New addition to the hanger (Walkera 4G3)

[KCMike]

Today my new purchase arrived in the mail. Last week Cleansho93 was kind enough to sell me his brushed 4G3 (thanks for the smooth transaction btw ).

I'm new to CP Helis so it'll take some patience. It's starting to get slow here at work so I have plenty to time to read thru the manual as well as Rudd's Flight Training.

I don't have a huge list of questions, yet, but I'm sure I will. The first is actually about the battery. What's the best way to install it in order to make the canopy sit on the frame correctly? Right now I'm removing the canopy to install the battery, however I'm doing something wrong. The battery doesn't seem to sit in the tray correctly when the canopy is installed. At first I tried to put the battery in from the rear (like the E-Flite line) but noticed there is a lip. It doesn't seem to fit in a logical way. Alone, the battery fits great.

Anyone have photos of the battery installed? What's the best way to install both the battery & the canopy? Should I push the battery back beyond the lip? It works this way & the battery is extremely secure but it still doens't look right.

My next question is about the batteries. Are these 1S or 2S?
> 3.7V 400mAh 15C

[KCMike]

Whew, I fly it a bit here at work. Wow, talk about a difference. I've got the throttle control down (meaning I understand that I can't just throttle down like w/ the mSR), however the hovering is perplexing.

I had a bit of an accident, clipped the blades, & knocked the head. Piece #12 (see picture below) came out. Should I be able to thread this back in? The piece has threads however it doesn't really screw back into the head.

[jgupton]

Originally Posted by KCMike

Whew, I fly it a bit here at work. Wow, talk about a difference. I've got the throttle control down (meaning I understand that I can't just throttle down like w/ the mSR), however the hovering is perplexing.

I had a bit of an accident, clipped the blades, & knocked the head. Piece #12 (see picture below) came out. Should I be able to thread this back in? The piece has threads however it doesn't really screw back into the head.

I don't think that piece (12) is required (cosmetic), but if you did enough damage to the head that it won't screw back in, there's a good chance you'll need to replace the head as any vibration in this heli causes bad gyro/tail issues.

Re: the battery, I've switched over to the mia tuff LG as it's a lot easier to cope with the battery. IIRC, I think I used to slide the battery in from the front, you just have to make sure you've got all your electronics/wires stowed away nicely so the canopy will fit and still have room for the battery.

The flight characteristics of this type of heli are real different from the MSR (which is more coaxial in nature). Try and make sure you have everything set up well, as learning on this heli when it's not setup is really hard/frustrating. Make sure you're blades are balanced and tracking properly and that there are no vibrations .

Best of luck!

[KCMike]

Thanks for the input.

I believe the cap is just cosmetic. I actually was able to hover it a moment ago after just a few batteries. I was shocked to the say the least. The setup is spot on, thanks to the seller.

[cleansho93]

Hey KCMike - Glad to hear that you had your first successful hover with the little guy! Yes it can be quite the handfull especially compared to the msr which basically flies itself . I would not worry about the #12 part as it has been a loose fit since I bought the heli. Could put a tiny dab of CA glue on it to keep it in place. I never did though as it seemed to stay on fine in flight. Glad to hear you are taming this little beast. It is a very capable bird and lots of fun.

As far as the canopy/battery fit. I just left the canopy mounted in place and slid the battery in from the front. I found keeping the battery slid as far forward as possible against the canopy gave the best CG for the heli. The 15C batteries will fit nicely this way. Though the 20C oversky packs are a bit more of a pain but I did basically the same thing with them. Oh and by the way they are 1S packs. That means that they are 1 cell 3.7V.

Hope this helps... Thanks!

[KCMike]

Cool, thanks for the reply cleansho.

1) #12 Part - Sounds good. I might try and glue it but might end up just leaving it off.
2) Batteries - I should have know they were 3S (b/c of the 3.7v ... duh!). I'm at home now and charging them using my Hyperion charger.
3) Great info on the pack locations. I'm in the process of finding the best fit for CG as well. I believe the way I have it now they are a bit too far back. I checked the CG per the manual and it's a bit off when the batteries are pushed back as I have them now.

One thing I did want to ask about is the tail motor. Did you have any issues with the motor not connecting to the main gear? The issue seems to be the white cap is being pushed back off the shaft, leaving the gap in the gearing connection. I'm not sure what I can do that remedy it. When the gears aren't meshing the heli will of course just spin when I give it throttle.

[KCMike]

Originally Posted by jgupton

Re: the battery, I've switched over to the mia tuff LG as it's a lot easier to cope with the battery

jgupton, do you happen to have a link for these batteries? What's the cost? I'm always on the look out for good batteries.

[cleansho93]

1) #12 Part - Sounds good. I might try and glue it but might end up just leaving it off.
2) Batteries - I should have know they were 3S (b/c of the 3.7v ... duh!). I'm at home now and charging them using my Hyperion charger.
These packs are 1S not 3S. I think you meant 1S when you typed this - just want to make sure in case this is not a typo so you don't set your charger for 3S!

3) Great info on the pack locations. I'm in the process of finding the best fit for CG as well. I believe the way I have it now they are a bit too far back. I checked the CG per the manual and it's a bit off when the batteries are pushed back as I have them now.
I found it difficult to get a perfect CG on this heli as no matter how far forward the batteries were mounted it was still just a bit tail heavy. I compensated for this with a slight bit of forward cyclic trim.

One thing I did want to ask about is the tail motor. Did you have any issues with the motor not connecting to the main gear? The issue seems to be the white cap is being pushed back off the shaft, leaving the gap in the gearing connection. I'm not sure what I can do that remedy it. When the gears aren't meshing the heli will of course just spin when I give it throttle.

I did not have any issues with the gear coming off of the shaft of the motor (which is what it sounds like your are describing). Is the gear actually able to slide forward and back on the shaft? It is more likely that the motor has backed out of its mount. Make sure the motor is pushed all the way forward (towards the tail shaft) in its mount. It is possible for the motor to back out of its mount causing it to lose mesh with the tail shaft gear.

Hope this helps! Please let me know

[KCMike]

I meant 1S (its been a long day ).

I've been using Lipo on R/C cars for a while now. That's why I have the Hyperion charger. I wanted a solid charger that would work for all applications. It was expensive but well worth the extra cost.

Here's the main gear I was talking about. It actually moves out (towards the camera) during flight. I'll see about adjusting the screw on the bottom and moving the tail motor back. I would have tried it at work but I didn't have my tool bag with me.

[jgupton]

Originally Posted by KCMike

jgupton, do you happen to have a link for these batteries? What's the cost? I'm always on the look out for good batteries.

Both Rchobbyhelicopter.com and Wowhobbies in the US are stocking them for about $9 a piece. Alternatively you can go to oversky direct, but I believe they are located in China.

On the CG, check out the mia tuff LG ($10 I think) as it allows you more latitude in the battery positioning. John at RChobbyhelicopter.com has these also, so you could minimize your shipping if also picking up batteries. This LG is also easier to land/take off with as it doesn't get stuck in carpet the way the stock one does. Also, despite some pretty hard smacks it's still going strong (and it looks a lot better than the stock). I went through a couple of the standard Walkera one's first.

EDIT: after posting I saw your latest post with the tail - you might want to also look into the brushless tail upgrade (the 2.9g outrunner is the most popular/common option) as it will really make a difference in tail stability/motor longevity. Both RChobbyhelicopter and Wow have this kit if you're interested.

[cleansho93]

Originally Posted by KCMike

I meant 1S (its been a long day ).

I've been using Lipo on R/C cars for a while now. That's why I have the Hyperion charger. I wanted a solid charger that would work for all applications. It was expensive but well worth the extra cost.

Here's the main gear I was talking about. It actually moves out (towards the camera) during flight. I'll see about adjusting the screw on the bottom and moving the tail motor back. I would have tried it at work but I didn't have my tool bag with me.

Ahh I see now. I did have to push that gear back on the shaft a bit periodically. It never got loose enough on me to lose mesh but I would check the slop in the tail shaft before every flight and it would get pretty loose when the gear starts to back off. I just pushed it back on tighter but not too tight, as this will cause binding in the mesh with the the motor gear. I believe that to just be the nature of the design. A new tail shaft/gear may be better but I have a feeling it will be the same.

As far as the motor I was talking about just pushing it towards the tail shaft to make sure that it is seated all the way forward in the plastic mount. You will not have to loosen a screw or anything to do this.

I had a feeling that was a typo about the 3S...

[KCMike]

Thanks jgupton. I'll check that site out.

Originally Posted by cleansho93

Ahh I see now. I did have to push that gear back on the shaft a bit periodically. It never got loose enough on me to lose mesh but I would check the slop in the tail shaft before every flight and it would get pretty loose when the gear starts to back off. I just pushed it back on tighter but not too tight, as this will cause binding in the mesh with the the motor gear. I believe that to just be the nature of the design. A new tail shaft/gear may be better but I have a feeling it will be the same.

As far as the motor I was talking about just pushing it towards the tail shaft to make sure that it is seated all the way forward in the plastic mount. You will not have to loosen a screw or anything to do this.

I had a feeling that was a typo about the 3S...

Ok, thanks for the info. I'll see what I can do to correct it. Do you think a drop of CA glue would hurt (right on the end of the shaft)?

[KCMike]

This is from that site -- wow!

www.rchobbyhelicopter.com

4G3 Custom RCHH Heli (4 min 52 sec)

[cleansho93]

Originally Posted by KCMike

Thanks jgupton. I'll check that site out.



Ok, thanks for the info. I'll see what I can do to correct it. Do you think a drop of CA glue would hurt (right on the end of the shaft)?

CA should work fine. That should keep it from moving on the shaft at all. Just make sure that your gear mesh is not too tight when you glue it to the shaft. You want the tail blade to be able to spin freely by with very little friction. You will be able to tell if its too tight.

Hope that takes care of it!

[KCMike]

I fired it up this morning & can't get the large gear to stay put. I'm going to try a bit of CA glue and see if that'll help it.

[KCMike]

I got some more flight time this evening during dinner. I actually had it up off the ground about 3 feet & held some nice hovers.

It's been really cool so far, but not without issues. Here are a few ...

1) The Tail Gears - I've been reading what a pain these can be. Mine works well but then the mesh comes out of contact (the CA trick only lasted for so long). Once the contact is gone it's a real bear to fly. Obviously it becomes real tough to fly when the heli is nose divin' into the ground. I guess the real fix here is to move to a BL Tail Motor (2.9)?

2) Skids - I broke off one of the front prongs here on the floors at work. No real issue other than I'll need to order another set.

3) Battery comparment - Getting the batteries in & out is way more hassle then it should be. Tonight when I was farting around with putting in newly charger 12v, I popped one of the wires out of the JST connecter. It's technically user error but the battery installation into the Tx is a tad on the annoying side.

Here's a photo of the JST connecter. I'm going to stop by my LHS tomorrow & check on a replacement connecter.

I'm not real sure how to fix it other then get a replacement JST, trim back the wires, and install the new JST.



So far it's been awesome to learn on. I can see how users would get impatient with issues like these. I've been running Nitro RC though so I'm used to it.

[KCMike]

I ordered a new set of tail gear from clubheli.com (HM-4G3-Z-20). I'd like to go BL however this is a better solution at the moment (b/c of the cost).

[KCMike]

Well, crappity crap ... I flew it during our 2nd break here in the office & while hovering 2 feet off the ground I lost the tail. She crashed & burned. I damaged a blade (even more so then I already had) and broke a blade controller (HM-4G3-Z-14).

Clubheli.com is going to like me!!

[Ampdraw]

Get the metal mixers: http://www.clubheli.com/Walkera-4G3-...-38_p_112.html
Screw the little balls out and apply loktight before fitting. Fit straight to the plastic grips and will not break...ever.

Maybe get some feathering shafts too as when you damage blades sometimes you bend the feathering shaft. Unfortunately they don't come with the little screws. This is the best value 4 shafts and 8 screws "HM-4G3-Z-13S" http://www.chinesejade.com/walkera4G3.htm

Blades I use these: http://cgi.ebay.com/Walkera-4G3-heli...item414a449eb8 cheap and as good as the stocks..just a teeny but more resilient but not too strong that they don't absorb damage when necessary.

Amp

[Steve Joblin]

Originally Posted by Ampdraw

Blades I use these: http://cgi.ebay.com/Walkera-4G3-heli...item414a449eb8 cheap and as good as the stocks..just a teeny but more resilient but not too strong that they don't absorb damage when necessary.

Wow... Am I reading that correctly? $14 (including shipping) for 5 pairs of blades? That is a pretty good price! How good is the balance on them?