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dukez7 · 07-13-2009, 10:23 PM

Hey everybody. This is my first post here. I am a new owner of a Walkera 4G3 standard non-brushless heli with a wk-2601 tx. This is my first RC toy ever let alone a helicopter. On my third go at trying to hover I crashed into my carpet breaking a blade and a blade controller. So I was out of fun within the first few minutes of getting this thing. I quickly found out that this heli is super sensitive especially for someone who's never flown before. So I went ahead and ordered some more batteries, blades, upgraded to a cnc walkera metal rotor kit and a couple small things in that I break something else.

I got my parts from wowhobbies. I was very happy with there products and good service. I had a bit of trouble getting off the old rotor head. Mostly just getting out those 2 small pins. I hope I never have to do that again. Any way, I have the new parts installed but I'm no expert at this and I'm not really sure if everything was put on back on to A+ standards. I have noticed that one of the blades seem to be loser then the other. Is this a big problem? Also I really noticed that the servos when initialized must have been adjusted or something. My swashplate was so off level it wasn't funny. I read in my manual that you can adjust the servos by unscrewing the arms with that little black tool. I have yet to figure that out. So I went with option two, which was to take off the ball links and adjust them. I think the swashplate is pretty level now. On to the training gear.

So I built some home made training gear. I figure light is the key. So I took out some 12in wooden kabob sticks. Cut about 3 inches off the ends. Cut out a rectangular piece of cardboard and taped it to the bottom of the skids. Then I added 4 plastic golf balls that you can get at walmart, drilled a hole in them and then super glued them on the end of the kababs. So far nothing is else has broken.

Dip switch settings. I had no clue this helicopter could be so modified and that so many settings could be changed. I am vaguely familiar with helicopter terms but I am getting better. I've searched high and low for some beginner settings for the 4G3 but I have yet to find any that are actually for beginners. I'm finding out that everyone who purchased this heli pretty much has already had at least some experience. I figured I would change some of the settings. So here is what I have.

dip 10 - v1 = 80% / v2 = -20%
dip 11 - v1 = 0% / v2 = -20%
dip 12 - v1 = 75% / v2 = 40%

Not really sure if this is good for someone starting off or not. But I know I have run into yet another problem. The 4g3 is having a incredibly tough time getting off the ground. I'm talking throttle is all the way up and its just skidding around on the floor. Is there something that I should do to create more lift. Adjust flybar, blades, dip settings? I dont really think my training equipment ways that much.

Simulators. Quite a bit of fun. I figured out how to get my wk-2601 to work with afdp and realflight. Although some helis on realflight require you to have some sort of magical button on the tx to start the engine. So its kinda quirky. Ive been looking everywhere for the walkera 4g3 models for either of these simulators but I have yet to find anything. Would any of you know where I could get the 4g3 for one of these sims so I could practice with breaking to much.

I just took some HQ photos of the heli that I could upload if that would help any of you help me. Thanks for reading my long post and anyhelp would be so much appreciated. I really want to excel at this hobby and not be one of those guys that park it in the garage for the next 5 years.

Thanks again

Steve Joblin · 07-14-2009, 07:44 AM

Welcome to the fun! For a first timer, you certainly set yourself up for a challange! I was getting quite nervous that this was your first heli until I read that you do at least have a sim! That is a good start! I have a 4#3B model for RealFlight that is pretty accurate.

Technically, the smaller the heli, the "twitchier" it is and as the 4G3 is the smallest CP heli, it is one of the (if not the) most difficult to learn to fly. If you are serious, you may want to start with an easier heli first. The Walkera #4 is a large Fixed Pitch heli that is a good "trainer"... if you want smaller, consider the 4#3B, or better yet, the 4#3Q. They are a blast to fly and if you cut the throttle before a crash, you are likely not to break anything. They require a fair amount of skill to learn, so they are still not "toys", but it may be way less frustrating than the 4G3. The other alternative is to get the 2801 Transmitter so that you have better control over setting the Dual Rates, Expos, Throttle and Pitch Curves. Chaning these settings, along with adding a tiny bit of weight to the flybars can really help "tame" the 4G3.

As for your heli not lifting off, it is either a worn motor (which I doubt as you only have flown it three times) or your pitch is off. You may want to buy a Pitch Guage. The idea is to have the main rotor blades at 0 degrees pitch when the throttle is at mid stick. Your flybar paddles should always be perfectly flat and level.

dukez7 · 07-14-2009, 08:15 AM

Thanks for the good advice steve. I do plan on staying with the 4G3. Main reason for that is I doubt I can talk my wife into getting another one after I've already put in $250 for this little guy. With that said the 2801 is also out of the question. So looks like I'm going to have to do it the hard way. Thanks for the info on the mid throttle pitch thing, I'll check that out later on today. Are there any dip settings you guys may know of that I could adjust for lower sensitivity?

OmegaRedIsDMan · 07-14-2009, 02:54 PM

dukez7: I just recently bought the 4g3 brushless metal edition as my first real helicopter too. (i've flown some 2 ch toy copters before but never a collective pitch heli)

I followed the advice I saw in another 4g3 beginner thread about making my own training gear and starting off slow practicing. So I didn't have any crashes until around my 7th flight with the training gear on. The main rotor made contact with a chair leg outside in my back yard. Once I put on the spare pair of main blades and balanced them the heli was easier to control. However, then I ran into the tail holding problem. After a while I figured out that the tail gear was sliding on the rod that holds it and so it was not staying seated against the motor gear. So I added a little bit of glue on the tail gear and blade to keep them from sliding on the rod.

I spent a lot of time playing with the dip switches, extent and mix on the rx to try to make it easier to control for a beginner too. But now I seem to have the same problem of the heli only hovering just off of the ground at full throttle even after I've taken off the training gear. I guess I'll try to add a little more pitch when I get some new blades since the ones I'm using now have gotten beatup and patched up with tape.

Dusty1000 · 07-14-2009, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukez7

Thanks for the good advice steve. I do plan on staying with the 4G3. Main reason for that is I doubt I can talk my wife into getting another one after I've already put in $250 for this little guy. With that said the 2801 is also out of the question. So looks like I'm going to have to do it the hard way. Thanks for the info on the mid throttle pitch thing, I'll check that out later on today. Are there any dip settings you guys may know of that I could adjust for lower sensitivity?

Use the EXT adjustment on the 4 in 1 to reduce cyclic throw so the cyclic stick will feel a lot less sensitive.

With the heli powered up and using the included plastic screwdriver, move the cyclic to it's fullest extent in any direction and watch the swash tilt, turn down the EXT a fraction, move the stick again and watch the swash move less, repeat and watch the swash tilt by less each time until suddenly the swash tilts by a lot and you have found the full + position, turn it back a fraction and it's now at the full minus position

Re the dip switches, the most important one is dip 11 V2 which adjusts your pitch range - too much pitch and the heli will spin - too little and it won't take off - if you can't already fly it though you'll need a pitch gauge to set up the pitch range. My guess is when you swapped to the metal head you altered the pitch range so there is too much negative and not enough positive - that needs changed mechanically though - I wouldn't try altering the pitch range until you are sure you have 0 at mid-stick - other problems could arise if you do

Dusty

Dusty1000 · 07-14-2009, 03:37 PM

oops double post

Tomstoy · 07-15-2009, 11:01 AM

You mayalso want to look at the posts on modifying your wood blades as they do weigh al lot, though this has nothing to do with your lift issue, just that ever gram of weight counts.
It's easy to do. Just strip off all the plastic covering, dig out the lead weights and glue in a piece of Balsa wood in the holes where the weights were and then rebalance and check tracking.

07-13-2009, 10:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
dukez7 Join Date: Jul 2009	Walkera 4G3 - n00b questions Hey everybody. This is my first post here. I am a new owner of a Walkera 4G3 standard non-brushless heli with a wk-2601 tx. This is my first RC toy ever let alone a helicopter. On my third go at trying to hover I crashed into my carpet breaking a blade and a blade controller. So I was out of fun within the first few minutes of getting this thing. I quickly found out that this heli is super sensitive especially for someone who's never flown before. So I went ahead and ordered some more batteries, blades, upgraded to a cnc walkera metal rotor kit and a couple small things in that I break something else. I got my parts from wowhobbies. I was very happy with there products and good service. I had a bit of trouble getting off the old rotor head. Mostly just getting out those 2 small pins. I hope I never have to do that again. Any way, I have the new parts installed but I'm no expert at this and I'm not really sure if everything was put on back on to A+ standards. I have noticed that one of the blades seem to be loser then the other. Is this a big problem? Also I really noticed that the servos when initialized must have been adjusted or something. My swashplate was so off level it wasn't funny. I read in my manual that you can adjust the servos by unscrewing the arms with that little black tool. I have yet to figure that out. So I went with option two, which was to take off the ball links and adjust them. I think the swashplate is pretty level now. On to the training gear. So I built some home made training gear. I figure light is the key. So I took out some 12in wooden kabob sticks. Cut about 3 inches off the ends. Cut out a rectangular piece of cardboard and taped it to the bottom of the skids. Then I added 4 plastic golf balls that you can get at walmart, drilled a hole in them and then super glued them on the end of the kababs. So far nothing is else has broken. Dip switch settings. I had no clue this helicopter could be so modified and that so many settings could be changed. I am vaguely familiar with helicopter terms but I am getting better. I've searched high and low for some beginner settings for the 4G3 but I have yet to find any that are actually for beginners. I'm finding out that everyone who purchased this heli pretty much has already had at least some experience. I figured I would change some of the settings. So here is what I have. dip 10 - v1 = 80% / v2 = -20% dip 11 - v1 = 0% / v2 = -20% dip 12 - v1 = 75% / v2 = 40% Not really sure if this is good for someone starting off or not. But I know I have run into yet another problem. The 4g3 is having a incredibly tough time getting off the ground. I'm talking throttle is all the way up and its just skidding around on the floor. Is there something that I should do to create more lift. Adjust flybar, blades, dip settings? I dont really think my training equipment ways that much. Simulators. Quite a bit of fun. I figured out how to get my wk-2601 to work with afdp and realflight. Although some helis on realflight require you to have some sort of magical button on the tx to start the engine. So its kinda quirky. Ive been looking everywhere for the walkera 4g3 models for either of these simulators but I have yet to find anything. Would any of you know where I could get the 4g3 for one of these sims so I could practice with breaking to much. I just took some HQ photos of the heli that I could upload if that would help any of you help me. Thanks for reading my long post and anyhelp would be so much appreciated. I really want to excel at this hobby and not be one of those guys that park it in the garage for the next 5 years. Thanks again

07-14-2009, 03:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
Dusty1000 Registered Users Join Date: Sep 2008	oops double post __________________ Blade 400, mSR, mCPX - Sonix SX450SE - Walkera 1#A, 4#3, 4#3A, 4#3B, 4G3

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07-14-2009, 07:44 AM	#2 (permalink)
Steve Joblin Registered Users My HF Map location Join Date: Aug 2008	Welcome to the fun! For a first timer, you certainly set yourself up for a challange! I was getting quite nervous that this was your first heli until I read that you do at least have a sim! That is a good start! I have a 4#3B model for RealFlight that is pretty accurate. Technically, the smaller the heli, the "twitchier" it is and as the 4G3 is the smallest CP heli, it is one of the (if not the) most difficult to learn to fly. If you are serious, you may want to start with an easier heli first. The Walkera #4 is a large Fixed Pitch heli that is a good "trainer"... if you want smaller, consider the 4#3B, or better yet, the 4#3Q. They are a blast to fly and if you cut the throttle before a crash, you are likely not to break anything. They require a fair amount of skill to learn, so they are still not "toys", but it may be way less frustrating than the 4G3. The other alternative is to get the 2801 Transmitter so that you have better control over setting the Dual Rates, Expos, Throttle and Pitch Curves. Chaning these settings, along with adding a tiny bit of weight to the flybars can really help "tame" the 4G3. As for your heli not lifting off, it is either a worn motor (which I doubt as you only have flown it three times) or your pitch is off. You may want to buy a Pitch Guage. The idea is to have the main rotor blades at 0 degrees pitch when the throttle is at mid stick. Your flybar paddles should always be perfectly flat and level.

07-14-2009, 08:15 AM	#3 (permalink)
dukez7 Thread Starter Join Date: Jul 2009	Thanks for the good advice steve. I do plan on staying with the 4G3. Main reason for that is I doubt I can talk my wife into getting another one after I've already put in $250 for this little guy. With that said the 2801 is also out of the question. So looks like I'm going to have to do it the hard way. Thanks for the info on the mid throttle pitch thing, I'll check that out later on today. Are there any dip settings you guys may know of that I could adjust for lower sensitivity?

07-14-2009, 02:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
OmegaRedIsDMan Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2009	dukez7: I just recently bought the 4g3 brushless metal edition as my first real helicopter too. (i've flown some 2 ch toy copters before but never a collective pitch heli) I followed the advice I saw in another 4g3 beginner thread about making my own training gear and starting off slow practicing. So I didn't have any crashes until around my 7th flight with the training gear on. The main rotor made contact with a chair leg outside in my back yard. Once I put on the spare pair of main blades and balanced them the heli was easier to control. However, then I ran into the tail holding problem. After a while I figured out that the tail gear was sliding on the rod that holds it and so it was not staying seated against the motor gear. So I added a little bit of glue on the tail gear and blade to keep them from sliding on the rod. I spent a lot of time playing with the dip switches, extent and mix on the rx to try to make it easier to control for a beginner too. But now I seem to have the same problem of the heli only hovering just off of the ground at full throttle even after I've taken off the training gear. I guess I'll try to add a little more pitch when I get some new blades since the ones I'm using now have gotten beatup and patched up with tape.

07-15-2009, 11:01 AM	#7 (permalink)
Tomstoy Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2009	You mayalso want to look at the posts on modifying your wood blades as they do weigh al lot, though this has nothing to do with your lift issue, just that ever gram of weight counts. It's easy to do. Just strip off all the plastic covering, dig out the lead weights and glue in a piece of Balsa wood in the holes where the weights were and then rebalance and check tracking.

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