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120 SR Blade (eFlite) 120 SR Helicopters Information and Help |
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03-13-2017, 09:49 AM | #1 (permalink) |
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120S questions
Hi all,
so I got myself a Blade 120S for its SAFE mode which in the shop looked like it would be right for learning how to fly. The first day I figured I'd just try to keep starting and landing it, which didn't go too shabby. The second day I wanted to fly forward, back, left and right a little, which is still too difficult. The price paid was a busted tail rotor blade. After some attempts of flying with a big peace of cardboard attached to the tail I gave up for lack of space and because I think if you want to do that you already have to have quite good command of the right stick... Well, then came Sunday, boredom, eBay. Now a couple of things are on their way here: mCP X (only found out it's not a coax heli after having bought it, d'oh, but at 30€ and including lots of spare parts it seems a good deal nonetheless), Scout (8€, pretty sure that one's a coax heli) and also a Spektrum DX7 (V1, got it for 70€). I also found a shop that sells tail rotor blades for the 120SR and ordered two of them. My hopes are now that I'll be able to use the Scout for indoors training as the 120S is clearly too big for me to fly it indoors yet. The mCP X I guess I'll just keep around until I've more experience with the 120S outdoors. Two questions:
Already learned so much from these forums here already, great you guys exist! Best, Jonathan P.S.: Posting this here as there doesn't seem to be a dedicated forum for the 120S (yet)? |
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03-13-2017, 02:59 PM | #2 (permalink) |
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Welcome to the freak.
The best thing you could have dun is buy the DX7, Great transmitter. The DX7 V2 settings will work for you. I'm pretty sire the DX7s settings are the same. Jest make sure you function everything before flying as there may be differences I don't remember. Another great adventure for you is MCPX. Your going to love it. Check this link out. MCPX setup service and flying links for newbies https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=506789 I also created a Newbies link for 120 SR. 120s is a little different but the information will help you if you take the time to look it over. 120SR SETUP, SERVICE & FLYING LINKS FOR NEWBIES https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=496890 120S is a little large feeling for indoors but once you get a feel for it, you should be ok indoors. There is nothing in my house that does not have rotor blade dings in it from me learning how to fly. Really. Just remember speed control is cyclic! Pull back to slow down and don't let the helicopter get ahead of you. It takes time to learn how to fly these things. Be patient and remember small steps and you will get a handle on it as you gain experience and comfort with the helicopter moving around. Don't know about the tail rotor. I guess you will have to try it and see. Check the tail rotor part numbers and see if they are the same for both helicopters. Hope this helps you get flying. Ron
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Ron Petrolia Ontario Canada. Electric, MCPX-BL,450X, Trex 550E Nitro Hirobo SCEADU Evolution 50 |
03-13-2017, 03:27 PM | #3 (permalink) | |||
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
I already ordered two of the 120SR tail rotor blades though and will report back here whether or not they're a fit! Package is supposed to arrive tomorrow according to the shipment company |
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03-13-2017, 04:33 PM | #4 (permalink) |
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120sr and 120 s tail rotors are the same. Make sure you look at the way it goes on there is a wrong way to install it.
I used masking tape on the carpet to make straight lines then practiced flying back and forth tail in about 2 feet above the tape. Once mastered to some degree I tried the other orientations one at a time. Made a huge difference for me. The 120s being fixed pitch, light and under powered is hard to fly in the wind be careful. +1 on the transmitter being a huge step up. The set up is the same for the 120s for v1 and v2. Welcome to the forums if you need help just ask.
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03-13-2017, 06:18 PM | #5 (permalink) |
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Dbchopper, awesome info! Hopefully google will index it soon. Also thank you for the idea with the tape. I guess I don't even need that, there's a big carpet in the living room and I could try flying up and down its edge.
Right now with no tail rotor, the only thing I have is this contraption here to at least get a feeling for how the controls change tail-in vs. nose-in vs. side-in (the gyros are going along with it interestingly, who would have thought). Well, the best trick seems to be if you imagine you sit in the helicopter yourself. Brain's fighting it though lol! |
03-14-2017, 06:17 AM | #6 (permalink) |
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The best tool to learn is a sim. Heli-x is free download. Everyone here would agree I'm sure.
My nano cps in safe mode was awesome for learning in the house. Very stable and easy to fly.
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03-14-2017, 07:03 AM | #7 (permalink) |
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Sort of opposed to going with a sim as I'm sitting in front of a computer all day long as it is. Can't hurt to try though ... does the DX7 have like, a normal USB plug to connect it to the PC?
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03-15-2017, 08:03 AM | #8 (permalink) |
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The DX7 arrived. Unfortunately without a charger and with a Graupner LiFe battery that has very non-standard connectors. I'll have to figure out a way how to get juice into that without breaking the bank. A bit angry about it TBH as the guy could have mentioned in his auction that the TX comes without a charger...
Anyways, I've reset all 20 models in the DX7 (also something the previous owner could have done before selling it, but nevermind) and now I'm starting to get real frustrated trying to set it up for the 120S. What's mentioned in the helicopter's manual for either the DX7s or the DX7 V2 is completely different from the menus and words I'm seeing in my DX7 V1 menus. Tried searching Google for hours now, but even with something like '"blade 120s" -120sr "spektrum dx7" -dx7s -v2' you don't get anywhere. The combination of things just seems to be too rare. Help please! |
03-15-2017, 08:43 AM | #9 (permalink) |
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Clarification: by setup I don't mean binding the heli. I mean setting the DX7 up so that it can work as a substitute to the RTF TX. Meaning the following things:
If I bind the heli to the MLP6DSM, calibrate it, then rebind it to the DX7, the calibration is pretty much in vain. I want to be able to calibrate it with the DX7. On the plus side of things: HH should legally be forbidden from selling the MLP6DSM for anything else than RC cars or coax helis. Things feel so much more sensible and direct with the DX7 that it has already taught me to hover inside a 2x2m square quite alright which I couldn't do with the MLP6DSM before but now sort of can manage, too. So yeah, the DX7 rocks, even when the 120S is not yet calibrated correctly. |
03-15-2017, 06:03 PM | #10 (permalink) |
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Hi all! Sorry for spamming so much, pretty excited about being able to fly a helicopter is all :o). Neither the Scout (don't think I'll need it afterall, prolly gonna sell again right away) nor the mCP X (now that's going to be an adventure!) have arrived yet BUT! Following JasonandMichelle's infos over at https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=770920 I managed to set up the TX in a way that is nice and flyable. No panic button yet and no flight mode 1 or 2, either, nor any way to get the calibration finished on the DX7., BUT! After a lot of trying and trying and trying with the ML6DSM luckily I now have the heli calibrated in a way that works wonderful with the DX7 A bit of trimming on the right stick and the 120 now stays in the air where it's been put safe any wind, etc. That means hovering has become a bit boring and I've been flying around the flat instead: turn a little, go a little, turn a little, go a little. Would like to learn how to fly proper, smooth turns that combine left and right stick and look the way a full-size heli would turn while at speed. The flat's just too small for that, though. Flying nose-in or side-in has become a bit easier, just transitioning from orientation to orientation is a real brain-eater as is figuring out how to work the throttle to keep the flight-level while moving (I thought moving without increasing the throttle pretty much always meant descending - sometimes it seems to result in ascending instead, which I just can't wrap my head around why it would). The coolest thing so far has been flying through the open balcony door, and over the balcony railing out into the night! Coming back sure made my heart go boom, boom, boom and I felt so happy when I finally caught the little bugger again!
Anyways if anyone ever comes up with any ideas about flight modes, panic button or calibration for the combination of DX7/120S I'd be mighty thankful and be sure to draw up a table just like the ones in the 120S manual to document it here in the forum. Goody, one of the batteries is charged again, off to more training! Edit: broke another tail boom. Did some DIY after (http://imgur.com/gallery/UQajD). Last edited by sixtyfive; 03-15-2017 at 09:38 PM.. |
03-16-2017, 07:55 AM | #11 (permalink) |
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sounds like you caught the helicopter bug! It is really exciting, and the learning curve is steep for all of us. keep doing research here and i think you will work through your transmitter set up issues. I would try doing set up from scratch to see what you are missing. make sure you under stand what each thing means and why it is there. as you progress to other helis this will be very important. on the 120s the flight modes are not very different ie: the speed of the motor does not change and depending on dr and expo flight characteristics are almost identical. they advertise safe mode for this bird but it really doesn't do anything because you cant exactly fly this one upside down.
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03-16-2017, 08:28 AM | #12 (permalink) |
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For some reason the flight mode switch has sort-of started working (0: full stabilisation, 1: acrobatic mode, i.e. the LED turns red). I think you're right, I need to go through the DX7's setup options one by one to figure out which does which exactly. FWIW, maybe once you reach a certain level of proficiency it seems all very easy (I'm teaching a buddy how to swim who never learned as a kid and I keep having to remind myself to be patient, patient, patient with him). Anyhow, the acrobatic mode on the 120S is a whole different beast for me from the stabilized mode. It'll be a couple of weeks at least before I can even think of trying that. Thank you for the encouragement, though, gonna make use of the nice weather and go for my first park visit - 4 full batteries!
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03-16-2017, 08:52 AM | #13 (permalink) |
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I made it to flips rolls and got inverted orientations down on micros, sim only becomes a must once you get into real 3d.
Would have got to that point sooner by simming but that only applies if you use it. I have one now but never use it so it does nothing for me, sooooo boring!!! Lol Micros were made for ppl like us that don't want/like to sim. Since most things on a micro that don't rotate can be repaired with CA or epoxy it's not that expensive to learn that way but a hell of a lot more fun! Be careful with the 120 outdoors as it can get carried away by very little wind. Early morning/late evening are usually the best times to take it outside unless you have a area blocked off from the wind to fly it in.
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03-16-2017, 01:54 PM | #14 (permalink) |
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learnedthehardwaay, yeah, I'm reeeally curious to try out the mCPX now, should arrive tomorrow. Dang, will I ever get anything done again?
The first time out in the park today was really interesting, because it was pretty much this checklist of death: fly far too high right from the start, check; end up "landing" by falling through a tree from top to bottom, check; fighting with the wind half the time, check. In the end, somewhere into the second battery, I had a landing with too much horizontal speed and one of those two little thingamajigs on the main rotor blade holders broke off. One journey to the hardware store later, I had filed the grout off, had removed the other thingamajig, bored two more holes into the blade holders and attached the steering thingies with little 2x12mm screws cut off to around 8mm in length. Looks like this: Also, this happened, because, hardware store (and also since it's prolly not too good for the heli to be carried in a backpack): After that, went out a second time. It was already after sunset but there was still a bit of light. For some reason the 120 seems to be a bit more stable now with the screws, but maybe it's just me getting used to it. I managed to burn through all for LiPos (1x500mAh, 3x600mAh) without damaging anything! It was already a bit colder and none of the batteries held up for more than around 3 minutes, even though my flying isn't that crazy yet at all. How much time do you guys usually get out of one battery when flying outdoors? Also, full forward trim + pushing the battery as much towards the front as possible really helps with wind. Got to try and find out if the DX7 can somehow be instructed to allow the head to tilt further into the forward direction than into the other three directions. Anyways, lots of flying today and chopper ready for the next day without further repairs needed! Yay! |
03-17-2017, 12:27 AM | #15 (permalink) |
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(1) Sit down with the DX7 and read the manual. If you don't have it download it, it's easy to find.
Then read it 10 times so you understand the transmitter menu system. No kidding Stop flying blind. Set your helicopter on your work bench and read the manual 10 times! After the 2nd read start programing. Download a few helicopter manuals and create a bunch of models. Program them. Wipe them out and do it again. Study what the functions do and how to use them in your favor! Heli Skills and Setup 101 - LOOK here first! https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=41692 (2) Stop worrying about safe mode. Just concentrate on learning how to program that nice shinny new DX7. Your lost until you understand all of it's functions and you can program it without thinking. You can pick up some rechargeable AA's and a simple charger for them at the local hardware. If you have any old solar patio lights rob the AA's out of them and pick up a charger for the TX SPM9522 $29.99 You should be able to get one at your local hobby shop or, If you spent a little less time screwing around trying to fly a helicopter with no tail rotor you would have had a chance to read the tutorials I sent you. Just maybe I posted them so you could actually learned something instead of blowing a bunch of sunshine up my a$$. Does the DX7 throttle stick tic tic tic or is it smooth? Have you balanced the blades or lubricated the helicopter? Your not going to learn anything bouncing around all over the place like a fart in the wind. STOP what you are doing. 1) Fix the helicopter and lubricate it with 10 weight silicone shock oil and a small syringe. See my 120SR tutorial. Balance the blades so they hang perfectly = No vibration and a helicopter that flies better. 2) Then read the MCPX for newbies tutorial I posted for you. MCPX is a better helicopter than the 120s by a factor of 10. You would be better off selling the 120s to some schmuck and investing in a used Nano and a few parts. Oh ya I did a tutorial on Nano as well. NANO CPX SERVICE AND FLYING LINKS FOR NEWBIES https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=596574 You would be way ahead of the game if you just stop being a fart in the wind. STOP. Catch your breath and study for a few evenings.
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Ron Petrolia Ontario Canada. Electric, MCPX-BL,450X, Trex 550E Nitro Hirobo SCEADU Evolution 50 |
03-17-2017, 09:29 AM | #16 (permalink) |
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Finally the other helis arrived.
First played around with the Scout for a little while, until it ran out of battery. Going to have to get a charging adapter for that. Well, the Scout's nice, but oh-so-boring; I hope I don't sound too arrogant saying that, but I'm glad now I started out FB-less. But it's super to keep around for all the canitryittoos that come along and want to have a go at the 120. Let a friend try it once yesterday evening, then had to reassemble the swash plate's ball bearing afterwards. Perfect if you can just hand them the Scout. Then opened the mCP X's box. Some sort of ugly aftermarket canopy full of dirt and whatnot on it, which went to the trashbin right away. The stock canopy was clean, thankfully. I then used the manual and G̶e̶n̶e̶r̶a̶l̶ ̶H̶.̶D̶.̶G̶.̶ ̶C̶r̶e̶r̶a̶r̶, uh, Imzzaudae's guide (https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=506754) for setting the heli up in the DX7, and man, was that a joy compared with the 120! Against General Ron's recommendations went and tried it out immediately and to my own surprise managed to hover it in the living room right off the bat. Same problem as with the Scout, the batteries can't be charged with the adapter I'm using for the bigger batteries. I think I emptied the big 430mAh cell, but the mCP X doesn't seem to have the same red-flashing light as the 120S to indicate so. Anyways, after landing I made the mistake of trying to spool it back up again, which it didn't like. Lots of vibration for a second or two, then the piece of plastic on top of the rotor head (in the middle of the two blades) came apart and the blades flew to opposite sides of the room. Wow. I guess I'll be reprimanded for that by General Ron, but I can live with that. Going to ignore General Ron's instructions once more now and go flying some more with the 120S at the airport, er, at the park. Some people learn with sims, some prolly enjoy brute force better, but I dunno Anyhow, a week after innocently coming home with a single box from the hobby shop, there's a veritable hangar here now! |
03-17-2017, 07:42 PM | #17 (permalink) |
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Got your attention didn't I.
You will find this document linked in the 120 SR, MCPX and Nano tutorials. A good place to start https://www.helifreak.com/showthread...81#post3854881 When you have a few give it a read and watch the video at the end it will show you how to do coordinated turns you asked about. When you get the feathering shaft back in the MCPX and get flying it you will see what I mean about flying 120s. MCPX is a much cleaner flying much more capable helicopter. Once you get a handle on it. With a little reverse pitch you can really enjoy flying both indoors and out. It's a great school yard helicopter. Won't be long until you part with the 120 and start looking for a 450. Later 65 General Ron PS. Ya 65 I'm a mean old thing! Picking on you like that. Hope it helps you. Ron
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03-18-2017, 06:34 PM | #18 (permalink) |
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Ah well, attention is a strong word ya know
Let's just say I love learning new stuff but need to do things my way... Having said that, all of the tutorials you've linked to are really good and I'm picking out bits and pieces that I feel like trying/working through. Yesterday/today was sort of crap though, had to work most of the time and also there was no flying weather at all. This morning before leaving the house I did fly out the balcony door into the courtyard again. T'was no fun, despite houses to all four sides there were unpredictable gusts of wind and I barely got the heli back inside. The great breakthrough happened in the evening: FINALLY THE WHEELS CAME OFF, i.e. "red" mode (unstabilized) on the 120S! Should basically be the same as the mCP X, but for some reason starting is much, much harder. Once it's in the air it basically, to me at least, becomes a huge mCP X, just much more aggressive. Kept trying until I could hold a hover. Sweaty hands, loads of happy (Video of one start + landing: http://imgur.com/WDUM7mE) Yesterday had the great idea of modding both Scout and mCP X to have the same battery connector as the 120. Also modded all the smaller batteries. Now there's just one size fits all. Yay for that!!! Last edited by sixtyfive; 03-18-2017 at 06:52 PM.. Reason: Added links to battery connector pics |
03-18-2017, 06:57 PM | #19 (permalink) |
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By the way, I tried tweaking the elev servo to get more forward angle by trading it for backward angle. Doesn't really work though. Also played with the DX7's travel adjust setting (finally got the original English manual for it as the German one sucks balls).Would love to give up some backwards speed for more forwards speed exactly because of the wind thing...
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03-18-2017, 07:11 PM | #20 (permalink) |
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Be sure you aren't in mode 1 which is stability with bank limiting. Mode 2 is stability with full banking. Mode 3 is stability off (onboard LED will go from blue to red). Some people have trouble getting that middle mode set up on their radio.
If you set it up as heli instead of airplane in the radio (manual says pick aero) you can also set some constant rpm/throttle on a switch. Kinda like idle up on a CP. It will keep you from that total throttle kill and recovery while flying. The 120S is good for what it is but not for winds over 10MPH. Even those can be challenging for the new flyer with this one. A small gust and up she goes. A 230S would be a good next step heli once you master this one. Last edited by BrokeDad; 03-18-2017 at 07:24 PM.. |
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