Cypher 3D - Love this Heli!

[maddog57]

James those are the same connectors that my Turnigys came with. I changed 'em out to the Deans Ultra connectors. Have read good things about the Anderson power pole connectors lately, but really don't wanna change everything I have over to something different.

Chris :thumbup:

[wa3itz]

I use both Power polls and Deans. For me High current 25amp and up its Power polls. Under it's Deans. Doc in PA.

[irjamesm]

James those are the same connectors that my Turnigys came with. I changed 'em out to the Deans Ultra connectors. Have read good things about the Anderson power pole connectors lately, but really don't wanna change everything I have over to something different.

Chris :thumbup:

Yea, plus hobby city is out of the connectors anyway...
Hey Chris, hows the Atom coming??

[irjamesm]

Hey guys, Im having a little bit of wag on both my helis. Right now on my cypher the gain on tx is set to 25% (futaba GY401)? Does raising or lowering help? And on the 401 there is a dial for "delay"? What does that do? the gyros are kinda confusing to me.
On the 500 its at 25% also.....?

[kevinbattista]

I too keep a trash bag in my flight box. It makes picking up the pieces from my figure 9 so much easier.


Dru.

hey guys i'm really new at this so forgive me if it sounds stupid, but you guys crash these things just flyin around or tryin 3D stunts? :thinking i'm assuming 3D right?

[Vechlor]

irjamesm,
Have a look at Bob's heli 101 vids on 401 gyros, he shows you how to find radio gain as well as true gain. With the logictech, you can read true gain from the small green LED lights, my airtronics radio matches up pretty close.

For gyro gain, keep raising it until the wag is gone, also check for any slop by wiggling the tail blades by hand.

Delay or Speed on the gyro affects how fast the tail stops after a piro. High delay (low speed) will produce a bungee cord effect or bounce, Low delay (high speed aka 0ms) will produce quick stops.

kevinbattista,
Awesome 3D flying that inspired me to pick up a Cypher!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3bXDWRWL8Y&hd=1

I haven't step into the 3D realm yet, but with practice and patients, I'm sure it will happen soon.

[kevinbattista]

cool vid. seen alot of 3D vids.. kinda what got me into it.. i flew for the first REAL time sat with my trainer ... TREX450 and buddy box. went through 5 batteries .. no crashes and AWESOME hovers by the 2nd / 3rd batt:YeaBaby: ... the only time Mike had to save me was when i started to drift forward and couldnt see the heli ( damn glare)
anyway i think i'm gonna go with the TREX because i KNOW how it flys and my local hobby shop has it and all the parts i need. i think if CYPHER was alittle more "main stream" i might have but my local hobby shop has never even heard of it so getting parts would be a challenge ... when i break it i cant wait for parts to come in... ;).. maybe in the future though.. Thanx for all the info :noteworthy

[Vechlor]

kevinbattista,

Congrats on your first flight! It's a good feeling to walk away without a dent! :thumbup:

If you look at the pros and cons of both, it's hard to beat the Cypher, especially if you are a beginner on a budget. Here are a few things to consider before picking up your first EP 450 heli. 1. Cost, 2. Availability, 3. Performance.

1. Cost. For less than $150, you can pick up a new Cypher ARF with a decent motor, esc and wooden blades. There are way fewer parts than the Trex, most parts are plastic on the Cypher, but they are durable and cheap to replace if they break.

2. Availability. As for parts in the US, Hobby People (CA) and Ron's HeliProz (TX) have a complete stock of parts and kits. There are some eTailers like ebay and amazon stores that carry parts, but not as many. If you crash a lot, just stock up on parts you break the most. I know some of the guys on here put together a list... :roll:

3. Performance. Hard to say much since this is my first EP heli, but from the reviews I've read, the Cypher performs very well if not better than the Trex. Even handles wind very well compared to most helis of this class.

In any case, go with what YOU want and happy with, that's all that matters. :cheers

[maddog57]

Ooooops...never mind!

Chris :thumbup:

[kevinbattista]

kevinbattista,

Congrats on your first flight! It's a good feeling to walk away without a dent! :thumbup:

If you look at the pros and cons of both, it's hard to beat the Cypher, especially if you are a beginner on a budget. Here are a few things to consider before picking up your first EP 450 heli. 1. Cost, 2. Availability, 3. Performance.

1. Cost. For less than $150, you can pick up a new Cypher ARF with a decent motor, esc and wooden blades. There are way fewer parts than the Trex, most parts are plastic on the Cypher, but they are durable and cheap to replace if they break.

2. Availability. As for parts in the US, Hobby People (CA) and Ron's HeliProz (TX) have a complete stock of parts and kits. There are some eTailers like ebay and amazon stores that carry parts, but not as many. If you crash a lot, just stock up on parts you break the most. I know some of the guys on here put together a list... :roll:

3. Performance. Hard to say much since this is my first EP heli, but from the reviews I've read, the Cypher performs very well if not better than the Trex. Even handles wind very well compared to most helis of this class.

In any case, go with what YOU want and happy with, that's all that matters. :cheers

yes.. i've been on a HIGH since i flew and cant wait to get out again (rain here till thurs):thumbdown:
from what i'm learning and researching i think the TREX will be good for me.. i honestly think next step after TREX will be a NITRO. i do have a question though= what is an " EP " heli? what does the E P stand for? i'm just tryin to learn ALL the HELI lingo ;)
THANX:thumbup:

[mediclavina]

EP --> Electric Powered

[kevinbattista]

EP --> Electric Powered
:DOH

[blvdbuzzard]

James, raise the gain until you get a FAST wag, then back it down a bit. I have had a slow wag, about 3 inches wide or so, with a low head speed. The tail was not spinning fast enough.

With my Airtronics radio, my gain goes from -100 to +100. That is also a way to change from HH mode to rate mode.


You should watch the videos oon the setup of the GY401. I found it to be very good even though I do not have a Futaba radio.

Kevin, the TRX is a good bird. May want to look into a clone. A lot less money and uses the same parts. If you are still looking for your first helicopter, still look at the Cypher. Just order (2) parts when you crash and you will have plenty of parts on hand and the LHS won't matter.

Yes Kevin we do or at least I do crash doing simple hovers and 3D moves. Plus I use the bags more for my planes then my helicopters. You would be surprised at how much balsa and foam is in a plane when it smacks the ground at 60 mph.


Dru.

[maddog57]

yup... Kevin's going with the Rex, triied to sway him to the Cypher but...T's are a good choice. Kevin, when you want to fly something different from what everybody else has we'll be here waiting for you, LOL !

Chris :thumbup:

[irjamesm]

James, raise the gain until you get a FAST wag, then back it down a bit. I have had a slow wag, about 3 inches wide or so, with a low head speed. The tail was not spinning fast enough.

With my Airtronics radio, my gain goes from -100 to +100. That is also a way to change from HH mode to rate mode.


You should watch the videos oon the setup of the GY401. I found it to be very good even though I do not have a Futaba radio.



Dru.

I did watch that vid...a little over my head. The wag wasnt there 2 weeks ago. Kinda wierd.
And ive been having a little issue with the one way gear, when i land the motor keeps going
, not under power but still spinning till it stops. I just put a new one way bearing in, thought that would have fixed it, but it didnt...lubed it pretty good.
If the belts to tight do you think it would do that?
But the belt has been the same tension this whole time:confused:

[blvdbuzzard]

James, check the bottom of the main shaft. It may have some rough spots in it They will catch the on way bearing and not let go. Also, when you lubed the one way bearing, did you use a lite weight oil? Grease will not let it work.

Speaking of the belt, look for missing teeth, build up of dirt, stretched parts, also check the teeth on the drive gear and the tail shaft. If they have any build up, it will change the tension of the belt as they spin. I had that on a nitro helicopter. Drove me crazy for almost a month.

Check for any binding of the push rod, ball links and make sure that the tail shaft is oiled. Check to see if the tail blades have even tension on them.

What is the gear mesh from the motor to the main gear like? If it is to tight it can cause binding.

Dru.

[Vechlor]

irjamesm,

Does the motor spin when you turn the rotor head clock wise? If so, something is catching on the main gear, maybe the main belt gear or auto rotation sleeve inside the auto rotation bearing.

As for belt tension, test it by holding the tail and rotating the head, it should feel snug while almost wanting to slip. Another way would be to push on the belt at the mid point between the main belt gear and two tail pulleys above the main gear, it should flex about 2-3mm.
Also, the belt will shrink and expand depending on the weather. If it was tight in warm weather, in cold weather it will be much tighter and can put more wear on the motor, esc and batts.

[irjamesm]

It had just started doing it a week or so ago, after it spools down, i turn the blades and i can feel it still wanting to turn the motor, then it stops and spins freely.
How long do the belts last? I know it depends on many factors, but it;s the orignal one, little over a year old. On the inside, with the grooves, its looking a little "fuzzy"

I did put grease on the one way, then last night when i took it apart to check, i used oil.

[Vechlor]

I still have my original belt from Nov '08. Look for rounding of the teeth, deterioration of the rubber, splintering on the edges etc. It never hurts to replace the belt after a couple dozen flights. Maintenance and regular checkups FTW! ;)

I'm putting together another heli for my bro, he finally decided to bite the bullet. :YeaBaby: Here's some pics with the same changes I made to mine. I've mounted the esc on the side with the heat shrink removed for better cooling. Added 2x10mm screws and nut on the mixer arm (the original 2x6 screws would spin in place..) and doubled up some double side tape to mount a piece of foam for the batt tray. I'm using a bigger strap with a plastic buckle to keep the batt from sliding out. No more yanking on velcro to get my batts out! :arggg:

[kevinbattista]

Just wanted to say Thanks again for all the info.
but .. i still have a question= i'm not really sure what to do, i have the Blade cpp2, got a good hover today in my kitchen.. *till i hit the table:thumbdown: i'm not sure if i want to sell it or not.. i could use the $ for a better heli .. and i'm still not sure what heli i want= Trex or cypher.. what i DO know is i NEED a new tx.. do they all work together? I kinda want one that will/would work with ALL the helis since i dont know what one i want, also would like to still be able to "buddy" with Mike's (trainer) i think he has a futaba... AND need it to work with Phoenix..
so do you guys have any opinions on what i should do or where i should look?
oh one more thing.. are parts interchangable? like servos gyro's , main blades , thing's that i'll break.. cuz my local hobby shops only carry E~Flight and Trex stuff. I dont like waiting for parts (* have to wait 2 weeks for a tail boom ) GGGRRRR.
Thanx again
:thumbup:

[blvdbuzzard]

To buddy box, you will have to get a Futaba Tx. You will find once you start to fly, you will out grow the buddy box real fast, so I would not use that s a basis for buying a Tx.

I like Airtroincs, so I am biased about that. Futaba makes good stuff. I do like the Airtronics stuff better. This is what I am flying.

http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/751700.asp

If you watch them, it goes on sale for $140.00

Servo are not brand specific any more so you can use them in almost any helicopter. Same with the Gyros. They will work with every radio out there.

A lot of parts will work with what ever helicopter you get. A Trex 450 uses the same main and tail blades as the Cypher, EXI, and a lot more. The servo should be able to be moved to the same sized helicopter as well as the batteries and gyro.

The parts like gears, shafts, guides will be for the make and model of helicopter.


Dru.

[blvdbuzzard]

Vechlor, how do you have the antennas routed? It looks like you have one pointed forward and the other pointed backwards? For best performance, they need to be 90 degrees to each other.

I would hate to have that bring it down.

Dru.

[irjamesm]

Im gonna give my cypher a fly to see if the wag is gone and auto spin is working again (not that i can do or have tried an auto rotation)

Be back in about 8 min

Well i lowered the gain to about 20 seems alot better, but the auto still is doing its thing, i wonder if the motor is easier to turn, maybe getting worn out??dint do it after 15 sec but after about a min it did??

[maddog57]

James, I had the OWB on one of my Cyphers do the hang-up thing once. Took a while to find that the sleeve that goes into the brg. was cracked on one side, thru one of the bolt holes and the edge of the crack was causing it to catch the rollers in the brg. and hang up. Something to look for. It's hard to see a crack in the sleeve so take a hard look at it.

Chris :thumbup:

[irjamesm]

Yea i guess ill take it apart again, it doesnt affect amything, just kinda bugging me,
I have been flying mostly in normal mode, but Dru was right, its kinda windy here, and in idle up, it is so much easier to control...what was i thinking:arggg: