Blade 400 electroics help

[MrLucky13]

Ok guys,

I am a heli noob.

I got this in a trade so I did not pick out the electonics/servos. Please tell me what you think I need to change on the electronic side. I beilve I need a better gyro.

I have Hextronik HXT900 cyclic servos, JR DS290G tail servo, xmhobbies gyro. first 2 flights ended in broken parts. I had to send the DX6i in for the recall so what can I do to get her ready for when it comes back.

I just got a CC bec the other day that is going to be installed.

Thaughts?

MrLucky13

[sethf8403]

you might just want to buy new cyclic servos, i'm really liking the hs65mg's all metal gears, loads of torque! if your hell bent on upgrading that is,or you might want to just buy a few spare sets of blades and gear sets for the servo's you have until you learn the ropes, chances are that wont be your last crash! at first i couldn't afford to upgrade becuase i was in the hobby shop sometimes 3 times a day buying and replacing broken parts from crashes, i'm still in there every few days...

[Cailid]

Looks like you're all set for electronics. Maybe a new ESC if yours is overheating, otherwise it should be fine.

[Larry227]

I ran the same setup for a long time and I still have it on my Blade #2 except I still run the stock gyro on it. Had two of the xm gyrds and neither one lasted more than a couple weeks.
If you want any future upgrades I would suggest metal gear servos and a real GY401.
If you have money burning a whole in your pocket I would suggest a good sim if you don't already have one.

[spootman]

If you got it second hand or new, tear it apart and rebuild it. That way you can be sure its built right.

[jteee]

While the hitec 65mg's are a great servo, the HXT-900 servos you have on cyclic will do just fine if you're still learning. They're plenty fast enough for hovering and mild 3D and FFF.
When you start constant 3D stuff, upgrade the cyclics to the hitecs and a better gyro.

[jteee]

+1 on a flight sim if you don't already have one.

[MrLucky13]

I ran the same setup for a long time and I still have it on my Blade #2 except I still run the stock gyro on it. Had two of the xm gyrds and neither one lasted more than a couple weeks.
If you want any future upgrades I would suggest metal gear servos and a real GY401.
If you have money burning a whole in your pocket I would suggest a good sim if you don't already have one.

What is a good sim? Is there one that I can hook up my DX6i? Thanks for the information guys.

Mitch

[FlyAndFix]

Real Flight or Pheonix are both good. I use Real Flight but people say Pheonix is more geared to helis.

[MrLucky13]

Got a GY401 on order should be hear this week. I also picked up more replacement parts for my next crash.

Also looking at the Phoenix sim.

Thanks guys.

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by spootman

If you got it second hand or new, tear it apart and rebuild it. That way you can be sure its built right.

+1 an absolute must to do...the setup you have is fine if your just starting out, you can always upgrade your servo's and gyro at any time.
65MG's are the weapon of choice for most unless you feel you need digital then 5065's for your gyro the choices are many, 401 will serve you well.

A larger ESC along with a BEC will insure cooler operating electronics on board.

nightflyr

[MrLucky13]

Well I have the 401, CC BEC installed and am now just waiting for the DX6i to get back from the recall.

I also have a box awaiting my arival today at home. The Phoenix flight sim. But need the remote for that is well.


How long does it take to get the remote back? Do they e-mail you a tracking # when it ships?

Thanks for the help guys

[Rotorjim]

Originally Posted by MrLucky13

Well I have the 401, CC BEC installed and am now just waiting for the DX6i to get back from the recall.

I also have a box awaiting my arival today at home. The Phoenix flight sim. But need the remote for that is well.


How long does it take to get the remote back? Do they e-mail you a tracking # when it ships?

Thanks for the help guys

I sent three in, each come back within 3 weeks with a new AR6100. They didn't send me notice I don't think. They come back FedEx and went out UPS

[Ickie]

Would someone please help me with my Blade 400? Today I was outside hovering when all of a sudden my tail rudder started to twitch. My first thought was my gyro rate was to high, so I lowered it, that did not stop the twitch. It was after about 4 min. of flight time so I changed to a new battery; that is when things got really crazy. All the servos started to twitch. I did a range test, which was fine. I put the heli on the bench to see what was wrong, I was first going to bypass the Gyro and check the rudder servo when I noticed that some of the servo plugs where fused together. After getting them separated and by-passing the gyro it still did not stop. I noticed that when I touch the receiver with my finger all the servos twitched. I removed the receiver and tested all servos and it seems like there is some kind of short in the receiver.

I would appreciate any help or feedback you might have for me.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[sethf8403]

mine acted similar when my esc fried, do you check it for temperature? It's a good idea to check it after every battery, and make sure it's cool before you start it up again...i treat my esc temp sort of like my gas milage on my car, if my mileage is worse, something is probably wrong. if your temp goes up, something is probably not right, like your bearings, gear mesh, and belt tension. they fry pretty quick if you touch the leads backwards, i fried mine doing that, and afterward converted to dean plugs, because the leads don't touch unless you plug it in correctly...

[Ickie]

Seams the I fried my receiver. Just install the new one and It's fine. How can I tell if my ESC is any good? I have a temp. gauge the I use for my nitro cars. What is a good temp and what is to hot? The ESC never got so hot that I couldn't touch it but I it has gotten what I would call very warm. What is the # I should be looking for? Should I go to a 35A ESC?

Thanks for the help

[ingrahal]

The # 1 thing to check is the voltage going to the Rx. If you are running the stock ESC then it should be 5.0V. The Rx can handle up to 9.6V but the servos only 5.0V. So if it is above 5.0V then don't connect it to the Rx. This would mean the internal BEC is bad. I would replace the ESC in that case even if it is still operating the motor.

If the BEC voltage is good then use your temp gun to check the ESC after a couple min of flight. It should be 100 - 160 deg F. Normal is probably 120 but it is totally dependent on ambient air temp. 160 would be hard flying on a hot day and would be stressing the ESC. Above that and something is probably wrong.

A 35A ESC with a external BEC would be the best setup and would give you the ability to go to a higher Kv motor in the future.

[Ickie]

Just installed the Align 35G ESC. Seams to working good, haven't got out yet to fly hard. It was easy to install and program. My setup is 1-2-2-2-3. I think I made the right move, will see. Any other feed back would be helpful.

Thanks to all for your help, I will post back with my findings.



Blade 400/Hitec/Align

[Ickie]

Just got back from flying and here's the update. The new ESC is working great, temp. has not gone above 105 degrees doing some lite sport flying. What I have now a slow glitch in my rudder servo. You can almost but a stop watch to the glitch it is that consistent about 8 sec. apart. I tried to fix it with sub trim thinking that it was some kind on servo drift but it didn't help. The servo is a JR290DS gyro servo. Any thoughts on the glitch will help before I go out and buy another $40 servo.

One other Question: The new ESC has what look to be a magnet about 4" from the end of the servo plug.
1, Is it possibly causing some interference with the gyro.
2, Where should it be placed, in the bird or outside of it.
Thanks

[ingrahal]

I would do some bench testing and maybe try another servo before buying another. Do you still have the stock servo? Use it to toubleshoot the problem. I had a tail glitch when I first installed the DS3400G but it went away all by itself. ???

The ring on the ESC to Rx lead is not a magnet. It is a ferrite ring. It is there to supress noise. Just tuck in inside the frame.