The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide v17 Toshiyasu Morita
The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide v17 Toshiyasu Morita Mark Pearson Copyright © 2000-2006 Toshiyasu Morita Copyright © 2005-2006 Mark Pearson
Table of Contents Preface ..................................................................................................................xiii 1. Things You Should Know ......................................................................................1 1.1. Helicopters require a SIGNIFICANT TIME COMMITMENT ............................1 1.2. Repairs are expensive ................................................................................1 1.3. Hovering is difficult to learn .......................
The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide v17 4.1. Beginner configurations ............................................................................ 17 4.1.1. Corona - brushed configuration ...................................................... 17 4.1.2. Corona - brushless configuration .................................................... 17 4.1.3. FP Piccolo - brushed + Piccoboard ................................................. 17 4.1.4. FP Piccolo - brushed - separates ................................
The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide v17 7.3.1. CA Glue ........................................................................................ 53 7.3.2. CA accelerator .............................................................................. 53 7.3.3. CA debonder ................................................................................. 54 7.3.4. Epoxy ........................................................................................... 54 7.4. Charging equipment ....................
The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide v17 10.1.15. Mounting component ................................................................. 80 10.1.16. Ball in swashplate ...................................................................... 80 10.1.17. Removing CA glued joints .......................................................... 80 10.2. Specific tips for LMH Corona only ............................................................ 80 10.3. Specific tips for all Piccolo (Fun/ECO/CP upgrade/Pro) .......
The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide v17 15. Learning to Fly an R/C Helicopter ..................................................................... 121 15.1. The skills required ................................................................................ 121 15.2. Making the learning process easier ........................................................ 121 15.2.1. Hover no higher than eye level ................................................... 121 15.2.2.
The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide v17 26.2.3. Tail wags (hunts) constantly with HH gyro ................................... 145 26.2.4. Tail swings 30-90 degrees abruptly then corrects itself ................. 146 26.2.5. Tail servo responds in one direction only ..................................... 147 26.2.6. Tail drifts as battery discharges .................................................. 147 26.2.7. Tail motor runs at low throttle ..................................................... 147 26.
The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide v17 crystal? ................................................................................................ 163 28.2.11. Why are channel 20 and/or channel 21 not recommended for use or banned at my flying field? ...................................................................... 163 28.2.12. Can I use brand X servos with brand Y receivers? ..................... 163 28.2.13. When should I move from an FP helicopter to a CP helicopter? .. 163 28.3.
The Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide v17 30.9. Battery care and maintenance ............................................................... 208 30.9.1. Nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries ............................................... 208 30.9.2. Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries ......................................... 209 30.9.3. Lithium-Polymer (LiPo) batteries ................................................. 209 30.9.4. NiCad/NiMH/LiPo Battery disposal ...........................................
List of Tables 2.1. Helicopter types .................................................................................................2 3.1. Helicopter size summary sorted by AUW .............................................................5 3.2. Helicopter size summary sorted by AUW ........................................................... 15 5.1. Piccolo Upgrade Motors .................................................................................... 22 6.1. Wire size recommended by current capacity .
Preface by Toshiyasu Morita (TMorita on the Ezone and Ikarus BBS) and Mark Pearson (MRP on the Ezone and HeliSpot BBS) Copyright (C) 2002-2006 Toshiyasu Morita. Portions copyright (C) 2005-2006 Mark Pearson. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Text by Toshiyasu Morita & Mark Pearson. All photographs and screen captures by Mark Pearson unless otherwise credited. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial License.
Chapter 1. Things You Should Know 1.1. Helicopters require a SIGNIFICANT TIME COMMITMENT R/C helicopters are not dynamically stable, and they require constant stick input. It's very similar to balancing a marble on a sheet of glass by radio control. In addition to this, the glass can be rotated which then rotates all the directions. Therefore, it takes a lot of time to develop a good sense of balance and orientation.
Chapter 2. Types of R/C Helicopters There are four basic types of R/C helicopters: 1. Single rotor helicopters with fewer than four channels 2. Coaxial helicopters with two to four channels 3. Multirotor helicopters with four channels 4. Single rotor helicopters with four or more channels 2.1. Single rotor helicopters with fewer than four channels This category includes helicopters such as the Nikko Skywatcher.
Types of R/C Helicopters Visual orientation Hovering skills Forward flight skills Single rotor with <4 channels no no no Coaxial with 2-4 channels yes no no Multirotor with 4 channels yes no no Single rotor with >4 channels yes yes yes 3
Chapter 3. First Helicopter Selection Guide 3.1. Things to consider when selecting your first helicopter • Durability • Price of replacement parts • Availability of replacement parts • Size The reason for this is: when you are learning to hover, you will crash. This is a given. Everyone crashes. When you crash, you do not want to spend a fortune repairing the helicopter, because everyone has limited funds.
First Helicopter Selection Guide • Transmitters and receivers have very short range and/or interference problems • Servos jitter and/or have centering problems These problems will make learning hovering much more difficult. 3.1.1.
First Helicopter Selection Guide Original Clone Night Ranger 3D (cloned head), Walkera Dragonfly 22D and 22E Zoom 400/Zap 400/Shogun v1 Revo CP, Walkera Dragonfly 35 Zoom 400/Zap 400/Shogun v2 Walkera Dragonfly 36 T-rex 450XL Walkera Dragonfly 39 Quick Japan EP8 Quick Worldwide Little Quickie 8 Quick Japan 16 Quick Worldwide Sweet 16 Many of the Chinese clones are attractive to beginners due to their low cost, however, they often have many problems.
First Helicopter Selection Guide • www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412295 • www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=384344 • www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=381433 • www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=393943 3.2.3.3. Low quality transmitter joysticks The potentiometers in many low quality transmitters are not accurate and will cause the heli to jump around. • www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=459902 3.2.4.
First Helicopter Selection Guide 3.4.1. Lite Machines Corona • A very good trainer • Moderately inexpensive (retail about $180-$199) • Very durable • Manufacturer is in the US. Parts availability is very good. • 1250-1500 grams AUW, 610mm rotor diameter, 6-8 cells • large, moderate headspeed, easy to learn hovering - not indoors in small venues (gym ok) • Backyard flyer, maybe in gyms 3.4.2.
First Helicopter Selection Guide • Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability is good. • 330 grams AUW,540mm rotor diameter, 8-9 AAA cells • Small, high headspeed. hard to learn hovering • Gym flyer 3.4.4. Ikarus ECO Lite • Only for experienced pilots - only does forward flight • Inexpensive (retail about $140) • Somewhat fragile, same weakness as ECO 8. • Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability spotty, • 1150 grams AUW, 760mm rotor diameter, 6-8 SubC cells • Doesn't hover.
First Helicopter Selection Guide 3.4.7. Ikarus Viper 70/MS Composit Stinger 3 • Moderate to serious aerobatics capable • Moderately inexpensive (retail ahout $250) • About average durability • Manufacturer in Germany • 700-900 grams AUW, 750mm rotor diameter, 3-5s lipo • Small, high headspeed, difficult to learn hovering • Backyard flyer 3.4.8.
First Helicopter Selection Guide • 1500 grams AUW, 965mm rotor diameter, 7 SubC cells • Large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering • Backyard flyer 3.4.11. Kyosho Concept EP - discontinued? • Trainer/light aerobatics • Expensive (retail about $380 incl motor, cannot buy without motor) • About average durability • Manufacturer in Japan. Parts availability ? • 1500 grams AUW , 912mm rotor diameter, 7 SubC cells • Large, high headspeed. Has weak power due to high disc loading.
First Helicopter Selection Guide • Moderate aerobatics capable • Inexpensive (retail about $150) • Fragile • Manufacturer in Czech Republic. Parts availability okay. • 280 grams AUW, 490mm rotor diameter, AAA 7-8 cells • Small, low headspeed, hard to learn hovering,- but can be flown indoors • Gym flyer 3.4.15. MS Composit Hornet CP • Moderate to serious aerobatics capable • Inexpensive (retail about $200) • Fairly • Manufacturer in Germany. Parts availability okay.
First Helicopter Selection Guide • Gym flyer 3.4.18. Robbe Spirit L-8/Eolo R22 • Moderate aerobatics capable • Expensive (retail about $300) • About average durability • Manufacturer in Germany?, parts availability okay • 1280g AUW, 810mm rotor diameter, 8 SubC cells • Large, high headspeed, easy to learn hovering, outdoors only • Backyard flyer 3.4.19. Quick Quick EP 10 • Moderate aerobatics capable • Inexpensive (retail about $250) • About average durability • Manufacturer in USA.
First Helicopter Selection Guide • About average durability. • Manufacturer in Taiwan. Parts availability good. • 500 grams AUW, 635mm rotor diameter, 3s1p lipos • Small, high headspeed, moderate to learn hovering • Gym flyer, Backyard flyer 3.4.22. Align T-Rex 450X • Moderate to advanced aerobatics capable • Inexpensive (retail about $160) • About average durability. • Manufacturer in Taiwan. Parts availability good.
First Helicopter Selection Guide • Gym flyer, Backyard flyer 3.4.25. Hirobo XRB SR (Sky Robo) • A good trainer for beginners learning to hover • Expensive (~$300) • Fairly durable except for foam rotor blades. (Parts 0301001 and 0301002) • Manufacturer in Japan. Parts availability is good. • 195 grams AUW,350 mm rotor diameter, 2s LiPo cells • Small, low headspeed. Perfect to learn hovering orientations. Not suitable to learn FFF. • Living room flyer 3.5.
First Helicopter Selection Guide Name AUW Rotor Dia.
Chapter 4. Recommended Configurations These are configurations for beginners, and therefore we tend to recommend inexpensive and mild setups rather than excessively "hot" 3-D setups. Warning Do not run R/C car-type "Speed 540" brushed motors (Atomic Force, Fusion 7, etc) on more than 8 cells. Most R/C car motors are not designed for more than 8 cells, and running them with more cells will kill the motor after only a few flights. 4.1. Beginner configurations 4.1.1.
Recommended Configurations • 7 cell NiCad or 8 cell NiMH battery pack 4.1.4. FP Piccolo - brushed - separates • Stock Speed 295/310 motor • 1 Castle Creations Pixie-7P main ESC • High frequency tail ESC • 2 HS-55s for cyclic • Futaba GY240 or CSM LW200 HH gyro • GWS or Berg 4-channel receiver • 7 cell NiCad or 8 cell NiMH battery pack 4.1.5.
Recommended Configurations • Hacker B20-36S brushless motor w/10 tooth pinion (for duration) • Castle Creations Phoenix 10 main ESC • Pixie-7P or ICS-50E tail ESC • 2 HS-50s (or HS-55s) for cyclic • Futaba GY401 or CSM LW200 HH gyro • GWS 6-channel receiver • 8 cell NiCad or NiMH battery pack 4.2.2.
Recommended Configurations • 12 cell NiCad battery pack 4.2.5. ECO 8 - brushed • Kyosho Magnetic Mayhem Reverse brushed motor • Castle Creations Pegasus 35 • 3 HS-85MGs for cyclic • HS-81 for tail • Futaba GY240 or GY401 HH gyro • 6 channel receiver • 8 cell NiCad battery pack (The MMR can run with 10 cells also) 4.2.6. ECO 8 - brushless • Hacker B50-18S or Mega Motor 22/20/3H motor • Schulze Future 12.46e (8 cells) • Schulze Future 18.
Chapter 5. Brushless Motor Upgrade Paths You may want to choose a brushless motor which is usable in both your first fixed pitch helicopter and your second collective pitch helicopter. This is a little tricky but definitely possible if you plan wisely. In the following section, 10-12T means 10 tooth to 12 tooth pinion. The lower tooth pinions are for duration, and the higher ones are for power. 5.1.
Brushless Motor Upgrade Paths 5.1.2. Corona motors usable in a Eolo This requires choosing a 3.17mm shaft motor with a Kv of about 3300. This results in a power motor for both the Corona and the Eolo. The Mega 16/15/3 is fairly mild for both Corona and the Eolo. 5.1.2.1. Mega 16/15/3, Kv = 3000 rpm/V • Corona: 10T • Eolo : ? 5.1.2.2. Hacker C40-12S, Kv = 3500 rpm/V • Corona: 10T • Eolo : stock pinion 5.1.2.3.
Brushless Motor Upgrade Paths Motor Kv FP Pinion CP Pinion B20-36S 2500 8T 10T B20-31S 3000 8T 10T B20-18L 3000 8T 8T 23
Chapter 6. Helicopter Parts Selection 6.1. Control system 6.1.1. Receiver If you are using a gyro without remote sensitivity (like the GY240) on a fixed pitch heli, then you only need a four channel receiver (channels 1-4). If you are using a gyro with remote sensitivity (like the GY401) on a fixed pitch heli, then you need a receiver which can receive channels 1-5.
Helicopter Parts Selection A heading hold gyro is highly recommended for beginners. There are four reasons for this: • A heading hold gyro is much easier to configure than a yaw rate gyro. The yaw rate gyro requires the revo mix curve to be set up correctly before learning hovering, and this is tricky to set up for beginners. • The heading hold gyro will "lock" the tail at one heading rather than just dampening random tail movement.
Helicopter Parts Selection Futaba GY240 gyro The GY401 is a more advanced gyro with many adjustment options. It requires a dedicated channel for sensitivity adjustment so it requires a radio with at least five channels. Also, the sensitivity is a little tricky to set up properly. I would recommend purchasing a GY401 unless you have a four-channel radio, in which case you can only use the GY240.
Helicopter Parts Selection holes on the PCB. Piccoboard Plus The difference between the Piccoboard/Piccoboard Plus and the Pro is the Pro can handle a larger main motor and the BEC capacity is doubled. My guess is the Piccoboard has about a ~7 amp ESC for the main motor, and the Piccoboard Plus has about a ~10 amp ESC for the main motor.
Helicopter Parts Selection heading hold gyro. It is not really recommended for microhelis because it is very prone to overheating and will shut down abruptly when it overheats. It will also not re-arm until it cools down which can take 10-15 minutes. If you must use one, be sure to mount it where it will get airflow (NOT inside the cabinet on the side of the heli). The Century CN2000-4 gyro+mixer board is also similar to the Piccoboard and is also not upgradable to a heading hold gyro.
Helicopter Parts Selection The ECO 8/16 require a servo no taller than 1.1 inches, so this limits servo choices considerably. • JR 341 (0.22 secs/60 degrees, 32 oz-in) • JR 351 (0.22 secs/60 degrees, 32 oz-in) • HS-81 (0.11 secs/60 degrees, 36 oz-in) • HS-85MG/BB+ (0.16 secs/60 degrees, 42 oz-in) • GWS Micro 2BBMG (0.17 secs/60 degrees, 75 oz-in) • Futaba S3102 (0.22 secs/60 degrees, 63 oz-in) • Volz Micro-Maxx (0.16 secs/60 degrees, 55 oz-in) • Volz Micro-Maxx XP (0.
Helicopter Parts Selection • Hitec HS-81 • JR DS368 (do not use in DS mode, will burn out) • Volz Speed-Maxx XP (DS mode compat, will be released about Oct 2003) • Multiplex Micro BB Speed (DS mode compat) • Hitec HS-5245MG (DS mode compat) • Hobby Electonics HDS-577 (DS mode compat) • Multiplex Mini Polo digi 4 (DS mode compat) The Multiplex Micro BB Speed is slightly larger than the HS-81/DS368 so some modification may be required to use it.
Helicopter Parts Selection ginners on nonmicro helis because they are reasonably priced and can discharge at high rates. NiMH batteries are usually higher capacity but deliver less current than Nicad batteries, so they are better suited for duration flying. One exception is the Sanyo HR-SC which is a NiMH battery specially built for high current drain which performs slightly better than the CP2400/RC2400 (HR-SCs must be used immediately after charging for best results).
Helicopter Parts Selection • FlightPower lithium-polymer batteries • Common Sense RC lithium-polymer batteries (milliohms is a measure of internal resistance; LOWER IS BETTER) If you are buying batteries not on this list, then you should ask the manufacturer for the internal resistance of the cells. If the batteries do not have an internal resistance as low as the cells on this list, then it is probably not suitable for helicopter use.
Helicopter Parts Selection The Tamiya connectors do not handle high current well. They will become very, very hot when conducting large amounts of current. Unfortunately,these connectors are supplied with Corona kits. It is highly recommended to replace these connectors. JST connectors are only good up to about 6 amps burst, and should only be used for micro helis under 400 grams. If used for larger helis such as a Zoom or T-rex, they will become very hot.
Helicopter Parts Selection There are two models for 5 volt use, one for up to 29 cells and other for up to 36 cells. The second is the Firmtronics SBEC. This is a very small and light (8 grams w/o switch) BEC which can deliver up to 2.5 amps continuous and can work with up to 40 cells. Some people have reported interference problems with the SBEC on 35 Mhz radio systems, however. There are now two more choices, which are the Medusa Research "Potencia" 2 amp/6-25 cell and 3.5 amp/10-33 cell BECs (12 grams).
Helicopter Parts Selection 6.3.4. Wire (The Corona kit does not need extra wire if using the Fusion 35, Pegasus 35, or Phoenix 35 controller) The motor and battery wires are especially important on an electric helicopter. If the ESC to battery wire is too thin, then you may experience ESC shutdown problems when the motor is spooling up or the wire may become very hot. If the ESC to motor wire is too thin, then the motor may stutter while the helicopter is in flight.
Helicopter Parts Selection 6.3.5. LiPo battery monitor If you are using a LiPo battery pack, you may want to use a LiPo battery monitor to avoid overdischarging and damaging your expensive battery. There are several LiPo battery monitors: • The BattSignal by Jim Bourke Model Products weighs 4 grams and protects 2s to 6s LiPo battery packs. It autodetects the number of cells in series and will provide an audible indication of the capacity left as the battery is discharged.
Helicopter Parts Selection Note: The Astroflight 020 has a high failure rate when used in the Corona. 6.4.1.2. FP Piccolo motors Ideal Kv: 1800-2000 rpm/V - Main gear: 100T, 0.5 module • Astro Flight Astro 010 (brushless) mild • Team Orion Modified Elite (brushed) powerful • Hacker B20-36S (brushless) (8T pinion) powerful • Model Motors ACn1215/20 (brushless) powerful Note: The Astro 010 is very good for long flights. 6.4.1.3. CP Piccolo main motors Ideal Kv: 2700-3000 rpm/V - Main gear: 100T, 0.
Helicopter Parts Selection 6.4.1.5. Piccolo, Dragonfly, Hummingbird tail motors Main gear: 0.5 module • GWS EDF50-2 motor (brushed, can draw >2 amps) • Feigao 1208436L (brushless)(direct drive or geared use) • Feigao 1208430S (brushless)(geared use only!) 6.4.1.6. Hornet CP motors Main gear: 135T, 0.4 module • HiMaxx HA3026-3600 (brushless) • Hacker B20-26S (brushless) • Model Motors ACn1215/16 (brushless) • Razor Micro Heli V2 (brushless) 6.4.1.7. Maxir SE motors Main gear: ?T, 0.
Helicopter Parts Selection • Lehner 1020/17 (11T, 3S LiPo) • Medusa Products MR-028-040-3400 (11T, 3S LiPo) (Best low-cost choice is currently the Mega 16/15/3) 6.4.1.10. ARK X-400 motors Main gear: 138T, 0.5 module • Mega 16/15/3 (?) 6.4.1.11. Voyager E motors Pinion: ? • Hacker C40-10T (brushless) • Hacker C40-8L (brushless) Note: The Astroflight 020 has a high failure rate when used in the Voyager E. 6.4.1.12. Robbe Eolo motors Ideal Kv: 3.17mm shaft motors: 3000-3300 rpm/V 5.
Helicopter Parts Selection 3.17 mm shaft motors: 2100-2300 rpm/V 5.00 mm shaft motors: 1500-1800 rpm/V Main gear: 180T 0.5 module The ECO 8 has a 180T main gear, and the available pinions are 10T-17T for 3.17mm shafts, and 13-24T for 5mm shafts • Magnetic Mayhem (brushed) mild • Mega 16/25/3 (brushless, 10 cells/13T) mild • Hacker C40-13L (brushless) mild, good for duration • Aveox 27/30/1.5 (brushless) ??? • Mega 22/20/4 (brushless, 10 cells/19T) mild • Aveox 36/15/1.
Helicopter Parts Selection Plettenberg Orbit 15-14 (10 cells/23-24T) Note: The C50 motors will NOT fit in an ECO frame. The smaller motors (C40, etc) may overheat in warm weather (70+F) so be careful. 6.4.1.14. ECO 16 motors The ECO 16 has the same main gear and pinions as the ECO 8. • Mega 22/30/4 (brushless, 16 cells, 17-20T) • Ikarus H16 (brushless, 16 cells, 20-24T) • Plettenberg Orbit 20-16 (brushless, 16 cells, 22T) • Mega 22/30/3 (brushless, 16 cells, 13-15T) 6.4.1.15.
Helicopter Parts Selection • Plettenberg Orbit 15-16 (brushless, 1070 rpm/V) ??? • Plettenberg Orbit 15-14 (brushless, 12 cells, 17T) ??? • Mega ACn 22/30/2 TDS (brushless) (6s3p, 10T) • Hacker B/C50-11L (brushless) super powerful (requires very good matched batteries) Recommended: • Plettenberg Orbit 15-14 (12 cells/17-21T) • Plettenberg Orbit 15-16 (14 cells/17-21T) • Hacker C50-13L (12 cells/13-17T) 6.4.1.17. Logo 14 motors 5.
Helicopter Parts Selection 6.4.1.20. Quick Sweet 16 EP motors The main gear is 120T, and the available pinions are 10-14T for 5mm shafts. • Aveox 36/38/3 (brushless, 20 cells, 12-13T) 6.4.1.21. Summary If you choose a brushless motor, then an autorotation gear is highly recommended. Most brushless motors have extremely high torque so when the motor spools down, the "braking" effect will be very strong. This will very likely break the main gear teeth if you do not have an autorotation gear.
Helicopter Parts Selection gers before mounting in the frame. 6.4.2. Pinion For more details see Section 30.4, “Pinion selection guide” in Chapter 31, Glossary Most helicopter manufacturers supply a range of pinions for their helicopters. You may require pinions with more teeth for some reason. The most common reason is for running outrunner motors which usually have a fairly low Kv and therefore require a pinion with a higher tooth count. Some helicopters use metric pinions, and some use English pinions.
Helicopter Parts Selection motor direction if your rotor head is spinning in the wrong direction. Therefore, I recommend avoiding sensored brushless motors unless you already know the timing is for the desired direction of rotation. If you plan to use a sensorless brushless motor, you will need a sensorless brushless motor controller. This motor type is not usable with a sensored brushless motor controller (such as the older Schulze Booster-40b).
Helicopter Parts Selection • Kontronik Jazz 55-6-18 For the Logo 10, the following work: • Schulze Future 18.46K • Kontronik Jazz 55-6-18 Do not use the SMILE 40-6-18 in the Logo 10 - it tends to burn out!!! The Hacker Masters seem to burn out in the Logo 10 as well due to ESD problems. The JETI Micoprocessor (red label series) is not suitable for helis because the throttle control is not smooth and is rather "steppy".
Helicopter Parts Selection Phoenix 35 ESC showing the BEC side The FET side is the side with the regular pattern of identical chips. The BEC side has a random collection of chips. Do NOT use a switch between the battery and ESC. Most switches will not handle the current and will become very hot. Also, if the battery is plugged into the helicopter, you should consider it live for basic safety reasons anyway. 6.4.5.
Helicopter Parts Selection The GWS ESCs are described as "high frequency" but they're only 2.8 khz. It's high frequency compared to the 50 hz control signal but it is not high frequency compared to the the TREC and other high frequency ESCs. Some people are using the Feigao 1208436L brushless motor + Phoenix 10 ESC for tail control, but this combination has wagging problems and does not work as well as a standard brushed motor + high frequency ESC. See also Section 30.1.
Helicopter Parts Selection • Ball-in-swash modification (improves control) but in general, a stock helicopter is recommended.
Chapter 7. Support Equipment 7.1. Hand tools 7.1.1. Screw/hex/nut drivers The best screw/hex/nut drivers for helicopter assembly and repair are probably the ones made by Wiha in Germany. The tool tips are made of hardened tool steel and the handles are made of very high quality plastic. www.wihatools.com stocks the entire line of inch and metric tools, and they stock both sets and individual tools. 7.1.2.
Support Equipment Needle-nose Pliers 7.2. Helicopter tools 7.2.1. Pitch gauge A pitch gauge is an absolute must for collective pitch helicopters. It is unlikely you will be able to properly setup your non-micro CP heli to hover without using a pitch gauge. For microhelis, MJP Carbon makes a microheli main blade pitch gauge. It is available from DeeTee Enterprises. Ikarus makes a pitch gauge specifically for the ECO 8. For other non-micro helis, Century Helicopter Products makes a decent pitch gauge.
Support Equipment Kyosho Blade Balance 7.2.3. Paddle pitch gauge (optional) This is very handy for ensuring your paddles are completely flat relative to each other. For nonmicro helicopters, the KSJ-624 paddle gauge works well. KSJ paddle pitch gauge set 7.2.4. Prop balancer (optional) In order to balance the rotor head, you need a prop balancer. The Du-bro "Tru-spin prop balancer" works well because you can hang the rotor head over the edge of a table when balancing he rotor head. 7.2.5.
Support Equipment the headspeed. There are other tachometers, including: • Magnum mini-tach. Price is about $35. • Hangar 9 micro digital tach • Thunder Tiger 2642 mini tachometer Tachometer For some reason, Quantum Models www.quantummodels.com stocks more tachometers than any other online store I've seen. The shadow of the rotor blade should fall on the tachometer sensor for best results. Therefore, the tachometer should be under the rotating plane of blades.
Support Equipment 7.3.3. CA debonder CA debonder is usually acetone with a jelling agent so it will cling to surfaces. Some types of fingernail polish remover contain acetone, and sometimes a fluid works better because you can soak the entire part in acetone. CA debonder usually does not work instantly, and requires at least a few minutes to weaken the CA sufficiently to allow the parts to be separated. 7.3.4. Epoxy Two-part epoxies are often useful for making repairs.
Support Equipment • Great Planes Triton Jr (peak delay, NiCad, NiMH, Li-ion, Pb) • Great Planes Triton 2 (peak delay, NiCad, NiMH, Li-ion, Pb) • Hitec CG-330 (false peak reject, NiCad) • Hitec CG-335 (false peak reject, NiCad) • Hitec CG-335 Pro (false peak reject, NiCad, NiMH) • Hitec CG-340 (false peak reject, NiCad, NiMH) • Robbe Infinity II (false peak reject, NiCad, NiMH) • Schulze ISL 6-330d (false peak reject, NiCad, NiMH, Li-ion,Pb) • Orbit Microlader (soft-start, NiCad, NiMH, Li-i
Support Equipment Some balance chargers currently available are: • Schulze LiPoCard (1s to 4s packs, 3.
Support Equipment If you must go to a flying field in order to fly, then you will probably need a field battery. It is not recommended to charge larger batteries from your car's battery because automotive batteries are not designed to be discharged on a regular basis. 7.4.4.1. Calculating field battery capacity The steps to calculate the required field battery capacity are: 1.
Support Equipment solution. These typically cost between $50 and $120 and are available in sizes from 40 amphours to 120 amp-hours. Be sure to use a deep-cycle battery as regular lead-acid batteries are not designed for discharge on a regular basis. For field battery capacity up to 2880 watt-hours, the lowest cost solution is to use two 6 volt golf car batteries. These typically cost about $140 for a pair and are rated at 6 volts and 220 amp-hours.
Support Equipment lifting off, then the first thing you should check is the battery voltage while the heli is powered up. Digital Multimeter 7.5.2. Wattmeter A wattmeter is a device which is connected between the battery and ESC of a helicopter, and measures the voltage, current, the instantaneous watts used, the cumulative battery capacity used, and other parameters. This is very useful to check if the current draw is too high or the battery voltage is dropping too low.
Chapter 8. Simulators A simulator is highly recommended for helicopter beginners. A typical well-trimmed helicopter will only hover in place for two or three seconds "hands-off" before it starts to drift in a random direction. Therefore, a helicopter requires constant correction to hover in one spot. In addition, a drifting helicopter will gain speed much like a ball rolling down a hill.
Simulators are a few to give you an idea of what is available: • (US) www.aero-model.com • (UK) www.rcworld.co.uk • (CA) www.rc-circuits.com • (UK) www.rc-electronics.co.uk • (US) www.milehighwings.com • (NZ) www.acehobby.co.nz USB cable • (US) www.heliguy.com has instructions on how to build your own cable. 8.2. Piccofly with Game Commander ~$80 (score: 7/10) Piccofly - in the kitchen Piccofly is excellent for learning to fly the FP Piccolo and clones.
Simulators Futher information available from www.ipacs.de. 8.3. Easyfly ~$80(score: 4/10) Easyfly The quality of Easyflight's helicopter flight model is a little better than FMS, but not by much. The helis move faster, which is good, but forward flight doesn't feel right because there isn't any translational lift. Okay for learning hovering, but not forward flight. This is often bundled with Piccofly. Add-on aircraft and scenery packs are available. Futher information is available from: www.ipacs.de. 8.
Simulators Aerofly Pro The helicopter flight model is a little bit better than Easyfly but it still doesn't feel quite right. There's still not enough translational lift, but at least it won't let you loop the heli with 5ft of altitude without negative collective like Easyfly does. Good for learning hovering, but not forward flight. Add-on aircraft and scenery packs are available. Futher information is available from www.ipacs.de. 8.5.
Simulators Aerofly Pro Deluxe (Screen capture by Dongle) Aerofly Pro Deluxe (Screen capture by Dongle) Futher information is available from www.aerofly.com/dehome.html. 8.6.
Simulators ~$200 (score: 8/10) Realflight G2 Realflight G2 has a pretty good helicopter flight model, and is a good simulator for learning non-micro helicopter skills. The helicopter flight model is one of the best of all the flight sims mentioned here, and it will probably be good enough to practice 3D aerobatics. I would recommend practicing hovering on the Impala model initially, then later when you acquire proficiency I would recommend buying the Add-ons 3 and practicing with the Raptor 30 model.
Simulators RealFlight G3 (Screen capture by LanternMaker) Realflight G3 is recently released, the flight models have been improved even further, so this remains an excellent all-round simulator. The user can choose between computer-generated scenery or panoramic photographs. If you wish to move through the scenes you can use the computer-generated scenes. The existing G2 add-ons also work with G3. This is an excellent all-round simulator, but it is expensive. Futher information available from www.
Simulators Reflex XTR - Indoor flying Corona Reflex XTR - Realistic Corona model People have mentioned the physics model in Reflex seems better than RFG2; however I have not tested this. However, Reflex does not include a USB controller (only USB interface for a regular transmitter) and does not support network play.
Simulators for accurate heli flying characteristics. However, the newer XTR version looks fantastic - much nicer than RFG2, and it has improved the physics model even more. Although this is quite expensive, updates, upgrades and new models are available at no cost. Futher information available from www.reflex-sim.de. 8.9.
Simulators PreFlight with Albert Park photo-realistic scenery Available directly from the maker Trancedental Technologies. This requires a unique transmitter lead, which plugs into the PC microphone socket. The latest version includes photo-realistic scenery, an aircraft editor and a full scenery editor to allow you to create either your own photo scenery or your own cartoon scenery. There are a few helicopter models available from the supplier's site, but not really any independent sources.
Simulators Phoenix RC simulator This new simulator offers excellent physics and very impressive graphics. The models supplied have been configured with the help of recognised helicopter experts, and behave in a very realistic way. The simulator comes with a proprietary USB dongle/transmitter lead, like most other high-end sims. This software is created in the UK, so the price is especially competitive for the UK and European markets. Futher information available from www.phoenix-sim.com. 8.12.
Simulators correctly, and the heli will gently bob up and down as the wind gusts. They also seems to model the "rotor wash" effect where the main rotor blades become less efficient when they enter their own rotor wash. Therefore, if you learn to hover completely in FMS, Easyfly, or Piccofly, you will not learn how to properly use the collective to compensate for the effect of wind making your heli bob up and down. This can be learned later on a real heli, but it will require some adjustment time.
Chapter 9. Transmitters 9.1. Suitable helicopter transmitters You can fly some helicopter with a simple four-channel radio, but you will be limited to the following helicopters: • Piccolo FP and clone with any Piccoboard • Hummingbird with onboard mixer board with any gyro • Corona with heading hold gyro with no remote gain (e.g.
Transmitters Idle-up allows you to change the throttle curve of the helicopter. This is highly desirable for collective pitch helicopters because it allows you to maintain a constant headspeed at all throttle positions in (idle-up mode) after spooling up (in normal mode). This makes a collective pitch helicopter more responsive to the throttle stick and nicer to fly. Currently, the best price/performance in helicopter radios is the Futaba 7CH (FF7 in Europe).
Transmitters 9.2. Special transmitter notes 9.2.1. Hitec Eclipse 7 with 90 CCPM This is not supported directly by the transmitter, and must be done using programmable mixes. This was taken from the Ikarus Forums: Quick guide on how to set up your Hitec Eclipse 7 for the ECO 8 using the stock 90 deg swash without the need for mechanical mixing. First thing you need to do is set up your RX like this; • Channel 1 - Aileron. Left servo on swashplate. • Channel 2 - Elevator. Rear servo on swashplate.
Transmitters you can just hold it down, you don't really need to do it 30 times). 11. Turn on the mixer by switching the top right switch toward you. The screen should now look like this;12. You're done!! Exit from Programming mode (first two buttons at the same time on the bottom left) hook up your ECO (engine disconnected still) and move the throttle, the swash should now move up and down smoothly. Some quick notes that may come in handy;• You may need to reverse some servos.
Transmitters by the thumb and forefinger method. This method allows the most precise stick control and sensitivity. For the thumb and forefinger method, make the letter "O" with your thumb and forefinger and lightly pinch the tip of the joystick with the thumb and forefinger. The ball of the thumb rests on the corner of the controller for support and the tip of the pinkie lightly touches the side of the controller.
Chapter 10. Helicopter Construction 10.1. General tips for all helicopters 10.1.1. Building Do not rush building the helicopter. Take your time and be very careful with everything, and make sure everything moves smoothly. If all moving linkages do not move smoothly, then the helicopter may have vibration problems later which will make hovering very difficult. A few extra hours spent making sure linkages move smoothly will pay off later when you shorten your hovering learning time by a few months. 10.1.2.
Helicopter Construction If you strip a plastic screw or setscrew hole, then you can fix it by squirting a small bit of CA into the screw hole and letting it dry to give the screw additional friction. But, it's better not to strip it in the first place. 10.1.6. Breaking-in motors If you are using a brushed motor with carbon brushes, then you should "break-in" the motor before your first flight. This break-in procedure allow maximum contact of the brushes with the commutator.
Helicopter Construction erated by the brushed motor. 10.1.9. Motor diode If you are using a brushed motor, it may come with a diode which you may need to attach to the motor. The diode looks like a black barrel with a grey stripe on one side, and two leads coming out each end. This diode prevents ESC damage by shunting the spikes of reverse current generated when the brushed motor rotates. So, you put the diode on the power terminals of the brushed motor.
Helicopter Construction 10.1.13. Canopy painting Do not paint the canopy a dark color. You will need to focus on the canopy while learning to hover, so be sure to paint it a bright color or leave it white. Also, some kind of decals are recommended to make it easier to see the orientation of the canopy at long distances. 10.1.14. Tail servo Do not use rubber servo grommets when mounting the tail servo because this will cause tail wag when used with a heading hold gyro. 10.1.15.
Helicopter Construction is higher. Later on if you want more lift you can switch one of the blade grips to a 6 dot blade grip. • If you are at a high elevation, you may not get enough lift using two 4 dot blade grips, however. In this case, you should use the manual-recommended grips. • The labels on the main rotor blades seem to be attached using the world's stickiest adhesive. The residue from the adhesive can be easily removed using WD-40 or Goo Gone. Warning DO NOT USE ACETONE.
Helicopter Construction half-inch (1.25cm) below the chassis (67360). This absorbs most of the landing stress that would normally pop the landing skid struts off the frame. • The Piccolo tends to lose the bearings on the hub (67566) on hard crashes. You may want to purchase an aftermarket aluminum hub or carefully thick CA the bearings to the stock hub to avoid losing the bearings. Beware when purchasing an aluminum hub; some of them appear to be made from soft aluminum and will bend easily.
Helicopter Construction • Slide the part onto the drill bit • Hold the part with your fingers • Turn on the drill at low speed • Using your fingers, Move the part in a circular motion so the drill bit will touch the sides of the hole to widen it slightly. There are a few steps which involve CAing together two smooth plastic parts or a plastic part and a carbon fiber part.
Helicopter Construction screw into both holes of the hub to clean up the threads before inserting the M2x8 bolts (E058). Step 3 - Rotor Head Assembly: At this point you will have six bearings: four 2x6x2.5 and two 2x6x2. Be sure to use the 2x6x2.5 for the main blade grips! The bearings look very similar! Step 4 - Rotor Head Assembly: Squirt some powdered graphite through the flybar hole in the stabilizer lever (E072) to reduce friction and allow the flybar to rotate smoothly.
Helicopter Construction The ECO 8/16 training gear is about 1 inch longer and 3.25 inches wider than the stock ECO 8 landing gear. This can hold either one or two battery packs and requires no modification. Both the ECO 16 landing gear and the ECO 8/16 training gear use the ECO 16 skids (67917) which are wider in diameter. • The control balls on the plastic swashplate (67701) have been known to break off on extremely hard crashes. You may want to upgrade to the aluminum swashplate (67707) immediately.
Helicopter Construction To fix this problem, take some extra-fine steel wool (#000) and spread it with your fingers to make a very thin mesh. This mesh should be about 1 inch by 1 inch and be mostly air with about 50 or 60 strands of steel wool running through it. Remove the flybar seesaw, then put the steel wool mesh on top of the pivot, then mash the seesaw on top of it so the steel wool is trapped between the pivot and the seesaw.
Helicopter Construction You should check the play in the tail blade after installing the tail blades. There should be approximately 12 mm (half inch) of play in the tail blades. If you have significantly less or more play, then you should remove the tail blade and readjust this screw. • Pg 13: The M2x6 screw (67561) should not be screwed too tightly into the short ballend (67564) on the tail.
Helicopter Construction um swashplate to avoid this situation. • The Logo 10 tail wire guides are not very good. They are not adjustable and the pushrod tends to bind in them. I recommend replacing these guides with an adjustable set, such as the K&S 529 "Special Control Rod Guide Set".
Chapter 11. Helicopter Electronics Mounting/Wiring 11.1. Channel assignments Note The channel assignments are determined by the transmitter, not the receiver. For example, when using a Futaba transmitter with a JR negative shift receiver, you must use the Futaba channel assignments. 11.1.1.
Helicopter Electronics Mounting/Wiring • channel 5: gyro sensitivity (optional) • channel 6: collective pitch servo (for CP helicopters such as Shogun) If you have three servos controlling your swashplate (either non-CCPM or any CCPM) then the channel assignments are: • channel 1: throttle (ESC) • channel 2: right (roll) servo • channel 3: front/back (pitch) servo • channel 4: gyro control (tail servo or tail ESC plugs into gyro) • channel 5: gyro sensitivity (optional) • channel 6: left (ro
Helicopter Electronics Mounting/Wiring If you have three servos controlling your swashplate (must be CCPM) then the channel assignments are: • channel 1: front/back (pitch) servo • channel 2: right (roll) servo • channel 3: throttle • channel 4: gyro control (tail servo or tail ESC plugs into gyro) • channel 5: gyro sensitivity • channel 6: left (roll) servo 11.2. Component placement • Mount the ESC close to the main motor and the battery.
Helicopter Electronics Mounting/Wiring 11.3. Wire routing • Ensure all electronic components which are sensitive to electrical noise (gyro and receiver) are placed away from the components which generate electrical noise (motor and speed controller). • Try to route wires to/from electrically noisy components (ESC power, motor, and control wires, also all switching BEC wires) away from other wires.
Helicopter Electronics Mounting/Wiring It requires approximately 750 degrees Fahrenheit to melt solder. If you try to solder before the iron/gun is fully heated, then the solder will not melt properly. If the soldering gun does not heat up properly and/or takes too long to heat, then the screws holding the tip have probably loosened, so not enough current is flowing to the tip. Disconnect the soldering iron, wait for it to cool, then tighten the tip.
Helicopter Electronics Mounting/Wiring dull and grainy, then the solder joint is bad and it should be reheated to let the solder flow properly. You may need to apply a little fresh solder so the fresh rosin will allow the solder to flow freely. • Shrink the heatshrink tubing Heatshink tubing is best shrunk with a hairdryer on a high heat setting. Allow the hairdryer to warm up, then hold the heatshrink tubing in the hot air stream.
Chapter 12. Post-Construction/ARF Checklist These items should be double-checked before you attempt to fly your new helicopter. These items should be checked for both helicopters you have built yourself, and also for prebuilt ARF kits. 1. The main rotor blades should be mounted for the correct rotor head rotation. For most helicopters this is clockwise. For the Corona this is counterclockwise. 2. The tail rotor blades should be mounted for the correct rotation.
Chapter 13. Helicopter and Transmitter Setup Please disconnect the motor from the ESC when performing setup steps which do not require the main rotors to spin. If the disconnected ESC wires might touch each other when disconnected then you should wrap electrical tape around the connectors to prevent the ESC from being shorted. Note This section is very sequence-dependent, and you MUST perform the steps in this order. 13.1. Center of gravity setup 13.1.1.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup If your transmitter supports swashplate types, then configure your swashplate type according to the following chart. If your transmitter is not listed, consult your transmitter manual for the swashplate type. Table 13.1.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup helicopter's directions say this is correct, please use this instead. If some servos are not moving in the correct direction, then reverse the servo direction in the transmitter until all servos move correctly. 13.2.2.2. Swashplate servo centering First, move the throttle stick to the center of its range. The servo horns should be perfectly horizontal when the throttle stick is in this position.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup For microhelis, set the last point on the pitch curve so the pitch gauge reads 12 degrees. If the helicopter is not a micro, set the last point on the pitch curve so the pitch gauge reads 10 degrees. 13.2.3.1.3. Setting the middle pitch curve points Set the pitch curve to be a straight line between the first and last points by setting the value of the middle points. Note Some micro helis may need about 10 degrees of pitch to hover.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup If you are using a swashplate mode and if any of these swashplate movements are reversed, then go to the swashplate mixing menu (SWASH AFR on a Futaba 9C) and change the aileron or elevator mixing percentage from positive to negative or negative to positive until the swashplate moves correctly. If you are not using a swashplate mode and if any of these swashplate movements are wrong, then reverse the appropriate servo to correct the swashplate movement.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup ways: • Replace the servo horn with a longer version • Decrease the aileron and elevator mixing on the swashplate mixing menu. This will decrease your cyclic control, so this should be a last resort fix for this problem. 13.2.4.7. Check for binding Perform the cyclic/collective pitch test again, and check for servo binding. If the servo is reaching the mechanical limit of movement and emitting a buzzing sound, then it is binding.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup ing. If the servo is reaching the mechanical limit of movement and emitting a buzzing sound, then it is binding. You will need to fix this binding because the servo will draw a large amount of power when it is binding, which can overload the BEC and the BEC may shut down. This will cause a loss of heli control and probably a crash.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup 4. Mark the balance point with a felt tip pen. The balance point is the point where the center line on the balance beam touches the leading edge of the blade tip. 5. Repeat for the other blade. 6. Stack the rotor blades, then insert a bolt through the hole to align the blades perfectly. Check if the CG of the blades match within 1/16th of an inch (1.5mm). 7. If the CGs are close enough, go to Step two: Matching weight 8.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup 1. Loosen the main blade grip bolts so the main blades move freely. 2. Hold the helicopter so the right side or left side is facing down. 3. Turn the main rotor hub so the blades are parallel to the ground. 4. Tighten the blade grip bolts just enough so the blades won't droop much when the heli is lightly shaken. If you overtighten the main blade grip bolts, then the main rotor blades will not straighten out at full headspeed and this will cause vibration.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup Note Be sure to remove the motor pinion when programming the ESC! This will ensure the main rotor will not spin accidentally. If you are using a programmable ESC which uses the transmitter to set the ESC options and you have previously set a throttle curve for this model, then you may need to reset the throttle curve to default (e.g. linear from 0 to 100%) to program the ESC otherwise the ESC may not be able to recognize the low-middle-high stick positions. 13.4.2.1.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup • Cutoff Voltage: as low as possible so the heli will not fall out of the sky. If you are using lithium polymer batteries, you will need to be careful not to drain the batteries beyond the recommended minimum voltage. • Current Limiting: insensitive • Brake: disabled - so we don't strip the main gear when the motor spools down.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup through the skids and clamp the wood to a table on both sides. Also, make sure the tail rotor is away from any objects. 3. Install a battery in your heli, then follow the ESC directions to arm the ESC. If your ESC does not arm, then you may need to reverse or unreverse the throttle direction. 4. Give just enough throttle on your transmitter to make the head spin a little. 5. If your main rotor blades are spinning backwards, and i.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup The first reason is: tachometers do not work well with flourescent light because the light flickers at high speed. The second reason is: It is very difficult to dodge an out-of-control helicopter inside a small room. For this step you will need a tachometer. Borrow one from a friend if necessary.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup curve should be: • Five point throttle curve: 90-90-90-90-90 • Three point throttle curve: 90-90-90 13.5. Tail rotor setup 13.5.1. Tail belt tension setup This only applies if your heli has a tail belt, obviously. The tension of the tail belt should be set according to your flying style: For beginners and light sport flying, the tail belt tension should be firm but not loose. This will decrease friction and increase your flight time and tail belt life.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup control lever, then move the servo arm linkage to a hole closer to the servo arm pivot then check again. You can fine-tune the amount of tail servo travel by using the LIMIT adjustment on the GY401. 13.5.3. Tail rotor pitch servo centering Plug the tail servo directly into the rudder channel and bypass the gyro temporarily. When the rudder stick is centered the servo horn on the tail servo should be very close to perpendicular to the servo body.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup 12. You may need to drill a new hole in the servo horn for the best results. There are three controls which require setup on the GY240. 13.5.4.1.2. Setting AVCS Set to ON. AVCS is Futaba's name for "heading hold" and you want this enabled. 13.5.4.1.3. Setting DIR 1. Turn on the transmitter. 2. Disconnect the heli motor. 3. Plug in the heli battery. 4. Wait for the gyro to initialize. 5. Turn the heli right about 20 degrees.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup If your tail servo is fast (<0.11 sec/60 degrees) set this to a lower value. If your tail servo is slower or you are using a fixed pitch tail driven by a variable speed motor (Piccolo Hummingbird, etc.) then set the DELAY to a higher value. 13.5.4.2.4. Setting LIMIT This controls the amount of tail servo travel. 1. Turn on the transmitter. 2. Disconnect the heli motor. 3. Plug in the heli battery. 4. Wait for the gyro to initialize. 5.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup If you have a JR (positive shift) radio, the settings are swapped, e.g. below 50% is heading hold sensitivity and above 50% is non-heading hold sensitivity. For the intial settings, set the down switch position to 75% travel and the up switch position to 25% travel. After you have set the gyro settings, you should disconnect the motor wires and power up the helicopter to check the gyro settings.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup on the Piccoboard. If you plan to use the idle-up mode, you will need to set the revo mix curves for both normal and idle-up modes. 13.5.5. Gyro setup - fixed pitch tail rotor Heading Hold Gyro setup: First, if you are using a heading hold gyro (such as the GY240 or GY401) you must make sure your transmitter REVO MIXING option is disabled, because this option is only for non-heading hold gyros.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup 13.5.5.1.5. Setting DS This should be OFF. There are no tail ESCs which are compatible with the digital servo mode. 13.5.5.1.6. Setting DIR See the GY240 section on setting this switch. 13.5.5.1.7. Setting DELAY The DELAY adjustment tells the gyro the expected speed of the tail servo. Low delay values should be used for fast servos, and high delay values should be used for slower servos. If this value is set too low, then the tail will wag a little after the heli is turned.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup while in flight. You will need to adjust the revo mix so the heli does not yaw at all throttle positions. The best way to do this is to buy a "lazy susan" type turntable that will allow the helicopter to rotate freely while the helicopter is weighed down so it won't take off inadvertently. (Rubbermaid appears to make one which is probably suitable) Perform preflight checks, then slowly apply throttle. The helicopter will start to yaw as you apply throttle.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup the tape after tracking the blades. You need this tape to determine which blade is higher or lower when checking the tracking. 2. Get a 6 foot length of 1" x 4" board. 3. Take the heli outside where the blades won't hit anything, and slide the board through the landing gear on top of the landing skids then either stake down the board or put cinderblocks on it. The board will hold down the heli in case Something Really Bad Happens. 4.
Helicopter and Transmitter Setup The tracking of the stock Piccolo FP blades can be adjusted by holding the blade firmly at the root and twisting the blade at the widest point. Be sure not to twist the rotor head (67370). You should increase the pitch on the low blade and decrease the pitch on the high blade until the two blades track evenly.
Chapter 14. R/C Heli Rules and Tips 14.1. The proper way to carry a heli The proper way to carry a heli is by the blade grip. The blade grip carries the weight of the heli during flight and is designed to hold the weight of the heli. You should hold the blade grip as if you were holding a flashlight. Your thumb should be on top of the blade grip, and the fingers curled under. You should avoid touching the blades, especially if they are woodies.
R/C Heli Rules and Tips 14.4. Always disconnect the battery when working on the helicopter Warning ALWAYS DISCONNECT THE BATTERY WHEN POSSIBLE IF WORKING ON THE HELICOPTER. IF YOU MUST WORK ON A LIVE HELI, THEN DISCONNECT AT LEAST ONE OF THE MOTOR LEADS SO THE MAIN ROTOR/TAIL ROTOR WILL NOT SPIN UP AND MAIM YOU. If the main rotor or tail rotor spins up and maims or kills you, this will probably slow down your helicopter learning process, so please try to avoid this. See also: • www.runryder.
Chapter 15. Learning to Fly an R/C Helicopter 15.1. The skills required The skills required to fly a helicopter can be categorized into three broad areas: • Visual skills • Integration • Motor skills Here is a more detailed explanation of the skills involved: • Orientation. You must be able to instantly determine the position, yaw, pitch, and roll, and the acceleration in yaw, pitch, and roll while the helicopter is moving. (the roll, pitch yaw, and deltas of each) • Movement.
Learning to Fly an R/C Helicopter It looks really cool to paint your helicopter completely black; however it rapidly becomes less cool when you realize you can't see the orientation of the helicopter beyond ten feet.A black helicopter rapidly turns into a silhouette, and becomes very difficult to fly. If painting, be sure to paint your canopy a bright color. Flourescent neon colors work well.
Learning to Fly an R/C Helicopter The classical steps in learning to fly a heli are: 1. Tail-in hovering The first step to flying a helicopter is tail-in hovering. At this step, you are learning to remotely balance an unstable object using a joystick. 2. Side-in hovering and tail-in hovering When you reach the side-in and tail-in hovering step, the controls are no longer relative to yourself, and you learn to balance the helicopter in different orientations. 3.
Chapter 16. Hovering Technique Hovering a model helicopter is much like balancing a ball bearing on a sheet of glass. This is a half-serious helicopter joke, but it's actually much more accurate than people realize. If you place a ball bearing on a sheet of glass, and tilt the glass left, then the ball bearing will start to roll left and accelerate faster and faster. If you tilt the glass right until the glass is level , then the ball will stop accelerating but will keep rolling at a constant speed.
Chapter 17. Helicopter Power-On/Power-Off Procedure 17.1. Helicopter power-on procedure 1. First, if you are at a flying field, follow the appropriate procedures for reserving your transmitter channel. Depending on the field, this procedure may be similar to placing a pin on a frequency board. 2. Ensure your helicopter is not powered up, and carry it to the flying spot. 3. Fully extend the transmitter antenna. 4. Turn on the transmitter and wait for it to start transmitting. 5.
Helicopter Power-On/Power-Off Procedure the throttle and pitch curves. You should NEVER change flight modes (from normal to idle-up or the reverse) while the heli is flying. Flight modes should only be changed while the heli is on the ground. 14. You are now ready to fly. 17.2. Helicopter power-off procedure 1. Disconnect the helicopter battery 2. Double-check and make sure the helicopter battery is disconnected then turn off the transmitter.
Chapter 18. Tail-In Hovering The first helicopter orientation to learn is "tail-in" hovering. This is called tail-in because the tail of the helicopter will be the closest to you. 18.1. Preparation • The most common helicopter "minor crash" is a boom strike. This occurs the helicopter lands too hard and the main rotor blade strikes the tail boom. It is advisable to have at least one extra tail boom on hand to avoiding waiting for parts. • You should have some practice time on a flight simulator.
Tail-In Hovering An empty parking lot works well for this. Make sure there are no cars nearby to ensure you won't hit them. For a microheli, you probably want to find a hard level indoor surface, possibly an empty garage or the kitchen. A 10 ft by 10 ft surface is probably necessary. • Make sure wind conditions are ideal. If you are using a heading hold gyro, then you want as little wind as possible.
Tail-In Hovering the nose of the helicopter. When you give left rudder, the nose should turn left, so always look at the nose. • Try to avoid overcorrecting. Be sure to reread the "Hovering Technique" section if you have problems with overcorrection. • If the helicopter starts to wander too far, reduce the throttle to let the helicopter settle and stop moving. Don't "chop" the throttle - reduce the throttle smoothly.
Tail-In Hovering • When the helicopter tilts, you will hear a scraping sound, because the edge of the hulahoop (or a ping-pong ball) will drag along the asphalt (or carpet). Pay attention to this sound, because it indicates your helicopter is tilted. • Watch the disk of the main rotor blades as they spin. Try to keep the circle level, because when the circle is level, your heli is level.
Chapter 19. Side-In and Nose-In Hovering Orientations The next step after tail-in hovering is side-in hovering. There are two orientations for side-in hovering: left-in and right-in hovering where the left side and the right side of the helicopter are facing you,respectively. You should make sure your tail-in hovering is fairly solid before attempting side-in hovering.
Chapter 20. Orientation Exercises 20.1. Introduction "...what flyers need most is solid fundamentals." —Jason Krause interview, Model Helicopter Technique #36 "I think you should really focus on the fundamentals.... A pilot should make sure he is completely confident with all orientations of the machine before attempting any 3D maneuvers." —Pete Niotis interview, Model Helicopter Technique #44 The foundation of your helicopter flying skills is good orientation.
Orientation Exercises While hovering, turn 180 degrees. Start with one side-in orientation and switch to the other side-in orientation. Also, practice switching from tail-in to nose-in and back, and tail-in to nosein and back. Try to keep the helicopter stationary while turning. There are two different variations on this exercise • Nose-in to tail-in and then back • Right-in to left-in and then back 20.5.
Chapter 21. Forward and Backward Flight 21.1. Using idle-up mode If you have been learning to hover in normal mode, you should now switch to using idle-up mode for practicing forwards and backwards flight. The idle-up mode will allow you to keep a constant headspeed regardless of the throttle stick position, which will make the helicopter more responsive to the throttle stick. This is necessary to perform proper banked turns during fast forward and backward flight.
Forward and Backward Flight With a fixed pitch heli, the throttle changes are not immmediate because the main rotor needs to gain RPM. So, you will need to apply throttle early before you lose translational lift (about halfway through the turn), otherwise the heli will lose some altitude when finishing the turn. 21.4. Backwards flight "I always lead with the tail. As I watch the heli I'm keying off the tail, as far as I know, and I steer along with the tail.
Forward and Backward Flight because the tail-in turns are easier. When performing backwards turns, there are three things you need to watch simultaneously: • The bank of the helicopter. If the helicopter banks too much then it will lose lift and slide into the ground. • The angle of the tail. If the tail sinks too low then your heli will dive into the ground. • The yaw rate. If you yaw too much, you will wind up merely performing pirouettes, and if you yaw too little the turn will look sloppy.
Chapter 22. Forwards and Backwards Exercises A "remote circle" in this section means flying in a circle not around yourself, but at some distance away. 22.1. Figure eights This is a combination of the forward flight and banked turn skills. This is a bit tricky on the Corona because it does not turn well when the main rotor is throttled down, because the tail rotor is also throttled down.
Chapter 23. Advanced Exercises 23.1. Single pirouette While hovering tail-in/side-in/nose-in, execute a full 360 degree yaw, and resume hovering. Be sure to practice both clockwise and counterclockwise pirouettes to avoid developing "handedness". 23.2. Multiple slow pirouettes These pirouettes should take about 16 seconds to complete a full 360 degree rotation. Try to keep the helicopter stationary while performing the pirouettes.
Advanced Exercises d. Counterclockwise pirouetting hard figure eights The "easy" figure eights are figure eights where the heli moves away from you at the ends of the figure eight, and the "hard" figure eights are figure eights where the heli moves towards you at the ends of the figure eight.
Chapter 24. Tweaking Helicopter Twitchiness As a beginner, you may find that your helicopter is much too twitchy to comfortably learn hovering. Here are some tips to reduce the cyclic sensitivity and make hovering easier: (Note that you can reverse any of these actions to increase the cyclic sensitivity for aerobatics later when you're ready, e.g. increase headspeed, increase swashplate mixing, decrease exponential, lighten the flybar paddles, etc.) 24.1.
Chapter 25. Your First Major Crash "There are two kinds of helicopter pilots: those who have crashed, and those who will crash." —probably a paraphrasing of a motorcycle quote Your first major crash is the hardest crash, psychologically. My informal guess is over 80% of the people who "give up" on R/C helicopters do so after their first major crash. However, everyone crashes. Even the best helicopter pilots such as Curtis Youngblood and Alan Szabo have crashed in public, and have been recorded on tape.
Chapter 26. Troubleshooting Common Problems 26.1. Vibration problems Heli vibration can be broadly categorized into two types: • Main rotor vibration The main symptoms of this are landing gear vibrating, and the vertical tail fin vibrating left/ right. • Tail rotor vibration The main symptom of this is the tail boom vibrating up/down at high speed. If you follow these directions step-by-step, you should be able to solve most vibration problems.
Troubleshooting Common Problems The Corona doesn't have a feathering shaft, and instead has an aluminum rod which holds the subrotor on the rotor hub. This rod is very thin and has a tendency to bend after a few crashes. You will notice this because the subrotor paddles will "droop down" and will not be parallel to each other. This problem can be easily fixed by carefully bending the subrotor paddles up to straighten the aluminum rod or bye replacing the aluminum rod.
Troubleshooting Common Problems • Check the tail rotor shaft Remove the tail rotor shaft and follow the directions in the Bent Shaft Checking section. • Check the tail rotor bearings Remove the tail shaft bearings from the helicopter. Put the tail shaft through each bearing and spin it by hand. If the bearing does not rotate smoothly or feels gritty, then replace it. • Tail rotor hub balancing If the vibrations remain, then the tail rotor shaft and hub need to be balanced.
Troubleshooting Common Problems When the tail moves right, the gyro will push it right until the turn is reversed. Since the gyro can't reverse a right turn by pushing the tail right, the tail will keep spinning right forever. 26.2.2. Tail jerks around when spooling up with HH gyro • The gyro may be too close to the ESC. On a non-micro heli, the gyro should be at least four inches away from the ESC. • Tail belt may be twisted around.
Troubleshooting Common Problems You can increase the effective resolution of the tail servo at the cost of decreasing the travel speed which may reduce or eliminate the tail wag. To do this. you can move the tail pitch linkage IN one hole on the tail servo arm or OUT one hole on the tail pitch control lever. • Tail servo may not have enough resolution This HS-50 servo, in particular, does not work very well with a heading hold gyro due to the servo slop. 3.
Troubleshooting Common Problems • The one-way bearing in the autorotation hub may be loose. 26.2.5. Tail servo responds in one direction only • Tail servo responds properly when tail swings one direction but tail servo fails to respond in other direction. • The gyro may be damaged. 26.2.6. Tail drifts as battery discharges Tail holds fine at the beginning of a flight, but starts to drift as the battery discharges. This is normal for a yaw rate gyro. Heading hold gyros do not have this problem. 26.2.
Troubleshooting Common Problems the gyro has no reverse switch (such as the CSM LW200 gyro), it must be mounted upside down. See Section 30.1.7, “How gyros work” for more information. 26.2.13.
Troubleshooting Common Problems 26.3.4. Motor surges with governor mode If you are using a ramped throttle curve (0-50-85-85-85) or V-shaped throttle curve (100-90-80-90-100) with a main motor ESC in governor mode, then the motor will be unable to maintain a constant RPM and the headspeed will "surge". You must use a horizontal throttle curve such as 90-90-90-90-90 in order for the governor mode to work properly. 26.4. Swashplate problems 26.4.1.
Troubleshooting Common Problems 26.6. Other problems 26.6.1. Heli twitches randomly in roll/pitch/yaw This is probably caused by radio interference. See Section 26.5, “Glitching”. 26.6.2. Short flight times and/or not enough power • For brushed motors: the commmutator may be dirty. See section on maintenance. • Pinion meshing may be too tight. The pinion should not be firmly fitted against the main gear. The motor pinion should be able to wiggle just a tiny bit without turning the main gear.
Troubleshooting Common Problems drill and spin it to check if the shaft is bent.
Chapter 27. Electric Helicopter and Parts Vendors These are vendors which are mentioned frequently on various popular Internet discussion forums. I do not necessarily endorse any vendors on this list. For brevity, any e-heli vendors who also stock servos/motors/etc. will not be listed again in the servos/motors/etc. section. Lite Machines Corona and replacement parts • (US) www.litemachines.com • (US) www.roffeetvhobby.com • (DE) www.rc-city.de Mikado Logo 10 • (US) www.fxaeromodels.
Electric Helicopter and Parts Vendors Viper 70/90 • (US) www.fxaeromodels.com • (US) www.3dhobbyshop.com MS Composit Hornet and Hornet II • (US) www.fxaeromodels.com • (US) www.edogfight.com • (US) www.aeromicro.com • (US) www.hobby-lobby.com • (UK) www.skylinemodels.co.uk • (DE) www.rc-city.de Maxir SE • (CA) www.icare-rc.com • (US) www.elektrorc.com • (US) www.littleheli.com Robbe Eolo R22 • (US) www.rchover.com • (UK) www.rchelibits.co.uk Quick EP 10 and Sweet 16 • (US) www.
Electric Helicopter and Parts Vendors Protech Zoom 400/Evoflight Shogun/Zap 400 • (US) www.towerhobbies.com • (US) http://www.hobbypeople.net • (US) http://www.grandrc.com • (US) http://www.rchover.com • (US) http://www.modefosheli.com Align T-rex 450X/450XL • (US) www.fxaeromodels.com • (US) www.grandrc.com • (US) www.rchover.com • (US) www.helidirect.com • (US) www.rcworldofplanes.net • (US) http://www.gwsparts.com • (US) www.modefosheli.com ARK X-400 • (US) www.
Electric Helicopter and Parts Vendors • (US) www.medusaproducts.com • (JP) www.aircraft-world.com • Also check the RC Groups sponsor links ESC vendors • (US) www.dionysusdesign.com • (US) www.castlecreations.com • (US) www.kontronikusa.com • (US) www.hackerbrushless.com • (DE) www.schulze-elektronik-gmbh.de • (CZ) www.mgm-compro.cz Servo vendors • (US) www.servo-city.com • (US) www.bphobbies.com • (US) www.nesail.com • (US) www.towerhobbies.com • (US) www.horizonhobby.
Electric Helicopter and Parts Vendors • (US) www.battlepacks.com • (US) www.edogfight.com • (US) www.b-p-p.com • (ES) www.rcmaterial.com • (DE) www.orbitronic.de • (DE) www.schulze-elektronik-gmbh.de BEC manufacturers • (US) www.koolflightsystems.com (UBEC) • (US) www.firmtronics.com (SBEC) • (ZM) www.medusaproducts.com (Potencia) Main rotor blades • (US) www.carbonblades.com (FP microhelis) • (US) www.like90.com (FP & CP microhelis) Carbon fiber tubes and rods • (US) www.cstsales.
Electric Helicopter and Parts Vendors • (UK) www.modelfixings.co.uk (Bearings, screws etc.) • (US) www.geocities.com/pierrehollis/microheliparts1.htm (upgrades) • (US) www.heliworkz.com (Zoom upgrades) • (US) www.rjrcooltools.com (Wiha and other tools) • (JP) ks.jp.org (K&S aftermarket parts) • (DE) www.wes-technik.de (micro parts) • (DE) www.micro-heli.tuning.com (micro parts) Hobby associations • www.ircha.org Int'l Radio Controlled Helicopter Assoc • (US) www.modelaircraft.
Electric Helicopter and Parts Vendors • http://www.dokidoki.ne.jp/home2/tohrus/heli-00/invertedE.html Inverted Magazines • www.rotory.com Rotory • www.modelheliworld.com Model Helicopter World • www.mht.net Model Helicopter Technique • www.rotorworld.co.uk Rotorworld Helicopter theory • www.copters.com/helo_aero.html • www.scotiabladerunners.ca and click on "technical" • www.w3mh.co.uk/articles/html/csm1_2.htm • www.w3mh.co.uk/articles/html/csm3_4.htm • www.w3mh.co.
Chapter 28. Frequently Asked Questions 28.1. General questions 28.1.1. How much does it cost? A typical cost breakdown for a minimum beginner setup is: Table 28.1.
Frequently Asked Questions 28.1.4. How fast will a helicopter go? This question is often asked by R/C car people, and is similar to asking "How fast does a skateboard go?". A high-end skateboard is designed for doing tricks, not for speed. Similarly, a high-end helicopter is designed for fast flip/roll rates for aerobatics, not for high cruising speed. 28.1.5.
Frequently Asked Questions For most transmitters, there are only two differences: • An airplane version will have a ratchet on the throttle. A helicopter version has a smooth throttle with no ratchet. • An airplane version has the idle-up switch on the right side, and the throttle hold switch on the left side. A helicopter version has the idle-up switch on the left side and the throttle hold switch on the right side.
Frequently Asked Questions Walkera receivers. 28.2.5. Which transmitters are compatible with my E-flight Blade CP receiver? The E-flight Blade CP transmitter uses negative shift, so any transmitter which can transmit with negative shift, such as Futaba, Hitec, Airtronics and Multiplex, are compatible. 28.2.6. What is the difference between FM, PPM, and PCM? Basically, FM is frequency modulation, which is the method used to send the data.
Frequently Asked Questions No. Single-conversion crystals are not compatible with dual-conversion crystals. See this URL for more info: www.torreypinesgulls.org/Radios.htm 28.2.10. Can I change the transmitter channel by changing the transmitter crystal? An R/C transmitter is carefully tuned to a specific frequency.
Frequently Asked Questions 28.3. Helicopter parts selection 28.3.1. Do my servos need to be of identical type for eCCPM? Yes. If you use different servo types for eCCPM, then the swashplate will not move evenly up and down with throttle movement. This will cause unwanted cyclic/collective pitch interaction and make hovering difficult. 28.3.2.
Chapter 29. Helicopter Myths 29.1. Expo is bad because it slows cyclic response This is incorrect, because expo does not slow down the cyclic response. It only decrease the amount of cyclic response near center stick while retaining full control throw at the stick extremes. Regardless of how much expo you use, the heli will flip or roll at the same rate with full cyclic. 29.2.
Chapter 30. Technical Appendix 30.1. How helicopters work (Please consult Chapter 31, Glossary for any unfamiliar terms) 30.1.1. From the user to the transmitter The helicopter's control system begins at the joysticks of the transmitter. There are two common configurations for converting the user's joystick movements into helicopter movements: • Mode 1 (Asia, Australia, Europe, and some UK) • Mode 2 (US, some Europe and some UK) • Mode 3 • Mode 4 Table 30.1.
Technical Appendix Table 30.4. Mode 4 stick assignments Joystick Direction Usage left stick u/d throttle + pitch left stick l/r left/right cyclic right stick u/d fore/aft cyclic right stick l/r rudder 30.1.2. Inside the transmitter 30.1.2.1. Throttle stick The "throttle stick axis" (left stick, vertical motion in mode 2) controls both the throttle and collective pitch channels.
Technical Appendix So, the transmitter sends separate signals for fore/aft cyclic, left/right cyclic, and blade pitch. The servos for these functions plug directly into the receiver channels. The control horns for the servos are connected to the mechanical mixer which mixes the movement of the individual servos into the lower swashplate movement. The fore/aft servo output goes to the mechanical mixer, and its motion is converted into the fore/aft tilt of the swashplate.
Technical Appendix The left/right servo is directly connected to the lower swashplate and controls the left/right tilt of the swashplate. The pitch servo is not connected to the swashplate and controls the main blade pitch through a separate mechanical connection. From the transmitter's point of view, the mechanical CCPM and non-CCPM control systems are identical, because both have independent servos for collective pitch, fore/aft cyclic, and left/right cyclic.
Technical Appendix Two advantages of the Hiller system are: • It places less stress on the swashplate servos because they only control the pitch of the flybar paddles. • The flybar paddles dampen pitch and roll which improves stability. One disadvantage of the Hiller system is the lag in control response. The flybar paddles must change their plane of rotation in order to change the main blade pitch.
Technical Appendix Disadvantage of the Bell-Hiller system include: • Slightly slower cyclic response than a pure Bell system • More complexity than either a Bell or Hiller system The advantage of the moving flybar system is it has fewer parts (no washout unit) therefore has less slop in the control system. Three popular helis which use a Bell-Hiller system with a moving flybar are the Hensleit 3DNT, Hensleit 3DMP and the Century Hummingbird Elite CP. 30.1.5.
Technical Appendix This dissymmetry of lift is equalized in different ways by the flapping and seesaw rotor heads. For a flapping head, the upward motion of the advancing blade decreases the relative speed of the wind, and the downward motion of the retreating blade increases the relative speed of the wind. This is similar to holding your hand at the window at 40-50 mph.
Technical Appendix needs to push against something. In this case, the motor is pushing against the body of the helicopter. So, when the motor spins the main rotor blades clockwise, the body of the helicopter tends to spin counterclockwise. This is consistent with Newton's Third Law of Motion which states: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Technical Appendix it cannot sense the absolute orientation of the helicopter. In technical terms, it "dampens" the tail movement. Imagine you are blindfolded, and are standing on a frozen lake wearing smooth shoes. A person will try to turn you, and you are only allowed to resist the turning force by digging in your shoes into the smooth slippery ice. Basically, you cannot resist the turning force very much,and once you have been turned, you do not know the original orientation.
Technical Appendix at x degrees per second" and the heading hold gyro will automatically use the correct amount of tail pitch to create this tail motion and compensate for wind and other external factors which affect the tail. Note that the revo mixing MUST be disabled for the heading hold gyro to work properly. If the revo mixing is enabled, then the heading hold gyro will interpret it as a signal to turn the helicopter. 30.1.7.4.
Technical Appendix Do not set this switch if you are using a tail motor ESC. 30.1.8.1.3. GY401 delay trimmer The Delay adjustment is on the gyro itself, and allows you to configure the gyro for the response of the tail rotor system. This is only used in heading hold mode. The delay setting of 0 is used for very fast servos such as the S9253/S9254. The delay setting of 100 is used for very slow tail servos and for tail motor ESCs.
Technical Appendix MUST be plugged into a receiver channel. There isn't good documentation for the gain setting available, so the following information is what I have personally deduced from my own observations, which may not be completely correct. The gain setting seems to control how much the tail is allowed to drift before the gyro will correct the position. It is basically a "fussiness" value.
Technical Appendix centage of travel you should use for the transmitter's gyro gain channel. For example, to set yaw rate mode mode with 40% gain, this would be 50 - (40 / 2) = 30% of full travel. 30.1.8.1.6. GY401 pirouette rate The pirouette rate adjustment is done at the transmitter via the rudder channel EPA. 100% EPA is roughly about 720 degrees/second maximum pirouette rate. Setting this to a lower value decreases the max pirouette rate, and increasing it will increase the max pirouette rate. 30.1.
Technical Appendix So increasing the gain on a yaw-rate gyro has two effects: • It dampens random movement more, so the tail is more stable. This is good. • It also dampens intentional tail movement, so this decreases the maximum pirouette rate. This is bad. A standard single-rate yaw-rate gyro exhibits these bad behaviors.
Technical Appendix Once the motor is running at 100 rpm, the brushless motor controller can rely on the back EMF to sense the magnet position and can commutate the motor using strictly back EMF sensing. In an R/C model helicopter, the motor has a high load because it is coupled to the main (and possibly tail) rotor which is fairly heavy. So, with lower torque motors and high motor loads, the motor may not start spinning when the ESC goes through the blind commutation stage.
Technical Appendix rpm of headspeed at 25% throttle and draws an average of 18 amps of current, then the ESC and battery are actually supplying 72 amps of current for 25% of the time! Therefore, if you use a motor with a very high Kv rating and you are forced to use a low throttle setting to compensate for the high Kv, this will increase the load on the ESC and battery. In extreme cases, this will shorten the life or destroy the ESC and/or battery. 30.1.11.
Technical Appendix stator, since the R/C model should not turn with the motor shaft. The magnets or windings may be part of the stator, depending on the motor type. The part of the motor which rotates is called the rotor. If the stator has the windings, then the rotor will have the permanent magnets, and vice versa. In order for the motor to rotate, the magnet windings must be switched on and off. This process of switching the windings on and off is called commutation.
Technical Appendix For carbon brushes, the brush will become so short that it will no longer touch the commutator. For precious metal brushes, the ends of the metal fingers will wear away and the brushes will no longer touch the commutator. c. Overheating If the magnets of the motor are overheated, they will lose magnetization. This is a vicious cycle - when the magnets are weakened, the motor will run even hotter, which will weaken the magnets further, etc.
Technical Appendix If the endbell is removable, then the endbell should be removed and the rotor can be removed. The commutator can be cleaned with some extra fine steel wool until it is shiny. If the endbell is not removable, then the motor will usually have slots in the motor case near the commutator. A cotton swab (such as a Q-tip) may be used on these types of motors to clean the commutator.
Technical Appendix b. Keep the motor cool by using a heatsink There are many different heatsinks available which fit R/C helicopter motors. See Section 30.2.2.5, “Cooling options” for more info. c. Use the correct switching frequency Brushless coreless motors require a high switching frequency to run efficiently and avoid overheating. Some motors require an extremely high switching frequency to avoid overheating.
Technical Appendix The motor windings in a cored motor can dissipate heat much better because the iron core acts as a heat sink. This characteristic is important for extended operation at high power levels. b. Smaller air gap. The clearance between the rotor and iron core can be minimized which increases efficiency. 30.2. Motor selection guide There are many, many motors available, but only a few are suitable for each helicopter.
Technical Appendix Better quality motors usually have a lower Io because they are more efficient and expend less power just idling the motor. High-power motors usually have a higher Io because the are designed to run efficiently at high loads and therefore run much less efficiently at low loads. 30.2.1.3. Motor efficiency Motor efficiency is important because the power not used to fly the helicopter is wasted as heat. For example, you might compare two motors, one with 80% and 90% efficiency.
Technical Appendix standard. For example, the "Nippy Black" series of brushless motors cannot be used for micro helis because it is designed for a "firewall mount" and therefore the motor mounting holes are on the rear of the motor. Other examples include the Typhoon Micro series which have a triangleshaped pattern for the motor mounting holes, which do not fit standard helicopter motor mounts.
Technical Appendix Motor Heatsink motors) 28mm diameter motors (Mega 16/x/x, Hacker B40, etc) Hacker B40 heatsink Hacker B40 heatsink Kontronik KK480 heatsink GWS Speed 400c heatsink (GW/EHS-400) (blue color) Sparrow Products 28mm heatsink 36mm diameter motors (Hacker B50, Kontronik 500/600, etc) Hacker B50 heatsink Kontronik KK600 heatsink The Mega 22/20/3H has the shaft extending out the backside for mounting a small fan using a 5mm prop adapter instead of a heatsink.
Technical Appendix The quality of motors is rather subjective, but here is a list of motors and their general quality: Table 30.6. Motor quality Quality Manufacturer Best Plettenberg, Lehner, Actro, Neumotor Better Hacker, Kontronik, Mega Good Multiplex Permax, Astroflight Fair Himaxx, Feigao, JETI, Model Motors AXI The motors in the best category are relatively efficient over a wide load range. The Kontroniks are slightly better than Hacker for helicopters due to better part load efficiency.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Motor Weight grams ARC 20-34-130 39 ? Aircraft World DIYMOT-VL 40 2 Hacker B20-S 40 2 Motor Max Motors 400F 40 2.3 2250 Motor Max Motors 400T 40 3 1300 Lehner 1010 40 3.17 3000-9231 Hyperion Z2209 42 3 910, 1120 Ultrafly B/06 42 3.17 1000, 1200, 1450 Ultrafly D/13 42 2.3 3200? Ultrafly B/12 42 3.17 750, 1000, 1200 Hacker A20-M 42 3 980, 1130 Kontronik Mini Dancer 42 ? 1000 Motor Max Motors 400DH 42.1 2.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Motor Weight grams Shaft Kv range Size mm Notes 2450, 2850, 3450, 4420, 5580 Model Motors MiniAC 1215/x 48 2.3 3000, 3800, 4750, 6370 E-flite/Hacker E3 48 2 3700, 4900 Feigao 13084XXS 50 2 or 2.3 Lehner 1015 50 3.17 2000-7273 Ultrafly A/30 50 2.3 2400, 2900 Cyclon Mini Cyclon Heli 50 2.3 2835 Cyclon Mini Cyclon Turbo 50 2.3 2835 Cyclon Mini Cyclon CAR PUNCH 50 2.3 5367 Cyclon Mini Cyclon Heli Punch 52 3.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Motor Weight grams Shaft Kv range Size mm NeuMotors 1105 65 2.3 or 3000, 3500, 3.17 4000, 5200, 6800 Align 430L 66 3.17 Himax HA2025 66 2 2700, 3200, 4200, 5300 Kontronik Maxi Dancer 66 ? 1200 Hyperion Y22L 70 2.3 2840, 3600, 3900, 4400, 5000 Medusa Research MR-028-032 70 3.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Motor Weight grams Shaft Kv range Size mm Notes 3.2 Kontronik Evo Dancer 92 ? 850 MPJet AC 2810-13 94 5 1050 AON Electric V2815 98 3.17 3500 AON Elctric V2815-3500 98 3.17 3500 Medusa Research MR-028-040 100 3.17 1000, 1200, 1700, 2500, 3400 Cyclon Cyclon 20 100 5 1790 Mega Motor ACn 22/10 104 5 1200, 1485, 1980, 2400, 2950, 5000 Mega Motor ACn 16/20 105 3.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Motor Weight grams Shaft Kv range Size mm Notes 2544, 3363, 4962 MPJet AC 26/45-20 123 4 3000 HB Elektronik HB 12-25 124 3.17 2300 Hacker B40-S 125 3.17 1429-7531 NeuMotors 1902 125 5 2050, 4350 Lehner 1525 135 Plettenberg Orbit 10 135 5 1050, 1280, 1410 Mega Motor RC 600/20 136 5 885, 1160, 1370 Himax HA2825 138 3.17 2300, 2700, 3600, 4400, 5500 Himax HB3615 138 5 1600, 2100, 3200 Kontronik Fun480-xx 140 3.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Motor Weight grams Shaft Kv range Size mm Notes 2000 Cyclon Cyclon Turbo 2500 160 5 2611 Cyclon Cyclon CAR 2500 160 3.17 2611 Cyclon Cyclon CAR 2000 160 3.17 2093 Aveox 27/39 161 3.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Motor Weight grams Hacker C40-L 187 3.17 1988-6942 Actro Actro CL 190 5 600, 800, 1000, 1240 HB Elektronik HB 20-10 190 3.17 2310 delta x1.7 kv HB Elektronik HB 20-13 190 3.17 1900 delta x1.7 kv Mega Motor RC 600/30 195 5 640, ???, 1080 Aveox 36/15 196 5 1495, 1979, 2947, 3873, 5603 Hacker B50-S 198 5 1375-7380 Kontronik Fun500-xx 200 5 1940, 2140, 2400, 2700, 3200, 3800, 4800 Lehner BASIC XL 210 3.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Motor Weight grams Kontronik Fun600 -xx 250 5 1150, 1300, 1500, 1630, 1800, 2530, 3200 Plettenberg Orbit 25 250 5 520, 590, 670, 770, 930 AstroFlight Astro 40 253 5 1363 Hacker B50-L 255 5 929-6038 Aveox 36/30 268 5 729, 1011, 1466, 1945 Cyclon Cyclon Heli 1600 270 5 1245 Kontronik Tango 285 5? 392-3919 NeuMotors 1910 289 5 360, 432, 525, 680 Lehner 1940 290 NeuMotors 1512 (finned) 290 5 1400, 1900, 1700, 2000, 2600, 3200, 48
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Motor Weight grams Shaft Kv range Size mm Notes Model Motors AXI 4130 409 6 305, 385 Hacker C50-XL 420 5 773-2707 Koehler Actro 32 heli 430 5 330, 415, 555 Aveox 46/30 455 5 886 Lehner 2240 465 5 296-2368 NeuMotors 1521 (finned) 480 5 780, 1050, 1577, 1860, 2800 HB Elektronik HB 40-22 520 5 660 Delta mode x1.7 kv Lehner 2250 570 5 185-1480 Delta mode x1.
Technical Appendix • 32 pitch = about 0.8 module (actually 0.793 module) • 48 pitch = about 0.5 module (actually 0.529 module) • 64 pitch = about 0.4 module (actually 0.396 module) Pinions are sometimes labeled as "metric 48 pitch which is actually 0.6 module. 30.4.3. Shaft sizes There are about six different shaft sizes used in electric helicopters today: 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.3mm, 3.17mm, and 5mm. The 1mm shafts are used by the "N20" style tail motors used in micro helicopters. WesTechnik stocks 0.
Technical Appendix pinion such as the Align 2.3mm pinions. 30.5. Pinion selection tables Pinions are available from several after-market suppliers. The following tables list them grouped by bore-size. Table 30.8. Pinions 2mm bore 0.5 module Manufacturer Teeth Part No.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Team Losi Mini-T plastic press-on pinions Teeth Part No. 8T Tower Hobbies LXGPF3 9T Kyosho AZW002-09 9T Tower Hobbies LXGPF4 12T, 14T, 16T LOSB1069 Table 30.9. Pinions 2.3mm bore 0.5 module Manufacturer Teeth Part No. ARK/Helimax MX400 brass pinions 11T w/ss Tower Hobbies LXLBN2 12T Tower Hobbies LXLBN1 13T Tower Hobbies LXLBN0 14T Tower Hobbies LXLBM9 AlignRC T-rex metal pinions w/ss 9T, 10T, 11T HZ020 Table 30.10. Pinions 3mm bore 0.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Teeth Part No. 15T MH015TT-B Table 30.12. Pinions 5mm bore 0.5 module Manufacturer Teeth Part No.
Technical Appendix Manufacturer Teeth Part No. 14T 3014 15T 3015 16T 3016 17T 3017 18T 3018 Table 30.14. Pinions 5mm bore 1.0 module Manufacturer Teeth Part No. Century Swift pinions 9T CNMG509 10T 3010 11T 3011 12T 3012 13T 3013 14T 3014 8T 2508 9T 2509 10T 2510 11T 2511 12T 2512 Mikado Logo 16/20 pinions (old) 30.6. Servo selection guide There are 10 main criteria to consider when selecting a servo: 30.6.1. Electrical characteristics 30.6.1.1.
Technical Appendix for tail control with a heading hold gyro. You may need to use an external switching BEC to avoid overloading the built-in BEC of the ESC, which will add to the weight of the heli. Also, some servos which have high torque will have a correspondingly high current draw. For example, the GWS Naro HP BB has the nickname of "current hog" because it draws a large amount of current for its size. 30.6.2. Physical characteristics 30.6.2.1.
Technical Appendix Therefore, it is best to use metal geared servos for swashplate control, where the crash resistance is desirable. The plastic geared servos work better for tail control because tail control slop will cause tail wag with a heading hold gyro. 30.6.2.6. Replacement gear availability Servo gears are sometimes destroyed in heli crashes, so you should consider the availability of replacement servo gears when selecting a servo. 30.6.2.7.
Technical Appendix nel 3) and connect the brushless motor ESC to channel 5 on the receiver. 30.7.2. Adding a heading hold gyro to a brushed 3-in-1 controller You can add a heading hold gyro to a brushed 3-in-1 controller by using a heading hold gyro (without remote gain), and a tail ESC. You will need to rewire the electronics as follows: 1. The throttle channel will go to the 3-in-1 board, and the main motor will still be controlled by the 3-in-1 board. 2.
Technical Appendix 30.8.3. Battery capacity rating Imagine a jug which holds one gallon. If you drain this jug at one gallon per hour, then the bottle will be empty in one hour. If you drain the jug at half a gallon per hour, the jug will be empty in two hours, and if you drain the jug at two gallons per hour, then the jug will be empty in half an hour. Similarly, a 2100 maH battery can supply 2100 ma of current for one hour, or 1050 ma of current for two hours, or other combinations. 30.8.4.
Technical Appendix damage. Be sure to wash your hands after handling nicad batteries. Also, nicad batteries MUST be disposed of properly. See Section 30.9.4, “NiCad/NiMH/LiPo Battery disposal”. 30.9.2. Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries Nickel-metal-hydride batteries are a newer battery type than nickel-cadmium. They have a higher energy capacity than nicad, but have a much shorter life (about 100 charge/discharge cycles), and they are more easily damaged by overcharging and vibration.
Technical Appendix All battery types, especially NiCad and LiPo battery packs, must be disposed of properly. In the US, go to www.rbrc.org to find the nearest battery disposal site. More information on R/C batteries can be found at Red Scholefield's R/C battery clinic at www.rcbatteryclinic.com and also at www.batteryuniversity.com.. 30.9.5.
Technical Appendix 30.10.6. Main rotor blades If the main rotor blades appear damaged do NOT fly with them. They can explode in flight which is very dangerous. You should replace any blades which appear damaged. 30.10.7. Ball links Ball links (especially above the swashplate) will wear out and require replacement as they become loose. 30.10.8. Servo wear Servos may start to jitter as they wear. This may be caused by two problems: • Worn potentiometer.
Technical Appendix 30.10.12. ECO 8/16 specific maintenance • The one-way bearing in both plastic and aluminum autorotation hubs has been known to become loose. Usually when this happens, the one-way bearing can be pushed out of the hub with firm finger pressure. This can be easily fixed by roughing up the bearing and autorotation hub mating surfaces with 200 grit sandpaper and using thick CA to reassemble the unit.
Technical Appendix motor pinion is 18 tooth, then the gear ratio will be 180:18 or 10:1. The final headspeed will be the motor RPM multiplied by this gear ratio, multiplied by about 0.85 to simulate the loading effect of the main rotor blades. So: 2006 (motor Kv) * 9.6 (battery voltage) * 0.85 = 16369 RPM motor speed 16369 * 18 (motor pinion) / 180 (main gear teeth) = 1636.
Chapter 31. Glossary Glossary 120 CCPM A type of CCPM using three servos arranged at equal 120 degrees from each other. The advantage of 120 CCPM is the load of the swashplate is evenly distributed across all three servos resulting in more precise control. 120 CCPM requires a special transmitter ("computer radio") which supports this mode. 90 CCPM A type of CCPM using three servos arranged at 90 degrees to each other (and one spot empty).
Glossary Autorotation A controlled, unpowered helicopter descent (and landing). A helicopter is a brick with a rotor, so it doesn't glide well when unpowered. The autorotation is the closest to gliding possible. The autorotation consists of a steep descent using negative pitch to keep the rotor blades spinning followed by a slight flaring performed with positive pitch to convert the momentum of the blades into lift to soften the landing. Autorotation Gear Autorotation gear.
Glossary Ball Link Pliers Base Loaded Antenna A rigid short antenna used to replace the longer wire receiver antenna. BEC Battery Eliminator Circuit. On a nitro helicopter, there is a 4.8 volt "receiver pack" that powers the receiver, gyro,and servos. On an electric helicopter, we already have a very large battery which powers the main motor. However, the voltage of this main motor battery pack is typically more than 4.8 volts.
Glossary BL Brushless, usually in the context of brushless motors. Boom Strike A type of helicopter crash where the main rotor blade hits the tailboom. This may dent/ bend the tail boom and damage the main rotor blades. This is a frequent mistake made by beginners. Brain Fade A mental lapse where the person flying the heli, suddenly forgets which way to move the controls, or which control to move at all.
Glossary CG, CofG, Center of Gravity The point at which an object's center of mass appears to be; its balance point Channels A measure of the number of separate signals that can be handled by a Tx and/or Rx. This usually refers to the number of separate control surfaces or servos/speed controllers a Tx can control, so typically a simple helicopter will need at least four channels. Cogging A bumpy effect noticed as the shaft of a iron core rotor (non-coreless) motor is rotated.
Glossary See Electronic Mixing eHeli Electric Helicopter - hard to figure out, isn't it? Electronic Mixing A control system where the radio transmitter controls the mixing between the roll/pitch servos and the main rotor pitch servo. Also called colloquially eCCPM. See also CCPM See also eCCPM EPA EndPoint Adjustment. This is the same as ATV. See ATV Elevator Airplane equivalent of fore/aft cyclic The elevator is what pitches a plane forward or back, to dive or climb. ESC Electronic Speed Control.
Glossary Flybar The metal or CF rod which holds the smaller paddles to the main rotor head Flybar Paddles The smaller blades (not the main rotor blades) on the main rotor of a helicopter. FF or FFF Forward Flight or Fast Forward Flight FP Fixed Pitch. Usually refers to a helicopter which has rotor blades at a fixed pitch, and climbs and descends by changing the speed of the main rotor blades.
Glossary Glass Reinforced Plastic. A type of plastic material often used in helicopter chassis. Gyro A device used to help stabilize the yaw of a helicopter by adjusting the tail rotor pitch. Mechanical gyros use a real spinning disk inside a small enclosure measure the yaw due to the torque of the main rotor blades. Solid-state gyros achieve the same measurement without using moving parts, but can still be easily damaged by impact.
Glossary Jesus Bolt The bolt which holds the rotor head onto the main rotor shaft. K Kv The no-load RPM per volt of the motor. For example, if a motor is rated at Kv = 3000 and is being run on a 10 cell (12 volt) battery, then the motor will spin at 36,000 rpm. The headspeed can then be calculated by calculating the gear reduction ratio of the pinion/main gear combination. This is very important because a helicopter only flies well in a certain range of headspeed.
Glossary grams AUW. This includes the Ikarus Piccolos, MS Hornets, Century Hummingbird, Feda, GWS Dragonfly, MIA Housefly, Wes-Technik Helistar LH35, etc. N Nose-In Hovering or maneuvering with the nose of the helicopter pointed at the pilot. This is a advanced step in the learning stages of flying a helicopter because both roll and pitch controls are reversed relative to the pilot. O Outrunner motor A motor where the outside of the can rotates.
Glossary See also Tractor tail rotor R Retreating blade The rotor blade which is moving with the wind created by helicopter motion, thus decreasing its effective airspeed. See also Advancing blade Retreating blade stall A situation in forward flight where the effective airspeed of the retreating blade approaches zero. This can result in loss of helicopter control. Revo mix/Revo mixing A mixer which adds a percentage of the main rotor throttle to the tail rotor throttle to prevent the heli from spinning.
Glossary Model helicopters have a better power-to-weight ratio than full-size helicopters, so this is usually not a huge problem, however, it does occur. Slop The amount of "free play" in a control system. A common example of this is a door knob. If you gently twist the doorknob back and forth, you can feel a few degrees of looseness before the internal mechanism engages. These few degrees of looseness is the sloppiness or "slop" in the mechanism.
Glossary Throttle Hold (switch) A switch used to force a zero throttle setting regardless of the throttle stick position or idleup switch position. This is useful as a safety feature when connecting or disconnecting the battery and also to quickly kill the motor when a helicopter crash is imminent. Throw a Blade A slang term describing a main rotor blade detaching from the rotor head and being flung at high speed. This is very, very dangerous.
Glossary weathervaining is determined by the aerodynamic properties of the helicopter, primarily the size of the vertical stabilizer. Wag A rhythmic back-and-forth tail movement that will not stop. This may occur with heading hold gyros when the setup is not correct. In this case, the gyro overshoots the correct tail position, so it constantly keeps moving the tail. Woodies Wooden main rotor blades Y Yaw-Rate Gyro A type of gyro which dampens but not eliminates unwanted yaw rotation.
