What is the matter with my helicopter
Discussion
Its a cheapie indoor toy.
Crashed it plenty of times. Not sure if the rotors are slightly damaged, but its behaviour has become a little odd.
Imagine a long piece of string.
With a weight at the bottom of the string.
Dangle the string down like a plumb line, and swing it in a circular motion.
This is more or less what the chopper does.
Not always, just sometimes.
Swings in circles.
Is this typical of rotor damage or anything else? It looks drunk when it decides to perform its circular spinning motion
Edit to remove link - which linked to the wrong helicopter.
Half price too on amazon at the moment. The second edition also has great reviews, if anyone is interested in picking one up.
Crashed it plenty of times. Not sure if the rotors are slightly damaged, but its behaviour has become a little odd.
Imagine a long piece of string.
With a weight at the bottom of the string.
Dangle the string down like a plumb line, and swing it in a circular motion.
This is more or less what the chopper does.
Not always, just sometimes.
Swings in circles.
Is this typical of rotor damage or anything else? It looks drunk when it decides to perform its circular spinning motion
Edit to remove link - which linked to the wrong helicopter.
Half price too on amazon at the moment. The second edition also has great reviews, if anyone is interested in picking one up.
Edited by Mobsta on Friday 28th June 23:46
Blade alignment?
Not sure how critical this is on a contra-rotating dual disc thing like yours, as it doesn't fly like a proper model with cyclic and collective (where it is important)
However, might be worth checking.
Get it spinning fairly slowly (i.e just off stopped) on a flat surface, and get your head in front of it, and look at the very ends of the rotating 'discs'. Each rotor blade tip should sweep at the same place. If one blade is higher or lower than it's opposite, then they are out of alignment and it will cause problems. It should be obvious and easy to see.
How you adjust them on a model like this though, I don't know. Might even be a case of heating up a blade near it's joint and gently bending it up or down so it aligns with it's neighbour.
Good luck!
Not sure how critical this is on a contra-rotating dual disc thing like yours, as it doesn't fly like a proper model with cyclic and collective (where it is important)
However, might be worth checking.
Get it spinning fairly slowly (i.e just off stopped) on a flat surface, and get your head in front of it, and look at the very ends of the rotating 'discs'. Each rotor blade tip should sweep at the same place. If one blade is higher or lower than it's opposite, then they are out of alignment and it will cause problems. It should be obvious and easy to see.
How you adjust them on a model like this though, I don't know. Might even be a case of heating up a blade near it's joint and gently bending it up or down so it aligns with it's neighbour.
Good luck!
Sounds like TBE to me. http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/toilet-bowl-effect....
Magic919 said:
Sounds like TBE to me. http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/toilet-bowl-effect....
Ah beaten to it, does sound like TBE to me too.Wacky Racer said:
Mobsta said:
It looks drunk when it decides to perform its circular spinning motion
Are you sure it's not the operator that's drunk?....
I've read the above TBE description and that is definitely it.
Heli points forwards without turning, but experiences a flushing motion.
I'll reread the article but it sounds like it needs losening or cleaning, nothing else.
Thanks for the link.
Im ashamed to say I fixed it.
The bar above the two rotors was bent like a boomerang. Crash damage.
This is what caused the toilet bowl syndrome, clearly.
When it flew the way it did, being a complex and sophisticated man, I imagined the problem to lie deep within the innards of the helicopter. I even inspected and compared the rotars... but neglected to inspect the bar on top of them, suspecting the problem lay internally somewhere.
Bent the bar back into shape
It now flies perfectly
The bar above the two rotors was bent like a boomerang. Crash damage.
This is what caused the toilet bowl syndrome, clearly.
When it flew the way it did, being a complex and sophisticated man, I imagined the problem to lie deep within the innards of the helicopter. I even inspected and compared the rotars... but neglected to inspect the bar on top of them, suspecting the problem lay internally somewhere.
Bent the bar back into shape
It now flies perfectly
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
All groovy then - nice fix dude 
You must be feeling like a 'proper man' now....actually diagnosed and fixed a problem on a helicopter - it doesn't get better than that, eh?!
Torn between feeling like a complete idiot, and god.You must be feeling like a 'proper man' now....actually diagnosed and fixed a problem on a helicopter - it doesn't get better than that, eh?!
I did announce to other half, that Id fixed the toilet bowl syndrome - I didnt puff out my chest when I told her, of course.
She also didnt tell me "Yes, you have already told me that" either
Mobsta said:
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
All groovy then - nice fix dude
You must be feeling like a 'proper man' now....actually diagnosed and fixed a problem on a helicopter - it doesn't get better than that, eh?!
Torn between feeling like a complete idiot, and god.You must be feeling like a 'proper man' now....actually diagnosed and fixed a problem on a helicopter - it doesn't get better than that, eh?!
I did announce to other half, that Id fixed the toilet bowl syndrome - I didnt puff out my chest when I told her, of course.
She also didnt tell me "Yes, you have already told me that" either
I always attend to my cars and Heli's when she was out of the house, to avoid complete derision...
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Mobsta said:
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
All groovy then - nice fix dude
You must be feeling like a 'proper man' now....actually diagnosed and fixed a problem on a helicopter - it doesn't get better than that, eh?!
Torn between feeling like a complete idiot, and god.You must be feeling like a 'proper man' now....actually diagnosed and fixed a problem on a helicopter - it doesn't get better than that, eh?!
I did announce to other half, that Id fixed the toilet bowl syndrome - I didnt puff out my chest when I told her, of course.
She also didnt tell me "Yes, you have already told me that" either
I always attend to my cars and Heli's when she was out of the house, to avoid complete derision...
I suppose employing retrospective hindsight, I may agree to be slightly brave. I fly the helicopter indoors, whilst she is watching TV, slowly flying it closer to her until she does the 'limbo' manoeuvre bending backwards into the couch before her lips purse and she pulls a face like this...
...If Im to keep my privates attached, I'll have to run before she blows like a pressure cooker, and jump over her to get out of the room, like this
I only got away with herding chickens round the garden with an RC tank for several minutes before I was told it was time to stop.
Brave enough to start, not foolish enough to continue
Mobster, I have the exact same RC in my living room and same problem. The difference is that I have a commercial heli license I did in Oz back in 2001 - I should really know how to fly a model if I can do the real thing. I can't fly the little thing.
Real helicopters are easy; remote controlled ones are the Devil's work. Designed to destroy furnishings, scare pets/friends/family and make you want to attach little mini-cameras and lego guns...
Real helicopters are easy; remote controlled ones are the Devil's work. Designed to destroy furnishings, scare pets/friends/family and make you want to attach little mini-cameras and lego guns...
scottri said:
D15CO D4VE said:
My order has just been confirmed because of this bloody thread!
+1 to the two of you.May your cats be wary, your partners remain tolerant and your copters fly well
Ding Dong said:
Mobster, I have the exact same RC in my living room and same problem. The difference is that I have a commercial heli license I did in Oz back in 2001 - I should really know how to fly a model if I can do the real thing. I can't fly the little thing.
Real helicopters are easy; remote controlled ones are the Devil's work. Designed to destroy furnishings, scare pets/friends/family and make you want to attach little mini-cameras and lego guns...
You off all people, deserve little sympathy Real helicopters are easy; remote controlled ones are the Devil's work. Designed to destroy furnishings, scare pets/friends/family and make you want to attach little mini-cameras and lego guns...
Like the photo of the yellow full size real deal, that you posted!
According to the great link magic919 posted, it could be dirt, tightness of blade or flybar joints as vroom posted (first reply!) or just a bent rotar, or silicone lube required (not WWD40 which attracts dirt, for those that didnt read the article). Were you not able to stabilise yours?
I do archery, winter indoors sometimes (gymnasium) and half the folk there are laid back, the other half relatively serious. A great toy to buzz the archers with in the middle of an end when their all aiming down their noses with serious expressions on their faces
I must pluck up the courage to try this.We had 'not a breath of air' in the well protected and completely still garden over the weekend, but the still heli blew sideways like there had been a nuclear blast. These indoor micro ones cant, I dont think, ever go outside, however little wind you think there is. (I thought perhaps I could get away with a slight breeze. If you havent owned one before, the reality is absolutely no outdoors whatsoever).
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