380/420 Helical-cut Gears - Setting Mesh

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SkyCyclePilot

New Member
Just watched Tony's RC-Help video on setting gear mesh - the one that debunks the paper method. See it here...


That video is about setting the mesh on straight-cut gears. I'm building an Align 470LP, which has helical-cut gears. Do helical-cut gears need that same amount of play, or do they need to be tighter?
 
Smoggie

Smoggie

Well-Known Member
FWIW I use paper but in a slightly different way. First i double the paper over. Next I turn the gear until I find the tightest spot (the gears are rarely perfectly circular), then I set the gear mesh at that tightest point using the doubled over paper strip. As a double check i'll give the gear a full turn making sure that the mesh feels ok all the way round like Tony's final check in the video. There is still an element of 'feel' involved to know how hard to push the motor, this comes with practice.

This works well for me and I personally find the paper does take some of the subjectivity out of the process. The mesh gap should be set the same for straight or slant gears.
 
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SkyCyclePilot

New Member
Thanks. I found the high spot on my gear - it was only one spot of two or three teeth. Since it was such a small spot, I set the mesh there to have no play, but not tight. The rest of the way around the gear, I have about the same amount of play the guy in the video above shows. I think it's time to quit worrying about it.
 
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