The N00B!

[bcane98]

Hey Guys...

I got 20+ years in the RC hobby, but mainly on the ground, so it's time to go up... Did a search on Google and this site was #2 on the list, so I thought I would give it a shot and looks to be some good info on here.

I just ordered my 2nd heli.. the Blade CX. My first was an E-Toys BladeRunner2... lots of indoor (living/dinning room) fun. Well now it's time to move up; literally!

Before I get the heli any inputs you can share with me; issues, problems, good 2 knows, do's & don'ts, etc.

I will be receiving the AC adapter, the training gear, and an extra set of blades with the heli. I can't wait to get this thing so I can get flying.

-bcane

[New-heli-pilot]

Good choice on helicopters, the CX is perfect for starting out with. Just always use small stick movements with teh right stick especially. Make anything too sudden, and the blades will hit each other, or maybe the flybar hits the lower blades, I've never quite figured it out. Either way it results in a heli falling out of the sky with broken blades. Good luck, and remember to take it slow, dont do anything stupid and your heli will be fine.

John

[bcane98]

YAHOOOOO.... I got my BCX today and within 2 battery charges I can hover in a 3 ft sq area... I have to give "props" (get it) to my little bladerunner2 for helping achieve such huge success in such little time.

My only issue I have right now is Yaw and Throttle control. It seems when I try to turn L or R, being that the throttle stick is so loose, I end up on a wave.. Up, Down, Up Down. I gotta work on my left stick control a bit...

Is there any way to tighten that stick? I bought it off EBay so the guy before may have made some adjustments if that is possible.

[chaos]

CX is a great little contraption. However, it isn't bulletproof, so do try not to run into stuff. That part on the top where the flybar connects is kinda delicate... but cheap to replace. If you crash be sure to cut the throttle as quick as possible, because if you forget to do that then it will cook the motor drivers, and then the whole 4-in-1 is shot... $50 roughly.

[bcane98]

Couple things I have noticed...

While the heli is mid hover after a good 3 -4 minutes I get a little hiccup of sorts.. kinda stutters for a second and then back to regular flight. Any ideas?

Is there any way to reconfigure the radio? I would like to switch Yaw and Roll...

Have I mentioned I love this little thing I actually started to use the yaw today. Kinda like rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time.

I am basically flying in my dinning area with is about 20 square foot, but minus some footage due to table and cabinets. I would say I have about 12 sq ft to fly in. Not bad as I can keep it in a 4 sq ft area no problem. I actually hovered an entire battery today within 4 tiles (each tile in 1 sq ft) and used the yaw a little. Still getting used to it being on the left stick. My Bladerunner2 is a 3 channel and the yaw was on the right stick, hence why I ask if I can reconfigure the radio.

I wish I wouldn't waited so long to get one...

[chaos]

Hello bcane98.

get a little hiccup of sorts

A friend burned up his RX in a crash and I let him have mine since I wasn't using it at the time. Then I got a new RX for mine and it does a sort of hiccup... acts as if it was turned off, briefly, then runs ok again. It can only be the RX or interference from somewhere. I'm pretty sure it's the RX, although I have been working on my Revo 30 when all at once the servos go nuts, just briefly, and I've correlated it with a bunch of interferrence that's on the power line. I have learned that the power company sends some kind of control signal on the power line, seems like a couple times a day. But I'm not sure yet if the hiccup is this power line racket or maybe a bad solder joint in the RX.

I would like to switch Yaw and Roll

I've never heard of any way to switch the CX mode. I haven't taken it apart, but nothing in the manual. I have a Futaba 7C and 9C which can be switched. I think most westerners use mode 2 (like your CX).

>I can keep it in a 4 sq ft area no problem.

Good. Keep trying to get it down to smaller and smaller slop. Try to land with zero horizontal movement.

Here's a fun aggrivation... put in some yaw so that it spins slowly and keep the spin going. While it's doing that, try to hover over a spot as accurately as possible. It might be best to use training gear and stay low for doing this till you get a grip on it. It's a good maneuver for conditioning the reflex.

[bcane98]

Well had my first major accident today. Was hovering in my garage and decided to start flying around. Wasn't doing too bad and I seemed to keep it away from the bikes, storage racks and then when all of a sudden it started acting funny and it wanted to roll right... Well to make a long story short I ended up crashing into my garage door and into some bikes.

Guess what broke... Yup the counter weight holder thing (as I figured) and a bottom blade. Not bad for my first official crash. Now I get to upgrade. Well I may have found out why it started to roll right. One of the arms that connects to the servo and the swash plate (I believe) hooked on the body.

This leads me to my next question... Has anyone ever had to unplug the chopper a couple time to get it to the right settings? I have my BCX dialed in pretty good and will pretty much hover without me having to input too many movements. Well sometimes I will plug the BCX in and it will roll right or left. Reset and it will turn left or right. Then on the 3rd reset it will be back to what I left it at.... hmmmm...

[chaos]

One of the arms that connects to the servo and the swash plate (I believe) hooked on the body.

I have seen that happen. I don't squish the front part of the body very tightly on the rod that holds the grommets. It's a thing to check before blasting off.

As for rolling right, the only time mine did that was when the swashplate came partway apart. Even with full opposite control it went sideways. I had crashed previously, replaced the blades, and didn't notice the gap in the swash. I thought I'd have to replace it, but I squeezed the parts together with my fingers and it snapped back together and stayed together. I also had a servo go dead, and the 4-in-1 wouldn't initialize after that. I don't know how it knew the servo was bad... just guessing the bad servo pulled too much from the battery.

As for yaw, it's important to not move the unit till the gyro gets initialized (steady green light).

I don't do the battery the proper way. I let the lead from the battery hang out the back, and come around the side, and the lead from the radio comes out the bottom and around the side to hook up with the battery. It's easier to get to it and I can connect the battery without moving the unit. It looks a little less cool but it's handier for me.