I know how you feel Lucid, I stripped one and I havent even flown mine yet.

If you can't turn the broken gears round like i managed oomodel and ebay sell gears, they are similar plastic though believe, mine are not here yet.

http://www.oomodel.com/v120d02s-serv...g-p-62638.html

Originally Posted by LucidSoul

This makes the second servo that I have striped for the walkera V120Do2S and I have only flown it twice. The servo gears are so prone to stripping it's ridiculous. Does anyone know where I can get some stronger gear for the servos I already have? If I can't find any good gears, I'm thinking about just buying some stronger servos. Any recommendation on servos would also be appreciated.

I have few of these but never had a chance to use them, even after a hundred crashes: http://www.oomodel.com/v120d02s-serv...g-p-62638.html

* I re-drilled the hole for the canopy pegs to 2mm and used 2mm CF rod, instead of the 0.5mm stock. I then used some silicon wire insulation, inch or so length over both (L&R) pegs so the new 2mm CF peg won't move in case of a bad crash. Wether it's protecting (as a cage) the servo or not, who knows.

Originally Posted by helicopter_new

I’ve a fleet of helis, from 100 size to 600 class. I fly 3d and I just want to add a heli of this category to my fleet. I don’t want to pay much for maintenance and spare parts that’s why the bird have to be durable as well 3d capable with adequate power for 3d maneuvers.
I like the size of V120D02S but I don't like the fact that it has torque tube. In contrary I don't like the size of Master CP because it will fly in my backyard but I like the fact that it has tail motor.

So the question is which one and why?

My 2c is that the Master definitely isn't what you're after.

If you want a Walkera then V120D02S just because it is durable, has a VP tail and with mods as Integrity mentions is pretty solid without being heavy. As a, I have 5 mins and a charged battery flier I don't really see a whole lot against it. If you want to fly a real 3D heli then you'll just have to take your fleet out instead!
I assume you have another TX but if you have a Devo 6, 8 or 10 then there is Devention firmware which will allow you to fly a Blade heli (as well as others).

I really like my 120... it's not the best WK I own but it's still just fun to fly and its stock except for main blades. I can flip, roll and piro but not a whole lot else...

Originally Posted by IntegrityHndywrk

I can get behind that. Ino-Labs are good servos. If you can get them for less than the typical $30+ i see them listed for + shipping.

3 of the carbon gear HG-D202's from HK are about $54, shipping international air mail is $2.99. They also have the HG-D261 for $36, I've head that it's a good rudder servo on a 450.

One odd thing about the Ino Labs servos is that typically the carbon gear version has higher speed and lower torque than the metal gear version. The gear ratios of the two gear sets are different. If you want to use the metal gear HG-D202's then you need to run them at 6v for them to be fast enough.

Heli Direct carries the gear sets for the Ino Labs.

Originally Posted by LucidSoul

This makes the second servo that I have striped for the walkera V120Do2S and I have only flown it twice. The servo gears are so prone to stripping it's ridiculous. Does anyone know where I can get some stronger gear for the servos I already have? If I can't find any good gears, I'm thinking about just buying some stronger servos. Any recommendation on servos would also be appreciated.

I saw metal servo gears on sale at my LHS. They are likely to be made by Walkera. However, the oomodel servo gears seem to be better than the stock servo gears. I have not stripped a servo since using them.

Originally Posted by sbstnp

It was never a certainty but I did some DNS queries a few months ago when both Walkera and HobbyOne were down and they resolved to the same IP address. Too big of a coincidence. Plus, no retailer/online shop lives on Walkera only.

Well spotted.

Ping Walkera.com = 59.41.255.45

Ping Hobbyone.com.hk = 59.41.255.45

However the WHOIS information are completely different between these domains. Not only that, the domain name servers are different. Anyway, this is so obvious now.

Originally Posted by microrcfiend

Yes CS, I thought why not and just tried a few more configurations in the hope I could influence this heli at all. It feels like a numb experience, anything I do to the swash, links or rx up to around 3 pieces of cable tie stacked under the rx makes any difference that I can see or feel. Just one link turned on the min and I feel and see the difference so i'm not the numb one

Exactly how many mm did you lift on the right, roughly what angle we talking about here?

Tried cable tie underneath both sides and taping it down to the left and right. The backwards does seem to make a slight difference but even with the swash visibly forwards I still get back drift.

I can imagine if you get one that flies straight it would be killer, not sure that exists though.

When I think I got rid of left drift I used double sided tape under the right edge of the RX which is around 2mm. Why I say think is cause I didn't hover very long appeared OK & went straight to flying & flipping. About 2 min in flight pulling through a flip I slammed it inverted on the drive way & that's when I broke the 7T pinion & bent the shaft on the HP08S. I didn't realize I bent the shaft & put a 8T on & the vibration from the bent shaft made it almost impossible to fly. So I started backing out of changes pulling double sided tape & so on before I realized the bent shaft. After straightening shaft no double sided tape all was good but left drift back. Wasn't many packs through it, crash & broke both blade grips. Got it all repaired & the rain should be gone Friday so this time I just put a tie wrap under the right side of the RX which is 1mm & I'll see how that does tomorrow.

Originally Posted by microrcfiend

hawk01

What did you do to null out the left drift and do you have a short vid by any chance?

hmm, left drift??? just what exactly is it do you mean about left drift? during hover? i had to ask since i setup helis with very little attention to the stability issues since i constantly move when i fly. although i just do mild 3D, any decent hover for me is acceptable with no meticulous expectations on "hands off" stability. in this manner, i constantly correct for any unwanted behavior...

i would post a video sometime...

The decision was taken! I’ll buy the V120D02S V2 because of its size and brushless setup.
A Blade heli will be added to my fleet only when Blade decide to improve its prices. Blade helis and their spare parts IMHO are overpriced…

Guys thank you all of you for your answers!

I uploaded a video just above to show the drift, I only input right aileron, if didn't gently hold a bit of left constantly it will speed up quickly, I let it go a bit to try and show a couple of times but not much room to let it slide.
Here's vid again

NEW V120D02S left drift problem (0 min 47 sec)

I absolutely do not expect a hands off helicopter in any way, I expect it to be neutral in a hover though or at least damn close. I could fly through it perhaps but id rather fly the v911 or mini cp than a defective heli

Anyway, Buzzflyer were ridiculously fast, inexplainable in fact, I ordered late afternoon and it came today! I will fit in a coupe hours and see.

RC711, replied that a left drift is totally normal but I linked him a bunch of videos with perfectly flying v2 and he is unable to explain.

EDIT

I fitted the new RX2622V-D and it feels totally neutral, does not drift anywhere but hands off and it slides away smoothly. Perfect, big grin. It feels just like a big minicp but with a few tail vibes, tail does tweak out right a bit but seems to pop back when hovering inside and moving up and down even slowly. Thanks again Buzzflyer, your insane speed rocks.

Same 70% dual rates with 30% expo for normal mode felt super sluggish and had to increase to 100% with 20% expo to feel in control. I swapped back to compare and the v1 rx feels more organic, less stable in a hover but really close to what I was expecting from this heli. Pitch felt more stable with the v2

Thanks again for anyone and everyone who suggested the v1 rx, ready to Maiden and tingles of excitement are back as I have 2 heli's for my next session. I don't think I will be able to resist a flip or two. Last vid wasn't visible to a few friends outside the UK due to EMI protected music sample in the middle. Uploaded again without the youtube stability correction too, eurgh that stuff is nasty

mini cp first flips outside no youtube stability correction (3 min 32 sec)

Can the rx pots be tweaked in wk mode while in the middle of a pack outside or must it also be put in ADJ mode?

Originally Posted by helicopter_new

The decision was taken! I’ll buy the V120D02S V2 because of its size and brushless setup.
A Blade heli will be added to my fleet only when Blade decide to improve its prices. Blade helis and their spare parts IMHO are overpriced…

Guys thank you all of you for your answers!

hi microrcfiend,

i think i know by now what you meant about the thing drifting left after watching your video. if the heli wasn't setup mechanically level on the swash plate then it could have also drifted to the right as well.

for starters, did you actually take the time to mechanically setup the swashplate to be level? or did you just fly it right off the box? chances are the unit you got may need some tweaking on the swashplate to make it level on the neutral position, otherwise it can drift on either side or even fore and aft if the swash plate was leaning in that direction in neutral position.

step 1: please check whether the swash plate is level at zero pitch. in your case for a quick fix adjust the link on the RH servo by shortening it one full turn, then the LH servo lengthening it one full turn. your swash may end up level or may even tilt slightly to the right if this adjustment was too much. keep it this way for now.

step 2: when you place the heli on the ground you will also notice the tail fin touching the surface hence the rear portion of the skids are actually off by a small amount. the entire heli is actually leaning forward from this standing position. to bind the heli properly, place it on a platform so the skids stand level and the tail fin is not touching the ground. this ensures the gyro will orient accurately.

step 3: make sure the 3in1 gyro/RX unit is sitting level on its platform securely without any form of movement. more important, isolate the ESC by separating it from the 3in1. walkera has its ESC taped to the gyro in most cases, just carefully peel it off from the 3in1 so you end up having a gap between ESC and 3in1 board. why you may ask? because once the ESC heats up, it messes up the gyro's ability to do its job properly!

now hover the darn thing! it should almost have no leaning tendencies by now. if it does, then make the necessary mechanical adjustments on the swash links to trim the heli. keep in mind that the 6-axis gyro (or even a 3-axis for that matter) can only compensate for so much off trim condition. do not use the digital trims on the TX, they are totally useless in an FBL system. you only make mechanical adjustments to level the swash in order to correct any off trim tendencies.

i have three V120D02S 6-axis and all of them fly perfect after some tweaking. i also had that left drifting issue when i was adjusting the swash during initial setup. once you have things in order, the heli will actually hover upright (tail in) hands off leaning slightly towards the right, this is natural since the gyro is compensating for the tail rotor thrust pushing the heli to the left. when inverted, same thing happens heli leans against this tail rotor wash to stay in place. this leaning tendency is more pronounced in the smaller helis since they are lighter. larger machines will have a lesser amount.

you have to appreciate the dynamics of how a helicopter flies and even the full scale leans to one side depending on main rotor direction of rotation. i will not enter into discussing the gyroscopic principles any further, hehe...

let me know how it goes!

HTH

Originally Posted by IntegrityHndywrk

I can get behind that. Ino-Labs are good servos. If you can get them for less than the typical $30+ i see them listed for + shipping.



Hey get back to me on how that thing crashes. I've been considering getting a Fusuno canopy for a long time. But never justified the costs. Fusuno uses a half way decent FRP resin, as they say in their videos and things. But if it cracks up and breaks, even on this little thing. I have no interest. Since the V120D02S is basically the only helicopter i still fly that crashes just about every single day i fly it. I'm SICK of replacing the canopies or gluing them back together or whatever. If the paint scratches and thats it. I'm so all over this. Also do you have a digital scale? Because if it's too heavy, i'm out. Printer ink and gloss or transparent paper is not exactly cheap. But i'm considering giving that a shot if i can ever find all the info and documents to print them. I just haven't seen a canopy that is printed yet that i like. Most are, well... I don't like most of them.

To be honest, i'm not sure if i will fly it. it's so nice looking and expensive that i may only show it off with it on there then switch to my green canopy for flying.

Hi Hawk01

I'm sorry to say yes to all of your suggestions and a few others but I could not influence this heli at all it seems. Check the comment on the vid.

I had the swash tilted to the right visually way extreme and it still drifted left about the same amount, tilt it left and it does not speed up. I am new to flying helis and I really do appreciate your time making suggestions and explaining things but I also have a minicp and although new to me I do understand all the trade offs you describe such as tilted flight, uneven left and right yaw etc, in at least a rudimentary way. Maybe i'll grab some extra servos and a esc/motor and put a second one together with the spares in a couple weeks if this really does perform like a minicp with a touch more punch.

I'll post it you to test if your in the UK and curious but I really couldn't influence it, tweaking links or tilting the rx. After putting the links roughly back all tidy and fitting the new rx everything is totally neutral. When I tilt the swash I do get drift now in whatever direction the swash leans, night and day difference.

3 of em huh, have you flown the v1 at all, are there any pro's if agility is preferred to stability. I'm interested if the v1 or v2 is a better base for a 2s setup as it would be pretty much the same cost as a 1s if I go for a second and need electronics only.

Originally Posted by hawk01

hi microrcfiend,

i think i know by now what you meant about the thing drifting left after watching your video. if the heli wasn't setup mechanically level on the swash plate then it could have also drifted to the right as well.

for starters, did you actually take the time to mechanically setup the swashplate to be level? or did you just fly it right off the box? chances are the unit you got may need some tweaking on the swashplate to make it level on the neutral position, otherwise it can drift on either side or even fore and aft if the swash plate was leaning in that direction in neutral position.

step 1: please check whether the swash plate is level at zero pitch. in your case for a quick fix adjust the link on the RH servo by shortening it one full turn, then the LH servo lengthening it one full turn. your swash may end up level or may even tilt slightly to the right if this adjustment was too much. keep it this way for now.

step 2: when you place the heli on the ground you will also notice the tail fin touching the surface hence the rear portion of the skids are actually off by a small amount. the entire heli is actually leaning forward from this standing position. to bind the heli properly, place it on a platform so the skids stand level and the tail fin is not touching the ground. this ensures the gyro will orient accurately.

step 3: make sure the 3in1 gyro/RX unit is sitting level on its platform securely without any form of movement. more important, isolate the ESC by separating it from the 3in1. walkera has its ESC taped to the gyro in most cases, just carefully peel it off from the 3in1 so you end up having a gap between ESC and 3in1 board. why you may ask? because once the ESC heats up, it messes up the gyro's ability to do its job properly!

now hover the darn thing! it should almost have no leaning tendencies by now. if it does, then make the necessary mechanical adjustments on the swash links to trim the heli. keep in mind that the 6-axis gyro (or even a 3-axis for that matter) can only compensate for so much off trim condition. do not use the digital trims on the TX, they are totally useless in an FBL system. you only make mechanical adjustments to level the swash in order to correct any off trim tendencies.

i have three V120D02S 6-axis and all of them fly perfect after some tweaking. i also had that left drifting issue when i was adjusting the swash during initial setup. once you have things in order, the heli will actually hover upright (tail in) hands off leaning slightly towards the right, this is natural since the gyro is compensating for the tail rotor thrust pushing the heli to the left. when inverted, same thing happens heli leans against this tail rotor wash to stay in place. this leaning tendency is more pronounced in the smaller helis since they are lighter. larger machines will have a lesser amount.

you have to appreciate the dynamics of how a helicopter flies and even the full scale leans to one side depending on main rotor direction of rotation. i will not enter into discussing the gyroscopic principles any further, hehe...

let me know how it goes!

HTH

Originally Posted by microrcfiend

Hi Hawk01

I'm sorry to say yes to all of your suggestions and a few others but I could not influence this heli at all it seems. Check the comment on the vid.

I had the swash tilted to the right visually way extreme and it still drifted left about the same amount, tilt it left and it does not speed up. I am new to flying helis and I really do appreciate your time making suggestions and explaining things but I also have a minicp and although new to me I do understand all the trade offs you describe such as tilted flight, uneven left and right yaw etc, in at least a rudimentary way. Maybe i'll grab some extra servos and a esc/motor and put a second one together with the spares in a couple weeks if this really does perform like a minicp with a touch more punch.

I'll post it you to test if your in the UK and curious but I really couldn't influence it, tweaking links or tilting the rx. After putting the links roughly back all tidy and fitting the new rx everything is totally neutral. When I tilt the swash I do get drift now in whatever direction the swash leans, night and day difference.

3 of em huh, have you flown the v1 at all, are there any pro's if agility is preferred to stability. I'm interested if the v1 or v2 is a better base for a 2s setup as it would be pretty much the same cost as a 1s if I go for a second and need electronics only.

hi microrcfiend,

sorry i cannot attest for the V1 as i haven't tried it. i would have wanted to get the V1 on day1 since i do not need the added stability of 6-axis gyro for 3D flying. many swear the V1 does handle better for aggressive flight. i on the other hand find the V2 handles good enough for my taste and skill level after some tweaking on the gyro pot settings. i get decently fast roll/flip rates contrary to what others claim as the 6-axis gyro constantly fighting against the control inputs.

since you may have done everything and have a full understanding of how/why things work, then it really goes beyond me why your machine constantly "drifts" as you experience. i suppose you struck a bit of bad luck on the unit you got having a defective gyro. i also had the same bad luck when i purchased a genius cp that flew fine upright when i tested it at the shop. when i got home and flew it outdoors to flip it, it became twitchy and uncontrollable till it crashed! it was strange and no measure of tweaking ever solved it. i just had to return the unit to my LFS. thats the reason i got three V120D02S V2s! finally gave up on the genius and had a one machine fleet. cheaper to maintain for commonality of parts.

i really hope you get to fix the thing and get it up in the air somehow. you only bought one and unfortunately received the defective unit. i got three and all of them flew well out of the box after some minor tweaking. talk about breaking the odds here...

It seems that the vast majority of people prefer the V1 gyro to the V2 so there must be something there. I prefer the V2 but I no longer fly long FFF circuits. Also, I found that the V2 seems to have less power and a slower flip rate.

I mainly do airplane type aerobatics at the moment as opposed to real tight 3D flying. I have flown the same routine in other helis with 3 axis gyro and still prefer the 6 axis gyro of V120D02S. This is the sort of move where I found the 6 axis gyro particularly helpful.

1. Fly slowly from the L to R upright
2. When the heli is right in the middle, do a slow roll to inverted
3. Maintain the heli in inverted position until it reaches the R end.

What I found was that it takes much less time and input for the heli to stabilize and regain composure. Overall, it provides a much smoother flight. I have done the same moves with the mCPX, V922, Genius CP and MIni CP and none of them are as good as the 6 axis V120D02S. In fact, it is often quite hairy with the others. I suggest that you try this out and see whether you agree with me or not.