Walkera 60 Different Transmitters

[PaulW]

Hi,
I was wondering if it is possible to use a JR transmitter with a Walkera 60 dragonfly.
I have just started back into model helicopters and bought a Walkera 60 because it was cheap and looked cute (sorry!)
I so liked the convenience of Electrics I have just bought a T-Rex 600 CF and JR 9X2 combo to go with it (yet to build it, only arrived yesterday)
I find the Walkera very twitchy and the transmitter not very good, so, as the transmitter claims to be PCM was wondering if it was possible to use either the 9X2 transmitter or an old JR X-347 that I own.
When I turn on the 347 the Walkera servos move to over to full, but I can't seem to control them. I have tried ZPCM, SPCM and PPM modes on the 9X2 but nothing happens, though in ZPCM mode the transmitter controls my old Hirobo ZX fine, so the PCM seems to conform between these two radios even though they are technologically a decade or more a part am I doing something wrong or are the Walkera systems non standard?

Thanks for any input

Paul W.

[skunkworx]

You'll probably have to install a matching RX for using that TX setup. Walkera isn't well known for having great electronics to begin with. Seeing you spent the money on the bird already, there's no sense in smashing it into the ground because of a crappy set of electronics,plus, the Jr is a lot more interference resistant wich will be needed on that alu. frame. I'm jealous though, that's the heli I wanted and had to settle for the Trex450 SE! Sounds ludacris, but I really liked the looks of the 60. I'm still not too fond of the looks of the 'Rex, but hey what alternative do I have? You'd think that other manufacturers would've started coming out with better rivals for the T-rex by now. Maybe sometime in the future we'll have more to choose from? :roll:

Other than the little kinks, would you say the 60 is worth it? Does it fly at all? I decided not to buy one because of the bad publicity with everyone else out there who've dealt wih Walkera. I'm still considering a dragonfly #4 or Honeybee 2 for a little knock around in the garage/backyard. Can't really beat the price of a fully flying heli for around $80-$90!

[PaulW]

The problems I find with the Walkera are :
1) it is very twitchy ( I'm no 3d pilot) I think Rates on the cyclic would improve matters greatly, hence wanting to use my JR Transmitters
2)The upgrades are so cheap from China, so I have the Brushless motor, am waiting for an upgraded ESC, Alloy head and swash (still to be fitted, why risk the good stuff) Carbon Main and tail blades, Carbon tail boom and stabilizer paddles, seems a shame to be using crappy electronics

That being said the standard parts can be bought so cheaply you can actually afford to crash the thing! and because its so small and light the damage tends t be minimal, I have yet to damage a main or tail shaft despite smashing a set of main blades (got too close to a garden chair) and having a boom strike (small dent inthe tail boom, but the replacement in Carbon only cost $9.60 plus shipping......

[skunkworx]

Sweet!! I have DX7 radio for my helis/planes, I still think I'll get one when the time is right. Would you say it's twichy 'caus of the mechanics or the electronics? I can swing the electronics upgrades no problem. As a matter of fact, I think even my 'stock' Trex equipment is going bye-bye soon if I find a cooler running motor/esc setup. I already have everything else jazzed up so I won't have to deal with wanting "the next best thing"!

Let me know how everything develops on your little whirlybird. Sounds like a ton of fun! :mrgreen:

[PaulW]

Hi,
as I said I am just starting back into Model Helicopters, I never was any good, just doing hovering and circuits. I bought the Walkera because I couldn't believe you could get a complete RTF 'proper' helicopter for the price. I think the reason I find it (as I call it twitchy) is that the control is a little too sensitive, and the fact that the machine is so light means it reacts very quickly to control inputs. I wouldn't say I have had any real glitch problems with the electrics, but I must say this is the second helicopter I got from the supplier, the first one started to hum then burnt out the ESC wiring when I connected the LiPo to it, the supplier just replaced the entire package
Oh, I do feel the basic Walkera 60 is marginal, it was much easier to setup with the brushless motor and upgraded (stiffer and better C of G ) main blades

[skunkworx]

So in short would you say it's better suited for a more experienced pilot? The ESC and brushed motors would probably be the first things to go if I got one anyways, then the RX, then the servos. I take it you got the model with all plastic parts? If so, would you say go straight for the metal parts upgrades or will they (plastic stuff) be suitable for starting out with? Also, would you say that Walkera is good on customer service? As I've said before, Walkeras don't have a good reputation with a lot of people out there, so I'm just trying to figure out whether it would be worth the time and effort in buying their products. Thanks a ton for any help you can give me! I'm looking forward to getting one soon! :glasses2:

[PaulW]

Err, one point at a time, Yes I feel the helicopter would be better suited to a more experienced pilot, Yes I feel it would be better to start out with a fully upgraded version, with heavier/ stiffer blades and an upgraded motor the standard head seems fine but you will probably want to upgrade fairly quickly.
I am just in the process of fitting all my upgrades to the model so it now stands as follows Alloy head and tail rotor assembly, Carbon tail boom, tail blades, paddles and main blades, brushless 3800 motor Fdragon 30A programmable ESC (yet to be attached)1800mAh 11.1V 12c LiPo JR R770 SPCM receiver (so I can use my JR transmitter) When I have enough time to wire up the ESC and set up the radio I will let you know what its like

[skunkworx]

Sorry about the barrage of questions :oops: Sounds like a lot of fun building up though! I'm still working out the bugs on my Trex SE right now. It's a lot more work than I originally thought.

[PaulW]

No Problem, I forgot to mention Walkera have been excellent, despite some interpretive problems, they sent me assembly drawings of the upgrades, and answered my questions on removing the main gear from the main shaft etc.
I have been very impressed by the fact that they as an international company would actually take the time to deal with queries from one owner!!

I am having great fun trying to set up the CCPM on the Walkera at the moment, and I haven't connected the ESC yet!

My Trex 600 os just sitting in the Box begging me to build it, but I want to get the Walkera back in the air first (Its Still way cheaper to repair!)

[skunkworx]

Cool! I don't think I cpuld be more envious now! :mrgreen: A 600 & a 60?!!! I think it'll be a long im before I can get anything else with the costs of my 450 still climbing. The last 3 times I've been to ther LHS, I spent almost $100 each time!(I don't know the conversion, but I think it might be a little cheaper in the states[?])

[PaulW]

I hear a lot of negative about Walkera on this forum,
I bought mine because the price was right. I still have three Nitro Helis that haven't been flown for years, one not since I rebuilt it after a boom strike. The Walkera came out of the box, onto the charger into the garden and I got it into the air on the first attempt. It didn't hover on the spot, like I used to expect from my shuttle and it was excessively sensitive to cyclic control, but it flew. That was the first time I had tried to fly any kind of RC model in about eight years. The fact that the thing flew and was electric made me go looking into electrics on the web, I saw the videos of the Trex 600 and decided to get one, then get a more modern radio.
I would not have bought a Trex 450 on a whim like I did the Walkera, Okay the fact that I have flown Helis years ago may have meant I had more sucess than a total newbie would but the 60 does describe itself as ' 3D Aerobatic Flying right out of the Box' so really you should expect a responsive machine.
I paid approx $400 for a complete ready to fly helicopter with programable radio, heading lock gyro, servos, brushless motor ( original motor was also supplied, alomg with NiMh battery, ESC and charger),Glass Blades, 2200mAh 12c LiPo ( bit too big to fit inside the frame, hence I now use a 1800mAh) Balance Charger and mains adapter. Bought from a British supplier so all taxes and duties paid. The Helicopter did what it said on the box, what more do people want?
I accept that for people deliberatly setting out to try model helicopters and have the money and technical abilities that the Trex 450 or Dragonus 2 are the way to go, but in the past I have always discouraged people who have said I wouldn't mind having a go with a model helicopter" on the grounds of cost, I hate to think how much I spent on learning to fly Nitro machines.
My History with Helicopters is (off the top of my head) I started with a fixed pitch helicopter (Micro Mold Lark) when the only other helicopter was the Graupner Bell Huey Cobra and totally out of my price range. The Lark was so marginal on power it could barely get off the ground. My next Helicopter was a Graupner Super Baby (collective pitch version of the helibaby) That threw a link the first time I ran it up an boom struck, I never rebuilt it. Next came a Kalt Cyclone 2, I learned to Hover properly with that, it was improved immensly with Glass blades but the damage done to the heli when I tipped it forward and caught the ground with the disk was excessive, Still rebuilt the head, replaced the mainshaft and bought new blades, Then I modified the collective linkage to improve response, that worked great untill I again caught the ground ( and I do mean touched, not buried in ) The modification to the collective involved removing some of the main frame, thus weakening it, this time the whole heli was written off. Bought my friends crash damaged Cyclone and rebuilt it again, with the collective mod. Wrote that off dropping vertically and stopping as close to the ground as I could and took it 6" too low on one occassion! Then bought a Shuttle ZX and Concept 30 SX ( figured I could be flying one while repairing the other) Stuufed the shuttle while flying circuits (Managed to stop half way through a banked turn at the far end of the field couldn't see which wa it was facing and made the wrong guess (half loop and half roll into the ground) Trimming out the Concept and doing small figure of '8's someone crashed their plank and his 2 kids ran straight to the crash through where I was doing my flying, caught sight of them running toward the helicopter so pulled back stick and cut the throttle, ouch boom strike! At that point I gave up, repaired both the Shuttle and the Concept, I have hovered the Shuttle on occassion but never even started the Concept. Bought a second hand Hirobo Stork a few years back with the intention of starting back but haven't even installed radio gear in it.
Then I saw and bought the Walkera and Electrics seem so quick, clean and easy I have actually started back, So on a personal note Thankyou Walkera!

[skunkworx]

I started out on a Kyosho Concept .46VR, The heli was actually nice to build, They spent a lot of time showing you how to peice it together. I really don't think that the 450 makes a good beginner's helicopter at all unless you have the smarts to watch the vids or get major help from someone already involved with them! The manual SUCKS! I'm pretty good about building things (elctronics tech/auto mechanic by trade) and it is a tricky little bug to sqash! I also didn't like the price considering how tiny the 'rex is. So far I've paid the same price for my nitro as my electric, and the only tools I had to buy were some hex tools, a screw driver, ball link pliers and an Xacto knife! My nitro needed all kinds of stuff!
I guess I just got the wrong impression about electrics as far as being more accessible and cheaper. :( All in the name of fun though! The Walkeras do offer a lot for a little, but even at $300-$500 it's still expensive! Most people think we're a bunch of kooks for paying so much for these things, but hey, it's not for everyone. (Nothing worth doing is easy! or cheap :glasses2: :arggg: ) I'm going to get one of those #4's at the end of the month to buzz around the backyard. Noone can lose with one of those, they only cost $80! replacement parts are dirt cheap to boot! :D
One of these days I'll shell out for a 60 or 52e and just use it for a backup to the 'Rex. Maybe to prove to everyone that they are worth it and give Align some competition! :mrgreen:

[PaulW]

Expense is relative, The Hirobo Shuttle that is sitting on my shelf, with OS 32 heli, JR347, Coreless servo's (Futaba, can't remember the numbers and I not getting it down to look) with an old mechanical(?) gyro cost around £1185 ($2300) in 1993 , I only crashed it the once and it cost around $400 to fix,so $400 in 2007 for a complete flyable heli seems pretty cheap to me

I didn't get to fly the concept much, but as I remember it was very neutral around midstick on the cyclic and only got livley if you applied more than 25% in any direction, which is probably why it made such a good beginners helicopter

Oh, Have run up the Walkera on the kitchen table tonight, and it gets a violent wobble as it spins up, but passes through it. The blades, paddles and everything else is balanced, any ideas?

[skunkworx]

This sounds kinda normal for that little guy. When you spin the blades, does it spin freely/smooth? Your motor, belt or belt gear might be meshed/tensioned too tightly. The problem with these litlle bids is that they are a lot more sensitive to mechanics as the tolerances are much tighter.
The frame is real sturdy on it so I'd say check those things first! Another thing (I figure you might've already tried this), try pulling the blades by the tips so they are at max extension before spinning up or check the tightness of the blade grips. If they are loose, they 'bend' when throttle is given and get pulled out when centrifugal force kicks in.
Ummm...I'll think of some other stuff but I gotta go see a Football game (Super Bowl) Let me know if this helps!

[PaulW]

Problem solved, resonance from the table!!
Tried three sets of blades, 2 Carbon and one foam (strangeley the foam blades were out of track) took it in the front room wound it up on the carpet, smooth all the way up, with only 3 ft clear on the two sides was not really prepared to hover indoors, it will take some trimming out but it seems okay so far!!

Thanks for the suggestions though!!

[skunkworx]

Nice! I'm jealous! I still gotta put the tail servo on, mount my gyro and finish my ESC mod before I have a chance to play around with mine. :(
You taking it outside soon?

[PaulW]

Hope to today, I did get it off the ground a couple of inches, but couldn't keep it steady enough to hover for any length of time,
Sofa to the left of me, Sofa to the right
into the valley of death hovered the Walkera.......
Oh and the fireplace in front and an armchair behind

[skunkworx]

Scary! I just found another posting on another site discissing the DF60. They had a couple pics of really nice helis there. Seems most of them haven't done more than hover around. I think the only 3D flying I've seen on a Walkera was done by someone at the factory.
If you ever get that far with it, you should upload the vids to youtube or something like that. Good luck tomarrow, keep it jelly-side-up!!!

[PaulW]

Hi,
Just had a couple of minutes outside before the battery went flat, obviously still not trimmed out and only took it up a foot or so, so still in ground effect but it came up all right, still a little skittish but much easier to control on the JR gear (set to only 60% throw on Elev,Aile and pitch) than the original Walkera Combo

Oh, and while I think on, do you ever sleep, your in California, about *hrs behind us and you seem to be online when I am!!!

[PaulW]

Another thought, just for when the inevitable happens I took these first...

http://www.helifreak.com/album_mod/upload/d85281928e22531a470cb47c4b0b8a3d.jpg

http://www.helifreak.com/album_mod/upload/cf5ee5d6dd0f48bea12a8ab03199bfa4.jpg

http://www.helifreak.com/album_mod/upload/6803f6bf26af567e81ff22b124b24c45.jpg

http://www.helifreak.com/album_mod/upload/e796dbc75c8d4d55443c09850d5760c7.jpg

http://www.helifreak.com/album_mod/upload/e0df00154d918071a663201bbf066119.jpg

[PaulW]

Tee Hee,

Just hovered out a full pack, and the Heli is still in one piece!!

[skunkworx]

Hehe... :D I just seem to be on here quite a bit. I usually have my laptop with me and I don't have any set hours. I usually don't have much else to do right now as I'm disabled due to a nasty motorcycle accident last August. I can still get around well enough but I'm stuck on crutches until I get fitted with a prosthetic.

Hey that bird sure looks nice! looks like you got into the carpet a little bit though. Good to know it's survived. I get to set up my radio and servos today, maybe even finish setting it up and have it spin up by tomarrow!

[PaulW]

That will be dog hair !!!, I have 2 Rough Collies (Lassie's ) and a Sheltie ( minature collie) so their is dog hair every where and a couple of high speed fans tend to whip it up a bit

[skunkworx]

Aha! At least those are the least of your worries. I think the furniture is worse!

I kinda got my radio tuned and the servo arms at 90. Now I gotta get all the trims and balancing done. After that it looks like it's off to the garage to test it out...as long as I don't hit anymore problems!

[PaulW]

You Sun her up yet?, or is that later today, post a couple of pics, I'd like to see what your bord looks like, (the heli, not the girlfriend!)