RE: Lado retracts, do the really exist?
[quote]ORIGINAL: daunt4 Larry, i just jumped into this forum. can you tell me if lado is still in business. Doug told me back in october that he would ship me a replacement gear one of mine went bad. anyhow no gear yet and no one answers the phone or my e-mail. him and Leanna both had the flu recently. are they back thanks [/quote] I got a disturbing report from 1 of my fellow club members tonight that one of the LADO units he'd bought for a 60 sized H9 Mustang this past summer had stopped working, and he has been unable to get any response from LADO-Tech regarding having the defective unit either fixed or replaced. I'm bothered by this because I'd recommended these as really nice gear units to my fellow club members (I have a set myself that still work perfectly and I really love the things!). LADO-Tech hasn't returned my friend's phone calls or e-mails regarding the defective gear unit in over a month... is the owner Doug ok or has something befallen the guy? If he isn't able to run the company he really needs to find a buyer for it because there's great demand for this product obviously... idk. Regards. - Michael
Posted on: 11/20/2009 1:31 AM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9266838

RE: 60SP failure under warranty
[quote]Now i want to know if the 90SP would be enough motor for one. [/quote] Should be more than enough motor for it... a guy at our flying field was flying a 60 sized Mustang on an older OS .61 engine this past weekend and it came off the runway in less than 20 feet and actually flew entirely too fast at WOT. These 60 sized Mustang ARF's are oh so light... it doesn't take alot to fly them. I'm still working on mine actually. I got the LADO retracts in for it, and have a pair of Robart Robo-Struts I need to figure out how to install. Details details details... and I'm working on 60 sized heli mechanics for an Airwolf fuselage I have here also. My planes have kinda been a lower priority to that Airwolf project actually. Sorry. - Michael
Posted on: 9/2/2009 1:23 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RCV Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9064517

RE: 60SP failure under warranty
My 90SP I've tacked running the break-in prop down to a very smooth consistent 1400 RPM idle... going down to 1200 RPM it starts to get a bit iffy. Swinging an 18" prop at 1400 RPM though is VERY slow in appearance and more than adequate. While I've never timed it to the second or anything, on a 14 oz tank of fuel this 90SP will run mid throttle for close to 45 minutes. The fuel economy is really amazing on this thing! I've only run Coolpower 10% in my engine since the very 1st break-in run where I'd borrowed some 10 oz of caster based fuel from a fellow club member (fearing to use my full synthetic fuel as it was clearly stated in the RCV manual to use caster oil based fuel only at that time). My engine runs cooler and so much cleaner on the full synthetic there's just no comparison. I bought my 90SP from HobbyBarn.com Feb 2008, and I find no fault with the carb on it. It tunes up easily and doesn't seem to have any loosness... my only problem to date was the original muffler started falling apart very early on in the break-in process. RCV promptly replaced it with a much better muffler which hasn't given me any further problems. I very much like and recommend this engine to friends and fellow modellers! Did I read correctly that RCV engine repairs are no longer made in the USA? Or was that only warranty repairs that are requiring shipment back to the manufacturer now? That suxs either way. [:o] I too had a H9 PTS Mustang for a few years (ran an OS 46 SF engine in it). It was a very nice flying plane, but I finally sold it and moved up to 60 sized Mustangs so I could have the retract landing gear (LADO'S) and more scale-like proportions. The 40 sized PTS Mustang is an excellant trainer (with all the training gizmos on it) and 1st low-wing model (which was why I had bought one to begin with). Also 60 sized airplanes it turns out fit my life better... easier to see in the air, fly better, and still fit in my vehicle and can go down the hallway in my home to the back room where I store all my birds. - Michael
Posted on: 8/28/2009 1:19 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RCV Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9052098

RE: help !! my RCV 90SP without power!!
Also if you're not already, go with a full synthetic based fuel with no more than 10% nitro... I found that my 90SP runs cooler with full synthetic oil based fuel than with the same nitro level caster oil based fuel. Use Coolpower 10% plane fuel or an equivelant full synthetic fuel. Ever little bit of extra coolness helps! Gorgeous model btw! Once you get this heat problem thing ironed out, you need to send pics to RCV for their picture gallery page! [:D] - Michael
Posted on: 8/27/2009 1:49 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RCV Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9049632

RE: 60SP failure under warranty
Well that suxs... either you unfortunately just got a dud engine (it happens sometimes to everybody I swear no matter the model or manufacturer), or perhaps there wasn't enough airflow thru the engine cowling on your PTS Mustang (I presume you used a new "uncut" cowling and cut your own vent area out from the underside of it?). Anyways, please be sure to come back and post updates as you learn more. My 90SP's carb tuned right up and it runs very reliably with an ultra slow idle (so slow you can actually make out the prop blades going round-n-round!). Hey also, what fuel were you using in your 60SP? I only use CoolPower 10% plane fuel in my 90SP and it seems to thrive on the stuff. Full synthetic so no messy caster oil residue on the muffler/engine. I highly recommend it. - Michael
Posted on: 8/27/2009 1:39 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RCV Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9049605

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
[quote]As for this TX this will be my new Sim controller.[/quote] If the problem is in the TX, then it won't work for a sim controller (for sim heli's anyways). One of the best upgrades you can do for the Falcon 3D is to get another TX for it IMHO! LOL! Be sure to get yourself a small heli pitch guage as well (if you don't already have one). And be sure to set up a Throttle Hold switch on the new TX... TH is invaluable for when tail failures occur!!! Regards! - Michael
Posted on: 8/21/2009 8:56 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9034590

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
[quote]But one thing that has also baffled me is on 3d mode on the Falcon TX I am only gettin -4/0/+5 is there anyway i can increase the end points or servo throw here, with this TX.[/quote] Paul, check your servo plugs on the RX... make sure that they are plugged into the correct slots. It almost sounds like you have the throttle (from the ESC) and the pitch servo plugs reversed. Also on your pitch servo is the link out as far as it can go on the servo arm? That's another way of changing the amount of overall pitch, moving the link in or out on the pitch servo arm. - Michael
Posted on: 8/21/2009 12:39 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9033623

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
Dial or knob, i'm referring to the same control on the TX. You can't exactly set the pitch and throttle curves with either F3D TX, you can only modify the built in pitch curve in normal flight mode with those 2 knobs. 1 knob sets the max pitch, the other adjusts the pitch at mid-stick. That's all I know to tell you... changing the TX battery did not cause your problem IMO. - Michael
Posted on: 8/21/2009 12:35 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9033615

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
Could "Lock" be the same as the 3d/Normal mode switch on the V1 TX? In 3D position, the TX ignores the dials and goes with internal pre-configured (and non-adjustable) pitch and throttle settings. Only in Normal mode position would the dials adjust the pitch settings. But, the pitch settings in 3D mode were on the order of +10, 0, -10 degrees pitch designed for inverted flight capabilities. I don't think the F3D is capable of more than +10 to -10 degrees of pitch... you could have +12 to -8 perhaps, but to keep the pitch curve even with 0 degrees at mid-stick you're only going to get about 10 degrees of blade deflection either way. Besides, more than 10 degrees of pitch would really bog down the Art-Tech gold motor no doubt! - Michael
Posted on: 8/20/2009 4:06 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9031523

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
I've no idea what this "lock" thing is you're referring to. I'm only familiar with the original V1 Falcon TX and my Futaba 9CH TX (which is what I actually use now with the Falcon, having tossed the Falcon TX a long time ago). Are you sure you have all your servo leads plugged into the RX correctly? Pitch and Throttle can appear to behave similarly if they are swapped on the RX, but they are not the same. I'd suggest checking your servo leads to the RX if those dial knobs don't seem to have any effect on your pitch. - Michael
Posted on: 8/20/2009 1:02 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9031042

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
[quote]ORIGINAL: falconfan They are starting to become rare for some reason, try these for a size <a href=''http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=33567&page=2''>http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=33567&page=2 [/quote] Thanks but I'm aware of those DIY night blades and don't feel comfortable having stuff stuck on the outside of spinning blades. I really need integrated night blades. - Michael
Posted on: 8/19/2009 12:46 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9028282

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
[quote]ORIGINAL: falconfan Hi guys,               I have the falcon se, I would like to know, where is the end points stored? Is it stored in the TX, or the ESC? I would like to reset it. I changed the batteries on the transmitter, now I don't have the pitch that i need to take off. I have only 5 Degrees of play when I lock it. But when i have it on adjust i have about 18 Degrees to select, but i can't lock it in. Does anyone know how i can reset this, or how i can reprogram it? Or do i have a faulty TX or ESC, what shoud i do. [/quote] Endpoints are set from the TX, but changing the TX batteries should not have changed them... I'm not sure which TX your Falcon SE came with, but both style TX's have 2 rotary knobs on them.... one knob controls the endpoints on the pitch (right knob I believe), the other controls the hovering pitch at mid-stick (left knob, I believe). More than likely you've accidentally turned one or both of these knobs and now it has the pitch settings all out of whack. Disconnect 1 of the 3 motor wires so that the motor cannot start up, then power everything on and with your throttle stick at mid-stick adjust the left knob till the blades appear about level (0 degrees) and then adjust the other knob till you get pretty good pitch at top-stick and again at bottom stick. Then power it all down, reconnect the motor wire, and power it all back up again and try to hover. Hope this helps. - Michael
Posted on: 8/19/2009 12:44 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9028280

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
I've been having problems locating a set of night-blades for my Night Falcon 3D... I broke my last set 2 months ago when the side-to-side cyclic servo locked up on the heli in flight one night. It rolled over to the right and went into the ground while I'm giving it more and more left cyclic (post-crash showed the servo was dead, so it wasn't dumb-thumbs and my orientation was tail-in and the heli not that far away). Everybody is out of stock on the 290mm Tri-Light night blades I used on it. [:(] I've really not flown much since that crash earlier this summer. My big X-Cell's have been giving me engine tuning grief, the Night Falcon 3D has no night blades, and we've been having a VERY hot summer here in Texas.... you can get dizzy within 15 minutes or so of standing out in the direct sunlight at our club's flying field on a 100F plus day! Been there, done that, it's scary! I very recently bought a Walkera Lama 2 and have been playing with it in the house... very tiny little heli, small enough to fly circuits in even my living room (which is of course AIR CONDITIONED!!!). LOL! Once we get some cooler weather this Fall I'll start doing more flying outside... maybe those darned night-blades will be available again too! I loved flying the Falcon at night when it was cooler and the air calmer!!! - Michael
Posted on: 8/18/2009 7:31 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9026506

RE: 3-needle carb heli engines... cannot seem to tune them!
Bax, they are Hatori pipes intended for 60-70 sized OS engines. I wasn't aware that OS made a heli specific muffler. It's strange that I can't hear the engines either bogging down nor leaning out right before they shut-off. They start easily enough (though the 70 is barely broken in and has amazing compression for a ringed engine IMO). I've been flying the OS 61 SXWC engine in an X-Cell heli for over 3 years now. On 30% nitro it was very easy to tune (but, I'm told the higher nitro fuels are like that). All my engine problems began last summer when I changed to 15% nitro. This is just a really tough problem to solve I guess, as I've changed everything (lines and glow plugs) and cleaned the carbs out (they didn't appear to need it though). I'm still stumped. Thanks. - Michael
Posted on: 7/28/2009 12:43 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "O.S. Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8970772

3-needle carb heli engines... cannot seem to tune them!
I have both an OS 61 SXWC engine and an OS 70 SZ engine, both have the original 3 needle carbs on them (idle mixture, mid-range, and high-speed). I'm usually pretty good at getting OS airplane engines to tune and run well (with just the idle mixture and high-speed needles), but these heli engines have been eating my lunch on 15% CoolPower heli fuel! Originally I only had the 61 SXWC and I started out with Coolpower 30% heli fuel some 3 years ago... tuning it was pretty easy, it seemed. Then last summer the nitro-crunch hit and I couldn't find 30% heli fuel there for awhile so I switched down to 15% heli fuel instead. After hours of grief, I finally got the engine to kinda run on the 15% fuel. But it's been problematic ever since, with the engine occassionally dying in flight and/or dying on the ground when trying to spool up. It seems like a constant struggle to keep it running! I now have an OS 70 SZ engine in another heli, and have been trying to get it going... and it dies, right at half-throttle, no matter what I do. I've been able to float the model only a time or two without it shutting off on me. Yesterday, I was working with my 1st heli with the 61 SXWC and it too went to dying on me at exactly half-throttle... I can't get either of these heli's off the ground now! Following the manual instructions I took all the needles back to inital startup settings, and neither engine will go past 1/3 throttle without cutting out or instantly shutting down. That's 2 turns out on the high-speed needle, 1 turn out on the mid-range needle, and the idle mixture set at the appropriate spot (the 2 carbs have different idle-mix controls... I am following the OS engine manual instructions to the letter here though!). Of possible interest, when I raise the throttle to half-stick from idle (quickly, not slowly) the engine runs up to half-throttle then shuts off as it reaches speed. So the carb barrel is open to half throttle, which in itself doesn't kill the engine... but when the engine reaches a certain RPM, that's when it dies. Why does it die at this RPM? I've pulled both carbs apart and flushed them out carefully with WD40, then re-assembled them... to no effect whatsoever. The fuel lines are all new and clear (of obstructions or kinks or anything), I even removed the fuel filters completely last night right before sunset and gave the SX one more try and it still shuts off when I try to float the model. What on earth am I doing wrong here? It seems like no matter where I put the needles, the engines just shut right off at either 1/3 or 1/2 throttle. They don't seem to be leaning out or flooding out, it's like a kill switch get's activated inside the motors... they just turn off like a switch! Both engines are supplied with muffler pressurized fuel, both have Hatori tuned mufflers on them. Both have header tanks as well, and the headers stay topped off with fuel. Both engines seem to idle ok, and in fact pinching off the fuel line while idling I get 3.5 to 4 seconds of run before the engine's lean out and die. Finally, I've replaced the glow plugs with new OS #8's but still no joy. Both engines have good compression and smooth bearings also... the 70SZ has barely any runtime on it at all in fact and my electric starter can only just turn it over it has so much compression! I admit I'm not the worlds greatest when tuning engines, but even I can't be this bad! For 2 engines to both exhibit the same dying tendencies, I must be doing something wrong here... but what? I can't find anything mechanically wrong with these engines, and I'd like to keep running 15% heli fuel as the 30% is still not always available here and the 15% isn't as expensive as 30%... I'm only a sport flyer, not a hard 3D pilot. I'd appreciate any advice on what else to check here or just what it means when an engine shuts off like this (without bogging down, without leaning out). Thanks! - Michael
Posted on: 7/27/2009 12:40 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "O.S. Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8967757

RE: RCV120SP Loose Muffler
[link=http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/237960.asp]Magnum Starter[/link] <= I use one of these to start my 90SP engine with the RCV starting wand and it turns the engine over quite easily, and fits nicely in the palm of the hand too. Should be good for a 120SP also. You remove the starting cone from the starter and then put the RCV wand on instead, tightening the set screws down tight onto the starter shaft. In this case though, the wand's set screws are going to crush the shaft's threads so it'll probably never work for the original cone again... I dunno. I bought one of these starters and dedicated it to the RCV starting wand, and use a different starter with a cone for my heli's push-in wand and OS 2-cycle engine airplanes. Regards! ps. There is also a company making ring exhaust systems for the RCV engines that go around the engine and have the exhaust exit tubes directed directly down (2 exhaust exit tubes). It's expensive but sure looks good for scale applications where you want to hide everything you can inside the cowling! PM me if you want the link to it (I'm not affiliated in any way with anybody though... I'm just a normal model aircraft modeller who happens to really like the RCV engines now). - Michael
Posted on: 7/8/2009 4:57 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RCV Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8916772

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
Well test hover completed and it went really well after getting the tail trimmed out. Also, my chronic wobble is now gone! At 3 feet off the deck she hover's like a rock! WooHoo! [>:] Now I just need those Tri-Light Night blades so I can go back to flying it late at night again. [:@] - Michael
Posted on: 6/29/2009 7:39 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8892232

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
Excellant brushless outrunner motor => [link=http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=5246&Product_Name=KD_KA450H_3200kv_brushles_Heli_Motor]KA450H Outrunner[/link] Gives very good "pop" when you punch it, doesn't exceed the ratings of the Art-Tech 18amp ESC. Run's oh so much cooler than the gold Art-Tech motor, and can be had for around $20 USD w/s&h. Pull the pinion off your gold Art-Tech motor, clean and sand the end of the outrunner motor's shaft, then mix up a little JB Weld and using a toothpick stick some inside the pinion then tap it onto the outrunner's shaft... holds strong! Anybody know where I can get a set of 290mm LED CF main blades? Now that I finally have her ready to light up the night sky again, everybody it seems is out of stock on the 290 Tri-Light blades. [:@] - Michael
Posted on: 6/29/2009 4:26 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8891634

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
Well, I didn't get to test-hover the Night Falcon 3D, but I did finally finish fixing it and setting up the pitch curves on it. Night fell before I was done with everything and I don't have another set of LED Night Blades for it yet... so all it's got is glowire on the heli's canopy and frame. I had a Walker 36 CNC head on it, but the last crash (cyclic servo locked up) bent the blade axle and prior to that even I was considering switching back to my original Art-Tech V1 head to see if that CNC head had anything to do with the odd wobble the heli was doing... so, now seemed like as good a time as any to switch back to the original V1 head. However, I decided to 1st rebuild the V1 head as a V2 to get rid of the blasted z-bend links in it... pretty time consuming, maybe 3 hours total to get everything just right, but it's oh sooo much tighter than it was previously! Nice! As far as I can tell I can't buy individual parts for the Walkera CNC head, so I may try to take the blade axle out and straighten it with a small finishing hammer I have... I've been successful before, straightening original Art-Tech blade axles (as long as they aren't too badly bend, you can usually tap them back to straightness with a very small finishing hammer and a hard straight surface (like a smooth brick... I use my fireplace for it, LOL!). I spooled it up, with CF day blades on it, and nothing flew loose and the blades were very close to being in track... 2 screws out on the low blade brought it up to the level of the master blade. Sounded good and was pretty smooth, so guess I'll try a test hover with it in the morning. Wish me luck! ps. I ordered another 3200KV brushless outrunner motor for the day Falcon 3D... it'll be in in about 10 days or so. Even if the motor isn't the problem, these little outrunner motor's run so much cooler and have more pep to them so it'll still be worth it though I do hope a new motor is all it needs! - Michael
Posted on: 6/28/2009 11:38 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8889574

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
Hey guys... I received that new (used) Falcon I bought off Ebay. I've put it back together (the guy had removed the motor and ESC and most of the servo wiring was dangling loose) and checked it all out. Now, I bought it knowing that either the motor (original Art-Tech golden inrunner motor) or ESC (clear shrink wrapped version) was probably bad.... I did some playing around with the motor wires, and I can't get it to run counter-clockwise without alot of starting and stopping and clicking sounds. I can switch the wires around though and get it to run clockwise up to a fairly good speed with only some slight clicking and occassionally halting. When powered down, the motor pinion can be rotated and it turns smoothly. So what is this a sign of, bad motor or bad ESC? I was under the impression that when an ESC "goes" it "goes" all the way and is totally dead.... I'm of the opinion that the motor is most likely bad. I could use a 2nd opinion though..... Last night I finally tore into my Night Falcon 3D and started replacing parts on it... I replaced both cyclic servos with new HiTec 65HB servos, replaced the broken skid (reattaching the light tube to the replacement skid with Goop), and started rebuilding the original V1 head as a V2 head (to eliminate those pesky z-bend links). I still haven't located the 290mm night-blades I need for it though.... but I hope to at least be able to test-hover it with day blades sometime this weekend. Thanks! - Michael
Posted on: 6/27/2009 12:45 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8885784

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
Hey Terry... I posted pics on this thread Spring 2007 (or 2008, I forget now) when I 1st got all the glowire stuff applied to my Falcon 3D for night flying. The camera did a lousy job in the dark though... I have a new much better digital camera now, so when I get it all back together again I'll try taking new pics and see if they come out better this time. I'm also considering re-doing some of my glowire, make the canopy windshield yellow glowire (it's currently all in blue) and put some orange on the boom struts instead. So the canopy will be traced out in blue glowire, the windshield in yellow, the boom struts in orange and the boom spiral wrapped in red with both fins traced out in blue. Should look very nice in the night sky! After all, it's not a crash... it's a mandatory upgrade! Might as well make as many improvements as I can while she's down for "upgrades". LOL! - Michael
Posted on: 6/22/2009 2:12 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8871680

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
Yes, I was until just a few weeks ago at a late night club meeting at our flying field. I finally had another cyclic servo lock-up in flight and over to the right she rolled and into the ground. (sigh!) I probably had 150 or more flights on it with that servo before it locked, but this was the 2nd time to lose a cyclic servo and crash destroying my night-blades. Last time I lost the cyclic servo I decided to purchase a stronger/faster Hitec servo for the rudder and moved the original Art-Tech rudder servo up to cyclic duty... this time, I just went ahead and purchased 2 new Hitec 65HB servos and will put them both on cyclic duty. That'll leave only the collective running an Art-Tech original servo, at least for now. I haven't been able to find a replacement set of night blades for it yet at a reasonable price though... I think I paid like $36 for that last pair (sans charger, which I already had on hand of course from the previous crash last summer when cyclic servo died). I can't remember where I bought them for that price though and can't find the receipt or e-mail receipt even darn'it. All my glowire survived the crash no problemo and the tail (and tube) appear untouched so I should be good to go there. Anyhows, I still have to replace the cyclic servos, landing gear (broke one finally!), main shaft and possibly the tail shaft too. I got the parts in last week, but haven't had time to mess with it yet. I hope to get it back together and get some evening test flights in by next weekend.... then find those darned night-blades at whatever cost I guess so I can fly at night on the 4th of July! Also I just bought a 2nd Falcon 3d V2 (from looks of the head) off Ebay this morning for $55... either the ESC or the golden motor is messed up on it seller says, as it will run but then cuts out at hovering speeds. I'll check it out when it comes in, maybe swap parts with my Night Falcon 3D to determine where the fault lies, then fix and make the new one a day flier most likely. For $55 the price was just too right to pass up! How've you been doing? Still flying yours? - Michael
Posted on: 6/22/2009 1:37 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8871598

RE: Keeping cool
1 thing you can do is run full-synthetic fuel in the engine. I noticed immediately upon switching my 90SP from Power Master caster oil based fuel to Cool Power 10% full synthetic fuel that the engine runs alot cooler. Also you need to direct the airflow from the Mustang's air-inlet (below the spinner) upwards at the engine's cooling fins, and allow for a large enough opening on the bottom of the engine cowling for air to escape from in there adaquately. - Michael
Posted on: 6/22/2009 11:34 AM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RCV Engines Support"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8871265

RE: Lado retracts, do the really exist?
[quote]It is shameful for those who placed and received orders quickly to not give a squat about the fellows who paid months ago and are left hanging.[/quote] Dick, are you comparing apples to apples or apples to oranges here? Doug makes several different designs of retracts for different types of models... it is possible he has all the needed components to produce the ones being shipped "today" but not all the components for another style you may have had on order for months already. He has suppliers also and you and I have no idea what they're telling Doug as far as the estimated time of delivery of the components he needs to produce these things. Just saying.... The product is great, and it took less than 30 days from order to delivery for a pair of LADO's for my H9 60 sized Mustang I ordered from Doug in early March. I was very pleased with the service and think the product is worth far more than he's charging for them! It's a shame to have to bury these things inside of the wing where nobody can really see and appreciate the craftmanship that went into them. Regards and have a great Memorial Day Weekend ya'll! - Michael
Posted on: 5/22/2009 9:42 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8791272

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
Gabe, bad battery. It's not got enough power to get the headspeed up all the way, so the tail is running slower too and not as exact. Get another battery. - Michael
Posted on: 4/16/2009 8:55 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8688193

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
[quote]ORIGINAL: gabe_tuft As far as the pitch servo goes, no the pushrod is in the center of the horn. BUT, I noticed that the actual pitch arm wont extend any further and even though the servo can throw further, it won't affect the pitch. Weird, right? [/quote] Gabe, I think you may have mis-assembled something... loosen the set screws holding the pitch control rod (the wire inside the main shaft) to that pitch lever that the servo moves. Now the pitch control rod can move to full travel either way without the servo having to move... check with your pitch guage, can the pitch on the blades make it to +10 and -10? It should be able to easily. If that is ok then next use your pitch guage to set the blades at 0 degrees pitch and (with your motor unplugged so as not to power up the blades) turn your radio on and put the left stick at exactly half-stick and then tighten those set screws back down. You want your blades to be at 0 degrees pitch at exactly mid-stick. Now re-check your pitch range again and see if it isn't able to get +10 to -10. - Michael
Posted on: 4/16/2009 12:34 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8686904

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
[quote]I think I am just going to replace the servo[/quote] Yeah, sounds like a good idea! But replace the servo 1st and see if that doesn't solve the problem... it's more likely that the servo has some bad teeth inside than the gyro being bad. The gyro is all solid-state electronics (no moving parts!), while the servo is full of tiny gears and a motor and all. - Michael
Posted on: 4/16/2009 12:26 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8686888

RE: Lado retracts, do the really exist?
[quote] Michael, Why does everyone love Tower. I think they suck!! Try Graves RC http://www.gravesrc.com/ROB653R_ROBART_ROBOSTRUT_3_1_4_WHEEL_RT_p/rob653r.htm They're one of my favorites and they have what you're looking for in stock!! Bob [/quote] Bob, because Tower is one of the largest distributors and it's pretty easy to find stuff on their website... I Googled for these Robostruts and found lots of smaller places that were also out of them, but never came across GravesRC in the search results. I have however ordered heli parts from GravesRc before and like dealing with them (though their website is not as user friendly as Tower's is). I had no idea GravesRC had these struts! Thanks for pointing them out to me... I appreciate it! - Michael
Posted on: 4/15/2009 11:46 PM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Warbirds and Warplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8669808

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
[quote]ORIGINAL: gabe_tuft Hey guys, I finally went to set up/ check my pitch curve and I noticed that I'm only getting +6 to -6 in both normal and 3d mode. I've exhausted moving the PLT and PIT knobs around and I've also noticed that my pitch arm is maxed out in the positive direction. Any ideas? [/quote] You should be getting +10 to -10 pitch (you probably already know that though). Is the pushrod on the pitch servo on the outer most hole of it's control horn? There is plenty of pitch available (mechanically speaking) in the Falcon's setup, mine easily goes from +10 to -10 and always has. However I never checked the pitch range back when I was using my original Art-Tech transmitter, I just went with the 10 and 2 o'clock dial positions and it flew fine with plenty of collective "pop" available. Gabe are you saying that turning the right-side knob does not appear to affect the maximum pitch range at all? That's all that knob does, is set the maximum limit of the pitch... if it's not changing something, then your transmitter is broke. - Michael
Posted on: 4/15/2009 10:49 AM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8683545

RE: New Mini Electric is here the Falcon 3D!!
[quote]This heli is driving me nuts. Sometimes it spins like a top when I pick it up off the ground, and sometimes it flies just fine. At times the rudder servo seems to bind in normal throw, and at times not. I have adjusted the horn four or five times, only to find myself adjusting it back. I've checked all the connections, gyro, all that of course. ... Any thoughts anyone? Bad gyro or servo maybe? I am thinking of upgrading both just in case, but I am on a budget. Has anyone heard of the 9G EXI Digital Metal Gear Servo d213F or the MKS GY-292 Pro Heading Lock gyro? Or any other suggestions?[/quote] Ok let me get this straight... without you changing anything at all, sometimes the rudder servo binds against the tail, and other times it seems just fine? Either you actually did change something, or else you have some flakey electronics somewhere (and it could be the radio system, the gyro, or possibly the rudder servo even; don't ask me which because I have no way of knowing!). Try unplugging the gain lead to the gyro from Channel 5 on the rx and then get your rudder servo set exactly so, so that it does not bind AT ALL in either direction. Unplugging the Channel 5 lead on the rx puts the gyro into Normal or Rate mode (depending on the terms you prefer; it's no longer HeadLocked). With Channel 5 plugged back in, the gyro goes back to HeadLock mode. Be sure to plug Channel 5 back in before you try flying it again! You WANT the gyro in HeadLock mode when you're flying it. The spinning around sounds to me like the tail is losing authority (ie. stops spinning fast enough for the tailblades pitch to counteract the torque the main motor is putting on the heli). With the heli disarmed, hold the head with your right hand, then with your left hand gently but firmly (don't force it hard!) try to turn the tail rotor.... it should resist being turned. But, if you can turn the tail rotor while holding the head still, then you have something slipping somewhere! It may not be slipping all the time (ie. in a stable hover the tail is spinning at the right speed, but in forward flight with you initiating a turn it may put just enough load on the tail rotor that it starts to slip... or, that binding rudder servo might be causing the gears to seperate when it binds against the pitch mechanism, pushing the tail boom slightly to 1 side). Regards! - Michael
Posted on: 4/15/2009 10:44 AM by Author "Michael211" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8683525