br and rc newbie..help

[pegasus65]

just got back with the br.. charged and took off
i was hooked
after cycling the battery several times as insructed
i am only getting about 30 secs of flight before the thing drops
any help greatly app.

disheartened..

[petter]

pegasus65
Probably the charger or the battery is not optimal. The charger should be able to bring the battery up to 4.15 - 4.20 volt. If it does not and if you have an other li-po charger for 1 cell you can test that one. In cases where it is a bad battery many modelers have taken the helicopter apart (cut off the body) and changed into a high quality li-po cell (i.e. Kokam 340 mAh). The reduced weight also helps on flight times. These mods you should only do when you are sure to keep the helicopter.

You can take a look at this document for possible modifications. Please note that this is not an itc document, but just tips and hints from other modelers.
http://theclassroom.50megs.com/Bladerunner%20Information.pdf

Petter

[pegasus65]

thanks will try that and a cut down body as i have already made the cat killer
is the same charger ok for 340 batt
cheers

[petter]

pegasus65
Yes, the charger can be used for the Kokam cell. The Kokam cell probably do not have a low voltage cut-off, therefore you must be carefull to allways switch off the helicopter when you do not fly. If you drain the cell too low it will be damaged. When you fly; this is not a problem because the Bladerunner will not lift off if the battery is under 3 volt (loaded).
Good luck.
Petter

[Tres Wright]

Pegasus, do you have the 1st generation Bladerunner with the black body? The very first run had a very poor battery and reports are 3 minute flights at best. After a few cycles those flights are down to 30 seconds because the battery is being severely overloaded. Later generation BRs have much better batteries. My QVC version can fly 8-9 minutes without landing on the original battery. Some people with the original BRs have swapped to a Kokam 340 cell with very good results.

[pegasus65]

thanks T. this batt seems the way to go.
done the body removal and the cat killer mods
also clipped a lot of the wire landing gear away
i know this is used as the aerial but still get 50 ft no problem
the thing flies well now but only for 60 secs or so before drifting down
wheres the cheapest 340's from?
cheers

[pegasus65]

think these kokams are allergic to britain
can get multi cell packs but no singles
can the multi's be split??

[Tres Wright]

The multi's can be split, but you have to work slowly and carefully. Take something rigid like a credit card and slowly pry them apart. They're held together with double-stick tape.

Not sure of a UK source for 340 cells, you can get them stateside at http://www.allerc.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_4&products_id=85 for 10 bucks.

Paul G has reported 15 minute flights after converting to the 340, so I think you'll be happy with it!

Good luck!

[Kwok_Yu]

It doesn't have to be a Kokam. Any 10c lipo will do or specifically any lipo that can give more than 2 amps discharge. So this will give you more choices in picking up something local.

[pegasus65]

thanks for all the replies guys
this is my first dip into rc flight and all your help has
made what could have been a dissapointment into
an interesting hobby. never had an interest in mods before but for anyone else out there who has a first version
get modding and dont give up. still using origional battery an getting 3 mins+
but it does need a couple of dozen good cycles.
found a uk supplier for kokam 340 20c at 7.40 gbp
http://www.indoor.flyer.co.uk/index.htm
just ordered ,cant wait til it comes
also the gadget shop does the new replacement blades at £5
good job too as mine are more magic tape than blade at the mo.
still wish i could get a little more forward movement though without sacrificing the hover.
have fun.

[ronpiano]

The multi's can be split, but you have to work slowly and carefully. Take something rigid like a credit card and slowly pry them apart. They're held together with double-stick tape.

Not sure of a UK source for 340 cells, you can get them stateside at http://www.allerc.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_4&products_id=85 for 10 bucks.

Paul G has reported 15 minute flights after converting to the 340, so I think you'll be happy with it!

Good luck!
I've only used lipo's with wire and connectors already attached. Are the kokams tabs easily soldered with regular solder or do they need special aluminum paste solder?
Ron

[Tres Wright]

==good job too as mine are more magic tape than blade at the mo.==

LOL! Mine have a bit of tape too :) I've fixed 4 or 5 breaks. Interestingly the tape repairs seem to do quite well and don't seem to throw the blades out of balance.

==Are the kokams tabs easily soldered with regular solder or do they need special aluminum paste solder?==

There are two tabs, there's the one that comes from inside the cell and then another that the fasten to the first. The 2nd tab is the one you want to solder to and it will hold with regular solder.

==still wish i could get a little more forward movement though without sacrificing the hover.==

How much forward movement are you getting? The best you can expect is about a regular walking pace. Any faster and the rotors clash. Did you adjust your CG after removing the body and doing the cat killer? I had to move my battery as far forward as the wires would allow after doing those mods. If you have not adjusted your CG forward, that would explain why you're not getting good forward flight. You want the CG to be about 2 mm in front of the mainshaft. Try balancing it with the landing gear resting on a pencil to see where the CG is.

[ronpiano]

"There are two tabs, there's the one that comes from inside the cell and then another that the fasten to the first. The 2nd tab is the one you want to solder to and it will hold with regular solder."

I don't understand. There are two tabs: one + and one -, one red wire and one black. Can both tabs use regular solder?

Ron

[Tres Wright]

Sorry, I didn't explain it right. Each tab (positive and negative) has a separate "solder tab" fastened to it. The main tabs come from inside the cell and are very fragile (don't bend them back and forth or they will break off). They also cannot be soldered to. There is a special solder tab attached to each of these main tabs. Basically it's a square of metal and it can be soldered to with standard solder. Hope that's more clear :)

[ronpiano]

Sorry, I didn't explain it right. Each tab (positive and negative) has a separate "solder tab" fastened to it. The main tabs come from inside the cell and are very fragile (don't bend them back and forth or they will break off). They also cannot be soldered to. There is a special solder tab attached to each of these main tabs. Basically it's a square of metal and it can be soldered to with standard solder. Hope that's more clear :)

Thanks, that would make it much easier. I have a couple of E-Tec 340 cells and it appears that only one of the tabs has a solderable tab attached to it. I guess that the other tab requires aluminum paste solder. Am I right? I don't have any experience soldering aluminum.

Thanks again,
Ron

[Freakazoid]

What about the newer models of the BR? Do those still need the battery mod?

[Kwok_Yu]

Assuming you don't get a defective one, the newer ones should not need the battery mod. But if you do the mod, your time will most likely double. I just got a new QVC BR, but am doing the carbon brush mod. So have only run it for a few minutes. Also, one of the motor pinion is barely touching the middle gear. So I need to try and shift the motor position. After doing all this work, I minus well do the battery mod, regardless.

[Freakazoid]

Double you say?? wow, thats considderable.

[Kwok_Yu]

Double you say?? wow, thats considderable.
The stock battery is only 250mAHr. Also the BR is drawing close to its max current rating, so capacity is reduced even more. Reports are the Kokam 340 will give 15 minutes. And one report of TP450 giving 20 minutes.

[Freakazoid]

15 minutes is really worth the effort. Cool!
(Tobad that only makes me feel more misserable because im unable to get one to holland. :( )

[Freakazoid]

..provided that its available where you live. :rolleyes: