Somehow, I find it more difficult to pivot counter-clockwise than clockwise. I'm really sure why. I think it has to do with the main rotor turning clockwise, and the tail rotor countering the torque. Hopefully, when I return to the faster head speed setup, it will more stable. Anyway, here's me practicing some forward flight and left hand pivots.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
E-Flite Blade 400 Beginner Setup for Hovering and Slow Forward Flight. (16 minutes of flight time!)
The following setup is a result of reading forums and a lot of my own experimentation. I recommend it for anyone who is learning to hover or learning slow forward flight. I recommend it be used for indoor flying only or outdoor on a very still day.
Mechanical Setup
I basically use the factory setup of the Blade 400. I currently use fiberglass blades. But I get the same results with the wooden blades. The only difference I can think of is lubrication.
For the belt, I use RC car shock oil. This was suggested in one of the forums. It's a bit messy sometimes, and I'm not really that sure if it helps, but I put it on my belt every dozen or so flights. The other recommended option is silicone spray.
The next (not so) secret ingredient is Triflow. This definitely helps. I put it on all moving parts. The head setup, tail rotor, everything! It just works beautifully. It makes everything slide nice and smooth. It costs about AUD $8 for 2 fl oz. If you can't find this in your local hobby shop, try the bike shops. That's where I got mine.
DX6i Throttle Curve
I've decided to use F-mode for all my custom settings. This way, I can test how my settings compare against the default factory normal mode settings. Later, when I start doing 3D flying, I might swap them over completely.
I use a linear curve from 0 to 60%.
That is:
Position L = 0%
Position 2 = 15%
Position 3 = 30%
Position 4 = 45%
Position H = 60%
The rationale is that the slower the head speed, the less power it will consume. Now, I've read in the forums that the motor runs most efficiently at 80% throttle. But I found this not to be the case on mine. I tried running a linear curve to 100% and 80%. Both gave me less flying time. I also tried running lower at 50%. But that barely got it off the ground. And it looked like the motor was being burdened too much by the pitch.
With the 60% linear curve, it will allow you to hover at 1 line above mid-stick. Which I think is the ideal position in preparation for 3D flying.
DX6i Pitch Curve
I got the idea from one of the forums. But I added my own little adjustments. I am using the following settings:
Position L = 35%
Position 2 = 55%
Position 3 = 70%
Position 4 = 85%
Position H = 100%
The almost exponential-looking curve for 2,3,4,H, give you a very forgiving throttle/pitch response around mid-stick. With these values, you're sure the heli won't jump up or drop down even if you over-correct slightly. The lower Position L is my own addition. It gives you the negative pitch you need when you want to get the heli quickly to the ground. I didn't originally have this setting but found that during "emergencies" the heli just won't go down quick enough. With this, you still have good panic response. =)
DX6i Dual Rates and Expo
Again, I use F-mode for my custom settings. So, remember to turn on the switches when you program these in:
AILE 100% +10%
ELEV 100% +10%
RUDD 100% INH
The +10% expo makes the cyclics a bit more forgiving around the neutral position. At first, I didn't like these settings. Because the response felt delayed. I even tried negative expo. However, I found myself over-controlling too much. The heli didn't fly very nicely. With these settings it makes the heli fly like I'm in control. =)
Well that's about it. Use the settings above, and you should get anything between 12 and 16 minutes of flying time. Remember to only use these indoor or outside on a windless day. Otherwise, the heli will just be too underpowered to be controllable in the wind. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave me a message. I hope it helps. Enjoy!
Mechanical Setup
I basically use the factory setup of the Blade 400. I currently use fiberglass blades. But I get the same results with the wooden blades. The only difference I can think of is lubrication.
For the belt, I use RC car shock oil. This was suggested in one of the forums. It's a bit messy sometimes, and I'm not really that sure if it helps, but I put it on my belt every dozen or so flights. The other recommended option is silicone spray.
The next (not so) secret ingredient is Triflow. This definitely helps. I put it on all moving parts. The head setup, tail rotor, everything! It just works beautifully. It makes everything slide nice and smooth. It costs about AUD $8 for 2 fl oz. If you can't find this in your local hobby shop, try the bike shops. That's where I got mine.
DX6i Throttle Curve
I've decided to use F-mode for all my custom settings. This way, I can test how my settings compare against the default factory normal mode settings. Later, when I start doing 3D flying, I might swap them over completely.
I use a linear curve from 0 to 60%.
That is:
Position L = 0%
Position 2 = 15%
Position 3 = 30%
Position 4 = 45%
Position H = 60%
The rationale is that the slower the head speed, the less power it will consume. Now, I've read in the forums that the motor runs most efficiently at 80% throttle. But I found this not to be the case on mine. I tried running a linear curve to 100% and 80%. Both gave me less flying time. I also tried running lower at 50%. But that barely got it off the ground. And it looked like the motor was being burdened too much by the pitch.
With the 60% linear curve, it will allow you to hover at 1 line above mid-stick. Which I think is the ideal position in preparation for 3D flying.
DX6i Pitch Curve
I got the idea from one of the forums. But I added my own little adjustments. I am using the following settings:
Position L = 35%
Position 2 = 55%
Position 3 = 70%
Position 4 = 85%
Position H = 100%
The almost exponential-looking curve for 2,3,4,H, give you a very forgiving throttle/pitch response around mid-stick. With these values, you're sure the heli won't jump up or drop down even if you over-correct slightly. The lower Position L is my own addition. It gives you the negative pitch you need when you want to get the heli quickly to the ground. I didn't originally have this setting but found that during "emergencies" the heli just won't go down quick enough. With this, you still have good panic response. =)
DX6i Dual Rates and Expo
Again, I use F-mode for my custom settings. So, remember to turn on the switches when you program these in:
AILE 100% +10%
ELEV 100% +10%
RUDD 100% INH
The +10% expo makes the cyclics a bit more forgiving around the neutral position. At first, I didn't like these settings. Because the response felt delayed. I even tried negative expo. However, I found myself over-controlling too much. The heli didn't fly very nicely. With these settings it makes the heli fly like I'm in control. =)
Well that's about it. Use the settings above, and you should get anything between 12 and 16 minutes of flying time. Remember to only use these indoor or outside on a windless day. Otherwise, the heli will just be too underpowered to be controllable in the wind. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave me a message. I hope it helps. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
E-Sky Lama V3 Flexible Tail
The original tail is probably the most fragile part of the Lama V3. It broke on my very first flight (ahem, first crash, I should say). For the longest time, I've been repairing it with super glue. However, I think it has more glue than original plastic now. A few weeks ago, it just completely broke.
Then I discovered the Xtreme Flexible tail. I ordered it on ebay for AUD $25 + shipping. And it hasn't broken since. It's probably the best upgrade you can get for this heli.
Grab yourself one. Highly recommended. Enjoy!
Then I discovered the Xtreme Flexible tail. I ordered it on ebay for AUD $25 + shipping. And it hasn't broken since. It's probably the best upgrade you can get for this heli.
Grab yourself one. Highly recommended. Enjoy!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Two wireless networks on the same subnet
Somehow, we ended up having two routers at home. The new one was a wireless N, the older one was a wireless G. To keep the speed on the wireless N network as fast as possible, I wanted all older laptops to connect to the wireless G router.
The problem was, with my initial setup, there were connection problems everywhere. Connecting from a laptop on the G network to laptop on N network worked. But not the other way around. Also, apple remote didn't work across the subnets.
I finally figured out how to solve the problem. Put them all on the same subnet! Here's how...
The trick is in the wiring between the two routers. And how DHCP is configured. See below...
Here are some more details, if you're interested:
Router1:
WAN IP: 10.1.1.2 (Depending on what ADSL modem wants you to use.)
WAN Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
LAN IP Address: 192.168.26.1
DHCP: Enabled
DHCP IP Address Range: 192.168.26.100 - 192.168.26.110
Router2:
WAN IP: 192.168.0.1 (Don't care. As long as it's not in the 192.168.26.* subnet)
WAN Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
LAN IP Address: 192.168.26.2
DHCP: Disabled
DHCP IP Address Range: N/A
Laptop on Wireless N:
IP Address: 192.168.26.101
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.26.1
Laptop on Wireless G:
IP Address: 192.168.26.102
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.26.1
I hope this helps. Enjoy!
The problem was, with my initial setup, there were connection problems everywhere. Connecting from a laptop on the G network to laptop on N network worked. But not the other way around. Also, apple remote didn't work across the subnets.
I finally figured out how to solve the problem. Put them all on the same subnet! Here's how...
The trick is in the wiring between the two routers. And how DHCP is configured. See below...
Here are some more details, if you're interested:
Router1:
WAN IP: 10.1.1.2 (Depending on what ADSL modem wants you to use.)
WAN Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
LAN IP Address: 192.168.26.1
DHCP: Enabled
DHCP IP Address Range: 192.168.26.100 - 192.168.26.110
Router2:
WAN IP: 192.168.0.1 (Don't care. As long as it's not in the 192.168.26.* subnet)
WAN Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
LAN IP Address: 192.168.26.2
DHCP: Disabled
DHCP IP Address Range: N/A
Laptop on Wireless N:
IP Address: 192.168.26.101
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.26.1
Laptop on Wireless G:
IP Address: 192.168.26.102
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.26.1
I hope this helps. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)