RE: Walker 4G3 Brushless Flea ESC/2.9g Tail Upgrade
Hi Shadow99. Thanks for the response. It was a great help. Actually, Wow Hobbies sells a "souped up" 4G3 that uses the TA 91416 brushless motor as a main motor and a 2.9g brushless motor as a tail motor. It sells for $409.95. The only difference between this 4G3 and mine is that I am using a Flea ESC for the tail, and not the Walkera ESC. I wanted to get the best performance possible. I still have my stock Walkera brushless main motor. When you say that 14000kV is a lot to be running on a 400 mah 20C lipo, do you mean that the lipo will suffer from too much of a current draw and grow warm very quickly? Is 400 mah too small a rating to power this 4G3 configuration? I only did it because Wow Hobbies did it. Please, make me smart :-) I'm still new to this electric helicopter stuff, and have been flying them only since October 2008. As far as my stock 12C batteries (even though the casing says 10C) are concerned, what I notice is that when my TA 91416 main motor is installed, I can get to full throttle if I raise the stick slowly. But, shortly after, the motor will cut off. This even happened with the stock brushless main motor. However, with the 20C batteries, this never happens. I guess I'll use the 10C batteries in my 4#3B and the 20C batteries in my 4G3. I assume that using an underpowered battery can cause it to get damaged. Is this correct? As far as the head shake is concerned, I think I found the problem. It seems that the main shaft is bent. The bend is so slight, you can barely tell by the naked eye. However, when I spin my blades with my finger, I see the tell-tale warped spin of the blades. When I look down at the head button, it does not stay in the center of the imaginary circle. If that is not the problem, then perhaps the blades are not balanced. FYI, my blades are carbon fiber. I got tired of damaging the foam blades and spending a small fortune to replace them. By the way, how did you balance your blades? I am very interested in hearing your method. Thanks again. -Z
Posted on: 6/23/2009 3:40 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8874535

RE: Walker 4G3 Brushless Flea ESC/2.9g Tail Upgrade
Hi all. ehirobo, I resolved my problem. The issue was that the stock 10C battery that originally came with my 4G3 was not strong enough to power the main Walkera ESC, a Turbo Ace 91416 main motor, a Flea ESC, and a Turbo Ace 2.9g tail motor. As soon as I switched to a 20C 1S lipo, my motor spun up normally. I got the clue of using a 20C battery from the double brushless 4G3 that wowhobbies sells for $409.95. It uses a main Walkera ESC, Turbo Ace 91416 main motor, tail Walkera ESC, and a Turbo Ace 2.9g tail motor. More importantly, the kit includes four 20C batteries and one 10C battery. When you say you have the double brushess 4G3, do you mean the version with the Walkera brushless main motor and the Turbo Ace 2g tail motor and two Walkera ESCs? And you can fly it on a 10C battery? How long a flight do you get? How does it fly for you? I have yet to fly my upgraded 4G3, as I am now trying to resolve a vibration/head shake problem. One thing I do notice is that the 91416 main motor gets hot to the touch. Thanks for your help. -Z
Posted on: 6/20/2009 10:08 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8867997

RE: Walker 4G3 Brushless Flea ESC/2.9g Tail Upgrade
Hi Shadow99. Quick question for you. What type of batteriesdo you use in your upgraded double brushless 4G3? Do you use the stockbattery that came with it? Or, did you have to upgrade to the 20Cbattery, which is a more powerful battery? I have replaced themain motor ESC (still kept the old one), and I still had the sameproblem. I am thinking that the ESC was not the problem in the firstplace. Then, I did an experiment. I disconnected allconnections from the receiver except for those for the main motor andpower to the Flea. Presto! My main motor is behaving normally againand spins to full throttle both in regular mode and idle-up mode. Assoon as I connected the signal wire from the Flea into the Tail MotorSignal connection on the receiver, my problems came. So, ehirobo.comwas onto something. It seems like the stock 10C battery is notpowerful enough to power two ESCs and two brushless motors. So,are you using a 20C battery in your upgraded 4G3? If you are stillusing the 10C stock battery successfuly, then I still must be doingsomething wrong.
Posted on: 6/17/2009 10:03 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8858996

RE: Walker 4G3 Brushless Flea ESC/2.9g Tail Upgrade
Hi Shadow99. Well, I have gone through the permutation of different things I could adjust to overcome the issue of my main motor's cutting off at half throttle. It seems as though the receiver may be damaged. Today, I will bite the bullet and purchase a new receiver and speed controller. Luckily, these two items total to less that $50.00. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for your help. -Z
Posted on: 6/16/2009 11:33 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8856436

RE: Walker 4G3 Brushless Flea ESC/2.9g Tail Upgrade
Hi Guys. Thanks for the advice. I am positive that the batteries are fine. I also use the same batteries in my brushless main 4#3B, and its main motor is the same as the stock brushless main in the 4G3. The batteries are in good condition and are not swollen or damaged in any way. Both my stock brushless Walkera main motor and the Turbo Ace motor exhibit the exact same behavior as far as the motor cutting off. Shadow99, earlier, you mentioned that your setup and mine are exactly the same. After you wired up your Flea-based tail kit to your 4G3, were you able to fly it right after? Did you have to adjust your throttle/pitch/mixing curves before you could fly your upgraded 4G3? Did you have to get a bigger ESC? Unfortunately, I too have the WK-2601 transmitter. I will investigate adjusting the curves. I sincerely hope that none of my electronics are damaged in any way. Thanks. -Z
Posted on: 6/13/2009 2:05 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8849200

RE: Walker 4G3 Brushless Flea ESC/2.9g Tail Upgrade
Hi Shadow99. For some reason, I still am having problems with my Flea based tail upgrade. Actually, the brushless tail works well. However, the main motor is misbehaving ever since I introduced the Flea upgrade. The main motor cuts off at half throttle. Also, the level of throttle stick at which the main motor cuts on is inconsistent. In idle up (3D) mode, the main motor does not spin unless I pull it down slightly from half throttle. If I move the throttle slowly as I pull it down, the main motor will build full power. If I move the throtte down quickly, the main motor will shut off. In idle up mode, if I move the throttle stick up, the main motor may spin for a while, but as I move the throttle up further, the motor will shut off. One thing I am realizing is that I can hold the throttle stick all the way to the left and slightly raise the throttle. The main motor will spin up and build RPM. But, at the same throttle level, as soon as I move the throttle stick full right, the main motor will stop. When I move the throttle stick all the way down, the Walkera main motor ESC will chirp again as though I had just connected power. If I weren't so invested in this, I would start over again, but that's too pricy. I am wondering if I have a bad Walkera ESC. The Flea tail seems to be behaving normally. However, when it powers the tail, I wonder if it is robbing power from the Walkera main motor ESC or causing it to cut out somehow. When I soldered the tail wires to the Flea, I carefully soldered so that each wire is exactly on the second pin from the left of each of the three chips. I am sure that I have no loose connections. Perhaps the receiver is bad, but I find that hard to believe, as it is spinning both the motors. Also, it was fine before I performed this upgrade. So, at this point, I do not know what is bad. However, Wow Hobbies says all electronics sales are final, so I am stuck. At this point, I don't know what to do. I will continue troubleshooting though. Could you please tell me if you experienced any anomalies after your Flea tail brushless upgrade? With the throttle centered, if you enter idle up mode, does your main motor spin up correctly? Can you move the throttle fully up and fully down and maintain full motor speed? Thoughts? -Z
Posted on: 6/12/2009 2:18 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8846032

RE: Walker 4G3 Brushless Flea ESC/2.9g Tail Upgrade
Hi all. Thanks for the replies. ehirobo.com, I would have loved to get the already double brushless 4G3 from Walkera. However, I had already gotten the brushless main 4G3. If I had known (actually, I guessed after the fact that Walkera would be doing this), I would have waited on buying the 4G3. Therefore, it made economical sense to upgrade the tail instead for $104.95 instead of buying a whole new helicopter for more than double that amount. Shadow99, the red wires on the 2.9g should have already been stripped at the very ends. Perhaps yours broke off. An easy way to strip them is to use sandpaper and lightly rub off the red coating against a small block of wood or something. Shadow99, by the way, how does your setup fly? Currently, I am experiencing a problem where the main motor will cut off after I raise the throttle stick half-way. This behavior happens on both the stock Walkera brushless motor as well as the Turbo Ace 91416 motor that I bought. I have consulted Tech Support at Wow Hobbies. I await their response. Oh by the way, Wow Hobbies is coming out with a slightly less 2.9g tail upgrade kit. It uses basically the same parts as the tail kit we bought. However, instead of the Flea, it uses a Walkera 10A ESC. Take care. -Z
Posted on: 6/10/2009 4:51 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8841767

Walker 4G3 Brushless Flea ESC/2.9g Tail Upgrade
Hi all. I am about to convert my 4G3's tail from brushed to 2.9g brushless using the Flea ESC. At wowhobbies.com, they advertise many methods to upgrade the stock 4G3 tail. I was wondering if anyone had any specs on the Flea ESC chip. According to Wow Hobbies, they will be coming out with a less expensive 2.9g brushless tail kit instead of the kit I purchased for $104.95. Before I install the kit, I wanted to know if the Flea chip contains a more powerful ESC than the other ESCs that are used in the tail upgrade kits. Does anyone know where I can get Flea ESC chip specs for the Flea 88V2 ESC chip? Thanks. -Z
Posted on: 6/5/2009 10:50 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8827593

Upgraded 4#3B: Programming Turbo Ace 3A ESC
Hi all. If there is anyone out there who can help me, I would appreciate it greatly. Using the 1S (3.7V) upgrade guide at wowhobbies.com, I have successfully upgraded my 4#3B metal head helicopter to full brushless (both main motor and tail motor). However, even with all of this power, I can barely get my helicopter off of the ground. I assume that I need to program the ESCs correctly. I have read the instructions for programming the Turbo Ace 3A 1S ESC via the helicopter's transmitter. I assume that if I am using two ESCs, they must be programmed individually, and not at the same time. This would mean that I must disconnect one of them while the other is being programmed. Having said all of this, I have some basic questions for anyone who can answer them in a detailed and friendly manner: Q1: When you program an ESC, does it maintain its settings even after power is removed from it? Q2: Can two ESCs be programmed at the same time, or must I disconnect one of them and program each individually? Q3: The instructions for programming the Turbo Ace 3A ESC are not the best in the world. Does anyone know of an online source for programming instructions? Q4: Is there a programming card available for the Turbo Ace 3A ESC? If so, can anyone provide an online source? Thanks in advance. -Z
Posted on: 3/9/2009 5:25 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8560248

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
Hi HeliStyle. I most certainly will post some pictures of my completed work. Last night, I just shortened and re-soldered all of my connections. I was quite "worried" this time around, as the wires on the converters were already short. If I broke a wire while trying to remove the plastic from it, the game would have been over. Luckily everything went well. I connected the battery, and the board lit up and binded to the transmitter. Then, I confirmed that the brushless upgrade was successful by touching each motor's three leads to their respective speed controller. In moving the throttle/yaw control lever, both motors spun up and spun down normally. Tonight, I must solder three-prong adapters to the main motor so that I can simply plug it into its speed controller. Then, I must run wire through the new tail boom and solder up the new tail motor to these wires. After that, I am done. I should definitely be flying on Friday night or earlier. Until then, take care. -Z
Posted on: 12/10/2008 1:48 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8232274

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
Hi HeliStyle. As far as breaking the additional stuff in the helicopter, I personally don't think you have to worry about that. I say this because the electronics are covered by the canopy and are somewhat protected. I would imagine my rotor blades, tail boom, or metal head gettin broken before any of the additional electronics get broken. I'm sorry that you invested money on additional brushed motors. If it is any consolation, I believe that the same motor is used within the 4G3 full collective pitch helicopter from Walkera. Once I master the fixed pitch 4#3B, I will be getting a 4G3. I will immediately upgrade it to brushless. Bye the way, the same brushless parts can be used to upgrade the 4G3. As far as the original purpose for creating this thread, I believe I found the answer on YouTube. Basically, in one of the related vidoes from the link I posted, the author cuts off the black covering on both the high and low speed converters. When he did this, he flipped over one of the converters. It is basically an i.c. chip. The video is clear enough to figure out the pinout. Problem solved. However, I will continue this thread so that I can update you on my progress. Seems like we're the only two in it. Take care. -Z
Posted on: 12/9/2008 6:18 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8229599

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
Hi HeliStyle. Yes, I guess you could use a cold-heat soldering iron, as long as the tip is small enough to do the work. I have never used one, and have always used a traditional soldering iron. For this project, I had to get a new one that has a pencil point tip so that I could solder within the extremely small spaces. Do they make cold-heat soldering irons with pencil point tips? Take care. -Z
Posted on: 12/9/2008 11:34 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8228346

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
Hi HeliStyle. Your total sounds about right if you are upgrading only the main motor to a brushless motor. My total came from the parts required to upgrade both the main motor and the tail motor. If you are intending to upgrade both motors to brushless, your total seems extremely low. To upgrade the tail motor to brushless, you will need the brushless 2g tail motor, another speed controller, the TheSteve high-speed converter, and screws. You may want to recheck your parts list. I have never flown a brushless helicopter before. However, once I get my upgrade conversion completed, I will let you know. Take care. -Z
Posted on: 12/9/2008 3:52 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8227607

RE: TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
Hi HeliStyle. Here is the parts list for full brushless: http://wowhobbies.com/1cellwakera43brushlessconversionpartslist.aspx Please note that the Deans plugs are listed, but I ended up not using them, so I wasted a little money. Perhaps I can find a use for them. With $10 in shipping, the total parts list should cost you about $145, if you get the more expensive electronic speed controllers. I did not get the "eBay" speed controller, as the parts list implies that the more expensive electronic speed controller is more reliable. The wiring for the brushless conversion will require, in my opinion, good soldering skills. Please don't let my assessment scare off people new to soldering. However, I say that it requires good soldering skills, as some of the soldering is quite intricate. For example, the yellow wires of the two TheSteve converters must be soldered to two chips on 4#3B's 4in1 board. These chips are smaller than a cooked rice grain, and the pin to which you solder the wire is smaller than that. Even with the narrowest pencil point soldering iron from Radio Shack, the soldering presented a challenge. It required a very steady yet quick hand. With chips these small, the heat from the soldering iron can easily destroy them if you leave the iron on the chip pins too long. Basically, the solder that you will use to connect the wire to these chips should come from the small bead of solder used to tin your soldering gun tip. Then, just a quick tap (1 second maximum) on top of the wire while it is pressed against the pin, and it it soldered. Luckily, if you connect all the common wires together, there are only four wire points to solder on the board. Those are the positive and negative battery terminals, and the two chips. Also, I will say that you need good wire manipulation skills, as the wires on the converters are extremely small and fragile. I tried stripping a wire with my fingernails, and ended up breaking the wire, thus making it shorter. Ugh! For the remaining wires, I stripped them by carefully using a fingernail clip. The safest way to strip them would be to use a wire stripper. Even still, the wires are extremely thin and fragile. Finally, you will need to have access to a fine bit drill, as you must widen the diameter of the hole of the pinion gear from the original main motor. You must do this, as the diameter of the brushless motor shaft is slightly bigger than the stock motor shaft. I got my assembly inspiration for the upgrade from the following YouTube.com video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FyJB-lf-HY&feature=related As I have not flown my helicopter in weeks, I am eager to just finish this project. I too got tired of burning out motors. I burned out a brand new motor in one day. However, if Walkera comes out with a metal upgrade to their 4G3 full collective pitch helicopter, I will have another opportunity to complete another full brushless project. For that one, I will take step-by-step pictures of my work and post them here. For now, I will simply post pictures of the finished project. If you still want to do the brushless upgrade, and you are unsure of your own skills, perhaps you could pay someone a small fee to do the work for you. Even with a small fee of $50 or whatever, that still beats burning up motors. At burning up a motor a day, and each motor costs $5, I would be spending $150 a month to fly this helicopter. Therefore, it made sense to spend the money and go full brushless. Well, that's enough for now. If you need help, please reply to this post, and I will be glad to assist you in any practical way that I can. Take care. -Z
Posted on: 12/8/2008 10:14 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8226892

TheSteve Converter (Low and High Speed) Pinout
Hi all. Using the diagrams and parts list at WowHobbies.com, I have successfully re-wired my Walkera 4#3B helicopter's circuitry for a brushless main motor and brushless tail motor. The motors successfully speed up and slow down as I move the throttle/tail lever on my transmitter. Now, I want to unsolder and reconnect the wiring in a neat, bullet-proofed fashion by using a PC board. However, anyone who has performed this brushless upgrade knows how fragile the wires on TheSteve converters are. In case I should break one of the wires to the point where it is too short to use, I was thinking it must be possible to simply solder my own wire to the pins on theSteve converter chip. So, the big question is this. Does anyone have the pinout diagram of both the low speed and high spead TheSteve converter chips? I need to know which color wire goes to which pin. Thanks in advance for any information that you give me. -Z
Posted on: 12/8/2008 3:53 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.."
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8225535

RE: Need Polite Yet Honest And Friendly Advice On A Trex 450 SE V2
[quote]ORIGINAL: evan-RCU Q1: Based on the parts I already have, us the Trex deal at helihobby.com for $599 a good one? Get the combo for $599 and leave you Raptors ready to fly. Q2: Does anyone know of a better deal that can suit my needs? There are deals but I don't know one you can get thats better. Q3: Is there anything else that I need to purchase? You'll need a good charger and reciever. Also some better carbon fiber blades. [/quote] Hi all. evan-RCU, thanks for your swift reply. I should be able to use the receiver in one of my Raptors inside of the Trex 450, right? Or, would the receiver be too big to fit inside the 450? Since I have two Raptors, I should be able to use the receiver from one of them so that I can avoid having to spend money on a new one. That money can go towards a balancing charger. What are your thoughts on this? Again, thanks in advance. -Z
Posted on: 10/20/2008 3:00 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8066916

Need Polite Yet Honest And Friendly Advice On A Trex 450 SE V2
Hi all. First, I have two Raptor 30 V2 helicopters, as follows: Raptor 1: Transmitter = JR XP8103 Gyro = JR G400 Raptor 2: Transmitter = Futaba T6XAS Gyro = Futaba GY401 So that I can do away with buy fuel at $30 per gallon, I am thinking about buying the Trex 450 V2 Deal package for $599 from this URL: http://www.helihobby.com/html/trex_helicopter.html My local hobby shop told me that if I already have a transmitter, receiver, and gyro, all I need to purchase is the Trex 450 V2 kit that comes with a brushless motor, and then buy the four servos and a balancing battery charger. So, what I want to do is to take the best parts from the above Raptors, and buy a Trex kit so that I can build the best electric helicopter I can with what I already have. My questions are: Q1: Based on the parts I already have, us the Trex deal at helihobby.com for $599 a good one? Q2: Does anyone know of a better deal that can suit my needs? Q3: Is there anything else that I need to purchase? Any additional advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance. -Z
Posted on: 10/20/2008 12:29 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter General Discussions"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8066504

Blade MCX For RealFlight G3.5
Hi all. My local hobby shop told me that there is a way to import and use Blade MCX data within RealFlight G3.5. However, I don't remember all of the things he said to acquire it. Does anyone know how to do this? Thanks in advance. -Z
Posted on: 10/12/2008 1:28 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "E-Flite Helicopters"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=8040915

RE: Diff Cups: Ofna Ultra LX Comp VS. Ofna Ultra LX Comp II
Hi all. Gado, thanks for the reply. Yes, the manual shows a set screw. However, this manual is for the Comp I. Unfortunately, it seems Ofna uses the same manual for both the Comp I and Comp II. The diff cups of the Comp II have no set screws. Please see this URL to see what I mean: http://www.nitrohouse.com/ofna_ultra_comp_2.htm Thanks. -Z
Posted on: 8/21/2007 7:49 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC 1/8th Scale Buggies"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6269213

Diff Cups: Ofna Ultra LX Comp VS. Ofna Ultra LX Comp II
Hi all. I really hope someone can help me. I have two Ofna Ultra LX Comp buggies. When adding silicone diff lock to my differentials, I tried the trick of using RTV silicone sealant on the set screw and under the heads of the diff cap screws to prevent silicone oil from leaking past them. I have tried smoothing the top of the diff cups on smooth sandpaper to make a more positive seal with the diff cap. In researching, I came across the fact that the differentials of the Ultra LX Comp II buggies have no set screw. I strongly believe that using such differentials would significantly help to solve my leakage problem. According to Ofna's parts listing, the parts that go inside of the differential cups are the same between the Comp and the Comp II. However, I do not see how this can be. I put the cap joint (Part 30901) into the diff cup (30761 for center and 30751 for front/rear) with no set screw hole. However, I can not seem to put the pin through the top end of the cap joint, the pin on which the diff gear (30769) rests. It seems as though the inner diameter of the new type of diff cup is smaller, thus reducing the clearance in which to install the pin. I have posted this problem to a few boards, yet, no one has been able to help. Hopefully, someone at this board can. Lastly, if someone were to put silicon grease into a differential and never change the oil, would that be a bad thing? I thought that silicone does not break down. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. -Z
Posted on: 8/21/2007 4:04 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC 1/8th Scale Buggies"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=6268230

RE: Has Any First Time Helicopter Flyer Learned To Fly On A Nitro Gas Helicopter?
Hi all. Archiebald, that diagram was extremely helpful. If I had it sooner, this thread would probably have been shorter ;-) Archiebald, would you happen to know what pattern the Raptor V2 .50 or the Raptor .60 uses? Thanks. -Z
Posted on: 5/17/2006 12:27 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4287925

RE: Has Any First Time Helicopter Flyer Learned To Fly On A Nitro Gas Helicopter?
Hi all. Once again, thanks for the informative posts. Again, you guys rock! I just wanted to get clarity on what CCPM is vs. one servo/one function. Based on Tippy's and K36330's explanations, I think I now understand. Please correct me if I'm wrong. eCCPM is three matched servos working in unison at three points 120 degrees apart on the swashplate. The servos' working together is a function of the transmitter's sending simultaneous signals to all servos, hence the term eCCPM. Also, because the servos work together, each individual servo works less hard, and they do not have to be high torque servos. Because three points define a plane, the rotors move in a planar motion centered about the rotor head, and can tilt in any of 360 directions (360 degress equals a circle). I would assume that there is a fourth servo to control the tail rotor, and probably a fifth servo to control the gyro. Am I correct in all of this? For non CCPM helicopters, the servos are at 90 degress apart on the swashplate. Because they are not spaced at 120 degrees apart, the planar motion of the rotors can not tilt in all 360 directions. Instead, the planar motion can tilt only at 0 (right), 90 (forward), 180 (left), and 270 (backward) degrees, and a few degrees in between those directions. Am I correct in this? So, if I am correct in both of the above, eCCPM would have the advantage of tilting the rotors through more degrees in a circle than non CCPM can. Hence, I would think that eCCPM would provide more control of a helicopter than non CCPM would. Am I correct? However, I still do not understand the concept of mCCPM (mechanical CCPM). Sorry for prolonging this, but could someone please explain? I was told that the Raptor 50 is not CCPM. Can it be made to do eCCPM? Once again, thanks. -Z
Posted on: 5/17/2006 2:39 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4286803

RE: Has Any First Time Helicopter Flyer Learned To Fly On A Nitro Gas Helicopter?
Hi all. All I can say is WOW! When I started this thread, I was looking for good beginning information on what to do to get into the helicopter hobby. Well, I got just that. You guys are great. I was joking about getting a loan for a helicopter. I wish I had the money to just buy everything at once. But, as someone said, go slow, buy just the essentials, and add on other stuff slowly. Archiebald, you mentioned the Aerofly Pro Deluxe simulator for $200. Does it come with a transmitter box on which to learn, or must I first buy my own radio transmitter to go with it? Also, how does Aerofly compare to Great Planes Realflight 3D? The Hawk Pro .30 for $700 at CenturyHeli does not sound bad. However, someone who responded earlier in this thread mentioned something negative about CenturyHeli, and that I should check the Better Business Bureau about them. Elgreco3, what was your experience with them? I think that what I should do, since I do not yet have the $1000 to spend up front, is to spend $200 on the simulator and fly, fly, and fly until I become good and until I save up the money. The more I read about it, the more I like the Raptor 50. I must do more research, though. So many models from which to chose. One last thing, which I do not seem to understand. Some helicopter models use an independent servo to control the elevators, ailerons, etc. On the other hand, some helicopters use three servos in unison on the rotor head, thus creating CCPM. So, which should I be looking for, and why? Is CCPM better for 3D flying? Please be detailed. Thanks. -Z
Posted on: 5/14/2006 4:39 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4275798

RE: Has Any First Time Helicopter Flyer Learned To Fly On A Nitro Gas Helicopter?
Hi all. Reaaz, thanks for the detail. I greatly appreciate it. Maybe I can go to the local bank and ask them for a helicopter loan ;-) Yes, it's good that financing plans exist. $2000 is a lot to spend in one month. Take care. -Z
Posted on: 5/12/2006 5:55 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4270962

RE: Want To Buy Some On-Road RTR Cars: Which Should I Choose?
Hi all. Thanks for the responses. Does anyone know anything about the Cen Nitro Mini Cooper CT5? Its out of the box speed is claimed to be 70 mph+. Thanks. -Z
Posted on: 5/10/2006 1:37 AM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC On Road Nitro Cars"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4260953

Want To Buy Some On-Road RTR Cars: Which Should I Choose?
Hi all. Please forgive the redundancy of this post, but I believe that my situation is slightly different from most. Once again, I need to borrow from the vast experience that all of you have, as I have no experience with on-road vehicles whatsoever. Currently, I have two Ofna LX Comp buggies. I am filling the differentials with silicone oil so that my friends and I can race when it stops raining. My local hobby store recently told me about a huge unused parking lot which I checked out. It is huge (back side of a shopping mall). Therefore and additionally, I now want to delve into the on-road realm, as the action is much faster and a little cleaner, I would think. My problem is that my friends are tied up with families, mortgages, etc., and do not have the disposable income that I have. Believe me, it's not that disposable;-) Therefore, when I buy anything, I must buy two so that my friends and I can race against each other. I was thinking that I could buy on-road tires for my buggies and race that way. However, after further thinking, it seems to me that buggies would have a higher center of gravity, and would tip over on an on-road surface more readily than a true on-road car. Is this true? Has anyone ever done this and had success? At the very most, I was hoping to spend $600 on two RTR cars. However, I can see that I may have to go higher, as much as $350 per car. Hopefully, I can cap the purchase at $700. Also, because I have to buy two cars, both have to be RTR, with full radio system, engine, etc. I was thinking about the Ofna CD3 Pro RTR, CD3 Sport RTR, Ultra GTP RTR, and the GPX4 RTR cars. I want to buy the car that is the fastest, has the best handling, etc. Also, I may want to buy a car that is legal for racing, as I may want to race someday. Because I am spending so much on two cars, I do not want to have to add in a 2-speed transmission, as those are expensive by themselves. I was thinking strongly about the Ultra GTP, but for some reason, I believe the 2-speed 1/10 scales can out-do the 1/8 scale 1-speed without modifications. Is this true? So great people, I need your help in choosing. Also, if there are RTR cars that you know are better than the Ofnas at a price point of $350 per car, please chime in and let me know. I was thinking that I want to purchase as soon as the ground dries up and the weather is consistently good. Thanks again. -Z
Posted on: 5/9/2006 7:49 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC On Road Nitro Cars"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4259623

RE: Has Any First Time Helicopter Flyer Learned To Fly On A Nitro Gas Helicopter?
Hi all. Reaaz, good information. If you do not mind my asking, what are the components of your complete helicopter system? What brand and model of radio? What brand and model of servos? What brand and model of engine? Did you get a simulator? Also, if you do not mind my asking, what kind of cash outlay did you have to make? Thanks. -Z
Posted on: 5/9/2006 2:47 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4258530

RE: Need Advice On Buying My First Helicopter
Hi all. Barracudahockey, once again, I am in your debt. As always, you give great advice. Good look for the warning on HeliHobby. I don't need drama in my life ;-) You forgot to post the PDF file from Futaba for the discussion on analog vs. digital servos. I'll check back for that. Can an Airwolf fuselage fit on a Raptor 50 frame? Sorry to belabor this, but I read that in eCCPM, the servos work less hard, as they work in unison instead of having each servo tied to a certain function. Is there an advantage to having the aileron, elevator, etc., being individually controlled by one servo vs. eCCPM, especially where stability and future 3D flight is concerned? Thanks. -Z
Posted on: 5/5/2006 2:38 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4243782

Need Advice On Buying My First Helicopter
Hi all. I am beginning my process to join you as an r/c helicopter pilot, but I need to borrow from your vast experience and knowledge. I have never flown anything before, and I am looking hard into learning to fly this summer. I have done some research, but that is all. Now, it is time to start buying, or at least start pricing. I believe in the adage, "You get what you pay for," so I understand that I will probably be spending around $1000 or so. I am prepared for that. I am looking for a helicopter on which I can train comfortably, yet, one that I will not outgrow. What I want is a nitro helicopter that has full CCPM and 3D capability built in. I do not want to have to buy more parts to make it 3D capable. I want to spend the money once and be done. The helicopter should also have, if possible, a belt-driven tail, metal rotor head parts (no plastic, if possible), metal frame, carbon fiber rotor and tail blades, etc. On HeliHobby.com, I looked at the complete Hawk 30 system for $645. However, the turn-off is that you must add parts to it to make it 3D capable, if I remember correctly. I looked at the Raptor 50, and I liked what I saw. I especially like the fact that, to make it 3D capable, you simply switch the original paddles to the lighter paddles that already come inside the kit. The Raptor 50 is described as the world's best selling helicopter. Therefore, buying one should not be a mistake, as I would be in good company. Lastly, I looked at the Tiger 50's description. Again, it is a beautiful machine and sounds like a winner. Too bad it will not be available until August 2006 or something like that. So, good people, based on the above or what is not above, what do you think a suitable helicopter for me would be? A fellow poster said that I should buy quality individual components, as some combos ship with average components. He mentioned that I should get individually get a quality radio system, a quality engine, and a quality kit. So, I will have a little shopping to do. Actually, before I even get the helicopter, I must first get the radio system, as I can not buy and use Real Flight 3D without a transmitter. However, I guess I do not have to get the servos immediately. What is a good radio transmitter which I will not outgrow and can handle any helicopter, including retractible landing gear? So, any kind suggestions would be greatly appreciated. See you in the sky. -Z P.S. They say that with a CCPM, you do not need digital servos (regulars will do), as all of the servos work together in a CCPM system. Could someone please elaborate on this concept and explain exactly what digital vs. regular servos and why that is important concerning the rotor head mechanics?
Posted on: 5/5/2006 1:19 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4243571

RE: Has Any First Time Helicopter Flyer Learned To Fly On A Nitro Gas Helicopter?
Hi all. Elgreco3, on that same website is an Airwolf model of similar size. Also, you will find a twin turbine F-14 Tomcat. I wish people would list the complete components of those models and how much they spent on them. My guess is that the Bell 222 is worth around $6K to $7K. That's a lot of money to spend on a model. Hopefully, the owners can get work flying their copters in movies. Take care. -Z
Posted on: 5/4/2006 10:07 PM by Author "zx11ninja" in the forum "RC Helicopter Beginners Forum"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=4241478