Not much Action

[Jungle Bob]

Not too much action happening here guys! Lets post some stuff before they pull us off and replace us with some other heli topic. I have done a few upgrades on my Shogun recently. Fitted a MAP antenna, Micro heli tail upgrade and built a small plastic plate to hold my on/off switch. All going well and still flying well.

[strong]

Nice zoom,

I'm flying my zoom again after about a year lay off.....My new setup has the ultrafly C/13/33kv motor with 10 teeth pinion which I find to be a really nice outrunner motor for the zoom......Plus I replace the 201 gyro with the 401gyro and also added a 1500 apogee lipo.......It flys great...... but I still do need some better than stock blades for it. :cool:

[Jungle Bob]

On the subject of blades.......I have fitted the SAB carbons to mine and it made a world of difference. The first time I spooled up with them I thought I was flying a different heli! They weigh more and have a much more positive feel to them. Oh. and as an added bonus.....they kill bugs better (see photo)

Borneo bear....you still out there buddy? Two months to go and I will be flying in the tropical paradise that is Sabah!

[futura]

here is mine....

MH tail shaft drive and tail, Heliup/EF head, misc heliup frame and boom goodies.

JR RX and servos. JGF 400DH with phoenix 25

[futura]

Ya know Jungle Bob....still thinking about that antenna route....a florescent blue on the heli above but starting next to the boom just under the gyro and then to the bottom of the tail might work for me. what I'm looking for is help with orientation. That blue heli is relatively dark and its easy to loose orientation for me at least. I think your Idea will help me allot. I'm now in search of florescent blue fuel tubing.

I'm starting to suspect my dean's micro antenna is causing glitches...just a hunch though... its routed quite close to the esc and motor too.

[wren1702]

Do the Revo guys count in this thread????

Here's mine. Microheli tail, Helidirect carbons, aluminum swash and head.

[Jungle Bob]

Hell yes...the more the merrier...just nice to see and talk to guys who love their Zap/Zoom/Shogun's etc. Futura, yep...blue would work! I don't have any orientation problems but then again I am no 3d flyer. My two 400's have both undergone a few mods recently and just as soon as I finish my house restoration I am going to get out and fly them. I got fed up with the dangling switch so I made a small mod...two benefits, firstly, tidies up the switch and secondly, cranks the heli slightly to the right to counteract the inherant inclination to tip to the left on take off (see pics)

[futura]

I've though about going with a switch too but have heard undesirable issues with putting that kind of juice through them. I spend extra to get gold connectors to reduce any resistance....it would seem that a switch would negate this effort.

does it ever get warm or hot? can you report any issues at all?

It sure would make the initial application of power to the ESC more clean. With any electronics, its the power surge of turning on that causes wear/degradation. I can see allot of positive point with a switch. cleaner looking being a key element.

[Jungle Bob]

Hi Futura
I like the switch primarily because I can put one hand on the head when I switch on and then, in the unlikely event that something is not quite right (in the early days I connected up a Protech Zoom with the wrong 'model' set on the TX and it flew up and bit me hard..I have the photos of my fingers somewhere...not pretty!), I have some element of control. Also, it is cleaner looking and my canopy is on ready to fly before I switch the power on. My experience of electric helis is limited but what little I do have tells me that they can be unpredictable and I don't like playing around with battery connections and canopy mounting while the whole thing is 'live'

[futura]

Yup, I still have "what if" thoughts on occasion when putting on the canopy.

[Danyboy]

Hello there, fellow Zoom/Shogun/Whatev'-Pilots!

I understand your thoughts concerning handling a "hot" model.

I have solved the problem in the following manner:
Battery has its connectors attached at the front, having around 5-7cm of cable to the 2mm gold-connectors. ESC sits underneath the chassis so the battery leads point toward the front and are as well about 5-7cm long. The combined length of cables allows me to have them routed along the right lower side chassis, coming out underneath between the skids. This gets the connectors just aft of the border of the canopy.
Like this, I can finish up the model completely, plug only the battery lead in, which has the male connector on the battery side (it has less body to hold it). When on the heli-pad, I plug in the second lead (with female connector, which has a longer body which extends more from behind the canopy).

I don't like switches or even exta-connectors neither: Whenever there's a contact, there's a possibility to a fault to happen (alway expect Murphy to take a ride on your model... ) and at least extra resistance...

Yesterday my lhs finally became restocked with the hinged pitch slider, so I finally was able to order the belt-mod and the compelte metal-tail...
Can't wait until it arrives...

Only thing missing is my new computer-transmitter...
Was promised to be released on begin of july...
Guess what: middle of july, end of july, begin of august, end of august...
Latest news is middle of octobre...
And my old one has a definitive fault in heli-mode, moving both channel 1 and 6 irregularly to fully negative then instantly back to normal. Deadly for the tail-gearing if you are below 60cm (~2ft) height, as the vertical fin will slam on the ground, giving a considerable shock on the tail which will push the tail-gear momentarily hard against the motor's pinion...

Cheers,

Daniel

[Jungle Bob]

Hi Danyboy
I take your point and the heli in your picture looks tidy. My point is...you have to use both hands to connect your wires which doesn't leave you a hand free to place on top of the head. Should mine spool up unexpectedly then I get a set of stripped gears, if yours spools up while you are holding it or bent over it then you get a set of spinning blades nearby. I use 'hold' but one never knows with electrics. I guess it's a personal thing.

[Jungle Bob]

[quote="Jungle Bob"]Hi Danyboy
I just found the reason why I am so wary of 'hot' electrics! These are my fingers after my Zoom jumped up at me. My fault, wrong model set on my RX.

[Danyboy]

Hey, Bob,

I'm not saying I'm perfect...

I f***** a main axle and motor by throwing the switch for idle-up to programm for a higher RPM during a short break...
Only to find that "something" was slapping my ass...
Which turned out to be my Zoom sitting behind me, being "hot"...
A set of blades, a main axle, new main gear, new motor... Man, I never thought that throwing such a little cute switch could turn out that expensive...

Nevertheless, it became like a unconscious checklist, to check the complete transmitter (each and every switch) while holding the plugs unplugged in the fingers, before plugging them. I am also always *very* aware to have my arms out of the rotordisc... Almost lying beside the model, must be looking funny...
Also one reason why I like those flat transmitters better than the handhold ones: No belly there that can inadvertently move the throttle-stick, as seen many times with my mates when prepping the planks...
And the advantage of plugging with both hands, that you can unplug immediately as soon as that thing does one wrong "beep"... Maybe it still has time to start winding up (very unlikely with modern electronics which won't arm if throttle isn't at zero), but as soon as it doesn't beep the way it's supposed to beep, its unplugged and so can't do much harm...

Though I have to admit, since I am with high-power electric modelism since I began, it's like with weapons or heavy-iron aviation...
One that's around them knows the iron rules and they come natural to him...

I sometimes see on our field peoples working on electric planes that I find in the highest possible ways careless...
And they never want to realize how dangerous it was, what they just did... Why? Because the last 1000 times, nothing happened...

Nevertheless, I *always* respect the ways someone handles his models, as long it's based on some serious thoughts... And that would then be in most ways professionally. Which in your case, almost certainly seem to be given...
And that's because professionalism is based on expirience...
Ever downed a *hot* hotliner because you only checked the ailerons working, not the ailerons working *correct*? Long story short, about 3 seconds after launch, I would have been happy if the ground was about two feets lower, so I could successfully finish the outside-looping...

Cheers, Daniel

[Jungle Bob]

Thanks Daniel
I appreciated your post and it even made me smile... I recognised some similarities between us and our experiences! My 'muscle memory' is much better than the earlier days when I self inflicted my finger damage. Professionalism is the by-word and one I have to live with in work and play. I carry a firearm daily and mistakes are just not an option! My heli stuff is becoming second nature now and I hope not to have any further flirtations with 'hot' electrics. Stay safe and fly high.

[Jungle Bob]

I just had a thought...perhaps all of us should post the errors we made in the 'early days' of flying helis and give it a forum heading. This way those people who are new to the sport can have a guide to common mistakes and avoid injury and expense!!! How about it Mr Helifreak? I, for one, am not too proud to post the F##k ups I made.

[dalars]

there are certainly not a lot of us shogun flyers around. we do need to band together.

I like my unit, though i have modified it a good deal. (can't help myself)
stronger tail boom, modified landing gear, modified tail gear box.

this new hobby is very addictive. if it's not flying, we work on it till it is. then we fly it til the batteries are gone.

my current issue is over heating motors. the stock shogun brushless are too weak and are on fire after a few minutes of flight. probably due to the beefy modifications I have made. i am experimenting with bigger motors. currently a 450HD.
I also use align 305 blades which are heavier but much cheaper. lately I have found plastic 305 blades that are VERY durable. these babies are practically indestructable and they are only $11

glad to hear from other flyers

dalars

[Jungle Bob]

Hi Dalars
I had an overheating problem a while back.....my motor/esc gave me two start-up options, hard or soft. I had it in 'hard' mode and got a motor so hot you could smell it. I changed the setting to soft and have had no problems since. Could be worth a try. I was also told by a pro that hovering for long periods can cause overheating so move your bird about abit if you practicing. I assume you are using a heatsink? Hope this helps.