Starting the build on my 500 3D

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

I have my horn to the back on my 9256 and this leaves NO thread free - ball links butted up ahainst the CF rod - this put the slider in mid travel so I didn't worry and the tail works great but some adjustment would have been nice

Mine was the same way exactly. I may cut the rod 5mm or 10mm shorter to make room for adjustments.

[BruceW]

EDIT: Thanks to Jeremy for pointing out below that I used the wrong screws for the tail servo. Pay attention to the manual because I sure missed that one....

I'm erasing what I originally said so someone else doesn't start using the wrong screws.

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

Another thing I thought might be important while threading the tail servo mounting holes is to use some grease on the screw. It felt like the plastic standoffs could possibly break with the torque required to pre-thread them. This was noticed when cranking down on the first screw so I used grease on the others and they felt smoother. I also used a smaller phillips head screw driver because it allowed torquing at a slight angle. The larger bit driver seemed like it would only work best with a straighter position and seemed to slip more if off angle.
I used the phillips head screws like you because I couldn't find the correct hardware with my kit. Later in the build I found the supplied M2.5x10 bolts and they went to use on the tail servo per the manual. The tail servo mounts much easier and better this way.

Use M2.5 x10 bolts the kit should supply them.

[BruceW]

I used the phillips head screws like you because I couldn't find the correct hardware with my kit. Later in the build I found the supplied M2.5x10 bolts and they went to use on the tail servo per the manual. The tail servo mounts much easier and better this way.

Use M2.5 x10 bolts the kit should supply them.

Your right, I just checked the manual...duh:Slap Good thing I didn't bust the standoffs. I'm going to switch over to the M2.5x10 tonight. Hopefully the threading didn't mess up anything.

[OICU812]

As mentioned you can trim 2-5mm easily of the cf rod as well, I would do that before extending out the threaded rodand leaving less in it to hold.

[BruceW]

Got a little delayed in my build order since I already finished the kit part but have pictures and comments for the other steps not yet posted. Electronics and motor still need to be completed.

Swash plate and ball:

This was a fairly low part count section of the build and there was nothing complicated about it. The ball pins (4x) that go into the swash ball are different than the ones that go into the swash plate so you'll want to separate them accordingly. As the instructions mention, be careful to not over tighten the pins because they don't seem like they will take a lot of torque. I just used blue loctite to hold them in but will crack them later to see how well they were locked down.

Washout block:

The washout block is symmetrical so it doesn't seem to matter which way is up or down. After assembling it I had to file down the sharp edges with a standard steel file to allow the washout control arms to swing without binding. Jeremy mentions this in his 600 build thread as well. Notice the before and after filing pictures for reference.

When attaching the pins to hold the ball linkage to the control arm I used pliers to push the pin through since it was fairly tight. Also, pay attention to the orientation of the ball linkage relative to the control arm since its important which way you put it on. Once you get the pin all the way through you'll notice the linkage is probably tight. Just use the pliers to slightly push the pin on one side only to force the pin to spread the arm out a little and then it will be loose. I even put a dab of Tri-Flow oil on it but not sure its needed once spread apart.

Note: The washout block is actually inverted in the picture from how it will be installed on the main shaft.

Everything else about this section was exactly as expected.

[BruceW]

As mentioned you can trim 2-5mm easily of the cf rod as well, I would do that before extending out the threaded rodand leaving less in it to hold.

I just measured it and it looks like you'll lose 6mm of thread inside the rod on either side if the wheel stays against the bulkhead. I'm thinking of getting some extra threaded stock tomorrow at a specialty shop down the street from my work. For extra safety I might even butt a nut against the CF rod, roughen the outside and slather it with a coating of epoxy. This should create more gripping surface area.

Paranoia is contagious.:YeaBaby:

[BruceW]

The specialty tool shop in my area was out of 2.5M threaded stock so I'll try the hobby shop or maybe just flip the servo. I tried it the other way tonight and as Mercuriell mentioned, the links butt against the cf rod and everything is perfect length but... I'd still like to have room for adjustment. Maybe its not worth worrying about since the rest of you have already done it this way.

Still waiting to get my cyclic servos (BLS451), ESC (Jazz 80), BEC (WR 5Amp), battery(s) so I have time to decide on this.

[BruceW]

Here is another installment with the build on the head.

Everything went together well here except I put the balls on the wrong side of one mixing arm but it didn't seem to be a problem switching them back since the plastic is tough.

Thrust bearing direction
One thing I forgot to mention on my tail part of the build was how I installed the thrust bearings. They have a flange on one side that seems to hold all the grease in place. When I installed them, I pointed the flanged part towards the main shaft so that outward force should contain the grease in the tray. I didn't get any pictures so if it doesn't make sense what I'm saying let me know.

Grips and hard dampeners
Info from other threads mentioned installing hard dampeners (MIK2756) so I replaced the stock ones with them. When the head went together it seemed very tight and didn't rotate freely. Once I grabbed the grips and pulled with so force outward they settled in and turned smoothly and freely. Its amazing how well put together this head is compared to a Trex one and seems very strong. I was initially worried about plastic being used on the blade grips but these seem very strong. So far no body has reported flying blades.:lol:

A little CA was added to the guide pins when pressed into the rotor housing but they seemed tight enough that it probably wasn't necessary.

Flybar assembly
When installing the flybar assembly look at the order in my last picture. Its not that difficult to figure out but I thought I'd just post it anyway. There is a certain order to how the bearings and guides should be placed and its not really mentioned in the instructions.

The only thing that seem a little under engineered was the plastic flybar bearing holder. I can see how all the bearings are squeezed and held in place but the 4 little screws that hold it together just don't match the rest of the beefy design. It should probably be made out of aluminum as Jeremy mentioned in his 600 build thread. Don't get me wrong, it works but just seems like a weak point.

Once everything was assembled the links on the flybar balls seemed very tight. Is this normal, should I place a drop of oil on each one, or will they just break in after a few flights? (see 6th picture)

Washout block direction
Before putting the main rotor housing in place, make sure the washout block is on in the correct direction. You can tell because of the way the angle on the ball links points (shown in instructions). If not correct the flybar linkages won't line up right.

Flybar paddle skin
I tried to be really careful with how I covered the flybar paddle with the sticky plastic sheet. It came out good and tight so there are no creases. I'm keeping the sheet they were pulled from around to use as a mold for cutting out monokote sheeting if needed in the future.


Overall, I like this head design and it has zero slop. After coming from my Trex450 where it had tons of slop, this is a welcome change.

[BruceW]

Canopy trimming

I know there has been a lot of concern about the strength of the canopy but the 500 3D comes as plastic instead of FG and it doesn't seem as brittle. Granted its thin, and I've been really careful taking it on/off. Still planning on putting thick tape around the inside where the canopy nuts install because that does seem to be a place where a rip will happen.

After putting the canopy on the first time, I noticed the back part seemed to not join properly. Looking at some spots where the canopy touched the frame I found why it caused the separation at the back. Around the battery compartment section, the inner lip of the canopy seems a little wide so I trimmed it and it relieved some pressure on the back section. Take a look at the photo for where I trimmed. It fits better but I'll probably take off a little more of the inner lip and see if it gets closer - can't hurt.

If anybody else has findings or thoughts on this, post away.

[BruceW]

My build notes have now finally caught up with where I am now. Here are pictures of my 500 as it is with no electronics. The only component I've started putting in is the tail servo and I'm still contemplating the direction of the wheel. Previously ordered motor should be here tomorrow.

My next step will probably be to drill holes for routing wires.

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

Once everything was assembled the links on the flybar balls seemed very tight. Is this normal, should I place a drop of oil on each one, or will they just break in after a few flights? (see 6th picture)

I was concerned but decided to just trust Mikado on this one. They will loosen after a few flights. The rest of the head will loosen as well. The lower ones that attach from the mixing levers to the swash may need a little tweak. The small funny shaped plastic links.

Looking good!!!:thumbup:

[th3tick]

If anybody else has findings or thoughts on this, post away.

I really like your innovative power system! How much flight time do you get per pull on that measuring tape? :lol: ;) :lol:

[BruceW]

I really like your innovative power system! How much flight time do you get per pull on that measuring tape? :lol: ;) :lol:

I don't know but its measurable.:YeaBaby:


BTW - I decided to go with the servo wheel towards the rear. It leaves almost no room between link and cf rod but if I'm not happy with it, the LHS has cf rod and english threaded stock that I can try. I even bought extra Mikado links so I can experiment by drilling them out to match the 4-40 (???) thread (can't find M2.5 stock at the specialty screw store and I don't want to special order it). Pictures will follow.

Also, the BLS451 servos will be here in a couple days along with my WR 5Amp BEC.

[OICU812]

Sweet great thread.

[BruceW]

One issue I noted when setting the servo with the wheel near the tail is that the Mikado servo arms do not sit at 90 degrees with the arm pointing up and no subtrim. If the arm is rotated 180 degrees it will be perfectly aligned. It took 20 clicks on my JR 7202 (same firmware as DX7) to subtrim the servo to 90 degrees.

I am assuming that all 4 arms in the package are cut the same and its not worth trying other ones - is that correct?

[OICU812]

Beleive it or not they are not all cut perfectly same. As per stock ones you would get with the servos as well. I did swap about my arms and found I had to subtim "in software" two of them and less than 30 on the one and only 7 on the other. I did notice that they all fit abit different however. Just as general practice of course it is best to get as little subtrim as possible in all cases.

[BruceW]

I went through all 4 of the arms tonight and found mine are all the same.

It seems the addition of sub trim does not affect the operation of the Spartan DS760. The important thing found is to adjust subtrim while in rate mode and then power cycle the gyro and restart in HH mode. The gyro will then initialize and call the subtrimmed position 0.

[OICU812]

Hmm I will be interested in hearing about this Spartan, I grabbed one as well for another project.

On a side note to add to your build thread. **If you ever need new thrust bearings for your 5003D and you are in a pinch, note that the 600 t-rex thrust bearings fit exactly, they are same exact dimensions as the L5003D. I do not want to put people that route but thought it should be mentioned if one is in need**.

[BruceW]

I'll post the question (and finding) about adding subtrim over on the Spartan DS760 thread and wait for the response.

[BruceW]

OK, got my answer from Angelos (co-creator of the Spartan DS760) and it sounds like it works to subtrim your position in rate mode then re-initialize in HH mode. Of course there are other ways to do it but this works if you want to use Mikado arms that do not center at 90.

This thread is a little long but here is the starting position where you can then read on.

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?p=468875#post468875

The answer from Angelos about setting up the gyro however you like is here (after a bunch of conversation in between).

This discussion has gone unnecessarily overcomplicated. The gyro does not care whether it is 90 degrees, 99 or 98. Keep it as close as you can and if you are picky use the the right servo arm or the trim it any way you wish. But make sure the gyro is restarted to get the new mid-point for the AVCS mode. At the end of the day the gyro will work out what tail pitch is needed during flight even if the normal mode is a little out. The only reason for the 90deg is for the left and right arcs of the servo arm to be fairly symmetrical.

-Angelos

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?p=469160#post469160

[BruceW]

Tonight I decided it was time to bore some holes to run wires. I used a dremel with a boring and edging bit and it worked fairly well. A couple passes were needed because I didn't want to cut the hole too big on the first one. Overall, this provides a nice guide for wires and there does not seem to be any structural integrity lost. Notice in one of the pictures that I taped up the servo with painters tape because there is a lot of bits of plastic flying around during the cut. Also I wrapped the gyro wires in tape to compact them and make them guide through the hole easier. A little trimming with an xacto knife cleaned up the bored holes.

Would I do this again? Maybe. It will depend on how clean the overall look comes out in the end.

[th3tick]

Good stuff! Any comments on how hard it was to fish the wires through the two holes?

Did you do anything similar getting the ESC/BEC lines from the front to the back?

John

[BruceW]

I had to take a second pass on opening up the hole because the gyro wires were a thicker bundle but the servo wire went through easily. As you can see in one picture, I had to wrap the gyro wire bundle with tape to keep it as flat as possible to guide it through. It slide through without much effort although I needed to use a small screwdriver to unhook it from the inner ledge of the compartment. To take it back out, the same process will probably need to be done.

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

I'm taking notes!!:thumbup: