rrTV-PHOTO   New HD TV
HOME   rrTV-PHOTO   GALLERIES   MY GALLERY   HELP-FAQ
myHOME PM pmRR MEMBERS 809 ONLINE 20 EVENTS SEARCH REGISTER  START HERE
 
1 page1683 viewsPOST REPLY
Autography FlightPower . Advantage Hobby . Revolution Models

.
.
e-Century Hummingbird - Swift > Hummingbird woes
 
 
sultan68
Senior Heliman
Location: Broomfield, CO Elevation 5420'

Here's a list of gripes:

1. I can't get the thing out of ground effect! For that matter, it won't hover higher than 2" and even then it's all over the place!

2. The skids have a gap on the bottom of them that was obviously done to lighten them. However, because of this, they get hung up on tightly packed carpet--like the kind you find in offices. This causes the thing to jump all over the place. I was thinking some scotch tape on the bottom of the skids might solve this and make them move more smoothly over carpet. And before anyone asks, no I don't have a hard surface to launch from at work! (Shhhhh...)

3. The tail rotor guardpost needs a smooth bend or a rounded nipple on it to prevent this little graphite rod from snagging the carpet!

4. The motor power wires could use an extra 3" or so to provide more mounting options. Setting this little bird up was like a puzzle! You had to figure out which pieces went where (the Hummingboard, receiver, and gyro.) Because of some of the wire lengths there was only like 2 possible places to mount everything neatly and still be able to remount the canopy. I wound up mounting the gyro in the rear and the Hummingboard and receiver in that left recessed area beneath the "secret door" on the left side of the main frame. Then everything fit fine. However I have to remove the canopy to unplug the battery (to turn it off) because the wire faces forward. If it faced aft it would have to get dangerously close to the main gear. Perhaps some of you might share pictures of your Hummingbird electronics?

5. I snapped one of my main blades trying to change their "lift" as the instructions described. This was suggested if you are unable to hover at half stick. I was at full stick and only 2" off the ground. Be very careful when trying to change their pitch in this manner. I thought they were very flexible plastic, but they snapped quite easily!
03-28-2003 Over year old.
 
 
capebob
Veteran
Location: Cape Coral, FL

I see you are in Colorado. What's your elevation? You may have to add a cell to get out of ground effect.

Bob

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. Churchill
03-28-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
sultan68
Senior Heliman
Location: Broomfield, CO Elevation 5420'

Elevation

5670'
03-28-2003 Over year old.
 
 
choppengruven
Key Veteran
Location: Flagler County, FL USA

1) Could be the thinnner air. I know my 'bird is at the ceiling before I get to full throttle! You may also want to double check that the paddles are perfectly aligned (they can get out very easily) as one being out just a tad will keep you from hovering and will make it seem jumpy as heck.


2-3) Have not really had an issue with the skids hanging on the carpet. but did have some problems with the tailpost. I put a little circle cut from hard paper stock (folder, etc) on the bottom with some thick CA.

4) I did a lot of experimenting with mine before I came up with something I was happy with. Gyro is on the back, hummingboard is inside the little "storage box" on the LH side and the Rx is under the elevator servo. It was all a tight fit but it all makes it on board.

I did use some thin CA glue on the foam double sided tape for the servos and that really snapped up the response time on the swash.


5) Haven't had this problem either. I've hit just about everything in the house with these blades and it took a lot for me to even get a monir crack in one. I've always been able to bend them right back to where they track decently and have sufficient pitch to get into hover.
03-28-2003 Over year old.
 
 
jeffs555
Senior Heliman
Location: North Carolina

Chris,
You might consider giving LiPoly cells a try. They will cut your flying weight by over an ounce, and should improve your climb. Also, they will about double your flight times. Until you can get it out of ground effect, the Hummingbird will move around quite alot. You have probably already done this, but if you have adjustable endpoints on your transmitter, set them to the max to make sure your motor is getting full power. At your altitude, you need every little bit you can get.

I hadn't noticed the grooves in the bottom of the skids until you mentioned it. You could try filling them with something like epoxy with micro-balloons. I have also had good luck with using ProBond polyurethane glue mixed with a little water as a filler. It foams up, so you use very little and is pretty light. If you fill them and sand them smooth, they shouldn't stick on your carpet.

Somewhere I have seen someone mention glueing a wooden bead from a craft store to the bottom of the tailpost.

I have seen others report breaking the blades while trying to twist in more pitch. Some have reported success in heating the blades before twisting them, but I don't know.

Jeff
03-28-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Intruder
Senior Heliman
Location: Algonquin, Illinois

Battery not fully charged

Your battery is not fully charged. It is a known issue with the stock birdseed charger. Try using a better charger if available.

Ken

UP = Away From The Center Of The Earth
03-31-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Keyrock
Heliman
Location: FT. Walton Beach Florida

Charger Question?

What would be a decent charger for the stock bird seed batteries? I don't want to spend an arm and a leg for one but if there is one out there that would maybe charge them faster ( if that is possible) and better I would be interested. I new so any help on this would be of great help. So new in fact i'm sitting here waiting on my Humming bird to be shipped? Pretty new huh.....LOL
Scott
04-01-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Intruder
Senior Heliman
Location: Algonquin, Illinois

Investment

Invest in three or four birdseed battery packs or get 2 or 3 Li-Poly or Li-Ion batteries Get a good charger for NimH/NiCd like used for R/C cars A/C -D/C operation is preferable for me. I use a duratrax digital peak pulse charger about $100.00 but it is only good for nicads and NiMh I cannot charge the new Li-Poly or Li-Ion batteries. ANother good one I hear is the Triton as it can charge the new li-poly Li-ion batteries.


Ken

UP = Away From The Center Of The Earth
04-01-2003 Over year old.
 
 
sultan68
Senior Heliman
Location: Broomfield, CO Elevation 5420'

Thanks to Intruder!

He really hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the battery wasn't fully charging! It hovers at half stick and shoots to the ceiling pretty quick at full stick--even up here in Denver!!

Thanks, Intruder!
04-02-2003 Over year old.
 
 
1 page1683 viewsPOST REPLY
CarbonXtreme . Midland Helicopters . HeliProz

.
.
e-Century Hummingbird - Swift > Hummingbird woes
 PRINT TOPIC Advertisers 

Subscribe to This Topic

Wednesday, December 3 - 3:13 am - Copyright © 2000 - 2008 runryder.com | email | link to rr | runryder needs cookie