Ryan's Trex 800 AP

[nightflyr]

Very nice even in the wind looks good

[Cirkus]

Today it was less windy so I got a quick flight in before dark. I took what I learned from the first flight and made some adjustments to the swash travel, the expo settings, and the pitch curve. I think the improvement from the 1st flight is very noticeable as you watch the video. This flight was governed at 1400RPM headspeed. I tried 1450 right after this flight, and decided for my weight which is about 19-20 lbs, 1400 was the sweet spot. On spool down, there was a slight wobble, but that will go away I think after I balance my main blades (What you didn't do that already?!) Also I need maybe 1 turn of adjustment on my blade tracking but it's really close. Other than that, no issues to speak of. The F3C head flys very nice.

You tube has it in 720HD...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEpTWyZIkBA[/ame]

[Cirkus]

I've got 5 flights on it now, the last 2 I tested out the GPS hold. Everything is working perfectly so far. I just need a few more components and I can start taking pics remotely.

[meatwad99si]

I just spent idk how long reading start to finish... great work!!!

[Cirkus]

Originally Posted by meatwad99si

I just spent idk how long reading start to finish... great work!!!

Thanks for taking the time to read it.

[TdB]

Very nice build, and nice thread!
I have a few guestions regarding your setup:
What tail blades are you using?
How much clearance do you have with the Edge 813 mm blades?
What batteries are you using?
What is your flight time?

Regards,

Tim

[Craneman]

Great looking heli congratulations!

Sound like your gear mesh may be too tight though? That´s what it sounds during spool up but it may be just be me. There should be very slight play between pinions.

LOOKS GREAT!

[veloflier]

Originally Posted by Cirkus

Today it was less windy so I got a quick flight in before dark. I took what I learned from the first flight and made some adjustments to the swash travel, the expo settings, and the pitch curve. I think the improvement from the 1st flight is very noticeable as you watch the video. This flight was governed at 1400RPM headspeed. I tried 1450 right after this flight, and decided for my weight which is about 19-20 lbs, 1400 was the sweet spot. On spool down, there was a slight wobble, but that will go away I think after I balance my main blades (What you didn't do that already?!) Also I need maybe 1 turn of adjustment on my blade tracking but it's really close. Other than that, no issues to speak of. The F3C head flys very nice.

You tube has it in 720HD...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEpTWyZIkBA

You still live in Yuma? I was there oct and nov. Went out to the flying field there a few times. Don't remember the folks there who I talked with. Nice build! Do you still use the flight mode switch? If so did you still set the head up with neg pitch? Since it won't be doing any 3D. I am getting ready to build a scale heli, nothing like this or in size lol, and am curious if that is how you set it up, with all pos pitch and no neg since not doing any 3D with it?

[chrisl]

More, More!!

[Cirkus]

Originally Posted by Tim de Boer

Very nice build, and nice thread!
I have a few guestions regarding your setup:
What tail blades are you using?
How much clearance do you have with the Edge 813 mm blades?
What batteries are you using?
What is your flight time?

Regards,

Tim

Tail blades: KBDD 104mm Extreme
Clearance: Never measured...plenty for AP
Batteries: Right now, Hobby King NanoTech 6000mah 12S drawing 28-32 amps.
Flight time: Timer set for 10 minutes at about 20 pounds @ 1400RPM.

[Cirkus]

Originally Posted by Craneman

Great looking heli congratulations!

Sound like your gear mesh may be too tight though? That´s what it sounds during spool up but it may be just be me. There should be very slight play between pinions.

LOOKS GREAT!

Yes, I'm aware. I have a slight high spot on the main gear. There are no adjustable motor mounts that accomodate the large Scorpion I'm running with a 32mm bolt hole pattern. Not to worry, I am designing my own frames that will fix the issue. Installing another main gear may also mesh better. All the same, the noise it makes sounds worse than it actually is, the camera has a good mic.

[Cirkus]

Originally Posted by veloflier

You still live in Yuma? I was there oct and nov. Went out to the flying field there a few times. Don't remember the folks there who I talked with. Nice build! Do you still use the flight mode switch? If so did you still set the head up with neg pitch? Since it won't be doing any 3D. I am getting ready to build a scale heli, nothing like this or in size lol, and am curious if that is how you set it up, with all pos pitch and no neg since not doing any 3D with it?

Yes, I live in Yuma still. Hopefully work keeps me here for a lot longer. I live close to the flying field and the bass fishing is excellent so I stay content.

I do use the flight mode switch. To control governed head speed and pitch curves. Yes, I always use at least a small amount of negative pitch in my curves. First flight with +10/-4 and tweak from there.

An example of how I run my modes would be...

Normal: Throttle curve 0-75-75-75-75 (CC ESC governed 1400RPM) This mode is used primarily just for arming the ESC. If using this for arming, you could set up the curve all 0-0-0-0-0 but keeping the rest of the curve at 75 will ensure the RPM stays constant if you accidentally switch to Normal mode during flight.

Idle 1: I switch to idle 1 and the heli spools up and I fly my entire flight in this mode. 75-75-75-75-75 governed to 1400. I land in this mode as well then switch to throttle hold (pitch curve matched up)

Idle 2: 100-100-100-100-100 governed to 1450 or some other RPM I have determined to work better in higher winds. The pitch curve for this mode will usually also be tweaked.

Once I set my pitch curve for the maiden, I will adjust the Max and Min pitch and the curve around center to feel the way I like, but never go back and measure it again. It's not important. I don't care what the numbers end up being, I care about making the heli fly the way I want it to feel. Hover at half stick, gentle pitch response around hover, enough pitch on top to hopefully save some parts in an autorotation, and just enough negative to keep the heli planted during spooldown if I get a wind gust. (Don't usually use negative pitch during spooldown as it can cause a nasty ground resonance)

[bshinn]

Update?

[Cirkus]

Update is: while the rest of the nation freezes in the winter, we in Yuma fly in perfect weather. And now that the rest of the nation has perfect summer weather, it's too hot to fly here so Summer is our off season. 117 degrees is to much for batteries, esc, and mainly me. The Heli flys great though and the DJI is working perfectly. As soon as the weather becomes reasonable again, this thread will continue to develop. I am designing pilot and camera operator rigs with controls and video so that will be the next big update. Thanks for the continued interest while I bake in this heat.

[kgheli]

Ryan,

I just saw this thread tonight and read the whole thing. I usually only see people this thorough and detailed when they're talking about modding preamps and consoles in recording studios, but after being out of RC for the better part of a decade and seeing this kind of thread on day two leaves me with nothing but admiration for you and the people who took the time to encourage your growth, development and education.

The battery mounts and receiver box -- Priceless. If you're not going to get these mass produced, I hope you find someone who will. That's just great work.

Thanks for sharing,
Kevin

[Cirkus]

Originally Posted by kgheli

Ryan,

I just saw this thread tonight and read the whole thing. I usually only see people this thorough and detailed when they're talking about modding preamps and consoles in recording studios, but after being out of RC for the better part of a decade and seeing this kind of thread on day two leaves me with nothing but admiration for you and the people who took the time to encourage your growth, development and education.

The battery mounts and receiver box -- Priceless. If you're not going to get these mass produced, I hope you find someone who will. That's just great work.

Thanks for sharing,
Kevin

Thanks for the kind words Kevin. This community is nothing without the sharing. I got my knowledge from those who shared before me, and I feel it's the thing to do to share with those who will come after me.

I'm looking forward to cooler weather here in the desert so I can get back to development and more flight time with this creation of mine.

[Bodge]

hi. very nice build

Quick question. Do you think the 80a ESC will be upto the job? A lot of 700 size helis use 120 as standard so im not sure what to fit to my 800 size ship

[Cirkus]

Originally Posted by Bodge

hi. very nice build

Quick question. Do you think the 80a ESC will be upto the job? A lot of 700 size helis use 120 as standard so im not sure what to fit to my 800 size ship

Yes, 80 amps is more than adequate. Keep in mind, I'm not flying a 700 size 3D setup. We're talking 800 mm blades only turning 1400 RPM. My static amp draw in a hover is only 31 amps. Don't let the size fool ya.

[R_Lefebvre]

Ryan, which flybarred head is it that you're suing? Looks nice. Getting harder to find flybarred heads these days...

[Cirkus]

It's the Align F3C head. It's very nice, and very adjustable.