Tales of Gadget's Swift 16

[Gadget01]

After long deliberation, I decided to take advantage of what I figured was a pretty good deal from the FS/W section. I'm still waiting on delivery of the esc and a 6S 3700mah pack to put it in the air.

http://gadgetspeed.com/images/RC/Swift16/2007/DSC06670a_Swift01.jpg

http://gadgetspeed.com/images/RC/Swift16/2007/DSC06673a_Swift02.jpg

LOTS of plastic on this one..... for now :D

Carbon LG struts will probably be among the first of the mods, similar to my Eco 8 treatment. They are super strong, light, and have a really nice spring-action that makes them very forgiving.

The package shipped with 3 sets of stock blades, but with a 6S setup, I suppose I should get some 550's on order. Any recommendations for good all-around performance?

[syclic]

Looks good. What motor is that?

Also why look to longer blades or any other "bling" until you have flown it stock - you may just find that the money might be better spent on better servos or other electronics.

[Ghostfit]

Any recommendations for good all-around performance?

Congrates on your decision and the successful built ! :D

You may wanna try these (https://www.unitedhobbies.com/UNITEDHOBBIES/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6253) blades. ;)

[Greybird]

...

[Dogwoodtheone]

traitor :)

[Gadget01]

Congrates on your decision and the successful built ! :D

You may wanna try these (https://www.unitedhobbies.com/UNITEDHOBBIES/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6253) blades. ;)

Interesting. I don't get it though- $20 for a set of carbon 550's? Are they stolen or something? Everywhere else I look, the going rate for them is around $80.

Oh... on second look... I guess that price is for a single blade. Never seen that trick before.

Do you fly these blades Ghostfit?

[Gadget01]

Looks good. What motor is that?

Also why look to longer blades or any other "bling" until you have flown it stock - you may just find that the money might be better spent on better servos or other electronics.


The motor is a Plettenberg Orbit 20-16. I also have a 20-12, which looks identical but higher kv. I hope the 20 series is enough motor. I have a hard time getting a clear picture on how to figure wattage requirements and finding the wattage ratings for the Orbits. More guesswork than I prefer.

The cyclic servos are Hitec 5475HB's and a 401/9254 for the tail.

About using longer blades: I am simply trying to match the blade size to a 6S/8S power configuration. I fly very mild 3D at best, so I'd rather have lighter disc loading for longer flights with lower headspeeds. I've been asking about this subject in Chris' Swift thread and 550's seem to be well matched for a 6S power system. So then why higher voltage for less than Szabo-style flying? I prefer it over lower voltage, since current draw is lower, there should be less potential for esc/motor/battery heat problems. When I start craving the higher headspeeds, I won't have to change much more than a pinion gear. 550mm carbon blades should provide much more autorotatin float time than 515mm woodies.

The CF landing gear strut installation is a very functional mod which might save the life of a spendy lipo pack in a hard landing/botched autorotation. Auto's are what I'm focusing on with the sim. I had a rough Eco 8 "auto" a few weeks back after the tailgear tower slipped and the gear disengaged. Damage was really minor- just another set of broken plastic LG struts. I could have probably saved it all had I climbed up real high and done more of a controlled auto, using forward speed to stop the tail rotation. Hindsight, right?

[Ghostfit]

Interesting. I don't get it though- $20 for a set of carbon 550's? Are they stolen or something? Everywhere else I look, the going rate for them is around $80.

Do you fly these blades Ghostfit?
<<Edited>>

I've got their 600mm CF, 550mm CF and 550mm FRP ...test flew the 550mm FRP on my swift16 and got impressed ! ;) ...haven't got a chance to try out the 550mm CF blades yet.
They can't compare with V-Blades or Rototechs in terms of performance or finishing but at that price, they're a really attractive option for "progressive" flyers like myself who will occasionally plant the heli while trying out new moves. :cool:

[Gadget01]

traitor

Me? Noway! You should look into getting one of these... it's a pretty sweet heli.


Esprit models carries Swift goodies- cool! More parts on the way.... yes Greybird, credit card is getting warm.

MAH 516mm carbon blades
AR6200 rx (should play nicely with the DX6i on the way)
silver button head (bling object #1)
cnc fin clamp (bling object #2)

and some other spares... tailbooms are only $4! wow! I kick myself for not starting with this heli a long time ago. You were right Greybird, totally right all along. I'm sure I'll be even more convinced once I get it cranked up.

Sucks how slow the mail is sometimes to the base over here. Oh well.... small price to pay for easy access to really good beer :D

[Greybird]

Adam. I cannot wait till you fly it. The first time I spooled mine up, I could not believe the power. Don't get too crazy on aluminum parts. I actually have the two parts you mention. The head button comes in handy. It just does not need anything else though.

[Greybird]

Did you double check all the servo arm lengths? The servo arms look kind of long on the side there. Check the elevator one also. I would also put longer bolts in the tail grips to tighten on the shaft. I think stock is the cheesey red Loctite deal. I added thrust bearings to the tail last year. Now they have the thrust bearing tail with aluminum grips for 25 bucks! Gadget, this heli will have you weak with blingfever in no time. :rolleyes:

[Dogwoodtheone]

Me? Noway! You should look into getting one of these... it's a pretty sweet heli.


Esprit models carries Swift goodies- cool! More parts on the way.... yes Greybird, credit card is getting warm.

MAH 516mm carbon blades
AR6200 rx (should play nicely with the DX6i on the way)
silver button head (bling object #1)
cnc fin clamp (bling object #2)

and some other spares... tailbooms are only $4! wow! I kick myself for not starting with this heli a long time ago. You were right Greybird, totally right all along. I'm sure I'll be even more convinced once I get it cranked up.

Sucks how slow the mail is sometimes to the base over here. Oh well.... small price to pay for easy access to really good beer :D

LOL I probably will :D perhaps later next year after the wife forgets how much I spent on helis this year ( oh and after we finally get a Hi-Def TV :cool: )

[Dogwoodtheone]

I think I would go A123 if I get a swift or any other larger heli, LiPo prices just hurt too much.

Oh I'm already getting the "how many helicopters do you have now?" question

my answer? "flyable or un-flyable?" :)

[Greybird]

Dog, we got HD last week. It takes watching the Dolphins lose to an all new level.

[Greybird]

Any closer to flying?

[Gadget01]

Any closer to flying?

Yup. I stuck around the base later than necessary today since by lunchtime there was still no package slip at the PO. When I drove by later, I saw the delivery truck there, so on my last attempt.... voila! My 6S lipo! Now I have enough to make a test flight. That new Jazz, which will allow up to 10S, has still not shown up yet from Tower, but with free parcel post shipping, what can you expect... especially with the holiday season in high gear now.

I'm gonna put the new pack on the charger/balancer and start wiring up the receiver.

[Greybird]

Yeah!!!

[JustPlaneChris]

I've got their 600mm CF, 550mm CF and 550mm FRP ...test flew the 550mm FRP on my swift16 and got impressed ! ;) Ah, I'm glad I found this post! I saw those blades, but wondered if they were worth a darn. Now I know what to spend my next hobby allowance on. :cool:

-Chris

[Chachin]

Subscribed :). Looking good Gadget, can't wait to hear your thoughts on this bird. It is always good to try different brand helis.

Yeah it takes about a week (or slightly less) for me to get my stuff from Tower. But hey with free shipping and nice discounts off the order's total, I can't complain either :D. Keep us posted!

Chachin..

[Gadget01]

The swashplate has all the right moves, the gyro and tailservo are working in the correct direction, and the head spins CW when I give it some throttle. Looking forward to spinning it up tomorrow. I suppose I should balance the blades, head, and tail while I'm waiting for daylight.

[Fred Bronk]

I am looking at HD now, but think prices will be much better after the 1st of the year.

Don't look down on the stock blades, even on 6s if you keep the HS 2K or under.

Also, I think you should get the headblock over the headbutton. But both are nice. I would look at the CNC tailbox next with 6s.

FB

[dalcowboys]

Going to love this Heli!!!!!!! The performance to price ratio cannot be compared to any other bird!! My only problem I have is not having enough time to fly it right now. Congrats

[laughingstill]

Going to love this Heli!!!!!!! The performance to price ratio cannot be compared to any other bird!! My only problem I have is not having enough time to fly it right now. Congrats
Tell me about it dalcowboys! ;) :D

[Gadget01]

Don't look down on the stock blades, even on 6s if you keep the HS 2K or under.

Also, I think you should get the headblock over the headbutton. But both are nice. I would look at the CNC tailbox next with 6s.

Fred, I've been eyeballing those exact parts. I have yet to see the cnc tailcase in stock anywhere... any tips?

The calc @ swift-tuning says 1798rpm @ 90% efficiency using the 20-16 and a 12t pinion, which sounds like a perfect headspeed for lite-rock 3D. I suppose what blades are used has a big effect on headspeed though. 3 sets of stock blades came in the box, which I intend to use. One thing about them that my girlfriend discovered quite randomly- the stock blades aren't very straight. They bow upwards, getting worse from about mid-blade. I'm assuming this is normal for used wood blades this long from the coning effect and not something to worry much about.

The cnc blade grips look really good- both main and tail. As far as main grips go, it seems they started out using 3mm hardware and later switched to 4mm. Just to be on the safe side, I swapped the 3mm screws for ones that are solid most of the length. The threads begin as they poke through the bottom of the grip. I don't suppose switching to 4mm screws is necessary until you crank up the headspeed over 2000rpm's, correct?

[Gadget01]

:D color me impressed! :D

I managed to get 2 small hover tests in before daylight practically vanished, and it's only 5pm- and it's chilly AND windy. Probably nowhere near what Lynxman deals with though. My LHS had some carbon 520mm blades, so I took them along with the other goodies I needed. The first spinup with the woodies shook the heli badly. I didn't balance them, so go figure. The carbons were spot on- nice and smooth with no shakes. There was not enough daylight left to get a tach reading, but I think I'm going to need a smaller pinion gear to dial down the headspeed a little until I get used to the power of this machine. Totally stoked!

The second flight was with a pair of 4S 3700's in parallel. There was only enough power for hovering with the same low kv motor. Daylight is totally gone now, so I will make another attempt tomorrow with the EagleTree along for the ride.

[Greybird]

Don't you have a higher KV to throw on there? With a headspeed of 1750 or so, that will fly for about 13-14 minutes. A little toned down might be good to get used to the size of that heli.

[Greybird]

Keep in mind, the grin that will be on your face after some real flights is kind of hard to wipe off... :D

[Gadget01]

Don't you have a higher KV to throw on there? With a headspeed of 1750 or so, that will fly for about 13-14 minutes. A little toned down might be good to get used to the size of that heli.

I think I'll stick with lower headspeeds for now until I get used to how this heli handles. I have a 20-12, but I will need a 10 or 11t pinion to dial in the headspeed I want. The 12t I have is too fast. Got any spare pinion gears lying around?

Browsing the http://www.rcgroups.com/aircraft-electric-batteries-and-chargers-fs-w-284/ thread, I found this:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=781544

I ordered a 6S2P 5000mah pack, normally priced at $350 :eek: for only $228. The longer/flatter profile of the pack fits the Swift much better.

[Ghostfit]

Ah, I'm glad I found this post! I saw those blades, but wondered if they were worth a darn. Now I know what to spend my next hobby allowance on. :cool:

-Chris
Their finishing aren't as glossy n shining like Radix or FunKeys but for the price, I ain't complaining ! :D

[Greybird]

???

[Gadget01]

We had a break in the crap weather today- actual sunshine! I actually needed my sunglasses! So I brought the Swift with me to work and flew over the soccerfield and got the swash sub-trimmed nice and level. She flies very nicely.

The 6S 3700 pack I have only runs it for around 7 or 8 minutes. I'm looking forward to seeing what it will do when the new 5000mah pack arrives. My Jazz 55-10-32 finally showed up today, so the 55-6-18 I'm borrowing from the Eco can be returned and get that flying again.

[Greybird]

Sounds good! Have you checked headspeed?

[Gadget01]

I was having trouble with the stock flybar- I don't think the plastic shims were quite wide enough, and this would allow about 5mm of side-to-side play- definitely no good. I also don't like how deep the cuts are for the set screws. I bent one in half and as I predicted, the cuts were the weak points that bent easily. I replaced it with a 400mm Logo 10 flybar and it is working just fine. I was tempted to install the carbon V-paddles I have, but I'll stick with the Century paddles for now. I just don't like how there is no positive way to lock in their pitch angle aside from thread friction.

I forgot to put the tach in my toolkit today. I brought my PSU and charger with me, which is prepping the pack for another flight as soon as I'm off work, so long as the weather still permits. I slowly ramped up the throttle % from 50 to 85, and saw a steady increase of headspeed. I would guess it's around 1800 or so. I has pretty decent climb ability with a collective pump. I love the turbine-ish song the Orbit sings.

Aside from not looking as pretty as my blinged out Eco, the flight handling is very similar.

[Gadget01]

I received another cool toy in the mail today- an Oregon Scientific video camera! Fits just fine on the tray...

http://gadgetspeed.com/images/RC/Swift16/2007/2007_1212a.jpg

I'll see how the video turned out and post it. I tried to tach the headspeed today using my other camera, but something didn't work out. I can't quite seem to hold a hover and read the tach display at the same time :eek:

[Dogwoodtheone]

sweet!, your getting all kinds a xmas toys aren't you :)

how much does that camera weigh?

[Gadget01]

About the camera: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F5FKHI/sr=1-1/qid=1197476131/ref=dp_cp_ob_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1197476131&sr=1-1

It weighs in a 1.3lbs, or 590 grams.

I made a sample video before strapping it to the nose of the heli, which turned out just fine. The flight video had some strange artifacts, which I suppose comes from the esc since the camera is sitting so close to it.

I finally got some tach readings on video with my 2nd flight today. It starts out strong, tipping the 2000rpm mark, then slows to about 1700. I think I wasted my $$ on this used FP pack. I guess I won't do that again.

Swift16 headspeed measurement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1h8C1xGDIk) (1 min 25 sec)

[Dogwoodtheone]

used lipo's? their nature made me think that would be a bad idea.

sorry to hear they aren't working out for you.

On the same thought though, I just can't see spending over $200 on a battery.

when I go for a larger, heli I plan to move to A123's, makes the most sense since I won't be doing much in the way of 3d, looking more towards scale flying

[Gadget01]

Here's the graph from that video

[Chachin]

Congrats Gadget, it's looking great (except for pack performance). You may want to look into the V2 Extremes too. They hold the voltage nice and strong throughout the whole flight. Do you know how many cycles were run through that pack?

Yeah reading the tach while hovering is harder than it seems. It's amazing how much concentration is required to fly a heli.

Chachin..

[Gadget01]

Dang... the pack voltage hit a low of 16.23! That's 2.7v/cell. That can't be good at all.

[Chachin]

Man definitely not good. I try to keep them at 3.3v/cell and higher at full on flight loads.

Looking at it more closely it also hit a low of 3.05v/cell right before the 150sec mark. That's approximately 1.5min into spool up when the pack is still fresh. It looks like that pack is at the end of its cycle life :(.

Chachin..

[Chachin]

Gadget, one thing to consider for the next pack is avoiding full on negative pitch while on the ground. It tends to be MUCH harder on the system since the heli does not move. IOW, it can potentially overload the system (even with a good pack). Punch outs on the other hand are highly recommended.

Chachin..

[helitaiwan963]

Their finishing aren't as glossy n shining like Radix or FunKeys but for the price, I ain't complaining ! :D
Hmm...I'm interested in those 550 Carbons:D After i get the CNC center hub. I'm ordering those:D 35 an't bad. I just dont' trust woodies anymroe after my King2 threw the blade. I'd trust Aling Pro woodies but they only make the 450 sizes.

[helitaiwan963]

I received another cool toy in the mail today- an Oregon Scientific video camera! Fits just fine on the tray...

http://gadgetspeed.com/images/RC/Swift16/2007/2007_1212a.jpg

I'll see how the video turned out and post it. I tried to tach the headspeed today using my other camera, but something didn't work out. I can't quite seem to hold a hover and read the tach display at the same time :eek:
What carbons are those? They look cool:D

[Gadget01]

KOK 520mm's, from my LHS. They fly very well, even at 1700rpm.

[Greybird]

Adam, go flying and post back what it is like. I can't remember.The weather here has sucked for quite a while.

[Gadget01]

Adam, go flying and post back what it is like. I can't remember.The weather here has sucked for quite a while.

Just for you, Jim-

I took a break from organizing/cleaning/sorting out the workshop and put in some Swift time in the side yard with the Frau shooting video. Nothing fancy- too limited a space for my skills and my thumbs are a little rusty.

The flight started out strong, with headspeed pushing 1900-2000 rpm's, and then dropped again after a minute or so, as usual. What was odd, and you'll probably be able to see it in the video, is it picks up headspeed later on. Motor can temp was 90 and the highest temp I could find on the pack was 113.

[Gadget01]

I think I discovered why my battery pack was giving inconsistent performance. The deans connector looked a little suspect and I kept getting error messages when I would charge the pack. Check out what I found when I peeled back the shrink tubing:

http://gadgetspeed.com/images/RC/Swift16/2007/DSC06706w_badsolder.jpg


Better now:

http://gadgetspeed.com/images/RC/Swift16/2007/DSC06707w_bettersolder.jpg


It was freakin' miracle I ever had any power at all with that. This is the risk you take when you buy a used pack. Hopefully I should see some improvement on the next flight.

[Gadget01]

Swift16_2007_12_17 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SYLP06lwk) (7 min 24 sec)(7 min 24 sec)

There is a headspeed decrease at 1:15 totally uncommanded. At about 4:45, listen for sudden headspeed increase- again, uncommanded.

[Greybird]

Sniff, That was nice... :) Hard to believe someone soldered that Deans like that and left it. Is that pack acting any better?

[Gadget01]

I finished charging it, and no more "open circuit" error messages from the Xtrema. I'll try to fly it tomorrow and see how it goes. Forecast is sunny with a high of 32F. Okinawa's weather is just like south Florida... sounds kinda good right about now.

[syclic]

From the voltage curves on the graphs, I would suspect you have at least one cell that is bad, and/or bad connection between it and the other cells.

It seemed to drop out completely at about the 1:08 mark and then come back a bit later on.

Hope you didn't pay much for the pack :(

[Gadget01]

I had some time today, so I thought I would try the pack again. I was hopeful to see some improvement, but I don't see much. I experienced the same voltage drop as before. Better luck with my next pack, which I feel like I ordered forever ago but has still not yet arrived.

[syclic]

Yep - looks like a bad cell :(

[Gadget01]

Finally.... I maidened my new 6S 4900mah FP pack today and WOW does it fly nicely. What a relief that spending so much on it wasn't a waste. Consistent headspeed the entire time. I installed the new Jazz 55-10-32 and I'm powering a 5v UBEC with a 3S 2100mah TP pack. Awesome! This fat pack definitely has some mass to it though. The 6S 3700mah pack is probably the 3D pack to have but that hardly applies to my flying skills for now anyways.

What is a good break-in method for a pack like this?

[Greybird]

:D YEAH!! :D Now get off here, and go fly it. I do 5, 1/2 discharge easy flights for break-in. That comes from the battery area here. You should be able to get that in today ;)

[Gadget01]

How very nice of Santa....

This is the result of the AtlantaHobby 40% off sale:

[Chachin]

Gadget, congratulations! Gotta love Santa :D. Can't wait to hear how you like the new V2.

By coincidence the UPS truck/Santa just knocked on my door with a set of 6S 5000 and 3850's V2. Just in time for Christmas. I'm going to be trying these out soon. The last set of 10S V2's I tried in the Ion did not fade in power throughout the whole flight. Also zero break-in was required which saved a lot of useless wear and tear (especially true when you go with multiple packs that need break-in :rolleyes: ).

To break in my non-V2 packs I start off like Greybird with hovering and smooth circuits using 50% capacity only for the first 5 flights. Then from the 5th to 10th flight I do sport flying and progressively go into mild 3D. From the 10th cycle on it's all fair play.

Chachin..

[Gadget01]

Sweet! I see Santa was VERY kind to you, Chachin. What, are you sponsored already? :D It would come as no surprise though- your flying is awesome.

I just finished soldering a deans on this pack, so it's waiting in line at the Xtrema drive-thru. The balancer reports that I used only half the capacity on that first flight, so I am on track for a good break-in. I am starting to feel the need for a 2nd Xtrema charger. Once I convert my Tx to 3S lipo power, I can leave the days of NiCad behind completely.With 2 brand-new 6S packs, I can hit the field and indulge a while.

Here's the graph from the maiden FP 4900 pack:

[Chachin]

That graph looks much better at >21v. Man, I need to get one of those data loggers, very useful.

Thanks for the nice comment, yeah I have a good relationship with ThunderPower (as Matt would say :) ). I've been flying TP since my very 1st lipo. Love their batteries.

Chachin..

[Gadget01]

Yesterday's flight with the new 5aH v2 extreme TP pack:

Swift 16 aerial video attempt #2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6iMSGerXKY) (2 min 2 sec)

[Greybird]

Looking good Gadget. So, apparently the Swift is performing pretty well? It does not seem to have any trouble lifting that camera.

[Dogwoodtheone]

Nice Gadget, I like your "landing pad" :)

[Gadget01]

Looking good Gadget. So, apparently the Swift is performing pretty well? It does not seem to have any trouble lifting that camera.

thanks

Performing very well indeed. I don't think the Swift even knows the camera is there. I will record sound from something else besides the camera next time since the motor noise is overwhelming. I gotta figure out a better mount for it though- the vibes at idle-up are too much for it. I still need to tach it at idle-up rpm's, which is when it really comes alive. It's kinda chilly out here in Dec- my fingers get pretty numb after about 7 or 8 minutes.

Flying yours much lately Greybird? You live in FLORIDA. So long as a hurricane isn't blowing over you should be able to fly much more than I can. The Swift is my only flyable heli for the moment. The Eco's are still waiting for some guy in Germany to make LG blocks for them.

[Greybird]

I have not been flying. Maybe today. I even have a brand new 2.4 Futaba Tx that I have not hooked up.

[Greybird]

Gadget, Look how nice the tail looks with the BLING . (Just messing with you ;) )

[Gadget01]

Oh, that's just unkind...

How do you know I didn't do that already?

When was the last time I posted a pic of this bird?


:rolleyes:

[Greybird]

Ok, post one..

[Dogwoodtheone]

dude you're mean :)

[Gadget01]

head button, tailboom clamp, and servo arms

[Greybird]

It looks good. Do you use the O rings for the batteries?

[Gadget01]

It looks good. Do you use the O rings for the batteries?

Thanks- 2 velcro straps and velcro sections on the pack/tray.

[helitaiwan963]

I got my Rotortech 515's today for the swift:D

[Gadget01]

I got my Rotortech 515's today for the swift:D

Those are more of a 3D blade, correct? My last batch of parts included a pair of 515mm Mah blades. The KOK carbons on there now are doing very well.

[helitaiwan963]

I'm not sure if their "3D" blades but everyone said their awesome on the swift.

[Gadget01]

I don't know if I like it yet.

I made no mods to the frame and I sacrificed a spare set of stock LG struts to make skid mounts, so I could easily revert back to stock LG.

[Greybird]

Does it keep the batteries up high enough?

[helitaiwan963]

I don't know if I like it yet.

I made no mods to the frame and I sacrificed a spare set of stock LG struts to make skid mounts, so I could easily revert back to stock LG.
What skids are those from?

[Gadget01]

Those are stock skids. It might look better with T-Rex 600 skids since they are a little bigger in diameter. The struts are almost too springy. Maybe I should double them up. They handle the weight of the Eco 8 just fine, but this thing weighs at least as much as a pair of Eco 8's.


There is indeed enough clearance for the battery pack. I really don't like my $350 lipo pack just hanging there waiting to get punctured in a hard landing though. I'm considering enclosing the pack with a layer of CF. Maybe I could make the LG a lower profile mounted from below the pack rather than from above.

[Greybird]

Hey, What happened to leaving this heli stock? It is nice after crashing to order up a pile of plastic for just a few bucks....Must resist the urge to bling, must resist the urge to bling, must resist the urge to bling.

[Gadget01]

Hey, What happened to leaving this heli stock? It is nice after crashing to order up a pile of plastic for just a few bucks....

Hmm....

I guess I can't just leave it alone. Another FXAero order showed up yesterday. MJP tailfins (nice!), 3rd bearing kit, some Eco 8 hardware, etc.

I think I have the old-school frame without the pre-drilled holes for the 3rd bearing upgrade. Can't I just drill the holes myself? Or is there something more....

[Greybird]

The frames with the pre-drilled holes are much stiffer. They have re-enforcing web on the back. New frames are $11.82

[Gadget01]

The frames with the pre-drilled holes are much stiffer. They have re-enforcing web on the back.

Is that frame worth buying over the one I have + the PITA of rebuilding the entire heli with it?

[Greybird]

Here are the two:

[Greybird]

If you have the old frames, you probably had the old landing gear too. New is on the right. Beefier.

[Greybird]

Gadget, do you think those 6 holes are do-able without causing the whole thing to bind?

[Gadget01]

Gadget, do you think those 6 holes are do-able without causing the whole thing to bind?

Yeah, but you have align them very carefully. If I start out with a smaller hole and test it out as go and take my time, I'm pretty sure I can nail it dead on. New frames are only $12 though, so it seems hardly worth the effort. If I were still single, sure why not.... but I have limitations on workshop/hobby time. I'd rather spend that time practicing aerobatics.

I'm tempted to find a carbon aftermarket frame.... :rolleyes:

[JustPlaneChris]

I wonder what ever became of this aftermarket frame?

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=725694

-Chris

[Cyclick]

Chris

Seems to have disappeared.

But I find no reason to change as the current frames seem to hold well even when flying some pretty hard 3D. :)

[Gadget01]

I suppose I have to agree- the stock frame is pretty good and the price is hard to beat. I changed back to stock gear for now. The carbon struts are too flexy. I flew it yesterday. In normal mode there was a lot of vibration and it just looked wierd. I picked up another set of the same struts and I am epoxying them together. They should hold up much better doubled up.

I changed around the tailboom struts a little- the straight ends came off and 3mm ball links are in their place. I JB-welded 3mm threaded rod into the carbon tube, which fit perfectly.

[Philscbx]

I think I discovered why my battery pack was giving inconsistent performance. The deans connector looked a little suspect and I kept getting error messages when I would charge the pack. Check out what I found when I peeled back the shrink tubing:

I wasn't far off guessing it was a fire poker for a soldering gun.
Nice repair in the end.
See Ya Later.

[Gadget01]

Flew the Swift 2x today. Very nice, even in mild gusts. I'm not quite inverted with it yet, but getting there. The nice thing about cooler weather flying- less bug guts to clean off the blades.

Now that my smaller pinion gears are here, I have the option of switching to a higher kv motor to kick up the headspeed a notch. 1800 @ 100% throttle using a 12t pinion seems to be just about right for now though. 11+ minute flights between the 4900FP and 5000TP packs.

[Gadget01]

I wasn't far off guessing it was a fire poker for a soldering gun.
Nice repair in the end.
See Ya Later.

The guy that sold me that used 3700 pack graciously refunded my $$ for returning it. Very cool. Deans connectors are notorious for being a soldering challenge. I've ordered new packs before with Deans pre-installed out of being lazy, but I won't do it again.

[Gadget01]

Flew 2x today. Did my first forward and backflips with it, and it's still in one piece!!!!

The FP 4900 pack finally hit the LVC at 15 minutes of full throttle flying. I have been landing it after 10 or 11 minutes since I got it, but today I was just having too much fun with the nice weather at the club airfield.

The Swift is awesome!

[Dogwoodtheone]

nice, thats a pretty good duration, sounds like the swift is turning into a good addtion to the fleet :)

[Greybird]

15 minutes? Nice. What headspeed? Maybe I need to go to 6S.

[Gadget01]

15 minutes? Nice. What headspeed? Maybe I need to go to 6S.

1800 rpm. Good enough for casual sport flying/ soft 3D.

[Gadget01]

Flew 2 packs today- PERFECT weather! Mid 50's, bright sunshine, a very gentle steady breeze of about 4 mph or so. Flips in both directions went perfectly with no altitude loss. My low kv motor tops the headspeed at 1800 at 100% gov'd throttle and it bogs without good management. Perhaps it's time to switch to the higher kv motor and dial in some power. I'm still getting some vertical tail vibes that I need to chase down first though. I suppose that's what I get for never balancing any of the blades.

[Dogwoodtheone]

Sounds like you're starting to push it hard Gadget :)

[Gadget01]

Thing is, I still need to sharpen my fundamentals. I can figure 8 slow or fast, wide and narrow, but only in one direction. Nose-in is no problem, but I only dare inverted hovers for short bursts.