Sucessful Maiden! Some advice needed...

[Anthony Oxlade]

Hi Guys,

Just had a very successful maiden and 3 subsequent test flights. This is my first non-align and 700 size heli and i was completely blown away. It feels superb in the air and i can't wait to fly it properly at the weekend. It is far quieter and smoother than my 600EFL Pro and other 700E's flying at my club. There is so little gear train noise, it just purrs. I'm also really impressed because i thought i was going to hate the belt.

I need a few tips so i was hoping some of you experienced pilots could help:

There are some pics of it in another thread, my setup is:
A50 12L, 14T Pinion
Hobbywing HV120 ESC
Gryphon 7075 BEC
MKS HBL980 HV Tail servo
JR DS8925 HV Cyclics
Vbar


I ran the belt as loose as i dared and didn't have any issues in flight. I only performed some light and smooth 3D but the tail felt locked anyway. The way i set the tension is as follows: pushing hard on the tail end i can just about get the two sides of the belt to touch. If i pick up the heli by the head and shake the tail with my other hand, the belt will just about ping against the insides of the boom when shaken very hard. If anyone has an opinion on this please let me know what you think. Is it obvious when the belt slips in flight?

The main gear has picked up some wear marks on its top surface (on the flat area and top surface of teeth, see pic!) which must be from contact with the shoulder of the pinion. The gap between the pinion shoulder and the gear is bigger than the vertical slop in the main gear, so i assume the gear must have flexed during flight. I have a feeling this may have happened during my harsh initial spoolup, but i'd like to check that this is not indicative of another problem such as incorrect gear mesh? (mine was set with 0.1mm paper shim)

Are any of the team pilots sticking with the belt tail on the e7 after the TT is released? It feels great and i'm guessing it is smoother and quieter too.





[attachment deleted by admin]

[Adam.Melton15]

My main gear has some wear marks on the top aswell, this is normal though as I believe the shoulder is there to stop the main gear rising to high. The main gear has some up and down play.

[Anthony Oxlade]

Thanks adam, i just wanted to be sure. After digging around the forums i found that this topic had been discussed already, and matt confirmed it is normal operation.

I increased the tension slightly after a few more flights as it had loosened. I'm still really pleased with the belt drive.

[Adam.Melton15]

No problem
You will have to tighten the belt once or twice on its first few flights.
If you ever hear the belt slap inside the boom during a flight then defiantly tighten the belt.
You don't want the belt so it is extremely tight or loose. Make sure you can push it up around half way if that makes sense?

When you have re tightened the belt once it has stretched it will generally work its way to the right tension, then you won't have to touch it.