HCP60 "Worlds Smallest CP Helicopter" Is Here

[ic-racer]

My HCP60 came in the mail today. First few flights were used just to get the transmitter setup.

They only had Mode 1 radios in stock in USA warehouse for pre-Christmas deliver. It was only a few minute job to mechanically change to Mode 2. The change is described in the manual.

However, I messed up the settings by reading the rest of the manual. The manual indicates "3 Channel 120 Degree" as the model type but other sources, like the Youtube video show "Normal Heli" as the model type.

Also, my motor connector plug was loose, so no motor power until I figured it out and DeOxed the contacts.

I only got one battery with the kit. The rest of the batteries are coming from the international warehouse. Hopefully soon.

I'm charging the battery with iCharger, rather than the little one that comes with the kit.

[ic-racer]

Progress is slow because only one battery and a short flight time. I can make on change and try it out before the battery dies.

More batteries coming. Still lots of tweaking to do.

I consider these micro helis little 'projects,' rather than expecting them to fly perfectly out of the box.

I could not get it to bind to my Futaba 6K S-FHSS radio.

So, I'm using the radio that came in the kit and find it perfectly fine. It is a big step up from the t-rex 100 radio.

[ic-racer]

Last few flights yesterday it had too much forward elevator trim with the fresh battery and this improved as the battery died.

I don't presently have an electrical or mechanical explanation for the problem. It acts as if the battery gets lighter as it discharges. This, obviously is not happening.

It may have something to do with headspeed RPM changing, but what? Tail control or aileron control don't change as the battery dies. Why elevator?

Positive pitch, of course, gets weaker as the battery dies, but that is expected.

[babyuh1]

I've had the same problem with the HCP60. My HCP100s flies perfectly but the 60 has always flown like crap.
How did you fix the lack of power problem? Mine is so weak it barely can fly.

[ic-racer]

Good news today.

I think the elevator trim changes are somehow related to how much pitch one has at hover. As battery discharges, the pitch used to hover changes. This changes the elevator trim.

After cycling the battery a few times it is charging well on 5C (1A) and the internal helicopter cutoff leaves it at 3.7v. So I can just fly until it cuts out.

After some adjustment of the pitch and throttle curves for normal. I am now getting good flights with stable elevator trim.

Today was really the first time I actually got to 'fly it around' rather than just hover-tweak-hover-tweak-hover-tweak, etc.

[ic-racer]

In terms of the trim thing, I'm not sure how the FBL in this heli works. For example most big heli FBL units don't like one to use the trims once the swash is setup. Whereas the 60 requires the trims to be set for stable flight.


BIGGEST DIFFERENCE FROM T-REX 100

The 'piro compensation.' I love my T-rex 100 for my office, but the big drawback in a small space is that it travels sideways whenever there is any yaw. In other words, it won't do a slow piro and stay on axis.

However, this CHP60 is fantastic in that respect. It does slow piros and rudder turns without moving sideways. It does slow piros just like a big heli. It is better than my 3-axis T-Rex 150 even.

Good, good, good, this is just what I was dreaming Align might do with an upgraded T-Rex 100!

[ic-racer]

I physically turned the IDLE UP switch around in its mounting hole. This now matches my other transmitters. That is, NORMAL is now toward me and idle-up 2 is away.

[ic-racer]

Originally Posted by babyuh1

I've had the same problem with the HCP60. My HCP100s flies perfectly but the 60 has always flown like crap.
How did you fix the lack of power problem? Mine is so weak it barely can fly.

Check you normal curves. Sometimes hard to get info on normal curves here because the 'experts' don't use normal, so you might have to just experiment.

Me, I don't like landing or taking off in my high-headspeed acro modes. I also don't like doing maiden flights in acro modes. So I have normal modes setup on all my helis.

[babyuh1]

Yeah, I don't use normal curves and this heli won't get off of the ground in normal mode. I've tried different batteries and I've tried to find a new motor for it but no luck.

[ic-racer]

Whatever it is, battery breaking in, or just zeroing in on the right transmitter settings, but this thing flies great now. The trim only changes a little between full battery and depleted.

I have a very small place to fly so I'm just using the 6-axis mode. Things I'm looking for ward to doing are backwards circles and funnel circles. I do those on the sim but have not tried them on any IRL heli yet.

Also, I'm ordering the HCP 80 and HCP 100. If this 60 is great, those others should be great also.

Why doesn't everyone have one of these? It is an 'expert' type heli, and there are many experts on these forums.

[ic-racer]

TREX 100 vs HCP 60

Maybe not a fair comparison due to some size difference, but they are my smallest I have at the time.

TREX 100
Lighter
Larger
Fixed Pitch
2 servos permanently mounted on main board
Flybar
Does not yaw on axis
Primitive transmitter, but adequate
More locked-in tail (yes a correctly functioning T-rex 100 has a fantastic, rock solid tail)
One-axis gyro (tail only)
Harder to fly in small area. If you hover near a wall and yaw, it can slam into the wall unless you are very, experienced T-rex 100 pilot.
Right on the border of 'hobby-grade' and 'toy.'

HCP 60

Heavier
Smaller
Collective pitch
3 servos, individually mounted
Flybarless
Yaw on axis ("Piro compensation)
Full featured transmitter. (FHHS but won't bind with Futaba)
Mushy tail but does not drift or hunt or oscilate (can tail gyro gain be changed???)
"Six-axis" gyro or "3-axis"
Easier to fly in small areas
100% hobby-grade

[babyuh1]

Stay away from the 80. The 100 is fantastic!

[ic-racer]

Originally Posted by babyuh1

Stay away from the 80. The 100 is fantastic!

Do you fly the HCP100 in the home? The website indicates 293mm length. That is about the same as T-Rex 150, which I already have.

[babyuh1]

No, I fly it in the yard.

[ic-racer]

I slightly bent the pins of the motor connector and it makes much better contact. In fact the motor is stronger. This caused a small crash while re-doing my throttle curves.

That crash broke the head and when I glued it back together, there was a wobble that made the gyro useless. So, I'm waiting on parts. I also ordered more batteries and a HCP80 also.

[babyuh1]

Yeah, the blade grips are fragile.

[Thickfog]

I own 5 lol. Great flier. I have found I must use a good hobby grade charger or my batteries are very weak in power.

Also, make sure all your connectors are seated perfectly and all wires in good shape.

You may need to bend the pins forward or back in the sockets so that they make better contact with the plug female pins receptacles.

Pretty durable of you hit throttle hold asap b4 a crash. Or else you will eat through blade grips like mad.

#1 Hisky Hcp60 durability and flight 3g mode (5 min 44 sec)

#2 Hisky Hcp60 durability and flying indoors. 3g mode. (5 min 15 sec)

#3 Hisky Hcp60 durability and flight. 3g mode. (5 min 16 sec)

[ic-racer]

Tracking indicates my HCP80 will come today!! That one shipped from USA. The rotor head for the HCP60 is coming in a different shipment from China.

I ordered spare grips when the 60 came in the mail, so I have those, but I didn't break the grips, the rotor head cracked

The batteries seem to be on back order, but the HCP80 will come with one, so that will give me two batteries.

[ic-racer]

Originally Posted by Thickfog

Also, make sure all your connectors are seated perfectly and all wires in good shape.

You may need to bend the pins forward or back in the sockets so that they make better contact with the plug female pins receptacles.

Yes, my main motor actually did not spin when I took the HCP60 out of the box. I wiggled the wires by the motor and, at first, thought the problem was the connection in the motor endbell. It took me a while to figure out it was actually a problem at the main-board connector.

After bending the pins on the mainboard connector, the heli increased its headspeed considerably but crashed instantly out of control. My theory is the head was already cracked and the higher headspeed caused a severe shake that made the gyro useless.

When I re-build it, I'm going to make sure it spools up with no vibration or shake. I don't think my gyro circuit is damaged (I did not order a new one), as the rest of the main-board's functions work fine.

In the mean time I have gone back to flying the T-Rex 100, but that seems very primitive after flying the HiSky.

[yakky]

Originally Posted by babyuh1

Stay away from the 80. The 100 is fantastic!

I'm not sure I'd say the 100 is fantastic. It has tons of power for sure. I really dislike the FBL though, it is so loosey goosey. My V977 feels like its on rails compared to the HCP100s.