Difficulty taking off.

[Imzzaudae]

As a newcomer to the hobby you don't need +12 pitch this only gives you an overly sensitive collective.

Setup +10 -10 you can set up +8 - 8 and the helicopter will fly fine and have plenty of power for you.

Re Program your ESC - soft start feature very soft. This should stop the tail kick on startup.

I agree your blades are likely to tight, you want the blade grips just snug on the blades. Main blades must move with little force.
Tail blades need to almost flop

You can also make the 2nd number in your Normal mode throttle curve very low. Try 0 15 80 80 80 Throttle curve. This should stop the normal mode tail kick on startup.

You can fly in normal mode. Try 0 15 80 80 80 Throttle curve.
40 40 65 75 100 Pitch Curve.

As this is a fbl helicopter you need to get it in the air. Not be fooling around on the ground. Some FBL gyro setups allow you to take off like a
fly bar helicopter. Power up right cyclic to counter tail rotor drift and lift it into the air.

Depending on the gain setting and the gyro, Some will flip the helicopter if you make any cyclic input before the helicopter is in the air.

R/C Heli Tutorial #6 Lubricants (13 min 55 sec)

Do a little more reading. Are you flying the Trex 550 FBL in the simulator?
You should be.

Hope this helps you.

[Torqueshaft]

Hi Imzzaudae.
To answer/comment on your points:
I followed the manual to the letter which said move pitch to minimum and move aileron untill -12° is shown on pitch gauge, move to max pitch and adjust to get +12° I did not realise different values could be used.
My main and tail blades have been adjusted with wet and dry to be looser.
I am using governor mode so my throttle curves are flat with rpms of 2400, 2800, and 3200.
In my simulator I have been flying the t-rex electric 450 and 600 for the last 6 months.
When I get rebuilt I will try a lower pitch range and not faff around on the ground.
Thanks for your advice.

[MariaFan]

Greetings Torqueshaft.

I agree with reducing your pitch numbers.

You may wish to consider TC numbers a little closer to each other.
Maybe 2400, 2600 and 2800 RPM.
Or 2600, 2800 and 3000.

Think Baby-Steps.
Just get her off the ground in a controllable manner and go from there.

I personally think that having the TC numbers too high results in many crashes.
Just get into a stable hover and increase in small amounts.

[Wargamer]

You can reduce the pitch mechanically, bit it's also fine to leave the max pitch as is and use a pitch curve like Ron suggested. Since you're at +/- 12 degrees max, a pitch curve that runs from 40 to 80 will effectively give you -2.4 degrees to +9.6 degrees. This is good for orientation practice when you're still getting used to handling the heli.

Also agree with MF on reducing your TC. You should be fine at 2400 for now.

[Torqueshaft]

Hi all
Thanks for all the advice. I set all the parameters in the microbeast as per the manual as I didn't realise that I could set a lower max min pitch. Closer governor settings also make sense. I will incorporate all this advice when I re do the microbeast after replacing the servo horns and tail boom.

[peteski]

Originally Posted by Torqueshaft

Should I have the attitude control on during takeoff, fly, and landing?

I've only scanned the thread quickly and didn't see it mentioned, but you are strongly advised not to use Attitude control on takeoff or landing as it can cause tip overs due to the control loop. There is a specific warning about this in the BeastX user manual. The latest firmware helps a little by limiting the control loop when on the ground, but really you should get it in the air before activating Attitude Control and switch it off on final landing. It will also likely need some tuning to hover level without drifting.

[Torqueshaft]

Thanks Peteski I will try that. I was trying to take off and land with attitude control on. That could be part of the problem. I didn't see a warning in the micro beast manual.

[peteski]

Originally Posted by Torqueshaft

Thanks Peteski I will try that. I was trying to take off and land with attitude control on. That could be part of the problem. I didn't see a warning in the micro beast manual.

Yes, I'm pretty sure that was at least one of your issues, particularly your unwanted roll. The warning is actually in the BeastX Pro manual which covers use of Attitude Control.

Basically to take off with Attitude Control active the heli needs to be sat perfectly level with the artificial horizon perfectly trimmed - neither of which are likely to be confirmed. If the BeastX unit senses that it's not quite level, it will try to level the heli on the ground during spool up and cause an unwanted tip-over. The latest firmware limits the Control loop on the ground to help prevent this, but I wouldn't rely on it. Much better to lift off and then activate Attitude Control while in the air - presuming you are intending to use it in self-levelling trainer mode. Then switch it off as you come in to land. Not ideal, but should be easily manageable as you seem to have plenty of sim time under your belt.

[Torqueshaft]

That makes sense expecially as the 470LM sits 5° nose down even on level ground. I can see how it would be fighting with itself.
Thanks Peteski.

[HeliLust]

A couple other things that struck me as odd with the setup and the explanation that need some clarification, you stated that you set it up as per the manual with +/- 12 collective and cyclic, cyclic with beastx I think is suppose to be at 6*. Also that you have the governor setup, at this stage in the game and only hovering the governor will only cause you issues. You need to get you heli setup and flying good before activating the governor because it can cause issues of its own. Aligns governor has been know to not work so well in past iterations, I'm not sure if it has been fixed with the current esc. The point is unless your into 3d the governor is of very little use to a sport flyer or someone still learning to fly and can cause issues.

[Torqueshaft]

Yes Helilust I set up collective to + - 12° and cyclic to 6° as per the manual. I am using the governor in the microbeast plus. I thought using the governor to control the throttle was the best way.

[HeliLust]

The governor is a great feature to use but before activating and using it you need to have the heli setup and flying correctly first. It's like baking a cake and putting the decorations on before the icing.

[Wargamer]

Originally Posted by Torqueshaft

I am using the governor in the microbeast plus. I thought using the governor to control the throttle was the best way.

The value of the governor increases in proportion to how aggressively you fly. It's most important when you are going to be making regular and significant changes in collective. Those changes cause the load on the motor to vary rapidly, which will tend to cause RPMs to vary if you're not using a good governor.

For orientation practice and basic circuits, which will likely be your first 30 hours of flight time, you should be fine with a flat- or a V-curve. For instance, if 80% throttle gives you a comfortable headspeed in a hover, you can set your TC to 100-90-80-90-100.

[peteski]

Originally Posted by Torqueshaft

Yes Helilust I set up collective to + - 12° and cyclic to 6° as per the manual. I am using the governor in the microbeast plus. I thought using the governor to control the throttle was the best way.

Yes, 6 degrees is the correct calibration point for BeastX cyclic at setup J. Just to be clear it doesn't mean you are actually limited to 6 deg cyclic, it is just a reference point for the control system to learn the head geometry. Maximum cyclic is determined at setup L (cyclic swashplate limit).

I agree with the others about reducing your collective pitch as a beginner, +-12 deg is a standard 3D setup. Something like -3 to +9 degrees should be plenty to start off with. You can set this from your Tx pitch curve as Wargamer suggested.

[perrypoint]

Originally Posted by peteski

Yes, 6 degrees is the correct calibration point for BeastX cyclic at setup J. Just to be clear it doesn't mean you are actually limited to 6 deg cyclic, it is just a reference point for the control system to learn the head geometry. Maximum cyclic is determined at setup L (cyclic swashplate limit).

I agree with the others about reducing your collective pitch as a beginner, +-12 deg is a standard 3D setup. Something like -3 to +9 degrees should be plenty to start off with. You can set this from your Tx pitch curve as Wargamer suggested.

This is a very important point. When you setup the BeastX, you are teaching it about the geometry of the helicopter. It wants to know those specific pitch points mentioned in the setup so it understands the "slope" of the system, in other words, how much to move the servos to change the pitch a certain amount.

You should follow exactly the directions. If you use different values then the BeastX will not understand the setup of the heli and attitude control won't work correctly either.

Adjusting the pitch curve as suggested by posts above is best done with the transmitter, not the BeastX. Set a pitch curve so that when the stick is down you have small negative pitch, and when the stick is up you have maybe 8 degrees of positive pitch. Using -12 to +12 range is great for super 3D pilots, but not for beginners - it makes the collective very touchy! Make it more mellow, like -8 to +8, or even -3 to +9 as suggested above. Just be sure it's linear so it's intuitive and stick movement will translate directly to pitch control.

[Torqueshaft]

Thanks everybody. I have quite a few adjustments to make after the repairs are done. Spares should arrive tomorrow.

[Imzzaudae]

Hello again.
Been reading a few posts in this thread and there is some pretty sound advise.

Torqueshaft: When setting up collective on the bench you must do so with 0 25 50 75 100 pitch curve! I usually have this pitch curve on my hold switch for setup.

Then my flying pitch curves set in Normal and idle up switch positions.
As I'm not a 3d pilot I don't use a 3d pitch curve.

Once you understand pitch curves you can set up a pretty nice curve for any flight mode.

A more scale like throttle and pitch curve can turn an over reactive hard to fly helicopter into a dream machine with only a few clicks of the transmitter buttons.

I take it your FBL guvnor picks up at around 30% throttle as does my nitro
setup and takes the head to a preset head speed via the 3 position flight mode switch

You will find that the FBL does not need 12 deg pitch, this is suggested for 3d setups. The gyro may require 6 deg of cyclic deflection but collective is not gyro controlled. You should be able to use 8 or 10 deg without bothering the FBL gyro.

BEWARE of running this helicopter at low head speed! Low head speed equals low tail rotor speed and low tail rotor speed can cause tail blow out and that does not usually end well, so keep the head speed up and soften the cyclic response with DR and Expo. I'd suggest no lower than 2500

I'd also suggest that you get rid of the add on stability control. As you can already fly the micro, there is no reason that you cannot fly the 450. They fly the same. They fast forward and do bank turns the same. They just make more noise and cover ground a " LOT " faster.

If you don't want role over problems, a flat unobstructed landing zone with no pot holes is mandatory! Choose your landing pad wisely before you set up and fly!

Take the micro outside. Fly the heck out of it, get used to leaning it into the wind so it does not drift. It's also best to fly in zero wind conditions when learning so you get a chance to relax and hover the helicopter. Then practice hovering with a breeze or light gusting conditions.

Learn and practice bank turns. Fast forward at 20" and slam on the breaks just as it stops push the nose down and hover at 20". Fast forward lull the nose up and climb. kick the tail over and do a stall turn, fly down pull up and fly away. This will save your butt when a tree or a kid appear out of nowhere. It happens.

Practice this, Practice this, Practice this! Then Practice this some more.
Landing pattern, fly out ether side, turn around and fly back towards yourself. Almost stop up 20' - 20' in front of you, now descend to 10 feet as the helicopter passes you, you should be about 10' up 10 feet in front of you on the other side of yourself. Turn the nose away so as to bring the helicopter tail in. Hover and descend tail in for landing. Once your used to doing this with the micro it will be 2nd nature and you will just do it with larger helicopters without thinking.

Hope you get up flying. That's a pretty nice helicopter.
Ron

[Torqueshaft]

Thanks Imzzaudae
I do intend to reduce the max and min pitch and sort the governor. I will also save attitude control for emergency recovery. Having got my spare parts I discovered that one of the servo final drives had sheared so I am waiting for more gears. Then I will try again. I have learned a lot from all the advice given here.
Thanks again everyone.
Chris.

[franknsled]

If you had a blade strike you should check the feathering shaft. Any marks on the main blades from the strike? This is a sign that the force of the strike could have been passed on to the feathering shaft(bent). Unless you are using carbon fiber blades. These are tough and won't show impacts that can bend the shafts(feathering and main and tail).

[Hughes Helicopters]

I couldn't tell or I missed it in there somewhere, you are using Idle up for Throttle and not the collective right? Set a switch for your head speeds, I just use two myself. Switch C is 0 setting no throttle and 1 and 2 are my throttle settings. Just have the collective at mid or a little under go to 1 to spool up and take off. And like others have mentioned don't linger on the ground take off as soon as your soft start ramps all the way up. By using Idle up for throttle it eliminates yo yo ing up and down. Plus a real helicopter separates the collective and power functions even though they are on the same stick. Def tone the pitch down that 12 degree is way extreme. Good luck! And for your birthday ask for a real helicopter flight lesson you'll be glad you did.