Yesterday I re-installed the CSM Revlock and test flew the Mongoose and although iy appeared that the governor was working I could not set the correct headspeed which when tached, was alway lower than I had set.
After double checking my setup (ration, engine speed etc) and test flying a couple more times I decided to switch back to the Futaba GV-1 in which I set the same ratio and target headspeeds.
Again I had a friend tach the actual headspeed when flying and it matched that set in the GV-1.
As I "borrowed" the Futaba GV-1 governor from my Align Trex 600 Nitro I decided to replace it with the Align RCE-G600 governor.
Installing it was very easy with the sensor bolting on to the outside of the frames.
Setup on my JR 12x radio was also easy using the governor function allowed me to change headspeed from the radio and have a different speed set for each flight mode.
Posted by: dacostad in Setup tips, helicopters, engine on
Jul 02, 2008
Yesterday I test flew the Mongoose with the Futaba GV-1 governor in place and experienced similar problems to the CSM Revlock.
After disconnecting the Governor, the problem still existed and turned out to be engine tuning related and after a few adjustment I got the engine dialed in and re-activated the GV-1 which performed fine.
My next test is to re-install the CSM Revlock and see if it now works.
Posted by: dacostad in Setup tips, helicopters, engine on
Jun 28, 2008
So today I fitted a Futaba GV-1 governor that I had on my Align Trex 600 Nitro and did a breif test hover in my back yard. The governor appears to be working fine which I will confirm next week with a more comprehensive flight test.
Posted by: dacostad in Setup tips, helicopters, engine on
Jun 27, 2008
Having just installed a CSM Revlock and Stator Gator Governor on my Airstar Mongoose (see Workbench), I have just got back from my test flight with the Mongoose and unfortunately it was not successful.
I have programmed the Revlock as per the instructions and everything is responding as expected in terms of the LED including passing the sensor test.
However, when trying to fly it for the first time, the Revlock holds the RPM at idle. I disengaged the revlock (set ATV to 0%) and flew fine, then landed re-engaged the governor and then the head speed was held at about 1030 rpm and increasing the ATV had no impact on the head speed. I even tried putting the RPM range on the Revlock up to 17+ and this caused the head RPM to be very unstable.
I am seeking help from both CSM and Stator Gator.
Stay tuned!
Posted by: admin in Setup tips, helicopters on
Jun 22, 2008
A good way to protect your cables when installing the electronics into a RC Helicopter is to add braided sleeving. This also gives a nice professional looking installation.
Here I show how I do this.
So in this example I am using an antenna extention for my Spektrum radio.
How do you tie cables to the helicopter frame when you only have one hole.
You could go through the hole and over the side of the frame, but this would not be very neat or often practicle.
So here is what I do. Imagine the piece of plywood with the hole in it shown below is the the helicopter frame.
Posted by: 0 in Untagged on
Jun 12, 2008
Well after yesterdays experience with fades and dropouts, I rebinded the 12x to my Airstar Mongoose R921 receiver and went back to the flying field today.
I have to say my experience was totaly different to yesterday with minimal, if any antenna fades or frame losses. I am very happy with it's performance! Not sure what happened yesterda, but after 3 20 minute flights there were no issues or cause for concern.
I really like the feel of the radio when flying even more than my x9303 - this is a great radio with lots of extra features.
So I received my new JR 12x radio this week and tried it yesterday on my Airstar Mongoose.
I was already using the JR X9303 2.4 Ghz radio with this helicopter so all I had to do was rebind the JR R921 receiver with the 12x.
The first thing that I noticed that was different to the 9303 was the way the throttle trim works. On the 9303, you can set your throttle curve to 0 if you like and the throttle trim can bring it lower than o to kill the engine. On the 12x the throttle trim will only bring the throttle curve to a minimum of 0, so you have to adjust your throttle curve to take account of this.
Posted by: admin in Untagged on
May 13, 2008
I have been asked on many occasions since I started flying the Airstar Jetcopter SX, "What is like to fly it?" and "How does it compare to an electric or nitro powered R/C helicopter?".
I'll preface my answer by saying that so far I have only a dozen flights on my Jetcopter so I'm am far from being an experienced turbine helicopter pilot.
Of course the first big difference is the intimidation factor from flying something different and so expensive.
Actually, turbine helicopters are not more difficult to fly than their nitro and electric counterparts, however, they do fly differently. Although I have never flown full scale helicopters, I understand R/C turbine helicopters fly almost identically to highly maneuverable full size helicopters with a rigid rotor heads such as a BK117 or Westland Lynx. You have loads of power to do just about anything, but you do have to anticipate things like sink rate and load factor on the rotor in tight turns.
With the Jetcopter weighing in at 22 lbs, you also have to make sure you are always ahead of the helicopter with collective and cyclic controls because of its inherent momentum.
The other flight characteristic is that when hovering, because of the hot exhaust gases rising from the back, there tends to be more lift generated on the rear of the rotor disc than the front. That can mean that the hover is a little less stable than with a non-turbine radio controlled helicopter.
On the Airstar Jetcopter SX with the JetCat HP5 turbine, once you have started the engine and have established a stable idle, you put the turbine to full power which remains fixed for all flying, as in full scale and you fly the collective (pitch).
Finally, of course one of the biggest differences compared to non-turbine powered helicopters is its sound and smell which always seems to guarantee a crowd!
