The tail booms for the Nano CPx break to easy.

[CobraKiller]

I was wondering if anybody else was having these issues? I've been through 2 tail booms in the last 2 weeks and my 3rd is starting to break. Does anyone know of a better tail boom that would work on the Nano?

[Jim1946]

Some guys make a boom from solid 2mm carbon fiber rod found at LHS. Other than that, don't crash.

[bondkiller]

Originally Posted by Jim1946

Other than that, don't crash.

+1 on that!

but i just got my nano yesterday, trying to learn how to hover it in my 12x10x8 bedroom, already broke off a canopy mount and broke a landing skid ....BUT tail boom is fine even after watching it spin full speed boom first into my nightstand

[KYCHOPPER]

Originally Posted by bondkiller

+1 on that!

but i just got my nano yesterday, trying to learn how to hover it in my 12x10x8 bedroom, already broke off a canopy mount and broke a landing skid ....BUT tail boom is fine even after watching it spin full speed boom first into my nightstand

It won't last long flying like that, take it from my experience!

[crimsonrain22]

Did finally break mine.. well the started to split.. A little CA and its stronger then it was and still going strong.

[flgfish]

Originally Posted by Jim1946

Some guys make a boom from solid 2mm carbon fiber rod found at LHS. Other than that, don't crash.

I did this. I broke my first one earlier this week... Snapped in half about 2/3 of the way to the motor end. I reused the motor and housing and installed it on a solid 2mm rod. Seems to be working well.

The main motor is on its way out now, however ... Will have to deal with that soon.

[bondkiller]

Originally Posted by KYCHOPPER

It won't last long flying like that, take it from my experience!

hopefully with a few more flights, i'll be able to hover without crashing lol

[drroc]

Originally Posted by bondkiller

hopefully with a few more flights, i'll be able to hover without crashing lol

Practice hitting throttle hold before the wreck. It will save you a lot of grief ( breaking the heli and getting a beat down from the wife for scratching furniture).

[bondkiller]

Originally Posted by drroc

Practice hitting throttle hold before the wreck. It will save you a lot of grief ( breaking the heli and getting a beat down from the wife for scratching furniture).

i'm definitely getting in the habit of hitting TH now, even on my coax!

and i'm lucky, the fiancee doesn't care about the furniture too much

[tchilds]

Originally Posted by CobraKiller

I was wondering if anybody else was having these issues? I've been through 2 tail booms in the last 2 weeks and my 3rd is starting to break. Does anyone know of a better tail boom that would work on the Nano?

I swapped to a solid tail, for a day. I found that the battery life and 3d abilities suffered greatly. Not only this but on a helicopter this size the hollow is plenty strong.

My booms were splitting from blade hits. If you do not throttle up slowly the blades will lock against the grips and hit the boom in a low position before the centrifugal force moves them outward. You need to idle up from mid stick when launching to avoid these boom hits. The hits will "split" the CF and then on your first hard crash possibly break some of the CF strands.

Once the CF has split it will twist if not adhered back together immediately. Do not fly with a split boom or you will twist it permanently and ruin the CF.

To fix the CF, mix some epoxy and wipe it down the boom with a paper towel. Be mindful not to glue your boom to the frame or motor mount to the boom.

You can order 2mm hollow (varying wall thicknesses too) online for a few dollars a meter. I would order some 2mm hollow and solid CF, 3mm hollow as well for future use. My tail cans (motors) outlast the CF for sure. Even if you put solid CF and decide you don't mind the way it flies, I still don't believe it is worth it as this will put ALL of the flex from tail movement on your frame and wear out the plastic faster. Not to mention your frame will take hits harder in the event that your tail would have broken yet can't as solid CF.

I've gone through all this before with the MCPX. Unlike this MCPX, this bird is very light and well capable of flying for an expected amount of hours on the hollow tail CF. Heavier CF will make the heli heavier which makes it hit the ground harder, especially when considering acceleration x mass to force and all that jazz. The tail flex is also a non issue with the plastic frame and the hollow CF. Flying with solid CF will wear the frame out faster and make the tail flex much much worse than stock. The plastic gets soft over time as its flexed on by the tail, no reason not to spread that flex out over a parabolic shape via hollow 2mm CF, thinner wall the better IMO for the nano cpx. The thinner walled the CF the more parabolic curve you'll get from the tail during crashes and hard 3d manuevers which makes it more predictable and durable over time even if you have to replace a few booms.

Again, avoid the boom hits from your blades. They are happening if you're splitting CF booms 2/3 distance of the tail from the frame. This is exactly where your main rotor blades will strike the boom during launches if you're not starting throttle from mid stick.

Also, make sure your blade grips are loose as a goose. They should not stick in place ever and should also not have any play within the grips. It is very important that they are extremely loose so that your blades can maintain the correct geometry during all aspects of flight and crashes. If they can not spin out easily from centrifugal forces then they're not going to work properly.


If anyone doesn't believe me, paint a line around your boom where the blades can potentially hit it. If you've been splitting CF tails you'll quickly see the marks in the paint where you're striking the boom during launches.

[tchilds]

Just wanted to add one more thing. Don't add weight to fix anything on this heli. Its perfect and adding any weight quickly diminishes the returns beyond their origin. With very few exceptions.

[kingmeow]

Originally Posted by bondkiller

and i'm lucky, the fiancee doesn't care about the furniture too much

That's becuase she is your fiancee. Wait until she is your wife and report back.

[bondkiller]

Originally Posted by kingmeow

That's becuase she is your fiancee. Wait until she is your wife and report back.

forgot about that part lol

[nk12]

I wrapped dental floss around the boom then brushed Elmo glue on top. The boom is very solid now.

[CamDLux]

Shrink wrapping the entire tail has worked great for me.

[SHYguy]

[QUOTE=tchilds;4439595]I swapped to a solid tail, for a day. I found that the battery life and 3d abilities suffered greatly. Not only this but on a helicopter this size the hollow is plenty strong.QUOTE]

Really? I didn't notice any difference, but of course that power of the main motors can vary...

How much is the weight difference?

[tchilds]

2mm solid is same weight as 3mm hollow. If you're flying non stop 3d and in the cold on an old motor and beat up boom, etc etc. Well yes I noticed a difference hard to say if it was from the solid boom but the hollow is definitely strong enough so why bother upgrading to a heavier piece if you can buy hollow 2mm CF for $5 a meter?

The solid boom is also heavier because it requires external wires and heat shrink to hold them in place. If you're going to run an upgraded boom I would run a 3mm hollow, thin walled as possible. This will be the best looking, lightest, strongest option. Not 2mm solid.

The reason people upgraded to solid booms on MCPX wasn't for strength, although it was a benefit. It was actually to stop the much longer tail on a much heavier heli to stop from wagging back and forth much much worse than the nano cpx can wag a tail.

Be warned, the enamel coated wires on the nano cpx motor cans is some BS. If you fly around on a split boom and basically rip the wires down the crack on a crash, you will abrade the enamel coating at the same time as exposing the tiny strands of highly conductive CF.... all of this means new main board time.

I run 2mm hollow on both MCPX and nano cpx now, as I love reduced weight. My friend laughs at me every time he see's it and says I'm crazy for risking my tail fet just to save a fraction of a gram but hey, like I say all the time, helicopters spend time in the air not on the ground! Mine are built accordingly!

Your plastic frame needs to be reinforced after you get about 100 flights in a solid boom you'll notice the rear of the frame basically becomes mushy, much worse than hollow tail ever was. That bend at sharp angel hurts performance in the air more than the slight happy functional bend a hollow piece of CF gives you. If you add stiffer boom, stiffen the frame, and all this on a stock setup you're wasting your time.

So yes, all or nothing, Just upgrading the boom to solid 2mm CF is only good idea if you're crashing and breaking booms constantly. I would switch back as soon as you can stay in the air. Maybe on a big enough brushless setup with extended boom and stiffened rear frame the 2mm solid is cool but I'd run 3mm hollow personally.

[Kendo]

If you're reading this and just ran out of salt, I'll happily share a grain or two. Or a scoop.

[RedJoE]

Not sure why you guys are having trouble. I installed solid 2mm shafts right away on both my nanos. zero issues, hundreds of flights now and they hold up just fine. I made them the exact length as the stock hollow shafts. If your having problems after going to solid shafts, then you did something incorrectly, too long, too short, etc. Also, the added weight is hardly noticeable.

[Daryoon]

Actually, in that post, he made good points.

Not sure how to mod stock frame for 3mm though.