OT - Remote Controlled Helicopters

[techdiver]

I know dzones used to be into RC, but I'm not sure what types. I am currently looking at helicopters. Any of you try these out yet? I recently got a mini 3 channel indoor model that is pretty nice for not much cash. I take some pics or video later and post it.

I told Santa I want the Honey Bee V2 for Christmas, so we'll see how that goes. It is an outdoor electric 4 channel model that is very durable, stable, and parts are cheap. That sounds like my type of chopper. Oh, and it entire kit ready to fly is just under $100. These things have really come down in price. Years ago I couldn't even afford to look at them.

[dzones]

Yer right! I do play with the RC toys but not so much anymore. I mostly did the off road 4x4's and such. I did try one of those little choppers though, Blade something was the name or something Blade. Either way I sucked really badly at it so gave it up. I spent more time going back and forth for parts cause I would smash it into something and break it lol.

I asked for a new GPS this year. My TomTom comes on when it feels like it. I have had it for a few years now so it's time to retire it.
I asked more specifically for the 7" screen Magellan heh

[05grandprix]

My experience with the helicopters were not good either I had a blade Cp spent more time charging and fixing than flying. I think I'm going to venture back into planes again

[techdiver]

Well, here is my Big and Bad Flying Machine. This thing is really, really .........



Ummm ..... small.

Ok, so it fits in the palm of your hand. This thing has a metal frame and every part is replaceable. I got it off Amazon for $25.00 total. They are a little higher now. This is the brand new model Syma came out with that blows those foam Havok Helis away. It is 3 channels which gives you up and down, left and right, and forward / Backward control. My kids, the guys at the office, and I have all flown and crashed it many times. I have yet to break anything. The ceiling of the lobby at work is 38 feet high, and I took this little dude all the way and skimmed the ceiling. The hardest landing was a drop from 15 ft onto the marble floor and all it did was pop two push rods off, but I snapped them back on and it was flying again.

If you have a kid or if you are a kid at heart (me), then this little heli would make a great gift. This particular model is very stable, so you can make it go exactly where you want with very little practice.

Oh, did I mention you can charge it via USB cable. That is how I do it instead of from the transmitter. That way I don't drain the transmitter batteries. I'll shoot an HD video of it later and post on this thread.

If you want to buy one of this for the kids for Christmas, then here is the blue one at xheli.com for 29.99 free shipping. http://www.xheli.com/s107-miniheli-blue.html They also have yellow and red. This is the best mini in this price range at the moment. Make sure to deselect the training software that is checked by default before checking out.

[techdiver]

Wouldn't you know that the heli addiction didn't stop there. I ended up getting an early Christmas present from my wife. I always wanted a remote control Heli, so I finally put some research time in and found one that is the most durable, simple, and cheap to repair. It is 4 channels, but it flies exactly the same as the 6 channel models. The only thing it doesn't do is fly upside down. You get full cyclic action but the blade is a fixed pitch, hence no 3D flying.

I want to fly a 6 channel, but their design is more complex which = more parts which also = more delicate. This 4 channel has taken many crashes without breaking anything. But I have managed to break 2 head rotors (.97 each) and 1 push rod (.69 for 2pack), and I have a little damage to the thin canopy which is merely cosmetic. Canopies for this are 4.25. That is what I call very reasonable parts. The transmitter isn't as powerful as the pro models, but it reaches almost half a mile.

Here it is.



It is almost 2 feet long. The main motor is very powerful. I wouldn't want to get hit with it. It has an electronic gyro that helps keep it's heading in wind. This one is a bit much for inside flying. That is what the Syma S107 is for, though.

Here are the transmitters.



I will get to use half of the fairground building tomorrow to practice at lunch time. Can't wait!

[techdiver]

I flew the big helicopter today at the fairgrounds. I used up my two LiPo battery packs practicing. I ended up breaking one part that is 97 cents and two parts that total 69 cents. I had replacement parts on hand since they were free shipping. Now if I could only master the hover.

[techdiver]

I have modded the S107, and now it is really fun to fly indoors. The problem is, my living room seems small with these mods. I ended up having a high speed collision with the wall and knocking some paint off. This little heli is what made me want to get the bigger one.

I have made a few mods on the bigger one and just put some matched balanced SuperBlades on it yesterday. I am able to hover much better now. With these on, I think I will make progress.

[techdiver]

After waiting for parts for over a month, I finally got my heli setup with upgrades. Today was a nice day, and I achieved a nice hover on my second battery pack. I will admit I broke at least 20 parts before getting to this point. Fortunately parts are really cheap for this trainer heli. I broke 3 parts today before getting a nice hover, which set me back under $5.

[techdiver]

Well, I couldn't resist it. My birthday is next month, so I guess pre-ordered myself a gift.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYk74b0i9jI

[SNAKEMANVET]

cool little heli,that was some serious flying.

[techdiver]

Originally Posted by SNAKEMANVET

cool little heli,that was some serious flying.

Did you notice NO flybar? It uses a 3 axis gyro, so this is bleeding edge in micro collective pitch.