General Beginner needs help setting up T-Rex 450

[netarchexpert]

I'm new to electric helicopters and am trying to setup a new T-Rex 450 Pro V2. The Swash plate appears to be level and the blades are tracking correctly. When I speed up the head the helicopter gets light on the skids, but then tries to roll counter clockwise when viewed from the tail. The roll can be countered with a lot of stick input. My radio is a DX8 if that makes a difference.

Any ideas on what I need to check?


Thanks.

 

[murankar]

Gyro needs to be reversed. Either through the radio or a switch on the gyro. Just depends on the gyro you have.

 

[netarchexpert]

I have a flybar heli and have not noticed any tail drift. The helicopter acts like it wants to do a counter clockwise barrel roll when viewed from the tail.

 

[murankar]

Sorry try to trim the aileron to the right. See if that works. I am on a 36 hour stretch.

 

[murankar]

One more thing, try and level the swash better. Use a zip tie around the main shaft to check for level.

 

[Tony]

Make sure your servo arms are at 90º to the links, make sure all of the links are the same length and you have 0 pitch at mid stick. Make sure your paddles are level to the flybar cage on both sides. Just remember when you take off, the heli will always move left because of the force from the tail blades. I will almost bet either you have a servo too low, or your links are not even making the swash tilt to the left.

The zip tie method above does work, and I did it on my v2 when I was setting it up. You will take everything off of the main shaft except the swash. Put a zip tie on it as low as you can get it, and turn the main shaft and make sure there is the same gap on all 3 links.

If there is anything else we can help with, you know where to find us. Thanks for joining our forum!

 

[Lee]

Are we talking about a Flybarred heli or a Flybarless? I don't think it was clear?

 

[Tony]

Post #3 states it has a flybar.

 

[Lee]

I thought he was refering to another heli has has and comparing it to this one being flybarrless. I sure we'll be put right soon

 

[netarchexpert]

It most definitely has a flybar. I did the zip tie leveling method with a small tie right below the swashplate. The elevator was down quite a bit, but pitch and aileron were very close.

I think I may have had a servo reversed that didn't need to be. My current setup in the DX8 has Aileron Reversed with Elevator and Pitch normal. The swashplate setup is currently Ail: -60 Ele -60 Pit +60. I've been trying to work through all of the combinations one at a time and this is the last combination that I tried.

Right now when I move the stick to the right the right side of the swash goes up, when I move the stick to the left the left side goes up. Pull back and the rear of the swash goes up, push forward and the swash tilts rearward.

I will eventually get through this with enough of your help.

 

[Tony]

Change the Ele and Ail both to +60 from negative. That will reverse your throws. When you throttle up, does your swash go up? If not, then go to -60 on the Pit.

 

[netarchexpert]

Well, after making the modifications to the swash settings on my radio and re-leveling the swashplate everything seems to be working better now. I took it out tonight on its maiden flight and hovered it for about 8 minutes. Thanks to everybody for helping me get the settings setup correctly.

I have found it easier to actually fly it in the air than it is to get it to slide along the ground as per many learning recommendations on the internet. The hours of time I put into practicing in Phoenix really helped. I was a bit worried at first because it wasn't perfectly calm out, but the slight gusts did not really bother me as much as I thought they would.

 

[Tony]

sliding across the ground is meant to teach you how the cyclic and rudder works, not really for learning how the heli will move. Glad you got it in the air though. Only thing left now is a video.