RE: Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
Here is another charger to consider. http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXCTZ5&P=FR http://www.hobbico.com/chargers/hcap0290.html It is only $50, and charges Nicad, NIMH, and LiPoly. It has two separate outputs, so will charge 2 different packs at a time. It is a field charger, so you will need a 12 or 15 volt power supply to use it at home, but most of the cheaper Lithium only chargers also need a separate power supply. I don't have one, but if I were buying one now, that is what I would get. Someone who has one may have a different opinion, but I have seen several good reports. Jeff
Posted on: 9/24/2003 6:10 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1159259

RE: Fead Dragonfly Li-Poly?
jarose, Your controls are correct. Some people say to think of it like the stick controls the nose of the heli. I like to think of it as the stick controls the rotation of the heli; moving the stick right rotates the heli clockwise, and left rotates it counter-clockwise. As for the batteries, a 2 cell Etec 1200 mah LiPoly will give about the same performance as the stock battery because it is lighter, and it will last a lot longer. Adding an additional 2 cells in parallel will not double your flight time, because it also increases the weight. Jeff
Posted on: 9/24/2003 1:53 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1158683

Brand New Hummingbird not working.
I think the GWS transmitter is available in both Futaba and JR shift. I have never seen one, but I would think it would have an "F" or "J" marking somewhere like on the receivers. If the shift were wrong, it would probably exhibit the symptoms you describe.
Posted on: 9/3/2003 6:01 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1112074

Will the Eclipse 7 work with my dragonfly?
If your original dragonfly transmitter was PCM then you are probably out of luck. PCM is different from manufacturer to manufacturer, so with PCM, the transmitter and receiver generally have to be from the same manufacturer. The Hitec PCM probably won't work with the drgonfly receiver. If your dragonfly has a separate receiver, you could replace just that, but if it has an all in one board, you would have to replace everything. Jeff
Posted on: 9/2/2003 1:13 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1104928

skylark setting up servo and gyro pleas help me
You should have the rudder trim centered when you apply power to the heli. What you are describing sounds like normal behavior. Any heli with a clockwise spinning rotor will try to move left at liftoff. It does this because the tail rotor is pushing to the left. If you were to trim this out, you would have to retrim when you get into a hover or it would start moving right. Just give it some right stick when lifting off, and release it as it starts to climb. It will also, try to spin counter clockwise at liftoff. Again, if you trim this out with rudder trim, you will have to retrim when you get into a hover. When learning, you can set the heli on the ground with the tail rotated about 1/8 to 1/4 turn to the left to compensate. Jeff
Posted on: 8/18/2003 6:52 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1062848

(skylark) I Need Tips On Taking Off And Setting Up
Here is a good tutorial on learning to hover. [url]http://www.dream-models.com/h/flying-index.html[/url]
Posted on: 8/16/2003 4:27 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1060481

Camcorder batteries Electric Micro Helicopter
They may or may not work. The problem will be the maximum current. Most of these packs are rated for a maximum current of twice their capacity, so your packs are probably only rated for about 2.9amps. The Piccolo/Skylark/Hummingbird type helis will draw 3 to 5 amps, so you will be running the packs above their rating. Lithium Ion can explode in a violent fireball if abused, so they all have built in safety circuits. If the safety circuits cut out in flight, you will loose all power and crash. Two years ago, a lot of people were experimenting with Lithium Ion from cellphones and camcorders, but now that inexpensive Lithium Polymer packs are available, the experimenting has pretty much stopped. Lithium Polymer will handle more current, is lighter, and a lot safer. Jeff
Posted on: 8/16/2003 4:16 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1059761

Switch to mini receiver?
Most of the micro receivers are single conversion, so the dual conversion crystals from your Hitec would not work. You can buy a GWS receiver with a crystal to match your Focus4 for under $30. A Berg receiver with glitch filtering software would be about twice as much. You will need either a Heading Hold gyro, or a hummingboard mixer to fly with your Focus4. Jeff
Posted on: 8/14/2003 2:44 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1051790

Hummingbird help - Main motor cutting out.
What ESC are you using? If the motor cuts out, and does not restart until you throttle down, it sounds like the low voltage cutout on the ESC is being triggered. If the ESC has adjustable cutout, it may be set too high. Also, what brand of LiPoly are you using? If they are not a high discharge type like the Etec, they may not be able to supply enough current. Also, check that your batteries are being fully charged. Jeff
Posted on: 8/10/2003 3:55 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1035598

Hummingbird Brushless Setup
Though I don't have a hummingboard, you should be able to do the brushless like you are talking about. The trick is that you need a "Y" connector so the throttle channel from the receiver goes to both the brushless controller and to the hummingboard. Jeff [url]http://microhelis.homestead.com/brushlesspic.html[/url]
Posted on: 8/10/2003 2:58 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1032818

Li-Poly Charger NG
Do you have a 2-cell or a 3-cell pack? How long did you fly on your first flight with the pack? It is possible that you overdischarged the pack on your first flight, and your problem has nothing to do with your new connectors. If you have a meter, then measure the voltage at the pack, and if it is below 9volts for a 3-cell pack or 6volts for a 2-cell pack this may be your problem. Jeff
Posted on: 8/1/2003 8:30 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=1011806

Piccolo or Humingbird?
They both look and fly quite similarly, but the HB has ball bearings, where the Pic Fun has only nylon bushings. As for if you will be happy with it, only you can decide. If you just want something to putt around the house, or in the back yard under low wind conditions, then either will work quite nicely. Jeff
Posted on: 7/24/2003 5:58 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=987408

No full throttle achievable on new Hummingbird
Carlos, With a better transmitter, you can adjust the endpoints, but I don't believe the GWS has endpoint adjust. If the red led comes on, then your speed control is seeing maximum throttle. If you are using the stock "birdseed" batteries and charger, your batteries may not be fully charged. The stock charger is not very good, and has no charging control. If you leave the packs on too long, you will ruin them, and if you leave them on to short a time, you will not fly well because they are not fully charged. The best thing to do is to leave them on the charger until they are warm; not so hot they will burn your fingers, but warm enough so they are uncomfortable to touch. If it still won't climb, then twist a little more pitch into the blades, but be careful, it doesn't take much, and if you twist too hard you can break the blades. Jeff
Posted on: 7/23/2003 8:20 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=982072

FEDA Dragonfly for FMS
Haven't seen a Feda model, but it is a lot like the Piccolo, and there is a model for it. [url]http://www.helihobby.com/html/download.html[/url]
Posted on: 7/21/2003 9:59 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=977985

Cutting tail rotor blades on Piccolo????
Why would you want to cut down the tail rotor? I have seen details of cutting down the main blade on fixed pitch piccolos. This is done to increase the head speed to improve control when flying outside, but I can't think of a reason to cut down the tail rotor. Here is a site with details. [url]http://www.pgoelz.com/piccolo_faq.html[/url] Jeff
Posted on: 7/21/2003 9:47 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=976346

My Hummingbirds First Flight.....sorta
You don't want to just jam the throttle full open, but you do want to climb quickly out of ground effect, especially if you are first starting out. As for trimming, if you are just starting out, the best way is probably to take it up to 3 or 4 feet, just long enough to see which way it is trying to move, then land and adjust the trim and try again. It might take quite a few hops to get it right, but it is a lot easier than trying to adjust the trim while struggling to fly an out of trim heli. Jeff
Posted on: 7/21/2003 4:06 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=977860

Dragonfly Problems
It could be interference, but most likely it is a bad transmitter or receiver. The quality control on those Chinese products is not always the best.
Posted on: 7/16/2003 1:13 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=960982

Dragonfly Problems
You should always turn the transmitter on first.
Posted on: 7/16/2003 12:59 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=960980

Li-Polys
Jim, The Kokam 1020 cells will handle about 3 amps. The Etec 1200 cells will handle about twice that. They don't go poof if you exceed that by a little bit, the just don't perform well. The stock HB pulls around 4 amps, so the Kokams are not a good match, but the Etec is just about perfect, with around 20 minute flight times. As for low voltage cutoff, the heli will probably stop flying before the batteries get so low as to damage them. If you stop flying when it gets hard to climb, you should be OK. Jeff
Posted on: 7/14/2003 5:21 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=950910

Li-Polys
Attila, Li-Poly is short for Lithium Polymer, which is actually a type of Lithium Ion. It is a different battery chemistry. They are one of the greatest things to happen to electric flight. They have much more than twice the capacity of NICAD and NIMH batterys of the same weight, but they do require special chargers to charge them safely. Simbo, The Etec's will work at a higher discharge rate. The standard 1020mah Kokams just don't quite handle enough current for the stock Feda. You could use 2S2P 1020 Kokams, but that is a lot of extra weight. Most people are really happy with the 2S Etec 1200mah for the Feda, reporting 15 to 20 minute flight times. Jeff
Posted on: 7/12/2003 9:48 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=950902

what battery for feda?
Etec two cell 1200mah LithiumPolymer. They will give 15 to 20 minutes flight time. They are so light that you will have to mount them much further forward to balance the heli. You can get them from a lot of places, but I like [url]www.b-p-p.com[/url] You will need a special LiPoly/LiIon charger, and he has a lot of choices. Jeff
Posted on: 7/12/2003 3:24 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=950294

I am very new - Please Help
Chris, I know the Hitec will work just fine, but I am not sure about the Airtronics. The best way to get started is to practice with a simulator. There is a very good freeware one called PreFlight you can download at [url]http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/atv/preflight001.htm.[/url] I used a RumblePad PC joystick, or get a computer interface for your transmitter from [url]www.milehighwings.com[/url] In your price range, unless you find a great deal on a used Corona, about your only choices are the Hummingbird or Piccolo Fun, or one of the Chinese imports off Ebay. The Hummingbird flys great indoors, and flys great outside, as long as there is no wind. The LMH Corona will handle more wind, but is too large to fly in a normal house. I learned to fly helis with the Hummingbird. I had been flying planes before, but I have seen posts from people with no experience who learned on the HB. Everything I know about helis, I picked up on this board, and the [url]www.rcgroups.com[/url] boards, and from [url]www.pgoelz.com/piccolo_faq.html[/url] Jeff
Posted on: 7/11/2003 12:14 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=944349

I am very new - Please Help
If you have a 4 channel airplane transmitter that is less than 10 years old, it can probably be used for a fixed pitch heli. If you post the transmitter model numbers, we can make sure. To use an airplane transmitter you will need either a mixing board, or a heading hold gyro. You can buy a hummingbird from Century for $289, with everything except the transmitter. The LMH 120 is easier to learn to fly, but it is not an indoor heli. I think the helis you get off Ebay from China, are basically ok, but the electronics are really cheap, better to get the hummingbird package. Jeff
Posted on: 7/10/2003 10:23 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=944343

ESC and Gyro problems
Any other channel that you know is working right, perhaps the rudder channel. Do you mean that the rotor doesn't start turning at all til half throttle, or that it just doesn't have enough power to lift off til half throttle? Have you tried adjusting the throttle endpoints on your Laser 4? Jeff
Posted on: 7/5/2003 5:55 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=924756

ESC and Gyro problems
It sounds like your main ESC may be bad. You could try plugging it into a different channel on your receiver to test if it is a problem with the throttle channel on your TX or RX.
Posted on: 7/5/2003 12:34 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=924754

Feda Receiver, Transmitter ??
Paul, If this is the receiver that originally came with a Zhen Hua PCM 4 channel transmitter, then no other transmitter than a Zhen Hua will work. PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) transmitters are all different, so a PCM transmitter from one manufacturer will not work with a PCM receiver from another. The majority of transmitters and receivers used today are FM PPM (Frequency Modulated Pulse Position Modulation). PPM receivers come in negative shift, which is commonly called Futaba shift , and positive shift which is generally called JR shift. If your reciever is a Zen Hua, then your best bet is to replace it. If you want the cheapest, you can go to [url]www.balsapr.com[/url] and order a GWS model GWT-4A transmitter for $33, and a GWS Pico reciever for $22, and a receiver crystal for $7.50. Or you could get a used Hitec, or Futaba, or JR transmitter off of Ebay or the classifieds on this BBS, and then order a GWS Pico receiver to match. I personally like Hitec equipment, and you can order a new Hitec Laser 4 transmitter which has a lot of nice features for only $55 from [url]www.servocity.com.[/url] Or just see what kind of deal your local hobby shop can give you on a 4 channel transmitter and receiver. Jeff
Posted on: 7/4/2003 4:12 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=923471

Piccoboard vs separates!
It may be a gram or 2 heavier. Not enough to make much difference. If you are worried about weight and flying time, the best move you could make would be to get some E-tec LiPoly battery packs.
Posted on: 7/3/2003 4:51 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=915503

Piccoboard vs separates!
Mikel, You would need two ESC's and a gyro to replace the Piccoboard. To use separate ESC's, you must have a transmitter with revolution mixing, or else use a heading hold gyro. If you already have or are buying a heli transmitter, then two GWS ESC's and a GWS rate gyro are about the same price or a little cheaper than the Piccoboard. If you get a heading hold gyro instead, it will cost about the same as the Piccoboard with HH module, and you will be able to use a 4 channel airplane transmitter. The advantage to going separates, is that you can replace one piece at a time if it breaks or if you want to upgrade or go brushless. The disadvantage of separates, is that they can be harder to set up initially, especially if you don't get a heading hold gyro. As for the BEC, you do need one, but it is built into most ESC's and also the Piccoboard. The motors need 8 or more volts to run, and most receivers, gyros and servos will burn out with more than 5.5 volts. The BEC takes the 8 or 12 or more volts from the motor battery, and drops it to a safe level for the receiver, gyro, and servos. Jeff
Posted on: 7/1/2003 7:11 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=915501

Skylark Blades not Tracking how can u Adj
[url]http://www.pgoelz.com/piccolo_faq.html#172[/url]
Posted on: 6/26/2003 1:49 AM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=897652

Vibration Problem with Skylark
Here is a good site. Look under the "hints and tips" section. [url]http://www.pgoelz.com/piccolo1.html[/url] And here is a good one on learning to fly a heli. [url]http://www.dream-models.com/h/flying-index.html[/url]
Posted on: 6/25/2003 8:17 PM by Author "jeffs555" in the forum "Electric RC Helis"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=897112