Progress Report

[sutty]

Is it later yet? On tenter hooks here Denis. Hope all went well. Glad the power issues were resolved with the motor.

Cheers

Sutty

[copterboy]

Sorry to keep you waiting, all is well, apart from my tail. I've only done 1 more pack this evening. I just re-installed the velcro strap round my gyro, but that had nil effect. Decided to sleep on it tonight, so I got a full uniterupted day on it tomorrow, and a fresh mind.

I've managed to glue the box together for my charging station now and its starting to look real sweet!! I'm fitting the back section of the lid tonight, but will need to get a suitable hinge this coming week vefore I can say the box is finished. So, still hoping the wiring will be finished this weekend, and it'll be ready to just plug and play when the first charger arrives. Will be sure to share some pics tomorrow

I have to add my packs are coming off not even warm, and after touching the motor for about 5 seconds, you can just feel a tiny amount of residual warmth. After this evenings 4 min flight, the li-po checker tells me the pack is 54% charged, and each cell @ 3.87V. So I'll start tweaking my timer back up bit by bit tomorrow, and watch the mah's going back in to work out the best flight time again

[sutty]

Nice one Denis. Weather should be good tomorrow, bar a short mid afternoon shower if the BBC is to believed.

[copterboy]

Looks like they are going to be spot on this time! 2.30pm and the sky has turned black!! I think the BBC weather is fairly accurate to within 2 days, but I don't beleive the online 5 day forecast prior to a bank holiday. I'm sure they bend the rules on that a bit, as it always seems to change when you wake up on the day!!

Well, I managed another pack earlier, and things seemed to have improved past the point of where it is bothering me.

Main problem was that my plastic pitch control rod links had worn out. This was causing slop between the tail servo and tail pitch control arm. I had indeed scratched the ball on my tail servo horn too, so I replaced both balls and links anyway. Now it's nice and tight, but buttery smooth

I thought it had completely resolved it for the first few seconds of the flight, as it was completely solid, but after a few seconds I started getting a little ocsillation wag approx every 10-15 seconds. Tried adjusting gain down, which helped a little more, but it's still there.

So I'm still going to replace the pitch slider bushing, for peace of mind, as I happen to have a couple spare, then I'll try another pack through it. I also plan to replace the little brass bushings, and small plastic tail pitch control arms that link to the tail blade holders, as I also suspect a miniscule amount of wear and tear in that department to.

Eitherway, I am now declaring this helicopter ready for the field!!



But, I'll probably just spend the rest of today doing the other maintenance mentioned above, whilst I finish the wiring on the charging station

[copterboy]

Bushing now replaced After this I checked for slop again, but it is still there, so I doubt this change will make any difference. However, after looking again, further investigation has thown up a question for you guys, so I hope someone can give me a quick response.

Exactly how long should an M2x8mm Socket Screw be, including the head?
8mm, or 10mm?

My reason for asking is because the screws holding in my tail blade grips are overall 10mm in length. Thread is 8mm, and head is 2mm. The screw is also bigger than the one in the manual, and I thought these pictures were to scale, to help you check you got the right one. So, no wonder my screws always felt tight when I checked them, but there feels like there is some play in it somewhere.

Guess my basic engineering terms still need some further understanding!! But I'm wondering if these screws are possibly a tad too long?

[copterboy]

So I googled the answer, and indeed the thread should be 8mm, and the head approx 2mm depending on the type of cap it has, so about 10mm overall.

So I re-installed the screws and went back out to try it. Must have forgotten to tighten one of the screws up fully, or it wasn't aligned properly and seemed tight. Eitherway, not realising, I went to spool up with a loose tail blade and grip It was wagging all over the place as soon as it got light on the skids. So I hit TH, and almost immediately spotted the problem. I ran in grabbed my tools to tighten it up, and the bloody screw head sheared off as it's almost fully in Can't believe it, you should have heard me cry NOOOooooooooooo as it gave way in my hand

So, don't have a spare tail rotor hub, and I'm grounded again. I'll just have to go Revo models tomorrow morning. Stock levels say they have a few left!!

[sutty]

Damn, that sucks. No way to get it out? If it sheared at the head, then maybe there are enough threads sticking out to twist it out with pliers or twisting in a vice? Still, at least if you get new, you will know the screws are right, and it will be another possible cause ruled out.

Good luck with the stock.

I just got in from 4 packs with the 550 and then 4 packs under the goggles. Great fun, even though it was a little breezy, and I can't fly a heli for toffee now.

For grins I've been toying with the idea of flying both at once. Set the quad up for autonomous flight and make it do a circuit round and round the field, and then try and fly the heli in front of it for some good shots. Mhhh, bad idea I think, lol.

I'll see if there is anything good on the videos from today, and if so I'll post them up.

Cheers

Sutty

[copterboy]

Y'know Andy, I thought to make a passing comment about neglecting your heli's this morning, but managed to bite my lip. Funny you've just explained exactly what I was wondering

I was tempted to call you this afternoon, to see if you have a spare hub, but I decided it was a bit to far and probably a bit too late in the day. Revo in Warrington is a little closer to get to, and then I won't have to send one back to you later, so I bit my lip again!! Indeed I hope their stock level indicator is correct, as I had a wild goose chase once before. Least I know I'll have enough fuel to get there and back again, then have enough left for work. If it doesn't go my way, then I'll just have to go bonkers and not fly again this week

Strange you should mention about trying to film a heli flying, but maybe this suggestion is a little safer, if your up for it? I was wondering if I could tempt you into meeting one day and then you could film me flying with the 450 (if I ever get it fixed)? I'll be happy to come over to yours, but I only have use of the car till about the 20th.

[copterboy]

Finally, all is good Just finished the pack off from yesterday, and flew for 2m30s with only the smallest oscillation now and again. I flew the pack out, and just trimmed it in the wind a little, and before I knew it my time was up. Going to re-programme the gyro before the next flight as I realise one of the limits has changed with the new hub.

So, last day off work tomorow, better make it count Probably won't add the pressure to film the first trip out as I'l just be taking it slowly at first. The heli does feel well tuned though, so I'm looking forward to it.

[copterboy]

Failed to get out this afternoon As I was getting everything packed up in the car, I noticed the wind getting up and the clouds rolling in, checked the weather and sure enough, it rained for at least the next 2 hrs. Decided to do some tidying up whilst the showers passed over and made some food, then it happened again...I nodded off

Woke up with about 1 hrs daylight left, so I ended up doing another pack in the garden. But I hasten to add it wasn't with one of my new li-po's. Remember me saying I would keep the best of the bad packs? As I sat there wondering what to do, I noticed my old pack laying there and decided to put my mind at rest, and test it out. See if all my old packs really were all shot!

I topped it up on the charger for 15 mins first, and gently hovered it round for 5m15s without the LVC kicking in either!! I think with the old motor installed, at best I was getting 3m30s out of it and the LVC was kicking in. But now, I can still get a 4m30s flight out of it. Have to admit there is far less punch in the pack, compared to the new one's. Infact I would say it only has that freshly charged punch for about the first 40-60 seconds, after that the HS starts to drop off. I checked a post from a few weeks back, and said it had put back 1344mah's back into it. And after todays flight, it only put back 1236mah's back in, so i can only conclude it's on it's way out.

If I was flying this pack out at the field and loading it up a bit more, then it would definately struggle to keep up doing 3D for a full 4m30s in idel 1 or 2 mode. This was the best pack, so I can rest assured the rest of the packs I decommisioned were definately ready for the bin. And even if I had replaced the motor first, before I replaced the packs, I know now that I would have come to the same conclusion by now anyway. I was a bit worried I was a little hasty in my disposal of them, but happy I made the right call now.

Well, back in work tomorrow, but the 450 will be going with me

[Tomstoy2]

Save it for bench testing. I hate using a new pack for testing.

Man, am I kicking myself!
Think I've screwed my DJI WKM on the Hexa. Still have a little more t/shooting to do, but it looks like the imu is shot.
No matter what, the thing does not see my receiver anymore.
Pmu power is fine. Mcr is just a pass thru.

They still offer the v2 version of the imu, which has a hell of a lot of better sensors than my old one, for $240.
My dilemma is, I can buy the EagleTree Vector for the same price! The Vector I have see in action and it is phenomenal! Comes totally complete with a color osd that is totally programmable.
Only problem with it is, I also want one for the Penguin!

I hate to shelve the WKM, but the Vector is so damn nice. It will allow you to play with the pid's so you can dial it in specifically for your acft, but everybody reports that it flys fine right out of the box.

Not going to make any decision on it just yet, got to mull this one over.

[Heli Yea!]

Tom have you tried the reset?

[Heli Yea!]

Try this Tom.

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=618568

[chansen1953]

damm... no progress on anything !! freezing cold literally over here , the last 3 weekends have been cold and wet... looks like snow again for next few days ...

I really do not feel like even doing any setup work on my heli's ... sutty, but will try to get back to the beastx problems and resolve them .. just no way to test fly in the next few weeks !!

[sutty]

Poor do. But still you can all laugh at us when it is our winter, and you are basking in glorious sunshine.

No problem. I'll be here if you have further questions.

Cheers

Sutty

[copterboy]

Finally managed to get out with the 450. Pack 1 was fairly routine and nothing special. The wind was still up, so it did not feel trimmed properly, no matter how many clicks I gave it. I just got it a best I could and carried on. Tried some flips on pack 2, but didn't try any more as the roll rate was too slow. 3rd pack I increased my swash mixes for AIL and ELEV from 52 to 56, and it felt much better. Spent the last minute or so, just flipping over to inverted and holding it in a hover, then back again. Last one I even stuck a piro in, then tried a few slow tik-tocs! Sure I'll need to up my swashmix a little more once I blow the cobwebs out. All fairly routine, felt like a right newb again, but I'm sue it will come back quickly the more I get out.

Probably will be the only chance to fly this weekend, so I'm trying to earmark some free time end of next week, which is hopefully around the time my charger is due!

[Tomstoy2]

Just finished the new pan & tilt mechanism on the Penguin.
Made the camera holder out of some left over Lexan I had sitting around. Can't wait to take her out. Would be perfect right now, but I got to get to bed.

[Tomstoy2]

Well, I got the Penguin off the bench and the throws adjusted on the pan & tilt.

Ranger is ready to go.

Battery's are all charged, and for once the weather will cooperate tomorrow.

Up on the bench tonight, see if life can be breathed back into my WKM.

[sutty]

Good luck Tom.

[jperkosk]

+1, especially on WKM's CPR