I am stuck!

[nighttrain06]

Ok I have 2 Blade 400's one with metal gear servos and flies very nice.
The second one however, it is really not being a good heli at all as far as the tail goes.
At first it flew nice, had a G210 gyro on it, and just one day the tailjust started doing this hunt/drift deal. I doesn't wag back and forth, but just drifts
From one side to the other. I have looked at and tried everything to no avail! Even put a known working gyro on it with a different servo still does the same thing, drifts from one side to the other whatever I am constantly steering it.
Any ideas?

[Waxxingibbous]

Bent tail shaft? Slipping belt?
Sounds like normal blade 400 stuff.
You pretty much should be having to control it always due to the phasing.
You're tail servo could be going bad OR SLIPPING up and down the boom. Check for movements and glue the brackets that hold the tail servo to the boom so it doesn't move under torque

Let me know if this helps

[nighttrain06]

Hi thanks for getting back to me!
Well its had.....2 different perfectly fine servo's and gyros on it.....even my steadfast go to gyro the Spartan Quark, it remains jacked!
I have went over shafts blade balance, replaced boom, changed tail cases, bearings, still it just lazily wonders from side to side, adjust gains and it becomes tighter but still goes from side to side, lower them and the tail starts loosing any authority, there is no middle there, its either a tighter twitch to one side or the other or the lazy swinging from side to side.....
The thing is it flew very nice and locked in at first, with the first gyro, (a G210), then like it got a cold the next day started doing what it's doing. But the thing is it does the exact same thing with the other better gyro!
could the ESC be messing with it???

[Waxxingibbous]

Hm. Futaba gy401 was the go to gyro on that bird and even then people complained about tail authority. What tail servo is on there?
Also that bird is infamous for creating slop. Check the rod from the tail servo to the ball crank inspect for bends cracks, binding or movement that isn't fluid.

Can you submit a video?

[nighttrain06]

I actually did take a video, but had my head strap adjusted too high
And all you could see was the blades here and there, will try and get one tomorrow though, I know those help a lot, basically though it swings right, I correct, and then it swings left, and so forth.
I had an EFlite G210 and a ds76T then put a Spartan Quark on it with an Align DS430mg. That's the same combo I use on the other one, and it flies really nice.
I've checked the servo control rod, checked for binding, servo jitters, have the ball link on servo on lowest link. Had it on a higher one. Went through tail case, replaced tail boom, feathering shaft, main shaft, checked bearings on drive gear, belt wear, tightness, tail action is smooth. Servo centered, tail shaft replaced. Didn'5 see anything wrong with em but still replaced em! I've used the Quark on several heli's up to a 500 size and it's always been a great gyro. It is on the other one. I just don'5 know where else to go with it....

[BrokeDad]

Following this but don't have a suggestion that hasn't been tried. I keep flying mine (still FB) with the GY401 and the wooden blades.

[Waxxingibbous]

if everything mechanically checks out, i guess we could see if its the esc.. maybe its somehow dirty or bad solder somewhere not getting the juice to the tail servo consistently.

i have seen this issue on my blade cp (i modded it with the stock gyro from the 400 when i put the gy401 on.) i had two, one was bad..the other held the tail fine.
im stumped.

submit the vid, try different esc, and different gyro. hopefully it doesnt cause a crash.


*edit i tried 450x tail blades once and remember having good results..try it if nothing else.

[jrman83]

If it did the same with 2 different gyros, then I would look at your tail.

As mentioned, check for anything binding in the tail. Make sure servo push rod moves freely on the servo and bell crank lever balls. Not too familiar with the tail rotor assy, but if it has thrust bearings, remove and grease the thrust bearings. Either way, remove the grips from the spindle and make sure it is clear of any dirt or debris.

[nighttrain06]

Thanks guys, I'll get a video of exactly what it's doing to help ya get a good visual of it.
Also I will go over it again (the mechanicals) and recheck that.
What is so frustrating here is the heli flew very nice for the 2 days I tested it after redoing the head (pitch was not right on it when I got it used).
Then from one day to the next this tail starts doing what it's doing!
(First with the original G110, then replaced that with the G210. Both of these well the G110 the tail seemed a little soft on pitch pumps, and that's who I put the G210 on it.....the tail servo was a DS76t with both of those gyro's. The heli was performing pretty nice with the G210/DS76t combo.

Then the weird tail issue developed just by powering it up the very next day!
After fiddling with it, (checking links rod,servo center, in general the whiole setup)I put the Spartan Quark Align DS 430mg combo on it.
The very same combo that is on the other 400 that flies very nicely.
It just continues to do the exact same thing as when the G210DS76t combo was on it.

The one thing I didn't consider though, the radio combo.
I was talking to a buddy about this thing, and he reminded me about the time we both had issues with our Blade SR's when we bound them from our DX6i's to my DX8, and his DX 7s. Thinking we could possibly get rid of the enconsistancy's of the tail on those wanting to go from HH to rate mode
feeling with em. Turned out both of the SR's flew even more horribly than it usually flew! We both went back to the 6 with em, and the heli flew much better again.
I am wondering if this may be the case with this heli......your thoughts?
Could there just be some freak enconsistancy with the DX8 and the AR6100e reciever?

[BrokeDad]

If you have another radio why not try it. I have an old DX6i and some 4 and 6 channel Spektrum RTF radios around just because (They were free). If you have one try it. I only fly my Shuttle on the DX6i because it came with it all set up.

[nighttrain06]

Yes I'm going to go over it one more time, check everything again, and if I don't find something, then try the 6. Bind it to my 6.
I hate to do that only because I don't like lugging more than one radio to the field lol

[nighttrain06]

oK here's what it does.....it's almost like it's fighting to go from rate to HH mode and back, i am constantly adjusting the tail with the stick as I am flying it.

Blade 400 tail issue (1 min 31 sec)

[BrokeDad]

Do you have some wider or slightly longer tail blades to try ? My problem with it probably would have been solved on that flight .. It would have found that mailbox and post

[nighttrain06]

I have some tail blades from my 450 Pro DFC I suppose I could bolt on there, they are a bit longer though, but still clear.....yes I have had them out looking at it and comparing with that thought.....

[jrman83]

If you didn't change blades before the problem, not sure different blades will help. Problem still looks mechanical to me? How much gain do you have dialed in? Are you in rate mode? Or heading hold?

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk

[nighttrain06]

Unless something broke from one day to the next that I flew it, because that's how it went to flying how it does now. I didn't see or find anything when changing the servo and gyro, nothing binding. I've used up 3 packs adjusting testing different gains settings and still get what I have now.
But it has to be either some mechanical thing I have missed or some weird electrical deal I'm thinking.

[jrman83]

Have you taken the tail rotor assembly apart and checked? Re-grease thrust bearings if it is equipped with them?

[nighttrain06]

Yes when I replaced the boom that I found to be very slightly bent. The tail and gyro has been gone over 3 differnt times. Tail action is smooth as silk links all secured, no huge slop, no binding. The Quark that is on it now is a proven working gyro that was on a 450 that I sold. It worked perfect.
Have even spun the thing on the bench with just tail blades on, and all through throttle points blades remain centered.

I am beginning to lean toward an electrical or radio to reciever issue on this thing, because here are the facts
1. The heli flew very nice on two flights of testing (my testing was gains adjustments because the tail on pitch pumps kicked out a bit)
Once satisfied I powered the heli down hung it on the wall for 2 days.
Then I was going to the field to fly, but the winds were too bad, later that day they died down, so I decided to just discharge the packs by flying it around the front yard. As soon as I spooled it up is when the heli began acting up......this was with the G210/DS76t combo.