RE: Next Step on my Blade 400
I was trying to fly infront of myself by going a way and back towards myself. I had practice going back and forth in a serpantine pattern and when I felt comfortable I did the cw circle 3 times successfully. When I tried ccw the heli got way to my left and on it's way towards me I think I lost my orientation and down it went. Thanks for you input. [quote]ORIGINAL: jon6565 You do have to mount the link balls internally as the servos are taller.[/quote] What do you mean by internally?
Posted on: 8/10/2009 2:46 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9004018

RE: Next Step on my Blade 400
Oops, sorry. It is the Blade 400 RTF. Everything is stock still.
Posted on: 8/10/2009 12:06 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9003776

Next Step on my Blade 400
I'm a noob to flying Heli's. I've been flying for about a month. I've put some hours into a sim and have learned to hover and do circles, although I still need a lot of work on the circles. I've noticed that the sim seems harder than the real helicopter and have decided to try some right and left turns and eventrually tried a circle to the right. After 3 successful cw circles I tried a ccw circle which ended in disaster. All the usual parts need to be replaced including the stock servo gears. I know replacing the gears isn't too expensive but, would I be better off upgrading the servos now or wait until I have some more experience under my belt? Everything is still stock right now. Also, I've become more comfortable working on my helicopter but if I replace the servos I'm not sure I'm comfortalbe with modding things to accommodate the new servos. Are there upgrades that will fit right in? What else would I have to change to accommodate the servos? Thanks in advance, Robert
Posted on: 8/10/2009 12:05 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9003600

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
I already rebuilt it before I read your replies. I did not use grease on the oneway bearing, but I may go pick up some of that Alighn oneway grease and give it a try. Wolfpackin, I don't really understand how to make adjustments to the endpoints. I need to research that one a little bit. Just by sight I suspect the swash is a little off. Today, I used up a whole battery just hovering and moving the heli foward, back and side to side. It went very well. However I noticed towards the end of the battery the heli wanted to turn to the right or left more. I actually forgot which way! The tail didn't wag, I did not use any trim adjustments, but I did have to hold the stick more than when the heli was new. It seemed when it was new it really stayed fixed in the direction it was pointed to. Could it be because one of my links need to be adjusted or the gyro acting up? Possibly the swash or maybe the pitch? I'd appreciate anymore advice you can throw my way since I find myself lost often in this new hobby. Thanks again for your help. It's been better than going to any of the LHS's I've been to. Robert
Posted on: 8/1/2009 3:10 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8980786

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
One more for ya, thrust bearins, grease or oil?
Posted on: 7/29/2009 9:43 PM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8975027

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
Well I'm feeling a little stupid here, but I don't know what I.D. is. Also, as surprising as it may seem, I just talk to someone from e-flite and they recomended not to use grease since it is a oneway bearing. They said maybe just a little bit of oil but that's it!
Posted on: 7/29/2009 8:00 PM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8974727

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
Thanks again. I tightened up my blades, and bought a new main drive gear with bearing. I noticed that it is not lubed like the one that was stock. Upon reading in the forums I learned that some don't lube them at all some use oil, which I don't think is wise, and someone else said to use red lithium grease. That looks like what was on the original. What do you guys suggest for the oneway bearing? If I use the grease do I just rub a little on the inside?
Posted on: 7/29/2009 5:48 PM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8974423

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
Well, I finally took it outside and gave it a try. I burned through one battery with happy hovering. Everything was working good and it handled much more like the flight sim. However, the next day I decided to try it again and for some reason as soon as I started to throttle up it went haywire. It seemed like some how the blades got stuck on something, the body started to spin, and it tipped onto it's side. I could not figure out what caused that. I ended up having to replace the feathering shaft again and I found a missing tooth on the top gear. I know the teeth were fine before because I checked it when I replaced the main shaft. I figure the tooth must have broken off from the blade strike. So far I have not been able to fly this heli very much. I've spent more time searching for parts and repairing it. I'm especially perplexed since this latest blade strike seemed unavoidable. The blades were spread out, I throttle up very slowly and I had just given it enough to start turning when this happened. Could the blades have somehow gotten stuck on the flybar? Could it have been the gyro acting strange? It seemed fine yesterday. I even hovered today once before I had this mishap. As fun as it is to repair and learn how everything goes together, I'd really rather be able to fly it. Enough venting. To the moderator: If you want to move this to it's own thread, please do. I don't want to hijack this thread anymore. It seemed like one thing lead to the next and I was torn between continuing my experience here or starting a new thread. Thanks Robert
Posted on: 7/28/2009 2:48 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8969967

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
Glenn, That looked great! I noticed on the sim that when I switched my controler to the F. Mode it seemed easier to hover. I thought the F. Mode wasn't as easy to use for beginners but it sure seemed a lot easier. Is that all in my head or is there another explanation? Sorry for so many questions. I appreciater how complete all your replies have been. Thanks, Robert
Posted on: 7/26/2009 12:39 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8964102

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
I'm not sure what I'm trying to achieve with the trim. On the coaxial I had it was easy. I just adjusted it until it would stay in a hover, but with the b400 on the sim it seems like the trim only works at a very narrow window. If I hover 4 feet off the ground I can make it stay still. If I raise the elevation a little then I start to drift again. Is that normal? What should I be trying to achieve or how do I dial the trim in the right way? Thanks again for you response. I appreciate all the help you and this forum has provided. -Robert
Posted on: 7/25/2009 12:26 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8961888

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
Well, I finally got the screws replaced and I had to replace the feathering shaft. It was a good learning experience. However, when I spin up the motor I still get vibrations. The Tail rotor looked good as well as the servo gears. I don't see any obvious signs of a a bent main shaft. Do you think that could still be it? What else should I look for? Also, I've been practicing on the Phoenix flight sim. I've learned that on the simulator, the heli wants to go foward and left. My helicopter seems to want to go back and to the right. I don't remember how it was before the damage. Should the flight sim be pretty simular to the the real thing? Thanks in advance, Robert Turns out the shaft was bent. However, it still seems different than the sim.
Posted on: 7/24/2009 11:52 PM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8961410

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
Thanks for all the help. I won't be able to make it to the LHS until Wednsday, but I'll keep you posted thanks.
Posted on: 7/6/2009 5:24 PM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8911298

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
Glen, thanks for your help. Your advice really helped me to get going in the right direction. I wouldn't have known how or what to check so your post was very educational for me. Thanks again. Should I pop off the links by hand or should a I get the tool for it? I don't want to find out the hard way.
Posted on: 7/3/2009 9:01 PM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8904578

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
Thanks for your reply. It doesn't really look like there is a problem with the feathering shaft, should I take it apart and replace it anyway, or does it need to be taken apart to really know if it is bent? How do I check the servo gears? Do I need to take them apart? Same with the tail shaft. If I can't see that it is bent from a general glance should it be ok or do I need to take it apart to really evaluate it? Thanks again for you quick reply earlier. I don't have anyone to fly with and my LHS seems to be lacking in the helicopters department so I usually have to drive an hour to go see someone knowledgeable. It's comforting to get such good info so quickly in these forums. Thanks again.
Posted on: 7/3/2009 9:27 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8903271

RE: Two bolts on main shaft.... special steel or not?
I'm definately a noob and I'm off to a slow start. I Just got my b400 and had a couple blade strikes. After that the main rotors were not spinning at their normal speed. Then I noticed that the main rotors would actualy spin around freely with out turning any of the gears. I figured it might be the two screws on the main shaft but it is hard for me to tell. I don't see the nut on the top one and I don't see the head on the bottom one. If I turn the rotors and hold the gears I never see any day light through the holes. Looks like the bolt maybe inside still. However, that doesn't make sense to me either if the blades turn freely. I'd appreciate any advice. I'm sitting here now with a big frown cause I'm totaly deflated now. :(
Posted on: 7/3/2009 1:36 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8902787

RE: Messed up gyro
Thanks, for the advice. I'll try that. One question about the gyro though, I did not notice the flat spot, but I'll check again. However, I turned it several revolutions. Does that matter or do I need to just get the flat spot the 11:00?
Posted on: 6/30/2009 9:46 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8894290

Messed up gyro
I just got a new 4#3b and it started out great. After the first battery, the tail started twitching, then it started doing sudden 180's on me, then it would just completely spin out of control. When I held it in my hand the tail rotor was no longer spining. I forgot to say this is a double bl with the 2g tail motor. Anyway, after ordering a new motor I decided to take this one off and mess with it. Next thing I know it is working again. The problem is, being the newbee that I am, I messed with the gyro a lot. Now I don't know how to set it up again so it flies proper again. On the other hand, just because the tail rotor is spinning again I'm not sure if it is working proper either. To make a long story short, I don't know how to get back to square one. How do I continue to trouble shoot this thing? Thanks in advance.
Posted on: 6/30/2009 12:26 AM by Author "thefirefli" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8893413