With Electric helicopters becoming more and more popular, soldering irons and soldering stations should be on everyone’s Christmas list this year. Don’t just go out and buy any old soldering iron, you need to take into consideration the correct soldering iron or station for the application.

Most of the wires we are soldering with big electric helicopters are 10 or 12 gauge. The bullet connectors can be as large as 6.5mm. With that in mind, you will need a soldering iron with enough power to heat those thick wires and large connectors.  If you don’t have enough heat you will likely create a weak or “cold” solder joint. This can hurt the performance of your helicopter or potentially cause a failure if the cold solder joint decides to break. Most of the inexpensive irons are rated in watts while the higher end soldering stations are a little more accurate and give not only watts but a temperature range the tip can be operated within.

If you are just a weekend warrior that is just going to solder a few wires here and there and never try any new motor or ESC combos, I would recommend getting an inexpensive Weller 40 watt iron. These are available from pretty much any Lowes, Home Depot, or Ace Hardware for around $20 bucks. Get a few extra tips because you will eventually need them.

Now if you are a little more serious about the hobby and want something that heats up almost instantly, is rated for 80 watts, and reaches temps of around 850 degrees F…… You need a soldering station! Weller also makes an excellent soldering station which is the Weller WD1002. Just like any other high end product, they can be hard to come by in your general hardware store as they probably would not sell many of them. This is more of a specialty item that you would need to purchase online. The Weller WD1002 goes for around $300 bucks.

Which ever way you decide to go, be careful not to burn down your house!

Matt

One of the most important things to remember while assembling or maintaining an R/C Helicopter is thread locking adhesive. Preventing threaded metal fasteners from loosening due to shock and vibration is critical on R/C Helicopters. Not all thread lockers are created equally and if used for the wrong purpose can cause catastrophic failures. I tend to stick with name brand adhesives such as Loctite which provide detailed information regarding strength, curing time, as well as compatibility with other chemicals such as oil. Low and medium strength can be removed with a hand tool. High strength may require heat and a hand tool. These adhesives can usually reach full strength in 24 hours with the absence of air. It is very important to clean threaded surfaces prior to assembling to remove any oil residue left over from the machining process. Cleaning can be done with a number of solvents such as acetone, Loctite Primer, or 90% rubbing alcohol. Note: Primers are recommended when working with aluminum, black-oxide finishes, cadmium, stainlesssteel, titanium, and zinc. See Loctite® 7649™ Primer N™. The other “lazy” option is using a Loctite that is resistant to oil, specifically Loctite Blue 243 and Loctite Red 262. These can be purchased at McMaster Carr –> http://www.mcmaster.com/#loctite/=dy6b15

This month I would like to highlight one of my favorite tools the “Dubro Tru-Spin Balancer”.

What many modelers do not know is that none of your spinning assemblies on an RC Helicopter are balanced! Yes, you can generally get away with not balancing these assemblies but lets be real…. Vibration consumes power! The smoother your machine runs the longer it will last and the better it will perform! I use this tool to balance the following assemblies -

• Auto Hub / Clutch Assembly – 16,000 – 18,000 rpm
• Main Gear / Auto Hub Assembly – 1800 – 2150 rpm
• Complete Tail Rotor Assembly – 9,000 – 10,000 rpm

If you are serious about R/C Helicopters,  take it to the next level of modeling by balancing these assemblies!

The Dubro Tru-Spin can be purchased from just about any hobby shop for around $30.00

I will be posting all of the Tips & Tricks for the N5c on the Synergy website. The first post is up, check it out here –>  http://synergyrchelicopters.com/models/tips-tricks/n5c-tips-tricks/

We’ve started training Wolfie, I think he has some potential! Check out the video….

I will be releasing my new rotor blade line “Rail Blades” very soon. My first release will be the 606mm flybarless rotor blade. I’ve been testing these blades on both electric and nitro 600 class helicopters with amazing results. I’ve put a lot of time and energy into developing Rail Blades so that everyone in the hobby can enjoy a better flying rotor blade. Shortly after the 606mm flybarless blades are released I will introduce the flybar version of the 606. Also in progress is a 696mm main rotor blade as well as 96mm and 106mm tail blades. I will keep everyone posted as to where these blades can be purchased and what sizes I will offer in the future.

Thanks!

Matt Botos

This is the update all of you CGY750 owners have been waiting for! Click the image below to see the download page.

I will be in Detroit this weekend with my laptop ready to update anyone that doesn’t have a CIU-2 Interface of their own. Enjoy Futaba’s revolutionary rotational equalization!

Matt

Another encounter with the ever elusive Wolfie! I think this werewolf has an agenda. I let him fly my prototype Synergy N5c again and things didn’t turn out so well. I will do my best to tame this beast!

I’ve been testing Futaba’s version of Piro Compensation and I am simply amazed at the speed at which they produced this incredible new firmware update. With everything going on in Japan, Futaba still finds the time to produce an amazing update to the CGY750! I’ve been flying FBL Helicopters since 2006 and in my opinion Futaba’s version is unmatched by any other flight control system on the market. This puts the cherry on top for me as far as the CGY750 is concerned.  I personally send my thanks from over seas as I am sure everyone else who owns a CGY750 will do the same. Here is a short video which shows some of the new menus as well as flight testing. I hope you enjoy!

Matt

This month I am featuring the “Grippy” tool which is being brought to the hobby by a great friend and fellow hobbyist Bobby Watts. I first met Bobby at the Birmingham Fun Fly when he was just entering high school, at that time he was flying a Raptor 90 and doing mild 3D, man how things change! Since then Bobby has graduated from college with his ME Degree and is now designing products for the model helicopter world under company name “Chimp Systems“.

The Grippy is a tool used for removing the second bolt from the head axle after the first has been broken loose. It does this by using a one way clutch which is pressed into knurled handle to grip the shaft as you twist the remaining bolt. This saves you from clamping on to the head axle with a pair of vise grips and potentially damaging the shaft. The Grippy comes in various sizes so you can service just about any size helicopter on the market today. You can get Grippy at www.heliproz.com for 19.99. Check out Bobby’s hilarious Grippy Infomercial on YouTube! –> http://youtu.be/a_hlx5vlFHQ

Ryan Kephart of RC Heli Magazine did an excellent review on the new Synergy N5c “Contender”.  Make sure you pick up a copy and check out his review!

I’ve been pretty busy with the release of the N5c and the E6 so my priceless tools post is a bit late.

This month the priceless tool is the Digital Caliper. I don’t think there is a day that goes by where I don’t use a set of calipers. This handy measuring device can tell you the outer diameter of a main shaft or a tail shaft, thickness of frames, length of bolts, depth of holes, and many other useful applications within the RC Helicopter hobby. You don’t need to spend a fortune to get the job done unless you are a machinist by trade and need the utmost precision. I use a twenty dollar set of calipers from Harbor Freight which get the job done rather well.  If you want the best of the best,  I would look at a set of Mitutoyo calipers.

Stay tuned for the April tool!

Matt

- Tail Drive System Poll -

(Information gathered here helps decide the future of products released by Botos Design & Distribution)

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Ever break the head off a bolt in flight or by over tightening and wonder “How the heck am I going to get the rest of that bolt out of the helicopter?”. The easiest way I have found is to use the Craftsman Drill-Out® Micro Power Extractor (Model 52155).  This little kit works wonders on bolts M3 and larger, I got mine from Sears in the tool section.

Craftsman Drill-Out

Items you will need -

1. Reversible power drill
2. Center punch helps dramatically but not 100% necessary
3. Penetrating Oil helps but not 100% necessary
4. Heat can also help dramatically, I would recommend a small 20-40 watt soldering iron

There is a very detailed “How to” posted here.

READ THE INCLUDED INSTRUCTION MANUAL FIRST!