Whirly-Girl
04-04-2006, 04:32 AM
First of all, I would like to thank (again) Bergen for their continued great customer service and Gary Travis for patiently providing information to make my Intrepid EB the best heli it can be. :D
1. The detents that must be drilled in the tail drive shaft need to be nice and deep or one of the collars could slip, especially the one over the "dogbone."
2. For weight on the nose our EB took approximately 1.5 pounds to balance it. Use lead pellets so a small box can be used, as opposed to larger fishing weights which don't stack nicely.
3. Use the small wheel on the rudder servo for better resolution. You'll still get full travel on the tailrotor.
4. If there is any tailrotor bell crank play, sand down the aluminum spacer between the flanged bearings until the play goes away.
5. Use a piece of "wrap-around" velcro to dampen the tail rotor pushrod oscillations.
6. Be aware that your canopy mounting studs are 18mm in the front and the long "stepped" studs go in the back. With the fiberglass canopy we had to use the top frame hole for the studs to make the predrilled canopy holes line up.
7. Be careful not to oversize your ball links. There is a HUGE difference in the feel of the Bergen EB when going from just a tiny bit of slop in the head to no slop - rock solid with a tight head. Make sure the links move freely on the balls but don't allow ANY play. Replace a link that is the least bit sloppy. Two ways to "size" the links - ball link sizing tool or just squeeze the link repeatedly with pliers until it frees up.
8. Go with V-blades from the beginning: 810 mains, 90 paddles, 110 tail-blades. I had to retrim my tail after switching to V-tail-blades...they are way more stiff.
9. No wire mesh shielding needed on the spark plug wire of Zenoah engines. Stock is fine, range check as always. A wire shield may cause interferrence.
10. Put an aluminum fuel "T" in between the carb and the fuel tank so you can fill your tank without pulling the line off the carb every time.
11. The link lengths in the instructions are a starting point. In the head especially, check for correct geometry (everything horizontal at zero pitch). Double check the alignment pins that go into the headblock - at full negative be sure they don't come out of the headblock grooves.
12. Additional things to order at the same time as your helicopter: Zeal tape, head button, spare ball links, Bergen Tool Set (fan hub wrench, fly bar lock) and aluminum antenna mount.
13. Find someone with a dial indicator, borrow one or buy one. You might need a vice too. You'll need this to true up your fan.
14. Use a heavy duty zip tie while storing your heli to keep the rear gear from spreading as it sits.
15. A 50/90 sized blade holder from HeliProz fits nicely.
16. Send your fiberglass canopy (available from Bergen), tail fins and fan shroud to Ricko's or your favorite painting place, to have them painted while you're building. You get credit toward your fiberglass canopy if you opt for it instead of the stock one.
17. If you are near sea level: 1-3/8 turns open is a good starting point for the high and low needles on the carburetor. Only move one needle at a time, and only one screwdriver width at a time.
18. If using Penzoil 100% synthetic oil, use 6 oz. per gallon mixture ONLY until the rings seat. Then switch to 5 oz. per gallon IMMEDIATELY. At 6 oz. per gallon the needles can't ever lean the motor out enough to run smoothly.
19. Use Blue Marble Oil from the beginning. Mix it at 5 oz. of oil per gallon. If you are switching from a synthetic oil to an ashless then a re-break-in is necessary. Richen your needles, run five tanks, then lean needles as required. Blue Marble oil is used successfully for maximum smoothness in a stock Zenoah engine.
20. When the rings seat you will hear an audible change in RPM, it will increase (remember you're just hovering still). Richen the low end up slightly, change the oil to 5 oz. per gallon if using Penzoil, or keep running 5 oz. per gallon if running Blue Marble Oil.
21. Head speed: Set your throttle curve so you reach 1450 RPM by quarter stick, then fly at 1520 RPM. Set Idle Up at 1520 for flying. If you're lifting a camera mount or doing aerobatics, 1520 RPM is what you want in flight.
22. Check ALL bolts/nuts after the first FIVE minutes of hovering. Check them often after that for the first few tanks. Make sure everything is tight.
23. No Li-Poly batteries on your downlink TX. Li-Poly battery leads aren't shielded so they cause interferrence on the camera servos.
Good luck! There is still so much more to learn. :D
1. The detents that must be drilled in the tail drive shaft need to be nice and deep or one of the collars could slip, especially the one over the "dogbone."
2. For weight on the nose our EB took approximately 1.5 pounds to balance it. Use lead pellets so a small box can be used, as opposed to larger fishing weights which don't stack nicely.
3. Use the small wheel on the rudder servo for better resolution. You'll still get full travel on the tailrotor.
4. If there is any tailrotor bell crank play, sand down the aluminum spacer between the flanged bearings until the play goes away.
5. Use a piece of "wrap-around" velcro to dampen the tail rotor pushrod oscillations.
6. Be aware that your canopy mounting studs are 18mm in the front and the long "stepped" studs go in the back. With the fiberglass canopy we had to use the top frame hole for the studs to make the predrilled canopy holes line up.
7. Be careful not to oversize your ball links. There is a HUGE difference in the feel of the Bergen EB when going from just a tiny bit of slop in the head to no slop - rock solid with a tight head. Make sure the links move freely on the balls but don't allow ANY play. Replace a link that is the least bit sloppy. Two ways to "size" the links - ball link sizing tool or just squeeze the link repeatedly with pliers until it frees up.
8. Go with V-blades from the beginning: 810 mains, 90 paddles, 110 tail-blades. I had to retrim my tail after switching to V-tail-blades...they are way more stiff.
9. No wire mesh shielding needed on the spark plug wire of Zenoah engines. Stock is fine, range check as always. A wire shield may cause interferrence.
10. Put an aluminum fuel "T" in between the carb and the fuel tank so you can fill your tank without pulling the line off the carb every time.
11. The link lengths in the instructions are a starting point. In the head especially, check for correct geometry (everything horizontal at zero pitch). Double check the alignment pins that go into the headblock - at full negative be sure they don't come out of the headblock grooves.
12. Additional things to order at the same time as your helicopter: Zeal tape, head button, spare ball links, Bergen Tool Set (fan hub wrench, fly bar lock) and aluminum antenna mount.
13. Find someone with a dial indicator, borrow one or buy one. You might need a vice too. You'll need this to true up your fan.
14. Use a heavy duty zip tie while storing your heli to keep the rear gear from spreading as it sits.
15. A 50/90 sized blade holder from HeliProz fits nicely.
16. Send your fiberglass canopy (available from Bergen), tail fins and fan shroud to Ricko's or your favorite painting place, to have them painted while you're building. You get credit toward your fiberglass canopy if you opt for it instead of the stock one.
17. If you are near sea level: 1-3/8 turns open is a good starting point for the high and low needles on the carburetor. Only move one needle at a time, and only one screwdriver width at a time.
18. If using Penzoil 100% synthetic oil, use 6 oz. per gallon mixture ONLY until the rings seat. Then switch to 5 oz. per gallon IMMEDIATELY. At 6 oz. per gallon the needles can't ever lean the motor out enough to run smoothly.
19. Use Blue Marble Oil from the beginning. Mix it at 5 oz. of oil per gallon. If you are switching from a synthetic oil to an ashless then a re-break-in is necessary. Richen your needles, run five tanks, then lean needles as required. Blue Marble oil is used successfully for maximum smoothness in a stock Zenoah engine.
20. When the rings seat you will hear an audible change in RPM, it will increase (remember you're just hovering still). Richen the low end up slightly, change the oil to 5 oz. per gallon if using Penzoil, or keep running 5 oz. per gallon if running Blue Marble Oil.
21. Head speed: Set your throttle curve so you reach 1450 RPM by quarter stick, then fly at 1520 RPM. Set Idle Up at 1520 for flying. If you're lifting a camera mount or doing aerobatics, 1520 RPM is what you want in flight.
22. Check ALL bolts/nuts after the first FIVE minutes of hovering. Check them often after that for the first few tanks. Make sure everything is tight.
23. No Li-Poly batteries on your downlink TX. Li-Poly battery leads aren't shielded so they cause interferrence on the camera servos.
Good luck! There is still so much more to learn. :D