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Post by edintexas on Apr 3, 2013 6:13:06 GMT -4
Last one Attachments:
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Post by Dr. Evil on Apr 3, 2013 9:27:20 GMT -4
Looking good Ed!
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Post by luckyarmpit on Apr 6, 2013 12:09:48 GMT -4
More updates... As I detailed in my other thread, I installed the main gears for the first time the other day and noticed an issue when setting the gear mesh. The main drive gear appeared to be warped front/back as the gear mesh changed when the gear was rotated 180 degrees. The autorotation gear appeared to be warped up/down as the amount of the gear that contacted the tail drive gear would change. I contacted RC Aerodyne and Robert sent out a new set of gears so no problem there. I knew they wouldn't be here in time to fly it this weekend so I installed a new set of Align gears that I had laying around as spares for my AS-550. The Align and Chaos gears are molded slightly different because the spacing between the gears was off. So I remedied that problem myself by creating some shims out of washers that fit between the main gear and the autorotation gear. Closer examination revealed that there is a nylon flange molded into the Chaos autorotation gear, which is why the shims were necessary. In the pictures below, the shim on the left is the one that came with the Chaos. I fabricated another one out of a large washer by grinding out the middle with a rotary tool until it fit. I even knocked off the flange with a grinding wheel. One homemade shim wasn't enough so I made two more for proper spacing. Once I got everything installed, I noticed there is a significant warp in the tail drive gear. It should be fine to fly it a few times but I am going to order a new Align torque tube gear set just to be safe. Everything has been pretty good so far but I have to admit that I'm disappointed with the quality of the gears. I should be able to finish it today and fly it tomorrow.
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Post by Dr. Evil on Apr 6, 2013 13:00:34 GMT -4
Good deal, looking forward to your maiden...
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Post by luckyarmpit on Apr 6, 2013 14:26:46 GMT -4
Good deal, looking forward to your maiden... ...which will be shortly! The build is complete and I'm about to program my pitch curves and put a test hover on it! The gears that Robert sent to me arrived today, which was a VERY pleasant surprise. The bad news is that he included two autorotation gears and didn't include a main drive gear. Not sure if we misunderstood each other but I'm glad I had extra Align gears on hand or it would be at least another week before it flies. I mounted the gyro, finished routing the wires, routed the antenna wires, attached the boom braces, mounted the horizontal fin, attached the battery tray, and mounted the canopy. Pics of the end of the build are below and I'll post some final thoughts once I hover it. Please see the comments below some of the pictures so you know what you're looking at.... I used a GY520 taken off another heli. I didn't have much luck with it on the T-Rex 500 so hopefully it will perform better on the Chaos. This is how I routed the servo wires. Not the neatest installation but at least they are out of the way. This is how I mount Futaba antenna wires on most of my builds. It's simple, quick, and secure. The battery tray. I had to drill the holes with a 3/32" drill bit as none of the screws with the kit would fit the existing holes. The horizontal fin mounted. The tail boom braces were mounted next. I left these for last so I could easily get to everything else. The canopy had a minor blemish in an otherwise beautiful paint job. This concerns me... this is a crack in the gel coat in probably the worst place... where the mounting hole is. Care will have to be taken every time the canopy is handled as to not make it worse. I cut a piece of sticky-back 1/16" foam to mount in the canopy. This allows the canopy to have a more snug fit The completed Chaos, posing for the camera, ready for its maiden flight!
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Post by luckyarmpit on Apr 6, 2013 16:33:15 GMT -4
It flies! It was definitely a drama-free maiden. The only adjustment I made so far is to shim the right-hand canopy mount as the gears were scrubbing the canopy a bit. I also tightened up one of the blades but other than that, no problems. I'm going to check out the ESC programming and make some minor adjustments but I'm pretty happy. Looking forward to putting some forward flight on it tomorrow. The battery was cool and the motor was barely warm after the hover tests. I went with the 15T pinion at first but the head speed I feel was lower than expected. One of my flying buddies has a head speed scope that I'll use tomorrow and possibly install the 16T pinion.
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Post by Chris Reibert on Apr 7, 2013 0:33:36 GMT -4
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Post by Valkman on Apr 7, 2013 5:20:31 GMT -4
Nice job and well done. I also had to make shims for my main/auto gear and I have Align main shaft/gears and one way bearing. I also got bent gears from Align and it is nearly impossible to get perfert tail drive gears from anyone.
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Post by luckyarmpit on Apr 7, 2013 9:37:19 GMT -4
Thanks guys! Those Booya mounts are cheaper than what I thought they would be. I've got a set on a T-Rex 500 and they really do make canopy changes easier.
Yes I've gotten bent gears from Align before too but never this bad. It's okay... no one is perfect. I've got a set of TT front gears on the way as well as some blade stickers. Hey, the Chaos seems to have personality so why not add to it?
I forgot to mention that I adjusted the head speed slightly yesterday but haven't flown it yet. I went to 1750/1800/1850 and CastleLink yelled at me for the 1850 head speed saying there isn't much overhead as the motor will be running around 95% power. I'm going to bring the 16T pinion with me to the field today and see what that does to my head speed. For sport flying I might want the extra oomph but when this Chaos goes scale I'll probably drop it back down in the interest of flight times.
Anyway, I'll fly it a few times and then post a final flight report as well as closing thoughts. Hope you guys enjoyed the build log and maybe the detailed pictures as well as the mods will help a future builder.
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Post by doc121 on Apr 7, 2013 20:32:01 GMT -4
Ahhh! Another pretty Chaos brought to life....
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Post by luckyarmpit on Apr 8, 2013 13:11:29 GMT -4
I flew the Chaos a couple of times yesterday. It was a drama-free maiden and the Chaos flew very, very well. The blade tracking was dead-on and didn't have any issues. It flies so smooth, so predictable, and so stable. I have to say I really like the way the heli looks, with the unique paint job on the canopy coupled with the all black CF of the frame, boom, and blades. I think it's going to be flown quite a bit and will most likely go in the car every Sunday. I did take issue with the manual... as I detailed in another build thread on another site, the manual was last updated in 2011 and it's obvious the kit changed quite a bit since then. The manual should be updated and posted to the site every time the kit is changed. From confusion to the elevator servo mounting method to the different aileron control levers to the main shaft bearing blocks, the manual is in desperate need of an update. It wasn't so much a problem for me, as this wasn't my first build, but a newbie may have been lost. The gears being warped weren't so much of a problem but it was the principle of the thing. Robert rushed a set of replacement gears to me, which I appreciate, but he only sent me the autorotation gear.... when I really needed the main drive gear. I'll just use the Align gears and keep the autorotation gears as spares. You can never have too many spare parts. I shouldn't have had to modify the tail servo mount but I'm going to modify it further to get better resolution out of the tail servo. I also want to take all of the bend out of the pushrod. I also mentioned in my review on another site... the pains I endured during the build was all worth it because the heli flies like a dream. It's easily the smoothest heli I have. I am looking forward to flying it again. Thanks to everyone for the help they gave me along the way... I couldn't have done it without your input! ;D
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Post by Dr. Evil on Apr 8, 2013 17:34:00 GMT -4
I flew the Chaos a couple of times yesterday. It was a drama-free maiden and the Chaos flew very, very well. The blade tracking was dead-on and didn't have any issues. It flies so smooth, so predictable, and so stable. I have to say I really like the way the heli looks, with the unique paint job on the canopy coupled with the all black CF of the frame, boom, and blades. I think it's going to be flown quite a bit and will most likely go in the car every Sunday. I did take issue with the manual... as I detailed in another build thread on another site, the manual was last updated in 2011 and it's obvious the kit changed quite a bit since then. The manual should be updated and posted to the site every time the kit is changed. From confusion to the elevator servo mounting method to the different aileron control levers to the main shaft bearing blocks, the manual is in desperate need of an update. It wasn't so much a problem for me, as this wasn't my first build, but a newbie may have been lost. The gears being warped weren't so much of a problem but it was the principle of the thing. Robert rushed a set of replacement gears to me, which I appreciate, but he only sent me the autorotation gear.... when I really needed the main drive gear. I'll just use the Align gears and keep the autorotation gears as spares. You can never have too many spare parts. I shouldn't have had to modify the tail servo mount but I'm going to modify it further to get better resolution out of the tail servo. I also want to take all of the bend out of the pushrod. I also mentioned in my review on another site... the pains I endured during the build was all worth it because the heli flies like a dream. It's easily the smoothest heli I have. I am looking forward to flying it again. Thanks to everyone for the help they gave me along the way... I couldn't have done it without your input! ;D Hey bro., I am glad it's in the air and flying so well for ya. Everyone is glad to help out those who needs it, thats why we're all here. Enjoy your new Chaos!
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Post by heyvern on Apr 22, 2013 0:57:53 GMT -4
when I apply throttle to my 600 it jumps so quick that the blades swing back, I go very slow with the throttle stick but the motor still jumps and folds the blades back. I have the tension fairley tight on the blade grips, what am I doing wrong? ?
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Post by heyvern on Apr 22, 2013 1:03:25 GMT -4
when I apply throttle to my 600 it jumps so quick that the blades swing back, I go very slow with the throttle stick but the motor still jumps and folds the blades back. I have the tension fairley tight on the blade grips, what am I doing wrong? ?
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Post by Valkman on Apr 22, 2013 6:25:03 GMT -4
Are you talking about when you are spooling up? The bigger the heli the more tight they need to be and more so if FBL. If your happy with how tight they are have a look at the settings in the ESC. You should have an option for soft start. If you cannot get it soft enough have a look then at your throttle curve. I have mine at 0, 25, 80 , 80, 80. I have a really soft start so I could go 0,80,80 etc if I wanted but I have this as a back up if you know what I mean. By the time mine takes off it is will up the speed.
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