Mcpx main shaft and Hole maker review by me TNT

[rellik5397]

I have a good idea to test it. If you test it,with a completely stock mcpx of just one without a BL mod, you could prob tell really well since it takes so much collective management to flip with out a tail blow out, you will be able to tell a difference if there is one

[jim_stoll]

Yes, the shorter shaft length may well be a placebo, as might my KDBB blades, my MH swash, my RKH frame, my 3rd bearing in the frame, etc, etc. :-) I will attest that the heli 'feels' quicker with the shorter shaft. I personally like the -3mm length. The -4mm length gets the swash so low against the frame that I'm afraid I might end up stalling my precious servos during extreme maneuvers, though the swash doesn't actually *quite* bottom out when cycling the sticks through full range movement. At my mediocre level of flying, I'm really unable to tell a difference between the -3mm and -4mm length anyway, so err on the side of safety. My servos are more crucial to me than the flip rate which is already too fast for me to keep track of through more than a flip or two anyway. :-)

Regardless of whether you're making standard-length or shorter shafts though, I think most of us already have, or one day will, need to replace our main shaft. If I may say so without sounding too self-promoting, having a jig (whether one of mine, something homemade, whatever) makes a world of difference in terms of consistently producing good quality main shafts in which the holes are always square (and round!), are always in the same place (thus removing the need to re-level your swash) and doesn't drive one to madness is a Good Thing.

If my efforts have saved even one person from insanity (in addition to me! :-), then I consider this a worthwhile humanitarian endeavor. ;-) It brings me great personal satisfaction to hear that the tool is working well for folks, and I thank everyone for the encouragement and support you've given me. Its been a most enjoyable experience being able to talk with so many other mcpx'ers from around the world and to be able to contribute in even some small way to the mcpx community, and I hope to be able to continue to do so for much time to come!

Thanks!

Jim

[jabu32]

The jig is awesome!! i made some without it and they were fine but the holes were not perfectly straight. when i upgraded to the MH hub these off center holes caused me a huge headache. the stock hub worked because its plastic and has some flex to it. after using this jig i had no problems fitting it on. if you are making main shafts you need this tool.

[mkdive]

Just noticed there is a stollstuff.com. Good idea snagging the domain Jim

[jim_stoll]

Heh heh - that's the influence of my 10 year old son. :-) He's been rying to convince me that I should have him build me some grandiose website, so that was a capitulation to him on that point. :-)

[pakk]

Is anyone interested in selling me a few shortened shafts?

[jim_stoll]

A few folks have emailed me, concerned that the drill bits they've ordered with their blocks don't want to go through the holes in the block. This is a case of a brand-new, never-used, zero-wear drill bit being literally a few thousandth's of a mm larger than the bit used to clear the hole after drilling. I have a few bits that I use only for clearing the holes after the block is drilled and completed. (Its literally my last step.) These bits have only ever been used to clear already-drilled holes, have only been used in aluminum, and have only ever been turned by hand. (They are the same exact bits that I sell.) Despite this, there is a teeny bit of wear on them, and while they spin freely in the jig holes, brand-new bits can still 'bite' a little bit when going through the holes for the first time.

If this happens to you, just carefully twist the bit and let it pull itself through the hole. It will go with just a small amount of twisting pressure. Once its through, spin it by hand a few turns, and all will be good. (You'll want to try this on each hole in the block.) You may need to use a pin vice or similar to turn it by hand initially, or if you have a power drill that you can turn very gently/slowly, that will work, as well.

I need to update the instructions to include a note on this, but until I do, please do as described above.

If you have any problems, concerns, etc, don't hesitate to PM me here or email me at stollstuff@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Jim

[trexxman]

Jim thanx again,just made my first solid shaft, the jig worked great!!!!!!!!!!!

[matt blaisdell]

i bought one from him what an awesome tool i bought the v2

[mitsudriver274]

Just purchased this tool, after reading this awesome review! Im guessing its ok to run the shaft at -4?

[Goatkeeper]

Originally Posted by mitsudriver274

Just purchased this tool, after reading this awesome review! Im guessing its ok to run the shaft at -4?

-4 mm is about as short as I could get the main shaft. Any shorter and you will start running into clearance issues.

[superjet112x]

Awesome little tool a mut have for all mcpx owners, very high quality, Thanx Jim !!

[matt blaisdell]

I'm running mine at -4 and its quick. I love it. I just bought the v1 as well i thought i might want 2.

[jim_stoll]

Incidentally, a clever HF'er has recently ordered a jig with a hole at -5mm... He has what seems to be a do-able plan on how to make that work. I'm waiting to hear back from him on how it goes. (I think that TNT was running -5mm at one point - I would be interested to hear how he made that work.) If anyone wants to preemptively get a hole at -5mm let me know. Like the other optional holes, its an additional $0.50.

To support folks wanting to do a 2.5mm-lowered head (allows you to use the lower servo arm holes, w/o the need to alter the pushrods), I'm now offering the option of placing a hole at -2.5mm instead of -2mm. This can be done on both the v1 and v2 jig. There is no added cost beyond the $0.50 for the extra hole, but you can only have one of the two: -2mm or -2.5mm, not both. :-) All of the other optional holes can still be added, both on the v1 (-4mm) and v2 (-3mm, -4mm, -5mm).

Also due to popular demand, I'm revamping my effort to make a flat-filing feature on the jig, so that the little flat at the bottom of the main shaft can more easily be made. I'd previously tried this and put it on hold, as running a file back and forth across the aluminum block was wearing the block over time, but A) it took quite a bit of careless running back & forth to cause significant wear (I was sort of 'stress testing' it), B) a good result can be had with the use of a razor blade or Xacto knife instead of a file, with no real wear on the jig, and C) people seem far less concerned about the wear on the jig than I do - they just want an easy way to make flats. :-) So, I'm restarting my efforts on that, and hope to be offering a new flat-filing (or flat-shaving, as the case may be :-) feature on the jigs come next week. I'll post back here with results, and hopefully a picture or two in the next few days. (I may offer this as a separate tool, as well, for those who already have drilling jigs and don't want to have to buy another.)

Lastly, I'm working with a Xieda 9958 flier on a main shaft drilling jig for that heli. If anyone is a 9958 flier and is interested in info on a modified shaft that allows the use of alternate heads on the heli, David over at http://www.hacksmods.com/ has very well-document info on this mod, as well as lots of other great info on the 9958 - its worth checking out. I'll briefly post back here when the 9958 jig is available, in case anyone is interested.

Thanks Again for everyone's orders, support and encouragement!

Jim

[tntburnett]

Hey folks. I am still running a 5mm lower head on my mcpx. The way I made it work was I had to cut all three leakage rods about halfway down. Then I bend the front to rods to level it out. I'm not having to problem with clearance issues. It flies greart.
Red is my mcpx and the sliver is one of my friends.

Be Blessed
Isaac

[jim_stoll]

Tnt - that's awesome! In the top holes, too! :-)

If you get a chance, would you be willing to pull one of your front pushrods and take a few pictures alongside a ruler, so we can see how far from the bottom to the bend, how far across the bend goes, then how far from the bend to the top? (I know the rear one is a total PITB to get at, so if you can take your best guess at that, I'm sure we'd all be able to work with that.)

Thanks Much!

Jim

[tntburnett]

Here you go

[Goatkeeper]

Originally Posted by tntburnett

Hey folks. I am still running a 5mm lower head on my mcpx. The way I made it work was I had to cut all three leakage rods about halfway down. Then I bend the front to rods to level it out. I'm not having to problem with clearance issues. It flies greart.
Red is my mcpx and the sliver is one of my friends.

Be Blessed
Isaac

The mcpx with the MH swash looks like the main shaft collar is on upside down. I put my collar on like that when I got it an the head of the screw was touching the frame.

[KingJoe]

Any good online source for proven 3mm main shaft stock?
I ordered some thru my hobby shop, will be in about 2 weeks.

But a thread I read, says some 3mm is a little too large.
http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=366880

[Goatkeeper]

Originally Posted by KingJoe

Any good online source for proven 3mm main shaft stock?
I ordered some thru my hobby shop, will be in about 2 weeks.

But a thread I read, says some 3mm is a little too large.
http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=366880

You can get a 120sr tail boom and make 2 main shafts. They are 3 or 4 dollars. And readily available.