First time build log

[chrismechanic]

Ok question time….. On page 40 of the manual it show the tail pitch slider assembly and says to CA or epoxy the lock ring.  Which is simple enough.  But it also says to red lock tire the tail to slider to the tail pitch plate.  How do I go about removing the lock ring to do that? Or do I just get some squeezed in there best i can while its assembled?  Any time Ive tried to remove a lock ring like this before Ive always damaged it.

they come assembled, i didnt take it apart to locktite it.
i would use some epoxy to secure it.
chris

[chad289]

Well its official,  Im out of parts in the box, guess that means Im done building.  The only thing I have left to do is install that motor which should be here Monday.  After that it will just been a matter of installing the BEC and ESC,  and then getting the BeastX programmed.  But I will still be waiting on a part order before I can get the maiden in.  As I mentioned I snapped one of the ball links and for the life of me can't find an extra in the kit.  The only place I found links was in the bag with spare screws and surf, and there were two in there.  I used those for the push rod ends.   And the others were in the bag with the linkages.  So that gave me the exact number I needed.  Maybe the ones for the pushrod were in another packet and got misplaced.  Anyway I placed an order from FBLrotor.com last night and as soon as they get here it should be ready for maiden. 

[flyalan]

I have never used the red loctite on the bushing.  This is for added security and I agree that removing the lock ring can be a challenge but it is doable.  You can wick a little green loctite in and that should work if you are concerned.  Do CA the lock ring though.

Yes there should be a small spare parts bag with an extra link.  PM me if you cannot locate it it.

Cheers


Alan

[chad289]

Well I got the build wrapped up.  Just have to finalize where to run a couple wires and get them secured and Ill be in business. I'm hoping to do a maiden (hover anyway) this weekend at an indoor fun fly or if the weather cooperates maybe Ill get an outdoor flight in too.  Im going to bring it to the fun fly for sure and just have a couple other sets of eyes go over it and help preflight in case I missed something.  Ill get some pics and/or a vid posted soon. 

Just a couple quick questions if you all dont mind.....

First one is about a noise Im hearing when I rotate the blades.  I think Ive located the source and its not anything major.  It sounds like is is coming from the ball links on the head.  Its kind of a creaking that is only present when the swash plate is tilted causing the links to rotate around the balls.  So my question is this, what is that indicative of?   Are the links just still too tight?  I sized all the links during assembly, do they need to get sized out a little more so they are not quite as tight?  Or should I have used some kind of lube in there to prevent that.  Nothing feels like its binding and the servos are able to move things freely, they just kind of creak. 

Secondly I was wondering about the sat antenna location.    As I mentioned in the initial post Im going to start off with a Beastx ar7200x FBL controller.  In installed the beastx on the platform above the tail gear box with the plugs facing the rear of the bird.  This put the antennas on the unit coming out the right side of the box.  As it worked out (or maybe through fantastic design) the antennas lined up perfectly with the slot on the side frame so I ran them both out the slot to the right side of the bird.  My thinking is the obvious location for the sat receiver would be on the left side then.  With that in mind as I was locating for a good location, the back side of the rudder servo kept jumping out at me.  Its in a great location and would get the sat antenna wires out and away from the CF of the side frame.  And then I became concerned there could be some type of electrical interference between the two if I did that.   Is that a valid concern, or should I just go ahead and mount it on the CF frame?

thanks again in advance for all your help. 

chad

[flyalan]

Hey Chad.  Glad to hear you are pretty much done.  Congrats!

The links should turn easily.  Meaning if you try to rotate a link while attached to both balls does it rotate freely.  If not then yes a little more sizing is in order.  I do not suggest any lubricant.  On a Nitro machine I clean the balls and links occasionally to remove any oil residue so they won't gum up.


Your SAT location sounds fine.  I would try to mount it so the antenna ears are hanging off the back of the frame and not blocked by the frame if at all possible. Less chance of signal loss that way.

Cheers

Alan

[chad289]

Well she is all done!  I was able to bring it to the indoor fun fly Sunday and got a couple hovers done in the gym.  Let me just say it sure does sound intimidating spooling up in a gymnasium.  It flew great, super stable, tail was holding great, couldn't ask for more.  Yesterday the weather was warm enough and the wind calm enough I decided to head to the local park and try a couple bigger flights.  They went great as well, still feeling it out a bit so I didn't try anything to rash, just a few circuits and some piros.  I wanted to do a couple flips but just reminded myself to take it slow.  The park was big enough to do what I did, there just wasn't as much room for error as I wanted to try much more.  Ill hit the airfield soon enough.

Im running 4500 mah batteries and have the timer set to 4:10 and come down at about 25% left with just hovering and circuits.  Im running the 14 tooth pinion with a head speed of about 2250 based off the governor in the hobby wing ESC (80% throttle line).  The motor comes down warm and the ESC is just as cool as when I sent it up.  I tried reducing the head speed a little to increase flight time but the motor and ESC both really increased in temp.  (no data logging, just going by feel)  So I think Ill stick with where Im at and get some batteries to help increase time a little.  (I ordered the 4500's by mistake anyway, I wanted 5000's).

I'm not too worried about the flight time as it is because it flies great, but if anyone has suggestions for improving efficiency for basic flying Id love to hear it. 

Once again thanks for everyone help getting me through this project. 
Chad

 

[Brandon Bartolomucci]

Just for reference I ran both the 12 and 13 tooth pinions and I liked the 13 tooth because I could get great performance with around 2250 to 2350 head speed. I run a 4200 and 4400 mah packs and come down with 20 to 25% juice left after a 4:30 flight of circuits, flips, loops, and rolls.

That is with a Castle ESC/governor and with the 12 tooth the calculator said I couldn't hit those head speeds due to a lack of over head room however I still got it governed there which pushes the ESC to about 108% of it's stated capacity which is a good thing with a Castle due to their under rating. Now with the 13 tooth the calculator says I can run those speeds just barely so I'm still slightly pushing the ESC but it seemed to all meet in the middle as I'm comfortable with.

Regards,
Brandon Bartolomucci

[Scott Anderson]

You're gonna love the why the E5 flys!

[mfremont]

Secondly I was wondering about the sat antenna location.    As I mentioned in the initial post Im going to start off with a Beastx ar7200x FBL controller.  In installed the beastx on the platform above the tail gear box with the plugs facing the rear of the bird.  This put the antennas on the unit coming out the right side of the box.  As it worked out (or maybe through fantastic design) the antennas lined up perfectly with the slot on the side frame so I ran them both out the slot to the right side of the bird.  My thinking is the obvious location for the sat receiver would be on the left side then.  With that in mind as I was locating for a good location, the back side of the rudder servo kept jumping out at me.  Its in a great location and would get the sat antenna wires out and away from the CF of the side frame.  And then I became concerned there could be some type of electrical interference between the two if I did that.   Is that a valid concern, or should I just go ahead and mount it on the CF frame?

As suggested by flyalan, for optimal receiver performance, you want to mount the satellites such that you minimize overlap of the the antenna elements and the carbon frame and metal parts (like the boom and aluminum frame braces).

The reason to separate the satellites as much as possible is to achieve the best possible signal path diversity, so that if the hell is in an orientation where the carbon frame or metal parts block the direct path between your transmitter and one of the receivers, there will be a clear path to the other receiver. It's also optimal to mount the satellites with the antennas oriented in different planes that intersect at right angles, such as one with the antenna elements vertical and the other horizontal.

If you'd like more background on the factors to consider when mounting satellites, and quite a few example pics, take a look at the rather detailed 2.4GHz Rx Installation Primer at archheli.com.au. It explains many of the core concepts for 2.4GHz radio technology that are relevant for understanding how to orient the antennas for best performance.

Post some pics of your installation if you'd like more specific advice.