RunRyder - HDX300, continuing saga

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e-HeliDirect HDX 300 - 450 - 500 - 600 > HDX300, continuing saga

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

Two flights this evening with mine. Now that it's all sorted out, flight with the HDX300 is quite relaxing. When it's right, it's great. When it's wrong, it's ...........

I'm getting ready to try something a little different with the main shaft. I hope it will be better, but will be ready for a crash. Such is the price of experimentation.

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

10-17-2007 02:40 AM

gasayers
Heliman
Location: new zealand

The reality is the stock shaft is 3mmdia but the groove is 2.7mmdia.
Thus you are flying with a shaft which is 20% (19% to be exact) smaller in area at the point of highest bending moment. It's going to bend.
Make your own shaft and grind a small flat and your shaft is by default almost 20% stronger before you even consider it’s possibly a better material.
Pretty simple math’s unfortunately.
Cheers

HDX300, Belt CP, Raptor 50, cap 232 46FX, Mustang 70FS, Funworld 270W/lb, Spitfire RCV120, Futaba 9CHP with Spektrum module.

10-17-2007 04:53 AM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

Good comment about the reduction in cross-section. That's why I don't use either a groove or a flat spot for setscrew retention. Here's what I do, and it works nicely.

I currently use two Locktite products. McMaster-Carr is a good source. I use a dab of "purple" on the threads and a dap of "green" on the contact end of the setscrews. Here's what happens with this setup.

The "purple" holds the setscews quite well. I started using this product for the brush-barrel setscrews on slotcar motors. It works quite well at holding the screws and yet allows easy disassembly.

The "green" is great at resisting twisting forces. Going back to slotcar experiences, we use this compound to secure out pinion gears to the motor shafts. Holds great yet is easily removeable with a pinion puller. As an additional note, I also use this compound on my heli pinions. Started doing so when I lost a pinion in flight. That got my attention real fast!

The bottom line is that I can make full use of the 3 mm shaft diameter and have no issues with anything moving on the mainshaft that shouldn't move. Just don't get any of these into the swash plate. That HAS to move freely, LOL!!!

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

10-18-2007 02:21 AM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

Looking at the photos of the V3 and my mods to my V2 that I documented in this forum, it is clear that my ideas were incorporated into the new V3. If you look at the photo below, you can see that I raised my airframe up on the skids. I also added an angled battery mount at the front of the airframe. I wonder who to give my address to so as to collect royalty checks? Check out the photo, more are posted in my gallery.

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

10-23-2007 03:04 AM

cope44
Senior Heliman
Location: South Lake Tahoe CA

(bump/TTT) For the guy that was lookin for this info.

11-16-2007 08:39 PM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

Man, I'm bummed out. I actually managed to wear out the one-way autorotation bearing. I ordered a new bearing and sleave. When tried to push the old one-way out of the main gear this afternoon, the darn gear split into two pieces. So as you might expect, with all the spares I currently have, I don't have any gears. So gears have been ordered and now the waiting game continues.

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

11-18-2007 11:09 PM

cope44
Senior Heliman
Location: South Lake Tahoe CA

Ouch! Sorry for you loss.

Buy two if you can afford it, that assures you you will never need the other one.

Hope you get it back together soon.
Cope

11-19-2007 02:42 AM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

funny you should say buy two, that's exactly what I did!

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

11-19-2007 10:43 PM

gasayers
Heliman
Location: new zealand

Gerry, I know it's off topic but any one line thoughts on the hdx 500 and 600?

11-20-2007 08:49 AM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

I have no experience with the HDX500 or 600, so unfortunately I have no constructive comments on those helis.

My T-Rex 450SE was my largest heli. My wife just bought me a T-Rex 450SA as a "beater" heli. Some beater, for other than the aluminum frames it's essentially the same as the 450SE.

Even with the larger helis, I still enjoy the challenges and successes of the HDX300. I've tamed the little beast and gotten it to a reasonable level of reliability. I'm to the point now with my HDX300 that I'm wearing things out rather than breaking components in crashes.

As a general comment, I believe it is safe to say that you can gain stability and possibly reliability as you increase in size. In over a year of flying, the only part I've replaced on my 450SE was a main gear. That's pretty reliable.

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

11-20-2007 10:44 PM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

Darn links!

Stuffed it in again tonight. (OK, not that bad, only a drop of less than 3 feet.) Totally lost cyclic control. Post crash the only thing I could find wrong was a broken link that runs from the swash up to the mixing arm. The rod was threaded into the link about half way. The link split along its length, right down the mold parting line. The only damage resulting from the crash appears to be the spindle (not surprising) and believe it or not, I bent an ejector rod main shaft.

Too bad, for it had been flying great. Back to the workbench!

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

12-01-2007 01:12 AM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

Lost the tail!

Finally got the HDX300 all sorted out today after the recent self-destruct it went through. Re-did the head links, fine tuned the radio program settings, and then went flying. All was going very well when the heli went into a violent pitch shake and the whole tail flew off!!

The tail rotor shaft fractured about midpoint through the right-side bearing. Somehow I managed to piro to a safe landing and I even found the tail rotor assembly.

So it looks like all I need is two bearings (just to be careful) and a new tail rotor shaft and I'm back in the air. If it's not one thing it's another with this little heli.

Like I said at the beginning of this thread, the saga continues.

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

12-09-2007 11:38 PM

mastic
Senior Heliman
Location: Tallahassee,Fla

Hey Gerry , yep im about to rebuild with the version 3 frames,,the last ones cracked at the weak point. These new frames came with a metal peice which I got no idea where it goes but I havnt started the build so I sure I can fighre it out. Anyway MERRY XMAS to all you 300 flyers. Paul

12-12-2007 12:13 AM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

Well, my tail is back together and had a great flight this evening. All is now right with the world. At least until my next component failure! But when it's right, this can be a great flying little heli.

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

12-13-2007 02:53 AM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

It's down once again. No idea as to what is happening with it. It just shakes and rattles, can't even lift off.

Everything appears to be true, balanced, and properly tracking.

After this, part of me just wants to trash can the whole thing. But the stubborn part of me is going to dig into it again. All I want it to be is a realiable, consistent flier. Is that to much to ask?

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

12-24-2007 12:59 AM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

Hot off the presses!

I should have done this ages ago.

I had the HDX flying like a champ yet again. When, and I swear! All I did was charge the LiPo for another flight. On spool-up the whole heli shook uncontrolably. I couldn't even lift off. I checked everything. All shafts were true, all blades were tracking, and everything was balanced.

Like I've said, when it's right, it's great. But it goes from right to a pile of crap in the blink of an eye.

So I'm sitting there, staring at the darn thing, when it hits me. I have three helis flying with the MicroHeli aluminum main rotor head. Hmmmmmm! So once again I tear down the HDX300. After making a couple of measurements, I made a 92 mm long main shaft. I used injector rod material for this shaft. A 1.5 mm hole was drilled as appropriate to allow the MicroHeli head to be cross-bolted in place. Pitch was adjusted as appropriate. If you've been running the V3 head, remember to reverse the sign of your CCPM collective pitch mix. Raising the swash with the V3 head increases the main blade pitch. With the MicroHeli head, lowering the swash raises the main blade pitch.

So how does it fly? Like an absolute charm. Cyclic response with the MicroHeli is slower than with the V3 head. But it is smooth and stable in flight.

Even though I've experimented with several main shaft configurations, I'm beginning to think that the 3mm shaft is just too long and flexible to adequately handle the mass and rotational forces of the larger V3 head. I've experimented with the V3 head on shafts as short as 95mm. This length restricts the amount of collective and cyclic pitch you can input. About 100mm is about as short as you can go.

I've tried very hard to make the V3 head work consistently. It is so similar to the T-Rex head. Since I've enjoyed such a high level of performance from my T-Rexes, I was hoping for the same out the HDX300 with the V3 head. I might just get there. But right now I just want to fly and I'm tired of chasing problems.

Some of you might wonder how goes the composite main shaft project. Still working on it, the challenge is getting the right alloy tubing. It's a challenge getting seamless tubing of the correct alloy, hardness, and surface finish. I'll get there with it.

Anyway, back to flying!

I'll try to get some photos up by this weekend.

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

12-27-2007 02:46 AM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

OK, slotcar racing season is over and it's back to helis.

I've made some interesting changes to my HDX300.

Photos and comments coming soon.

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

04-14-2008 05:34 PM

gmcullan
Veteran
Location: Southbridge, MA

OK, here's the photos. As you can see, I'm using the Micro-Heli head. The main shaft is made from injector-pin material. You'll notice that I'm currently flying with E-Flite carbon fiber main blades. While I prefer the flight characteristics of the longer fiberglass blades available from HeliDirect, the use of these longer blades interferes with the tail rotor due to the lower plane of the MicroHeli head versus the higher plane of the HDX V3 head. I discovered this interference when I took out a tail rotor blade on initial take off.

Flight characteristics with this head/blade combo is stable and predictable. While there is no where near the control response presented by the V3 head, this head/blade combination fits my reflexes/flight modes.

You'll notice yet a different set of cyclic servos. I initially started flying the HDX300 with E-Flite S-75 servos. I then tried a set of really inexpensive micro servo. While the flight performance was very good, the gears were very prone to stripping if there were any landing incidents. As you note from these photos, I currently have HS-55 servos on the cyclic. As you might expect from these servos, control performance is excellent.

Gerry Cullan,
Blade CP, HoneyBee CP2, T-Rex 450 SE & SA, HDX300, MicroHeli Monster

04-14-2008 11:12 PM

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e-HeliDirect HDX 300 - 450 - 500 - 600 > HDX300, continuing saga

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