Posts Tagged ‘Blade CX2’

When RC Helicopters Collide
Friday, September 10th, 2010
I trained my friend with a buddy box (LP5DSM) and my DX7 on the E-Flite Blade mSR. Not a single crash and he was ready by himself. He took it by himself and flew it nose out, take off, and land, without crashing. Not bad from only flying coaxial micro RC helicopters. I had my Blade CX2 so I started flying at the same time. We were pretty good hovering them beside each other. Many flights later it happened, they collided. Surprisingly, the Blade mSR won the battle. The Blade CX2 top blade smashed, i think the canopy, of the Blade mSR causing the blade to snap at the end. The Blade mSR, not a scratch. Cool.

I’ve flown the Blade mSR everywhere for the past couple of months and I’ve yet to replace a part. It’s had several careful crashes and falls. The blades are scratched but not cut. I’ve had to clean the motors a few times but other than that it’s been perfect. I would still suggest the Blade CX2 if you want to start flying RC helicopters because it has more power for controlled flight and crashing once will most likely brake it so you’ll try harder to fly with control.

Tags: Blade CX2, blade msr, crash, rc helicopter
Posted in Blade CX2, Blade mSR, Crash Report | No Comments »

RC Helicotpers – 1 Month Summary
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
I’ve been flying a few days a week for just over a month now. I’ve been using E-Flite models starting with the Blade CX2 then moving to the Blade SR and the Blade mSR. I started practicing with training wheels and the phoenix flight simulator. I was quick to pick it up and I’m able to push the CX2 to its limits without problems. You can only go so fast with the coaxial models so I upgraded to the Blade SR and picked up an mSR on the side.

The E-Flite Blade CX2 got me started. I bought the RTF kit, extra battery and training gear. I was off the ground first go but only for a few seconds hover. I spent 1 week hovering and moving forward/backward left/right nose out. If you’re lucky to get a windless day take it outside and give yourself some playing room. The Blade CX2 is simple to correct if you lose control. Watch the wind. Even if the trees aren’t blowing there could be small small gusts that will affect the flight. Adding extra weight to the nose and moving the battery forward will help outdoor flights. I’ve crashed the CX2 a few times. I’ve replaced blades, skids, and one crash took out my canopy so I had an excuse to get another one. The main shaft is very slightly bent and noticeable at full throttle but it hasn’t affected the helicopter enough to need replacing. That will be the next repair.

The E-Flite Blade SR got me started on single rotor RC helicopters. I also got the training gear. The Phoenix RC Flight Simulator has the full line of E-Flite models so I flew the Blade SR for a few hours on the Sim before taking it out. My maiden flight was a success and I’ve been practicing basic forward/backward left/right movements nose out. I felt I was comfortable so I tried a simple circle. I ended up correcting a problem the wrong way and smashed it into the ground. I broke the blades, training gear, main gear, tail rod, and blew the tail motor. Fun, and I’ll have more fun undoing the solder to rewire the tail motor…

The E-Flite Blade mSR is the micro version of the Blade SR and my latest addition. It’s basically a very small single rotor helicopter and it’s fully loaded. I got the Bind and Fly kit meaning I can use my existing transmitter to control the Blade mSR. The maiden flight was the best one I’ve had yet. Out of the box, the Blade mSR was performing very well with my limited flying experience. I could fly it comfortably (nose out) in all directions. I brought the helicopter outside and played around with orientation. After just 2 days I’m very comfortable hovering and spot landing it. I own a handful of micro helicopters but the Blade mSR destroys them. If you like booting around every now and then indoors then this is the model for you. Spend the extra money and get into a real micro RC Helicopter.

Tags: Blade CX2, blade msr, Blade SR, micro rc helicopters, phoenix, rc flight simulator, rc helicopter
Posted in Blade CX2, Blade SR, Blade mSR, News, RC Flight Simulator, Training | No Comments »

Progress Report – Week 3
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
I’ve had a good 2 weeks with the Blade CX2. I’ve had several flights outside and inside with two crashes to date. One crash was small but the blades knocked and broke them all. The other crash was fast, watch the video, and bent the main shaft slightly but not enough to throw it off.

My swashplate wasn’t level, so I’ve made adjustments to the server arms and pushrods and trimmed the weird rudder movement with the pot on the controller. With all trims centered the helicopter hovers to the best of my abilities. Trimming took a while. You have to make the minor adjustments by disassembling then reassembling for testing. Put a few hours aside if it’s way off, or if you’ve overcorrected by accident. I messed up so be careful. Make very small adjustments, half turns for the server pushrods and very very small turns on the controller pots.

Outside is fun if it’s not windy. There are a few problems with the wind that really take down the Blade CX2. First is the design. It’s not meant for outdoor flight because the model doesn’t have a rudder and the coaxial blades just can’t cut the wind. But it’s definitely not impossible. Try flying with the wind and maybe trim some forward cyclic. The rudder will swing if the wind hits it so have good orientation, my 3 weeks is ok in calm calm wind. I’ve gotten in going pretty fast with a little wind, but I’ve had to slow it down fast by swinging the rudder in the opposite direction giving throttle and correcting. Be prepared for the worst because you’re already taking risks being outside if this is your first helicopter.

Until next time…

Tags: beginner, Blade CX2, rc helicopter
Posted in News | No Comments »

How To Level The Swashplate
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
So I got my E-Flight Blade CX2 Ready To Fly (RTF out of the box), and it wasn’t so RTF. I made a big mistake and not figure out the workings of the helicopter before flying it. I noticed I had to use a lot of right rudder trim to compensate the left rudder movement. It definitely wasn’t normal, so I took the helicopter apart and noticed everything was off!

I had one crash before the adjustment, but I’m convinced it was shipped this way from day 1. The swashplate isn’t level, and the servo pushrod isn’t 90 degrees to the server arm. There was quite a difference when I moved the server pushrod on the second notch, but not perfect enough to level the swashplate.

I had a big problem. After I made the adjustments I thought everything was level, it was not, in fact it wasn’t even capable of taking off at this point. I always underestimate this helicopter thinking you can just whiz by a couple forum posts and fix everything. These are delicate machines, even the blade cx2, and you have to understand exactly what does what so you fix it. So far everything I’ve tried has failed multiple times and that just sucks. I’m not giving up. So when I got home today I went back to the books and read everything over and over again. In the end, with only about 2 hours of research and work on swashplate leveling, I was hovering better then ever, and much better then out of the box. The best I can do is trim 2 clicks left rudder for perfect hover .

How I fixed a serious left nose rudder drift, elevator and aileron drift.
I made a great mistake and seriously destroyed the balance of my helicopter by doing everything wrong to fix a minor drift. I’m sorry I won’t get into too much technical detail so watch the video for more info.

Adjusting Rudder Drift
The Main Motor Proportional Mix Trimmer Pot can be found on the left side of the control unit. This “proportional” trimmer pot adjusts the amount of mixing between the main motors allowing you to fine-tune the rudder trim (sub-trim) to help prevent the nose from drifting to the left or right when in hover.

Note the direction the nose of the helicopter is trying to drift with the rudder trim centered and no rudder input.
Power off and remove the shell of the helicopter.
Turn the Main Motor Proportional Mix in the rotation required to correct the drift. If the nose is drifting to the left, you will want to increase power to the right-hand motor (spinning the upper main rotor blade), by turning the Proportional trimmer pot clockwise (+).
Hover the helicopter and make finer adjustments as needed.
Adjusting Elevator (forward/backward) Drift – The Swashplate
If your helicopter is drifting forward or backward you can first take a look at the elevator server arm and pushrod and make sure the swashplate is level. If your helicopter is also drifting left and right, adjust the aileron server after the elevator. Why? Because this process works great for me and I’m sticking to it.

Remove the shell. Center the trims and power on the transmitter, then plug in the battery to the helicopter. You want to make these adjustments while it is turned on so the servos stay centered. Unplug the motor power for safety.
Align the server arm with server pushrod. The elevator servo is on the right of the helicopter looking from the back. First you will want to check if the servo pushrod and arm are 90 to each other. If they aren’t then you will need to move the pushrod into another hole in the arm. First, remove the screw holding the arm in, pull off the arm and disconnect the pushrod. Put it back in the opposite order.
Align the swashplate. You can eyeball this but it’s best to hover the helicopter and make small adjustments. If you were to eyeball it, good luck, just make sure the swashplate is level in relation to the rotational plane of the main rotor blades.
Hover the helicopter and make finer adjustments as needed.
Adjusting Elevator (forward/backward) Drift – The Swashplate
If your helicopter is drifting left or right, use the same method here just on the opposite server. From looking at the back of the helicopter the aileron server is on the right.

Remove the shell. Center the trims and power on the transmitter, then plug in the battery to the helicopter. You want to make these adjustments while it is turned on so the servos stay centered. Unplug the motor power for safety.
Align server arm with server pushrod. The aileron servo is on the right of the helicopter looking from the back. First you will want to check if the servo pushrod and arm are 90 to each other. If they aren’t then you will need to move the pushrod into another hole in the arm. First, remove the screw holding the arm in, pull off the arm and disconnect the pushrod. Put it back in the opposite order.
Align the swashplate by removing the server pushrod and extending or screwing in the metal connector. Your smallest adjustment can be 1/2 turn. Again, I wouldn’t recommend the eyeball method to align it.
Hover the helicopter and make finer adjustments as needed.
Let me know if you’ve got any questions and I’ll try to answer them.

Good luck!

Tags: Blade CX2, Maintenance, rc helicopter, swashplate
Posted in Blade CX2, Maintenance | No Comments »

Blade CX2 Crash – Full Speed Fail
Sunday, June 13th, 2010


I spoke too soon! Here’s a great example of how durable the E-Flight Blade CX2 is. Mind the sensitive mic at points.

I had been flying all day without any problems, basically taking way to many risks with the Blade CX2 RC helicopter around a baseball park. I’ve got a Logitech 9000 stapped to my hat with a USB extension cord. Make sure you’re watching this in HD! This was clearly a pilot error, but I would hardly call myself a pilot . My mistake was freaking out and dropping the throttle slightly and I lost lift.

End result, full speed nose dive into the grass with a few summersaults.

Tags: Blade CX2, crash, e-flight, full speed, outside
Posted in Blade CX2, Crash Report | No Comments »

How To Balance RC Helicopter Blades
Sunday, June 13th, 2010
Has your RC helicopter tipped over or been in a crash? You should check the balance of the blades. If your helicopters blades when connected together have a mountable point in the center, attach fishing line and hold the blades in the air. You can follow the instructions on RC Airplane World.

If you have an e-flight model, beginner coaxial, you can use 2 decks of cards and some tape to balance the blades.

E-Flight Coaxial Blade CX2 Blade Balancing

Place two deck boxes of cards beside each other so the short rectangular sides will provide the surface for the blade ball connector.
Remove the upper and lower blade set from the helicopter
Carefully connect them back together and rest the ball connectors on the card boxes.
Watch the tilt and if it’s off center apply small amounts of tape to the underside of the blade to correct the balance.

Tags: balance blades, Blade CX2, how to, Maintenance
Posted in Maintenance | No Comments »

How To Install Training Gear
Friday, June 11th, 2010


If you’ve got your first RC helicopter model, I suggest that you install training gear before your first flight. The training gear helps to further increase the stability of the model while also providing added support and cushioning to prevent tip-overs and damage to the model from abrupt landings.

Installing the training gear takes only a few minutes following these steps. The training gear kit includes four training rods with plastic balls installed, four training gear rod to landing skid attachments, four screws and one training gear rod base.

1) Locate the four training gear rod to landing skid attachments and four screws. Note that there are two types of attachments, two are for the left skid and the other two for the right. Carefully snap two of the attachments onto the landing skids forward of the landing skid struts. The side of the attachment with the large hole should face outward, away from the helicopter, and forward to the front of the helicopter.

2) Next, carefully snap the remaining two attachments onto the landing skids behind the landing skid struts. The side of the attachment with the large hole should face outward, away from the helicopter, and backward to the rear of the helicopter.

3) Once you have installed all four attachments, install the four screws making sure that they thread properly into the back side of the attachment. It may be helpful to squeeze the attachment with a pair of pliers to make it easier to threat the screw into the backside of the attachment. Do not tighten the screws all the way at this time, as the attachments will need to be adjusted for proper alignment once the training gear rods are installed.

4) Locate the four training gear rods and rod mounting base. Note that the rod mounting base has four channels into which the training gear rods will mount. The open side of these channels will face upward toward the bottom of the helicopter when properly installed.

5) Carefully pass each of the rods through the attachments on the landing skids and into the channels on the base. Take care to not pull the landing skids out of their mounts in the battery supports.

6) After ensuring that the rods are secure in the base, adjust the positions of the attachments on the landing skids so that the base is centered under the main shaft of the helicopter. Once confirming the base is centered under the main shaft, make sure that each of the landing skids is still firmly installed in the mounts of the battery support. Note that the landing skids may be pulled slightly inward under pressure of the training gear rods.

7) With the attachements, rods and base properly positioned, you can now tighten the attachment screws until they are just snug. Take care when tightening the screws to prevent stripping the backside of the attachments.

Adjust the position of the tubing keepers and plastic balls on the training gear rods so that the balls are positioned approximately 1/8″ from the end of each rod. Be sure that the tubing keepers are positioned so that the plastic ball can still spin freely on the rod.

Your helicopter is now ready for flight with the training gear installed!

Tags: Blade CX2, how to, install, rc helicopter, training gear, video
Posted in Training | No Comments »

First Crash!
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
I’ve had the training wheels off for a few days now and it’s not hard controlling the CX2. I’ve had roughly 20 short flights and 8 hours in the simulator.

The crash was simple. I was risking the wind and lost control in a gust. I almost had it but the blades gently brushed a concrete wall causing the top and bottom blades to slam into each other breaking 1 completely and minor damage on the other. No scratches to anything else. I replaced the blades in 5 minutes and was back in the air for $5. Interesting enough, the replacement blades have fixed quite a bit of left rudder movement and I can trim less.

I’ve got another battery, 3 total now. The wind is a huge factor so no more taking chances when I think it’s ok.

After 1 week of flying and simulator practice I’m very confident flying. I’m still waiting for a windless day!

Tags: Blade CX2, crash, wind
Posted in Crash Report, News | No Comments »

E-Flite Blade CX2
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010


I walked into my local hobby store and walked out with a Blade CX2. The salesmen sold me a beginner model that works out of the box, for the most part. It came complete with transmitter, Li Po battery and charger, small parts for maintenance with tool, 4 AA’s for the transmitter, and manual with DVD. You can also charge using a 12v car battery with the aligator clips included. I bought replacement blades and skid plate for the inevitable, a training kit, and an extra battery.

I was ready to go. Since I’m a beginner I figured the trainer gear was necessary, good call. Here’s a video on how to install the training gear. manual had a great section on how to get them on. I charged the battery as instructed and put it in the helicopter. The front body was finicky to remove but it needed to make sure the servos were working. Everything was fine so I put it on the ground and gave it throttle. I made my first mistake by not turning the throttle trim down before turning the transmitter on. Good thing the controller knows the transmitter isn’t producing any throttle and shuts down the motors if they are. I hit myself and went back to the manual. I’m a video gamer, sure, I skipped sections and I’m not proud of it, okay?

Update:
I wouldn’t call myself a beginner flyer anymore and the Blade CX2 has proved worthy. If I need more power and the micro isn’t cutting it, I’ll bring out the CX2.

The Details
The E-Flite Blade CX2 is a coaxial LiPo battery electric powered RC Helicopter. It’s not a micro RC helicopter so you’ll get a little more size and power, quite a bit compared to a micro. This CX2 was designed to introduce new flyers into the hobby. It’s easy to fly but you won’t get away with crashing it if you own a Blade mSR. It will break and expect repairs when the inevitable happens.

Out of the box:
- 5-channel transmitter with built-in Spektrum™ 2.4GHz DSM technology
- 2-cell 7.4V 800mAh LiPo battery pack
- 2–3 Cell DC LiPo Balancing Charger and AC Adapter
- Blade Cx2 Helicopter model
- Manual with a Instructional Video
- 4 AA Batteries for transmitter
- Bind Plug, Micro screwdriver, Velcro material and Double sided tape

Specifications:
- Main Rotor Diameter: 13.6 in (345mm)
- Gross Weight: 8.0 oz (227 g with battery)
- Length: 16.42 (417mm)
- Motor Size: 180 (2 installed)
- Control System: 2.4GHz DSM 5-channel, 4-in-1 receiver/mixer/ESC/gyro, S60 Super Sub-Micro

This was my first RC helicopter and I’ve had several flights on it since. It only took less then one week to get comfortable flying it. It’s a great coaxial helicopter but it will struggle in slight wind. It’s meant for indoors but you can get away with it outside as long as it’s completely calm. This model also makes a perfect gift because everything is packed in the box, ready to fly.