Official Build Thread: HeadHunter Frame

bobbybe · 10-05-2009, 05:14 AM

Hey all,
so here is my build review, which inludes all of the mods, thoughts, pictures, steps, etc... Enjoy

Ben, a.k.a. Wazzer, recently designed and produced an upgraded frame setup (the HeadHunter frame) for the Hurricane 550. The HH frame represents a significant break from the original Gaui cf frame in several ways. The complete package includes all of the frame parts (sides, trays, etc…) and several aluminum parts, such as the newly designed Easy Mesh motor mount, Big Balls main bearing and lower OWB shaft bearing blocks, servo mounts, landing gear mounts, and the “X” shaped frame stiffener. Here is a picture of what it all looked like “out of the box.”

Before getting into the build, I figure that this would be a good place to talk about how Ben’s setup differs from stock. The main differences between the design of the original Hurri 550 and the HeadHunter setup is as follows:

-(the HH setup has…) Increased thickness of carbon fiber plates (stiffer frames), and the use of a single piece of cf for the main halves of the frame instead of Gaui’s step-out design:

-More robust battery tray with slots for velcro straps:

-Complete re-design of motor mount (named the “Easy Mesh Motor Mount”):

-Addition of aluminum frame stiffener, which is incorporated into the Easy Mesh motor mount and cf frame sides:

-Redesign of main bearing block and one-way-bearing-shaft bearing block to incorporate larger bearings (named “Big Balls bearing blocks) both above and below the OWB:

-Direct to swash servo setup:

These changes address a number of problems that hurricane owners have run into over the years. First of all, the increased thickness of the frame itself is a big improvement over the stock cf, which was very thin. The 2mm thickness of the new frame does add a little bit of weight, but not so much that it’s noticeable, even in 3d flight. Many hurri owners, especially those flying the plastic frames, have run into problems with flex. Essentially, sometimes the plastic frames would flex so much during sport and 3d flight that the gears would become slightly misaligned, resulting in serious stripping and many unplanned autos. The frame stiffener (which is also easy to see in the above picture behind the motor) along with the thicker carbon fiber make the HH one extremely stiff frame.
Another issue with the stock hurri is the less than adequate thickness of the OWB shaft bearings. At some point or another, most hurri pilots have heard a terrible squeaking sound, and many times this is the result of said bearings disintegrating. The new bearing blocks actually support main shaft bearings instead (note: a package of two main shaft bearings must be purchased separately).
One thing that always took longer than necessary was adjusting the mesh between motor pinion and front main gear. In order to do this with the stock frame, you would have to remove the entire motor mount from the frame in order to get at the two mounting screws that held the motor in place. However, Ben has devised a pretty clever motor mount for the HH that includes a mounting plate which can be affixed to your motor with countersunk screws (also must be purchased separately). Once everything is attached, adjusting the mesh can be done in seconds by loosening the bolts and sliding the motor plate to its desired position.

The Build:
The first thing I did was to sand down the edges of the frame, which were a bit sharp in some places. Sharp edges on carbon fiber frames tend to wreak havoc on electronics wires. I also used a leatherman to sand down the rounded edges in the connection slots between the frame halves and mounting plates. Using the edge of the sanding tool on my leatherman made this process pretty quick and relatively painless. I ended up sanding both the frame sides and the plates themselves in order to get the best fit (which ended up being pretty good!). The hardest part to sand was definitely the gyro plate mounting slots because of how narrow it was. Below is a sort of “before and after” pick, showing how the end result should look- the frame half on the right has the gyro mounting slot properly sanded and the one on the left shows how it was before. Notice how the slot on the left has rounded edges and the one on the right is more squared off. I had to repeat this prccess at the bottom of the frame where the other mounting plates fit in. (note- all of the areas that need to be sanded are described in the manual)

The other thing that needed sanding was the big aluminum spacer that goes right underneath the front main gear. This had to be sanded down considerably before everything would fit on correctly. It took a while, but with my trusty leatherman at hand I was able to get it fit on pretty well. Here are a couple pics showing the relative size of the modified spacer:

bobbybe · 10-05-2009, 05:24 AM

After all of the sanding was done I installed the bearing blocks, OWB shaft, and frame spacers. This was all very straightforward and easy to do. There were no problems with fit or alignment. I was impressed at how well the one way bearing fit on the shaft. There was a bit less space between the bearing blocks (as compared to the stock frame), and with the one super-thin spacer above the OWB, there was virtually no up/down movement. Here are some pics of the process:

(Note: I ended up moving the Trex 600 canopy mount further back later on)

The next step was installing my new Trex 600 landing gear. To make it fit on the aluminum mounts, I marked the location of the holes with a pencil and drilled away. Also, following Mysticmead’s advice, instead of using screws to mount the gear, I used twist-ties. The idea behind this is that if you crash, the twist ties will break off, saving a possible crack/chip in the carbon fiber frame. I’d much rather replace a 5-cent twist-tie than a much more expensive frame piece. However, because the size of the screw holes in the aluminum pieces, I could only mount one twist-tie per hole. In order to reinforce it a bit, I added on another, thicker twist-tie around the landing gear strut. Here are some pics showing what this looks like (Note- it’s much easier to attach the aluminum part to the landing gear first and then screw it in to the frame):

Regarding the canopy, I decided to ditch my old beat-up canopy and install a new one. In order to get my z30 to fit properly, I had to do some handy cutting with my dremel, but the end result looked pretty cool! Keep in mind that you want to use Trex 600 canonpy mounts in order to make sure there's enough clearance between the canopy and the servos, which are now mounted on the outside of the frame. Also, because of the new design, the motor will end up being higher than the top of the canopy, so you'll need to turn your canopy into a convertible (take a look at the very last picture to see what I'm talking about). The benefit of this is obvious- there will be more air flowing around the intake scoops of your motor, providing more efficient cooling during flight. Here are some pics of my canopy after its trimming:

Well, after that was all done, the rest was pretty easy and straightforward. Just install the electronics and organize the wires. I would recommend keeping them on the outside of the frame, as loose wires can easily get caught up in the gears and cause much sadness, and plus, the frame itself is pretty narrow. I also bundled a bunch of the extra wiring on the bottom of the lower mounting trays. When setting up the head and flying, I ended up having to increase the swash mix percentages (aileron, elevator, and pitch) by about 20%. For example, to get +-10 degrees of pitch, I had to up the pitch swash mix to 70%. I expect that this is completely due to the direct to swash setup. Oh, and regarding the servo arms, I ended up having to cut down the star-shaped wheels that came with my DS610’s. Because of the way the servos are mounted, you can only have one arm coming out from the sides of the servo. Here are some pics showing before and after:

Well that about does it. Although there were a few post-production mods to be done, this heli was a pleasure to build. I’m really excited to see what this will do for the Hurricane!!! To finish the report, there are a couple of things that I would like to see done in the future:

-inclusion of a properly sized front main gear spacer in the kit: it took a while to sand the stock one down to the correct size, and even then I can see how it would be easy to end up with a crooked spacer and have to do it all over again.
-inclusion of countersunk screws with the kit for installing the motor to the plate.

Thanks and Happy Flying!!!!
-Bobby

Mikej · 10-05-2009, 06:58 AM

Boobye,

Looking good mate - and well done Ben,
Mike.

Wazzer · 10-05-2009, 06:59 AM

Great Write Up Bobby Thanks very much your a star!

Just want to point out that Bobby is using teh taller Z30 motor and the plastic canopy.
I use the Z20 motor and Fibre glass canopy and dont need to cut the canopy to fit around the motor.

Did you have the same problems with the Stock frame Bobby?

The Motor is only 2mm higher in the HH frame compared to the Gaui frame due to the 2mm stainless motor mounting plate.

What is the overal length / height of the Z30?

Wazzer · 10-05-2009, 07:11 AM

removed

Mikej · 10-05-2009, 07:52 AM

Bobbye, Ben,

Let me know if you would like me to edit my post to something else once Bobbye has it fixed - I don't want to detract from your thread with forum techie instructions.

Cheers,
Mike.

bobbybe · 10-05-2009, 02:13 PM

Thanks for the help guys! All taken care of

the thread now has pictures!!

I wonder... is there any way we can get a sticky on this? i think it would be pretty valuable to have info like this kept up top

mjdee14 · 10-05-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbybe

I wonder... is there any way we can get a sticky on this? i think it would be pretty valuable to have info like this kept up top

You "Flatter Yourself".....

"actually"....it's a good write-up....

just had to take my shot !

bobbybe · 10-06-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wazzer

Great Write Up Bobby Thanks very much your a star!

Just want to point out that Bobby is using teh taller Z30 motor and the plastic canopy.
I use the Z20 motor and Fibre glass canopy and dont need to cut the canopy to fit around the motor.

Did you have the same problems with the Stock frame Bobby?

The Motor is only 2mm higher in the HH frame compared to the Gaui frame due to the 2mm stainless motor mounting plate.

What is the overal length / height of the Z30?

yeah i still had to cut out a big hole in the old canopy on my stock framed hurri as well. however this does stand up about 2mm higher like you said. i actually prefer it this way as it will provide more airflow to help cool the engine. i suspect this would help people keep their stock gaui motors a little cooler. it would be cool to see somebody do a heat comparison after 5 mins of hovering with the old frame and the new one with the cutout.

here are the specs of the z30:
43mm diameter
61mm length

the stock gaui motor (1100kv 1500w) specs are:
41mm diameter
54mm length

being 7mm shorter, i expect that you probably wouldn't have to cut the canopy (but i kinda like the "look" of mine heehee)

dunkonu23 · 10-06-2009, 11:48 PM

Kinda looks like it's a dragster with a super charger! Great work, man! This is going to be very useful for me in the future! Thanks!

Scott

10-05-2009, 05:14 AM	#1
bobbybe Join Date: May 2008 Location: Kirkland, WA	Official Build Thread: HeadHunter Frame Hey all, so here is my build review, which inludes all of the mods, thoughts, pictures, steps, etc... Enjoy Ben, a.k.a. Wazzer, recently designed and produced an upgraded frame setup (the HeadHunter frame) for the Hurricane 550. The HH frame represents a significant break from the original Gaui cf frame in several ways. The complete package includes all of the frame parts (sides, trays, etc…) and several aluminum parts, such as the newly designed Easy Mesh motor mount, Big Balls main bearing and lower OWB shaft bearing blocks, servo mounts, landing gear mounts, and the “X” shaped frame stiffener. Here is a picture of what it all looked like “out of the box.” Before getting into the build, I figure that this would be a good place to talk about how Ben’s setup differs from stock. The main differences between the design of the original Hurri 550 and the HeadHunter setup is as follows: -(the HH setup has…) Increased thickness of carbon fiber plates (stiffer frames), and the use of a single piece of cf for the main halves of the frame instead of Gaui’s step-out design: -More robust battery tray with slots for velcro straps: -Complete re-design of motor mount (named the “Easy Mesh Motor Mount”): -Addition of aluminum frame stiffener, which is incorporated into the Easy Mesh motor mount and cf frame sides: -Redesign of main bearing block and one-way-bearing-shaft bearing block to incorporate larger bearings (named “Big Balls bearing blocks) both above and below the OWB: -Direct to swash servo setup: These changes address a number of problems that hurricane owners have run into over the years. First of all, the increased thickness of the frame itself is a big improvement over the stock cf, which was very thin. The 2mm thickness of the new frame does add a little bit of weight, but not so much that it’s noticeable, even in 3d flight. Many hurri owners, especially those flying the plastic frames, have run into problems with flex. Essentially, sometimes the plastic frames would flex so much during sport and 3d flight that the gears would become slightly misaligned, resulting in serious stripping and many unplanned autos. The frame stiffener (which is also easy to see in the above picture behind the motor) along with the thicker carbon fiber make the HH one extremely stiff frame. Another issue with the stock hurri is the less than adequate thickness of the OWB shaft bearings. At some point or another, most hurri pilots have heard a terrible squeaking sound, and many times this is the result of said bearings disintegrating. The new bearing blocks actually support main shaft bearings instead (note: a package of two main shaft bearings must be purchased separately). One thing that always took longer than necessary was adjusting the mesh between motor pinion and front main gear. In order to do this with the stock frame, you would have to remove the entire motor mount from the frame in order to get at the two mounting screws that held the motor in place. However, Ben has devised a pretty clever motor mount for the HH that includes a mounting plate which can be affixed to your motor with countersunk screws (also must be purchased separately). Once everything is attached, adjusting the mesh can be done in seconds by loosening the bolts and sliding the motor plate to its desired position. The Build: The first thing I did was to sand down the edges of the frame, which were a bit sharp in some places. Sharp edges on carbon fiber frames tend to wreak havoc on electronics wires. I also used a leatherman to sand down the rounded edges in the connection slots between the frame halves and mounting plates. Using the edge of the sanding tool on my leatherman made this process pretty quick and relatively painless. I ended up sanding both the frame sides and the plates themselves in order to get the best fit (which ended up being pretty good!). The hardest part to sand was definitely the gyro plate mounting slots because of how narrow it was. Below is a sort of “before and after” pick, showing how the end result should look- the frame half on the right has the gyro mounting slot properly sanded and the one on the left shows how it was before. Notice how the slot on the left has rounded edges and the one on the right is more squared off. I had to repeat this prccess at the bottom of the frame where the other mounting plates fit in. (note- all of the areas that need to be sanded are described in the manual) The other thing that needed sanding was the big aluminum spacer that goes right underneath the front main gear. This had to be sanded down considerably before everything would fit on correctly. It took a while, but with my trusty leatherman at hand I was able to get it fit on pretty well. Here are a couple pics showing the relative size of the modified spacer: Attached Thumbnails Last edited by bobbybe; 10-05-2009 at 01:45 PM..

10-05-2009, 05:24 AM	#2
bobbybe Join Date: May 2008 Location: Kirkland, WA	After all of the sanding was done I installed the bearing blocks, OWB shaft, and frame spacers. This was all very straightforward and easy to do. There were no problems with fit or alignment. I was impressed at how well the one way bearing fit on the shaft. There was a bit less space between the bearing blocks (as compared to the stock frame), and with the one super-thin spacer above the OWB, there was virtually no up/down movement. Here are some pics of the process: (Note: I ended up moving the Trex 600 canopy mount further back later on) The next step was installing my new Trex 600 landing gear. To make it fit on the aluminum mounts, I marked the location of the holes with a pencil and drilled away. Also, following Mysticmead’s advice, instead of using screws to mount the gear, I used twist-ties. The idea behind this is that if you crash, the twist ties will break off, saving a possible crack/chip in the carbon fiber frame. I’d much rather replace a 5-cent twist-tie than a much more expensive frame piece. However, because the size of the screw holes in the aluminum pieces, I could only mount one twist-tie per hole. In order to reinforce it a bit, I added on another, thicker twist-tie around the landing gear strut. Here are some pics showing what this looks like (Note- it’s much easier to attach the aluminum part to the landing gear first and then screw it in to the frame): Regarding the canopy, I decided to ditch my old beat-up canopy and install a new one. In order to get my z30 to fit properly, I had to do some handy cutting with my dremel, but the end result looked pretty cool! Keep in mind that you want to use Trex 600 canonpy mounts in order to make sure there's enough clearance between the canopy and the servos, which are now mounted on the outside of the frame. Also, because of the new design, the motor will end up being higher than the top of the canopy, so you'll need to turn your canopy into a convertible (take a look at the very last picture to see what I'm talking about). The benefit of this is obvious- there will be more air flowing around the intake scoops of your motor, providing more efficient cooling during flight. Here are some pics of my canopy after its trimming: Well, after that was all done, the rest was pretty easy and straightforward. Just install the electronics and organize the wires. I would recommend keeping them on the outside of the frame, as loose wires can easily get caught up in the gears and cause much sadness, and plus, the frame itself is pretty narrow. I also bundled a bunch of the extra wiring on the bottom of the lower mounting trays. When setting up the head and flying, I ended up having to increase the swash mix percentages (aileron, elevator, and pitch) by about 20%. For example, to get +-10 degrees of pitch, I had to up the pitch swash mix to 70%. I expect that this is completely due to the direct to swash setup. Oh, and regarding the servo arms, I ended up having to cut down the star-shaped wheels that came with my DS610’s. Because of the way the servos are mounted, you can only have one arm coming out from the sides of the servo. Here are some pics showing before and after: Well that about does it. Although there were a few post-production mods to be done, this heli was a pleasure to build. I’m really excited to see what this will do for the Hurricane!!! To finish the report, there are a couple of things that I would like to see done in the future: -inclusion of a properly sized front main gear spacer in the kit: it took a while to sand the stock one down to the correct size, and even then I can see how it would be easy to end up with a crooked spacer and have to do it all over again. -inclusion of countersunk screws with the kit for installing the motor to the plate. Thanks and Happy Flying!!!! -Bobby Attached Thumbnails Last edited by bobbybe; 10-05-2009 at 02:12 PM..

10-05-2009, 06:58 AM	#3
Mikej Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: UK	Boobye, Looking good mate - and well done Ben, Mike. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Mikej; 10-06-2009 at 07:59 AM..

10-05-2009, 06:59 AM	#4
Wazzer My HF Map location Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo	Great Write Up Bobby Thanks very much your a star! Just want to point out that Bobby is using teh taller Z30 motor and the plastic canopy. I use the Z20 motor and Fibre glass canopy and dont need to cut the canopy to fit around the motor. Did you have the same problems with the Stock frame Bobby? The Motor is only 2mm higher in the HH frame compared to the Gaui frame due to the 2mm stainless motor mounting plate. What is the overal length / height of the Z30? __________________ Flybarless Head Hunter 550 Carbon Frame, Direct to swash 120 Degree Servo mounts Big Balls Bearing Blocks, Easy Mesh Motor Mount, SK360 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Trex 450SEV1.5 Training machine Last edited by Wazzer; 10-05-2009 at 09:55 PM..

10-05-2009, 07:11 AM	#5
Wazzer My HF Map location Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo	removed __________________ Flybarless Head Hunter 550 Carbon Frame, Direct to swash 120 Degree Servo mounts Big Balls Bearing Blocks, Easy Mesh Motor Mount, SK360 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Trex 450SEV1.5 Training machine Last edited by Wazzer; 10-05-2009 at 09:56 PM..

10-05-2009, 07:52 AM	#6
Mikej Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: UK	Bobbye, Ben, Let me know if you would like me to edit my post to something else once Bobbye has it fixed - I don't want to detract from your thread with forum techie instructions. Cheers, Mike.

10-05-2009, 02:13 PM	#7
bobbybe Join Date: May 2008 Location: Kirkland, WA	Thanks for the help guys! All taken care of the thread now has pictures!! I wonder... is there any way we can get a sticky on this? i think it would be pretty valuable to have info like this kept up top

10-06-2009, 11:48 PM	#10
dunkonu23 My HF Map location Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Michigan, East of Hell	Kinda looks like it's a dragster with a super charger! Great work, man! This is going to be very useful for me in the future! Thanks! Scott __________________ TRex 500esp, T-Rex 450 pro, Gaui/Head Hunter 550, Outrage Velocity 50, Blade mSR, Helipro Blackhawk 500. DX7, Spartan gyros

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