What's the stuff that i need?

[Illidan]

I am extremely new to this RC helis' world.
I've been into RC boats, and cars quite often, but not this side,

I was considering building a RC micro heli. what do i need? (pls write the full form of words, i dont get the short forms, i am new.... duh!)

I was considering using a CD ROM motor for the main spindle. what gyro, and transmitter should i go for? where do i get one?

Also, can any body help me out with making the swash plate? I tried searching through search engines, but only the ready-made kits show up!

[grnbrg]

I am extremely new to this RC helis' world.
I've been into RC boats, and cars quite often, but not this side,

I was considering building a RC micro heli. what do i need? (pls write the full form of words, i dont get the short forms, i am new.... duh!)

I was considering using a CD ROM motor for the main spindle. what gyro, and transmitter should i go for? where do i get one?

Also, can any body help me out with making the swash plate? I tried searching through search engines, but only the ready-made kits show up!There is a reason that there are no plans or DIY instructions out there for helicopters... The tolerances, precision and engineering required to scratch-build a model helicopter put it beyond the abilities of all but the most die-hard and capable modellers. Even the most crazy of the heli modders here on rcgroups start with ready-made parts. The fact that you are asking for transmitter and gyro recommendations suggests you have not yet done even rudimentary research into helis.

A re-wound CD-ROM motor likely won't have the speed or kv rating to lift a small model, and I (In my exalted career of more than 13 months in the RC world! :D) have never heard of anyone making a swashplate. Not that it's impossible, I've just never heard of it.

I'd suggest looking at an E-Flite Blade CX2, and make some custom fuselages for it. If you can hover a collective pitch helicopter in a simulator, you might look at a Blade 400 or T-Rex 450, but I suspect your interests lie away from endless tuning and repairs of crash damage.

Once you're familiar with the available helicopter kits, and what is needed to make them fly, and what modifications do to them, you could look at a custom frame, as there are many ways to support the cyclic servos beneath the swash, as well as the batteries and other electronics. But I wouldn't touch the power train.


grnbrg.

[snokid]

I have to agree...

Seems like you are getting the cart before the horse.

Learn to fly a helicopter, then build one from scratch if you want.

If you build a heli from scratch and it doesn't hover, your not going to know if it's you or the heli that doesn't hover...

Bob

[MrSock]

I remember reading something about using CD-ROM motors for micro rc use but couldn’t remember where, I didn’t spend a lot of time looking but I found this:
http://www.angelfire.com/blues/heli_project/

I have never tried anything like this but it looks interesting.

I also have some links for rubber band powered Helis:
http://smallfly.ipower.com/Current_Content/Article_7/chopstick_1.htm

And

http://www.dream-models.com/docs/penniFFhelicopter.pdf

[jasmine2501]

What is your experience in designing aircraft in general? Are you familiar with the operation of proportional transmitters, servo motors, brushless motors and controllers, etc? What kind of equipment can you access for the purpose of machining parts? What kind of materials would you like to use? What size of helicopter are you trying to make? How much power will this require, and what kind of batteries do you want to use?

[TMorita]

See this site:

http://www.angelfire.com/blues/heli_project/index.html

Toshi

[Illidan]

I checked the same website angelfire.com

thats where i got the idea of making one.

Well to say the least, i am not much into flying the ready made heli kit, i get my rush just by making stuff. Even if it does not do much good, It makes me happy just so because i tried something new.

i've made, a few boats and a car that runs on a small 3.2cc IC engine.
But i was mostly in the mechanical part of it. the electronic part was handled by my elex. graduation pursuing friends.

[Illidan]

Today, 01:42 AM Report This Post to a Moderator · #5
jasmine2501
No hoovering!



Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Lakewood, CO
Distance from you: 13444 km
Posts: 6,255

What is your experience in designing aircraft in general? Are you familiar with the operation of proportional transmitters, servo motors, brushless motors and controllers, etc? What kind of equipment can you access for the purpose of machining parts? What kind of materials would you like to use? What size of helicopter are you trying to make? How much power will this require, and what kind of batteries do you want to use?







Well for the machining, i can get in touch with a lathe anytime i need.
i am pretty much a noob while working with electronic components.
I wanted to build a micro helicopter.
equipment access is no problem, i can get most of the stuff, in the nearby chinese market. or i can get it in the chor bazaar (dont ask me whats chor bazaar)

[Balr14]

There's a kid at Wattfliers who scratch-built a heli, mostly out of wood. It flew, too. I have a friend whose uncle made the worlds smallest functioning steam engine. It's an incredible piece of engineering and miniaturization, so I know there are some outstanding micro machinists in your part of the world.

A swashplate isn't that difficult. It's just two plane surfaces joined together so the upper plane rotates while the lower plane is stationary. Two or three linkage points on the lower plane allow it to tilt. The tilting of the lower plane is transmitted to the upper plane that has linkage to a rotating blade system (head). The swashplate doesn't have to be round and the top and bottom planes do not have to match. It doesn't have to fit tightly against the center shaft, it just needs to have the lower plane locked in place.

If you are designing a fixed pitch head, the head design and linkage can be quite simple. The head is usually more complex than the swashplate.

[jasmine2501]

I guess a better question would maybe be - do you just want to make a model of a helicopter, or do want to make one that flies well? I think a certain amount of expertise in the fields I mentioned are probably required in order to make one that flies well. If you just want to copy someone else's design, that's probably fairly simple, but I think it would be a real shame for you to go to all that work and then just crash it 4 seconds into the first flight - which is typical of the first helicopter flight of people who have no experience and don't get any training. With proper training, you could probably pull it off just fine, but one thing that a beginner needs in order to learn is a helicopter that flies fairly well... so I still suggest getting a cheap one off the market and practicing with that, and learning how helicopters work. There is a lot more going on than you might think. A radio controlled helicopter is a complicated system of systems...

[Illidan]

Hmm, maybe i need to try the heli simulators

Well i've had a good start so far, i've got hold of 2 motors 4100rpm, from the cassette player. I've started working on my main body. i'm making it using some plastic sticks. maybe the blades will come off a 2L soft drink bottle. i am yet to check out on the electronics side, on how should i control the flight.

i'll put up a blog and some photos of what my idea is about. Maybe 1-2 more days,..... and then i'll be able to explain my idea better.

[Andrew McGregor]

Er... control is EVERYTHING with helicopters, so it's time to stop building and start reading.

[Illidan]

Well i've just been reading for the last maybe 7-8 months......

So i hope that i have enough in me just to get it to work (at least up and down)

even if i get up & down right, the rest will be a cake walk

[jasmine2501]

even if i get up & down right, the rest will be a cake walk

LOL!!! :D :D :D

Best quote evar - put that in your signature dude. That needs to be preserved for all time :eek:

[grnbrg]

even if i get up & down right, the rest will be a cake walkBest quote evar - put that in your signature dude. That needs to be preserved for all time :eek:Heh. No, that makes sense...

A friend and I were discussing the crazy-3d youtube videos a while back, and noted that Alan Szabo takes off tail-in. We can do that. And he seems to land tail-in. We can do that, too. We just need to work on the stuff in the middle.

So we figure we're about 60-70% the heli flier that Alan Szabo is. :D :p ;)


grnbrg.

[Lamedico]

I know a guy who built a control line helicopter back in the 1960's. And I remember a page on the internet way back in the 1990's where some guy built a micro-electric indoor rc chopper.

[TMorita]

I know a guy who built a control line helicopter
...


Worked great till he tried to hover?

Toshi