Blade tracking is off out of the box?

[madeye]

Maiden flight, seeing blades not tracking properly right away. Measuring links, both of them are definitely within 0.1mm in length.

How good are stock blades? Should I ignore the fact that links are nearly identical and take care of tracking the way it's supposed to be done?

Is my gut feeling right that whenever I change blades, tracking needs to be taken care of afresh?

[flint723]

I never even check link length except as a starting point. I rotate one blade directly forward and check it with my digital pitch gauge. Then rotate the other blade directly forward and check it as well. Once both blades read the same when forward (or any position as long as you check both blades in the exact same location) tracking should be dead on on first spool up. At least it always has been for me ever since I started using this method.

I usually re-check it a few times just to be sure.

The problem with helis this small, especially ones with plastic grips, is one grip can be molded slightly different than another and introduce different twists. Not to mention slight twists in the blades themselves. That's why once I have tracking set perfect I label one grip and it's blade so they never get mixed up.

[Fooferdoggie]

get your servos at 90 and if swash is right on then take the blades off and put a 3mm driver through the hole in the grip and eyeball it to the main shaft adjust till it is parallel do the other one tada there you go accurate tracking. much easier then a digital gaugeI I only use the gauge to get 6 degrees and set the amount of pitch.

[madeye]

Originally Posted by flint723

I never even check link length except as a starting point. I rotate one blade directly forward and check it with my digital pitch gauge. Then rotate the other blade directly forward and check it as well. Once both blades read the same when forward (or any position as long as you check both blades in the exact same location) tracking should be dead on on first spool up. At least it always has been for me ever since I started using this method.

Wow, blades turned out to be 3° away from each other... I'll see how it is in the morning. And, of course, zero pitch adjustment is in order. And I see now why turnbuckles are overkill

Originally Posted by flint723

The problem with helis this small,

Having come from mCPX BL... well, you know

Originally Posted by flint723

especially ones with plastic grips, is one grip can be molded slightly different than another and introduce different twists. Not to mention slight twists in the blades themselves. That's why once I have tracking set perfect I label one grip and it's blade so they never get mixed up.

How do you label them?

[flint723]

Originally Posted by madeye

How do you label them?

A dot of silver permanent marker on the inside of one grip and a dot of black (or silver if blade is black) permanent marker on the root of it's blade.

[Chris Nifty]

" And I see now why turnbuckles are overkill "

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It depends on if you're happy with a finite or infinite range of adjustment.

[madeye]

Originally Posted by Chris Nifty

" And I see now why turnbuckles are overkill "

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It depends on if you're happy with a finite or infinite range of adjustment.

It was kinda tongue in cheek a bit. I got an impression that turnbuckles are a usual holywar starter, and didn't really want to start one now.

This is my first build - and, honestly, I'm surprised by sheer number of corners cut in design, in comparison to other things I've been dealing with before. I can see the point, though - it would've been even more obscenely expensive. Not that the margin is thin today.

So yes, I'd like to see turnbuckles used (1° resolution that threaded links offer on 8° of total pitch range is nowhere near good), but well, let's see how it turns out - maybe it's sufficient. If not, I guess I'll be asking questions about turnbuckles, then.

Still learning.

[flint723]

I just ordered trex 500 turnbuckles for my mini (I read they fit the mini's links and are the right length for the low head). I can only get it within .4 degrees with half turns on the links which isn't good enough for me. I have been flying it but it shows vibs in the log, even though in flight the tracking doesn't appear to be off much.

[madeye]

Originally Posted by flint723

I just ordered trex 500 turnbuckles for my mini (I read they fit the mini's links and are the right length for the low head).

Link, please?

Originally Posted by flint723

I can only get it within .4 degrees with half turns on the links which isn't good enough for me. I have been flying it but it shows vibs in the log, even though in flight the tracking doesn't appear to be off much.

Which FBL are you using? Sounds like V-Bar?

[kayakboy69]

Ball links are a known to be off by a lot ... molding and shrinkage make them off from one to another .... yet most manufactures dont measure links from center of ball end but at the root ...
I asure you as you progress in msh land you will figure out the spare no expence and the do everything for a reason ... or it would have a hobbywing or yep esc ... and a typhoon motor ....
There matto is light! Strong and fuseable links (sacraficial parts)
And reasonable priced ..
To steal a freinds line ... we pursue perfection ..
Its not perfect ..... but its dam close ..


Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[flint723]

Originally Posted by madeye

Link, please?



Which FBL are you using? Sounds like V-Bar?

http://www.helidirect.com/xtreme-tit...00-p-19615.hdx
But it appears I bought the last one last night, they're out of stock. Somewhere else might have them. I'm still not exactly sure if those are the right ones, but I will have them Saturday.

For FBL I am using the Robird g31 on my Mini, which does have vib logging (not as sophisticated as vbar or sk720 but it does work).

[Chris Nifty]

http://www.modelhelicopters.co.uk/tw...-x-34mm-4.html
Sadly out of stock there also.

[crickr1]

Originally Posted by flint723

http://www.helidirect.com/xtreme-tit...00-p-19615.hdx
But it appears I bought the last one last night, they're out of stock. Somewhere else might have them. I'm still not exactly sure if those are the right ones, but I will have them Saturday.

For FBL I am using the Robird g31 on my Mini, which does have vib logging (not as sophisticated as vbar or sk720 but it does work).

Those are the wrong ones, for Low hub, they are 50mm length,
These are 31mm, closest to stock mini, and can also be used servo to swash as well as swash to main grips
http://www.helidirect.com/helioption...sh-p-28285.hdx
Guess there will be a mad rush on these now! LOL!!

[flint723]

Originally Posted by crickr1

Those are the wrong ones, for Low hub, they are 50mm length,
These are 31mm, closest to stock mini, and can also be used servo to swash as well as swash to main grips
http://www.helidirect.com/helioption...sh-p-28285.hdx
Guess there will be a mad rush on these now! LOL!!

When you do a google search on the part number of what I bought it says m2x34mm, not 50mm. I guess we will see.

The picture on the Xtreme web site looks different than the one on Helidirect...

[flint723]

So the ones I got are the right ones for the low head. Here's the pic, it looks different then what helidirect has in the pic. Although they are not threaded as much as the stock rods so it is necessary to use one short link and one normal link. Regardless, I am very happy with them.

Sorry about the hair in the one pic...

Part number: EA-050
http://www.helidirect.com/xtreme-tit...00-p-19615.hdx
http://www.wowhobbies.com/agnk10420a...oand500-1.aspx
http://www.xtreme-production.com/xtr...oducts_id=2535

[madeye]

Originally Posted by flint723

So the ones I got are the right ones for the low head. Here's the pic, it looks different then what helidirect has in the pic. Although they are not threaded as much as the stock rods so it is necessary to use one short link and one normal link. Regardless, I am very happy with them.

Sorry about the hair in the one pic...

Part number: EA-050
http://www.helidirect.com/xtreme-tit...00-p-19615.hdx
http://www.wowhobbies.com/agnk10420a...oand500-1.aspx
http://www.xtreme-production.com/xtr...oducts_id=2535

Late question - I see that plastic links on your picture are MSH, do the parts that come with the turnbuckle fit MSH balls, or you *have* to use MSH links? If that's the case, would it be wise to reuse a link that's already been threaded? Something tells me that won't be a good idea...

[flint723]

Originally Posted by madeye

Late question - I see that plastic links on your picture are MSH, do the parts that come with the turnbuckle fit MSH balls, or you *have* to use MSH links? If that's the case, would it be wise to reuse a link that's already been threaded? Something tells me that won't be a good idea...

I had new MSH links laying around that I put on. But the turnbuckle thread size seems to be slightly larger (did not measure but one of them split a new link) so it probably wouldn't matter if you used a previously threaded one.

I did not even try the links that the turnbuckles came with. They would have been way too long if I remember right. Well for the low FBL head anyway.

[flint723]

Also I have 30 flights or so on these turnbuckles now with no issues.

[crickr1]

Originally Posted by crickr1

Those are the wrong ones, for Low hub, they are 50mm length,
These are 31mm, closest to stock mini, and can also be used servo to swash as well as swash to main grips
http://www.helidirect.com/helioption...sh-p-28285.hdx
Guess there will be a mad rush on these now! LOL!!

These are the ones I used with stock links and they work great

[madeye]

For those still interested - EA-045 turnbuckle works great as well. There's too little plastic on links for my liking, so I replaced them with original long MSH41030, but your mileage may vary.

Unpleasant result, however, is that the swashplate play at this time is all the way up to 1.5°, so the point of using turnbuckles becomes moot until the swashplate is fixed. That's a topic for a completely different thread, though...