RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: dunkonu23 Can't go to that site from work, Dave... I'll check it out when I get home. [/quote] Find your tent? Ivan- Yeah, we had a housing boom a while back, so bad that houses where selling in the first day on market, sometimes sight-unseen. A little too crazy for our blood. It's starting to settle down here, but we can still wait a bit longer. Totally agree, no need to deal with nutty sellers. Next they'll say you can't have the roof and one of the support walls... phillyD- Ohhh, lights! Looking forward to seeing some night flights! Hopefully you'll be able to see it as well! [:)] I was reading up in Heli Pilot mag. (June/July, I'm a bit behind on my reading). There was a new section on "Learn How to Hover". He brought up some good points that I never though about when trying to hover (like bumping a control to get the heli back inline). Good explanations and good, clear pictures (I still like Radds to start with, but this is a good next step). He has a website (of course) [link=http://www.rcflightschool.com/]RCFlightSchool[/link]. I liked what I saw, so I bought the Heli Flight Training manual (there's also a lot of plank stuff there). I'll let you know what I think when it gets here (there are some example pages on the site). Finished the CineStar6 over the weekend. Flew the Blade mQX. It's a fun little guy. Pretty stable, even in a slight breeze. -Dave
Posted on: 9/11/2012 6:19 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11225598

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: dunkonu23 How are  the strange helicopters doing?  [/quote] The Blade mQX is RTF, and while it's 'R', I still need to 'F' it. I have it bound to the DX8. The CineStar6 is mechanically and electrically connected, I just need to play with some setting in the firmware to get it up and ready. Hopefully finish it off this week/weekend. Chuck- Always hate to hear about the problems you have. Look at it this way, with the universal balance, you'll have lots of good karma coming your way. 101 mph! Whoa! Just how long was that shopping center? If you're looking for a place to move with better weather, New Mexico has lots of sun! Ivan- I feel for you house hunting. We've been renting our house for almost 10 years. One of these days, we'll have to do some looking. Jerry- Keep a positive attitude and your batteries always charged Philly- Glad to hear all you got was a little wind. Always love your comments. Max- Remember to save time for some fun (like I have to tell you). Yeah, RCU was acting strange over the weekend. My virus program wouldn't even let me get to the site due to a potential threat. IRCHA from the air: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1807651&l=5ef66fe9a4&id=178596815485362 Where was your tent? Finish building my stuff, and get back into the (thin) air. -Dave
Posted on: 9/4/2012 6:13 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11217670

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: 9sec240 I got two wonderful flights at lunch with the Mini P Brain. I have finally found a FBL system I like!! Small tail issues but overall it just feels natural to me. [/quote] Good to know, I'll eventually be looking to swith to FBL Chuck- Sounds like a bad batch of motors that you and Ivan are into. Looking online, it looks like fly the Telemaster with just the tail feathers (no ailerons)? Assuming that everything build-wise is ok (and I've seen your pictures, I'd be surprised if they weren't), the prop on an airplane not only pulls the plane forward, it also induces other effects.. Let's see if I can find a good site... [link=http://wiki.flightgear.org/Understanding_Propeller_Torque_and_P-Factor]Propeller Torque[/link] Eddie- Hey! As far as yo-yos go, I'm in good company... Yo-Yo's in [link=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504784_162-57490497-10391705/nasa-astronaut-don-pettit-demonstrates-what-yo-yos-look-like-in-space/?tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.11]Space[/link] Getting better with "Split the Atom" and "Atomic Bomb". I had to, at least, learn these 2 tricks because of where I work... -Dave
Posted on: 8/12/2012 1:04 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11190590

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: The_Shark I come on here to see whats up and I read a few posts about yo-yo's..... huh. anyway, I would like to let all newbies know to try out a Walkera Genius CP, yes its small, yes its collective, but can i tell you this thing is SO easy to fly, very easy to hover, it will just sit there like a coaxial, in two days of having it, can fly quickly in the wind and have even had a few seconds of inverted hover and flight (followed by me forgetting up is down and down is up) my 2cents. BTW- yo-yo's rule and so do diabolos [/quote] Nice little review Shark. Remember why flying inverted, down is up and up is expensive... Man does not live on heli's alone, and since we're all just Struggling... it's go to have other hobbies. Scott- I figured you were kidding 'bout the CF, so I had to post it! [:)] Ivan- I'd give you the finger as well if you smashed my track record. Congrats! Is it just me, or does it feel like days are only 12 hours long and I'm working 10 of 'em. Speaking of yo-yo's, I'm getting better @ "Splitting the Atom" I have an order of Hexacopters coming in for work ([link=http://www.quadrocopter.us/ready-to-fly/?active=CS6]CineStar 6[/link] from Quadrocopters. Also added 2 Blade mQXs to play with indoors. We almost have FAA approval to flight 'em outside. -Dave
Posted on: 8/8/2012 6:42 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11186280

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: 9sec240 I want to see a video of you YoYoing.... People do amazing things with YoYos... [/quote] I'm only just starting to scratch the surface in the intermediate tricks. Working on both string and looping stuff. Right now, my best trick is the brain twister http://www.rethinkyoyo.com/2/post/2009/07/braintwister.html As far as amazing things, oh yeah! There's also freehand (where the yoyo isn't attached to your finger), and offstring (where the yoyo isn't attached to the string). Here's some 2A stuff: http://youtu.be/po_BFjH-kec Offstring: http://yotricks.com/yoyo-tricks/leg-orbits/3806/ Freehand: http://yotricks.com/yoyo-tricks/umbrella/3756/ That Scorpion is a sweet sounding motor. Have a blast on the RC track. Post video! Chuck- LOL! A rock on a string. That is where they think the yoyo may have it's roots. Maybe you're on a cave painting somewhere! Scott- I too have the Duncan butterfly. I actually dug that out first, then decided to see what the latest in yoyo technology was. A lot of the higher end yoyo's are made from 6061 AL. There is at least one that has Carbon Fiber caps [:)] http://yoyojam.com/shop/xcon-professional/ -Dave
Posted on: 7/29/2012 6:08 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11173870

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: 9sec240 The vibrations I am getting are from the motor. It is horribly out of balance. I moved the motor away from the main gear so it was the only thing turning on the whole helicopter. Spooling it up just a quarter throttle was enough to vibrate the heli around the table. It smoothed out a bit at higher speeds. [/quote] Like Scott said, good find! Chuck- I have my fingers crossed for ya. I'll even step it up and cross my toes. For those of you building foamies, there was an article in a recent issue of Make: on the R/C flying wing, the Towel http://brooklynaerodrome.com/ http://www.makershed.com/Flying_Wing_Kit_p/msfw1.htm put all of your stuff on a "deck" so that when you crash, you just make a new plane around the deck. A couple of months ago I got back into yo-yoing. I said, ya know, I haven't messed with a yo-yo since I was in high school, let's see what's changed. You'll be happy to know that the yo-yo has kept up with the times. Mine have ball bearings, and if I throw it hard enough, it would sleep for a week. -Dave
Posted on: 7/25/2012 8:44 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11169576

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: 9sec240 Dave, it is nice to hear from you. It is crazy being so busy right? This summer seems to have been light on helicopters for almost all of us here. [/quote] We all just need to become independently wealthy (or just one becoming filthy rich and spreading it around) so we can concentrate on the important things.... our hobbies! Now that RoboSub is over, I can concentrate on a motor driver for AMS Performance (you may have heard of them [:)])
Posted on: 7/24/2012 8:50 AM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11167270

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: dunkonu23 Dave, I sent you a PM on the robots. :) Scott [/quote] Sent ya one back. [:D]
Posted on: 7/24/2012 7:28 AM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11167168

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: dunkonu23 Not really.    Attitudethe pointed direction.  Motion... things like drift caused by wind, etc.  [/quote] So to add a little more detail. An object can have 6 degrees of freedom. It can move in X,Y,Z and it can rotate in X,Y,Z. Accels sense, well acceleration. So they can sense movement (acceleration, m/sec*sec) in X,Y,Z. Gyros sense rotation (angular velocity, degrees/sec). With accels, you can also get the roll and pitch when the heli is stationary. We've all been dealing with gyros for a long time now. Both Rate and heading hold use a gyro to sense the rotation about the Z. Rate just tries to eliminate those quick changes that you don't do, and HH calculates the degrees that the heli has rotated, and rotates it back into position. Take this and add 2 more gyros (on the X and Y axis), and you have a FBL system. Think of it is HH on X, Y and Z Chuck- LOL, not wrinkled, but I do have a kickin' farmers tan! I need to step up my game, I'm getting left behind! While frustrating, it's always good to expand your comfort envelope. and back to Scott again- If your friend wants to talk robots, I'm always willing. -Dave
Posted on: 7/23/2012 11:16 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11166906

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
Ya know, lack of stick time should not also include not checking in with my heli bros. I do have the excuse of being slammed both with work and with RoboSub. Speaking of which, the finals are tomorrow (Sunday 6/22) and will be broadcast via live webcast @ www.robosub.org (if anyone wants to check in on it). After I get back (and get some sleep), it's time to hits the sticks again, and catch up with all ya'all! -Dave
Posted on: 7/21/2012 9:59 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11164111

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: dunkonu23 Dave, I've thought about that unit.  I really have.  It's just way expensive right now.  :(  The damage on the 7hv wasn't too bad.  In fact, it's all back together and ready to fly, again! [/quote] I hear ya. For my next bird (whenever that is), I'm going to go flybarless, and I'll probably try the openPilot as the controller. It's suppose to have that same feature. Ivan- Those where some awesome runs! Glad you had enough room at the end of the track/airstrip for your skids. Great recovery! Chuck- I always love to keep tabs on how the Flymentor is working for ya. Sweet on the throttle activated timer! Sorry to hear about your TX problem, but at least you know it wasn't you! 100° sounds hot for a battery. After my flights, my packs are warm to the touch, but I can hold on to them without any problems. If you stick with the vib mode, I'm sure you'd get used to it. But it is startling the first time it happens. A couple of weeks ago, I switched to the Chuck training method for nose-in. Hovering side-in and then swinging back and forth through nose-in. Was going good for a while, then I started to fly in my head, and not with my thumbs. Got away from me, and I didn't have the height to correct it. Bent main shaft and broken blades, no biggie. I need to hit the sim more to get that all wired correctly in my head. Weather and work have been crazy. Last weekend was nice (high 70's), then we got 4" of snow on Monday, and it was back up to mid 60's on Tuesday. Now that the taxes are done, and the heli is fixed, I'm going to head outside again this weekend. -Dave
Posted on: 4/7/2012 10:21 AM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11031944

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: dunkonu23 Sunny and 71 here tomorrow... 12mph winds... looks like it's 7hv time... after I get back from court... fighting a ticket. [/quote] ...I fought the law and... I won... Those pictures just doesn't look right...sorry to hear about the dumb thumbs. See my paragraphs below... Chuck- A shrink? Ask Phil, maybe he has a spare/old set of brass ones he can send you? [;)] Here's some info from the Feb/March issue of RC Heli Pilot: Heli Freak Fun Fly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zelmRnrZv2Q http://find.helipilotonline.com/021201 Why you might want to get a HeliCommand HC3 SX: For most RC heli pilots, the HC3 Base is more than adequate while costing half the price of the HC3 SX. There will be no flight handing difference between any of the HC3 controllers because the sensors and the control algorithms are the same. However, the SX has a fantastic feature that very few other flybarless electronic systems in the world have; a "panic mode." At any time during a flight if the pilot becomes disoriented, he/she can simply activate a panic button on their transmitter and the HC3 SX will automatically level the helicopter and then apply collective pitch to make the helicopter climb vertically, upward, away from earth. The HC3 SX does not care whether the helicopter is right side up, inverted or on its side; it does not care what the orientation is, once that panic button is pressed, the feature just works. Suppose to get windy Saturday late afternoon and into Sunday, try to get some flying in before that. -Dave
Posted on: 3/16/2012 9:40 AM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11002706

RE: PWM help
[quote]ORIGINAL: Daddysharky The motor turns much to fast to control so I want to use a PWM to slow it way down. My question is what size PWM do I need. (size =volt and amp rating) [/quote] Do you mean what size speed controller do you need? You may want to start smaller. These places all have good kits and parts: http://www.pololu.com/ http://www.trossenrobotics.com/ http://www.acroname.com/ Getting back to your first question. The size of the speed controller depends on the voltage and current required for your motors. -Dave
Posted on: 3/16/2012 9:09 AM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "RC Robotics and Autonomous Robots"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11002677

RE: Can Anyone Point Me to A Source For Devloping A Servo Controller
[quote]ORIGINAL: SpinnerRow What I'm looking for is a resource like ''Controlling an R/C Server 101''. I've got a general idea of how they work but I'm looking for a bit more detail so that I can write a quick program or two to play with. Thanks! [/quote] Servos use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), vary the pulse width to vary the servo position. Here is some background on servos How a Servo Works http://www.servocity.com/html/how_do_servos_work_.html PIC Based Speed Controller http://www.mcmanis.com/chuck/robotics/projects/servo.html -Dave
Posted on: 3/16/2012 8:56 AM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "RC Robotics and Autonomous Robots"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11002664

RE: autonomous replay
[quote]ORIGINAL: mtbr3 I am looking for a device to record and replay the comands sent to an rc device that can then replay those exactly. preferably with respect to time. Can these be bought? any info would be greatly apreciated. [/quote] Something from here would work: http://www.bpesolutions.com/rcequip.html like the 4-ch Servo Record/Playback or R/C Record/Playback In any event, it will give you something to Google for.
Posted on: 3/16/2012 8:51 AM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "RC Robotics and Autonomous Robots"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11002659

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: clp.eng Dave - that was my 1st crash w/ the 450 in months & months! I forgot how exciting it was ducking flying heli parts! Speaking of parts, that's an awful lot of moving parts on something that flies. I'd be nervous on that Osprey! LOL Great news on the packs. I'm telling you swing from nose right to nose left through nose in & the other way slowly. Then just stop nose in once in awhile. It feels very natural doing it that way. [/quote] There ARE lots of moving parts! I'll start swing it around left - center - right... the next time I fly. Too busy, windy and cold this weekend. I have had trouble with RCU Nice nose in taxi! Now your just showing off! [:D] Ivan- 1600, whoa, that should be fun, if you can keep in on the ground [:)]
Posted on: 3/11/2012 2:45 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10995783

RE: Falcon 40 (Exceed heli) Forum
[quote]ORIGINAL: fz1speedrider hey i hae a new falcon 40 v2  have any of u guys tweaked the gyro at all ?   it flies ok   but its a little tempramental   the nose moves around and stuff we have trimmed it and its a little better  but i ve heard that the tail ruddr is a little unresponsive and i thought about tweaking the gyro to be more responsive.. where can i go to find out exactly about the trim settings on the radio control and gyro settings for this heli...is there a website dedicated for this heli? any help would be apreciated. [/quote] This is probably the best place to go for answers... You can try, various people have had various results. The screw adjustment changes the gain (or at least should) on the tail. More gain will help the tail better "lock on". Too much, and the tail will "seek" (wag back and forth) while it's just hovering. -Dave
Posted on: 3/11/2012 2:37 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10995771

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: jon6565 my shed and my life are completely devoid of anything RC now! I sold it all up at Christmas! [/quote] Jon, good to see ya, but nooooo!!!! Like Ivan said, I remember the video with the Roo. Come to think of it, I should be back on my Mountain bike... Ivan- The new scale project sounds sexy! Scott- They've done a lot of cool stuff @ that lab. But that was one cool demo. I need to see if they posted plans for their small quadcopters. Chuck- Sorry to hear about all of your adventures! At least you have the right attitude about them. We have some CV-22 Ospreys @ our Air Force base. The local EAA chapter arranged a tour, and I tagged along. I saw one bird prepping for, and then finally taking off, and 3 others in the huge hanger in various states of dis-assembly. Way cool, and complicated bird! The blades fold, and the entire wing rotates for storage. And there's a shaft that run the entire length of the wing so that one engine can drive both props. I am happy to report that work and wind finally died down, so I was able to move some electrons and generate some wind in my cu-de-sac. Finally flew my TRex with the new battery packs. Happy to report that the batteries and my fingers all worked well. Knocked the dust off my muscle memory, trimmed the bird, and flew six packs with lots of side in. Now to get back to nose-in and FF. -Dave
Posted on: 3/4/2012 6:25 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10986633

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: 9sec240 That will wake you up!!! [/quote] I say someone has the bean platter for lunch! [:D] That's a weird problem with your electronics (you too Scott). That would certainly give me pause to fly. Nice looking gator. Scott- Heli sounds great! Chuck- Yeah, I figured you were kidding! It would be way to wide for my frame. The plane is really coming along. Looking forward to it's maiden. Max- Welcome back to the land of RC! Another busy week w/ no flying. That will change this week. -Dave
Posted on: 2/26/2012 5:19 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10977298

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: phillyD ...and for Dave I have had to change may sets of brass ones since that sunroof time. Dunno if I can still fly muchless doin tricks. I think I need a new set right now; but ducking under spinning rotor blades I have a set for stuff like that in place LOL [/quote] Maybe you can get an upgrade, like Steel, or Titanium? [:D] Chuck- That's not a bad idea... I'll have to think about that. Perfectly content to fly w/o the canopy for now. Nice looking wing and tail feathers, and nice job on the nose in hovering. Scott- They might be for 12S, but that would take 3 packs (they are 3S) Another long week, but today is a good day to fly! -Dave
Posted on: 2/18/2012 9:39 AM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10964544

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: clp.eng Dave - what's not to love being high on acetone fumes!!!! That's some bullet! Talk about miniaturization... My adapters are the 2 connectors mechanically joined & then soldered together. Losses should be very low & I can go either way - my old heli has Deans, the new one has XT-60s, some packs have Deans, some have XT-60. I'm flexible. Next year there will be a better new one any way! [/quote] True, very true! Using the two adapters isn't a bad idea, just trying to keep it as simple as possible. Nice job on the build! Scott- They like the mix the responsible folks with the... hey! :) Nice looking build, like Chuck says, lots of room on that tray. Quite the story on the maiden flight, it had all the right elements. PhillyD- Love the flight from the sun roof! Bill- Nice looking Stearman! Looong week this week. There's a high school that's started doing some robotics projects, so I swing by 1-2 times a week to help out. So when I purchased my new batteries, I knew they where a different size than my old ones, but I didn't pay enough attention to the size (see pictures). Turns out they are much longer then my original ones. So that means that I have to get a heli that fits my batteries, right? [:D] I iterated a bunch trying to get them to fit. I angled the battery tray, cut the canopy, etc. Turns out the CG works out well if I just mount it like the older batteries. I just can't put the canopy on. I'll give 'em a try tomorrow, see how (and how long) it flies. -Dave
Posted on: 2/11/2012 4:43 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10954675

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: clp.eng Dave - it hard not to go fast there is so little to build. Everything is laser cut (sorta') so the hard part is done. It's like building a jigsaw puzzle with glue. There's a ton of stuff to figure out after the airframe is done - covering it, mounting the electrics, etc. so I'll have plenty of FUN! Which packs did you buy? I'm thinking I might try a couple of nanotechs for the new heli. [/quote] Fair enough! As long as your having/going to have fun...[:)] I went with Zippy's 2450mAH Here's something that's happening @ Sandia just down the hall from me: Super bullet could strike target a mile away http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57368488/self-guiding-bullet-could-strike-from-a-mile-away/ http://www.kimatv.com/news/offbeat/Sandia-Labs-engineers-create-self-guided-bullet-138486279.html Off to desolder/resolder some Dean's connectors... -Dave
Posted on: 2/1/2012 6:29 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10939367

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: dunkonu23 Actually, I'm really looking forward to the Rush 750.  Charley Stephens designs great helicopters.  It's just a shame Outrage took his designs and substitued materials.  Now that he's on his own with his own QC, I'm pretty certain the problems will be minor.  I have the app.  We'll see how it works. :) [/quote] Nice heli, great band... [:)] Let us know how the app works. Chuck- I _do_ like the throttle timer. I know I would forget, if I had to try to remember. Nice job on the hovers! I could make an adapter, but I'm not afraid of my solder station [:D], and I want to minimize the various connections. Fast work on the Telemaster. Don't forget to enjoy the build! Sucks about your battery problems. Hopefully you'll figure it out. Speaking of which, I build my battery killer, a 25W, 10ohm power resistor to drain the remaining charge from my "dead" batteries. -Dave
Posted on: 1/30/2012 7:14 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10936125

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: clp.eng Dave - I was pulling ur leg! THE BEC wasn't powering the servos so I'm guessing the 5V reg chip was going into overcurrent for some reason. I forgot there was some rule about what the min info was on every chip. Ya' that small & you'll need a microdot reader. You need a flight timer rather than relying on the LVC! I used a kitchen timer Velcroed to my Tx & that worked good. LOL Driver loaded but still doens't see the hardware, very frustrating... [/quote] Leg, what leg? Did I miss something..? It's a pretty heafty 5V reg, so it was probably for something. Could this be used as a BEC? The other stuff next to it, is my guess, a DC/DC down converter. There's a big inductor, diode and some "large" caps, which screams switching DC/DC. But I couldn't find the part # for the brains of the converter, so it's just a guess. But they are "noisy" which would also explain the grounded metal shield covering it. This was probably powering the microcontroller which is the brains in controller the brushless motor. Scott- Sweet. If you do pull the trigger on the tach, I'd be interested to hear what you think about it. Jumping back and forth across the line, would that make you a crazy hobbyist? Chuck & Ivan- Once I realize that the LVC was sucking out too much current, I [i]did[/i] switch to a countdown timer (which you can probably hear in some of my videos). My TX has all sorts of timers, so I can set one of them to start when I bump up the throttle. Might not have switched over soon enough. Batteries arrived today. Not bad for an HK (US warehouse) order on Sunday afternoon. Now it's time to desolder those weird yellow connectors, and solder on deans connectors (and add Velcro, etc.) -Dave
Posted on: 1/25/2012 6:14 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10927866

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: 9sec240 Received the motor for my 1/4 scale today. This is the RCG 26cc gas motor next to a pop can for reference. [/quote] Nice motor! Can't wait to hear it. Chuck- I didn't see any obvious problems. Yeah, the bugs do seem to be getting smaller. So small, in fact, that the manufacture can't put all the information on the package. Without a schematic, it's hard to tell what some things actually are. Glad the driver is loaded, and with Ivan's help/programmer, I'm sure you'll get it up and running. Eddie- Not quite 70 here, more like in the 50's Scott- For a tach there are some apps for a smart phone (if you have one) For the iphone: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/engine-rpm/id340401811?mt=8 For Android (or PC): http://digitizeit.de/heli/ Haven't tried them, so YMMV. Tried to fly this weekend, but all of my batteries have lost their capacity. One lasts for 5 mins, the others have just enough juice to take off before the LVC kicks in. So I purchased 6 more zippies this weekend. Slightly larger capacity, so that I can fly for a decent amount of time, and not kill the battery -Dave
Posted on: 1/23/2012 6:41 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10924137

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: dunkonu23 Dave, I haven't had much time to look at the code for the OpenPilot stuff, how's your exploration going? [/quote] I've looked through most of it. Now I need to go back and dig deeper. I have 1/2 the development tools installed, just have to sit down and install the rest (and compile all the code to see if I installed everything correctly). Looking forward to hearing about the Beast, and the rest of the heli's first flight. Wow, the USB can't power the programming part of Castle? Sounds like they should work on that. Chuck- Fingers crossed the software install goes well. Nice job on the piros, and nose ins! Also on that note, here's what I've identified on your old speed controller... -Dave
Posted on: 1/17/2012 6:30 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10914375

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: 9sec240 I got a package from Hobby King today containing my 1/4 scale Edge 540. It is a Vantex 74'' WS gasser. It came in damaged as just about everything I have gotten from the USA warehouse has been. [/quote] Good to know about Hobby King (and from Chuck as well). Geesh, that needs a room by itself. Chuck- Whoa, that would be cool. That would probably would really well. On a different note, I've taken apart your brushless controller, I'll have to put together some pics and post 'em. -Dave
Posted on: 1/16/2012 8:50 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10912722

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
Seem to be some 'net issues earlier.. Scott- I see it was the bind switch... Eddie- The eagle is a cannon! -Dave
Posted on: 1/16/2012 4:53 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10912319

RE: Struggling with single rotor basics V2
Ivan- Good call on cleaning up and then adding more. Nice expansion into the house. You don't have to walk to far, and you're always in your hobby. Nice scale body Scott- Sorry to hear about the bind plug. Anyway to fix it? Don't it just jumper 2 pins (I'm mostly still using 72MHz, so I'm not familar). Chuck- Looks like a fine place for the gyro. A touch of rain today, lots of wind over the weekend. Starting to get into the 50's... -Dave
Posted on: 1/16/2012 12:00 PM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10911814

RE: Falcon 40 (Exceed heli) Forum
[quote]ORIGINAL: EAGLE47 The servos come to life when the battery is connected.  It acts like it is not getting any signal.   It is either the transmitter or receiver.  Is this a normal problem for this model.  It appears that it is hard to purchase the transmitter and receiver, so I am assuming there are others witht he same issue.  Is there another transmitter / receiver set up I can purchase that would work? [/quote] ...to add to what Gary said... Make sure you haven't flipped a switch to invert the transmitter, so that stop (full down), is now full on. In which case, it won't arm. The servos turn on, so there's power getting to the 4in1. What is the led doing? Slow blink, fast blink, no blink...?
Posted on: 1/16/2012 11:34 AM by Author "dknovick" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10911781