MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010

My Review of T-Rex 600E & 600N Swashplate Leveler by

Trueblood Engineering (V2)

Originally submitted at Ready Heli

New Version 2 T-Rex 600 Swash Plate LevelerNow fits the new light
swashplate upgrade!Don't settle for INFERIOR copycats made of pot
metal from vendors that stole our photo & Mike Trueblood's design!This
is the original Trueblood Swashplate Leveler by Trueblood Engineering.
Proudly Made ...

Trex 600 swashplate leveler

By Trickycopter from Tulsa, Ok. on 1/4/2010

 

Pros: Durable

Best Uses: Upgrade

Describe Yourself: Tech Savvy

Primary use: Personal

Get your swashplate spot-on with this tool from trueblood it leaves all the guees work
out of leveling your swashplate a must have tool for getting your helicopter setup to max
preformance.

(legalese)

POSTED BY TRICKY AT 10:42 AM 0 CO MM EN TS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2009

My Review of EFLH3001 E-Flite Blade mSR 5-in-1 Control Unit

Originally submitted at Ready Heli

EFLH3001 E-Flite Blade mSR 5-in-1 Control Unit5-in-1 Control Unit

contains: RX, Servos, ESC's, Mixer, Gyro

MSR 5in1

By Trickycopter from Tulsa, Ok on 12/29/2009

 

Pros: Easy To Set Up

Best Uses: Replacement

Describe Yourself: Tech Savvy

Primary use: Personal

This is orignal equipment replacement good price and fast shipping

(legalese)

POSTED BY TRICKY AT 8:25 AM 0 CO MM EN TS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2009

My Review of Futaba PC Interface for GY520

Originally submitted at Ready Heli

 This is the USB interface for programming the GY520 Gyro via a
computerIncludes:PC Interface with cable for interfacing with
GyroRequires:PC with USB type port (Driver software can be downloaded
free from www.futaba-rc.com)Specs:-Interface: USB Rev 1.1 compliant-500mm
extension included with the CI...

Gy520 PC Interface

By Trickycopter from Tulsa, Oklahoma on 12/28/2009

 

Pros: Easy To Program, Nice Features, Easy To Set Up

Best Uses: High-End Equipment

Describe Yourself: Tech Savvy

Primary use: Personal

Makes setting up the Futaba GY520 gyro easy and you can fine tune your gyro if wanted
easy to use and understand would recommend with the gy520

(legalese)

POSTED BY TRICKY AT 7:58 AM 0 CO MM EN TS

MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2009

HOW TO SETUP A RC HELICOPTER

The most important step in flying a R.C. Helicopter is the setup. If your helicopter is not
setup right the bird will tip side to side, frontward or backward, or the tail could spin out
of control. You can see the importance of a good setup.

1. The first step in setting up a R.C. Helicopter.

• Make sure all servos are moving in the right direction When you move the right side
stick right the swashplate will tilt right etc for forward and back.
• Make sure the throttle is correct and the it does not need reversed in the radio also
called the TX.
2. Now that the servos are moving in the right direction we need to center the servos.
• Turn on radio then plug in receiver make sure the motor is unplugged if working on
electric helicopter.
• Move the throttle stick to half way this get all your servos to the half way postion.
• Now we want to find the servo horn that will line up 90 degrees with center keep
moving till you find one that is close or dead on make sure to put in the screw when you
find the one that works.
3. Next is to level the swashplate you can buy a tool for your size helicopter or you can
eyeball it.
• To get the swashplate level adjusts the arms that run from the servos to the
swashplate.
4Next we need to make sure the washout block is level.
• The washout block is between the swashplate and the fly bar cage.
• Make sure that both arms are level with each other if not adjust the arm that comes
from the fly bar cage until level.
• Next we need to make sure the fly bar arms are level
• Make sure the fly bar arms are parallel with each other if not adjust the rod that
attaches to the swashplate.
6 Next is to make sure the pitch on the main blades is set.
• When at center stick throttle make sure the main blades are at zero pitch
• Full stick should be between +10 degrees to +12 degrees depending on flying style
• Bottom stick should be -10 degrees to =12 degrees
Now we have our head setup and ready to go. With everything level and working
together we should have a stable flying machine this setup gives up the best chance to
get off the ground. This still some things to consider in setup like pitch curves Throttle
curves . Radio setup in general but that is a subject by itself.
The tail setup can be tricky sometimes I have found the best way to setup the tail is in
rate mode get your servo centered then make sure your rod is adjusted I set my tail with
a few degrees pitch on tail pushing the nose right too compensate for the main motor
thrust on start up and to hold the nose straight in a hover. That about all the detail I can
give not knowing the servo and gyro that is being used.
That all to the basic setup of your helicopter have fun be safe and keep it in the air have
a great day!

POSTED BY TRICKY AT 11:58 AM 0 CO MM EN TS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2009

5 Steps To Piloting RC Helicopters

Of all the RC crafts available, radio controlled helicopter is arguably the hardest to
master. However, with the advent and advances of today's RC flight simulators, the
learning curve have decreased. Now, new RC helicopter pilots can literally crash as often
as they want until they can eventually keep their helicopter in the air. Nevertheless,
conventional RC helicopter training lessons has not lost their importance. For some,
they provide a guide to practicing in the simulator. For others who don't like simulators
- or for some reasons can't get their hands on one, flying lessons are invaluable. For
those that choose to go the no-simulator route, it is generally recommended that you
hire a certified instructor. But, with the increasing popularity of cheaper electric RC
helicopters, the cost involved with this hobby decreased exponentially. As a result, many
new pilots are choosing to learn to fly with neither a simulator nor an instructor. No
matter how you choose to learn to pilot RC helicopters, this article which provides
classic helicopter lessons will definitely come in handy.

Lesson 1: First Feel of Helicopter / Ground Exercise

First things first, have your helicopter properly trimmed and set up before doing
anything. Most electric models are already set up right out of the box. If your model
requires any setting, make sure you follow the instruction in the manual or hire/ask
someone knowledgeable to do it for you. Trimming won't be covered in this article
because it is a whole topic in itself.
Once your helicopter is trimmed, you'll need a simple pair of training gear for bigger
models. You can actually make one yourself using two four-inch rods and four balls
(ping-pong balls will do nicely). However, it may be easier to buy one. If you are learning
with a co-axle ready-to-fly electric helicopter such as the Lama or Walkera 54, then the
training gear is unnecessary. On the other hand, if you are learning with a bigger and
more conventional model such as the T-REX, then having a training gear is absolutely
mandatory.

Now, you're going to pilot your helicopter for the first time. However, for this first
lesson, the goal is to learn what it "feels" like to control one. Therefore, what you want to
do is to bring up the throttle/collective to the point where the helicopter is just about to
lift off the ground but not quite taking to the air yet. With the helicopter in this half on
the ground, half wanting to lift off phase, move the cyclic control around and see as well
as get a feel of how the helicopter will react to each control. Do this several time until
you have adequately felt all of the controls and more importantly, understand them.

Lesson 2: Hover (Tail In)

Once you've mastered the ground exercise, the next step is to hover. Every helicopter
pilot and instructor will tell you that one of the most (if not the most) important
component of a helicopter flight is hovering. In fact, no matter how fancy the flight, at
its most fundamental level, a helicopter flight starts and ends with a hover.

For this lesson, make sure the tail is pointing in towards you. Bring up the throttle to the
point that the helicopter is just about to hover just as you did in the ground exercise.
Then, get the helicopter as stable as you can get it. After doing that, give it a little more
throttle/collective. Remember that you should make the helicopter stable on the ground
first before giving it the extra throttle to lift it off the ground. Doing this will make this
lesson much easier. When the helicopter starts to lift off the ground, it'll continue to
ascend slowly. Bring the throttle down slightly to stabilize it at around 1 foot.

Next comes the hard part. Try to keep the helicopter hovering in one spot. This will
prove to be very difficult at first. Draw on what you've learnt on from the ground
exercise. Once you've hovered for around 30 seconds, bring the throttle down just
slightly and the helicopter will start to slowly descend back to the ground. Don't throttle
down too fast or your helicopter will come crashing down and be damaged.

Try hovering many times. Between each hover, reflect on what you did right and what
you did wrong. You will find that each hover will be more precise and more controlled
than the last.

Another important point during this lesson is to always point the tail of the helicopter
towards you. Don't try to point the helicopter in any other direction at this point as you
will very likely get disoriented. Orientation training will come later.

Once you're comfortable with hovering at 1 foot, try bringing the helicopter up to an
altitude of 3 to 5 feet. It will seem scarier but in fact, hovering at 3 - 5 feet is easier than
hovering at 1 foot. Keep doing this exercise until you can hover for an entire flight of the
battery pack or the fuel tank, which equals to around 7 to 10 minutes if you're practicing
on a simulator.

Each pilot takes different amount of time to learn this crucial skill. Some get it extremely
fast (within days) while others take weeks or even months. Don't be discouraged, take
your time and learn at your own pace. As long as you have fun while practicing, who
cares how long it takes. Don't rush through this lesson. It is very important that you
learn to hover and can do it comfortably.

Lesson 3: Basic Flight

Once you've mastered hovering, the next step is basic directional flight. Get your
helicopter to hover as you've done in the last lesson, then pick a spot and pilot your
helicopter there. Then pick another spot and do the same thing. At this point, you want
to keep the helicopter in a tail-in position. Keep doing this until you feel comfortable
that you can get your helicopter to go anywhere you want while it's in a tail-in
orientation.

Lesson 4: Nose-In Hover

After having mastered hovering and basic flight while flying tail-in, the next step, the
nose-in hover, will be relatively more challenging. The idea behind this exercise is quite
simple; simply hover like you did lesson 2, but this time, hover with the nose of the
helicopter pointed towards you. While this may sound simple, many new pilots find this
extremely difficult due to the fact that most of all the controls are now reversed. At this
point, you may already confident about flying and feel that you can easily perform this
hovering exercise at a high altitude. Please refrain from doing that. Instead, start this
exercise by hovering at 1 foot, then slowly increasing the altitude to 5 feet as you are
more confident and comfortable with the now-reversed controls. Keep doing this
exercise until you can master hovering with the nose pointed towards you. Having
accomplished this lesson will greatly improve your orientation awareness.

Lesson 5: Square and Figure 8 Flights

This final lesson will combine the skills you've learnt from previous lessons, namely,
hovering, orientation, and direction flight. The combination of these skills will produce a
full flight. The first goal is to try to navigate your helicopter in a square pattern. If you've
been following the exercise without cheating, you'll find that the square flight can be
accomplished quite easily. The next goal would be to fly in a figure 8 pattern. This will
prove to be more challenging but it is definitely not out of reach. As you do more and
more figure eights, concentrate on keeping the 8 a perfect shape. Try your best not to
veer off course. Becoming more experienced, you should aim for more and more flight
control accuracy. Once you've mastered the figure 8, you should be able to pilot your
helicopter anywhere you desire. Practice makes perfect, but also remember to have fun;
after all, that is the whole point of a hobby.

Interested in the amazing hobby of Electric RC Helicopters? Tara Soonthornnont is an

Electric RC Helicopter enthusiast who maintains a website dedicated to it.

Check Out: http://www.electric-rc-helicopter.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tara_Soonthornnont