Blade CX2 Review and Discussions

[eddiemoth]

While surfing the Internet looking for info to write my Blade CP Vs. Esky Honeybee CP2 review, I ran into this info about the new Blade CX 2 and got stucked there :) I only got about two sentences so far :(

I have not had time to really look into to see what is the difference between CX 1 and this CX 2 yet, but from the outside CX 2 seems to look better with the little wings on the canopy and it is in red. They are listed for the same price. So, I don't expect to see anything much different. I just wanted to drop a few links here and check them out for yourself. :)

http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/EFL/450/EFLH1250-450.jpg

Vs.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/EFL/450/EFLH1200-450.jpg

Blade CX 2 Specs

Main Rotor Diameter: 13.6 in (345mm)
Gross Weight: 8.0 oz (227 g) W/Battery
Length: 16.42 (417mm)
Motor Size: 180 (2 installed)
Control System: 2.4GHz DSM 5-channel (included), 4-in-1 receiver/mixer/ESC/gyro (installed),S60 Super Sub-Micro (2 installed)

Price $189.99

Vs.

Blade CX 1 Specs

Specs

Main Rotor Diameter: 13.60 in (345mm)
Gross Weight: RTF w/Li-Po battery, 8.0 oz (227 g)
Length: 15.75 in (400mm)
Motor Size: Dual 180 main motors
Kit/ARF/RTF: RTF

Price $169.99

Blade CX2 Owner Manual
http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/Files/Blade_CX2_Manual.pdf
Blade CX1 Owner Manual
http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/Files/BladeCX-manual.pdf

[Rick]

looks like the "2" comes with a 5 channel radio instead of a 4 channel. Wonder what benefit you get with that?

It sure looks even less toy-like than the standard CX.

[Sleepstalker]

It also looks like Horizon has incorperated their glitch free 2.4 gig spektrum technology into the CX2 TX and RX...nice one less thing to worry about.. 8) One could hope that when they did a re and re on the 4in1 for the new RX band they beefed up the 4in1 to be a little more robust.. :) Well a guy can always hope.... :lol:

[Ozzyeureka]

Same specs but the CX2 has extra wings and a different RX- how can that be???? Seems their specs should be treated the same way their 4 in 1s are by you folks!

But really, those wings add weight, drag and cause down wash turbulance. In a power limited heli like these, none of that stuff is good.

If they have gone to a 2.4Ghz Spectrum radio system, that is a good thing. Otherwise it lookes to be the same basic motor/chassis setup the Vortex and Venom helis have got at the moment.

[eddiemoth]

Just ordered one for cmaxim. It is in high demand specially right now when it is close to Christmas and New Year. HH said they may arrive and be shipped early December but is not sure how many they get. They said first come first serve and did not sound like a promise. So I hope to get on the list for that group. I have not seen it at my LHS yet. I see Blade CX1 now is on sale at least on the two websites I visited: grandrc and deetee. They sell it around $170. I think when more Blade CX2 helicopters are in the market, it will drive down the price of Blade CX1 even further more. However, I begin to see how HH manages their Blade CX2 supply right now to hold up the Blade CX1 price. I'll keep you all posted with the progress and its performance.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/Gallery/EFLH1250-9.jpg

[eddiemoth]

I just wanted to drop a couple of Blade CX2 video links. A couple of things I just found out. The included Li Po charger can charge 2 and 3 cell Li Po pack. So if this is your first heli and you are planning to go with Blade CP or another helicopter that uses 3 cells next you are ready for it until you go further beyond 3 cells. The LP5DSM transmitter included with the Blade CX2 is equipped with Specktrum 2.4GHz DSM so it only requires 4 "AA" batteries in stead of 8 like a typical 72 MHz transmitter.
http://www.e-fliterc.com/ProdInfo/Files/EFLH1250_hi.wmv
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/279948/blade_cx_2_www_nitrotoyz_us/

[eddiemoth]

Well....Horizon Hobby moved the due time from early December to mid December now. :(

[eddiemoth]

Just cancelled my order with Horizon Hobby. I then ordered it on grandrc and picked it up. So I got the Balde CX2 for cmaxim today! I am adjusting and trimming for her and then she will take charge tomorrow.

Blade CX2 in the box
http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Blade_CX2_001_617x446.jpg

Blade CX2 just arrived
[img]http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Blade_CX2_005_591x443.jpg[img]

[cmaxim]

Just cancelled my order with Horizon Hobby. I then ordered it on grandrc and picked it up. So I got the Balde CX2 for cmaxim today! I am adjusting and trimming for her and then she will take charge tomorrow.

Blade CX2 in the box
http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Blade_CX2_001_617x446.jpg

Blade CX2 just arrived

Thanks you very much for the great gift my MAN ! I really appreciate your help. I am ready for the flying lesson tomorrow, and forget about my school just for one day. I need a break ! :D :D :D

[The Broker]

Just cancelled my order with Horizon Hobby. I then ordered it on grandrc and picked it up.

I am so glad you did that Eddie :D , I sorta thought we might be waiting a long time to see Chinda fly but now you sorted it everythings ok.
I am really looking forward to those first pics.
Sue x

[swatson144]

I am ready for the flying lesson tomorrow, and forget about my school just for one day. I need a break !

Ahh and a new addiction begins.

Vids I say vids

Steve

[eddiemoth]

Once Blade CX has saturated the RC helicopter hobby community, E-flight decided to introduce a new version of Blade CX called Blade CX2 early December 2006. There are many competitions such as Esky Lama, Dynam Vortex 37, Venom Lama, etc. in today RC helicopter market, so E-flight had decided to add the new 2.4 GHz Spektrum transmitter and receiver without raising the price. It was the right time when E-flight released the new version of Blade CX - a few weeks before Christmas of 2006.

I decided to buy a Blade CX2 for my wife who knew nothing about RC helicopter for her Christmas gift with two key reasons in mind: one is to see how good is the second generation of E-flight’s coaxial helicopter when it is coupled with the new 2.4 GHz Spektrum transmitter and two is to test how easy this helicopter is for a brand new pilot who knows nothing about RC helicopter like my wife.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_006_621x466.jpg
Blade CX2 Specifications
•Main Rotor Diameter: 13.6 in (345mm)
•Gross Weight: 8.0 oz (227 g) W/Battery
•Length: 16.42 (417mm)
•Motor Size: 180 (2 installed)
•Control System: 2.4GHz DSM 5-channel (included), 4-in-1
•Receiver/mixer/ESC/gyro (installed),S60 Super Sub-Micro (2 installed)

What is in the box?
It was in back-order when I ordered Blade CX2 with Horizon Hobby on November 28th, 2006. After waiting for about a week, Horizon Hobby extended the due date to another two weeks while they shipped them to their retailers. Once I found out that one of my Local Hobby Stores – GrandRc (www.grandrc.com) in Mountain View, California got them, I cancelled my order with Horizon Hobby and picked one up right away on December 1st, 2006.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_001_617x446.jpg
When I was opening the box, the first thing I saw was a little, red and cute coaxial helicopter. Yeah, it was the Blade CX2 helicopter! It was not yellow any more. It was in dark red. Blade CX2 came in a nicely designed cart box with a well-written owner manual, DSM 5-channel 2.4GHz transmitter, 7.4 volt, 800mAH 2 cell Li-Po with JST and balance connectors, balance Li Po battery charger which can charge 2 or 3 cell Li-Po battery packs, AC/DC 12V 1.5-Amp power supply, 4 AA batteries for the transmitter, mounting accessories tool package, owner manual, video instruction CD and bind plug.

First impression,
http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_008_621x466.jpg
I particularly like the new Blade CX2 fuselage more than old Blade CX1 fuselage – it looks more realistic than Blade CX1. It has little wings on the side which make the helicopter look great in pictures.

I know E-flight always does a great job with the owner manual so there was no surprise for that. I scanned through the owner manual and yes the owner manual looked well-written with pictures and everything a new pilot should know was in there.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_014_621x466.jpg
The new DSM 5-channel 2.4GHx transmitter only requires 4 “AA” batteries. Unlike a typical 72MHz transmitter requires 8 “AA” batteries to work properly. This would save me 4 packs of batteries when I have to buy the battery replacement. The transmitter has a digital power gauge LCD which tells you how much voltage you have when you turn on the transmitter.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_018_519x495.jpg
Another good thing I like about the transmitter is the short antenna. Because Blade CX2 is an indoor helicopter and most of the time you fly it indoor where there is no much room, the short antenna is perfect.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_015_621x429.jpg
The receiver antenna is also short comparing to the regular 72 MHz FM receiver antenna. It is about an inch long on the top and bottom of the receiver! You don’t have to worry about routing them to the tail and make your helicopter look ugly. Blade CX2 looks great without having the receiver antenna hanging around.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_009_466x466.jpg
The instructional CD provides a quick overview of the helicopter and basic flying tips. It is good for people who don’t like reading like me. However, you still have to read the owner manual in order to know about the helicopter and flying Blade CX2.

This is truly a Ready To fly (RTF) helicopter – you don’t need anything else to fly this coaxial helicopter (well….training gear is not included and you need it if you are a beginner) including transmitter batteries which I find most manufactures do not include them with their RTF RC helicopter kits. There was nothing that I would complaint about the Blade CX2 kit I received; therefore, my first impression was great and it pretty much met my expectations.

Initial Set Up
Since this is my wife’s helicopter, I had to make sure that it was well trimmed, balanced and ready to go for her to start her first flight as I did not want to make her first flying helicopter experience a bad one or she would quit.

Charging the Li Po battery pack:
The provided Li Po balance charger is basically a 2 or 3 cell Li Po battery charger. If you plan to upgrade to a Blade CP later on, you don’t have to buy a new Li Po charger when you upgrade your stock Ni-MH battery to a 3 cell Li-Po pack. It also comes with alligator clips for charging from a DC power source such as a 12V car battery. Included with the kit is the AC to DC adaptor which can be used to charge your Li-Po battery packs with your house AC power outlet.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_019_603x445.jpg
The provided Li-Po battery is a 2 cell (7.4 V) 800mAh Li-Po battery pack. It comes with a JST and balance charge connectors. It only took me about 30 minutes to charge the pack for the first time, as it came partially charged from the factory. If the pack got discharged close to 6V (don’t discharge the pack to less than 6V. it will damage your Li Po battery), it may require about 1 to 1 hour and a half to fully charge the pack. Once your pack is fully charged, the green light will go out. Make sure you don’t disconnect the battery from the charger by pulling the wire. If it is hard to disconnect, just use a pair of long-nose pliers to hold the connector and pull gently.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_020_532x445.jpg
Use the “hook” and “loop” provided with the kit to hold the battery from sliding out during flight. The owner manual provides good instruction and pro and con of attaching the “loop” material to either end of the battery. Insert the battery through the opening at the bottom of the Blade CX2 fuselage.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Blade_CX2_022_604x453.jpg
After installing the battery, I now could begin to test the CG (Center of Gravity) and make sure that Blade CX2 was well balanced – front and back.

Next was to install the provided 4 “AA” battery in the transmitter. I could see how much power I had for the transmitter on the digital power gauge LCD once the power switch was turned to on. Sweet! The transmitter will alarm if the voltage indicated on the LCD falls to 4.5V or less. Once the transmitter was loaded with batteries and turned on, I then followed the instructions in the manual step by step to test the servos, linkages and swashplate movements, etc. There was no surprise whatsoever found during testing. Everything worked exactly the way they should.

It did not take me long to trim Blade CX2. It was kind of tail heavy. Most of the time I had to fly it with the front canopy on and with aileron trim more than 50% above. I checked to see if I needed to adjust the tips of the top blades but didn’t find the blades out of track. So everything was ready to go.

Test flying
I did not waste time and took off. I did a few circuits in the living room. It was great. It was very stable and you could feel it responded to your commands when you moved the stick - forward, backward, left, right, up and down with no problem. I observed that the tail drifting issue people complained about with Blade CX1 was still there but not as much. The motors seemed to be responsive when you jacked up the throttle stick. I flew it about 7 minutes for the first pack. Then I felt the battery weakness so I landed before I discharged the battery too low. Then I charged the battery and flew a few more packs to get the feeling of it. Again, there was no complaint about this helicopter. Everything seems to meet my expectations. Next, I had to install the training gear for my wife to fly as she was standing there when I was testing it and did not want her to say that I was hijacking her helicopter. After putting the training gear on, I had to trim it again. It took her about 3 packs and she then began to get the control of it. She is now hooked! You can check here for her flight log. (http://www.helitown.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=605)

Plus and Minus
Here are some of the things I would include in the plus and minus sides. Remember that this is my personal opinions based on the model, flights and information I have so far:

Plus Side
•Real scale looking body is very attractive
•Easy to set up and adjust
•Easy to fly for beginners
•True RTF
•DSM 5-channel 2.4GHx transmitter and receiver
•All parts and electronic components seem to be in good quality

Minus Side
•Battery connector wire should be just a little bit longer for easy connecting
•The price is little higher than other coaxial helicopters in the same class.

Final thoughts
This is a great coaxial helicopter in the market thought it is more expensive than other coaxial helicopters in the same line. After my wife having it for a few weeks so far and she adores it, I am confident to say that it is worth to pay a little more for the quality of the toy you like. So far, I’ve never seen a glitch on this helicopter so the 2.4 GHz Spektrum transmitter and receiver are a plus for Blade CX2. So Blade CX when coupled with the 2.4 GHz Spektrum transmitter and receiver for the same price provides more values added for RC helicopter pilots.

http://www.helitown.com/forum/files/chinda_021_502x378_735.jpg
The other question for this review is how easy this helicopter for a brand new pilot who knows nothing about RC helicopter? When I started with Blade CP, it took me about a few weeks just get around with it and I had to go back and learn on Esky Honeybee FP. So when my wife could get this helicopter fly in a matter of a few packs of Li Po battery, it is very forgiving for new RC helicopter pilots. Recently, two of my sons also knew nothing about RC helicopter can fly it in matter of a few minutes.

If you compare Blade CX2 with CX1, the both kits are exactly the same. There is no new part for Blade CX2 except the new 2.4 GHz Spektrum transmitter, receiver and canopy. So if you have a Blade CX1 and want to upgrade to Blade CX2, these are the only things to have to buy and replace. At the time of writing this review, Horizon Hobby has dropped the price of Blade CX1 to $169.99USD. Even with that price, I still recommend that you buy Blade CX2 and you don't have to worry about the interferences or glitches. To conclude this review, Blade CX2 is the great coaxial helicopter in the RC helicopter market right now. If my wife can fly it, so can you.

[NeilM]

I've just seen one of these in the LHS. It is bigger than I thought and looks like a really cool indoor machine....I might treat myself :D

Neil

[The Broker]

Go on Neil treat yourself, I would if I was you :D
If you buy it you will go from being a back garden jockey to an indoor jockey :lol: :lol:

[NeilM]

Still a hover jockey though. Garden or lounge :shock:

I am buying NOTHING before Saturday.

This show better not be a let down.

Neil

[The Broker]

Theres nothing wrong with hover jockeys or HJ's as I like to call them :lol:

And by saying the show had better not be a let down you have just made sure it will :shock:

Actually lounge jockey sounds sorta disreputable doesn't it, sort of sleazy :lol: :lol:

[NeilM]

You're thinking of lizards.

A lounge jockey sounds like something much worse :shock:

HJ it is then.

Neil - The HJ

[The Broker]

A lounge jockey sounds like something much worse

Oh God Neil I wish you hadn't said that cos the image that came into my head will probably take a while to get out. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Sleepstalker]

I think Neil was referring to a "lounge lizard" not that I know what that means or have ever *een one... :)

[G-MRM]

lounge lizard
n. Slang
1. A generally idle man who haunts establishments or gatherings frequented by the rich or fashionable; a social parasite.
2. A habitué of cocktail lounges.

Noun 1. lounge lizard - a man who idles about in the lounges of hotels and bars in search of women who would support him

[xodarap1]

Hello,

I purchased a Blade CX2 today as my first helicopter. I went with this instead of the Lama because i only live 1 mile from my LHS. My plan is to take it slow and steady so as to keep it in one piece lol. I don't have any way to take any videos at the moment, but i'll look into that asap. Wish me luck! ;)

Steve

[eddiemoth]

Steve, Blade CX2 is good. I fly both Blade CX2 and Lama and I like Blade CX2 better though it costs more than Lama. Of course, with the 2.4 GHz TX, you will not have to worry about the gliches and the short antenna makes it even more practical in a small space. You'll like it and it will entertain you well this winter. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[xodarap1]

Well Eddie.. the first two flights went well. A few hops when i was trimming it initially, but no crashes or damage. I notice that trimming seemed different in and out of ground effect, but once i figured that out it was OK.

I am not using any training gear and was able to hover tail-in and move in all directions without much trouble. However, once it turned sideways and then nose in, it was a different deal lol. I just cut some power and set it down.. didn't want to play any of that nose in stuff on the first day. I can easily see how a few wrong moves could spell disaster.

There were two things that i wasn't expecting that caught me off guard though. The first was that whenever i turn right or left, the Blade started to drop quite a bit causing me to add more power. This seems hard to do smoothly (at least to me as a newbie) and lead me into a smooth but nerve shaking 4 foot up down yo-yo effect heheh. Just about as i got it back into a nice hover facing away from me, my central air conditioning unit in the apartment kicked on.. to.. uhm... simulate flying outside in a light breeze! Yeah.. that's it! :-) I managed to land it on the dining room table (cat was sleeping on the chair there) and decided to call it a crash free first day. :-)

Overall, i must say that i'm very pleased. I'll be spending lots of time just doing the basics until i feel very comfortable with it tail-in.. and off course will be turning off the air cond from now on before flying. :-)

Steve :-)

[swatson144]

Cool that's what we were talking about! Sounds like a new addict.

The heli setling during a turn is normal and expected. Just think of it as the rudder slowing one of the blade sets to make a difference in torque and cause the yaw (turn). Thus not as much lift while yawing. The single rotors do the same but lesser since the increased (or decreased) power demands of the tail are taken from the mains.

The coaxials don't roll (bank on the aileron axis) so they don't loose much lift while moving sideways.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

Yeah Steve (which Steve? lol) we need more heli addicts so we don't feel lonely. Sound like you are on the right track. Glad you are having fun. :)

[xodarap1]

Hi! 7 packs of flying so far with the BCX2 and no crashes ...yet.

I'm amazed at how messed up i get in a nose in hover though. Darn it.. I had a few close calls indoors because of it. I keep getting confused with the left and right in different hovering orientations. I've been trying to picture myself sitting in the cockpit to help figure it out but that didn't work well because it takes me a few seconds to figure it out lol. One wrong stick move and there isn't much time at all to correct it before it is heading for a wall!

So..I took the chance and took it outside yesterday because there was no wind. It was much easier since i didn't have a ceiling or walls/furniture to worry about. I liked the fact that if things got out of control i could just let the right stick go and climb until i figured it out. :)

What seems to work best for me (at least right now) when in nose in hover is pushing the stick the way the CX2 is moving to correct the drift. That seems to be working much better for me because i don't have to think about left/right at all, just react lol. Has anyone else struggled with this or am i just an odd duck?

Any suggestions would be great.


Steve E. ;)

[xodarap1]

I've read that this transmitter (E-flight Spektrum 2.4GHz LP5DSM 5-channel) has a range of 130' and that the transmitter has volt alarm at 4.5v. I'm guessing this is the low volt danger zone?

My other question is: If i use (4) regular 1.5v batteries the display shows 6.1v. If i put in (4) Venom 2400 nimh rechargeable 1.2v's the digital display shows 4.7v. Is it dangerous to use the rechargeable batteries in this transmitter since it only takes 4 batteries instead of 8? Am i better off just buying regular batteries and avoid the nimh's?

[swatson144]

Going to NI is always difficult until it "clicks". Fortunately with a coaxial you have about 3 days to correct a wrong input before it gets out of control.

All TX have an alarm that tells you to get on the ground before the TX stops being able to transmit because it's batteries are getting low.

I don't think there'd be any worry about NImH in the TX even though they start at a lower voltage they hold that voltage for a very long time. No matter what the cell count 8 or 4 it's all the same % wise. Just remeber they go dead on their own pretty quick so charge them often as they have no "memory".

Steve

[xodarap1]

OK. Thanks Steve. BTW, I am having fun flying. :)

[swatson144]

That's what I like to hear!:D Fun is good!

Steve

[xodarap1]

:( The latest news is that i had my first crash and it wasn't indoors and it wasn't pretty. I had been doing really great flying it all around the apartment and even outside on calm days with nose in hover, figure 8's and some cool tricks, no longer being much of a problem.. until today lol.

Today i took it outside because there only seemed to be a slight breeze. Once i was in the air for about 5 minutes the wind really picked up fast. I was flying at the other end of the field at this point (upwind) and everything seemed fine brining it back towards me to land ..except that it was coming back really f a s t. I turned it back into the wind, increased speed and nosed down to try to get back to where i was but it was a losing battle. The CX2 was no match for that wind gust today. It was at about 20' off the ground and control of it didn't seem to be a problem at all, just that it was slowly flying backwards when i was full on forward nose into the wind lol. I even slid my thumb up to adjust the forward trim up to help but it didn't matter. The worst part was that it was heading towards the tree line. I was ready to start cutting power to bring it down before it went into the trees but it caught some type of updraft or something and climbed to about 40' in seconds. It went up and up..over the tree line and into the next parking lot.
I couldn't see to bring it all the way down but i did my best to judge and time it so it wouldn't fall too far. When i got to it it looked bad. The two upper blade tips were broken and one lower blade tip was broken.. and the nose was badly cracked in several places. No broken skids, no bent parts and the servos seemed to work OK. I'll let you know how things go. I had no idea i was so darn attached to this poor little heli. I'm not a happy camper as you can imagine and I'm heading out to the store for blades... and some tape. :(

I'll be back!

[swatson144]

The 1st one is always the hardest. You'd think you'll never forget but eventually they all start to run together. Strange thing is it always seems like a watching a train wreck in slow motion.

Steve

[xodarap1]

The thing that bugs me most isn't that it crashed. I would have felt much better about it if i would have messed up input and crashed it. It's that if it would have had more power, i'm sure i would have been able to land it safely, even in that wind. It was that hopeless feeling watching it be over powered by the wind that really got me cuz all i could do was watch.

Anyway, done is done. 3 blades replaced. I patched up the inside of the nose cone with some tape to hold all the cracked pieces together.

The post crash test hover was more like a spin. There wasn't enough trim range left to correct the spin so i had to adjust the main motor proportional mix trimmer port a bit and that worked. I'm glad E-flite had those adjustment instructions in the manual. It hovers fine now. Maybe i'll just tape a styrofoam cup over the front.. or maybe just some large bubble wrap?? lol :)

Q: I noticed that the servo arms have other holes further out. Is there any advantage to using those for more control/travel or would it lead to having too much directional speed without enough lift to compensate?

BTW..My heli's new name is the Terminator! =-)

[swatson144]

Moving the links out on a coaxial would probably do nothing more than arranging for the blades to clash together.

The weights in the flybar might be a better option for a little more control as it is the self centering/correcting part. I know the weights are easy to remove on my lama, leaving only the rubber holder.

Steve

[xodarap1]

OK. I might give that a shot at some point. Thanks Steve.

[atonydins]

when all else fails, weather, waiting for parts, santa, I can always fly my blade cx2 I can even dust the cd rack with the downdraught or chop the tops off the carrots in the garden who needs an organic tinopener!!!

[massenger101]

I got a E-Flite Blade CX2...While waiting for it in the mail I read a lot of reviews about it. So I was very excited. Sadly I have had nothing but trouble with it. The CX2 has crash every time I try to fly it. Not because of me but because It keeps cutting off in mid air. Needless to say I have had to replace a lot of parts (blades, fuselage, skids etc..) I am very disappointed with E-Flite (Horizon Hobby), their so call great product is nothing but a piece of junk. The worse part of it is, when I called E-Flite the guy had no idea what could be wrong. So I just wasted $189.00 on the thing plus more on having to replace the broken parts, and now I have to pay more to send it back to E-Flite so they can try to figure what’s wrong. I ll tell you what’s wrong E-Flite… you are building junk full of false hopes and advertisement.!!!:mad:

[swatson144]

hello massenger101, and welcome to HeliTown. I'm sorry to hear about your poor experience with the CX2. There have been few reports of any problems and certainly none I know of that don't get resolved. Yep it does suck to have to send it back and wait and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. You can be confident that they'll get it straight, and this will all be behind you.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

When dealing with RC helis, it is not always predictable and it does not always work for everybody even for the same heli. There are always one bad apple or two. For Horizon Hobby, you can always get someone to talk to you (I have not called them recently.) Whereas some others like Esky or Walkera, calling them is not even an option.

[archides]

Hope these are stupid questions...Got my Lama V4, my first ever foray into any RC at all. It's more complicated than I thought, and the manual is pretty useless.so it looks like I'll need lots of help (and parts).

1. After a couple of short "flights" in the living room I have a problem where the motor won't respond to the transmitter. The light on the 4in1 starts out steady green and when I push on the throttle lever it turns steady red and no motor response. There is servo response when I move the other toggle. Is this something drastically wrong?

2. If I do get it in the air again, is it worth upgrading to more durable blades or do those break just as easy? Any recommendations?

3. What is the purpose and how do I use the training gear supplied with the heli?

Thanks in advance. I feel clueless!:roll:

[eddiemoth]

Hope these are stupid questions...Got my Lama V4, my first ever foray into any RC at all. It's more complicated than I thought, and the manual is pretty useless.so it looks like I'll need lots of help (and parts).

archides, welcome to HeliTown. that is true about the manual and that is one reason why we all create boards and clubs to help each other and you are just in the right place.


1. After a couple of short "flights" in the living room I have a problem where the motor won't respond to the transmitter. The light on the 4in1 starts out steady green and when I push on the throttle lever it turns steady red and no motor response. There is servo response when I move the other toggle. Is this something drastically wrong?
Hmm this kind of strange. You sounded like your 4 in 1 is working OK. Does this happen even with your battery fully charged?


2. If I do get it in the air again, is it worth upgrading to more durable blades or do those break just as easy? Any recommendations?
There is not much to upgrade for esky lama. Just buy some spared ones and try to fly it in a bigger space. My thought.

3. What is the purpose and how do I use the training gear supplied with the heli?
The training gear is to help you land easier and less chance to damage your blades. Feel free to ask questions.

[archides]

Thanks for your reply! I tried charging the battery twice, still no motor response. Looks like everything is plugged in.
????

Is there anyplace that shows how to use the training gear?

thanks!

[eddiemoth]

Here is how to install training gear on Blade CP. http://www.helitown.com/TrainningGear.html - Your training gear may not be exactly the same but at least it give you some ideas.

[archides]

thanks eddie.

anyone have any other ideas on the no power thing?

[eddiemoth]

It is not possible to have both motors go wrong at the same time so I wouldn't speculate that it is a motor problem. But since you RX gets the green light, it means your 4 in 1 receives signal. Is your motor wire plugged in correctly? Is your throttle trim is all the way down?

[archides]

I tried plugging and unplugging all the connections-no help. I keep the throttle down as well as the trim when I turn on the Tx. I plug in the battery after the Tx is on. Not sure what else to do. Now I get a steady green at first, turns to red at mid-throttle, then steady green at full throttle. No response :mad:fromthe motors.

[eddiemoth]

It seems like you touched everything that could cause the problem now. So the only things left are the motors and the ESC in the 4 in 1. Between the ESC and the motors, I would check the ESC first. Do you have a LHS close by that you can bring it in for them to check for you? They may have spared motors and 4 in 1 to test for you. If you have a friend who can lend you 4 in 1 and motors just for testing, that would also be helpful.

[Rick]

Here's my progress so far. Aluminum upper/lower heads with blade grips (uses Llama blades now, that swivel on impact) experimental "sport" canopy (painted on a cold day, paint snuck under masking tape) carbon fiber tailboom assembly, and working retractable landing gear.

Still need to solder motor leads to the silver-brushed "extreme" motors before installing them, installing thicker (and greater pitch) rotor blades. Also gotta finish assembling and painting the Bell 222 (Airwolf) body that the retracts were designed for.

I'll probably take retracts off when using the sport" configuration and install the new "unbreakable" skids. for scale fun, I remove the battery tray, tailboom, and rotors. Attach the retracts, slip the body over the rotorheads, reattach rotors. It's like two different aircraft.

Flight performance now is a bit, well, squishy. With the extra weight of the retracts, the helicopter seems to respond slower, and if there's any abrupt control it feels like the helicopter takes a second to "settle". Thicker blades and more authority from new motors should fix that.

[archides]

Well, I tried a new 4in1 with no results. Throttle down solid green, throttle up solid red. Now I'm getting frustrated...Is it possible that both motors are shot?? How can I test them?

[mtpenguin]

I would think that since they both work together, only one would have to be 'shot' in order to stop the 4 in 1 functioning correctly.....

Hey Rick, Nice looking bird!

B-)

[G-MRM]

Rick, I would remove both motor and run them up using any 3 to 6v battery, They shopuld spin up fast with no load. I think they un-plug from the control box.

I can't see how both are worn-out at the same time! So once the control box sets up, you can go to fulkl throttle, the red light comes on but the motors don't spin or just spin too slow to take off?

Martin

[cmktech]

I am thinking of picking up a CX2 for me and giving my lama v4 to my girlfriend. What do you guys think?

[eddiemoth]

The CX2 is great. I like the short TX antenna. It is so convenience to fly indoor especially in a small room. With the 2.4 GHz DSM technology, I never experience a glitch and you only need 4 AA battery packs. I fly both Lama and CX2 and I think l like CX2 better - they have different characteristic when flying.

Yeah, let get your girlfriend into the hobby. Tell her there are a few female pilots on the forum: the broker, cmaxim and mrs ranger. Let get her in to join the female team.

I am not sure where you live in the Bay area but if you are closed to Mountain View - buy it from the grandrc website and pick it up from the Grandrc store (you'll save some money). I think Hobby Town USA also carries CX2. My faverite one is in the Fremont Hub.

[cmktech]

I actually am a College Student at UC Merced but since I am on break I go back and forth between Mogan Hill, CA and Discovery Bay, CA

The first step in getting her to fly is getting her registered on here :). She also said she wants a pink helicopter. Great.....

[eddiemoth]

That is great. The female team always want more female members to join as they always feel like minority with this hobby. So I am sure they are happy to hear that. I am sure we are going to see some more pink helis on HeliTown. :-)

[cmaxim]

I actually am a College Student at UC Merced but since I am on break I go back and forth between Mogan Hill, CA and Discovery Bay, CA

The first step in getting her to fly is getting her registered on here :). She also said she wants a pink helicopter. Great.....
cmkech,
Pink will be cute ! Mine is red. Please, encourage your girl friend to join our team.
Chinda

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10009/Chinda_013_714x535.jpg

[cmktech]

Where is the cheapest place to buy a CX2?

I will give the gf my lama and fly the cx2 myself :).

[clamman]

hi im looking to get a cx2 is there a good flight sim that i can try first before i buy and crash the cx2 into little bits thanks in advance

[eddiemoth]

I heard Rich said Clearview has CX2 model but you have to buy a cable to use SIM.

[clamman]

I heard Rich said Clearview has CX2 model but you have to buy a cable to use SIM.

rich can you use a game pad/joystick with clearview or do i have to buy a the whole kit? dont have the extra money to waste?

[mtpenguin]

PhoenixRC is the only simulator that *requires* a special cable, and even then, it can use standard Tx's with that cable.

Clearview uses windows joysticks, so any joystick / gamepad will work with it.

You can get a USB Tx for ~$25 that works as a windows joystick(s).

B-)

[eddiemoth]

...and you can try Clearview for free for I think 14 or 15 days. If things don't work out for you, you just don't buy it.

[swatson144]

Actually Clearview has a timed free trial like 60 mins or something so if you use the trial don't walk off and leave it running like I did.

I bought it

Steve

[clamman]

Actually Clearview has a timed free trial like 60 mins or something so if you use the trial don't walk off and leave it running like I did.

I bought it

Steve

do you like it and is it good for a newbee who never flew a heli does it have a training mode to help me learn

[eddiemoth]

It is worth what it costs - I wouldn't compare it to G3 though as G3 costs $200. I have all what I need for a SIM with Clearview. There are more things I have time to learn and explore about it. The only problem which I see it in other SIMs as well is for some small models, they get too small to see really fast and you have to bring back the heli or you lose the orientation. However, I have not had time to figure out how to fix that if there is a way. It is way better than FMS.

[swatson144]

do you like it and is it good for a newbee who never flew a heli does it have a training mode to help me learn

I hadn't noticed but yes in the newer versions it does have "autopilots". Eddie wouldn't know as he has proven to be scared of using up all his unlimited lifetime updates:razz: lol. The auto pilots control selectable axis so you don't have to. Check it out http://rcflightsim.com/

Another free sim is HeliSimRC and I'm liking it! Simple 1 heli 1 field no fuss just fly. Sometimes I swear it's as hard to learn to use a sim as it is to fly a heli. Seems pretty realistic as my 3d even looks like it does in real life. The other sims make me look like I know what I'm doing. Besides it's great fun to lift off and fly away, turn NI and hit full dragrace stance back at you. Done correctly the heli will hit the wall behind you nearing 50mph lateral and 0mph vert. Yep it tells you how hard you hit.8-)

Steve

[clamman]

thanks for all the help one more question am i goingthe right way and getting the blade cx2 for a starter heli?

[swatson144]

You sure as heck ain't going wrong! That's like asking am I going the right way with a caddy as my first car.

Steve

[clamman]

You sure as heck ain't going wrong! That's like asking am I going the right way with a caddy as my first car.

Steve

thanks for all the help you guys are nice to newbees like me i think i will go buy it this week after i play with a sim a little one last question would i be better off using a tx with the sim or will a game pad work as well and if a game pad what one and if i use a tx can i use the one that omes with the cx2 thanks guys

[eddiemoth]

It is good to use a TX because that is what you use to fly your heli.

Steve is right, I am still with version 4.49. I have not downloaded the free upgrade once.

[clamman]

[QUOTE=eddiemoth;15764]It is good to use a TX because that is what you use to fly your heli.


what is a good tx to use for the clearview sim (how many chanels do i need)for the cx2 and can i use the tx that comes with the cx2 or should i buy a practice tx?

[eddiemoth]

I use the Blade CP TX with one of the Milehighwings adapters. Im not sure about the cx2 TX as when I look at the back of the cx2 TX I see the trainer plug is different from Blade CP TX. I want to see it is OK as long as you get a right cable for CX2 TX trainer plug but I would strongly suggest you talk to the guy at Clearview and ask for his recommendation. He is quick to answer questions. Click on Support and there is an email address you can send for support question. Check this page for different TX and cables that work with Clearview http://rcflightsim.com/controllers.html It is best to check with him so you don't have to waist money buying the wrong stuff.

[clamman]

i need help again i downloaded 2 sims and they have different control setting on the tx left stick -up and down speed right and left moves tail right and left
right stick up and down nose up and down right and left roll right and left
the other -left stick -right and left roll right and left
what is the right setting for cx2
thanks again

[eddiemoth]

The set up should be the same for every heli - the left stick should be should be for rudder - left and right and speed up and down. Right stick for up and down nose up and down right and left Roll (http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/glossary.php?do=viewglossary&term=44) right and left.

[eddiemoth]

For those who have Spektrum DX7 and CX2, check this (http://www.spektrumrc.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleID=1658) out in case you want to fly your CX2 with your Spektrum DX7.

[clamman]

has anyone used the clearview sim with the practice esky tx (is that esky ok to get the feel of a real tx) i have the clearview sim but just using a game pad right now

[swatson144]

I do use the Esky 4 chan usb sim box for clearview, FMS, and helisimrc. Works great. It's the ubiquitous ~25$ usb tx. I love it.

I fly with a Futaba 9CHP but I don't want to be running the batteries down to sim. The Esky USB requires no batteries.

I was worried about not training on the switches but in real life I have no problem. Generally I even manage to hit TH at the moment of impact and don't have to change the gears. Sometimes it seems like I have to change everything else though.

Eddie, I should stop teasing you about the updates as you are only 34 versions behind which ain't bad. :p

Steve

[mtpenguin]

Hey Steve, I know the CX/2 doesn't have auto-rotate, but as long as your talking about it, does that other new free simulator have the ability to practice that? The one you fly into the wall behind you to see how fast your going?

B-)

[swatson144]

I just now tried. It has a TH which seems more like it locks out the pitch than cuts throttle. Hitting the R <Ctrl> key seems to be an instant crash. I do a pretty fair job of autos when needed on the helis. it may be a setting I have as I seem to recall something about pitch and throttle in it.

Then tried Clearview and it works like a champ I can auto from way high with the fury 30 I normally fly in it.

Steve

[swatson144]

The lack of auto on HeliSimRC was operator error. I never had the throttle channel mapped to the same axis as collective. Once I did that I was getting very real autos for a mini. That is much above a dozen feet it was just controlled crashes. Around eyelevel you can even flair and move a little before it goes dead stick. Not much energy stored in them lil blades.

Steve

[mtpenguin]

Cool, I'm going to have to try this HeliSimRC....

B-)

[Mark _australia]

Hi there guys I have just joined and have some Blade CX2 questions (my first heli). Trying to figure out these forums though!! There is only the 7 Sticky's under coaxial choppers...... so I have to post in those? There is not a new thread for each question? ... so in this Blade CX sticky there may be tons of questions right?

Hope I am on the right track here

Thanks

[eddiemoth]

You are in the right place Mark and welcome. You can post here or create your own thread in the coaxial forum.

[Mark _australia]

OK cool. I find it a really strange format though: somewhat unconventional amongst web forums but anyway.

Well first question:

got my Blade CX2 flying well in my house, and after I flew it the first couple of times in a big basketball stadium I found it didn't bank as well as I expected. With full forward, about half rudder, and full roll it will turn in a nice fast arc but nowhere near as well as the video footage that came with it appears. I guess I get about 20deg roll max.
Is that about the limit for a Blade CX2?

[eddiemoth]

Hi Mark, the video is a commercial sale script to get you buy it. :) I think it is all it can do for a coaxial heli that small. It is designed for slow moves for newbie pilots. Once you are good with CX2, get a Blade 400 or a Trex450, it will bank as fast as you want it or even more :)

[Mark _australia]

Yes I think so too! Glad it is just not me. Thanks very much for you fast help.

[Mark _australia]

OK next one guys. Sorry there is lots :)
On my Blade CX2, towards the latter half of a flight the green light turns solid red for a couple seconds then goes green again (the light I mean is to the rear of the 4in1, the one that indicates ready for flight)

I always assumed it meant low battery as it goes red so I hover or land and it goes green.
However yesterday I flew a little longer after it first went red, the throttle response was still pretty good, and it went red about 4 or 5 times in two mins. When I charged the battery it didn't take quite as long to charge as normal so it could not have been that flat.

Now I wonder if the red light means over current / too hot / warning slow down ;-) or something??

[mtpenguin]

No, it just means maximum draw of current. It is drawing all the C it can from the battery. This will happen even with a full battery with full up collective. As the motors heat up, and the battery discharges, the light will come on easier and easier. When it stays on constant just to hover (no movement up or laterally), then the battery is getting low. On my CX/2, I've warn down the sleeve bearings on the motors, so if I go above certain rpm (just above hover) I get some vibration / friction in the motors and the light turns red, sound changes even with a full battery.

B-)

[Mark _australia]

Great thanks for that. I have noticed it is on a lot now as I get better....... at crashing that is ;-)

Can't wait to upgrade to a 400 size though!!

[mtpenguin]

You will love it / them. My B400 is way too much fun to crash. Love it.

B-)

[Mark _australia]

OK crashed it again.
I bent the steel bar with the weights on it which runs horizontally on the top of the rotor head (flybar??).
Can I straighten it enough to get it to fly, or will the smallest amount of bend cause the rotor blades' pitch to change?

[admin]

Try it. I think you may get it straightened enough to get it fly again. By its look, it does not seem to have anything to do with the pitch, as CX2 pitch is the curve of the blades. I've never done that before so let me know if you can straighten it and it flies OK.

[Mark _australia]

The way it seems to work is that it has a rotational torque (gyroscopic thingy effect) such that if the heli rolls, the bar moves and it adjusts the pitch of the blades "unevenly" so the heli will automatically roll back and self correct?
That is why I thought a tiny bit of bend may be enough to throw it out.

I'll try and we'll see!

[mtpenguin]

Yes, a little bend will introduce the dreaded TBE, and other things. You can straiten them. I think it is more important to get the weights in the same place than the bar being perfect on the way to the weight. Like tracking main blades on a CP.

I clipped off the ends of the stock flybar to put CF tube over the wire and a couple collars to re-weight them. The CF keeps the bar straight so it is much easier to bend back after a crash.


B-)

[marc_maf]

Hay, Just registerd after reading quite a lot of your posts all over the fortum.
First things is to thank all of you for sharing your hints and triks.:D

I ended up reingniting a long and formally lost kinds dream of flying RC heli's.
I got the CX2 just recently and crashed it quite a lot already (small room to fly at home). nothing really big, I changed to the Al parts for Eflight and I am waiting for the µHlei's battery holder thingy.

I would like to ask a question strait out of the blue.
Any tips on making/taking the srews out if this blue locktite is on?
Removing the factory srews was hell dificult and I was basically afraide to detroy the heli befor eI could get the srews out :(.

Cheers,
Marc

[eddiemoth]

Marc, welcome to HeliTown. I am glade you found us. I have not had experience that I need to remove blue locktie. I am not sure if you can use CA debonder for blue locktie. I checked this website here and they say, use heat. http://www.loctiteproducts.com/questions.asp?answerme=125#cat125

[mtpenguin]

I got some locktight (not the brand) from the LHS that is just for small vibration screws. It was red. You may want to get something different for when you put them back. I haven't had trouble with the red stuff the LHS sells.


B-)

[Firadiz]

I got some locktight (not the brand) from the LHS that is just for small vibration screws. It was red. You may want to get something different for when you put them back. I haven't had trouble with the red stuff the LHS sells.


B-)

I think that the red loctite is permanant. The blue is temporarly and you can loosen with a little heat. The problem with Loctite, is that it is only for metal parts on the heli, like the CNC; you can not get it on plastic, as this acts like ca on it, regaurdless if it's blue or red. I don't know if the brand that you got from the LHS, since it wasn't Loctite, is the permanant or temporary kind.

[Firadiz]

Anyone having trouble with the CX2 battery mounting? It seems that the balance lead and discharge lead gets stuck between the mounting clips when I put the lipo in. I'm seriously thinking about a mod to where placing the lipo is easier. Any suggestions or is it just me that is having issues placing the battery in the mounting slot?

[marc_maf]

I haven’t had any problems with placing the battery in the CX2 stock battery tray.
I place the leads toward the backside of the bird because the electrical wire is long enough to attach it the lead from the receiver/ESC. I have had some problems with the plastic stock part so I changed that with an Al part made by microheli. I am quite happy with that “upgrade” as it seems and feels more stable.

[Mac]

Hello I just registered like 10 min ago. Im new at this rc heli stuff. One thing Ive learned is that the battery, 800mah does not last long enough for me to learn how to fly the darn thing. I have two of them and blow through them before I can learn anything.

Can anyone out there tell me if its possible to mod the battery area to accept a larger battery like the Aligns? If so, HOW? Im going nuts here. Ive upgraded to the Xtreme Blades, they really rock and have saved me some big bucks.

Ive been reading your posts and you guys are very good and Im hoping one of you can help me out.

Thanks for any and "all" advice.

Mac:(

[mtpenguin]

I did all my initial 'real' learning on a CX/2. Went through over a hundred packs in it. Would get close to 7 minutes with active flying. I simply bought 4 batteries and the polycharge4 which can charge all 4 at the same time. So, aside from letting the motor(s) cool down, I could fly continuously, and did. Now the common sense batteries are the same form factor as the stocks so you can get them for $12.

B-)

[mtpenguin]

OH, and welcome to the forum!

B-)

[marc_maf]

yes welcom mac, I also just started in the CX2.
I bought a second LiPo pack to keep it in the air at least 2x 7-8min.
you could of course buy more LiPo's but in my "limmited" experiance 7.8 min is lang enough to crash :( thus long enogh to learn to fly :)

I wnet ahead and bought the B400, but reallize that I still have to burn quite a lot of CX2 time before I get this one up in the air.

[mtpenguin]

Make sure you use training gear on that B400 until you can hover it well.


B-)

[Mac]

Thanks for the advice guys. I still want a bigger battery. Ha. Thanks for the welcome.

[marc_maf]

I am having problems with one of the motors installed in my CX2. It gets much hotter compared to the other one. When I turn the rotor manually (inner shaft) I feel a point where the rotation is blocked. It doesn’t repeat at the same position every time this seems random. Now I have carefully looked at the gear and it seems that ones in a while the pinion and gear do not lock in correctly (one pinion teeth blocked with one gear teeth = teeth strike??? ;) ).

Has anybody had a similar experience?
Is there a way to correctly adjust the distance between gear and motor pinion?
What is the lifetime of the stock motor?

Hopefully soon I will also be able to share my experience with others instead of always having questions…
Thanks people..

[mtpenguin]

I had over 100 packs through my stock motors. Make sure the collar on the top of the body, below the lower rotor head is as far down the shaft as it will go. If that collar is loose, it will let the gears move down away from the motor pinion, and may bind against the opposite motor.

Gears are cheap, if the teeth have warn.


B-)

[Mark _australia]

Sorry guys: cross posted form the Sim thread but one of the Blade CX2 guys will know the answer to this probably?

Very frustrated. Lots of questions.
I'm trying to use FMS and HeliSimRC on a PC running Win XP. Tx is the standard Spektrum one that came with my Blade CX2 (LP5DSM). Mode 1 Tx.
The interface cable is a USB that I bought on eBay, it came with FMS on disc so I assume the cable is FMS compatible.
Nothing works.

(1) When I plugged the Tx into USB the Tx was turned on, as soon as I plugged it in, it turned itself off (digital display died). Huh WTF?
Lucky I noticed the alkaline batteries were getting **** hot so I stopped!!!! Obviously the USB is powering the Tx and the non-rechargeable batteries don't like it.
Tested the Tx with the Blade CX2 and it still works thank god.
Plugged it in to USB with no batteries and nothing happens, no beeping, no red LED, no voltage display. So the USB is not powering the Tx??? WTF?

(2) regardless of what sim I use it won't calibrate or map or anything, it is as if the Tx is not connected. Well hardly surprising as the Tx is not behaving as if it is turned on. Is my cheapo Tx simply not compatible with any sim's?

(3) I have tried with and without the trainer switch engaged. I would think that is only for buddy box.... but do I need to hold the trainer switch all the time? (hope not!!)

Be nice if there was ANY info on the Tx in the CX2 manual. I know it is a basic unit but there is a trainer plug so the manual should at least cover it

[Mark _australia]

Now ascertained that the TX must be working even if the lights are off.... the computer recognises it and has PPM under game controllers. Unplug it and PPM disappears. Still can't get the sticks to move anything in the calibration of HeliSim or FMS. aaarrgghhhhh!!!!

[swatson144]

USB is 5v and most TX require more. I doubt USB is powering the TX. More likely something is wrong with the cable and it is shorting the batteries. AFAIK all real TXs must be powered up to work on a sim. There are sim boxes like the esky that work just like a pair of usb joysticks no fuss no batteries no problem. I use the Esky

Steve

[Fishgovno]

Ok I got my 4 in 1 finally and installed the **** thing and the chopper is airborne again but I still have to fart around with some of the settings.
Speaking of which does anyone know or can you post a pic of WTF the swashplate is suppose to sit on the shaft,I replaced mine with an aluminum one (got talked into it at LS) and I forgot to mark the shaft so it goes back in same spot..........HELP!!!!!

**** thing!

[Firadiz]

Are you talking about these??

http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2050&d=1207441539

http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1933&d=1204499764

These are pics that I had posted in other forums that give a closeup of the swash on MS.

[Fishgovno]

That looks like the swash plate is flat against the colar,if that is right mine is mounted way too high ...crap!

Please help.

I thought it was to be mounted higher. :(

[Firadiz]

You are talking about the CNC lower head assembly, right? If so there are a couple of things I can suggest.
1. Place the swash on the MS with the pushrods from the servo attached. This gives you an idea of where the swash should be in relation to the collar. Mine looks like it is low, but that is because the servo gears are pushed to lowest position. In actuality, the swash is about 1/4 of an inch from the bottom of the swash to the top of the collar when the servo is at midpoint.

2. place the arms that connect the swash to the lower blade assembly on. Make sure that it is on properly. The longer slit goes in the arm. refer to the following thread.
http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19909&postcount=42
http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19939&postcount=43
This will control the slop.

3. I believe that the MS has a screw hole in it for the set screw that holds the lower blade assemble to the MS. The lower blade assemble has a set of holes on the upper side and a set of holes on the lower side of the assembly. The set screw goes into the top set into the MS. The bottom set of holes is for the set screw up against the ms.

This should remedy the situation. If not let me know.

[Fishgovno]

Ok so after looking at the pics and at my aluminum swash plate I see it has to be in the right position but I question the plastic push rod and the slits now,**** and I am at work,I was going to bring the BCX2 with me to play a bit,dammit!
So the long slits go down?
or up?
From what I read I understand the long slits go down.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

[stickbowguy67]

I just picked up a new CX2 just this Saturday, it does have a new 3-in-1 control instead of the 4-in-1, plus it has the new upper aluminum hub. The only thing I dont care for is the charge time, I had one battery take almost 2 hours to charge:( I only have 2 batteries right now so the two hour wait to fly sucks. I hope they get a little better as they get charged more. Has anyone else seen this yet?

[Firadiz]

Ok so after looking at the pics and at my aluminum swash plate I see it has to be in the right position but I question the plastic push rod and the slits now,**** and I am at work,I was going to bring the BCX2 with me to play a bit,dammit!
So the long slits go down?
or up?
From what I read I understand the long slits go down.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

Yes, that is correct. The longer slits DO go down. Those where the pics I had before I had flipped the plastic piece. I'm sorry that wasn't clear.

The only thing I dont care for is the charge time, I had one battery take almost 2 hours to charge:sad: I only have 2 batteries right now so the two hour wait to fly sucks. I hope they get a little better as they get charged more. Has anyone else seen this yet?

Yes. It depends on the charge rate of that charger. If the charge rate is 1C then it should take 1hr to charge and about 20-30 min to balance and top off. If the charge rate is lower, then it will take longer. You don't want a higher charge rate then 1C for lipo due to hazzards with fire. refer to these threads.
http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2137
http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100

these threads give an understanding how a lipo works, glossary terms you should know, and why it takes time to charge.
The time it takes depends on how much the "juice" the battery has. Remember with lipo's do not go below 3.0V per cell or you will over discharge the lipo and rendering it useless!!

[stickbowguy67]

Thanks Firadiz, I try not to run it that far down but I notice the only time I can tell it drops in Volts is when it wont lift the heli any more. I hope thats not to low?? I just need to watch my run time I guess and keep it around 5 min.

[Firadiz]

Thanks Firadiz, I try not to run it that far down but I notice the only time I can tell it drops in Volts is when it wont lift the heli any more. I hope thats not to low?? I just need to watch my run time I guess and keep it around 5 min.

Actually it is too low. The best way to find if it is time to stop is if you constantly have to increase throttle to keep the same height. Try hovering time it. When you see that you have to increase the throttle just to keep the heli at the same altitude, that is the time to stop flying and take out the lipo. Mark the time. Then use this time as a baseline for future flights. That time should be around 5-8 min. Remeber to let the lipo cool before charging, and let cool after charging.

[Rick]

both my stock 800 mAh and aftermarket 850 mAh batts take around two hours to charge using the included charger.

I just picked up a new CX2 just this Saturday, it does have a new 3-in-1 control instead of the 4-in-1, plus it has the new upper aluminum hub. The only thing I dont care for is the charge time, I had one battery take almost 2 hours to charge:( I only have 2 batteries right now so the two hour wait to fly sucks. I hope they get a little better as they get charged more. Has anyone else seen this yet?

[kile22]

Has anyone used the carbon fiber tail boom upgrade? It replaces the back plastic section. I was wondering how you remove the plastic without destroying it.

[Firadiz]

Are you talking about the red/ blue plastic piece of a boom. There are two plastic rods that go through each plastic shell and goes through the frame of the CX2. Each of those plastic rods as a rubber stopper on it. Carefully slide the rubber stopper of of the plastic rod on one end, and then remove the plastic rod form the other end. When you do this the front canopy should come right off. The back boom is still attached via the landing gears. Just pull the landing gears off, which then should free up the back plastic boom piece. When putting on the carbon boom, I believe that there are 2 double stick tape you have to put on the servo for the right distance ( if it is the same plastic boom the i used to use). It will say on the instructions if it does, I believe that it stated to use 1 for Cx, and 2 for cx2 for proper spacing. When I said be careful when sliding off rubber stopper, is that it could crack the plastic canopy. If it does, no big deal, just CA it.

[Renator]

HI -- this is all new for me. I bought a Lama V4 and it burned up. The motor froze and burned it and the 4/1 controller. The dealer who sold it to me decided not to repair it but to swap it out for the CX2. I've not had a chance to fly it yet, but hope to this coming weekend.

How does it perform outside? I'm excited to try it out in calm weather. I did get the other one (the Lama) to the point where I had trimmed it out and did some real basic maneuvers on the floor of our basement.

[jaizon]

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum and r/c helicopters. I am picking up a CX2 tomorrow and would like to fly it with my DX7. I see that some of you do that so I know it is possible. Is there someone that could post a walk-through for setting it up - or point me to an already existing thread? Thanks.

Preston

[Firadiz]

I'm new to this forum and r/c helicopters. I am picking up a CX2 tomorrow and would like to fly it with my DX7. I see that some of you do that so I know it is possible. Is there someone that could post a walk-through for setting it up - or point me to an already existing thread? Thanks.Welcome to Helitown Jaizon. The link below shows a walk through. Hope it helps.:)
http://www.spektrumrc.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleID=1658

How does it perform outside? I'm excited to try it out in calm weather. I did get the other one (the Lama) to the point where I had trimmed it out and did some real basic maneuvers on the floor of our basement.Welcome to Helitown Renator. The Cx2 and Lama V4 are best flown indoors. If you fly them outside ensure no wind, completely calm, becasue of their co-axial FP design micro design. Both the CX2 and Lama are good helis, one from E-flight the other from Esky.

[Renator]

I've messed up my new CX2 body --- canopy and rear. It still can be flown and I'm reluctant to replace the parts until I get better at using it. Here's my question --- what are your thoughts on getting the same body as the original or replacing it with an upgrade? I've noted online there is a canopy and rear boom that may be more stable outdoors. Please advise. Thanks.

[swatson144]

Nothing you can do will make a coaxial a good outdoor heli, so I wouldn't let that figure into the decision. The Broker flew a tailless Lama around for a while. We called it Bob.

Steve

[nardizzone]

anybody know why the cx2 will pitch left when goin forward,thanks

[poolshark69]

hi im a newbie and i purchased this cx2 and started out with the training gear and everything was great......then all of a sudded when i was flying it shut down like i didnt have any power and it crashed, not a bad one........everthing seemed okay and then a couple of flights later, after i shut the heli down the blades keep going for a couple of seconds (throttle and throttle trim are both shut down) then they shut down......now im reluctant to fly it because of this problem......I noticed that when this happens and i am facing the nose of the heli the light on the left side of the 4 in 1 goes out, when the light comes back on the heli shuts down.....its like its not binded for five seconds then it comes back......i called the support number and they never heard of this happening so naturally they recommended a new 4 in 1..........has this happened to anyone else or does anyone have any suggestions????

[Ranger 2]

hi im a newbie and i purchased this cx2 and started out with the training gear and everything was great......then all of a sudded when i was flying it shut down like i didnt have any power and it crashed, not a bad one........everthing seemed okay and then a couple of flights later, after i shut the heli down the blades keep going for a couple of seconds (throttle and throttle trim are both shut down) then they shut down......now im reluctant to fly it because of this problem......I noticed that when this happens and i am facing the nose of the heli the light on the left side of the 4 in 1 goes out, when the light comes back on the heli shuts down.....its like its not binded for five seconds then it comes back......i called the support number and they never heard of this happening so naturally they recommended a new 4 in 1..........has this happened to anyone else or does anyone have any suggestions????

Hi My wife asked me to help her with this as I have more knowledge in this area. Firstly I would check all of your servo & motor plugs as I have heard that in some instances if they are not making full contact it can cause the rx to glitch. Then I would rebind the RX first & try again in a low level hover only, that way if it falls you wont do any damage. If it still happens I would sugest that it is almost definatly a problem with the 4in1.
Hope this helps.

[schmooot]

Are there any batteries besides the ones made by e-flite that work with the cx2?

different brands maybe....higher capacity...same plug setup

[xodarap1]

Sure. There are a few different packs out there if you shop around. I don't ever plan to buy more batteries for my CX2 but if I was, I would get these and just run a JST-deans plug adaptor with it, or change over the plug end itself.

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6787&Product_Name=ZIPPY_800mAh_2S1P_15-25C

You can add yourself to their notification list so that when they come back in stock, you will get an email notification.
Shipping is pricey, but the price of the batteries is low. ;)

[xodarap1]

Here is another link and they are in stock.. a great place to buy with fast shipping and great customer service:

http://rchover.com/inc/sdetail/66544

[achilles99]

I had this same problem. You are using a MONO cable, and you need a STEREO cable to make it work. As someone mentioned, you are shorting the battery and making it hot. Get a stereo cable, and the problem will be solved. Let me know if this works.

Sorry guys: cross posted form the Sim thread but one of the Blade CX2 guys will know the answer to this probably?

Very frustrated. Lots of questions.
I'm trying to use FMS and HeliSimRC on a PC running Win XP. Tx is the standard Spektrum one that came with my Blade CX2 (LP5DSM). Mode 1 Tx.
The interface cable is a USB that I bought on eBay, it came with FMS on disc so I assume the cable is FMS compatible.
Nothing works.

(1) When I plugged the Tx into USB the Tx was turned on, as soon as I plugged it in, it turned itself off (digital display died). Huh WTF?
Lucky I noticed the alkaline batteries were getting **** hot so I stopped!!!! Obviously the USB is powering the Tx and the non-rechargeable batteries don't like it.
Tested the Tx with the Blade CX2 and it still works thank god.
Plugged it in to USB with no batteries and nothing happens, no beeping, no red LED, no voltage display. So the USB is not powering the Tx??? WTF?

(2) regardless of what sim I use it won't calibrate or map or anything, it is as if the Tx is not connected. Well hardly surprising as the Tx is not behaving as if it is turned on. Is my cheapo Tx simply not compatible with any sim's?

(3) I have tried with and without the trainer switch engaged. I would think that is only for buddy box.... but do I need to hold the trainer switch all the time? (hope not!!)

Be nice if there was ANY info on the Tx in the CX2 manual. I know it is a basic unit but there is a trainer plug so the manual should at least cover it

[-HiGh-FlYeR-]

Hi I'm new at this got my CX2 not to long ago still learning the trick of the trade but i want to know if any one knows any cool tricks with it, and i seen on the net that some people got it to go inverted which from the understanding of the people I've been talking to say it's impossible and if it is possible how do i do it or do i need to upgrade me CX2?

[eddiemoth]

Welcome to HeliTown! You can't fly it inverted.

[Old man]

Just got a CX2 this week,
the weather has been kind and for the last few days no wind.
so lots of time in the garden. Its a great machine for a beginner "thats me"

ps. havn't told the wife yet so have to keep it hidden

[eddiemoth]

ps. havn't told the wife yet so have to keep it hidden...

Glad you have a good time with it and yes keep it away from your wife or she'll take it away from you. lol

[-HiGh-FlYeR-]

does any one know how to get more air time? I'm thinking maybe a larger battery with a over current protection fuse harness or is there any stronger engines i can get and where?

[swatson144]

does any one know how to get more air time? I'm thinking maybe a larger battery with a over current protection fuse harness or is there any stronger engines i can get and where?

Actually you should split your flights in 1/2 so the motors don't get so confounded hot. They'll last much longer. More batteries of the same are the accepted answer. I'd fly for 4 mins take a short break to cool the motors do another 4 mins, break and pack change and repeat. The break only needs to be a couple mins. Then again motors are only 20$ a pair and they are available with fuses now.

A larger battery will add more weight which a coaxial isn't very fond of. It won't be nearly as capable of arresting a quick decent (to avoid ceiling etc), plus more strain on the motors = more heat/shorter life. If money isn't a concern you could probably kludge in a premium pack like a thunderpower 1000mAH which possibly would weigh about the same as the 800mAH. I went the route of several more cheapies and just made do.

Steve

[-HiGh-FlYeR-]

im not really concerned about heating up the motors because i got heat sinks on it but im also trying to make it strongest and heaviest as possible so maybe it can take more wind. I'm ordering parts from www.horizonhobby.com to make it all aluminum maybe that will work a bit but then again with more weight u need more power. I guess if theres a will theres a way. thanks

[Chiefy 707]

1st off let me start with the admission that I'm a noob. I saw a video on Youtube and thought, "Cool! I can do that! I gotta get me a CX2!"

So I got me a CX2 and was really impressed with how complete it came. All you need is some time charge the LiPo pack and you're good to go.

...That is until I actually had everything set to go and it was time to fly. I had never flown any R/C heli before, save for a few minutes with a really cheap imitation Picco Z micro. That doesn't count though since going up and down and spinning in circles is barely controlled flight. And, watching so-called newbies fly their BCX2's on Youtube with absolute precision gave me a false sense of confidence in my 1st flight.
My so called 1st flight took place at my sister's apartment. I watched the included video so I felt I knew what to do. All that happened was alot of spinning and drifting while the heli was still on it's skids. I was simply too scared to add throttle in that tiny room. So I figured to hell with it, I took it to work to fly it in the shop.
So now there I was in the vast expanse of the shop. Surely I could shine in there with all this room. Nope. I added throttle and shot for the ceiling. Crap! I killed throttle and fell for the floor. Crap! Added throttle! Crap! Kill throttle! Add, kill, add, kill! Oh no wall! Kill, crash!!! It was a cool $200 yo-yo I had there and I didn't even get to use the right stick!
That night after visiting the LHS for wisdom I thought about what was I doing wrong. 1) I never used rudder and never had control of the tail. 2) I needed to learn my orientation. 3) The BCX2 is not an R/C car. I must not and cannot use the control sticks as if I were driving an HPI Savage.
That was over 2 weeks ago and now I can fly the little effer with confidence. When it's just me I can fly pretty good. But when I get an audience I try to show off costing me quite a handful of blade replacements and my brand new Marine gunship body.

So that's my BCX2 story and I'm still a noob and I still have a question or two.
I used to really be into R/C cars, so I know my way around NiCd's and NiMH batteries. But I quit about 3 years ago and suddenly LiPo batteries are all the rage. I believe I already ruined my original battery since it seems to lack punch and doesn't seem to hold a charge for very long.
Anyways my question is, can I use another LiPo charger other than what came with the kit? I read in the manual and watched in the video to only use the included charger to charge my LiPo packs. Am I really limited to it? I'd like to get an aftermarket LiPo charger. One that can tell me cell voltage as well as having an adjustable charge rate. Since I'm limited to an 800mA charge rate will the stock charger be sufficient? My whole quandary being that I now have 4 battery packs (including 2 Tenergy 900mAh packs) and I want to get them charged ASAP as the day goes by. Am I really limited to waiting 2 hours per pack? I think by typing this I just answered my question. I should go ahead and get another charger just so I can charge more than 1 pack at a time.

Okay so here's another question. I've just read the included instructions that came with the Tenergy packs and it states something about wiring orders and it states "reversed direction array, blah blah and many other brands such as blah blah and E-flite. Charge method: connect to the polarity-reversing adaptor, then connect to the charge port" Um, I didn't anything about a special adaptor at the Boomtown Hobbies website. I haven't charged the packs yet an I'm not going to until I understand what this means. Anyone know?

Anyways sorry for the long post and thanks for any help.

[swatson144]

Welcome to HeliTown chiefy.

http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=45 will give you a good start on lipos and charging.

Unfortunately there is still no standard in balancing taps (what is likely being referred to in your manual) and some brands have the most positive side on one end and some on the other. Fortunately they seem to all be setling on JST XH connectors. I use blinky balancers and charge through the power wires this combo fits every brand I run into with few adapters.

Steve

[Chiefy 707]

I've been reading around the web and apparently I don't have to worry about any stinking adaptors:D Then clicking on this link led to clicking on that link and then that's when I learned about the DN Power G2 balancing charger which sounds like everything I've been looking for in a LiPo charger. I'm sure there are similar and comparable chargers to this one but so far the only one I know of is the Cellpro one.
I've come to learn that the kit charger for the BCX2 charges in safe mode to only 90% of capacity. Simply put, that sucks. But it has me wondering if upgrading to a better charger will lead to faster charge times, so will it?

Anyways, sorry for being such a noob and thanks for any and all help!

[swatson144]

You are pretty much stuck with a 1 C charge rate. There's a few chargers out that claim to safely charge faster than that. 1 C pretty much means an hour and some change.

Steve

[Chiefy 707]

Oh well. The extended runtime from the Tenergy packs are a real plus. So as long as I have extras on hand that have been previously charged I'm all good.

Anyways I added a few goodies to my BCX2 today: aluminum swashplate, aluminum lower head, aluminum bearing holder, motor heatsink, and carbon fiber tail boom. Flew through 2 packs and though I didn't really notice any performance differences, outdoor flight (with low wind conditions) is finally a whole lot easier. Also, I do notice that I seem to fly alot smoother now too. Apparently the new parts give me a tad bit more manuverability when it came to flying inside the house. I was going from room to room with zero crashes.

However one caveat being that when I ran plastic parts I didn't really have to worry about things shaking loose or have any fear when it came to most impacts. My first crash with the new parts happened inside the hobby shop when I avoided a trophy and ended up tagging a bottled water. I busted all four blades as well as cracked my new tail boom where it mounts close to the frame. Crap, but no need to worry. Gap filling CA did the trick and from there I was able to put in 2 packs worth of flight time.

Can't wait for sunday! Sunday is R/C day at work since none of the managers are around!

[yamatoMdMx]

WARNING - Noobie question!

Can someone tell me about the actual learning curve involved in flying the CX2? I'm really interested in getting a RC heli, but since I have no one to teach me how to fly, I need one that I can learn on my own (without demolishing it in the process). Will a complete noobie like myself be able to fly a CX2 without a coach? Any input is appreciated. Thank you.

[swatson144]

Sure, the coaxials are the easiest of the easy to learn. Give yourself plenty of room and constrain yourself to the center of it. Go slow and take your time. If you can already pat your head and rub your tummy (independent hand coordination) it'll go quick. If not you'll be a little slower starting until you learn to do different things with the 2 hands.

The only reason a beginner could crash a coaxial is rushing it or getting close to another object. Take your time and be cautious and keep the tail towards you. You'll have big fun!

Steve

[Chiefy 707]

Wisdom of a fellow noob lol

-Have spare rotor blades on hand. Upper and Lower. I can almost guarantee you will crash.
-Keep control of the tail. If you dont have control of the tail, you don't have control of the heli. I still forget that.
-Proper setup and trims sure make flying A WHOLE LOT EASIER
-Keep you initial flights indoors. Your BCX2 hates wind like a vampire to sunlight.
-Small and gradual control inputs.
-Watch the included VCD!
-Keep practicing!

I have probably crashed and busted rotor blades every other flight in the beginning. I probably flew about 2 packs a day worth and got my orientation and control familiarity down in a bit over a week. Now when I take off I'm completely confident in just punching the throttle since I'm fairly familiar with my throttle (which differs in punch from pack to pack) that I can get into an easy hover. From there I'll just keep on hovering until I'm comfortable with my orientation. This entire time I'm using nothing but the left stick. I am using some right stick, but only to counter any tendencies that the heli is showing. Only when I feel I have my orientation will I use the right stick to do whatever I feel like doing. Forward figure 8's and backward figure 8's just to build more confidence.

I am still far from being an expert in R/C co-ax heli flight but I feel really confident now when I fly. I'm no longer buying blades everytime I visit the LHS at least. I can also say I can fly just as good as all those people in those CX2 Youtube videos, well except for people flying through shelving units or off of cruise ships! Hope I helped at least a little bit, good luck!

[rcfeind]

Hello Everybody!:D

[rcfeind]

Hello Eveybody,

I just joined this morning.

This is RCFEIND,

I'm New to this Forum, Ive been into rc aircraft for some time now & I wanted to share some of my videos from you tube.

These are all Videos on My Blade cx & Cx2 there are some fun videos and there are also how to mod & repair videos. I also Made the music in all my videos myself.


This is my Newest video!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edited & Removed my Videos that were here

[rcfeind]

Edited - Changed Info

rcfeind

[Genghis]

Greetings all, I am brand spanking new to RC Copters.
I used to do RC Cars, Losis's Traxxas and lots of Tamiyas, but on my last visit to the LHS I found that it was time for a change.
So I got a Blade CX 2.
I figured it would be a new challenge.
OMG that turned out to be an understatement!
I charged my bird up checked the servo action as the instructions said to and then after re connecting the motors ever so gently applied throttle.
My helecopter started to spin viciously in a counterclockwise direction, these were not "the nose drifting" this was a full fledged corkscrew.
anyway after calling support for advise they had me adjust the potentiometer pots on the 3 in one, Its better but im now getting drifting and im cant seem to find a happy medium that will counter the corkscrew and allow me to trim out the drift.
Has anyone else encountered this in their Copter?

[swatson144]

Hello and welcome to HeliTown.

The yaw axis is usually in need of attention. Even with a heading hold gyro that is working perfectly you must control the tail. If you just think of it from a perspective point...if you hold a pencil out in front of you straight out, moving it to one side or the other will make it "no longer in line" even though it never yawed. I mention this simply to point out that as we fly we also have to drive the tail. Just a part of the experience.

It is fairly usual with the coaxials to need to hold some stick to keep it straight. Even if it is trimmed out perfect at the beginning of the pack it'll likely drift later. Some stick is a small amount like barely off center. You can use the trim beneath the rudder to make it more manageable. If it's drifting no more than the second hand on a clock it's OK and call it practice to keep it in line (or fiddle with the trim if you wish).

One of the first parts of learning to hover is to learn to keep the tail towards you, so all your stick inputs make sense. This includes correcting for drift and perspective. I simply wanted to put the above out as many newcomers expect the heli to lift off and only do what it is told. (prior rc'ers are the worst :D )

I'll bet someone more familiar with the CX2 will help you if you need more help on the pots.

Steve

[Genghis]

Wow,
Thanks for the advice, Im so glad that I found this forum, I'm feel like I wont be going it alone.

[mr360]

Had my first crash with damage today. Was not bad though just broke back of landing skid so snapped other one to balance out. Day 3 of flying was going back n forth to quickly when i hit a chair. have to keep trimed way left to stay straight. and hold some rudder. Let the rudder go n came back to quicly n bumped the chair. was only 3 feet or so so wasnt bad. Im having a blast so far just need some spare batterys.

[eddiemoth]

Sorry for the first crash but it is OK and it wouldn't be the last one. Just fix it and keep flying. Is time to try a bigger and better on yet? :)

[BobinNJ]

I have a large chip out of a book case about three inches off the floor. Wife said it was the CX2 but I'm pretty sure she did it with the vaccum cleaner. Guess we will never know :-)

[Mindless23]

Thinking about picking up a used, rebuilt CX2 at my LHS this afternoon for 100 bucks. Now, I'm not at all a terribly experienced pilot, but I can do some good forward flight with my Coronas, and I'm even getting to where I can hover that little Novus CP. lol.

So in your honest opinions, will I still be interested in the CX2 after flying it for a few months, or should I just hold out for larger helis now that I have a bit of fixed and collective pitch piloting under my belt?


Mindless

[mtpenguin]

I'd hold out if I were you......


B-)

[xodarap1]

Ditto.. i'd hold off. It didn't take long at all for me to get the hang of and then quickly tired of my CX2. Just too many limiting factors with it. And i sold it for 1/4 what i paid for it.. even with the spare parts and charger. If i was to start over and learn it all again, i would start with a high end SIM, then one or two cheap 450 T-Rex clones and some spare parts and lots of lipo's to keep them in the air.

[Mindless23]

Cool. That is pretty much what I had in mind, but I tend to get excited over what looks like a good deal to me. Thanks for bringing be back to reality guys! lol


Mindless

[swatson144]

My experience was that if you already know your orientations then the CX will be very boring. It's not really worth much to nose in practice because you have many chances to get it right when you err. However if you can gather with others and fly indoors I bet that would be a blast.

Steve

[mtpenguin]

I still think he'd have more fun chasing around everyone elses CX's indoors with his Novus CP...

They'd never be able to catch him!

B-)

[Mindless23]

Haha, you make a good point there penguin, I have enough indoor fliers as it stands now, lol. Although, that Novus is a little scary indoors. It's pretty squirrley on takeoff, and it has only ever done damage to itself on my hardwood. Grass seems to be the preferred surface to fly above, the taller the better! lol

[lilbill]

Hey guys,
I'm relatively new at the helicopters, got the CX2 for Christmas this year, played with it for a month or two, and just recently rediscovered it. As I've gotten better, I've tried to fly it quickly diagonally, and have had something like a blade strike when trying to go from north east to south west. I think its the thing above the two rotors (Flybar right?) and the lower blade hitting, as the weights seem to be missing more and more paint. Many blades and a full body later, I'm getting a little frustrated. Is there any way to fix this, by making the bar shorter or something like that?

Billy

[mtpenguin]

You can make the bar shorter, and / or lighter (remove or lighten the weights).

That did it for me. There are 3rd party shaft sets you can buy that space the blades out further to prevent that strike also.

B-)

[don_m8856]

Hey guys,
I'm relatively new at the helicopters, got the CX2 for Christmas this year, played with it for a month or two, and just recently rediscovered it. As I've gotten better, I've tried to fly it quickly diagonally, and have had something like a blade strike when trying to go from north east to south west. I think its the thing above the two rotors (Flybar right?) and the lower blade hitting, as the weights seem to be missing more and more paint. Many blades and a full body later, I'm getting a little frustrated. Is there any way to fix this, by making the bar shorter or something like that?

Billy

What we have here is the blades striking each other when you move fast. this is a common problem for the blade cx2. There are aftermarket parts to fix this problem here are a few links for the parts. one of the first items you need is a longer inner shaft. check each of the web sites completely as each offer many neat upgrades for the cx2. Hopes this helps :D

Don

http://www.xtremecx2.com/servlet/StoreFront
http://www.flyrcrivesud.com/promotion2.html
http://www.eboyztoyz.net/index.php?ncat=00829&gclid=CMHRpNTxlpsCFYJM5QodFBQmqg

[lilbill]

Ok I've been looking at those sites, would you suggest getting the Racing Conversion Kit from xtremecx2,com or the racing conversion, SL50, and SL71 from flyrcrivesud,com? I'm looking to boost the power of my heli anyway.

Billy

[don_m8856]

I guess the choice is yours to make ! I have not owned a blade for years now and when I did I had only the longer shaft installed on mine. I would check out some web sites and see if any one had made the upgrades and how they like them.

Don

[pinnycu]

Good post. I appreciate it

[res3567]

I recently repaired my BCX2 after a bad crash and now in shudders at full throttle and it either goes left or fast foward when I try to lift off. I have noticed that sometimes the lower controll post or that thing which is above the swashplate sometimes will slide up. I have tightned it numerous times and even bought a new hardware set and it is still sick. Any suggestions? I am starting to get a little frustrated.......

[swatson144]

Check that the AR pin is in the bracket.

Steve

[aeproberts]

Completely new pilot, who just got the CX2 for Christmas. Like a moron I went and flew it day one with zero training (flown planes and driven rc cars a lot before so I should know better).

Anyway, I predictably crashed pretty good. The bottom landing gear cracked a little bit and I broke a bottom blade. I replaced the blade but now even with the trim all the way down by copter seems to move forward when attempting to hover. I realize much of this is probably pilot error, but even with the trim all the way down on the right joystick and me holding the stick fully down the copter is still moving forward.

Did I mess something up when putting on the new blade? Is there further adjustment?

Appreciate helping this noob in advance.

[thumbtime]

check C of G try to move batt towards the rear?

[Redliner]

First post......hi I'm Bruce. I have a CX2 and am learning to fly it. Have replaced blades and never had problem but after the last ones, now the copter takes off with severe forward movement. I cannot adjust the trim settings to get rid of it on the handset. Can I adjust the little box on the heli itself? When I asked the hobby shop owner to 'trim" my copter before I took it home, he was adjusting it "on the fly". Quite amazing really. How do I do that? I won't try it on the fly, nowhere near that skill level and probably will never be.

[BobinNJ]

Did you run the flybar balance test before you flew?

[hirschbj]

I am a newbie to this hobby and as such I am good at trying to destroy my CX2. On my first flight, the flybar took off after a serious crash. I found that a paper clip fits the holes perfectly to keep the flybar in place (I trimmed the paper clip and bent it so it stayed in place). Then I tried flying in the living room and hit a metal chair, cracking one of the bottom rotors. I applied a little scotch tape to hold it together and put a similar amount of tape on the corresponding rotor to maintain balance. It hovered perfectly. Trying to maneuver it around a lamp, the other bottom rotor hit the lamp and lost about 1/4 inch on the end on the leading edge. It still hovers beautifully. I then put it away for about 24 hours only to realize that I had not disconnected the LIPO. When I plugged it in to charge, I got the flashing red and green leds to indicate it was not charging anymore. I used an old trick from the NiCad days and put the LIPO in the freezer for about an hour. When I plugged it in to charge, the red and green leds flashed for about 30 seconds then went solid. The LIPO charged perfectly and gave me a solid 7 minute flight. After reading so many problems people are having, I was wondering if I am just lucky or the CX2 is exceptionally robust.

[eddiemoth]

Hehehe, sounded like your CX2 got beaten up a little bit. I found my CX2 durable too. One day, my wife flew it out of control and it went all the way above the roof of a two story home and dropped all the way to the concrete floor. It only got a small damage on the canopy and it still flies great afterward. So I would say that CX2 is very durable. I still have it now.

However, I have not tried putting the lipo battery in freezer before like you did. That is new for me. :)

[BobinNJ]

I recently repaired my BCX2 after a bad crash and now in shudders at full throttle and it either goes left or fast foward when I try to lift off. I have noticed that sometimes the lower controll post or that thing which is above the swashplate sometimes will slide up. I have tightned it numerous times and even bought a new hardware set and it is still sick. Any suggestions? I am starting to get a little frustrated.......

Any other ideas? Mine is now doing the same thing. Funny thing is I was flying. I landed and when I went to take off it just layed down on its left side. With full right stick, it goes forward out of control. Never crashed but it is two years old. Something just got tired and broke I think. The pictures in the book don't help you see the head that well.

[Ranger 2]

I am a newbie to this hobby and as such I am good at trying to destroy my CX2. On my first flight, the flybar took off after a serious crash. I found that a paper clip fits the holes perfectly to keep the flybar in place (I trimmed the paper clip and bent it so it stayed in place). Then I tried flying in the living room and hit a metal chair, cracking one of the bottom rotors. I applied a little scotch tape to hold it together and put a similar amount of tape on the corresponding rotor to maintain balance. It hovered perfectly. Trying to maneuver it around a lamp, the other bottom rotor hit the lamp and lost about 1/4 inch on the end on the leading edge. It still hovers beautifully. I then put it away for about 24 hours only to realize that I had not disconnected the LIPO. When I plugged it in to charge, I got the flashing red and green leds to indicate it was not charging anymore. I used an old trick from the NiCad days and put the LIPO in the freezer for about an hour. When I plugged it in to charge, the red and green leds flashed for about 30 seconds then went solid. The LIPO charged perfectly and gave me a solid 7 minute flight. After reading so many problems people are having, I was wondering if I am just lucky or the CX2 is exceptionally robust.

What type of battery was it ? Was it a stock eflite or after market (eg flightpower or outrage)? I have heard of people doing this and the battery puffing or worse case catching fire.

[ellyka112]

Just ordered one for cmaxim. It is in high demand specially right now when it is close to Christmas and New Year. HH said they may arrive and be shipped early December but is not sure how many they get. They said first come first serve and did not sound like a promise. So I hope to get on the list for that group. I have not seen it at my LHS yet. I see Blade CX1 now is on sale at least on the two websites I visited: grandrc and deetee. They sell it around $170. I think when more Blade CX2 helicopters are in the market, it will drive down the price of Blade CX1 even further more. However, I begin to see how HH manages their Blade CX2 supply right now to hold up the Blade CX1 price. I'll keep you all posted with the progress and its performance.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/Gallery/EFLH1250-9.jpg

I just wanted to drop a couple of Blade CX2 video links. A couple of things I just found out. The included Li Po charger can charge 2 and 3 cell Li Po pack. So if this is your first heli and you are planning to go with Blade CP or another helicopter that uses 3 cells next you are ready for it until you go further beyond 3 cells. The LP5DSM transmitter included with the Blade CX2 is equipped with Specktrum 2.4GHz DSM so it only requires 4 "AA" batteries in stead of 8 like a typical 72 MHz transmitter.

[yosemite]

Need Help!

Blade CX2 crashed from 6' up in living room, not a bad crash. I think the throttle was all the way down. After crash 3in1 kept blinking red/green. Tried to rebind but no go, still red/green blink on the 3in1, receiver seemed to be damaged.

Got new receiver, seems to bind, goes from blinking to solid red. 3in1 still blinks red/green. Tried new batteries in receiver and on heli, still blinking. Throttle on receiver is all the way down as is throttle trim, all others centered.

Talked to efilght and after going through the bind process with them on the phone they said it was the 3in1 as the receiver goes solid red during binding, 3in1 always blinks red/green. Got new 3in1 and the it still blinks re/green.

Anybody got any suggestions?

[yosemite]

FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Called eflight tech.It seems that the polarity has been reversed on the new AR6110E receiver. The black wires all go on the print side of the receiver where it says, batt, throttle etc...

The older receiver was the opposite the black wires all went on the back side of the print!

[Skytrek]

Thanks for the heads up!