MonsterMaxx
07-15-2008, 11:47 AM
I've had so many defective parts in this heli that readyheli.com has asked me to write directly to Gaui on this subject. I thought you all might find this interesting so here's the message. I'll update it with any responses from Gaui.
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Dear Gaui,
I’ve been asked by readyheli to contact you regarding the numerous problems I’ve had with this heli – a LOT of defective parts.
1. Blade grips – one of the blade grips was way oversize on the bearings. I found one of the blade grips to be extremely loose on the bearings allowing considerable movement in all directions. The loose grip measures .200" where the one that feels 'right' measures .196" The bearing is .1955". Readyheli.com replaced the blade grip.
http://www.ueusa.net/Img/Heli/GuaiDefectiveBladeGrip.MPG
2. The collar between the lower gear and the frame (with steps on both sides) is badly machined with the tapped hole on one very high on the part and the other not 180°, AND when someone assembled it they stripped both holes. Readyheli.com replaced the collar
http://www.ueusa.net/Img/Heli/GuaiDefectiveCollar.JPG
3. The tail shaft was bent right out of the box. Readyheli.com replaced the shaft.
4. The motor shaft came loose from the can. We were maiden flying it and the heli was very sluggish and making a squeeling noise. We landed it and found that the main shaft was spinning inside the can. I fixed this with some green loctite, but the motor still does not perform. Readyheli.com is replacing the motor. The contrast in this mpg isn’t quite right, but we are holding the can stationary and you can clearly see the shaft spinning.
http://www.ueusa.net/Img/Heli/BadMotor.MPG
5. The swash came off the bearing in flight. The heli went uncontrolled and crashed. I’ve cemented the swash to the bearing with green loctite and am working on repairing the heli from my spare parts. It was totally a slip fit, no interference at all. Should this not be a press fit? This seems to be a common problem as several other users have reported it on the net.
6. I also found numerous screws with no loctite in your ARF. Screws that would have come out if I hadn’t checked them. I had to do a lot of rework on this heli. Yes, this may be to be expected with any ARF, but…
It seems like a good start on a nice design, but has a few glaring design flaws that are not only apparent to me, but also being reported by other customers.
1. Blade grip design does not allow the blades to be properly folded for transport. This is very unusual for a heli of this level and should be addressed. I was able to dremel them a little and make room for them to fold. This should be an easy fix on your end.
2. Crown gear and tail gears are way too weak. The slightest touch of tail to anything and it blows the gears. To compound this problem there’s no parts available in the USA. I had to get some from flying-hobby which of course is expensive shipping and takes a long time. I would strongly recommend making these gears from 6AL4V Titanium and nitride coating them. This will not only keep the weight down, but also provide long life. It’d say this is the SD version’s biggest FLAW and most needing of immediate attention.
3. Shaft drive version builds tail heavy. Even with all the electronics in the front it’s still tail heavy and all your customers have to add weight to the nose which of course is quite undesirable.
4. Landing gear is a bit short. You obviously know this already since it comes shimmed up by nearly 2mm from the factory with those little spacers. Unfortunately now the entire weight of the heli is on the bottom plate and not supported in the notches designed into the side plate for them. Yes, I know making new molds for the stock gear is expensive, but the least you could do is make the CF gear taller.
5. To get proper mesh at the tail gear I have to slightly dremel the bearing on the opposite side of the tail blades or it will hit the torque tube’s gear.
6. Need more surface area on the tail blades.
7. Head damping. It’s quite poor out of the box, there’s many users trying to address this problem but I’ve yet to see a unified solution. The heli is a real handful (like compared to a T-Rex) and I think a lot of that comes back to head damping - it's like herding cats - just all over the place.
8. See Saws are very flimsy.
Readyheli.com has been terrific in the way they have tried to resolve the defects from your factory and they have gone above and beyond. I’ve had this heli nearly 10 days (since Saturday the 5th) and though I've have made a few debugging flights, I'm really still fighting gremlins (now a crash due to the swash coming apart in flight.) I have made a significant investment into this Gaui heli and must say I’m disappointed.
Overall, it seems like it could be a nice heli and I'm not giving up, but he quality control on mine was very poor leading to so many defective parts and one crash. Also these design issues are a problem. Reports on the net of many people abandoning the shaft drive version and going back to the belt abound – I will likely do the same before long. At the cost it takes to build this heli I could easily have built a nice T-Rex that would not have so many quality and design issues. I’m not trying to put you down, but you need to address these issues if you want to make as quality a product as Align does.
Worse yet I convinced a friend to make a similar investment and I fear he’s going to go thru the same trials and tribulations I did and this will make me look very foolish.
Sincerely,
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Dear Gaui,
I’ve been asked by readyheli to contact you regarding the numerous problems I’ve had with this heli – a LOT of defective parts.
1. Blade grips – one of the blade grips was way oversize on the bearings. I found one of the blade grips to be extremely loose on the bearings allowing considerable movement in all directions. The loose grip measures .200" where the one that feels 'right' measures .196" The bearing is .1955". Readyheli.com replaced the blade grip.
http://www.ueusa.net/Img/Heli/GuaiDefectiveBladeGrip.MPG
2. The collar between the lower gear and the frame (with steps on both sides) is badly machined with the tapped hole on one very high on the part and the other not 180°, AND when someone assembled it they stripped both holes. Readyheli.com replaced the collar
http://www.ueusa.net/Img/Heli/GuaiDefectiveCollar.JPG
3. The tail shaft was bent right out of the box. Readyheli.com replaced the shaft.
4. The motor shaft came loose from the can. We were maiden flying it and the heli was very sluggish and making a squeeling noise. We landed it and found that the main shaft was spinning inside the can. I fixed this with some green loctite, but the motor still does not perform. Readyheli.com is replacing the motor. The contrast in this mpg isn’t quite right, but we are holding the can stationary and you can clearly see the shaft spinning.
http://www.ueusa.net/Img/Heli/BadMotor.MPG
5. The swash came off the bearing in flight. The heli went uncontrolled and crashed. I’ve cemented the swash to the bearing with green loctite and am working on repairing the heli from my spare parts. It was totally a slip fit, no interference at all. Should this not be a press fit? This seems to be a common problem as several other users have reported it on the net.
6. I also found numerous screws with no loctite in your ARF. Screws that would have come out if I hadn’t checked them. I had to do a lot of rework on this heli. Yes, this may be to be expected with any ARF, but…
It seems like a good start on a nice design, but has a few glaring design flaws that are not only apparent to me, but also being reported by other customers.
1. Blade grip design does not allow the blades to be properly folded for transport. This is very unusual for a heli of this level and should be addressed. I was able to dremel them a little and make room for them to fold. This should be an easy fix on your end.
2. Crown gear and tail gears are way too weak. The slightest touch of tail to anything and it blows the gears. To compound this problem there’s no parts available in the USA. I had to get some from flying-hobby which of course is expensive shipping and takes a long time. I would strongly recommend making these gears from 6AL4V Titanium and nitride coating them. This will not only keep the weight down, but also provide long life. It’d say this is the SD version’s biggest FLAW and most needing of immediate attention.
3. Shaft drive version builds tail heavy. Even with all the electronics in the front it’s still tail heavy and all your customers have to add weight to the nose which of course is quite undesirable.
4. Landing gear is a bit short. You obviously know this already since it comes shimmed up by nearly 2mm from the factory with those little spacers. Unfortunately now the entire weight of the heli is on the bottom plate and not supported in the notches designed into the side plate for them. Yes, I know making new molds for the stock gear is expensive, but the least you could do is make the CF gear taller.
5. To get proper mesh at the tail gear I have to slightly dremel the bearing on the opposite side of the tail blades or it will hit the torque tube’s gear.
6. Need more surface area on the tail blades.
7. Head damping. It’s quite poor out of the box, there’s many users trying to address this problem but I’ve yet to see a unified solution. The heli is a real handful (like compared to a T-Rex) and I think a lot of that comes back to head damping - it's like herding cats - just all over the place.
8. See Saws are very flimsy.
Readyheli.com has been terrific in the way they have tried to resolve the defects from your factory and they have gone above and beyond. I’ve had this heli nearly 10 days (since Saturday the 5th) and though I've have made a few debugging flights, I'm really still fighting gremlins (now a crash due to the swash coming apart in flight.) I have made a significant investment into this Gaui heli and must say I’m disappointed.
Overall, it seems like it could be a nice heli and I'm not giving up, but he quality control on mine was very poor leading to so many defective parts and one crash. Also these design issues are a problem. Reports on the net of many people abandoning the shaft drive version and going back to the belt abound – I will likely do the same before long. At the cost it takes to build this heli I could easily have built a nice T-Rex that would not have so many quality and design issues. I’m not trying to put you down, but you need to address these issues if you want to make as quality a product as Align does.
Worse yet I convinced a friend to make a similar investment and I fear he’s going to go thru the same trials and tribulations I did and this will make me look very foolish.
Sincerely,