Blade 400 Flybarless Conversion with CopterX CX-3X1000 -- Success!

[LawnDartHeli]

Sounds like your swash maybe un-level?

[InFocus]

+1, definitely an un-level swash. Just go out 1 or 2 turns on the back right link from servo to swash..

[berserkk]

Originally Posted by InFocus

+1, definitely an un-level swash. Just go out 1 or 2 turns on the back right link from servo to swash..

Originally Posted by LawnDartHeli

Sounds like your swash maybe un-level?

thanks guys,
I decided to redo the head setup _again_
i find the computer conneciton to be a bit tempramental, after a couple of goes though i now have perfect 0 pitch at mid stick and swash level, -/+ 9 pitch, +/- 6 blade deflections for ail /ele
Q's:
the swash isnt level at high and low sticks though dunno how to adjust that any ideas?
how important is the swash arms being horizontal at mid stick?
thanks again.

now i just gotta get a chance to fly her again...

[InFocus]

The swash arms not level at mid stick is not really a huge deal..

The servo arms should be level at mid stick, that is important, otherwise, the swash may not stay level at low/high collective.

So, use the sub trim in the FBL unit to make the servo arms level at mid stick. Then increase/decrease the link lengths to get the swash level, (not the sub trims)..

[LawnDartHeli]

Got my 400 all swapped over, super easy btw. I got to take it out for a little hovering and some pitch pumps....did really well. I got 315mm blades on it and with it being light to begin with makes it very sensitive to stick movement, but I like it! Gonna take it out for some FF today along with the fbl clone, so Ill be able to get a side-by-side comparison. I'll shoot some pics as well.

[Harbormaster]

Originally Posted by LawnDartHeli

Got my 400 all swapped over, super easy btw.

Good job! Congrats!

[LawnDartHeli]

It would have took alot longer without your info, thats fo sho! I flew it earlier..damn it flys so much better. I hovered it for about 10 sec and went right over with it, and as expected it was just as stable in a inverted hover as in upright. Im using the soft 3D settings with pitch & roll overall gain @ 25. It has a new life now, thanks for thw good write up Harbormaster!!

[LawnDartHeli]

Heres a pic from today. From left to right, Spunjah413's 450X, my newest fbl converted B400, and my fbl 450 clone.

[Harbormaster]

Originally Posted by LawnDartHeli

Heres a pic from today. From left to right, Spunjah413's 450X, my newest fbl converted B400, and my fbl 450 clone.

Nice looking family.

[sleverage]

Hey guys, I am in the process of resurrecting my B400 as FBL as well, after being inspired by this thread. Thanks to all for the information posted here, especially Harbormaster. It has been very helpful.

I just thought I should mention this discovery I made today while installing my Tarot 450 fbl head, the same one linked here.. the main shaft on my B400 did not require any filing for the hole to line up. I had prepared for some filing, but test fitted it first, and I am glad I did. So this may be good news for anyone else making the step to convert to flybarless - that is unless I have some kind of freak mainshaft that is 2 mm shorter...

I will of course update when I actually have the rest of it put together and flying...


cheers.

[LawnDartHeli]

Nah..my Tarot head went right on my B400 too. The newer heads are a little different, sometimes referred to as a "3G" head. It has backup pinch bolt's along with the jesus bolt..the older heads didnt have that, those were the one that required the filing.

[Shogun71]

Good to know, my tarot head just arrived today with zyx controller.

I really need to get those other parts so I can get this thing back up in the air!

I have figured out you can never have too many Helis!

[gdawgs56]

shogun ... if you got the tarot zyx-01 and the head combo then you will have to shave a couple mm off the main shaft.

this is the combo im talking about: http://hobby-wing.com/tarot-3-axis-gyro-zyx03.html

[sleverage]

Hey guys, got my CX-3X1000 a few days ago, and I have gone through the setup in the software... however the part where you choose the orientation is confusing me because I mounted my 3x1000 the exact same way Harbormaster did, yet that orientation for the unit is not available in the software? Before I go ripping it off the sticky foam tape and have to find another piece, am I missing something???

thanks.

[LawnDartHeli]

It should be the second (middle) option...that is if you have it mounted sidways and slightly to the right for access.

sent from my phone using circus midgets

[sleverage]

I guess its just the picture in the software that is wrong, shows the connections on the other side in the middle pic.

One more thing, when I power it up, the cyclic servos slowly creep to some odd position where the swash is not level, so I am having trouble verifying level servo arms at mid stick... as soon as I stop giving input, the cyclic creeps back to the full right. When I am giving control input things seem fine, its just when its sitting there on the bench.

Thanks Lawndart.

[LawnDartHeli]

The Cx software and the fbl.biz show dif pics. The odd swash tilt is probably a channel needing reversed in the software.

sent from my phone using circus midgets

[sleverage]

It is most definitely not a reversed servo or anything simple like that, as the swash indeed does do all the correct movements with the control stick, and also when moving the helicopter around the corrections were always correct. Just the "zero" position of the swash always seemed to be not level to what the fbl unit was powered up to.

I was getting tired of this odd behaviour from the swash servos, I had tried everything and gone through the head setup, double checked everything. Still wasn't working. I noticed that as I flipped the gyro switch it would reset the swash to level, and then creep back to its extreme position again... I did this a few more times, and then did three or four really fast toggles of the gyro switch, all of a sudden the 3X1000 blinked all three LEDs four or five times, and then when it came back to life, the swash stayed level. Been fine ever since...

I am not sure what to think of this, I am not going to worry too much, but it is definitely making me wonder what was causing it, and why some flicks of the gyro switch seemed to cure the problem for good.

Anyway its all working now, ready for a maiden flight, too bad it is nearly 2 AM here.

[LawnDartHeli]

You can go to k-ymodel.com and download the firmware and if your using the newest version on fbl.biz software you can easily re-flash the unit...that may clear out any odd behavior.

sent from my phone using circus midgets

[LawnDartHeli]

Harbormaster had told me about flipping the gyro switch rapidly to reset the unit, and also it tells about it on the very last line if the instructions ( I never got that far, cause as soon as it starting working I went flying). If you don't have the actual CopterX software downloaded, you may want to for a backup....sometimes mine wouldn't comunicate with the fbl.biz software..had to jump over to Cx.

sent from my phone using circus midgets