Gothic

Here I am. I like to follow the Big Lama also even though I don't have one []
As for the Xtreme motors in the 180SE I use on my L4 Changing the brushes when the heli doesn't lift or starts to feel a little sluggish makes all the difference in the world. If you have checkes all the screws on your heli and still you can't get the lift I would change the brushes on both motors. One time I was having a problem with lift and after checking everything over and over I took a close look at one brush on the motor and it had a split in the metal frame. The brush itself was fine but the split in the frame stopped the full current from reaching the motor. I replacedit and it was like new. Good luck.

G.

pgroom_68

Hey again Russell,

Sorry, must have missed this post. The wag is still the same in BL set-up - as I haven't done anything beyond my last post re. the fish tail movements. I have the luxury of trying another BOL (2.4G one) until I can try out the pinion change. If that makes no diff, I will be trying the lipo change - but I don't know HOW it can make a diff - as only the weight changes and if I use a stock lipo it reduces the weight! (do you think this reduction would make a diff[sm=50_50.gif] - I suppose it is worth a try!)

Peter[sm=49_49.gif]
Still, the pinions should be here early next week[&o] - normal shipping..... (IF I had opted for fast shipping it would have made the price of pinons $13 each as the total was AUD$ 26[:'(])

Buz

Ok.... it's me again!

A heli flying friend came over today and we had 4 helicopters in the air at different times. I forgot how much fun it is to chase each other around! We flew at about 100 ft, and it was a lot of fun. My BOL held up beautifully this time.
I pulled the metal head off and rebuilt it using my wife's fingernail polish. Guys.... if thread lock isn't handy... your wife's nail polish is just as strong if not stronger!

So, my friend has had no flying lessons and he does pretty well as long as he's flying from behind the helicopter. After he was finished, I had about half a charge on the BOL battery... so I took off again, went up what had to be at least 300ft..... and started flying around backwards, sideways, doing pyros.... just plain thrashing the BOL to death. I got it into a very fast turn using no tail rotor...only FF and aileron. It's true! You CAN make a banked turn with this set up! I finally landed and my friend was standing there with his mouth hanging open. "How in the hell did you just do that? Mine would have flown to pieces!" AHAHHAHA! It feels so good when everything goes right for a change!
I only wish I had video of some of the things I pulled off... But that seems to be the rule. Your best flights are never on video! [8D]

Buzz

NICKG38

Well here is another observation while flying big lama with major problems...It has to be that the 380 motors aren't performing up to their potential.....there seems to be some sort of restriction going on within either 1 or both motors..It is creating heat build up in wiring and mixer which in turn is overloading battery then battery swells heats up and mixer cuts off...some flights are longer then others and sometimes the motors take forever to spool up to full power. gonna have to get another pinion puller since the cheapo one xtreme sells bent while trying to get pinions off of original motors then gonna try to use original motors. Pretty soon gonna have a whole mess of heli's and parts for sale. Running into a bad streak of luck lately. Demolished the T-rex the other day... one of the plastic linkages snapped in mid air (i never upgraded the whole head, stupid me) and carbon fiber blades and metal booms don't mix....lucky to have salvaged most of it...waiting on full metal head assembly...but here is the question...Does anyone have flybarless head assembly on a 450 and is it better or worse.

pgroom_68

Hey again Nick,

...seems more and more like the [link=http://www.miracle-mart.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=110_186&pro ducts_id=2140]brushes[/link] in your 380s are the prob - they are cheap to replace!

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]
P.S. Don't forget to run those in....

Gothic

Hi Nick,
I also think you should change the brushes . A cheap fix.

G.

NICKG38

Thanks again Peter, I just ordered brushes...do you know where I can get a bigger battery tray that would mount up nice to the 400 superskids?

Gothic

Hi All,

Is there a boom available yet for the Big L ?

G.

RC_Addiction

He gothic,

Try [link=http://www.rtf-heli.com/ESKYBIGLAMAbrushless.html]HERE[/link] for the boom. Picture is my BOL wearing a Superskids 300 kit in whie color. A different look does not hurt.

fernando,

Peter,

Too windy to fly today anyways LOL .....[]....

rusty63

Hi Peter , Perhaps using stock battery doesn,t make difference to Gyro . But nothing to loose trying stock battery . Not so much for weight . Just i notice you use larger batterys with thick wires step down from Deans too jst plugs . Perhaps with different set up in brushless electronics . Gyro more touchy using these . Just something to try . I just recieved my xtreme motors . The 370s in Big Lama still performing well . So i,ll have plenty off time too check over xtreme 380s and run / bed them in . Re the 6 x180se i got , will first install in Medevac , its always been my test machine . russell

pgroom_68

Hey again Nick,

Sure. [link=http://www.rtf-heli.com/ESKYBIGLAMAbatterytraymod.html]RTF-heli.com[/link] offers a white lipo tray that is used to hold lipos between the skids, but I had to make my own "braces" out of aluminum due to the fact that I WAS trying to change the lipo holder out - reserving the area between the skids for my FCO2 onboard camera! (I don't need to now)

Peter[sm=49_49.gif]
P.S. I notice that RTF-heli's lipo trays are out-of-stock until next week
P.P.S. Old pic - sorry! Notice "strapping taped" blades that have since been replaced with Extreme Blades

pgroom_68

Hey again G,

Yip. RTF-heli.com (link in RC_Addiction's post) offers one with the bracket to attach to your main frame - and they have detailed instructions (with pics) on how to mount it up also [The vertical "knightshead" could do with a bead at its base so it doesn't get jammed between cracks in your takeoff surface......... - I just walked into the local arts store, bought 1 x black plastic bead (the shopkeeper looked confused until I told her what it was for), and drilled it with a 2mm (5/64") hole]

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]

pgroom_68

Hey again Russell,

Thanx mate. I promise to try that when I get out the "BL set-up" bird again - and BEFORE I stuff it up entirely by changing out pinions again
I didn't know a medivac heli can use so many motors at once...LOL.
Yip, those "test birds" come in handy - mine is a Lama4 that I have tried new things on since I got it second-hand on ebay and made fly again......

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]
P.S. At a rough estimate I would say that the Extreme 380s nearly double the available power when upgrading from Esky 370s (of course this is just a feeling and I can't back it up with hard data)

rusty63

Hehe, Yes Medevac my first Heli . tis my testbed Hotrod . Dont know if you saw my outdoor big lama video . But thats where Medevac going soon . I have pontoons for it . If motors give me enough consistant power /lift . Will reinstal Pontoons ..Medevac going all the way into pool . splash/spash . lol Russell
ps. Just running motors in now .

pgroom_68

Hey again Russell,

I need your help to decide something when you read this. The Xtreme upgrades arrived by courier a few minutes ago and I would like to know what your opinion is on the best place to mount the [link=http://www.miracle-mart.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=110_229&pro ducts_id=3394]blade grip[/link] - upper or lower? (I couldn't afford two at that price[:'(]) Which one would show the most strain on the part? I also have the lower rotor head to install, and bearing housing at a later date.

Peter[sm=49_49.gif]
P.S. I have just taken the floats off my L3 - this freshwater pool is at my place of work!
P.P.S. If you don't respond I think I will put the grips up top.........

rusty63

Hi Peter , Nice pool. re Blade grips . i tossed a coin came up heads lol. I guess Head more likely to receive damage . Just another [thought] on waggy tail . Have you checked that shafts / motor pinions not slipping . Otherwise i guess inbuilt Gyro just cant keep up with extra ponies in brushless form . ps I love these 180se xtremes . Splashtime coming up . Russell

downunderdog

You'd probably have better luck with that question in the T-Rex or a some other 450 clone thread, or on RCG (I think they tend to get more technical over there - just an impression I've gotten from reading a bit over there). I've read a bit on flybarless heads, and it seems pretty cool. At around $200 for the gyro assembly, I would hope that it can be set up to make the heli very stable. You would want to ask the question in a forum that is specific to that technology before plopping down the cash, though, I would imagine!!!

pgroom_68

Hey again Russell,

Yip. Looked for slipping pinions on motor shafts - that was my first thought! Negative. What I found was that the whole pinion assembly / mesh was INCREDIBLY tight - I could JUST turn the head(s) by hand (I don't think it was binding - stiff BL motors) and this got a little bit easier after I had tried it for a half hour (yes, with it fish-tailing and everything!). I have just received notification from rc711.com that the pinions have been shipped - normal post - so I will fly my other two BOLs meanwhile!

Peter[sm=shades_smile.gif]
P.S. Nice Futaba Tx - mode 1 - why?[&o] I'm a mode 2 guy through and through
P.P.S. When landing on water watch that surface tension - it is really unforgiving.........

Ber60

Hi guy's

I had the same problem on my BOL and it even burned out my 3in1. My solution was to solder the motor wires directly in to the 3in1 and get rid of the connectors, I never had any heat build up again.

rusty63

Hi Peter , Started on mode 1. Very comfortable with it . If i tried or changed to mode 2 It be like driving a car with accelator on lefthand side pedal. lol. Ive donea fewtest on pontoons . They will not float for long these Medevac ones . So will keep a slight hover happening . Ive done half/ dozen test in bath tub . Two of those with spa going . So kinda prepared , Gentle splash/ glug /glug / full throttle hehe. At least pool will have some more room for exit strategy . Hopefuly up ..lol .Russell

rusty63

Hi Ber60 , Sometimes i run my Rhino 1050s .They are on Dean connectors . I use a made up connection Dean To Jst plug , Normal Jst size wireing . Im concerned about much larger wires on Rhino . Nothings happened , but could it end up causing problem . thanks Russell

Beachcomber

I'm unhappy and disappointed with the new Xtreme blades for my Big Lama. I was hoping they would be stiffer (less flexible) than stock. They might be less brittle than stock (haven't had crash yet) but they are much more flexible than stock. Cone up quite a bit, which puts me into the blade strike area again. Going to have to tape the lower blades again. Damn.

Buz

I have the Extreme blades on my Lama IV.... and the floats. With the extended shaft, I could only get a blade collision if I went FF then stopped and went full rear cyclic. Mine would strike, but, the are so hard I've never been brought down by a blade clase. It happes... but you just fly through it. (if you high enough up)

Today I had the BOL out again.. and if you're not a total newbie... you can make it do things it's not supposed to do. I can use FF, then start a turn with a bit of aileron. If you have to the room for it, this helicopter will nearly fly 3D... Seriously. I've had mine straight up with the tail down .... then using FF cyclic... use the ailerons AND the rudder and it will start a very tight circle with the nose down. But again... get up there far enough to recover. I am now into flying forward , then setting the heli in to pyros.... then coming out using aileron only. I still don't have the extreme blades for the BOL yet... I can only imagine how much more it will do. I need to make a video to post here. I'm getting away with stuff this helicopter was not designed for. If you make a hard turn using only FF and aileron, the heli WILL bank! It really looks cool when you bank a turn and the sun is flashing off of your blades.
I'm going to keep pushing the limits.... We need a BOL flying contest! LOL!

RC_Addiction

Hey Beachcomber,

I still have not received and tried mine but so far the blades that gave me the lesser conning were the Walkera Lama 400D blades, they are about hallf an inch or longer and fly very nicely.


RC_Addiction,

downunderdog

You end up backing the heli into things a lot... If you're used to trottling down when you start getting into trouble, when you change modes your new "reflex" (when panicked) is to apply backwards elevator, backing you into whatever is behind you pretty hard. At least there's not a spinning rotor back there, and the back of the heli (Lama V3 in my case) kind of acts as a bumper.

Mine came in mode 1, but after I played with it for a bit I decided I thought mode 2 made more sense (all the cyclic controls on my right hand) and swapped it over. It would be hard to make the change after a long while of flying in one mode, but I think I did it early enough in my learning that I'm not permanently scarred... my flying problems are due to lack of practice and coordination, not the fact that I'm thinking with the wrong thumb anymore.