tracking problem...

[francisfaustino]

i just built my 450 Pro last night... i flew it today and i have a tracking problem... i measured the only 2 adjustable link in the head and they are very close in length... the difference between the two links was about 0.25mm... i didn't think that should make too much of a tracking problem but the blades were off track that i noticed it even though i wasn't looking for tracking... the closest i can get them is about 0.15mm difference... i have yet to check for tracking about...

even though it's a new heli, i decided to check the feathering shaft... sure enough, it is straight... any suggestions on what else to check...?

also, can blade balance affect tracking...? i have not balanced the blades yet...

[fixxxer]

I would very much doubt the blades will be unbalanced. To track your blades you need to adjust one of the long links from the swash up to the mixing arm that the blade grip link connects to. Only adjust one side so make a note of which blade is sitting higher when in flight and then shorten the link by one turn and retry. You will need to put different coloured tape on each blade so you can tell which is which.

[francisfaustino]

hi, yes, but shouldn't the blades be tracking well if both links are the same length...? ...

that's what i was confused about... during the flight, one link was about 0.2 to 0.25mm longer than the other, and yet there is a difference of about 2 or 3mm at the tip of the blades...

[legine]

technically they should track perfectly if both links are the same but life's not perfect, the blades wont be exactly identical and there will be SOME variables, so your best bet is too just change the length of the linkages so the blades track properly. What I do instead of putting tape on the blades is mark one blade with a pen or something and call that the "masterblade" I have a quick hover and if theyre not in track I'll adjust the master blade down (or up, whatever you want) one full turn. Then I hover again if they track perfectly then your done, if its worse than before go two full turns in the opposite direction and then try again.
Just make sure you have 0 degrees pitch at mid-stick before you start messing around with the linkage lengths.

Also double check all the screws in the head are tight and lock-tighted, my blades were way out of track yesterday because of a loose washout arm....Im VERY lucky it didnt fall off mid-flight

[ken22golf]

How are you measuring the link length?

I say just adjust you're tracking like typical. My tracking was perfect though with equal rod lengths...I measure mine with the studs you can get from heliproz south. They are the absolute best way to get exact and consistant length measurements.

I have a G5 head on my V2. It works a little different, but in order to get equal pitch on the grips, I had to make my links about 2 turns off from each other! It seems like that means there was something off spec. from manufacturing, but I set the tracking and there's no difference in flight. (The G5 head is still really awesome, but that has always bugged me. I have to set each grip pitch separately since they're not symmetrical.)

[jhheli]

If you already tried putting tape on 1 blade and it still doesn't,after adjusting the link, the BLADES can be the problem if they are unbalanced it will throw the tracking off completely, I had some blades that never tracked no matter I did, make sure the thrust bearing, bearings and washers are seated take them apart and redo it, if it still doesn't track try some different blades.

[francisfaustino]

i think i fixed it... i put a colored tape on the blades but i couldn't really tell which one is higher just by looking at it... so i just picked one blade and adjusted the link on that... first try was a miss and made it worse but i got it correct the next time... i ended up lengthening the link by one turn... it's still not perfect but i think it is as close as i'm gonna get with such limited links adjustments...

[fixxxer]

If you need half a turn then you can always remove the ball and pop the link on the other way then replace the ball. Just remember to mark the link so you know which is the wrong way round.