Hard Deck Installation Details & pictures

[sutty]

Since the manual suggests that all installations may be different, depending on the helicopter itself, I would like to suggest that we begin to post our installation descriptions and pictures in this thread, to help by giving people ideas, and starting points, for the various installation challenges that we may face. Obviously we could use this thread to give advice, if necessary, and confirmation that someones given installation should be okay or not.

I shall start, with what I hope is an acceptable method, since to my way of thinking it looks very similar to the type of installation shown in the manual on page 16. It may not bring much to the party, since as I said it is pretty much like the manual, but all comments are welcome, as weather, health and time permitting I intend to maiden it tomorrow. I say health, only because I am feeling a little ropey right now, and I never like to fly the 600 when I am not on top form, so even though I should be safe with the HD on board now, I don't really want to be doing a maiden feeling rough. Fingers crossed I suppose.

Here is the overall shot:



Here is a close up of it mounted on the side of my tail servo:



Here is the curve of the flexible tube onto my boom support strut, and the clear tape that I used. Note the manual showed and described using the polythene tubing here, but the soft tubing seemed better. Thoughts would be appreciated:



Here is the zig zag section and tape fixings across the boom support struts:



Here are a few shots of the flexing tests of the streamer tube:







And finally, here is a shot of it from the rear:



During set-up I had two moments of difficulty. When I got to the collective set-up section I could not turn off the sensor, and it kept moving my swash, so I couldn't get a fixed position to work with. I need to check why it did this, because when I went into it for a second time, repeating the whole of the set-up process, it did go still and level during this process, I presumed because it disabled the sensor, but I'm convinced it didn't do this the first time. How this could happen I'm not sure, but it sure seemed like it wasn't disabled the first time I tried.

The second issue I had was that when I went outside with it to run through pre-flight, I had the known warning/issue about stick priority being over 50, when I did indeed have it set to 150. I need to set it back to 126 as we were advised to do by Tim's design engineer, until it is fixed. For reference see HERE.


Cheers

Sutty

[nightflyr]

Your setup looks good sutty, you should have no issues with it.

I took the easier route myself, granted I knew what I can and can not do as far as the install goes.

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by sutty

Since the manual suggests that all installations may be different, depending on the helicopter itself, I would like to suggest that we begin to post our installation descriptions and pictures in this thread, to help by giving people ideas, and starting points, for the various installation challenges that we may face. Obviously we could use this thread to give advice, if necessary, and confirmation that someones given installation should be okay or not.

I shall start, with what I hope is an acceptable method, since to my way of thinking it looks very similar to the type of installation shown in the manual on page 16. It may not bring much to the party, since as I said it is pretty much like the manual, but all comments are welcome, as weather, health and time permitting I intend to maiden it tomorrow. I say health, only because I am feeling a little ropey right now, and I never like to fly the 600 when I am not on top form, so even though I should be safe with the HD on board now, I don't really want to be doing a maiden feeling rough. Fingers crossed I suppose.

Here is the overall shot:

Attachment 359336

Here is a close up of it mounted on the side of my tail servo:

Attachment 359337

Here is the curve of the flexible tube onto my boom support strut, and the clear tape that I used. Note the manual showed and described using the polythene tubing here, but the soft tubing seemed better. Thoughts would be appreciated:

Attachment 359338

Here is the zig zag section and tape fixings across the boom support struts:

Attachment 359339

Here are a few shots of the flexing tests of the streamer tube:

Attachment 359340

Attachment 359341

Attachment 359342

And finally, here is a shot of it from the rear:

Attachment 359343

During set-up I had two moments of difficulty. When I got to the collective set-up section I could not turn off the sensor, and it kept moving my swash, so I couldn't get a fixed position to work with. I need to check why it did this, because when I went into it for a second time, repeating the whole of the set-up process, it did go still and level during this process, I presumed because it disabled the sensor, but I'm convinced it didn't do this the first time. How this could happen I'm not sure, but it sure seemed like it wasn't disabled the first time I tried.

The second issue I had was that when I went outside with it to run through pre-flight, I had the known warning/issue about stick priority being over 50, when I did indeed have it set to 150. I need to set it back to 126 as we were advised to do by Tim's design engineer, until it is fixed. For reference see HERE.


Cheers

Sutty

Hi Sutty:

Only time we recommend using the polyethelene tubing is:

1) if you need a longer run than what you did. Then you need to cut a joiner from the supplied aluminum tubing as well.

2) you choose to utilize the little clips molded into the Hard Deck Module case. The polyethylene tubing should not be run through these clips because it's a tight fit which means it could be crimped, and also because it does not like to make the tight radius from the clips up around and into the port on the HD Module. You did not attempt to use the clips, so what you did looks fine.

Good job, and good luck on your maiden! Hope you feel better! In case you didn't download the latest version of the Hard Deck Module (posted last week), you might want to do that and read the section on page 21. There's a lot of good information you might want to see before you maiden. This information I also posted in HeliFreak prior to the User Guide update, but I couldn't tell you where by now.

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by nightflyr

Your setup looks good sutty, you should have no issues with it.

I took the easier route myself, granted I knew what I can and can not do as far as the install goes.

Night:

Of course I've seen these photos before, but I've always meant to ask you, what did you use to secure the brass tubing you used? Is that silicone, shoe goo, epoxy, or what? Also, I think you manufactured a custom cross bracket or something didn't you?

Please tell the world what you did as it does make for a nice, clean installation. We were considering putting this in the User Guide as an alternative method, but then we figured, why muddy the water? This is a better place to showcase these alternative methods. Good idea Sutty! Perhaps Skyquest will grace this thread with installation photos on his Goblin too!

[nightflyr]

Hi Tim,

Concerning this...



The cross brace is off the shelf item, there are several different styles available.
All I did was use a tie wrap to hold the brass tubing in the center and applied some hot glue to keep it in place.

[sutty]

Originally Posted by Tim Marks

Good job, and good luck on your maiden! Hope you feel better! In case you didn't download the latest version of the Hard Deck Module (posted last week), you might want to do that and read the section on page 21. There's a lot of good information you might want to see before you maiden. This information I also posted in HeliFreak prior to the User Guide update, but I couldn't tell you where by now.

Hi Tim, Thanks for the good wishes, and the advice. I did download the latest version, since I remembered your post with the useful pointers and advice. Sadly, although I was feeling well enough to fly, the weather did not co-operate.

The sky was very overcast, and there was very light rain, so I only got a red light on the goLED, and never got a green light on the HD module, when I turned it on. Disappointed that I saw no green light I got the PC out and hooked it up, and discovered that I had only 9 degrees Farenheit difference.

Apart from thanking you for the good wishes, I wanted to post in here as to what I discovered. Though obvious, it may help others that when the weather is bad, to help find out if they would have been good to go or not, other than the weather you can place your hand under the vertical sensor. When I did this my warm hand tricked the system into thinking there was a 20 degree difference, and so as soon as I did this I got a green light on both the goLED and on the HD module, confirming that in all other regards I would have been good to go. Of course this was confirmed when I went through the preflight screens on the PC, as the only indicated issue was the weather.

Worse than failing to get the system maiden done today is that I am now away for work until Friday, so I am delayed for at least another few days.

Never mind. When I do get to maiden, I will be sure to post an appropriate maiden description somewhere.

Cheers

Sutty

[jdd1]

Hi Guys,

Here are some pictures of the CPII installed on my Trex 600 nitro.

Note that the HD module is a prototype before the plastic case was available.

Also I would like to point out the direction of the LED downward and backward at about 45 degrees. I have found this to be the best direction for it face, there it is can easily be seen at and above the hard deck.

[jdd1]

Hi Guys,

Here are some pictures of my Trex 500 with CPII HD installed.

This is he helicopter that I did the majority of beta testing on.

Note the direction the LED is facing, 90 degrees to the frame. I find this not a very good direction to have it facing when at or above the hard deck. When mounted this way it can only be seen when the helicopter is tilted in a bank and sideways to the pilot.

[jdd1]

Hi Guys,

Here are some pictures of my Trex 550 with CPII HD installed.

Note the location and direction the LED is facing. I am not very fond of this direction and location. First with the LED pointing directly downward it is only visible at or above the hard deck when the helicopter is very nearly overhead. Second, at this location when viewed at or above the hard deck from the ground the LED is surround by the sky. The light background reduces the visibility of the LED. The LED is much more visible when mounted such that the surrounding area is darker as in the fuselage being the background.

[jperkosk]

Finally got around to installing the HD on the first test bird, the FB TR450SE v1. The installation went well with one exception: there is really no space on a 450 to install static streamer in a way that it can never touch the helicopter's frame, it's too long for that. So installed it as close to the ground as I dared for takeoff and landing, and I'm hoping for the best. Should be really a big problem in normal recoveries, unless of course the frame will prevent the static streamer from flipping to the other size under some circumstances. Test flight this Saturday.

[nightflyr]

I see your problem Jerry..

You need taller landing gear

[jperkosk]

Originally Posted by nightflyr

You need taller landing gear

Yep, that would do the trick
I don't think it's a real problem, though, 99.9% of the cases the streamer should flip to the other side anyway, I think... Will report after the test flight.

[Howard Matos]

Here's mine:

[distructor]

Originally Posted by jperkosk

Finally got around to installing the HD on the first test bird, the FB TR450SE v1. The installation went well with one exception: there is really no space on a 450 to install static streamer in a way that it can never touch the helicopter's frame, it's too long for that. So installed it as close to the ground as I dared for takeoff and landing, and I'm hoping for the best. Should be really a big problem in normal recoveries, unless of course the frame will prevent the static streamer from flipping to the other size under some circumstances. Test flight this Saturday.

What's it going to hurt? The only concern would be dirt clogging the pilot tube, but I fly off a landing pad. What matters is that it is freedom of movement in the air. I installed it on a 450x and just let the streamer lay partly on the ground.

[jperkosk]

Originally Posted by distructor

What's it going to hurt? The only concern would be dirt clogging the pilot tube, but I fly off a landing pad. What matters is that it is freedom of movement in the air. I installed it on a 450x and just let the streamer lay partly on the ground.

I was actually afraid of ripping it out after a few landings...

How did you wire the CP2 into the 450X? Have replaced AR7200BX with Rx+MB combo for that purpose?

[distructor]

Originally Posted by jperkosk

I was actually afraid of ripping it out after a few landings...

How did you wire the CP2 into the 450X? Have replaced AR7200BX with Rx+MB combo for that purpose?

Yes, switched over to a straight BeastX. Things get really crowded on a 450x with a RX+CP2HD+BeastX. I've since switched it over to a E640.


Crash expert.
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