pgroom_68

Hey everyone,

Has anyone yet taken the plunge and ordered one of [link=http://www.ehirobo.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=9493]THESE[/link] new CB180Z birds?? They are also available from [link=http://www.besthobbysite.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=150_152&products_id=13706]HERE[/link] (I guess it is part of the same "group") I already have two CB180Ds[sm=thumbs_up.gif] (with aluminium cases) and want to know if it is worth getting the latest Walkera. It says on the advertisement page that it has a 3-gyro stabilization system. What the "hello" is that all about?[sm=confused.gif] It also has a variable-pitch TAIL - with a servo controlling it - just like a CP.

BTW eHirobo answered my email a few minutes ago and, "There are no plans to release a CB180Z without transmitter at this time."

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]

ehirobo ehirobo

Unlike "normal" helicopter which stabilized only the tail. The 180Z's gyro stabilize 3 ch. (Rudder, aileron and elevator) Which make the heli more stable.

rcagpilot83

Personally I don't think it's worth it pgroom. From what i've seen it's the same thing as the cb180d, which I also have. The two big differences is that it comes with the 3 axis gyro and it has a torque tube driven tail instead of a seperate tail motor, so the tail control would be much smoother and the gyro would make it really stable. It would be good first FP heli for some one but if you already have 2 dragonflys I wouldn't bother. I just recently got the 4#6s which has that 3d gyro and it's awesome. Very stable hover which I guess some people had problems with with the original 4#6. Its also alot more flyable than the dragonfly.

dchin62973

We don't have this heli yet, but some forums suggested that the gears that drive the shaft of the rotor strip very quickly. This reminds us of the Walkera U-FLY. We have the U-FLY and its junk as the gears strip very quickly. If Walkera made the gears metal, then this heli would be awesome. The CB180Z is slightly smaller than the U-FLY, so the gears probably don't strip that quickly. We have the smaller Walkera 4G6 and it also uses gears to drive the tail. These gears take longer to strip probably because the heli is small.

We recently modified the 2.4Ghz Walkera CB180D to be a Totally Brushless helicopter. So, no gear shafts to wear out. A super fast brushless main motor and a brushless tail motor acting as a direct drive (DD) for more power to the rudder versus a stock tail motor with gear reduction. Below is a video of the heli flying:


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGATYeyeVN4[/youtube]

[8D]

pgroom_68

Hey again guys,

Thanks for your inputs. I think I will wait a few months 2 C if it follows the other CB180 range and is released without a Tx. I've already got 8 birds now to fly & a cheap but adequate flight sim - so there really is no rush.........
IF ANYONE CAN PROVIDE ME WITH A LINK WHEN A CB180Z WITHOUT TRANSMITTER IS RELEASED FROM A HONGKONG SELLER - it would be much appreciated[sm=regular_smile.gif]

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]
P.S. Dane, if they made the gears metal wouldn't that just allow it to wear/break at the next weakest point? The RTF-Heli option sounds better & better......

earlwb

The CB180Z has the brushless motor in it.. So I assume the corrected the weak gear problem too. The three axis gyro is a nice addition even if it may not be needed. So as far as I can tell the 180Z is the improved version of the 180D and is the way they should have made it in the first place.
They also put in their newer version transmitter in the kit as well.
I have one ordered and its being shipped to me, so I am just waiting for it to arrive.

formula87

Is this the same as the 180z I have read that Walkera and Exceed share alot of simularities(sp) http://www.xheli.com/exrcg2brrche.html

DEATHPROOFHELI

I have a 180D...i have SO MUCH fun wit this heli!! so i can almost guarantee if you got it you would love it. I am learning alot of forward flight on it, I also have a creata 400. I use my 180D for practice since my sim SUCKS! lol. if anyone gets one post on here. Id like to hear some feedback on it. I like the fact they have the 3 axis gyro an they put a new tail rotor on. The 180d has a pressed on 3 blade rotor. It looks fun

jbrinkley0826

I received my 180Z from WOW last saturday, first thing I had to do was tighten the motor after they supposedly triple checked everything.... a few flights later the gear that drives the shaft strips for no reason. This was my third flight and it was while I was spinning up.. no crashes, no rotor contact with the ground....... not sure what caused it, but I can already tell this is going to be a problem until someone figures out a fix for it. I'm going to put a little grease on them next time and see if that helps.... the bird flies good and stable when it isn't broken. I'm also concerned about the TX, Ihad it about 50' from me and it wouldn't respond........ ran toward it and was able to regain control before slamming into my neighbors house..... after that Ilanded and checked everything out, seemed fine...... went to spin up and thats when the gear stripped....

so far I'm very disappointed in the 180z.... can't say I didn't have a bad feeling about the plastic gears..... just thought they wouldn't strip unless you crashed or made contact with the rotor blade or something.....

formula87

That is brushless right? maybe to much for the stock plastic gear. I may stick with the 180d

Stormgaze

Ordered two Z's, one for myself, the other for my dad. We got them Saturday from Wow. As Ihave had a 180Q for a while now, Iwas really looking forward to the improvements on this new model.

Out of the box, the motor on mine was loose, and when Itried to tighten it down found that the hole for the screw in the motor itself was stripped out. Luckily there are 2 extra holes in the motor, so Iwas able to rotate the motor and get it tight. On my first flight, however, a tooth broke on one of the tail gears and put me out of commission! No rough landing, no rotor contact to the ground. The material used to make these gears is just too soft!

My dad's had issues out of the box as well. The screws holding the tailgear assembly were torqued down too tight and broke in half after about his third landing.

We were both grounded after less than 15 minutes. The stripped/broken screws on both birds were from over-torque and could have happened at the factory or at any point they were tested before shipping to us, but the real issue Isee with this model is going to be the gears in the tail assembly. If you buy this heli, go ahead and order extra gears at the same time.

jbrinkley0826

yes, this is brushless motor..... looks like this heli is going to have some serious issues with the gears..... ARGH, should have went with my gut and steered clear of this one.....

earlwb

I just got in my CB180Z today, charged up the three batteries I got for it and took it out to see if it worked or not.
I ran all three batteries through it OK. I was just hovering mostly, getting a feel for it.
It felt tail heavy, so I added 1/2 ounce of extra weight to the nose. Then I could remove a lot of the forward trim I had put in previously.
The tail rotor gears looked to be made from some non-self lubricating plastic, so I gave them a tiny dab of silicon grease.
After running the three battery packs through it, the gears look none the worse for wear.

I had to watch out for curious kids though, not the best flying area to do some test flying in, but it was convenient, right outside the front of my home.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hws83DY1aMI&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Stormgaze

Igot my replacement gears today, so I'll install them this weekend, hope for some good weather, and give it another shot. Didn't get enough flight-time to guage its performance before it broke last weekend. Earl, at least you give me some hope for it! I'll try a little grease and hopefully get some mmore air time. I'm not ready to give up on it yet!

jbrinkley0826

yeah, I've got two sets on the way, I'll try the grease as well, if that don't work I'll prolly go with a tail motor.

DEATHPROOFHELI

GEEZ! I cant believe there is so many problems wit that heli!! It JUST came out in the past 3 week!! I wwanted to get the Z but it wasnt out yet, i ordered the 180D an the Z came out 2 weeeks later. the crashes i have wit mine are frequent lately cause im starting forward flight, the only thing thats happened is i break blades... one time the motor came loose an i had to re-tighten, no missing teeth or stripped gears. What im thnking is they use the SAME GEARS for the Z! An they just cant handle the torque from the brushless motor, As far as the loose motors right out of the box!! Thats crazy, Sorry to hear you guys had problems wit your helis!

earlwb

I suspect the loose motor screws has something to do with the heli-frame where the motor is mounted. The plastic tends to flow slightly away from the screw pressure, plus the motor gets hot and that may soften the plastic too. So it is wise to give the motor screws a check from time to time. To avoid overtightening the screws, you should loosen and then retighten them. Do one screw at a time so the motor gear spacing remains the same.

I don't know yet what to think about the tail rotor gears. Maybe some heli's have a gear or gears that are too tight or maybe a bad bearing causing excess drag with the gears.

dchin62973

We don't have this heli yet, but some forums suggested that the gears that drive the shaft of the rotor strip very quickly. This reminds us of the Walkera U-FLY. We have the U-FLY and its junk as the gears strip very quickly. If Walkera made the gears metal, then this heli would be awesome. The CB180Z is slightly smaller than the U-FLY, so the gears probably don't strip that quickly. We have the smaller Walkera 4G6 and it also uses gears to drive the tail. These gears take longer to strip probably because the heli is small.

We recently modified the 2.4Ghz Walkera CB180D to be a Totally Brushless helicopter. So, no gear shafts to wear out. A super fast brushless main motor and a brushless tail motor acting as a direct drive (DD) for more power to the rudder versus a stock tail motor with gear reduction. Below is a video of the heli flying:


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGATYeyeVN4[/youtube]

[8D]

etopsflight

Guys

Had my 180Z for about 2 weeks now and all I can say it's been a disappointment so far. I think it's a mixture of inexperience and bad factory settings and assembly.

Out of the box it would not hover still and had a massive task getting it airborne. I clipped a main rotor blade tip and semi-shredded the main gear trying. Found the motor mounting screws was loose so tightened it up.

Finally got her off the ground but she was not hovering in the same place. Turned my aileron and elevator pots to 3/4 and she performed marginally better. Lost control many times when she gets to 20-25 feet away from me. Smacked her into a lamp post but fortunately fell into a soft flowerbed. Next found the main gear pin had gone astray leaving me with no power to get to hover.

I used a paperclip as an interim fix for the pin. I also find the swash plate and not quite right. Removed my elevator servo horn and set the swash plate as best as I could. Managed to get hold of replacement main gears and main rotor blades.

Next outing, got her to hover much better but still not as stable as those videos shown on youtube. No real problems but very difficult to control.

Next day, take her out to a nearby field and there is a breeze. She lifts off but the breeze it stonger than her forward speed. She's being pushed back and I land her hard. Break the landing skids and one or two of the tail gears have broken teeth.

Regret not sticking to hovering in the playground with training skids and taking my time but that's life!

I know I can get hold of the landing skids but locally, the Walkera site is only showing 16 listed dedicated parts for the 180z and it does not include the tail gears not the tail rotor, which has managed to survive all this punishment so far.

Anybody got any tips for setting up this 180Z? Any positive responses will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Etopsflight

pgroom_68

Hey DPH,

I (like you) have held off from taking the plunge - and have NOT bought a CB180Z as yet! I just want to say that I was trying mild FF with my CB180D when I read your posts - I found that the HP rotor blades[sm=thumbs_up.gif] (designed for the Esky Big Lama etc) "B-Blades" fit exactly and lasted through my learning period very well I highly recommend them & they are cheap to buy (if you can find any).......

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]
P.S. sorry about the pic being slightly out of focus mate

DEATHPROOFHELI

[quote]ORIGINAL: pgroom_68

,

I (like you) have held off from taking the plunge - and have NOT bought a CB180Z as yet! I just want to say that I was trying mild FF with my CB180D when I read your posts - I found that the HP rotor blades[sm=thumbs_up.gif] (designed for the Esky Big Lama etc) "B-Blades" fit exactly and lasted through my learning period very well I highly recommend them & they are cheap to buy (if you can find any).......

Ya i will not be buying a 180Z anymore after what i have read. The 180D I am flying is bulletproof. I found some blades on ebay, 20 of them for i think 30 dollars. thats all i have ever broke on my heli, ONE TIME my motor mount was loosened from a crash, an my skid broke on one side, i super glue it now, everytime i crash i have to re-glue it. BUY A 180D!!! You WILL NOT REGRET IT!! Please check out my videos on youtube!! CB180 forward flight pt 1 and pt 2

Stormgaze

Well Igot my Z back together. It seems like it was possible to push the gears too far onto the drive shaft, which would cause them not to mesh well, so Iused a very small washer to space it a tad. Iput some lithium grease on the gears for the tail shaft and took her for a spin. It's been a windy, stormy weekend, but I did go through a whole battery flying low and keeping to some basic hovering..... and the gears survived it.

Since I've already bought it, I'll continue to use it, but Ireally think folks would be better off to buy a 180D and convert it to brushless. Idon't notice a big enough difference with the 3-axis gyro and CPtail rotor to justify the Z.

At least Igot the digital transmitter out of the deal and can use it for my 180Z, 180D, and Novus FP!

etopsflight

Guys

Managed to get my 180Z repaired. New landing skids and replaced the main gear and also two tail gears that had broken teeth.

Fitted the training skid and gave her a burst in the lounge. Seems she is back to normal, sound and feels okay.

Take her outside and after a bit the heli is turning one direction and there is a rattling sound. Have look at the gears I replaced and they are not correctly meshed so i prize the gear of the drive shaft to make the gears snug.

Another go and then find the heli wll not lift-off. Stop her and find that the pivot screw for the bell crank set has worked itself loose and it's gone. Thankfully the bushing is still there. Does anybody know the size of this screw so I can find a replacement from my hardware store?

Cheers

Etops

DEATHPROOFHELI

I doubt the hardware store would have anything metric an that small. That really sucks about your 180z. I was really wanting to get that heli. Maybe its like windows vista or xbox 360 lol. they might have a fix for it later on. See if they will trade it out for a 180D!

etopsflight

@deathproofheli

you were right, could not get hold of the screw at any hardware or electronics store. closest i got was M2. I think the screw is M1.5.

Anyway, bought the 180D screw set and it was in there and managed to get my bellcrank attached.

Gave her a quick whirl but it seems the 2 tail gears which I replaced aren't meshing too well. i blamed the design for the poor meshing but i am wrong. after taking the front side bevel gear and the associated 'gear-box', found out that i had not placed the front bearing in the recess that it should sit. when correctly seatd, the bearing spaced the bevel gear for correct meshing.

but her back together again and she sounded perfect when the throttle was applied. no more abnormal gear meshing sounds.

played with the Z for about 40 mins going thru 3 batteries and had the training gear on. It will not hover still when it is immediately off the training gear and once i get it a bit higher she does this circular oscillations. can anybody suggest how to trim this movement out?

cheers

etops