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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 16, 2011 21:34:32 GMT
The "Extreme" swashplate arrived and it was a breeze to fit... those fekkin' minute screws were a pain in the "eyes" but, apart from that, it was pretty simple to do. Just be aware that the ball joints on the swashplate are screwed in (again, "minute" threads) so make sure you nip them up before snapping the links onto them or they'll come off during flight. While I was at it I tweaked the servo arms to ensure that no trim was needed on the transmitter... this is VERY easy to do and I will start a seperate thread one of these days outlining what you need to do. Any difference with the new "extreme" swashplate? erm......... YES! Holy crap, she took off like a rocket and smacked right into the wall.... I expected it to be "fast" but not that f@^kin' fast!! The forward flight speed is now on a par with a Nine Eagles V2 (I shit you not!)... all the speed but with the stability of coaxial. Much like the 9808 I modded yesterday (not so much a "mod" just added an extra battery in parallel) that took me by surprise too! The extra weight (and grunt) of the twin batteries in the nose has turned the thing into a forward flying racehorse!.... if you want it to hover you have to whack her into full reverse! That really is another time another channel... a 9808 on steroids!! (when you see a vid of how fast it is now you won't believe it!!).... Sooooo, two major surprises in two days (and not "subtle" audio type surprises either, these are full on SHIT YOUR PANTS type surprises!!) it is well worth doing the MCX "extreme" swashplate mod if you want a bit more speed (it makes the MCX2 seem like a cart horse)... I have found a "video friendly" zone in the workshop (but only at night with artificial lighting) and will take a vid of the MCX with "extreme" swashplate tomorrow night... she's a little pocket rocket! Here are a few snaps of the swashplate: A preview of my new "camera friendly" zone..... on show is the second flight of the flying walrus (sorry... the Ansmaan SkyWolf).... it seems that my camera likes the workshop at night!.... best viewed at 1080p full screen:
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toad
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I am the Super Toad, the Original Toad, the Whole Toad and nothing BUT the toad.... don't forget it!
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Post by toad on Nov 16, 2011 22:47:24 GMT
That new swashplate looks the business. Nice vid of the Skywolf too You might like to try filming in the day with the window behind you Mike. That should help no end with the lighting.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 17, 2011 22:51:38 GMT
Here is the MCX with the new swashplate.... I didn't let her rip fully but you will see she is MUCH faster than the MCX2 now! Just look at the speed of the pirouettes.... this mod has turned the MCX into a crazy machine I catch the 'copter at the end of the flight, it doesn't crash Best viewed in 1080p full screen:
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 17, 2011 23:18:16 GMT
A tad faster....
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 18, 2011 20:12:59 GMT
This is SO much faster than the MCX2... I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with the MCX2... Ian, is yours pretty slow too?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2011 21:10:14 GMT
This is SO much faster than the MCX2... I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with the MCX2... Ian, is yours pretty slow too? They are variable I think, Mike. I have two and one is slower than the other. Both are on the fast settings as well. They fly quite a lot faster with the tail boom. I much prefer them with the tail booms on than with the plastic backs. My biggest problem with it at the start was the slow speed. If you move the weight forward on the tail boom, they speed up though!!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2011 8:15:17 GMT
Mike, I presume that the swash will go onto the MCX2 as well? You'd also think that the weight would actually slow it down as well wouldn't you? Or take the battery life down!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 26, 2011 23:30:47 GMT
A short vid of the swash and rotor hub head, both "Extreme" alloy types:
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2011 7:59:43 GMT
That's how they should be built in the first place, Mike. Really looks and flies well with the new swashplate and a lot tougher, so it was all a bonus in the end eh?
I can barely see the blasted screws, they're so tiny. It's amazing that the helis all end up fairly consistent since with such small tolerances, you'd think there'd be massive variations.
I'm amazed that Eflite don't make different versions of the canopies. I bet there'd be a market for them.
The MCX2 canopy makes the MCX front heavy and is a loose fit. It needs those rubber stoppers to hold it on.
Anyway, your MCX is a lot faster now than the MCX2 to say the least!!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 27, 2011 11:35:55 GMT
Hi Ian, Your swashplate (Extreme) hasn't arrived yet but the rotor hub head (for mine) arrived yesterday... I'll get onto them as your swash was ordered on the 22nd and should have been here before now! I'm now using a carbon fibre boom "tail" from the MCX2 with it and it seems to have smoothened it up a bit more still.... so, to date, I now have the carved out foam / superglued nose cone mod, the extreme alloy swash and the extreme alloy rotor hub head.... beautiful smooth hover, it's got the precision of a Swiss watch.... will take a short vid later
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2011 14:02:08 GMT
Are they a different size then? Maybe a bit more weight on the back. I wonder whether you could get an MCX2 front on it with the MCX2 back on and it balances better?
I have a spare front if you want to put a more substantial canopy on without mangling the MCX2 which I can send up to you, Mike.
Can you believe that one of my mates crashed one and couldn't be bothered to fix it. He just bought another one so I had it for spares.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 27, 2011 14:06:25 GMT
Yes Ian, Different size plus one points up the way and the other down the way Jesus, there was some wind here last night (and right now)... woke up to find a tree blown down in the garden.... the girl I see on the bus lost her satellite dish (it blew away / was BOLTED on the wall) and Sam had three paving slabs upturn.... Good god, that's windy!!!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2011 15:24:52 GMT
Not too good for flying then? It always makes me laugh when I see your videos indoors and there's a storm ragin' outside the windows!! Yet it's so calm down here. Weird. In fact, the sun is just starting to set so the breezes have calmed down and I could take the MCX2 out!!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 27, 2011 18:45:31 GMT
Very breezy today... you can see the way the MCX is responding....
Just a few feet away on the other side of the window.....
and 10 minutes away along the cliffs.....
I was holding on for dear life up there... the tide was actually "out" and the wind was blowing TOWARD the sea which is why the sea is only a bit choppy and not rough. Yesterday, by the way.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2011 18:59:43 GMT
Good grief. It's been really calm down here. Winter's on its way for sure. You're going to need a sports hall to fly in. It's crackers trying to control anything in that. Down here, that would be considered a storm!! It must be dreadful out there on a boat.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 27, 2011 21:01:21 GMT
I was hoping it was a storm (given the gale) but it was blowing toward the sea and not from it.... I went down hoping for some big waves but it was just a bit choppy.... the 30 footers WILL come, just a case of me getting my arse down there with the camera. It was pretty hair raising up there.... I get vertigo (unless I'm strapped into something) and the gale, coupled with the possibility of being blown over the side, was a bit scary I'm a roller coaster junkie but hate going up ladders / hills / cliffs etc.... as long as it's "fixed" onto something I'll go up in the air and stay there all day but hate going up high on foot The tree was only a little thing... the big pine trees can take a real walloping... must have been some gust last night though, uprooting a tree (even a smallish one) takes some force! A few satellites dishes will have been lost (always a good time of the year for the aerial man!) and a few roof tiles etc. I HATE the wind.... don't mind rain, sleet or snow but a relentless driving gale is just a pain in the arse.... it took me a few minutes to light a fag up when I was over at the cliffs and the bloody thing came apart in my face (lit!).... not good conditions for smoking outdoors! More of a twig than a tree if truth be told.....
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 27, 2011 21:13:23 GMT
The usual type of waves along in Thurso (10 miles away).... fantastic for surfing, they hold the world championship up here sometimes:
Nothing quite as exciting as a stormy sea....
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 27, 2011 21:36:59 GMT
As I have said all along Ian.... "outdoor" flying up here is pretty much a no no.... probably the only time it would be feasible is during the icy season when the winds drop and the sky is full of stars.... I'm damned sure I won't be out there freezing my nuts off flying a "helicopter" I'll be indoors keeping warm..... Nope, it's pretty much "indoors" all the way for me and indoors is ENJOYABLE! My outdoor experiences have all been bad and I have no intention of firing lumps of plastic up into the air only for them to plummet to the ground and smash into pieces.... nope... my mind is made up, it's stricly coaxial / single blade nano 'copters for me!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2011 21:59:02 GMT
Mike, Do you get trees that grow windblown up your way, I used to always admire the ones in Cornwall like; and these
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2011 22:25:54 GMT
Blimey, that looks nasty. RC boats perhaps?
It's turned cold here tonight but it's still. First time the temperature has really dropped. May be close to freezing tomorrow morning.
No wind though, but I think it may be on the way.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 27, 2011 22:37:56 GMT
Nothing like a good bracing walk in on a windy day! You soon get used to the swell when you're on a boat Ian, it becomes part of your walk and you get your sea legs I was on a few boats when I was a bit younger and you actually feel "SICK" when you have to go onto dry land.... I am going swimming (for the first time in over 20 years) on Thursday and have promised Sam a multiple roll in a Kayak "demo" (I hope I can still do it!) but, thankfully, it's in a swimming pool so shouldn't be too hard
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 27, 2011 23:39:38 GMT
This should show the FULL speed of the MCX in flight.... I let her rip!
as usual, best viewed in 1080p FULL screen mode:
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2011 19:15:52 GMT
Hi Mike, I got home from work today and a box was waiting for me. I see what you mean. The MCX really does fly smoothly.
What's the stuff that you've put down the shaft? Is it graphite? One thing it has really done is to bring the sound of the rotors right down in volume. It's really smooth and quiet as well.
They are rather nice aren't they? Been flying it for half an hour around the room. Trims are fine and she flies as straight as a die in forward fast flight as well. Very often, going forwards fast makes them veer off centre, but it holds nicely.
It's amazing how stable these things are and how they hold their position so well in comparison to bigger ones. Once you get up to the CX3, you are constantly working at keeping it straight in spite of an adjustable giro and gain. The MCX series are really well designed.
Many thanks MIke, it's a lovely heli.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 2, 2011 20:42:39 GMT
Hi Ian, Just a thin film of GT85 (with PTFE)... it seems to make it a bit more slippy and reduces noise a bit. They are lovely and smooth, yes, did you do the foam nose cone thing yet? Watch those grommets, there are 8 of them and if one pops off onto the carpet you'll never see it again. I would call that MCX "precision flight"... you can, basically, land it on a sixpence... it is very easy to control and very stable in flight.... the hover is lovely eh? I was in the bike shop today.... Sam had taken your V2 home with him and tweaked it, what an excellent job!, it now flies absolutely perfectly without any trim at all but, whoah, you've got to constantly "fly" it... going back to the V2 from the MCX you realise JUST how easy the MCX is to fly... it almost does it itself! Glad you like it Ian and another one for the team Rabbit stable
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Post by PinkFloyd on Dec 2, 2011 23:50:53 GMT
Sod's law.... I was in town yesterday and the BIG waves were happening!! I didn't have my camcorder with me (just a towel and spare pair of pants for the indoor kayaking lesson) they were MONSTERS!!!!! No way good for surfing, way too ferocious.... a guy in the surf cafe reckons they were 50 footers.... I have never seen it so "exciting" down there.... that is a sight I will never forget in all my life... the POWER and the MAJESTY of those waves? INCREDIBLE!!!
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