[Tower]

Originally Posted by GOTFrog

Looking good, wow I want a big heli now.

They are easier to see and fly - more intimidating at first I found as I moved up in size. Many learn on the Raptor 30s which is a fine machine (discontinued now) and much bigger.

Cheers

[Tower]

The Savox servos were not supplied by Gaui. Gaui does recommend them. The idea in this next step is to build a small block of two servos and then attach them to the frame and head.

The speciality long arms supplied with the servos are of very hard plastic. Normally you can start a screw in a servo arm and thread it through - not with these, the first one I tried cracked along the length of the arm. Also they do not fit the splines very well - a bit sloppy. I put them together and glued the crack after drilling out the hole and test fitted them. I couldn't leave them though and pulled them back out and went hunting for replacements in the servo drawer - no luck. Then I remembered the huge cross pieces in the kit and sure enough they are arms (Duh). Chunkiest arms I have ever seen around a heli of this size but with a little shaping they fit and are tight on the splines. There is a bit of play in the servo now when you move the arm - not much you can feel it. The new big arms are certainly aup for the job to drive the head directly - a bit ugly though.

Mounting the pair of servos looked easy from there. This is what that long bondhus driver is for - the motor is in the way and you have to hit the heads at an angle. The long 14 mm screws supplied in the kit are unfortunately not long enough and simply stripped 0.97 mm of thread out of the head block when I tried to tighten the first one - guess I should have checked the length before trying. The hole in the block is 3mm deep. The screw protrudes 0.97 mm from the pair of servos.

Next job is to cut down some 18 mm bolts to fit. I tied washers as spacers but it took a few and it looked odd.

There is no shock mounting allowed for these servos they are hard mounted to plactic and metal components and just touch the motor mount - not the best idea I would think - vibration coming from every angle.

Out of enthusiasm for the evening - must be Monday. Maybe later in the week, also caught my thumb in the plier jaws when I snapped off the thick wide excess arms - ouch - inch long blood blister

Servo installation so far - things to improve;

1) Make reference to the supplied servo arms in the manual (some nicer looking arms would be nice as well)
2) Supply bolts of the right length to mount the assembly.
3) Vibration isolation is non-existant, hard mounted servos are directly touching head and motor mount aluminum components?

.

[Tower]

Well I am stuck for now. But first the servos.

I shortened some 18 mm bolts and secured the two front servos. The rear head servo went in easily with the same oversized arms.

The rudder servo requires a long arm? My understanding of Gyro and rudder servo combinations is to keep those arms short. It won't work on this heli as designed because the rear cover plate and spacer block the exit for the rudder push rod if you use a short arm. You have to use a long one to clear the spacer and get the rod up near the boom? I have no idea how I am going to get the ball link on - it is covered up and very hard to access unless you take the arm off. This would not be too difficult but the long arm that came with the savox servo (see previous post) has more meat on it then the standard arms and the screw barely makes it through to the splined shaft and of course started to strip when tightened It is now CA'd to keep it from loosening - removable for sure but less than ideal.


The head and swash plate components are generally threadlocked. So far I have not been able to get the blade grips off. I have heated them and torqued them as much as I dare. They are not budging. I am concerned I will damage them or break a bolt and will be in touch with Gaui before going further.

Plus

The head does not fit on the main shaft - no way. I have lubricated the shaft - the hole is too small when you get about half way up the shaft. There is a partial shoulder there which is part of the compression/grip system. I suspect it will need to be drilled or milled out - Again I will be in contact with Gaui before Proceeding.

I am on hold.

Interesting - there are also quite a number of unused holes that look like they have redesigned things - the servos are not centered in the cut outs either - nothing like building on the leading (bleeding) edge
Also - not sure how i feel about having to threadlock servo screws. I hope they won't need heating to get out - plastic may not enjoy the experience.

[Tower]

I am on hold with the head but could not resist working on the tail!

The tail went together very well. The pictures tell the story. The only minor change I made was to glue the bearing to the torque rod as you do with that other manufacturer (something "in the sand", think about it ) - when I tried to insert it (as is) the bearing slid on the rod. 2 Drops of CA on the rod fixed that.

Everything turns smoothly and there is zero slop. The assembly leave the impression of being high quality, strong, light and simple. I really like the gear housing. It is one piece with a few attachments. I also like the the antirotation mechanisms - there is a solid screw and a rugged clamp that keep the mechanics from rotating on the boom.

The grips gave me a bit of concern at first because I was not sure how to get that lock nut off the shaft. I do not have a socket wrench that will fit down inside the grip. A pair of haemostats did a fine job. The bearings were dry and needed lubrication. They felt very smooth and lubricated before I took them apart - as always check everything!

Things to improve?

Nothing - very nice!

[4wdmt]

Great detailed posts Jeremey.

I really like those new Gaui tail assembly.

[Tower]

Originally Posted by 4wdmt

Great detailed posts Jeremey.

I really like those new Gaui tail assembly.

Hey!
So do I. Very nicely done. I am really hoping I can find a solution quickly to the blade grip and head issue.
Cheers
Jeremy

[Tower]

The initial response from FH technical support has been unhelpful so far and I have begun trying to gather more information for GAUI.. (email to FH and Gaui)

"I continue to work on the problems with the head and shaft of the X4.
I baked the head in the oven and then used extra long hex keys and was able to get one grip (bolt) off. I have not been able to get the second one (bolt) off. I will likely need a new feathering shaft but will keep trying.

There is a clear change in diameter of the inside bore of the head. At this point I am wondering if there is an error on the drawings? It shows the shaft bolt going through the lower hole on the shaft. The head will go down just far enough , if forced, to reach the top hole as shown below. I have removed a lot of material from inside the head but with a drill press and by turning the drill manually, the change in inside diameter is significant however and I do not have a drill that will fit it perfectly?

I have also attempted to remove any burs on the main shaft that are causing a possible problem with 600 grit emery paper – this does not appear to make any difference."

[waylander]

I'm assuming the shaft does fit through the bearings of the body? So it is definitely a head block issue then?

[Tower]

Originally Posted by waylander

I'm assuming the shaft does fit through the bearings of the body? So it is definitely a head block issue then?

Yes - perfect - Plus the shaft has the problem either way up - only goes so far.
There is a clear change of diameter of the hole inside the head.

[waylander]

While it may be possible that it's designed to taper that way, it sounds like the drill did not go in deep enough. While it's probably possible to drill it out with the proper size bit, Gaui should definitely be replacing it.