RE: novus 125 FP tail wagging?
You're welcome! I hope that takes care of it.
Posted on: 6/2/2012 7:34 AM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11103679

RE: novus 125 FP tail wagging?
Have you checked the tail pitch slider? Although, I don't think it's likely, given that problems arose after your crash, but there might be gunk between the tail rotor shaft and slider assembly. It's a shot in the dark, but you never know.
Posted on: 6/1/2012 2:02 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11102890

RE: novus 125 FP tail wagging?
Probably some sort of electronic hardware failure (shorted board, frayed wires to tail motor, or worn out tail motor). I'm not familiar with your heli, so I can't say more than that. It could be a number of things though. There are so many systems on these things, than anything from electronics to gears to engines/motors can throw things out of whack. If you can't find your answer by searching forums, then I suggest taking it to a hobby shop (if you have one available in your area).
Posted on: 5/31/2012 8:07 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11101947

RE: Larger battery bigger ESC??
I have an Axe CP, and I have a set up that works pretty well. I'm using the Axe 400's esc and motor, and I'm using a 1300mAh 25C 3 Cell LiPo. I can only speculate as to why your throttle might be acting up, but I bet that if you use the esc and motor combination I'm using, you should be fine. If after that your problem continues, then you are probably dealing with a TX/RX issue. Either way, you can't lose by removing the e-board and replacing it with the axe 400 esc and motor. If you choose that route, be sure to get a head lock gyro. Hope this helps
Posted on: 5/18/2012 9:31 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11086400

RE: From FP to CP
Sorry for the formatting discrepancies in my previous post; I wrote it on my phone, and I guess that came out weirdly. I talked about the 6EX because it's what I have, but any comparable or better radio will do the trick. Going with what you like and are comfortable with is also a plus. As long as you have a radio that allows you to adjust dead zones and servo extension limits as well as servo rates, then you should be fine. I started learning heli flight with a CP heli that did not have those features (axe CP - RTF), and that turned out to be very very costly (but fun [:D]). Given that you already know how to fly helis, you may not need most of those features to adjust to CP helis. I would think that the transition from FP to CP shouldn't be too difficult. I don't know if you use a flight sim or, if you do, which one, but checking out a few CP helis on a sim may be helpful in giving you a basic understanding of the differences in flight characteristics between the two types.
Posted on: 4/20/2012 9:51 AM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11049926

RE: From FP to CP
I can vouch for the Axe 400. I can't think of any specific forum threads of the top of my head, but you can check out this video: "How RC Helicopters Work: Fixed Pitch and Collective Pitch" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf5iG299hzk&feature=youtube_gdata_player It's a quick overview of the mechanical differences between the two types. Different controls may vary by transmitter, but generally, idle-up is on the left switch, and throttle hold is on the right switch. One major difference in flight characteristics I've noticed is that, in forward flight, with FP helis, I have to hold down the direction I want to pitch in; with CP helis, they tend to hold their attitude, so holding the direction for too long would have you wind up in a funky loop or faceplant. Another thing is responsiveness. CP helis are pretty agile, so be ready for that. A nice thing about some radios is that you can adjust the responsiveness. The Axe 400 comes with the Futaba 6EX which allows you to do that.
Posted on: 4/19/2012 5:35 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11049126

RE: Helimax mx 400 no tail control
Ah, well I'm not sure as to what the issue is then. By default I would think it was the gyro, but you already checked that. Beyond this, I can't offer more than what would amount to pure speculation, so your guess is as good as mine. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Posted on: 1/31/2012 11:24 AM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10937056

RE: Helimax mx 400 no tail control
Had the same problem a while ago with my Axe 400. I don't know if the MX400 is torque tube or belt-driven, but since my Axe 400 is belt-driven, I will assume that the MX400 is too. When this happened to me it was because one of my belt pulleys wore out. On the Axe 400, the pulley gears are composed of two parts threaded together & the thread for the pulley gear located in the frame striped over time which caused my belt to lose traction at higher RPMs. I simply replaced the gear and the problem went away. Hope this helps!
Posted on: 1/31/2012 8:42 AM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10936809

RE: novus 125 cp: my first heli ever!!!:( help me!
Honestly, your best bet is to get a simulator. Exactly how old is your computer anyway - cuz the free sims are pretty bare-bones. Given this advice, I am a heli pilot who learned nose-in the hard way, and the no.1 thing for me was forward flight. I know, getting the heli to face you in a hover is a challenge enough, so contemplating doing that while it's also flying at you might sound like a bad idea, but it's not. Especially since you come from an airplane background, forward flight will make way more sense than a "simple" nose-in hover. At first, it won't be pretty, and you may get a few crashes here and there, but it'll click, trust me - you just have to let go (and fly high lol). Forward flight eliminates some of the unpredictable movements, because the heli already has momentum in the forward direction. This lets you have more time to correct mistakes in nose-in. The only downside is that, when things go bad, they'll probably end in a crash, but you'll live. As far as co-axials, I've never owned any serious ones, so I don't have any recommendations there. I imagine that they would be helpful, but after you get the basics down, they aren't too exciting. Anyway, hope this helps.
Posted on: 11/7/2011 7:50 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10801875

RE: Help, Axe CPv3 not working
Yup! I replaced the pitch slider with a metal one, but that's the only mod I made to the mod lol.
Posted on: 7/29/2011 10:01 AM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10645022

RE: Help, Axe CPv3 not working
I still have my old axe cp. I had to custom-fit a belt driven tail system on there because I had enough of the burnt out tail motors and e-boards. Since the mod, it burns esc's every once in a while (too much friction, i guess). It still doesn't handle too well in the air though. IMO, all you guys should just save up for an axe 400 or another reputable 450-size heli. They're much nicer to fly and dont have as many failures.
Posted on: 7/26/2011 10:49 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10640785

RE: Tower Terror Engine Tuning
Sorry it took me so long to reply. I dunno, that carb was a whole bag of issues... In fact, I really think that it is solely responsible for my problems. Either way, I cant get that sleeve out, so I got fed up and bought a new engine. I didn't read this post before buying the engine, so I ended up buying the tower engine again. Turns out that the engine and engine mounts are a matched pair. The distance from the clutch bell to the main gear is not adjustable, so getting a different engine would have probably been a bad idea. The new tower engine runs fine anyway. I sealed it and it made it just past beak-in before one of my planetary gears gave out in the rear gearbox :-( Now, the truck is front wheel drive only. I don't want to abuse the drivetrain, so I guess it's out of commission until september - That's when Tower is planning on restocking their planetary gears. If anyone has any spares or knows of any good substitutes, I would be interested in talking with you. Thanks for the help guys. I guess that I just have to wait now.
Posted on: 5/25/2011 11:58 AM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "RC Monster Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10540016

RE: Tower Terror Engine Tuning
Nice vid. No luck so far. The one-way bearing keeps breaking, so that makes tuning that much harder (since I can't start the thing). Anyway, I'm going to scrap the engine if I can't find a solution soon. It has good compression, so that's a shame. I'm thinking that there's an air leak at the carb. Did you super glue it in place? I tried to take it out and once I finally ripped it out of there, I found out that I managed to separate the carb from some kind of metal sleeve that is still stuck inside the case. I tried resealing and applying more super glue and even epoxy, but I think that there's still a leak somewhere. The glow plug might be an issue too. What kind of glow plug did you run? I'm using an OS 8, a medium plug. Did you use a hot plug? Also, if you remember what your needle settings were, I would love it if you could share that with me. The truck ran great when I got it from you. Once I changed the glow plug and needle settings, that's when I started having problems. I'm used to tuning my evader's .18, and I've never really had issues with that. Yea, some days it's hard to pin down a good tune, but overall, it runs. The Terror can idle, but I can't say that it runs. PS. if you know of a good drop-in alternate engine, let me know. I'm a little apprehensive about buying the same .25 from tower hobbies. Thanks
Posted on: 5/6/2011 5:07 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "RC Monster Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10505565

Tower Terror Engine
Hi everyone, I have a Tower Terror and I am having some serious trouble tuning the engine. Thick smoke only comes out at very high rpms and it's almost inexistent at low to mid rpms, so it seems to be lean most of the time until I open up the throttle. Often, when I richen the hsn in an attempt to cool off the engine, the engine just chokes at mid rpms. When I richen the lsn, it barely makes it a foot before choking. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I'm using an O.S. #8 glow plug, by the way. I would love it if someone who has dealt with this engine could tell me how you have yours set up in terms of glow plug, hsn, lsn and mid-range. Also, my one-way keeps slipping, is there a better replacement. Finally, I was thinking of just scrapping the engine altogether and getting a different one. Is there a good drop-in for $150 or less? Thank you for taking the time to reply. Edit: Also, for anyone who has broken this, do you know of any way to repair the one-way bearing assembly? The bearing itself is fine and works as it should, however the hex-shaped sleeve that covers the bearing is cracked. Because of the crack, the sleeve slips over the bearing. It doesn't have enough grip to turn the bearing that would then turn the engine's shaft. I am sure that this is a common problem, especially for super-start users like me, as I recently bought this bearing as a replacement and the sleeve already cracked. Today, I tried covering the outside of the bearing in super glue and then covering the inside of the sleeve in super glue, but after a few starts, I was right back to where I began - with a malfunctioning one-way. Any advice is appreciated. My next step is to attempt the fix with epoxy.
Posted on: 5/1/2011 5:51 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Car Nitro & Gas Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10494980

RE: Tower Terror Engine Tuning
Ah, ok. Thanks for the tip. I'll try that when I get home. The smoke hasnt proven to be much of a reliable indicator for me, because, there is always tons of smoke at high rpms. What's weird is that there is almost no smoke at low to mid rpms.
Posted on: 4/29/2011 8:11 AM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "RC Monster Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10491316

Tower Terror Engine Tuning
Simple question: Does anyone who has owned a tower terror for a while have good settings they might recommend for the carb's needles? I ask, because I am fairly noobish at tuning engines. You might also want to know that I am running an O.S. #8 glow plug. Today, I was out running and I know I went wrong when my engine temps cleared 350 farenheit. No matter what I seem to do to the needles, the engine almost never fails to idle. At first, this sounds like a good thing until you realize that a persistent idle really doesn't help when trouble shooting. My problem really manifests itself when I go WOT; the engine tends to quit. I can't tell if it's a flameout or if it's just choking. Either way, it doesn't matter. I can't seem to strike the right balance between the hsn and the lsn so that I have a smoothly running engine. Today, I had a combination of choke outs and lean outs. The middle seems to be a very elusive target. As far as the mid range, I have it flush with the body, and I tend not to mess with it. I would love some advice, tips and anything else, but I will be happy with good settings for the carb as a starting point (the factory settings didn't do much for me - 3.5 on both hsn and lsn right?) I appreciate the help. Thank you.
Posted on: 4/28/2011 7:58 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "RC Monster Trucks"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10490626

RE: Axe 400 3D - Setup for beginners
Oh yea, it feels very nice and smooth to fly. I don't know if you've ever tried any of the cheaper 450's like the belt cp v2, but the difference is astonishing. Although the Axe 400 is tame out of the box, it executes very precise maneuvers. Helis like the belt cp v2 look cool and fly ok, but they are sluggish and inaccurate in flight. My brother got one to learn on and I am glad I went with the Axe 400.
Posted on: 4/13/2011 9:17 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10461599

RE: Axe 400 3D - Setup for beginners
You're welcome! The Axe is capable of 3d out of the box, even with it's default lack of sensitivity. You just wouldn't necessarily attempt anything too fancy without customizing the settings first.
Posted on: 3/25/2011 7:17 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10423007

RE: Axe 400 3D - Setup for beginners
Actually, when I first got it, I thought that it wasn't sensitive enough, so you're probably fine. I almost wrecked it because it was so dead around neutral, so I had to increase probably both expo and d/r. I was used to flying a modded Axe CP that was extremely twitchy, so the Axe 400's lack of sensitivity was a big shock for me.
Posted on: 3/23/2011 7:46 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10418940

RE: Need a Gyro for my AXE 400...
It just so happens that I'll be ordering some servos from HK, and I've been meaning to try out that gyro, so I might as well buy it too while I'm at it.
Posted on: 3/14/2011 3:33 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10399789

RE: Need a Gyro for my AXE 400...
You're welcome! Oh, I've barely gotten my feet wet in 3d. I can do some inverted forward flight and very sloppy tic-tocs but that's about it haha. As far as my tail pitch slider arm, I am using THIS. It has a smaller socket, so the ball is pretty snug in there. This results in a lot less play. It's pretty rigid now. Be careful when working on the tail. I don't know if it's because mine was banged up a little when I was doing the replacement, but, for some reason, I was disassembling the blade grips and, somehow, they fell apart in my hands. I had to replace them with metal ones. I can't remember the exact set that I am using, but I am using the tail blade grips from one of the HK-450 helicopters from hobbyking.com.
Posted on: 3/13/2011 5:47 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10397921

RE: Need a Gyro for my AXE 400...
I had the exact same problem. Luckily I already had another reliable gyro on hand, and promptly switched. I use the SKY500 by skyartec. It's not the greatest gyro, but it will allow you to fly. Be advised, do not attempt any sudden 3d with this gyro and the stock tail set up. I tried and wound up in a horrible crash. If you want to do 3d, upgrade the pitch slider arm to one with less play and get a high-end gyro. If you're looking for casual flight and maybe a few relaxed 3d maneuvers, then go ahead with the gyro I mentioned above. You can find it HERE. Hope this helps!
Posted on: 3/13/2011 5:15 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10397868

RE: AXE CP V3 set up
You should tighten the set screws on the weights mounted on the flybar assembly's stabilizer hub
Posted on: 1/31/2011 6:59 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10303784

RE: Axe 400 RxR Adjustments/Setup
Well, I don't think I really understand what you are trying to tell me. Would it be possible for you to post a video on youtube? That way, you can show me the problem.
Posted on: 1/29/2011 7:28 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10298966

RE: Programming Futaba 6EX for an Axe 400
You are welcome! I am glad I was able to help. Happy new year to you too!
Posted on: 1/3/2011 4:21 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10237262

RE: Helimax Axe CP Tail Motor Brushless
You will know when your tail motor is failing when the heli seems like it's losing the ability to counter it's disposition to rotate to the left. In the later stages of motor failure, your heli's tail rotor will still spin up, but no matter what you do, once in the air, the heli will constantly spin to the left. As for brushless set up, you should search around on the forums. I personally went with the belt-drive option, but, on this forum, I've come across what seem like pretty complete and robust solutions to the brushless set up.
Posted on: 1/2/2011 12:36 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10234411

RE: Novus FP tuning
In my opinion, it was a mistake trying to learn on a tiny and twitchy heli. Those things are maketed to beginners and they really shouldn't be. It's best to learn on a heli that's stable and has a good weight to it. Anyway, I'm sure you've found your answer by now, but yes, the paddles should be set flat on the plane parallel to the tail boom/ground. Another tip about the paddles: The further out they are, the more stable your heli will be; the more inward they are, the more responsive your heli will be.
Posted on: 12/31/2010 10:06 AM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10229862

RE: Learning to fly with 125 fp
The only way to get better is through practice. With practice, you develop your motor skills and gain the confidence you need to avoid those silly errors that lead to crashes. As for the heli that keeps spinning, sounds like you might have a burnt out tail motor.
Posted on: 12/31/2010 12:07 AM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10229092

RE: Programming Futaba 6EX for an Axe 400
You are welcome! Here are the rest of my settings D/R (high only - for low, just lower them to whatever you want. I think mine are around 70-ish) 1. 100% 2. 100% 4. 70% EXPO (high only - same as above, exept low should be a negative number) 1. +8% 2. +8 % 4. -30% EPA (Normal and Idle-UP) 1. 100% 2. 100% 3. 100% 4. 110% 5. 100% 6. 100% TRIM (Set everything to zero and figure out what needs to be trimmed) N-TH 1. 0% 2. 32% 3. 65% 4. 83% 5. 100% N-PI 1. 55% 2. 57% 3. 60% 4. 83% 5. 100% I-TH 1. 100% 2. 97% 3. 95% 4. 97% 5. 100% I-PI 1. 0% 2. 25% 3. 50% 4. 75% 5. 100% HOLD (I have mine set at "-5%", but the throttle end-point tends to drift, so that changes. Just keep it below what's required for your rotor to have no power. If it's too low, you can reset it by setting it to zero while the heli is off, restarting the radio and plugging in the heli's battery) REVO - INH (don't change it if you are using a heading hold gyro - the stock gyro, for example is a heading hold gyro) GYRO (that varies by gyro - read your gyro's instructions) SW-T A. 20% E. 20% -ON SWSH (I posted this yesterday) A. +60% E. -58% P. +50% - 3-S (or 3-5...I'm not really sure what that second character is) F/S 3. 16% (doesn't really matter)
Posted on: 12/9/2010 8:49 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10187649

RE: Axe 400 RxR Adjustments/Setup
Hi Marcus, If you bought your helicopter new in the box, then the radio should be properly configured and should be ready for your first flight (given that you have batteries, of course). I posted the swash and servo settings in a reply to another of your posts, so that can get you started, and maybe you can compare those with what is currently in your radio to see if you even need to change anything (my swash settings might be slightly different, because I changed them at some point - can't remember if it was before I originally posted that or not...) I also listed the manuals, in case you don't have them. Anyway, I would list my personal configurations for all the radio's parameters, but I don't have time tonight. I can do that tomorrow. If I forget, send me a message and I'll post them.
Posted on: 12/8/2010 6:24 PM by Author "dragus359" in the forum "Helimax"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10185306