Maxi Joker.

[Randallhurd]

It looks like I'm getting the Maxi Joker 2.
Does anyone else have one of the,?

[bullaculla]

I know someone here recently bought one with the big blue pletti...

[Randallhurd]

I think that is the one that I'm getting
the one with the Jazz / Kotronic / 2X 5SP for 10sp set up.
I talked with the guy that sells them.I want to get the Cam mount and the Spartan with it as well.

[heliro2r]

have a look at this link, tons of good advice!!
http://www.rosaurophotography.com/html/ap_08.html

[Randallhurd]

That is a very infomormative link on the build. I like the Idea of a Transmitter that can run dual receivers. I'm going to check into that, as I don't have anyone that is spontanious as I am on wantint to go out and practice...
Thanks for the link!!:thumbup:

[heliro2r]

:-)
In this thread you can find some links to Joker related things.

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=51176

All in all there is a wealth of info on the web, just google MaxiJoker2 and camera.
cheers

[pblgml]

I have a maxi joker 2 and been doing ap with it for about a year and it is as smooth as silk.

[Randallhurd]

I hope to have my together here pretty soon. I'm playing with a couple differant cameras...at the moment. I found that the 10 Megapixle Sony DSLRA100K1870 has it's own Gyros for Image chip stabilization.

[surfanarchist]

I have a Mini joker and a Joker 2. I love um. I'm running 12S on both.

[BungeeMike]

You may want to look into running 12s, definatly check it out before spending a small fortune in batts. I run 10s but if I could do it again I would go 12s. I am down to 3 maxi's so if you need any help let me know, I have a pretty good handle on the set ups. One maxi has the 32-4 the other is the big blue pletti and poptart esc both for different apps. They are awesome machines go through that website it is fabulous, he should sell the rights to Gerd and have them in every joker kit.
Aloha
Bungee

[DigitalCop]

I just finished building my first Minicopter... an MJ2. The electronics aren't finshied yet, but the mechanics are all in place and appear to be working well (fingers crossed).

Rosauro's site is excellent... such a welcome aid in light of the Minicopter manual which I thought was pretty bad.

I opted for the Acro motor and Jazz controller, staying 10S for now since I can always upgrade later if I need to.

If any of you guys have experiences or tuning tips that you would like to share, I am all ears!

Thanks,

Todd

[BungeeMike]

Which actro motor and esc? On you servo horns you may want to use the larger round ones not the stock small ones so the ball links and tr are straight, not slightly angled as seen in Joker manual, check your main belt alignment after a few flights see RR post on this, make sure your main blades are very snug (I use a T handle driver) otherwise you may get a shaking vibe on spool up and down which goes away at speed.
My thoughts
Bungee

[DigitalCop]

Which actro motor and esc? On you servo horns you may want to use the larger round ones not the stock small ones so the ball links and tr are straight, not slightly angled as seen in Joker manual, check your main belt alignment after a few flights see RR post on this, make sure your main blades are very snug (I use a T handle driver) otherwise you may get a shaking vibe on spool up and down which goes away at speed.
My thoughts
Bungee Thanks for your advice. I am using the Acro 32-3 and the Kontronik Jazz ESC with a Duralite regulator on a 10S setup with 8000mah batteries.

I actually did use the larger servo horns as pictured on Rosauro's site... and also because I wanted to have ninety degree angles... didn't like the setup as pictured in the Minicopter manual.

You are dead-on regarding the main blades... I had to tighten them after wondering what was causing the vibration on spool-up / slow down.

I have about ten flights on the MJ2 now... just getting used to it. I am running at 85% capacity on the ESC and all is cool and happy after flights.

I have run up to an eighteen minute flight with plenty left over... can't remember the exact numbers now, but I am tending to only fly 15 min or less while testing.

I will throw-out my overall thoughts on the MJ2, only my opinion to this point.

I am pleased with the heli from a flight standpoint. It is extremely stable and has monster lift capability. Friends at my flying field are astounded by the rate of climb which is impressive given its size.

That said, I found the Minicopter manual to be dismal and was very happy to have Rosauro's site available as a resource.

Packaging of the heli was also poor, several parts bags were broken open, presumably during shipping, and I got a box that was filled with bits that originated from unknown bags. This may coincide with the fact that my UPS guy doesn't like me after my Belgian Malinois almost ate him last year when one of my kids opened the front door. On a side note, it was pretty funny from the point of view of dog owner and dog... no so much if you were the guy diving into the safety of your truck.

The canopy is poor quality, understandably thin to minimize weight, but I am already seeing cracking under the front. I have had to apply clear packing tape to prevent further cracking. The canopy isn't stretched in any way and fits without any hesitation, just a shoddy quality that I was surprised by. Perhaps I got a bum part... happens.

I really wouldn't have cared much if the kit and replacement parts were a price that I felt were reasonable. Blame it on the weak US dollar, but when I shell out $1,500.00 for a kit I expect a lot more than I got from Minicopter. I hate to say it but all three Align kits that I have purchased for less than one-third the price put the quality of the packaging and manual from Minicopter to shame.

All that aside, I purchased the MJ2 as a workhorse and I expect it to perform this function well. I will, however, be purchasing a Bergen Tazer 800 for my next machine to evaluate the differences. From what I am reading, I get the feeling that the Bergen will do everything that the Minicopter will for a lot less money. If it does, I would say that Bergen will be very successful in the AP market in the US.

I will take some photos of my MJ2 if anyone is interested in seeing it... haven't gotten around to that yet. I am getting ready to order a camera mount and will be happy to share my experiences with that as well.

Again, thanks for your information Bungee, it was very timely and accurate.

Todd

[BungeeMike]

I hope you meant to to say 32-4 on the motor and not 32-3, if so you better take a hard look at the headspeed. 32-4 great motor, you will like the setup, expect 12-14 minutes with about 50% reseve.
Aloha
Bungee

[DigitalCop]

I hope you meant to to say 32-4 on the motor and not 32-3, if so you better take a hard look at the headspeed. 32-4 great motor, you will like the setup, expect 12-14 minutes with about 50% reseve.
Aloha
Bungee

Oops.. yes, I meant the 32-4. I am very pleased with the motor.

[levelflight]

I have a Mini joker and a Joker 2. I love um. I'm running 12S on both.

What are you using to charge your batteries, and what power supply?

Thanks