Zoom Tips and Tricks

[rob_jones]

If you've doinked your Zoom/Shogun you've most likely had to replace the spindle. That little bugger is 6 bucks! And it bends very easily.



You can get a pack of 4 spindles for $1.55 plus a little elbow grease. That works out to 39¢ apiece.

Get a pack of Du-Bro 3Mx50 Socket Head Cap Screws (Item #2271). You have to cut 5mm off the end to make it 45mm long (measured from the base of the head).



You can then use one of the 3M locknuts from your old spindle and you're back in business.



As a bonus, this "spindle" is much tougher than the original item. The one pictured has been in 3 crashes and is still arrow-straight.

[WillJames]

Sweet Rob!!! Thank you!!

[ScotY]

Cool! Is there any issue with vibration since both ends are no longer symmetrical?

[rob_jones]

Is there any issue with vibration since both ends are no longer symmetrical?

Not that I can tell. I'm thinking that the difference is so slight and so close to the center of the disc that it won't matter much. At any rate, my Zoom doesn't have any vibes and I've never checked the balance.

[Sar]

Rob, have you gotten many more flights in with the new feathering screw? How's it working out? I'm curious if the screw threads are chewing up the dampers.

[rob_jones]

I have a little more than a dozen flights on the feathering screw. So far, there is no sign of extra wear on the dampener. I took it apart to take the pictures and checked it again.

Nearly all of the bolt that goes through the head isn't threaded, anyway. The threads start just inside of the dampener on one side. I'm keeping any eye on it and if I see anything out of the ordinary, I'll be sure to post it.

[StrangeRanger]

You pros may already know this, but it took a bit of head scratching for me to figure out.
Don't know who else uses the little bullet connectors like my Himaxx came with, but they have the little holes on the side and I couldn't figure what they were for. No directions w/ it but I figured out what they are handy for.
When soldering the wires in I drilled a hole in a small piece of wood, 11/64th's I think it was. I didn't want to squish the connector in a vise. Put the connector in the hole, heat it, fill completely w/ solder. Tin your wire, now put wood in vise so bullet connector is perpendicular (sp?) to table top. Stick your soldering iron tip in the SIDE hole until it heats the solder in the connector. The solder doesn't run out b/c it's attracted to the heat! When the solder is fluid again just stick your wire into it, wait a second to be sure tinning solder flows and pull your tip out! Worked perfectly!
j

[Hotshot Charlie]

Sort of off subject... but,

On your Hi-Max motor, don't use the mounting screws that come with it, use the short screws that used to hold the stock motor. The screws are too long that come with the Hi-Max 2025-4200, they will bottom out.

[StrangeRanger]

Ok, not having a LHS, but having a really good LhS (local hardware store, notice the small h) I got creative w/ my antena lead. They did not have any little plastic tubing to use like I've seen in pics, so I got some really, really small wood dowling, markered it black and wound my antena lead 'round it. Mounted to my skids and works great. Cost? $.27 for enough dowel to make like 3 mounts! And the wood like plastic will not cause any radio interference. Just thot I'd throw this out there for any others who only have a LhS.
j

[Hotshot Charlie]

Hey Tabb, Question on you spoke drive shaft.....

What do you use to glue your gears to the bike spoke? The pinion gear at the motor is hex keyed into the orginal shaft, just wondering how you attached it? Thanks a lot !

Tip #2, the stock hex tail rotor shaft is junk, will bend if you look at it wrong. Quick and cheap fix is to go to your local bike shop and ask for a 14 guage stainless steel spoke. Mine cost $1.09 and has enough materieal for a few tail shafts.

The SS shaft runs much truer and helps eliminate vibes from the tail.

[Pipefish]

Hey guys what´s going on?

Everybody stops to post here?

Check out this cool trick on the tail shaft

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ght=SHOGUN+400

Also look at this trick on a good way to replace inexpensive gears

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ght=SHOGUN+400

Regards

[rob_jones]

Cool. Tips. I like the ones for the Tamiya gears. I've always secretly wished that Tamiya would get into the heli business. Well, I guess it's not so secret any more! I've built doezens of their cars and believe that they could do a beginner heli right.

Everybody stops to post here?

Nope, just too busy flying!

[Pipefish]

Hey Bimmer,

I think that examples like this Tamiya gears are just the (as we say in

Brasil) "The top of the Iceberg". Can imagine how many other

alternatives we can espect in a near future?

You know, searching all around I´ve found a place that sell Shoguns all

over the world for US$ 200. And they asked me to re-sell it!!!

Mine I´ve bought for 169 but, 45 to shippment from Chine to Brasil

Let´s get this forum running!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards

[rob_jones]

I've heard of people buying them new for $159. I paid $240 for mine! But I had to have one and couldn't wait.

I see that there is an option now for bevel gears in the tail. If I hadn't already done the belt mod on mine, I would have ordered a set already. Now if they could just fix the input gear - or better yet, design it with a belt from the start.

[Pipefish]

Yes, I think the belt drive mod price are ULTRAGEOUS.

I was talking to a friend that flies helis for more then 15 years (when gyros was

Sci-Fi). I´ve bring to him on my notebook the photos and specs of the Belt drive

mod and he (after about half hour analyzing it) told me that in US the whole

system cold NEVER , IN NO WAY cost more than 15 dollars !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rob_jones]

It wasn't cheap. But it does work and I really wish the thing had been designed like that in the first place.

[Pipefish]

If the guys from Protech made it, in scale, it can cost less than 15 an can

even be more precise. :twisted:

Hehehhe

[rob_jones]

According to Dave (the creator of the conversion kit), he doesn't make a profit from selling them. And I believe it. It's not cost effective to make parts like that in small quantities.

I agree that if the manufacturer designed it into the kit, the cost would be much lower. That's why I wish they had done it that way from the beginning. The kit may cost a little more when you buy it, but you'd save money buy not having to buy upgrades to make it fly right.

[Pipefish]

Well , if you talked with "the man" it´s a point to be considered...

... well as I know that guys from Protech RELLY looks this (also RCGroups and Run Rider) they should drop a line for Mr. David to share experiences, since David seems to have the "Technologie Avant Garde" here.

[rob_jones]

I wonder how much manufacturers look at these boards. It would be very interesting to know how stongly they consider them when planning new products. I know that GWS has a very strong presence on RC Groups and often asks members for input on new products. They can't be the only one.

Well, I have five consecutive flights without a failure on the Zoom since installing the belt drive. That's a record - it was three before. I still have to work on it a little because the duration is down and the battery gets a lot hotter than it used to. I think I still have the tension a little too tight. I'm going to try loosening it a little the next time I fly it.