What is going on here?!?!

[Mrowka]

Ok, built a 130x, MH rotary frame and cyclical servos, Lynx 2S motor and tail assembly. DS 76T tail servo. External ESC.

Nice helicopter, flew well, although I kept breaking the wire to the ESC. Until I started getting a weird vibration, not so much in the tail as in the entire helicopter, and I could not find the source.

I tried balancing the tail blades and main blades but neither seemed to help much. I swapped out the motor and took out 3-in-1 with the external ESC (to preserve the wiring). At that point I no longer had any tail at all, as if my C gear were shot, although I had no slippage.

I swapped C gears, swapped D gears swapped tail servos, tried the original 3-in-1, swapped tail assembly with a complete NIB MH, swapped a spare airframe (everything forward of the tailboom) that I had.

Nothing is working. I have swapped every part in this helicopter. None of my other 130Xs are doing this.

What the chocolate is going on? What have I not tried? I thought about swapping parts into my working 130Xs but I hate to potentially ruin a working helicopter trying to fix one that is misbehaving.

[Stormbringer]

Maybe 1 of the bearings are running a bit dry
My 130x developed a vibration and i put a drop of Abu fishing reel oil into the bearings and that sorted it

[Mrowka]

Not trying to be a jerk but I've replaced every bearing in the thing at one point or another in this sorry saga....

[daveapplemotors]

Did ypu try it with no tail motor and no main blades? How about with no top hub and grip assembly?

and good luck with it.

[inganeer]

Carbon fiber main shaft or steel? If carbon fiber hollow or solid?
Had a similar experience with a brand new hollow carbon fiber main shaft. Shaft was true when removed but would flex just enough to cause vibes in heli.
Any slight bend in the main shaft or spindle shaft will cause vibes in the heli.

[Mrowka]

Stupit question, but what am I looking for by running without blades?

Right now the problem isn't vibration - its that I have no tail authority at all - like a lunched c gear - and nothing I seem to do changes this.

Titanium mainshaft, for what it's worth.

Right now my theory is that there are either multiple malfunctioning parts, and/or that both the original part and the replacement are misbehaving.

My plan is to build a working test mule 130X and then swap parts in and out of that and the one I am trying to repair to find out what the [expletive deleted] is going on.

[Mrowka]

For those Helifreakers who are following this riveting saga at home:

I built a test mule 130X airframe and got it flying. The test mule was a little heavy on the controls but actually flew pretty well for something that was cobbled together.

I then installed the 3-in-1 from the test mule and a NOS stock motor in the 130X that has been giving me fits (its name is "Azazello"). Setup was way way off, but all I wanted to do was to see if this thing would in fact fly. Which it did, strangely vibration-free no less. Azazello's first flight after weeks of headscratching.

The only other problems I have are:
1. there is a weird glitch in the C-D gear mesh. Otherwise the MH pro tail works well.
2. the stock motor rubs against the rotary elevator servo pushrod, but an outrunner motor will fix that.

Now I gotta figure out whether the problems I was having with Azazello in the 3-in1s I was using, the motors I was using, or both. Bonus points to those who get the Azazello reference.

[Mrowka]

OK, zapped the tail glitch last night. Azazello still flies, no wag or vibration. Admittedly I didn't get to fly very long, as my battery was about drained.

Next up: motor and 3-in-1 and setup.

[Mrowka]

When I left you all last, everyone no doubt perched at the edge of their seats, I had gotten Azazello flying again, with a stock motor and Megas modded 3-in-1. These were in place of the ones that I had pulled from it when it was showing severe vibrations and no tail control, as if it had stripped a C gear, even though the C gear was new and tight.

Well, I borrowed another outrunner. Same problem, and it ran really rough. Re-installed a stock motor and Azazello flew just fine with no other changes. So I have had maybe four outrunners in this obnoxious copter, including the one I built it with and flew with for months, but now it seems to fly only with a stock motor.

This. Is. Wack.

This. Is. Truly. Wack.

I was wondering whether I am installing these motors wrong or something, even though I have installed plenty of outrunners in other 130Xs, including this one, with no previous issues. Yes, I used the correct length of screws.

Finally, I cannibalized another outrunner from an airframe I had lying around. I tested the motor before I installed it, and lo and behold, it worked a treat. The result was scary powerful, in fact.

Go figure.

The only thing I can think of is that I have a string of motors with bad windings, hence the vibrations like a car engine that isn't hitting on one cylinder at all.

I tried the 3-in-1 with the outboard ESC and that worked as well, but it seemed to have less pop and punch than the Megas 3-in-1. That is totally bassackwards from what I expected, but there it was.

Now I just gotta finish the setup and loctite everything into place.

[inganeer]

These little birds do not like a tight gear mesh. I use a piece of paper between motor gear and main gear when changing motors.

[Mrowka]

I build with a loose gear mesh, but please explain the piece of paper thingee.

Also, since the 130X test mule I built was a bit heavy on the controls, I tested a DFC head assembly on it. That ended up flying pretty sweet.

[Heliwhisperer]

How To Set Gear Mesh For Your RC Car or Truck: AMain Hobbies' RC Talk (2 min 45 sec)

Any set of gears can be set using this method.

HW.

[Mrowka]

Thanks, that was very helpful.

[Mrowka]

Everything set up and flying. Unfortunately, the Megas board I used (with a heatsink I installed) has a ton of drift.

The stock board doesn't, but has a lot less power.

[Heliwhisperer]

Have you tried using subtrim in your transmitter to control the drift ?

Blade 130X How to subtrim a bad mainboard that doesn't zero pitch/roll/yaw rates at center sticks (6 min 42 sec)

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=462484




.

[Mrowka]

Oh, I know how to do it, I just use one programming for all my 130Xs and don't feel like subtrimming for each of them.

[JonJet]

Originally Posted by Mrowka

Oh, I know how to do it, I just use one programming for all my 130Xs and don't feel like subtrimming for each of them.

Doing the subtrim for each model is fairly important...

You should realize that each model has it's own character and deserves it's own model program

[Heliwhisperer]

I have one that requires no subtrim, bought when it was first released, and a second one bought just before they were discontinued that requires a subtrim of around 20 if I recall correctly.


After doing the trim thing, I have not had to touch the settings.

[inganeer]

HW is correct. I have 12 flying at the moment and each is completely different.

[daveapplemotors]

I don't use trim or sub-trim on any of my FBL helis.I spend time when they are new adjusting control rods to hover.

I run 4 nanos (x models) on one channel and two nanos (S models) on another. And there are 5 mcpx dbl bl 1S helis on another channel.

I practice hovering while slowly yawing (about 15 degrees / second) over a spot with each heli. Since they are almost always moving sub-trim does not seem like an issue.