The Official ALeeSUSA Rush 750 Evolution Build Thread

[dunkonu23]

Page 1 continues...



The bearings shown in the previous post just snap in to the radius arms as shown above.



The radius arms fit over the front, slightly raised posts on the pitch/swash driver arms.



Using a 1.5mm nut driver, attach the M2 X 14 screw through the bearings.



Attach the M2 lock nut on the exposed threads of the M2 X 14 screw.



A nut driver like the one shown above will make installing the M2 lock nut a snap!



Radius arms installed! Please note the orientation of the pitch levers/swash driver arms. In this picture it is INCORRECT. Wayne pointed this out and I corrected it by...



... Removing one of the standoff balls then flipping the pitch lever/swash driver arms, then reinstalling the balls. Note the difference in orientation.

Tomorrow, we'll start with page 3 of the manual (we're going to skip page 2 for now) and see how far we can go!

Scott

[dunkonu23]

I've fixed some stuff in post 18. Let me know if there are any blanks! Thanks!

Scott

[lowey79]

Hey Scott, it looks like you have the swash drive arms pointing the wrong way... You'll have to remove one to correct it.

But awesome job on the build thread so far!

[dunkonu23]

Originally Posted by lowey79

Hey Scott, it looks like you have the swash drive arms pointing the wrong way... You'll have to remove one to correct it.

But awesome job on the build thread so far!

Thanks, Wayne! It is impossible to put pitch lever/swash driver arms wrong, but it is possible to have their orientation wrong with respect to leading vs. trailing edge control To fix this, all I did was remove a standoff ball rotate the arms to their proper orientation, then reinstall the balls. I will post corrected pictures tomorrow.

Scott

[lowey79]

Good job the red loctite hadn't set up hard yet!

[Triple-D TJ]

Looking good Scott! I wouldn't have been able to do this in a hotel room. ;-)

Edit - Note on the choice of dampeners for everyone. I spent a bit if time chatting with Charlie at OHB and one of the things he specifically pointed out to me was the difference with the dampeners. As we know the rush is a dual purpose heli. The black dampeners were intended for the "750" stretch and the grey's for the standard 700. Now, dampening obviously depends on the pilot preference, so I would encourage you all to try both.

I built mine per Charlie's recommendation of grey and it flew freaking Awesome. I will try both to see how it feels and flies.

[markrj]

Since I am old and slow, I installed the grey dampers. lol

[dunkonu23]

Pages 3 and 4 of the manual starts now!

Pages 3 and 4 deal with installing the spindle, grips, building links, and the swash plate.



The parts needed to get started with these steps are in bag 2.



Bag 2 contains the pitch arms for the grips, links and turnbuckles, the spindle, thrust bearings and hardware for building and installing the grips.



Remove the spindle from the bag... this shows the rough alignment of the spindle and the 2SIC head.



Here I gently inserted the threaded portion of the spindle into the damper. Then I applied a light coat of synthetic oil to the spindle. NOTE: I was able to slide the spindle into the head very easily without oil, but this may not be the case with your head.



The inserted spindle. Note that is roughly centered in the head.



The grips come in cool boxes!



Grips and pitch arms.



All the hardware needed to install the pitch arms to the grips is laid out in their rough locations.



Pitch levers can be either slid onto or put directly on the raised index on each grip.



Pitch arms lined up with the index. Screw holes are lined up.



Using blue thread locker, install the M3 x 8 screws. Do not tighten, yet.



Installing the second screw. Next, tighten each screw evenly.



Installing the standoff (long) ball to the pitch arm. Use RED thread locker here.



Install and tighten each standoff (long) ball into the pitch arm and tighten.



The completed grip. Repeat for the second grip.

Next up, Thrust bearings and prep.

Scott

[9sec240]

I'm with markrj. Old and slow. I did grey also.

[dunkonu23]

Thrust bearings and preparations to install the grips.



Thrust bearings consist of the bearings themselves and two races--each race has different inner diameters (ID).



Before you can use the thrust bearings the bearing holder must be packed with grease. I use synthetic grease. This is a regular maintenance item.



To pack the bearings with grease, I put a small amount on finger, then scrape the open end of the bearing over a small amount of grease. Then I rotate the bearing and repeat until all areas of the bearing are full of grease.



The bearing on the left is packed with grease. Notice the difference between the left bearing and the right bearing.



Both bearings are fully packed.



To install the grips to the head and spindle, you will need two 13mm nut drivers.



This shows the parts needed to install the grip to the spindle and head.



First, you install the damper spacer. It is very important the beveled edge goes toward the damper. This allows the damper to be pre-loaded.



Next, slide the grip over the spindle as shown above.



Install the thrust washer (the large brass washer) as shown above.



To make installing the thrust bearing races, the bearing, and the washer, I stack them in the following order on a hex driver, from left to right:

1. Large ID bearing race, facing right..
2. Bearing, open (packed) side facing left.
3. Smaller ID bearing race, facing left
4. Spacing washer.

At this point it is a simple task to line up the hex driver with the center of the spindle, tip head up and let the parts slide into place. You may have to jiggle them a bit, but in the end...



...you want the races, bearing, and washer to look like this! Repeat for the other grip.



Now we start to tighten things down... Use the 13mm lock nut.



I put the locking nut into the 13mm socket, then insert the combo into the grip and gently turn the nut driver...



Don't tighten the lock nut all the way. Just tight enough to hold the grip on the spindle for now. See above. Both nuts should something like shown in the picture.



Next, align the spindle so the grip to head spacing is roughly equal. You do this by pulling out on a grip while pushing on the opposite nut driver. Some may not do it this way, but I like to keep things in rough alignment. Once you have this alignment, start tightening the lock nuts. The goal is...



... to have each side of the threaded spindle to protrude about two threads. You do this by tightening each of the lock nuts until they are snug, then go 1/16 to 1/8th turn more.

When you are at this point. Rotate the grips. Slightly tight is okay as long as they are not grinding. Pull out on the grips while rotating as shown in the tech tip video at the link below:

https://www.helifreak.com/showpost.p...11&postcount=5



The grips are now installed. After your first couple of flights they will be silky smooth as the dampers become bedded in.

Next up, links and the swash plate!

Scott

[dunkonu23]

Links with turn buckles, and the swash plate...



Links and turnbuckles! Turnbuckles are cool. They allow you to get a really precise setup!



Lining up the links and a turnbuckle.



Before I started installing links on the turnbuckles, I put a thin coat of synthetic grease on the thread of the turnbuckle.



It is easy to install a link on a turnbuckle if you slip a 1.5 mm hex driver shaft through the adjustment hole in the turnbuckle.



Starting the link on the turnbuckle is accomplished by turning the links in opposite directions--One will go on the normal direction but the other side's link will go on in the opposite direction.



If the link starts getting tight, use a pair of needle nose pliers or the flat part of ball link pliers to hold the link while you turn the turnbuckle with the hex driver.



Links are done when they measure 25.5 mm from end of the link to end of the opposite link.

Swash plate is next...

Scott

[dunkonu23]

The Swash Plate. Y'all might think this is just installing the balls... read on...



The swash plate comes in a cool box of its own, too!



Orientation of the links to the swash plate. Use the standoff (large) balls and the antirotation pin/ball combination.



Told you weren't going to get off easy with this one. First, we check all the screws for thread locker--doing so involves removing each screw in a crossing pattern, then soaking them in alcohol to remove oil.



Removing the screws.



After you get all the screws removed, the swash plate comes apart to reveal its components.



To reassemble the swash plate, you must line up the swash plate upper cup with the swash plate lower cup assembly. Note that the screws are not equally spaced. You must line up the narrow and wider spacing to reinstall all the screws.

When you reinstall the screws, use blue thread locker and only tighten them snug at first.



Once all the screws are snug, tighten them in a crossing pattern. Go over the pattern at least twice to make sure all screws are tight. Once you are done, make sure the swash ball and center section rotate/turn/move freely.. A tiny bit of up/down play on the ball is okay. That play is necessary to compensate for expansion/contraction of components made from different materials.



Next we install the standoff (long) balls.



Use RED thread locker to install the standoff/long balls.



Hand tighten the anti-rotation link at this time. The manual states to use blue thread locker, but I will wait until Page 24 as there is a screw that goes into the female end.



Install the standoff (long) balls into the rotating part of the swash plate.



Install the standoff (long) balls using RED thread locker into opposite sides of the rotating portion of the swash plate.



The completed swash plate!

Next up, we'll build some new stuff on pages, 5, 6, and 7!

Scott

[dunkonu23]

Here we go with pages 5 and 6!



In the introduction video, I mistakenly called bag 6, bag 8. The CF parts are in Bag 6. The parts for the battery tray are in bag 6 and bag 3.



To reduce the possibility of your wiring to get chaffed, sand the carbon fiber parts with wet/dry sand paper. I use 800 grit, and do it...



Wet to reduce carbon fiber dust. If you sand the CF parts dry, please wear a mask to keep you from breathing the dust!



I took this opportunity to sand the edges on all CF parts. Don't forget to sand anywhere where you think a wire or cable will pass through. Oh... and clean up after yourself... domestic bliss is worth the effort!



The parts needed complete the battery tray are, from bottom clockwise:

The CF Battery tray;
Seven M3 x 12mm set screw;
and 14 Tray Center Spacers.

The CF has a matte finish that is really, really cool looking!



The tray center spacers are keyed. The raised post goes to the outside of the battery tray. This is the great thing about having an electronic manual--you can zoom in to see details that might be obscured in printed manuals.



The set screw is installed into the Center spacer with a 1.5mm hex driver.



Use blue thread locker on the set screw. I tightened the set screw all the way to check depth of set screw in the center spacer, then I backed it out about 2 or 3 turns until the installed depth was roughly the same as the exposed side.



There are seven center tray spacers for each side of the battery tray. Above shows the set screws installed.



The set screw goes through holes on the outside edge of the battery tray. Use blue thread locker here, too.



Hand tighten the tray center spacers at first--note the orientation.



I used two hex drivers inserted in the holes of the center spacers to...



...tighten the center spacers to the battery tray. Be careful not to over tighten.



The finished battery tray.

Next up... Minions...

Scott

[dunkonu23]

Minons... remember "Despicable Me"?



Now we assemble the trays... From bottom to top:

ESC tray;
Gyro tray;
A bag with ten bright things in it;
and a lot of M3 x 6mm button head screws--we'll need ten of them for this task.



This shows the parts needed to install one "Minion". There is a story here. One evening when talking to Charley, he said, "I just came up with a neat way to attach the electronics trays to the frame."

"What's that?", I said remembering he was thinking of injection molded plastic in the past.

"Minions!", he said while chuckling,

"Despicable Me?" I asked while chuckling, too.

"Yeah, the parts I came up with look like the Minions in that movie!" Charley was laughing, now. "They'll be aluminum, though." He concluded.

"Cool!" I laughed.

That's the story behind the 10 CF Tray mounts in the kit. I'll probably always call them Minions, though.



The "Minions" just slide over the CF tray at the holes.



Make sure you line up the holes in the mounts with the holes in the tray.



Use Blue thread locker to install the M3 x 6mm button head screws.



The ESC tray with all the Minions installed.



The Gyro tray with Minions slipped into place.



The ESC tray, complete with Minions installed!

Next up, we'll do the bearings.

Scott

[dunkonu23]

Bearings!



To finish off the bearings, this is what you'll need:

Two bearing blocks with bearings installed, one bearing mount, one bearing insert with bearing installed, and eight M3 x 6 button head screws.



Press on each bearing to check tightness. If the bearings are loose, reinstall with green thread locker.



The bearings have two sides. One side shows the whole bearing, the other smaller hole has an inner flange where the bearing rests.



The M3 X 6 mm button head screws are used as insurance against the bearing coming out. Use blue thread locker on each M3 x 6 mm screw.



The bearing insert and a servo mount/bearing block. Note the recesses on the bearing insert. The recesses are there to allow a straight shot at the screws.



The bearing insert fits inside the bearing block as shown.



If the screw holes are not aligned, lightly twist the bearing insert until the holes are aligned.



I inserted all the screws to make sure alignment was spot on.



Then, one at a time, I removed a screw, applied Blue thread locker then lightly tightened each screw until they seated. Then I went from screw tightening about 1/16 turn until all three screws were tight.



The finished bearing blocks.

That's all for tonight, folks. More soon!

Scott

[PowerDyne]

I don't mean to butt in here, but I figured this would be a good point in Scott's build thread to mention a step from later in the manual that I would highly recommend taking at this point:

On Page 37 of the manual (Bag 11) Where you install the M4 Spacer (Part #200-0065) for the tail boom support struts; I feel this should be done during the main frame assembly. The reason I say this is because getting it to line up properly in the frame while holding the boom support strut can be a little challenging.

If you pre-install it during the main frame assembly without loctite, you will have a much easier time of getting it assembled properly later without having to juggle the frame, hex driver, spacer and bolt along with the boom strut. This way you can remove one bolt on one side, and install the strut, then move to the other side to repeat the process.

It calls for RED Loctite on both ends of the boom strut as well.

Hope this helps a little.

[dunkonu23]

Now, on to the boom block assembly. The gearing is a departure for Charley in that he decided to use field replaceable individual gears. This is a cool feature!



The parts to build the boom block and the new counter shaft and gearing are in Bag 4.



The contents of bag 4 are as follows clockwise from the bottom:

Countershaft bottom bearing mount with four M3 x 6mm cap head screws;
Countershaft top bearing mount;
Front boom mount;
Rear boom mount with two M3 x 8mm cap screws;
Long bevel gear;
Two piece bevel gear;
Counter gear;
Counter gear shaft;
Two long set screws;
Two pins;
Four M3 x 6mm button head screws;
and two M3 x 4.5mm button head pinning screws.



The parts layout for the counter gear shaft assembly. Note the bevel gear at the top. This is a two piece gear. The gear has a gear component and a center post component. The gear can be separated from the post mount by pressing down on the gear with the long post to the bottom. It is a tight fit and currently is CA'd to the gear at the factory. The manual notes that the gear and the center post are not CA'd at the factory. Use thin CA if your gears come in two pieces. All gears in this assembly are made of CNC'ed Delrin.



The bevel gear assembly slides over the larger OD (thicker) portion of the counter shaft.



Make sure to line up the holes in the bevel gear assembly with the holes in the counter shaft.



The pins are pressed into the holes in the gear and counter shaft. Don't worry, you need no special tools for this.



The pin may be a tad tight. Here I used a pair of ball link pliers to press the pin through the shaft and into the other side of the bevel gear assembly. It required almost no force. Once you do this one time, a simple 1.5mm nut driver can be used to push the pin out when necessary--that will take less force than putting pin in the first time.



The installed two-piece bevel gear with pin.

Construction note: The bevel gear and the post/support are coming glued (with CA) from the factory. In some cases a better gear mesh with the long bevel gear might be achieved by separating the bevel gear from the post, cleaning the CA from the mating surfaces and rotating the bevel gear through its three other positions until a better mesh is achieved.



Repeat the same procedure with the counter gear.



Both gears are installed. Now? What makes them stay put? Hmm...



The pins are held in place by the long set screws. Note the unthreaded portion of the set screw. This is the way the set screw is installed.



Use blue thread locker as shown, then use a 1.5mm hex driver to tighten the long screw. DO NOT over tighten. The goal here is to provide enough force to hold the pin in place.



Repeat installation of the long set screw on the other side of the counter shaft and you're done with this step! Note that because the set screws are the same size, one will protrude more due to pin location in the gears--they're different.

Next up, we'll finish the boom block assembly...

Scott

[Ah Clem]

Outstanding assembly thread as usual Scott!

[dunkonu23]

Now, we start putting the boom mount together...



Use the remaining bevel gear--the one with the long shaft, then press it into the front boom mount bearing. The gear has a shoulder that needs to be in contact with the inner race of the bearing. Due to tight manufacturing tolerances, it might be a tough fit. If yours stalls here, the easiest thing to do is put the gear and front boom mount into the freezer for a few minutes--the gear will easily slide in. If you use the freezer, let the assembly warm up to room temperature before continuing. Letting the assembly warm up will keep the gear from slipping out of the bearing.



As stated above, this is the installed long bevel gear with the shoulder resting on the inner race of the front boom mount bearing.



This is the layout of boom blocks. Note the top boom block as two tapped holes.



Use blue thread locker on the M3 x 6mm cap screws. Note the posts on the boom block--those fit into the bearing block.



Slide the counter gear assembly into place as shown then install the opposite side bearing block. Make sure the bearing block with two tapped screw holes is on top!



Sometimes, it might be easier to flip the assembly as shown.



This shows the fit of the components making up the front bearing block.



These are the parts needed to complete the boom block assembly. Note the CF tray is found in bag 6.



Use thread locker on only the four M3 x 6 button head screws at this time.



The front portion is attached as shown. Some folks may want to install a gyro sensor on this tray. That's okay, but make sure you sand the edges of the CF tray!



We install the rear boom block as shown use blue thread locker!



Install the M3 x 8mm cap screws as shown. Do not use thread locker or tighten them at this time. We'll use thread locker and tighten them when we mount the boom!



Install the pinning screws, but do not let them protrude through the boom mount! Do not use thread lock on these screws at this time, either. All that will come when we install the boom!



The completed boom block assembly!

Next up, we start on the frames and the helicopter will start to take shape!

Scott

[dunkonu23]

Originally Posted by Ah Clem

Outstanding assembly thread as usual Scott!

Richard,

Thank you so much, sir! Your complements mean the world, sir!

Scott