Blade MCP-X?

[scarface26]

I was really hoping that the MCP-X would be the ideal entry heli into collective pitch flying for me. I guess not. ;D

[akent]

Ok, here goes more drama...

I received the Boca bearings and rebuilt the head. These Boca bearings are REALLY nice, but they are really proud of them! These are smooth as glass and they appear to be very strong.

I double checked everything and lifted the heli off...

After about 20 seconds of hovering, it went nuts, veering right into tall grass. I was not even in idle up, just hovering low. I just brought it up to about three feet in normal mode. It went full tilt right. It crashed/landed softly, much more softly than most of my errant MSR mishaps are!

I checked it out and the right front (pitch/aileron) servo is STRIPPED OUT!!! WTF!!!!

I called Horizon and they are sending me a new servo. I also ordered another one for a spare.

Twenty seconds of flight so far.... many hours of grief....

The greenbacks are not unlimited, you stupid MCP-X!
Kent

[akent]

Mar 26, 2011 17:47:05 GMT -6 scarface26 said:

I was really hoping that the MCP-X would be the ideal entry heli into collective pitch flying for me. I guess not. ;D

Scar, I truly believe that when the bugs are worked out and the quality issues are fixed that this will indeed be an awesome entry to CP!

It just ain't there yet.

I'll keep posting here as I have not given up yet. I have parts on the way.

If this thing flies great, then I want to fly it!
The reason I really like the idea of it is that I can fly it in my yard, and if I can figure out how to take off Tuesdays, I can fly at a huge indoor gym!
Kent

[Doozer]

That sucks man. I hope you get that thing flying soon. I went to my LHS today... I'm thinking about a new radio. I like all the things that telemetry is starting to offer i.e. RPM, Temp, Pack voltages, rx voltage.. etc. I inquired about the DX8. The owner, Byron, said until they get things worked out, he's not going to carry them. He said he's had to send 8 of them back for various reasons.

That's a pretty shoddy record. If I had the money right now, I'd switch all my electronics to Futaba. I'm going to do it little by little. I'm over Horizon.

[scarface26]

Kent; Horizon ought to rename the MCP-X to "Cobra", because you have definately been snake bit by it. I don't like it that Horizon Hobby is using paying customers as Beta Testers to work the bugs out of their products.

[19000rpm]

The QC is very hit and miss. I've flown 6 batteries with no real issues. Most of the in store customers at Hobbyzone have had good luck and then there are those like Kents.

I agree; customers ahouldn't be the ones to do Beta testing.

[akent]

Yep, beta testers we are!!! Arrgghh!!!
====
I received a third servo that A-Main hobbies had in stock today (I have a warranty one on the way in theory from Horizon, plus a new one from them. I am IMPATIENT!, so I ordered another one from A-main. I can only assume that these will ALL be needed eventually!) I have not received the Horizon ones yet.

I installed the new servo in the heli and actually was for the first time able to fly this thing! The first battery hover was stable as can be except for pitch. It took a lot of 'gas' to get it to go up and then you had to let off a LOT for it to come back down. This was all in idle up.
Humm...
So, I checked everything out, removed all the links and checked everything and it's all very free.
Humm...
I was running a pitch subtrim of 45, so I thought I would center all of that with the links. It only took one turn on everything to get it even! So, the hardware is leveled now.

It will be interesting to see how it flies tomorrow. I was very impressed with the cyclic. It was very responsive, but also very stable. The collective was not right. I hope to figure that out soon.

It is an amazing thing for being so light. Mine weighs in ready to fly at 45 grams, or 1.6 ounces.
Kent

[19000rpm]

I flew both the BNF and the RTF. Both noncomputer radios and it flew the same with both radios.

Yep, the cyclic is very nice. The one I flew required a tiny bit of Tx trim, but it was very quick and also stable. The other required no trim.

I found the throttle to be a little odd as well. In both sport mode and Idle up it took a lot of stick. It's almost like the heli is lagging behind on input to throttle. ;D

[akent]

You are right, 19k. It's like there is a lag. I flew a few more batteries through this one and it is growing on me. It is pretty fast when you want it to be! The collective is just sluggish. I may try adding more positive pitch. It's not bogging bad now, so maybe it can handle more. But I have not done any 3d with it yet.

I also tried the blades with the weight on them. That really slows down the cyclic. I don't like em, but I'm sure some folks will. It's smoother with them, but it lacks responsiveness.

I did a few loops and it takes full up to come out of em. I am paranoid to try flips just yet, until I get parts...

I have been flying for four minutes. The thing is slowing down quite a bit by then.
Kent

[19000rpm]

Don't they call those alternate blades; "Speed" Blades? How would heavier blades be faster and isn't the whole idea of heavier blades to slow the cyclic acting more like a flybar for additional gyroscopic stability?

Have you experienced the tail bob? It came in sooner than I would expect from a low battery condition slowing the head speed.

[akent]

Exactly on the weighted blades! This thing feels way faster with the 'regular' blades.

I have seen some tiny amounts of tail bob when the battery is low. But just a little. Nothing that I notice until I hover to land.

These need a bigger battery! It flies just awesome for the first minute, then it starts to slow down. The second minute is Ok. The third is starting to slow more and the end of the fourth minute is a real dog...

One thing I noticed about the collective sluggishness is that I think it's getting into it's own rotor wash when that happens. I can't remember the term for that. It seems to be more if you are pitch pumping or otherwise hovering when it's still. If you fly around, even slowly, the sluggishness seems to be much better. Humm...
Kent

[19000rpm]

Yes, the flight time is minimal with the tail bob coming in as early as between 2-3 minutes. I guess we should try a larger battery.

I guess the prop wash could effect the collective, but somehow that doesn't seem right. If it is right then they've got the blade designed incorrectly and/or the head speed is too low.

[Raygun]

What if you cut about a 1/2" off the end of each blade?? It would have to increase the headspeed to get the needed lift from a shorter blade..

[scarface26]

Apr 1, 2011 10:24:03 GMT -6 akent said:

One thing I noticed about the collective sluggishness is that I think it's getting into it's own rotor wash when that happens. I can't remember the term for that. It seems to be more if you are pitch pumping or otherwise hovering when it's still. If you fly around, even slowly, the sluggishness seems to be much better. Humm...
Kent

I think it's called "ground effect". If you move forward and get away from eating your own rotor wash, that's known as entering "translational lift".

[akent]

Scar, it's not ground effect, as that happens very close to the ground.

What I'm talking about happens at any altitude where the downwards air movement creates a tube of air that sucks the heli down, if you come down into it. As you increase pitch, it increases the tubes downward velocity of air, pulling harder.

I have felt this once with the 500 where it scared me. I have always had enough pitch to power out of it, or enough wind was blowing that it never formed.

Anyway, this might have been some of the MCP-X problem, but it's still very sluggish on collective.
The MSR has better collective response than this thing.
I will try some flips tomorrow over the grass at the flying field. I have too many rocks at my place to try here!
Kent