip should be facing in, opposite of the screw head. These have (rarely) been known to come backwards on the ARF.

Question #2:
I use a lightweight teflon grease for main shaft lube.....(get your mind out of the gutter [X(] ). You can get this at most automotive stores.

Question #3:
Remember, even though this is a complex machine, at it's heart it is still just a plastic model. The inside of the frame halves could still have some flashing that was missed, and is preventing a snug fit. With my raptor 50v2, I had to shave some of the frame material from both halves in order to get the main shaft bearings seated properly. And, just because it's an ARF, don't assume that everything is assembled correctly (reference back to Question #1). One person on the assembly line may have had too much soju the night before......check everything. Even the ARF manual has all of the schematics.....use them. This is one of many reasons why I recommend the kit over the ARF, you can check everything as it goes together, you have the confidence that it was built correctly, and you have a much better working knowledge when it comes time for repairs.

Question #4:
Any metal to metal connections should use loctite (blue...NOT red!!!!!!!!). The blue will still allow you to "break" the bond if necessary, but red almost requires a blowtorch to separate...and I don't think you will want to break out the oxy/acetylene for maintenance or repairs......
Also, I recommend white glue (elmers or a generic) for screws into plastic. It holds a bond well enough, but won't damage the plastic when removed. CA or super glue can adhere well enough that the plastic inside breaks when the screw is removed. This is not exactly required, but if you run the same screws in and out enough times during maintanence procedures, even plastic threads can get loose.



Good luck.

depfife

My Feedback: (14)

http://www.raptortechnique.com/

Tamiyaguy,

Take a look at Raptor Technique. It has lots of valuable info. Click on Construction and Repair on the left side of the page. They have a Raptor manual that many find helpful.

Eric

Tamiyaguy

My Feedback: (3)

Unfortunately I tried that and said "that doesnt look right" I measured it and turns out the drawings are not to scale and you can't do that. That would be great if you could though.

Thanks for ALL your responses. I TRIPLE checked each and every screw on this thing. I'm going to have a local Heli expert look it over and "set" it up for me.

grittykitty

Sorry about that info.....I thought the manual's links might be to scale.

You are definitely going about it the best way. Ask LOTS of questions, and seek professional help.....LOL. You will need it in more ways than one for getting into this hobby......

nikprak

Tamiyaguy,

I assembled a Rappy 30v2 ARF some time ago. One IMPORTANT thing to be careful of - make sure the white tail rotor pushrod guides are either CA'd (or sercured in some other way) so they are not free to slide along the boom. I had a scary experience on my first flight when one of these guides slid up the boom and came in contact with the tail pushrod connector (the small metallic cylinder.) I had a auto-pirouetting rappy! Luckily I brought it down with no damage.

I think the ARF manual skips this step (or maybe I didn't look hard enough.)

Nik

Tamiyaguy

My Feedback: (3)

OK, that sounds good.

See there are so many little things that you need to know about this thing that the manual does not even come close to telling you.

grittykitty

check out www.raptortechnique.com

This site is awesome for setting up the raptor, and he covers so many things that the manual doesn't. I'd recommend setting the heli aside for an evening or two, and do some serious reading at this site. I wound up printing quite a bit from this site, and had it along side of the manual while I built mine.

edge_pilot

My Feedback: (73)

I agree totally on that website. He has helped me out alot. Even answered my emails in a matter of 24 hours. Thats what got me through building my first Raptor.

elmote

Also check out Fritz-the-Cat's surperb manual addendums.

Elmo Te

robobart

One more hint,
with the Raptor, or any other heli, it is MUCH easier to measure the pushrod length from hole edge to hole edge than from some estimated center of the hole. It's actually easier with a ruler (Steel rules seem easier), but with a caliper, if you measure outside to outside on the holes, and subtract 1 hloe diameter (Measure softly for the hole diameter), you should have an extremely accurate length, and can see the difference of a half-turn. (Reminder, some ends are "Polarized" as mentioned earlier, IE; Letters away from the ball mounting arm, and some are not {Robbe, I think}.
Robobart
PS, the only dumb questions are the ones you SHOULD have asked!!!!!!

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Tri-Flo works best on the swash and main shaft as well as where the tail rotor push rods go through the guides and the tail pitch slider.

Same with the auto rotation hub. Don't grease it or you will end up with it sticking. To see if its sticking, hold the main gear and see if the blades and tail rotor spins freely. Make sure your not holding the lower gear, thats what drives the tail rotor and the 50 v2 has a driven tail rotor but the large gear should stay put when you spin the blades.

Also get some silicone dielectric grease and lube the rubber head dampeners when you push the spindle through.

Wazowski

My Feedback: (1)

Couldn't agree more...they MUST be lubed or they will bind! I put it together 4 times without luck until I lubed the dampeners otherwise you are afraid to overtighten the screws and they MUST be tight...One last thing. If you are building for the first time make sure your tail rotor is set up correctly per raptortechnique. I thought I was good to go till I checked all setups before first flight. I had the blades on right but the grips backward. This explained why I had 0 deg. pitch on the tail with the gyro and linkage right. The grips are offset and if installed backward you will know it and so will your gyro. As soon as there were installed correctly I got the slight right pitch I was looking for.
Good Luck...Mike