Originally Posted by tracknoob

I recently had a relatively new original Walkera 4f200 battery get puffy on me, not while flying, but after I left it in the truck. Dang, lesson learned, it gets too hot to leave the lipos in there while flying. So I really hated to give up on it, since clearly the stress was from a lone-time ambient thermal overload, and not from internal issues or electrical over-stress or age/break-down....

I read up on it, including both very-vocal ends of the spectrum; both the horror stories with scare-tactics, as well as the shoulder-shrugging "wait 'til it does something' "I've flown puffy batteries lots of times" types.

At the end of the day, I got on line, ordered a couple of new ones, and with that done, did the difficult task of snipping the leads off a $20-something dollar battery that was *probably* still usable and just chucking it.

My analysis was simple: Do you really want to risk this thing going up and endangering your heli, or a lot worse?

No, I do not.

Case closed.

I received my new battery and LiPo bag today. My two puffy LiPo's are going to visit the land fill. Thanks for all the help and advice.

Also, as to excessive heat caused by motor and ESC, I may have the motor and main gear a little too tight. I'm going to loosen that a bit and see if it makes a difference. Now I wish I had bought that little IR remote temperature gage I saw at Radio Shack today. I'll probably go back and get one to help in making comparisons.

Thanks - jack

LATER:
Case reopened. I've been meaning to make a comment about the recycling symbol printed on most LiPo batteries - the one that looks like a trash can with a line through it which indicates do not dispose with trash. Most batteries have this. The disposal procedure says it is okay to dispose in trash AFTER discharging. I wonder what we are supposed to do?

Originally Posted by ChopperJack

I may have the motor and main gear a little too tight. I'm going to loosen that a bit and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks - jack

I can tell you that both when I got them new as well as now after a lot of flights, both of my helis like to have a decent gap -- they do not seem to wear gears (like the Erazor which gobbles them up like M&Ms!), so I would indeed let it 'breathe a little in the gear gap area -- the head spins *very* easily on both of mine, with no noticeable gear drag at all.

Originally Posted by ojo

Hi Jack,

it is quite simple: I opened up the rx and looked at the chips The rest I know from flying two 2702 in a 4f200 and a V120D02.

Regards, Ojo

Did you plug stock 4f200 servos into the 2702 (sounds like you did)? Wow additional information says you have to upgrade to digital servos with the 2702.

Originally Posted by ChopperJack

Did you plug stock 4f200 servos into the 2702 (sounds like you did)? Wow additional information says you have to upgrade to digital servos with the 2702.

DEFINITELY NEED DIGITAL SERVOS!

I often forget to mention that in my own discussions about mounting the 2702 up to the 4f200, but it is critical!

The good thing is that the stock ESKY HBKII items work perfectly, and fit fine, and are cheap, and a lot of us happen to have them around the house anyway, so for me, I did not even have to order parts to do the conversion, I already had them on hand.

I did not however, mount digital servos on the 4f200 that I put the 2618 on. I looked at the bill of materials/parts list for the 4f200LM, and it uses the same non-digital servos that the 4f200 uses, so there should be no problem functionally, although if performance is sluggish or otherwise not up to par, then that would be among the first things to check/eliminate, I would think, especially in order to do a fair comparison between just the radios themselves.

I just received my 4F200 2 days ago. The AIL/ELE gyro functions don't work. The tail gyro seems to work fine. Has anyone else received a DOA RX on this heli. ?
I tried everything I know to get it to work, but the RX gyro is definitely DOA.
I had the same problem with a RX2618V that I bought for my FBL modded 1#A, I replaced the RX, and the new one worked fine.

Have you cycled the switches on the rx? I've heard that can eliminate weird things like this. Are you sure the rx switch for the 3 axis is in the correct position? I don't have a 4F200 any more, but I think you can disconnect the motor (or use throttle hold), then tilt the heli to see if the swash responds. I think the thing needs to see throttle input before the 3 axis will work.

Do adjusting the pots make a difference?

Other than that, it might be dead.

Rafa

Originally Posted by clearprop88

I just received my 4F200 2 days ago. The AIL/ELE gyro functions don't work. The tail gyro seems to work fine. Has anyone else received a DOA RX on this heli. ?
I tried everything I know to get it to work, but the RX gyro is definitely DOA.
I had the same problem with a RX2618V that I bought for my FBL modded 1#A, I replaced the RX, and the new one worked fine.

Rafa is correct in that the ELEV and AILE gyro's dont come into play until the throttle is at around 40%(RX-2612V). Disconnect your motor then test it by increasing throttle, then tipping the heli about watching the swash movement. The RX dip switch needs to be in "WK" (flight mode) as well for the gyro' to function.

Thanks Rafa, and Bravo for your inputs. I tried all those things, but it's still dead. A replacement is on the way.

I noticed that the mast, and head parts are available for the V200D03 from several suppliers.
Has anyone tried converting the 4F200 to a 4F200/V200D03?
Everything on these two heli's looks the same except for the heads.

Originally Posted by clearprop88

Thanks Rafa, and Bravo for your inputs. I tried all those things, but it's still dead. A replacement is on the way.

Too bad you couldn't have gotten them to send you a RX2618V as replacement. The gyro on this one is always on - none of that 40 percent stuff which might be okay but my 4f200 flies like a dream with a 2618 receiver.

Originally Posted by ChopperJack

Too bad you couldn't have gotten them to send you a RX2618V as replacement. The gyro on this one is always on - none of that 40 percent stuff which might be okay but my 4f200 flies like a dream with a 2618 receiver.

Should have my own 4f200 with 2618 back aloft after the weekend, and I'll give a flight report. But I'm sure it will be anti-climatic, based on what has already been said about the improvement, and the fact my own maiden with the 2618 was indeed going VERY well.... at least, until my tail rotor failed, due to my own maintenance hiccup.

New parts have arrived, and are being installed, adjustments are being made... WHEELS ARE IN MOTION!!!



http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...postcount=1678

Thanks Jack & Track. I have a 2618 RX that I plan to put in the bird today.
I agree about the 40% throttle. It should work as soon as it binds up. If I wiggle the heli. around the servos should respond right away. I'll see if it works that way when I get the replacement 2612.

Any suggestions for TX setup? I like to start with 60% all around, and 80% for Expo., and maybe 70% for the tail.

Is anyone using foam blades? I like to use foam blades on a new heli. so that if I hit anything the blades explode instead of the heli.

Any comments on my two blade mod.?

Originally Posted by clearprop88

Thanks Jack & Track. I have a 2618 RX that I plan to put in the bird today.
I agree about the 40% throttle. It should work as soon as it binds up. If I wiggle the heli. around the servos should respond right away. I'll see if it works that way when I get the replacement 2612.

Any suggestions for TX setup? I like to start with 60% all around, and 80% for Expo., and maybe 70% for the tail.

Is anyone using foam blades? I like to use foam blades on a new heli. so that if I hit anything the blades explode instead of the heli.

Any comments on my two blade mod.?

F200 & 200LM have the same settings on TX. RX2618 is way stable than 2612, on mine is 80%/25% for DR-EXP. Foam blades on F200? i don't think it can fly correctly with.
AC
AC

Originally Posted by clearprop88

Any suggestions for TX setup?

I started with the Wow 4f200 settings, but I think I have over time done a tweak or two. Not sure exactly, but I think it's got to boil down to personal preference eventually anyway.

Is anyone using foam blades? I like to use foam blades on a new heli. so that if I hit anything the blades explode instead of the heli.

I have incidentally ended up with foam blades on two different helis and had trouble with balancing and tracking both. YMMV. Personally, on the 4f200, I think those cheapo plastic blades from Ebay for the Trex 250 are about the best deal in town, and they fly just like I like it -- crisp.

As to going to two blades... well, I am certainly guilty of a lot of 'spearmintin' and swappin' various stuff myself, so who am I to say? I will say that the sole reason that I got the 4f200 was the three blade head, and that with the right stabilization, the stock motor and stock tail make this a heckofa performer. I have a hop-up motor I got somewhere for it, but I've never been tempted to even take it out of the bag -- this thing SCOOTS, in all directions you can point it in.

Sure it can,http://www.dealextreme.com/p/fiber-g...-15-pack-48344 I use these all the time. They perform the same as original and definitely help cut down on crash damage. I also run 3s and quite a high HS. These blades are just scaled up versions of V120/4G6 blades.

I personally have had very little problems with tracking(above whats expected of a 3 blade heli) and balance the same as normal.