Walkera Dragonfly 4, Manual

Page 1: ...1 Buy these tools 1 Making a Pitch Gauge for a dollar 2 Proper charging and SAFETY with Li Po batteries 3 Opening the box what should be there 3 What where how to order parts How much 4 WALKERA Tx Swi...

Page 2: ...armed up and the rotor blades whirling above us in flat pitch that is with no angle or bite on the air we are ready We increase the collective pitch The rotor blades bite into the air each to the same...

Page 3: ...before deciding on which items are best for you You first learn to hover and then proceed to maneuvering flight the latter of which is much easier Transitioning back to a hover for landing is a nightm...

Page 4: ...3 RTV silicone sealant VERY important 3...

Page 5: ...2 and 2 5mm Get the best quality you can find 6 Also a 1 16 SAE hex for stripped setscrews Note While you re at it grab 1 5 and 2mm setscrews since you will find stripped screws pretty soon 6 10 of e...

Page 6: ...n left Tx stick When the blade is pitched 5 the upper edge will sight LEVEL with the flybar See prior photo Now make one 8 9 to represent full throttle and 0 to represent idle Note the cutout in the m...

Page 7: ...eBay 3 w shipping h A small SPST switch rated at 5 Amps with solder tabs on it and a soldering gun i Go to Home Depot and buy one of those wall mount lamp timers You still need to watch the charger bu...

Page 8: ...the heli to this device and go CRAZY with all the controls and settings you try and nothing will get damaged It will keep the machine on the ground yet allow FULL tail control through all possible thr...

Page 9: ...will be fine 2 FACTS ABOUT LI PO batteries Li Po batteries have an energy density which is four times higher than conventional Ni Cd or Ni MH batteries These batteries are not as stable as Ni Cd or Ni...

Page 10: ...tely discharge the battery don t cycle them like Ni cads Stop flying before the power starts to fade Regularly check the battery temperature Let the battery cool down after flight charge the battery w...

Page 11: ...uspicious shape So expect the wrapping to be tampered with Even has a carrying handle ew Note The box states 8 AAA batteries are needed they re AA s The heli is twist tied to the base and a foam block...

Page 12: ...the nose canopy from the right hand side of box After removing the canopy lift out the packing plastic and you ll find the LiPo s TAPED to the underside WARNING Sometimes these are shipped CHARGED al...

Page 13: ...when it does not The LED does turn GREEN when the Li PO is charged whether it still draws current is unknown It is 12 6v 1 Amp output Remember Ohm s Law P I x E or Wattage 1Amp x 12 6volts Remove heli...

Page 14: ...y time FYI If the heli is in flight and loses radio signal from the transmitter the receiver is pre programmed to kill the motor after approx 10 seconds It will in effect fall out of the sky Also note...

Page 15: ...d flex wildly The colored tape on the blades red blue is NOT placed correctly Remove them carefully and start from the trailing thin edge of the blade go around the thicker front and back to the trail...

Page 16: ...were sprung inside from the aileron stick so shaking will reveal any issues rattling around inside Go around the radio tighten all hex screws and phillips head screws on the case The retail on this i...

Page 17: ...li Acro 7 CCPM Normal left changes swashplate trim throttle mixing This is NOT a CCPM heli 8 Unlock Lock right Puts PLT PZT knob settings into memory deactivates knobs 9 Pit right Pitch reverse channe...

Page 18: ...left 10 left Here s the Mode 1 35MHz settings for Europe The frequency crystal on the right with the channel number on it can be removed while running a flight simulator This turns off the RF output s...

Page 19: ...der but the motor MUST be deactivated If the servos are moving someone s on your channel do NOT turn on your transmitter I ve seen this cause scary crashes If the servos are calm turn on the handheld...

Page 20: ...ether Leave it off The throttle curve controls the speed of the motor so as you increase throttle raise the stick the pitch of the main blades changes due to the pitch curve setup and the pitch of the...

Page 21: ...his allows the inverted flight and acrobatics which need a high head speed to create a gyroscopic effect from the main rotor It may take years you may NEVER be ready for this stage Many people have be...

Page 22: ...wnward Luckily I had the whole head removed for photos to the next chapter The motor opened up full bore I lost the tail rotor pitch arms 35 022 and the main rotor pitch arms 35 028 The crap flew clea...

Page 23: ...l gears with a metal set make sure to keep your antenna wire away from that area now as you will have metal to metal RF radio noise which will now interfere with the radio control system The only way...

Page 24: ...petroleum distillates and will melt the plastic You could use White Out Any loosening will crack White Out and will be obvious at a glance Addendum Tested this Loctite didn t harm the plastic and is...

Page 25: ...tighten we just want to see metal past the nylon Re attach the blade holder with 2 screws very tight then reinstall the blade paying attention that it will spin clockwise and the little ball link is...

Page 26: ...ar If not bend slightly by hand Mine was bent at least 10 degrees out of the box Mine were so far off this is the difference in length between the 2 sides This will cause vibration and hunting or walk...

Page 27: ...and one side falls down all the way this guarantees the shakes and an unflyable machine We need this flybar to balance as in the photo The L control arms are held by a setscrew probably stripped like...

Page 28: ...get them both in line If not rotate the retainer and relock the setscrew Note that the L control arms MUST also be in line with the paddles and each other All 4 of these items both sides of the cente...

Page 29: ...ine with each other Ditto the L control arms It works Using 2 identical books set the head freely between them with the paddles themselves out past the top of the books This way it rolls freely on the...

Page 30: ...each blade on it and weigh them individually down to a tenth of a gram deviation The red blue tape on the blades is NOT applied correctly and is wrapped from the middle of the blade It also is not ad...

Page 31: ...chine with a 1 5mm hex key inserted through the Jesus bolt shaft hole Slight tail down this battery can be shifted forward or I can use a bigger one This is a 1600 mAH a 1900 is just right NOTE See ho...

Page 32: ...this may be too confusing for most to do You can use putty in the nose of the canopy just as uccessfully More in chapter 7 on the reasons for doing this mod to begin with The tail tube must be 0 with...

Page 33: ...Put the head atop the machine do not reconnect anything Flip the paddle up Flip it down see where it winds up after seesaw Somewhere around level This would be good...

Page 34: ...level blade pitch at about 3 4 the pitch control mixing arms 35 028 should be level also Move the throttle to where the pitch block on the mainshaft is centered in the middle of the up down channel in...

Page 35: ...version Also notice the blades go straight out with no dihedral up wept at all which would make this thing right itself during hover instead of wandering Start with both rods fully screwed in Put the...

Page 36: ...of page 15 As it states you cannot have any up down play in the shaft as all pitch roll yaw in the blades will shift immediately Do not Loctite the 4 screws on the tailtube behind the motor just tigh...

Page 37: ...rward makes it dip forward Up on the throttle makes the rod in the previous photo go UP switch 9 On page 16 in Walkera s manual remove the tail rotor blades b Experienced pilots don t remove them but...

Page 38: ...o hover so we want to increase the pitch on the blades at the blade holders or PZT if you decide to turn 8 off Unscrew BOTH blade holder ball links a half turn and reconnect If the tracking was low on...

Page 39: ...it tilts left right and fore aft Just little movements we have not reset the servos yet That s the next step But try this false flying without the tail blades for say 4 5 15 min flights Let it get BO...

Page 40: ...ntered Maybe 2 3 If you did change the landing struts as in the prior chapter and the whole machine is tipped a little nose down make the elevator servo perfectly level this is one of those things you...

Page 41: ...tion of the machine itself So to compensate for this the tail blades must be pushing air to your right thus pushing the tail to your left or clockwise and in turn counteracting the torque of the clock...

Page 42: ...hat it also increased the total throw on that pitch servo to not just 2 and 8 but 10 and 10 To do that with an electric you re going to need a very ballsy motor and at least 3 4 Amps of battery With t...

Page 43: ...ugh is to find fix your own parts like my mentor a machinist from Sperry Univac did So let s begin from the inside out as this area has always been a sore spot on all helis over the years and this tai...

Page 44: ...e tips until it balances and reassemble the whole thing Note that you need to do this with your Master Airscrew homebrewed units too Do not exceed the original O D which is 5 5 approx I ve found that...

Page 45: ...re at the leading edge of the blades instead of trailing behind Quite simply right rudder on the stick makes it spin right photo above to the right Turning the machine to the left while held in your h...

Page 46: ...tarting point before wiggling then it s too high Also if the servo arm cocks all the way to the end of travel and stays there Another advantage to moving the gyro check the shaft against that rear doo...

Page 47: ...that rats nest inside and run the servo leads around things like the landing strut frame legs below receiver tray etc Let s put this issue to bed now too loop 2 rubber bands through the original holes...

Page 48: ...out of 90 alignment Lose those 2 little weeny screws that stick out the side of the tailrotor gearbox like cat whiskers Next locate the 4 tiny black screws that clamp the front tube of the box onto th...

Page 49: ...um Also scribe the blue aluminum tube with an Xacto knife so you know where to put it again and not lose your trim settings Any shift fore aft of the gearbox will change the angle of the tail bellcran...

Page 50: ...t the tail bellcrank to 90 at half throttle with the trimtab centered This way you have enough to play with in both directions This mod is working nicely on mine and I came up with it when I was down...

Page 51: ...ead linkages and flybar 26 After cooldown I have begun to recharge the used battery for safe storage Note You should take your charger with you because there is usually an outlet around to plug into B...

Page 52: ...t altitude quick by hitting the throttle and get it over 6 Lower the throttle and regain tail orientation In a worst case scenario hit forward cyclic and enter forward flight you turn with left right...

Page 53: ...stripped yet They tend to go by the 4th tail strike Has the tailboom shifted up or down and is it bowed or bent That would cause tons of vibration Disconnect the head linkages does the flybar still te...

Page 54: ...The top disk has the brush which is spring loaded the bottom disk has a metal track near the O D The brush on the upper disk follows and maintains contact with the lower disk s metal track The positiv...

Page 55: ...do it no exceptions In mid July I purchased one through an Aussie seller on eBay and have had tons o fun with the little bastard Both indoors and out With the exception of aligning the flybar paddles...

Page 56: ...skids You really can t use the training rods anyway they add weight and this sucker is underpowered The Dragonfly 22D notice the absence of sim cable kiddie skids or spare blades Seller doesn t appea...

Page 57: ...Top Plate Noticeable improvements are a 3rd rudder servo linked directly to the tail rotor and tailtube support struts Negatives look at that main drive gear wobbles for sure...

Page 58: ...ot here is that flexible plastic pitch link to the blade holders They ll wear out in time Do NOT bid this thing over 85 on eBay not worth it Df4 chassis Prep First start by removing the main rotor hea...

Page 59: ...ite tail motor screws and add a heatsink Don t have one Make it The inner circle represents your tail motor and pinion gear The outer one represents windings of solid copper wire Wrap the wire around...

Page 60: ...You can buy the heat transducing white grease at Radio Shack although it might not be stocked This is noteworthy mod 1 A beefier tail motor They also have a brushless unit See the hole at the tip of...

Page 61: ...minute epoxy or even Loctite at the V joint where the landing struts attach to the airframe both front and rear Vibration causes them to work themselves loose otherwise Notice the head center hub in...

Page 62: ...4 40 The plate can be made from delrin or lexan plastic and sits on the top plate See Top Plate photo near the beginning of the chapter This is noteworthy mod 2 In as much as I asked you to remove the...

Page 63: ...arning and switch to the longer ones right photo for more sensitivity in flight Don t use the longer ones until you re proficient or you ll just crash more easily The longer ones will double the throw...

Page 64: ...ssing it downward onto the shaft the lower end should butt against the swashplate ball and now there should be no up down slop of the swashplate on the shaft This mod with the brass ball is what gives...

Page 65: ...emove the four screws from the top which seat the gear onto the hub Apply Loctite to each and replace just to the point of being snug Put the whole thing back on the shaft and replace botton setscrew...

Page 66: ...ht it down The tape actually may save the blades in case they get smacked Tape can also be used to salvage a blade that s cracked from the rear Just recheck the head balancing Now check and adjust the...

Page 67: ...bushing out through the hole of the opposite one Try not to butcher up the inner edges work slowly as these are tight Now slide out the flybar seesaw Sand both sides of this seesaw by rubbing it in ci...

Page 68: ...ome DF4 s come with a metal head stiffener Drill out the 2 screw holes to accept the 4 40 screws Take the original blade holding screws out of the Top Plate and remove the main blades Now remove those...

Page 69: ...able to fly it That s how much better mine improved Still wanna blow over 2 bills on a collective machine Remember when running any simulator through your transmitter unplug the crystal from the hand...

Page 70: ...Using a train transformer plugged into tail motor run it up and see how it works Should be smooth if balanced If not check again Check gear mesh...

Page 71: ...operates turns These have a Jesus pin poke it out remove little swashplate linkages Pull up off Note that the short swashplate links are for hovering the long ones are for flight If your swashplate d...

Page 72: ...The flybar stabilizer yoke must not bind like this...

Page 73: ...Take it apart and file sand all the high spots that bind Free up all movement on the 2 bearings...

Page 74: ...You can see the 2 bearings here center flybar and put paddles back on and make adjustments until you can balance it well...

Page 75: ...Lock it s position with Loctite Sight them at 0 to each other and center seesaw add some...

Page 76: ...drywall Buy some GOOD hardware at Home Depot Rough filing the tips will help but paddles should not slip Stabilziers can be replaced with coat hanger wire after crash that s what it is anyway reinstal...

Page 77: ...Check mesh with a paper towel lock motor screws with Loctite You can t have up down slop in the mainshaft like this...

Page 78: ...mpresses it down If too long trim with Xacto See how flybar paddles follow top surface of the swashplate like styrofoam floating on water If swashplate binds on that U shaped fork file out channel a b...

Page 79: ...ether Do NOT put the thing in some kinda saddle box next to the mainshaft Make sure you read about the PHA 01 7 30 05 Found a BETTER manual for it And its NEW replacement the PHA 300 Colco Thunderbird...

Page 80: ...corporate the mods I implemented on the Df 4 because this sucker needs ALL of them Since the two models are so similar you ll find that chapter very useful Blade CP Basics Here s a dedicated R C forum...

Page 81: ...y Also throttle trim must be all the way down The idle up aerobatics switch on the right top of the Tx must be set towards the back not pulled forward Unlike Walkera however if it is set wrong the mai...

Page 82: ...procedure with photos Whether new or used you should not attempt flight until you confirm this is done So let s begin Remove the Cap Head Screw 029 Remove the Center Hub Cap 030...

Page 83: ...from the balls of the Paddle Control Frame 031 I will refer to this pushrod from now on as the onion rings Pop the upper Pitch Control Link 006 off the inner Paddle Control Frame 031 balls Now make s...

Page 84: ...o to the rotor head So if it hangs you can try oiling or just replace it Now is the ideal time to check flybar balancing as shown The 2 inner wheel collars 004 may be shifted back forth to attain bala...

Page 85: ...Remove the main blades Note there is no Loctite on the hex nut in the lower Blade Grip 037 so you should add some when you reinstall the blades later...

Page 86: ...Pull the Jesus Pin 035 If you ever lose it a paper clip works fine...

Page 87: ...Unclip the lower ball links of your onion rings Pull the entire head straight up...

Page 88: ...This is the very critical sticky collective mod Using 2 1 5mm hexkeys turn to loosen and remove one of the Cap Screws 013 The other will remain...

Page 89: ...the Blade Grip wrap the Spindle 016 with paper towel and grab tightly with the unserated lower portion of your needle nosed pliers Loosen and remove the remaining Cap Screw 013 the M2 washer 040 and t...

Page 90: ...Washers 015 but note these are shouldered washers The smaller diameter shoulder faces outward so that only the inner race of the Blade Grip ball bearings 014 are contacted Make sure 2 015 shouldered w...

Page 91: ...meter spacer 039 the thin smaller diameter M2 washer 040 the Blade Grip 037 itself the shouldered washer 015 and finally the Spindle 016 Duplicate both sides of the Center Hub Now make sure your Blade...

Page 92: ...Grip Also your ball links must not bind on the Blade Grip balls If so sand the balls with 600 grit fine paper or just replace the whole Blade Grip Replacement kit is EFLH1162 B 8 and now uses 3 ball b...

Page 93: ...s I outline here The manual is not that clear on this Set the forward gyro screw 50 screwdriver notch perfectly vertical Set your tail rotor trim left stick to perfect center and never touch it again...

Page 94: ...ycle the helicopter each time you adjust the Proportional Mix screw Just disconnect the battery and reconnect it so the 4 in 1 can reinitialize with the new setting The goal is to bring the machine to...

Page 95: ...Also I have found the blade pitch links 006 007 to be very loose and easy to turn Turn the links all the way in until the plastic pieces 006 bottom out against each other Now hold one rod stationary a...