make your own quick release!!!

[bmccowan]

I was looking at my keys today and saw the little thing that holds two key chains together and a light bulb turned on. It looked just like the quick release that you can get for your canopy but this one only cost about a dollar as apposed to 40 or so...... so I got to work. After all was said and done it was really simple. You need to first pick up you Q release at the dollar store or wherever and the take out the canopy rubber then I had to take a file to make the hole bigger for the QR to fit into. Then I took a trex 500 skid rubber and cut about 5mm off the edge, as you can see in the pick the small piece goes on the outside and the big one on the inside. This holds the male end on to the canopy. Now take the old mount off and also take out the set screw, then take the right size screw, thread lock the female part of the QR to the heli and your done. you can do all four for lest than five bucks, I have not test flown it yet but im very confident that it will hold just fine. Hope this helps. Im going to do the other 3, but have to pick up more key chain quick releases. LOL

[stg099]

Now there's some good 'ol fasioned ingenuity! Let us know how it works out when you add the other 3 and test fly, that's a great idea.

[tyio]

Hi :)

interesting mod :), but i don't really understand how you get the quick release part (the one that is on the canopy). You buy it for one $ .? any link ?

thanks again :), :noteworthy

[ualdrivr]

Hi :)

interesting mod :), but i don't really understand how you get the quick release part (the one that is on the canopy). You buy it for one $ .? any link ?

thanks again :), :noteworthy

The "Dollar Store" is a chain of actual stores here in the US. The name of the store is "The Dollar Store" because everything they sell, costs one dollar, or so they clame. In other words it's a cheap store that you can find odds and ends ;)

[bmccowan]

You can find the quick release on key chains, so you could find them in gas stations, corner stores, hardware store, places like that. I'm not really sure how much difference in size there is from one brand to another but the one I had on my key chain fit almost perfectly, just had to file half a mm off the canopy hole... took me 2 minutes with a chain saw tooth file. Oh and I haven't done the other 3 yet just the muffler mount but took it for a few light 3d flights today and no problem. Before you buy the quick release just tested it and make sure its good quality by holding each side of the QR and see if you can pull it apart. I tried as hard as I could with the one that I had and it wouldn't budge. Don't think anyone will have a problem finding them just keep your eyes open when you go into any store:YeaBaby:

[Finless]

Very cool idea! Good job coming up with that for sure.

Bob

[tyio]

Thanks for your reply :)

arf, still don't really see what part you buy... In french gas station, i guess they don't have this kind of key chain ^^.
Can you just see a picture of the part you use before modding it ?

:=)

[bmccowan]

I think this may help so .... the first pic show where the keys would go if you were using it as a key chain. The two holes at the end of each piece is where the keys would go. Second pic shows the two pieces together and the rex 500 landing skid rubber cut in half but with the shorter piece on the outside of the male piece of the QR. The third pic shows how it goes together but without the canopy, the canopy goes in between the two pieces of the skid rubber and the other Qr piece (the female end) goes where the old standoff would go. Just remember you have to take out the old set screw. Good luck finding the key chain...... maybe go where all the tourists would go to get a key chain of pairs LOL.:thumbup:

[bmccowan]

So a little update for ya all ..... went and picked up the other three key chains and I found them at first hardware store I stopped at and went to where they cut you new keys and there they were for 2.69. There were a couple of choices so good thing I brought the one I used with me. Other ones were a little longer... they would prob still work but as you can see in the pic the ones I have are the perfect size, they hold the canopy at the same distance from the frame. So bring your standoff with you for sizing them up. I use too dread taking the canopy off mostly because of that muffler side.... well both front ones are getting damaged and are a f****in pain to get off. Now it takes five seconds to take the whole canopy off. So even if you don't make your own I would recamend buying them for your own sake :arggg:

[bmccowan]

By the way I just checked my Trex 500 and it will work on there too. The QR is about 3 mm longer where the canopy will sit but that's great cause my canopy already sits too close to my swash links. So this will solve that problem. The only down fall is the extra bit of weight your adding... but I've seen a 500 pick up a skateboard with the trucks and wheels on it.

[outhouse]

great idea

i live in a smaller town and im still searching for them, found them online for 1.30

curious how exactly you mounted the QR stand off to the frame, the one QR i saw was hollow

heres a link for those looking http://www.bicwarehouse.com/pull-apart-key-ring-70701.html

http://hardware.hardwarestore.com/29-440-pull-a-part/pull-a-part-key-ring-102496.aspx

[bmccowan]

Hey, if you look back at the picks I posted.... look at the female end (the one without the rubber on it) and down through the center at the bottom is a hole already there and after you take out the set screw of your heli frame for the old standoff, you now get and new little bolt of the same size, put a little washer on it and insert it down through the center of the female piece add some lock tight, then screw it back in to the old standoff hole and your done with that part. Glad too help :smokin:

[bmccowan]

Just curious.... how many freaks are gona give this mod a try?

[outhouse]

i found 4 at ace hardware, they were like 3.69 each and i told the guy about the online prices so he sold the 4 at 1.69 each. i got the same ones as my first link. I found trex 600 old dampners are a perfect fit for the vibration dampner as well.

ill post pics when im done.

[outhouse]

okee dokee, i took the quick connects and ground the tip down so there smaller [took the key ring hole out] i used O-rings for the front because my quick connect were shorter then yours and i used some gray 600 dampners i would never use on the back side. the dampners are superglued to the fiberglass. teh quick connects felt sloppy but with the canopy on its all tight :) $9 for my whole set with o-rings

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/2986/img0344i.jpg (http://img705.imageshack.us/i/img0344i.jpg/)
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2829/img0348xn.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/img0348xn.jpg/)

[gixxum]

the day before the OP posted this, i spent the $37 on a set of 4 QR Booya's (which work great, but for $37 i should get free lunch or something too) for my 700. I wanted to kick myself in the ass after reading this. BUT, since im an idiot, i got myself a 600 LE this weekend and now I can try your mod!

[outhouse]

dont kick yourself lol, the quality is worth it. there parts are light alloy, ours are chrome plated brass. my QR's have a bit of play that they dont have as well.

all in all yes i would spend the $9 again as a simple o-ring would make these tight as can be.

great idea OP

[Popsicle]

Don't beat yourself up if you got the RC Booya mounts.. They're made from 7075 Aluminum with a special surface treatment that makes them even harder and more durable.

You're not going to break your RC Booya mount in a crash where you're almost certainly going to bend or break these. So.. You spent wisely.

[bmccowan]

Hey nice job. I like the rubber job better on yours, it looks a little cleaner than mine.
Yes popsicle they may break off in a crash or they may not but either way your canopy is gona be hooped if they do and after a quick local trip to the hardware store and a couple buck your QR can be replace. I was just looking to find a cheap alternative, and after many flight test they hold up just as good. I'll let ya know about there crash rating when that happends, hopefully you wont hear about that for a while even though I had a very close call today a couple feet off the deck. I suffered a small heart attack and had very shaky hands for the next 10 minutes :oops:

[outhouse]

thanks bud.

you can see in the one pic that i need a small thin o-ring in between the QR as theres play in mine. pressure is holding it pretty tight so its not a biggie but that would be icing on the cake

[RRios]

I'm definitely doing this, I looked at the Booya mounts once at a funfly, and my 1st thought was "No way these things are worth $40.00+ dollars"; so I didn't buy them even though I cam across them numerous times at funfly's.
This post is perfect for those that want the same thing but at just a few dollars.

Love it!
:thumbup:

[tukkus]

I just bought 4 QR's @ $1.29 each from my hardware store.... I'm going to test mine on an extra 600 canopy I have and if I like it I will convert my 700 over too.

Thanks for sharing.

[nmanno]

I'll give it a try once I find the key chains.

[ball link]

These Quick release key chains are at Lowe's for about $2 , i bought me some and going to try it out , thanks for the tip, lol who needs booya when you got Quick release , :tongue

[eightythree]

very nice thinking! i love when you notice small everyday things like this and incorporate them into our hobbies :D

so now, who's gunna be the crash guineapig? :YeaBaby:
curious to know if they will 'Pop' in the event of a crash.. it may save some battle scars..