RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
about time this forum came to life again..as the nitro buggy season has just ended for me I'll be firing up the 36 next week to see if I can still hover it after a few months layoff...
Posted on: 10/21/2009 4:24 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9191399

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
Nice looking..shame I don't have the cash or I'd buy the white one.....
Posted on: 7/21/2009 12:24 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8951860

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
OK guys here's the photos..RT..there are plenty of how to's and photos online but most are overly complicated and deal with installing a switch so you can go from 2.4ghz back to 72mhz or whatever..WHY? why would you want to continue with an fm freq when you have 2.4g..I guess if you have dozens of models with RX's in but the assan RX's are only 22 bucks ..Anyway I just cut the wires on the pcm board as seen in photo1 and soldered on some pins I scavenged from an old connector then plugged in the 3 wires from the X8 module - photo2..ignore the wire colors in the 7chp they won't be the same as the module..from the module red to vcc or +ve(brown wire on the 7chp) ,brown to -ve( oddly red originally on the 7chp)and last orange wire to signal(was black wire originally) good simple diagrams here http://slumberjerrc.blogspot.com/2009/03/futaba-7c-assan-hack-module.html for both direct and with a switch hacks..Photo3 is the hack module held under the pcm board and the nice short antenna installed in place of the original...Weirdest thing is flying now when I turn holding the TX is I swing expecting the resistance of the weight and length of the old antenna which is gone ..Radio feels way way lighter..And finally the #36 now 100g lighter or thereabouts and much tidier looking.
Posted on: 6/18/2009 3:35 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8861373

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
Well just to get this forum alive again..I finally gave in and bought one of those assan X8 hack modules for my futaba 7chp..WOW 5 minutes to install and now I have a 2.4ghz radio..and YAY....my glitchy #36 is gone..I now have a heli that flies absolutely rock steady..no more cutting out for a second or sudden tail servo jerks..not only that but the 24 buck assan receiver weighs something dumb like 12 grams rather than the 60g's of the futaba and is not suitcase sized either..In fact its so small it fits in the front underneath the canopy so I have been able to move the ESC under the chassis from the landing gear and generally tidy up the wiring and look of the heli..I'll add a pic later..maybe now I can learn to fly properly..I was on the point of giving up as the radio glitches were making me crash every time I attempted anything more advanced that wasn't tail in hovering...
Posted on: 6/17/2009 12:05 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8859283

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
ewwww bill lucky to be still with us ..man that looked bad...makes mine look like a slip with the old razor...[:-] oh and re the lipo's I've sent you a pm..the 2xmystery batteries aren't free shipping they work out at about 27 euros inc shipping for a pair so about 50 aus$ so not so bad but I have has issues with several mystery brand batteries..but the imax ones are excellent but you have to bid as they are auctions not buy it now...But like I said I have 8 now and I think the highest I paid was like €15,73 or something which is about 28$ aus with free shipping..just load a bunch into a bid sniper and see what happens..the auction only run about 2 or 3 days and relist the moment they sell so he always has about 5-7 imax on sale at the same time..and unlike other free shippers who take 6 weeks or more to arrive that seller has never been over 10 days to me here in france from hong kong..
Posted on: 4/20/2009 5:59 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8699532

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
bill check these out but only the imax 2200 ones not the mystery 2 packs as they suck.. http://search.stores.ebay.fr/BULK-VERKAUF-Store_2200_W0QQfciZQ2d1QQfclZ3QQfsnZBULKQ2dVERKAUFQ20StoreQQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftsZ2QQsaselZ857283494QQsofpZ0 I have 8 of these now and I get 11minute gentle flights or 9 minutes of high wind fighting or harsher flying..the cells are double spaced compared to most lipos of this capacity so the centre cell doesn't get so hot. the seller usually has 5 of the imax on sale at any one time and I've never paid more than €15 ($20) and the postage is free..and usually arrives within a week to 10 days hong kong to france..some of the sales are in euros and some in dollars but it makes no difference which you bid on..if anything the euro auctions seem to go for lesss than the US listed ones....anyway I haven't had them long enough to comment on long term reliability but they are shorter (100mm) and a bit fatter than most packs and I think are the best fit in my #36 of all the lipo's I have...
Posted on: 4/20/2009 4:02 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8699154

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
Hi huey and chopchop nice to hear fom you guys again..was learning some wind flying myself but the purchase (cheaply) of a top end digital only gyro and the use of my buggy hitec 5925 9kg servo (only spare dig servo at the time) ATE battery power in high winds...rock stable tail but the servo was burning flight times down to 7 minutes from 11 keeping it that way...anyway my MKS DS480 0.064 s servo arived 10 days ago but befor i could test it I had to be rushed into hospital with some unknown (and nearly fatal) abdominal infection...anyway 10 days in intensive and now I'm home and haven't the strength to hold the frikkin TX steady let alone fly....BOY AM I BORED NOW!!
Posted on: 4/18/2009 6:43 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8693606

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
hehe bill ..I know you're all still out there really. The csm sl630 is awesome.The pirouette rate is savage! , and it stops like it hit a wall with no bounce at all. Really it's wasted on the #36 but it will be there for when I get something better.Probably an SJM500 from hobby city next year.Really like the look of it and the price is reasonable.I paid €80 for the sl630 (about 100 bucks) inc delivery.Brand new in box.But after a couple of crappy cheap gyros I thought "sod it!".I like my #36 it's stable enough for learning on and fast enough to get into trouble with,but it's still pretty cheap to repair.I could probably spend half the cost of the SJM on alloy head and tail upgrades..see how I feel when the money is available.I like being able to get main blades for €15 for 10 pairs!! The 500's cost twice that for one pair and I clip things fairly often. Oh well my mate over the road has just bought an SJM so maybe I'll fly that and see if it's really worth going up to a 500 or not.Besides buggy race season starts in 2 weeks so my focus will shift away from the heli for the summer although I hope to still fly most days.
Posted on: 3/26/2009 1:39 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8618754

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
seems like I'm talking to myself here..oh well nothing new there then :)). As I'm bored and can't fly owing to the 50-65mph gusting winds outside I thought I'd post a pic or two of the slightly revamped #36. New csm sl630 gyro - incredible piece of kit and probably way too good for this heli.New carbon and alloy t-rex tail boom supports - got tired of the bits of bent metal tube walkera fit as standard.Superskids with the stiffening and raising inserts.Nice carbon tail fin and stabilizer.Latest profiled plastic t-rex tail blades.Not sure these are any better in flight than the fibreglass ones I had before but they certainly mow the lawn without cracking which is a bonus!Also fitted an alloy flybar balancer shaft after I broke my 3rd plastic one and some alloy mixing levers.These were all made for the #37 but fit just the same and were really cheap.Only had to tap out the holes as the #37 used "Z" bends rather than ball linkages ... Am reduced to using my spare nitro buggy throttle servo (hitec 5925)for the tail as the sl630 is digital only and it's all I have till my order gets here from hobbycity.It's fast enough at 0.1sec but I think 8kg might be overdoing it a bit.had to drop my flight times by a minute as it sucks power..ahem! Bit worried it might just rip the tail off if there is a problem. I'm thinking a set of carbon paddles as the orange plastic now looks very naff.Then I'm going to fly it till I run out of spares for the head and tail or win some cash , whichever comes first , and then get the metal head and tail from xmseller.price of those has dropped a few dollars but still $150..ouch.. Oh and I solved my battery RF glitch problem..dumb really..I had turned the batteries upside down so the power wires ran along the bottom of the frame and well away from any chance of rubbing on the outrunner motor..good idea I thought but I forgot the RX is just underneath.Apparently it didn't like the power leads just 1.5mm of carbon fibre away from it and went nuts! Turned the batteries back the other way up and routed the wires a bit more carefully and it is now a happy RX again.Wish I'd found that out before I spent an evening resoldering all my deans connectors onto my batteries again.Oh well you live and learn.
Posted on: 3/25/2009 4:54 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8615968

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
Well quiet here..I inherited some money (not loads though ..sigh) so I've splashed on a proper gyro..csm sl630..very nice.no more suitcase!
Posted on: 3/23/2009 6:30 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8608724

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
glitches gone - resoldered the deans connector onto the battery with a lot more solder..perfect..musta been a dry joint causing the RF noise
Posted on: 3/18/2009 4:56 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8589902

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
WOW..nice one chopchop..I'm up to 50+ flights now and only broke one mixing lever and the flybar balance shaft..both now replaced with metal parts..only problem I have is sometimes one or two of my batteries seem to be giving me radio glitches..If I change batteries it stops glitching immediately..generally the motor seems to cut for a split second or the tail swings violently or the pitch servo glitches and I drop 15 feet rapidly before recovering..strange thing is if I recharge the battery again it generally goes away..really weird.I'm going 2.4ghz soon anyway so that should be the end of the radio glitches however they are caused. Anyone else had this problem?
Posted on: 3/16/2009 4:53 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8582674

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
[quote]ORIGINAL: gizmatron .If I get bored later I'll post a photo of the gyro..looks like the heli is carrying cargo underneath it! [/quote] well heli is flying nice,side hovers nice and steady now,no panic attacks (well almost none) flying in idle-up1 as well so I can get it down out the sky when the wind takes it too.The suitcase gyro works perfect.Tiny amount of drift in AVCS
Posted on: 3/11/2009 1:08 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8566938

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
Well no SD card so still no video,BUT,I do now have a working gyro,and I mean properly working.Gotta hand it to csm their gyro is nice..HUGE..but nice.Had to make up a tray from the superskids rear arm between the tail struts to take it. Mounted on the top it was soooooo close to the paddles and flybar it was just asking to get ripped off in the first slightly hard landing.(and it looked crap too ) At least I know why csm now make "micro" versions of all their gyros. The standard size really needs like a 60-90 size heli before it looks in scale!! So surfin ebay for a micro version for the future.Tail is really "locked in" now and rate mode needs no revo mix or anything.Brilliant! Just waiting on hobbyking to get those 0.06 cheapo digital servos back in stock next week and I'm sorted.If I get bored later I'll post a photo of the gyro..looks like the heli is carrying cargo underneath it!
Posted on: 3/4/2009 5:04 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8543921

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
well I'm not happy to find all 3 cheapo 15c lipo's glitch like hell...the 25C and the 5 x 35C ones for the same cheapo price work fine..I guess the 15C just isn't up to the job under load..volatge must be dropping waaaaaay low for the motor to cut out and glitch like that...But I guess its better than finding my new ESC/motor combo is shot..Still waiting on the gyro,bloody post, and I was going to post a video of the smooth glitch free heli but my 4 year old decided to remove the SD card from my camcorder and can't remember where he hid it..sigh the joys of parenthood...so no video till I buy a new card..the second I do so naturally the original will turn up..
Posted on: 2/27/2009 2:56 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8525048

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
I thought of that so I reset the ESC low voltage cutoff to 8.4v ( only 2.8v per cell) but the scorpion ESC allows you to program the lvc action as well..either 50% power reduction or just an led flash alarm or a beep alarm so I switched the power reduction off too.....I think it must be the batteries because if I switch the 50% power reduction back on then it kicks in right away..can't even get off the ground once before it decreases my power..I only paid around $24 for both batteries ..they are my only 15c batteries too...all the others I bought from the same source are 35c and I have no problems with those .well not yet anyway..
Posted on: 2/27/2009 2:25 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8523485

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
well glitching again..I have a really bad feeling 2 of my slightly older lipos are dying or something..too late to try again today but I think the same two batteries gave me the glitches yesterday..then it seemed to clear up but of course I was using different batteries.Now I've cycled through my battery stock and I'm back at the beginning I have sudden motor cutouts again..will try again tomorrow and see if I can isolate the problem.
Posted on: 2/26/2009 3:33 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8521234

RE: Walkera #4 Fixed Pitch Helicopter Forum
there you go , I didn't have a dead motor to hand for pictures so I had to attempt a hand drawing to explain myself.. by the way dknovick my bird is flying sweet with those fets..got it soldered right first time so I have a couple of spares..big thanks!
Posted on: 2/26/2009 1:57 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8520941

RE: Walkera #4 Fixed Pitch Helicopter Forum
yeh so does mine till I actually takeoff..then it responds both ways fine....
Posted on: 2/26/2009 11:35 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8520565

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
I'm currently using the €11 turborix smm gyro but I need to send it back.It works ok but not as the manual says it should. The led doesn't go out when I switch from HH to rate and the limit adjuster doesn't do anything.Neither does it flash rapidly if I start up in rate not HH..That said it actually works ok for the money but the HH mode isn't exactly"locked in" and needs regular clicks of trim to stop it creeping. It also seems to jerk about 20º one way or another from time to time..Nothing serious and it might just be a servo twitch.Soon as they are in stock at hobbycity I'm buying a MKS digital for the tail.1.8kg 0.06sec 60º.I bought a csm400 last week on ebay real cheap ($20 delivered) which might be here today or tomorrow so as the turborix seller offered a free replacement I'll send that one back soon as I have the csm.I think the csm will be a big improvement.Especially with that lighting fast digital servo!The scorpion motor rocks.Really smooth and powerful.And I have the latest version of their commander V2 25A ESC and after checking with scorpion they now have a 3A BEC not a 2A BEC (which is what the spec sheet still says) so I can fit some better servos at some point without overloading the BEC. Currently getting 11 minute flights,only gentle hovering and swooping around for now,with around 1830mah going back into a 2200mah lipo.so just around the 80% mark.The batteries are cooler than with the walkera brushless I was using before and the ESC isn't even warm.Plus the new design motor with fan built in to the outrunner means that remains dead cold..brilliant..gonna try and upload a short video.
Posted on: 2/26/2009 8:36 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8519685

RE: Walkera #4 Fixed Pitch Helicopter Forum
soldering the fets is easier once you realize that there is only 1 leg each side that needs to be separate..the other 3 each side can be soldered into one block....looking at your photo bill hold the 4in1 with the wires at the top and look at the circuit board for the main fet (the one on the left) on each side the 3 left hand legs are connected to one terminal..only the right hand leg each side as you look at it needs to be separate with no solder short circuits
Posted on: 2/25/2009 10:57 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8516637

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
OK carbon fibre battery end stop fitted.feel happier about that now.and I solved my glitch - turned the soft start off..didn't really like it anyway.still no new gyro though..BOO going out to fly anyway.
Posted on: 2/25/2009 8:03 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8516162

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
I'll be fitting a CF bar stop today...which has dawned with clear skies, bright sunshine and dead calm..fabulous...my gyro might be here midday..should be able to get 5 or 6 flights in this afternoon.
Posted on: 2/25/2009 3:42 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8515888

RE: Walkera #4 Fixed Pitch Helicopter Forum
you want FDS8812NZ (20A,30VRds=4mohm)
Posted on: 2/24/2009 3:39 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8513592

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
4 flights today and no repeat of the glitches from the motor or ESC I think I just had a dodgy connection..The tail jerking turns out to be the cheapo gyro..its fine in rate albeit with a bit of drift buy in HH it just gives a violent 30º jerk sometimes..either way and only for a second then it stops again..the supplier has offered a replacement no problem so as soon as my csm one arrives I'll send it off..other than that the scorpion stuff is gorgeous..even the boxes they came in were cool..the motor is sooooooooo smooth...you were right about the 12t pinion..perfect..I'm only running +8º for the moment but that's enough for my skill level..I think I might need to add a degree or two more of neg though as outdoors the wind takes it a bit ..oh and I took a closer look at my carbon frame and the two sides of the battery tray are separate bolt on plates so if I remove them and add a tiny washer behind them at each bolt then I can widen the battery tray enough to lay down all my batteries and they then slide under the motor with plenty of clearance..gives me some play in the COG then as well.
Posted on: 2/24/2009 2:59 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8513440

RE: Walkera #4 Fixed Pitch Helicopter Forum
right michael the 4410 is the standard and is fine for the tail but dknovick had some uprated 20A fets that solder straight in and give better service..I was finding the extreme motor kept blowing 7.5A fuses so I switched to using a 10A and fried my main fet after about 3 flights..the uprated fet is still going strong and as it has a 1/4 the internal resistance of the 4010 as well (4Milliohm not 16Milliohm) the circuit is more efficient (resistance = heat= wasted battery power) so it flies longer..not much but a bit! :))
Posted on: 2/24/2009 2:38 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8513353

RE: Walkera #4 Fixed Pitch Helicopter Forum
[quote]ORIGINAL: maxmax77 YES!!! [:D][:D][:D] I don't need to spend another needless $40!!! thanks sooo much, Micheal!!!! -max p.s-where can I get stuff 2 repair it?? [/quote] scroll back a few pages in this forum and you will come across a guy called dknovick..he has uprated 20A fets in stock..he posted me 3 for 5 bucks inc postage to france from the US..send him a pm about fets and see if he has more left ..I bet he has.You will need a steady hand and a fine soldering iron to replace them but it's really not hard.Add the fuse mod to the uprated fets and you are away! probably all for under 10 bucks! Oh and yes you can solder the antenna ..just don't shorten it.
Posted on: 2/24/2009 11:12 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8512771

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
yeh I have the battery held firm with 2 elastic bands around it and the battery tray...actually that is the only battery I have that fits upright like that..all the others fit sideways and are low enough to slide under the motor if they move a bit but I will glue a bit of carbon rod in place anyway just to be sure.Happy so far anyway once I sorted out the original glitches.No idea what was causing it..motor kept cutting out for a second then kicking back in making the heli drop and the tail kick hard left..maybe was just a dirty or poor connection as it all seems fine now.
Posted on: 2/24/2009 5:36 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8512074

RE: Walkera Dragonfly #36
Well it's been quiet here for a few days so I'm gonna kick off again.The new scorpion motor and ESC arrived yesterday.HK 2208-28 as recommended by chopchop and after the walkera ESC smokeout I invested in a scorpion commander V2 ESC to replace it.If you're gonna buy good kit why not just get the best.First the motor is TINY, but wow what a powerhouse for the size.And the ESC comes complete with a lovely IR programming card as standard,full funcions,adjustable soft start,governor mode,low voltage cutoff,etc etc..all set up in 2 minutes.I had a few glitches at first spin up so I took everything apart again.cleaned the throttle potentiometer in the TX with some contact cleaner and replaced a few bent and worn bits on the heli in general and now it flies awesome! Just awaiting the arrival of my csm400 gyro which ebay supplied for $20 and I'll be a happy man!
Posted on: 2/24/2009 4:25 AM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8512012

RE: Walkera #4 Fixed Pitch Helicopter Forum
click reply or quote to any previous post and you will find an upload files button appears at the bottom left of the reply window..should be self explanatory from there....
Posted on: 2/23/2009 2:45 PM by Author "gizmatron" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8509523