KDS 450 SV RTF ( RTF is not what I got)

[Rubberhead]

I've decided to post a thread (if yall don't mind) to comment on the process that I (newbie indeed) have gone through and what I found during learning how to set up this RTF Heli. I am finding and learning a lot form all you guys and thanks for the help so far. Since there is very little information on the forum for this bird I wanted to post what I found and hopefully save someone from believing this is a RTF for beginners.

1st off I will note this bird is definitely set up for sport flight and perhaps even 3D, not a beginner place. My 1st power run ups to see what was going on was interesting. I noticed I was chasing the yaw around some with a gyro for one and this is when I found the tail rotor assembly was moving on the shaft, HMMMMMMMM!.

Here is where I will comment on the documentation and manuals included in the kit. For an experience kit builder these will probably be fine, for a beginner, no way. I have spend days on this forum and others learning what to do and how to do it, the set up.

Back to the tail rotor, this is when I noticed the tail rotor linkage was not at 90 degrees and now I knew I had a real problem. Here is where someone answered my call for help on Helifreak (thanks again) and recommended several places for a newbie to go for information, John Salt's page was one and I have found this to be a very informative page. Using John's publications, I started the step by step process of checking everything and doing a proper set up.

Now for what I found so far. 1st and foremost, if there is any thread lock on this bird it is very little if any. I have found numerous locations where the screws were actually loose. (tail rotor for instance). I have also come across the blade pitch setup was definitely for advanced flyers with about a -8 to 8 range. Beginner my butt. I had to adjust the pitch linkage rods quite a bit to get a 0 degree pitch at mid-throttle.

My RTF did not come with a training package so of coarse with all these issues even at a very low RPM run up the bird was unstable and pitched over, of coarse the pitch and aileron servos ate it and these (all 3) were replaced. My bad here, should have waited, set up the bird correctly and waited for the training package, hint hint to other newbies.

The included balance battery charger doesn't seem to be working correctly either. Out the box the charger has never gone from blinking green to solid green showing full charge, either I got a battery problem or a charger problem, definitely plan on getting a much better charger 1st on my to add list. This issue is keeping me grounded until I can determine what is wrong and get it fixed, I don't need a problem during further run ups.

Well that's all for now
Happy Hovering

[rebeltrousers]

Welcome!

Yeah it usually does pay to check EVERYTHING, even on an RTF if you like having it in 1 piece! Most kits have at least some components already assembled but there is no way of knowing if things are tight and/or thread locked without checking.

For example: My KDS Innova 550 has a carbon rod with two metal ends for controlling the tail rotor. The metal was a tight fit and was also glued from the factory. The glue failed in a hover and I was SO lucky to get it back on the ground without incident!! Very scary!

Sounds like you have a decent idea of what you're doing though, just check everything and take it slowly. Good idea on the charger, may be a good idea to charge your battery on someone else's just to check in the meantime!

[Rubberhead]

I mentioned earlier having trouble with the tail rotor assembly. The probelm was a moving rotor assembly on the rotor shaft. I could not get a center becuase the the unit was shifting on the shaft, easy fix right? Well I thought I had but I was still chasing a center on the servo, then I noticed that the shaft itself was not moving in and out on the drive belt pulley at the tail. the movement is 3.3mm, try to set a servo center with that kind of moving shaft lol

[Rubberhead]

Thanks for the note and encouragement, now I got to order some spare screws lol little buggers go flying and lots of luck finding them, I need a microscope to see them on the table, on the floor forget it

Happy Day

[krobinson103]

I think its universal. No matter what brand you get "Ready to Fly" is a fiction. My Walkera was set up with servos that died in one flight. You would think that someone would get some quality control going on these things.

[rebeltrousers]

Well I suppose my Blade MCPX was ready to fly.....but thats not real a proper heli!

[eddie currents]

I've just acquired a 'used' 450sv. Pevious owner had never flown it but crashed once on spool-up. After main shaft change and flybar change all looks good. Had to loctite everything after first checks revealed a number of loose screws etc.
so nothing unusual there.

The included balance battery charger doesn't seem to be working correctly either. Out the box the charger has never gone from blinking green to solid green showing full charge, either I got a battery problem or a charger problem, definitely plan on getting a much better charger 1st on my to add list. This issue is keeping me grounded until I can determine what is wrong and get it fixed, I don't need a problem during further run ups.

I notice the included charger only kicks out 800mAH. If you're running a 2000+ mAH battery then you're possibly looking at 2 1/2hrs+ for charging. definately a case for a better charger.

[Rubberhead]

Just for the record and continuing to document the KDS RTF experience, I wrote KDS tech support an email 3 days ago asking for some feedback concerning the battery and charger issues along with the tail roto problems. To date no reply. Report Card "F" for failure to respond. Wonder if it has to do with a language translation thing? Surely if you are an international company you have the google translator??

[rebeltrousers]

Chinese new year.

Assume that this week doesn't exist at all. Then add a backlog of emails plus the usual wait-time and you'll probably hear from them within the next 10-days! Kind of understandable.....but still difficult to wait!

[renemay24]

Hi, i just received my kds 450sv w/flymentor i am a bigginer and i dont think the settings on the flymentor heliball or the Tx are right can someone help me with this setting. thanks

[Ghostflyer1]

Ummm 8deg of pitch is not a whole lot.... I am running 12deg of pitch on mine ..... So I could see where they might consider that beginner.

[BaconWrap]

The radio settings are set for beginners with a 50% or 60% swash plate setting.