FBL Head setup

[cbergen]

Because I did not get this part done in the manual yet, for Brian and Ernie, this setup guide is for you!!

The head axle is installed the same way as instructed in the manual, as are the blade grips themselves.

The obvious difference will be the negation of the flybar and all its' afilliated components.

Install the pitch arms to the blade grips with the 2 ea 3X6 SHCS and loctite, also installing a short ball onto the pitch arm.

[cbergen]

Slide the swash follower onto the mainshaft, then install the head per the manual, ensuring the "jesus" bolt goes through the hole in the top of the mainshaft.





Snap the "porkchop" onto one of the balls on the inner ring of the swashplate. This link MAY need reaming, but do NOT make it too loose.

Using the 65mm rods and 4 ball links, make 2 rods of equal length of appx 83 mm, center hole to center hole. These also snap onto the balls on the inner ring of the swash, then up to the pitch arms.

[Cletus]

Hey! ....no gold anodizing?

[cbergen]

Nope!! Only silver for the FBL system.

Set the height of the follower by giving full collective and setting the follower halfway between the headblock and the swashplate.

Check that the follower arm cannot go over center or bind with full down collective.

The arm should sit at a slightly down angle at half stick.

Set the timing to 0, IOW line up the balls on the inner swash with the balls on the outer swash and set the rotor blades directly over the boom. The rods will go straight up from the swash to the pitch arms when set correctly.

When your happy with it's placement, tighten the pinch bolt, securing the follower arm assy to the mainshaft.

[cbergen]

Setting up the collective and cyclic ranges will mean slightly lowered ail, ele, and collective ATV's.

To determine these settings, install the Fancy FBL head level tool to the top of the rotor head with the 3X8 SHCS. Loctite is NOT required...



At half stick in the radio, set your pitch to 0 degrees...by adjusting the pushrod from the swash to the pitch arm.



Be sure to do BOTH blades....

[cbergen]

Now check full up and full down collective, adjusting the collective or pitch ATV's or endpoints (whatever YOUR radio calls it) to give you +- 10, or 11, or 12, whatever your preference is, but I suggest starting at 10 degrees.

Setting the cyclic is done similarly, Start off with the collective at EXACTLY half stick and 0 degrees of pitch on the blades.

With the blades pointed sideways out (left and right of the helicopter), move the elevator stick all the way fwd, adjusting the elevator ATV's to give you 7 degrees of pitch. Be sure to check and adjust both fwd AND aft cyclics.

Now rotate the blades fore and aft, along the boom and over the canopy, and move the aileron stick all the way to one side, adjusting the ail ATV's to again get 7 degrees of cyclic. Again, be sure to check and adjust BOTH sides, left and right.

[wren1702]

Thanks Chris, we'll put this to good use in a few days!

[Cletus]

Originally Posted by cbergen

Setting up the collective and cyclic ranges will mean slightly lowered ail, ele, and collective ATV's.

To determine these settings, install the Fancy FBL head level tool to the top of the rotor head with the 3X8 SHCS. Loctite is NOT required...



At half stick in the radio, set your pitch to 0 degrees...by adjusting the pushrod from the swash to the pitch arm.



Be sure to do BOTH blades....

I take it that little "strap", tying the tail-boom braces together is some sort of resonance damping device?
BTW Nice and clean that FBL system!

[cbergen]

Boom support bridge from Fortune Model Products. Mike sent me a few sets to try out. nicely machined, anodized, available indifferent colors (red, black, blue, silver) and certainly stiffens up the boom supports.

I hope to have a batch of them at IRCHA, but Mike's mother is terminal in the hospital last I talked to him, so he has other matters to attend to .

[Cletus]

Originally Posted by cbergen

Boom support bridge from Fortune Model Products. Mike sent me a few sets to try out. nicely machined, anodized, available indifferent colors (red, black, blue, silver) and certainly stiffens up the boom supports.

I hope to have a batch of them at IRCHA, but Mike's mother is terminal in the hospital last I talked to him, so he has other matters to attend to .

Looks good, I want one

[Cletus]

DAMNED! .....While setting-up the head, the S9252 Collective servo failed, it will now only go in one direction and not the other. Will contact Heliproz and discuss an exchange. Sure glad it has happened now. However I dread to think of all the stuff it looks like I have to take apart just to change-out that servo.

[F6Hawk]

Originally Posted by Cletus

However I dread to think of all the stuff it looks like I have to take apart just to change-out that servo.

I agree. On my heli, all the servos were installed INSIDE the frames. When I replaced them, I put the outside the frames, and put the balls on the inside of the servo arms to keep them in the same plane. Much easier to replace that way...

[Cletus]

Originally Posted by F6Hawk

I agree. On my heli, all the servos were installed INSIDE the frames. When I replaced them, I put the outside the frames, and put the balls on the inside of the servo arms to keep them in the same plane. Much easier to replace that way...

Looks like I may have to do just that.

[cbergen]

Not suggested to leve the servo's outside and turn the balls around, they just endup hitting the servo at extremes of throw.

Try this. It takes some wiggling, and will NOT work with the bigger servos like the 8717's, but you can get normal servos like the 9252 in and out without dissassembling the frames.

[cbergen]

Cletus, show me a pic of the collective servo wheel and triple bellcrank setup.

[Cletus]

Originally Posted by cbergen

Cletus, show me a pic of the collective servo wheel and triple bellcrank setup.

Hi Chris:
If I can indeed wiggle that servo out, that will certainly make my day! ...then, I will use the 9252 I've got in the throttle to replace it. I have a new Spectrum DS821 that I can use for throttle until Heliproz resolves the defective 9252 issue.
Here's the collective servo wheel and triple bellcrank setup photo (an elevator linkage has been removed for clarity):

[Cletus]

OK! It does wiggle-out just fine!
The servo is screwed though, it rotates clockwise full power and speed. Counterclockwise it's dead slow with virtually no power at all ...but we knew that going in!

[Cletus]

Chris:
Ok .......a wiggle here, a wiggle there and the servo's swapped-out. A servo-reversal was needed for the DS821 which now occupies the throttle position and 15-beeps of sub-trim to get the collective wheel-splines to line-up the way the previous wheel did at zero-subtrim and we're good to go
THE BUILD IS BACK ON TRACK! ...weather's too lousy to fly the Raptor today anyway. Let's hear what Brian at Heliproz has to say about resolving this 9252 issue.
Thanks, Cletus

[lperagallo]

Chris,

Can't you also carefully dremel the servo tabs on the opposite frame side to get the servo out? After all, you are only going to be mounting the servo on one side of the frame.

Lou

[cbergen]

Cletus, that's odd that it took that much subtrim to get it in the same spot....

And yes, you can dremel the side of the frame that the servo is NOT bolted to, I'm not sure it'll help gettgin the servo in and out, but it certainly may help keep the servo wire from rubbing, right where it comes out of the servo.