TDR Technical Stuff (Tips) & Build Videos

[gwk]

The worst part of the wiring money thing is that my bank charges $50.00 service fee.

Also, three small CF parts were missing in my kit because of a hole in the shipping box. I have sent at least 3 emails to Jan with no reply. Meanwhile, I ordered some spare gears and other bits and included a note about the missing parts on the order. Time will tell if the missing parts show up with my spares order. I think the guy means well but is far too busy to keep up with everyday stuff.

[Skint Eastwood]

For low value items, ive sent him euro notes for small amounts. Bit risky but saves the £20 ($30) the bank charges me.

[helicraze]

Yes the wire transfer is a pain, not if you are in europe though.

I think a number of people have contacted him about this, I am hoping he will change to paypal, i am sure most people would even pay $5 extra just to cover the fee.

Those bolts, you just need to get some longer shanked ones and trim to length (I know Shawn cannot as there is no bolt shop nearby).

[jointer]

I also suggested to him PayPal would be nice...
I am in EU, but my bank charges fees for international transfers anyway.
It is fine for kit, but significant amount of money for small parts (which i will be ordering soon).

I just finished replacing the bolts with full threaded 12.9, the bolt in the head was fine, the bottom one was only slightly bent, but hard to get out.
However, the bottom "ring" tightened to the shaft is somehow locked, i was unable to slide the shaft out of it, so i just replaced the bolt and tigten it well.

I do some silly violent moves with the TDR, like hard full pitch rainbows, but i do not think the stock bolt can break, it was not so much bent after 200 flights.

I have another (now regular) issue, the tail support rods gets unglued from the aluminium part at the tail clamp, i reglued it allready 5 times, now with different CA glue.
I will order new parts, drill it through, put bolt through it and glue it with epoxy.
I think this happens mostly at side tic-tocs, when i started to do them, this issue appeared.

Since 10th flight, when landing model plane hit my allready landed TDR, i do not care any more about anything and just fly it as hard as my previous heli, T500 (except flying a bit higher... well, sometimes).
It survived surprisingly well, so i have confidence in the mechanics.
There might be some small issues like this, but i still just love it.

[helicraze]

I built mine as per the manual but used loctite on ALL bolts. I do check things every no and again and aside from dampers/oil/grease gears there is no maintnenance to be done.
Even flying hard and using full pitch quite often etc everything is perfect. I really like how he thought of everything, even main shaft bearings as a good size.

[jointer]

I did not use loctite on frame parts, so far no problem with that.
Only on the "important" parts.
I do grease the gears, my head is now tilting very freely, but i do not have spare O-rings and i want to try the fixed 2009 head anyway.
But i found dismantling the main parts can be a bit difficult, it was necesary to remove all servos to be able to add spacer on the middle shaft and remove the main shaft.
However still the design is clever.
What bothers me is that tail rods, but it might be glue problem.

BTW, i seen once one person, which owns the previous model for more then 6 years (MP-E or whatever it was) and said he NEVER replaced anything on it and is flying it gently almost every summer weekend.
I guess we stick-bangers add some more wear to the TDR, but it seems it can take it very well.

[CNCjunkie]

I have another (now regular) issue, the tail support rods gets unglued from the aluminium part at the tail clamp, i reglued it allready 5 times, now with different CA glue.

I never had much luck with CA holding very long when bonding smooth metal surfaces, so I roughed up the inside of the support rod end with a piece of rolled up sandpaper and also the outside of the CF tube and used JBweld to bond them together. Time will tell if they separate.

Those end caps seem like they're clear anodized, unlike the rest of the CNC parts in the kit, which are only polished.

[helicraze]

Yes you need to sand the CF rod otherwise it will not stick, i prefer 5 minute araldite or medium CA

[jointer]

It seems the glue gets separated from the aluminium part, not the CF.
Will see, i used GreatPlanes Medium CA glue 4 times, now i used some "CA wonderglue" given to me by my mother (i know, strange, but it seems to hold my broken fridge handle well), anyway i think regluing it over and over will not provide better results.
It will hold over the winter season (probably not much flying) and i will take a look at T700 supports, if they can be used.
I do not need removable tail.
Minor issue, but pain in the ass for me...

[clayboy]

what u want is a epoxy with acid in it, can not remember the english tecnical word for it but it sticks like nothing else, done especially for this type of applications, alu oxide like mad, then normal glue wont stick

even a sanded alu surface needs to b glued directly after sanding do the oxidation starts direct

for topp class bonding u have to put normal epoxy direct after sanding, i mean direct max a minute

or use a epoxy with acid that eat through the oxide

[Heli G]

Originally Posted by jointer

I do grease the gears, my head is now tilting very freely, but i do not have spare O-rings and i want to try the fixed 2009 head anyway.

I found some replacement o-ring dampeners at a local hardware store. They’re ever so slightly thicker, but with a more rubbery feel – hard to explain but works great and in my view better than the originals. They’re 15.54mm x 2.6.

Originally Posted by jointer

What bothers me is that tail rods, but it might be glue problem.

Not had that problem to date, but I am keeping a lookout for it. I did sand the rod ends as well as the sleeve inside before applying CA.

Originally Posted by jointer

BTW, i seen once one person, which owns the previous model for more then 6 years (MP-E or whatever it was) and said he NEVER replaced anything on it and is flying it gently almost every summer weekend.
I guess we stick-bangers add some more wear to the TDR, but it seems it can take it very well.

Wow, 6 years without a crash...so it is possible...

[jointer]

Great idea, i just discovered big local hardware store, which one you would choose based on your experience with that item?
http://www.fabory.cz/cs/product/o-kr...808015541.html
or
http://www.fabory.cz/cs/product/o-kr...808015881.html
Original is 16x2.5 and they have that too, but if you say more thick is better.
http://www.fabory.cz/cs/product/o-kr...807016001.html

[Heli G]

Originally Posted by jointer

Great idea, i just discovered big local hardware store, which one you would choose based on your experience with that item?
http://www.fabory.cz/cs/product/o-kr...808015541.html
or
http://www.fabory.cz/cs/product/o-kr...808015881.html
Original is 16x2.5 and they have that too, but if you say more thick is better.
http://www.fabory.cz/cs/product/o-kr...807016001.html

Difficult to say, since it also depends on the rubber compound used. Maybe get a set of each and try them out? I did the same and like I said, the 15.54mm x 2.6 were best for me.

[1banger]

I used JB weld on the alum boom support connectors and on the threaded rod pieces on the boom supports and the tail servo push rod.

Had a hard crash that pretzeled the tail boom, shredded the tail push rod, broke the both boom supports. The JB weld held together everything it was used on.

[Heli G]

Originally Posted by Heli G

My 2nd TDR was shipped with a new stronger bolt (414a) for bolting the gear flange to the main shaft.

My first TDR shipped with the “older” threaded bolts. I replaced the main shaft bolts last night with the new “stronger” bolts and did notice that the bottom bolt (0414a) was slightly bent. I did struggle to get the bolt replaced since the flange (0414) and shaft was very tight – it may have twisted every so slightly as a result of the bent bolt.

The top bolt (0136) was still perfect so I’m assuming there is less force at the top.

[jointer]

EXACTLY the same here, HeliG.
The thread of the bolt was visible in the hole of the flange and shaft.
And i was unable to separate this two parts.
So i just screwed in new 12.9 full threaded bolt in and tightened it very hard.
Bolt in the head was fine.

I also replaced the O rings with 15.54 x 2.6 - they are a bit softer and they allowed me to remove 0.2 shim which i had there for axial play.
I also made a bit ugly thing - i used isolation tape on the feathering shaft to remove the gaps which makes the 2010 head wobble.
Results are great, no heli wobbling under rotor in hover at 1350RPM, more precise response on small changes and slightly less vibrations in 3D moves.
I only noticed the heli shakes a bit in hover at around 1650RPM, but it seems it is much better at 1610RPM - but that should be the problem of the 2009 head, so i think it is fine.
Will order 2009 white bushings.

[helicraze]

This is funny, Jan upgraded the 2010 head and it seems that most prefer the 09 head! All my friends that converted to 2009 head like myself prefer it much more

[jointer]

I have only about 6 flights with the DIY 2009 head, but i like it, but since i now use borrowed Torsion blades, it is hard to tell exactly the difference, i am used to FBL Radix.
I upped both P and I gain in my Jive, i get small overshoot on rotor unload, best heard at rainbow made with full collective (probably the I gain), but the gov is holding a bit better in tictocs.
14T pinion will solve this.
Or more powerful motor, but i do not want to buy anything different now.

I think Jan focus on performance at very fast forward flight, i heard something about the 2010 behaving better there.

Since i mostly fly the TDR in box of 40x40 meters and do fast sky dive or big loops usually once per flight, fixed head will be better for me.

[helicraze]

Since i flew the 09 version for 6 months before i got my 10 version, the 09 version is much better in all aspects IMHO (only if you fly at 1600RPM you get a wobble).

The 10 version pitches easily in FFF

[jointer]

I am not native english speaker, so not sure i understood it right, you mean 2010 can pitch up in FFF same like 2009?
(i also hope my english is good enough for conversations here).
I will need to explore the wobble around 1600-1650, i noticed that something is there.
I do not care much though, because i fly 1350 or 1880 (now dialed down to 1850) 98% of the time.