Blade CX2

[flightcrazed]

Any one else love this little bird? I love to be able to fly all over my apartment when it's windy as all get out! Just a fun little machine!

[jupiter1]

[QUOTE=flightcrazed;430]when it's windy as all get out! QUOTE]

Yes its a lot fun , 3rd day no outside flights with my CX2 thanks to TS Fay :(

[flightcrazed]

[QUOTE=flightcrazed;430]when it's windy as all get out! QUOTE]

Yes its a lot fun , 3rd day no outside flights with my CX2 thanks to TS Fay :(

Is this my brother?? LoL!! I'm tellin' ya this dang storm needs to move on!!! Here's a pic of mine before I put the blue canopy on it, I like the blue "police" front. I'll work on getting some more recent pics going!

[jupiter1]

Well moving it's not . Latest reports have winds a 60 sustained , forward speed 0 mph . Even worse computer models show a left turn and movement in your general direction .

[flightcrazed]

Well moving it's not . Latest reports have winds a 60 sustained , forward speed 0 mph . Even worse computer models show a left turn and movement in your general direction .

Is this J.D.? My brother just bought a cx2 last week and we are from Jupiter. So if not disegard, lol. I didn't know it went up to 60 sustained. It's supose to come right over top of Gainesville (thats me) tomorrow night. It sure doesn't want to get moving!

[flightcrazed]

Here's a video of me flying outside my apartment..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHEERRv64AY

[CSpaced]

Nice :) These heli's make good conversation pieces at parties.... :D Famout last words - "Watch this.."

[flightcrazed]

LOL!! Your so right! You can fly this thing flawlessly then some one walks up and you dumb thumb it!

[CSpaced]

The best was when we tried to do FFF and then turn it around...it beat itself up in the air.....kept us laughing for hours!

[gkb]

Mine doesn't seem to want to fly more that 1 min. I purchased new battery and still only 1 min flights. Someone told me it might be the 4 in 1 controller. Anyone else have this experience?

[flightcrazed]

The best was when we tried to do FFF and then turn it around...it beat itself up in the air.....kept us laughing for hours!

lol, it is pretty comical to see it do that!

Mine doesn't seem to want to fly more that 1 min. I purchased new battery and still only 1 min flights. Someone told me it might be the 4 in 1 controller. Anyone else have this experience?

Hmmm.. could be the 4 in 1, have yiu checked to see if your getting friction between the inner and outer shafts? Does it fly good for 1 min? no wobble, vibrating, or spinning? What happens after a minute?

[Hellsiege]

Mine doesn't seem to want to fly more that 1 min. I purchased new battery and still only 1 min flights. Someone told me it might be the 4 in 1 controller. Anyone else have this experience?

What charger are you using? Reason I ask is my stock charger was POS from day one... would error and then when it did charge once it took the lipo to 8.7v so high the 4:1 wouldn't arm...

[mcgiveral]

Mine doesn't seem to want to fly more that 1 min. I purchased new battery and still only 1 min flights. Someone told me it might be the 4 in 1 controller. Anyone else have this experience?

I had the same problem with mine and found that the stock motors were shot from lots of useage. I was told by my RC supplier that the stock motors don't have much "good" flight time. So I ordered two ball bearing motors (from E-Bay) with good venting, and what a difference. My flight time shot up to around 12 or more minutes depending on how hard I flew it, temperature that day etc, and the motors were touchable, not like the stock ones that burned my finger after a few minutes of flight time (and had heatsinks on them). I also found the stock charger was crap. So I bought a good charger with a balancer and conditioner, again what a difference. I was told to put a little graphite on the gears and it seemed to help a bit too. I hope all this helps you somewhat. Cheers

[xc edalb]

I agree with hellseige! All stock chargers are junk but i'm forced to use it til I can afford a good one. Donations accepted!;):D JK!! Also check your blades and make sure they are balanced and are not warped.

[xc edalb]

Mine doesn't seem to want to fly more that 1 min. I purchased new battery and still only 1 min flights. Someone told me it might be the 4 in 1 controller. Anyone else have this experience?
I also did go thru alot of eflite 4 in 1's. I bought a aftermarket one on Ebay. It's called a Vortex . I love it .Its way more quicker than the stock ones. Got over 75 flights on it and it has already outlived 2 eflite 4 in 1's!!!

[BIGWHEELS]

Greetings! Just thought that I would chime in! These little guys are a riot! Not much for wind, well at least stock anyway. I know, I know, its an "indoor heli", but hey, who's going to leave this one stuck inside! Changed some goodies and what a difference outside! Flys great! Had a too many crashes outside when stock. Handled like a balloon, blades would hit, and of course, only when at some altitude ensuring maximum damage when finaly returning to the ground!:mad:
It can handle light winds with ease now. We take them everywhere we go. :)



BIGWHEELS

[CSpaced]

Thats a cool pic, was it taken out of a window?

[BIGWHEELS]

Thats a cool pic, was it taken out of a window?

Thanks, it was taken from the balcony. We live in an appartment on the second floor. Its fun to fly up to the windows, the other tenants get spooked.:)

[WavyDavy]

Thanks, it was taken from the balcony. We live in an appartment on the second floor. Its fun to fly up to the windows, the other tenants get spooked.:)


Try putting a flycam on :D:D

[mcgiveral]

Just thought I would add one thing about the landing skids on the CX2. As we all know, they break real easily on a hard landing. I've gone through many. I decided to experiment a bit and I wrapped the skids with two very tight turns of electrical tape in the areas that broke so often, and I couldn't believe the difference. Since I did that, I have been using the same skids for more than two months and I've had some very hard landings when hit by wind. I've broken many other parts but those skids are still holding strong. I haven't noticed any weight issues with the tape, and can't say that such a little amount of tape would make any weight/flight changes. Try it, you'll see! I attached a pic.

[Hellsiege]

Good idea with the tape but it does add some weight. An old rule of thumb that I don't know how true it is with the newer lipos but for every gram you can save you can get another second of flight time out of it. With the planes/helis I've tried to follow this and it seems to work out pretty close. For the skids boomtown + others sell a pair of unbreakable ones and I want to say they were 10 bucks or so last time I checked. There more rubbery but weight close to the same as the stock set. I've had a friend cut throttle at 20ft and watched the heli bounce off the floor and canopy crack before these skids do (he got scared of ceiling fan at top of stairs...) Best of Luck -

Steve

[Eric Olsen]

I LOVE my CX2! I upgraded my motors with an Xtreme SE180 Bearing set. It flies SOOOO much better. And my batteries last longer now too.

I'm interested in hearing about other mods. What mods have worked the best for you?

Eric :D

[BIGWHEELS]

I LOVE my CX2! I upgraded my motors with an Xtreme SE180 Bearing set. It flies SOOOO much better. And my batteries last longer now too.

I'm interested in hearing about other mods. What mods have worked the best for you?

Eric :D

Hey Eric,

Its good to hear that the SE180 motors work that well! I have been interested in upgrading to them. My stock ones are freakin' noisy. So far I have changed the inner/outer shafts to the extended shafts ("Extreme Core Upgrade" which ended up being just the shafts and gears. The included blade grips and lower rotor head didn't last 10min.:mad:), "Extreme" flybar, "Xtreme" upper and lower aluminum blade grips :cool: with hard Blades, E-Flight aluminum swash plate, and E-Flight aluminum lower rotor head. That's not a type-O, they are two different company's "Extreme" and "Xtreme". I think that some of the "Extreme" parts are Lama parts?:confused:
I have been very happy with the upgrades. It was a little too sketchy and unstable at first, but after a little crashing and tweaking, ok, lots of crashing and tweaking, its perfect!
Oh, yeah, I should note, the blades will NOT HIT! EVER!!! That was my biggest peeve of the stock unit. I know, it's an indoor heli and not ment to fight wind or go from full forward and pull full back, but it can now!:clap:


BIGWHEELS

[Eric Olsen]

Hey Bigwheels. I can't say that my new motors were much quieter. They may actually be louder because the innards are exposed by the heat vents. I haven't done any other mods besides this until last night when I shortened my flybar. I didn't try to make my blades hit but it seems like this is going to work for me. It is more responsive but seems a bit squirrely now. Tonight I'll try to make the blades hit later today and report back.

[WavyDavy]

I did the extreme mods and also got some unbreakable skids, which look standard but and quite " bendy". building one with brushless motors to see how that performs.

[Swashbuckler]

The CX2 was my first helicopter. I upgraded to alum as the plastic parts broke. I left the blade holders plastic as they are lighter than metal and don't bog down the motors. I have replaced the motors with the ball bearing Extremes as mentioned in an earlier post. It now has the blue E-flight Jetranger fuselage mounted too. I love to demo it to friends, doing tail in; nose in circles, & pin point landings. It has been a great learning helicopter! :)

[BIGWHEELS]

I did the extreme mods and also got some unbreakable skids, which look standard but and quite " bendy". building one with brushless motors to see how that performs.

Is there alot involved putting brushless motors in a cx2?



BIGWHEELS

[BIGWHEELS]

Hey Bigwheels. I can't say that my new motors were much quieter. They may actually be louder because the innards are exposed by the heat vents. I haven't done any other mods besides this until last night when I shortened my flybar. I didn't try to make my blades hit but it seems like this is going to work for me. It is more responsive but seems a bit squirrely now. Tonight I'll try to make the blades hit later today and report back.


I found that it takes a bit to get used to, but it is worth it for sure once you get a feel for the "new heli". Soo much more control! Good luck on the blade clash check!

[WavyDavy]

Is there alot involved putting brushless motors in a cx2?



BIGWHEELS

Not too bad, but still a bit experimental, theres a good (but long) thread here
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=447808
I've got the motors. rx and gyro, but still waiting for the controllers to arrive so cant get it much futher at the mo.
Basically it has more power, more stable and longer flight times, upto 16 mins seems to be the max, and the motors also run alot cooler.. If you like "Fiddling" with helis then its worth it, if you just want to fly then probably not. I like building scale fusalages, which are slightly heavier than norm, so it means I wont spend as much time only able to hover 6 inches of the floor.

[BIGWHEELS]

Not too bad, but still a bit experimental, theres a good (but long) thread here
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=447808
I've got the motors. rx and gyro, but still waiting for the controllers to arrive so cant get it much futher at the mo.
Basically it has more power, more stable and longer flight times, upto 16 mins seems to be the max, and the motors also run alot cooler.. If you like "Fiddling" with helis then its worth it, if you just want to fly then probably not. I like building scale fusalages, which are slightly heavier than norm, so it means I wont spend as much time only able to hover 6 inches of the floor.

Those are awsome! Nicely done! Do they affect flight performance very much? Would the boom tail fly much better?
(I prefer the look of a scale body over the boom, but want to fly outside more)
Let's see some picks installed and in flight!!!

As for the brushless set-up, I think I'll go with the SE180 upgrade!:eek: LOL

Thanks,



BIGWHEELS

[Eric Olsen]

OK, I tested it:

I for sure got less blade crunching! I did a quick stop going as fast as I could and I did get one small whack. It didn't break the blades and did not cause it to crash. I think it's been the best mod I've done because it was free.

On the motors I only had to replace one of them. I think bushes and tree crashes are hard on the top rotor blade and the motor that moves it. When I went to the LHS it was only $5 more to get the upgrades. Couldn't be happier. :D

This is a vid of my skills about a month into the hobby with my CX2 stock.
http://www.crackroll.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=71&pictureid=667&thumb=1 (http://www.crackroll.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=71&pictureid=667&dl=1)

[CSpaced]

OK, I tested it:

I for sure got less blade crunching! I did a quick stop going as fast as I could and I did get one small whack. It didn't break the blades and did not cause it to crash. I think it's been the best mod I've done because it was free.

On the motors I only had to replace one of them. I think bushes and tree crashes are hard on the top rotor blade and the motor that moves it. When I went to the LHS it was only $5 more to get the upgrades. Couldn't be happier. :D

This is a vid of my skills about a month into the hobby with my CX2 stock.
http://www.crackroll.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=71&pictureid=667&thumb=1 (http://www.crackroll.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=71&pictureid=667&dl=1)

LOL! You actually bounced off of a rabbit?.....too funny :D (Don't worry, the rabbit wasn't hurt!)

[WavyDavy]

Bigwheels, you can still fly outside, and if your carefull, not an awful loss of flying time. But I have lights installed in them so they are quite a bit heavier. The lights are red/green nav lights, 1 x searchlight, 1 x strobe light. as I'm waiting to finish my brushless one to install in them, I fly my exteme modded one with the extreme 180 motors in, extreme blades and all the ali bling bits inc extended shafts. flys well, but the last minuite or so its in ground effect only. Heres a pic of it and the brushless one, (as far as it's got).

[carljw]

I have had my CX2 since Christmas and it was a little beat up ,every inch of the bady was taped up. I striped it all down and found the main gear had a lot of teeth missing, and it still was flyable. I got new gears and oiled it up real good. I bought a new front body got the yellow one and a carbon fiber boom kit. Got it together and poped it up to a hover and flew it around my garage with no triming. I have the Boom town unbrakable skidson since March and the only problem I see is if the heli sets for a while the skids spread out and the nose sets almost on the ground. So I put a rubber band around the front of the skids when it is not in use and that solved that problem.
Carl

[flightcrazed]

Here's a little flying from yesterday at the park.:D Finally the wind died down enough to get out there. But now here comes a couple more storms, Gustav is gonna miss me but ya'll up there in the gulf coast better hang on!:eek: I'm watching Hanna for now. I think the winds around here are gonna be high for a while..:mad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMFuYG2H2ZQ

[BIGWHEELS]

Bigwheels, you can still fly outside, and if your carefull, not an awful loss of flying time. But I have lights installed in them so they are quite a bit heavier. The lights are red/green nav lights, 1 x searchlight, 1 x strobe light. as I'm waiting to finish my brushless one to install in them, I fly my exteme modded one with the extreme 180 motors in, extreme blades and all the ali bling bits inc extended shafts. flys well, but the last minuite or so its in ground effect only. Heres a pic of it and the brushless one, (as far as it's got).

Nice! That looks pretty cool. It looks like there is alot to that boom kit!







Well, we were in Wasaga Beach camping this weekend and I crashed bad. Almost everything is broken or bent. I was really pissed :nothappy: (O.K., I still am) It actually flew out of range! I was told that these Spectrum radios were supposed to have ridiculously good range. "If you can see it, you have control" they said at the hobby shop. "You cannot fly out of range with these radios." The trans batteries are new, and it was a fresh battery in the heli. Baffled after the crash, we tested the range (hind sight is 20/20 I guess) only to find that it really sucks. Our "Storm Launchers" easily have twice the range! Just wanted to let you all know before you have the same problem.
This weekend just happened to be the best flying I have ever done with this heli. Too bad it ended like this. I couldn't believe the speed and control it had. I wish that I had a vid to share, it was very impressive for a CX2. That is until at great altitude, it went out of range, shut off and dropped like a stone.
I am not sure if I'm going to continue anymore with this heli, might upgrade to something with CP or just go back to planes. There is always something to fix on this little one and it has served its purpose as a trainer. I may just be cranky because of the crash, I don't know. :rolleyes:

Has anyone else had this kind of problem with these? Or ever flown out of range?
Is there an alternative with more range? (that doesn't cost an arm and a leg) Can I boost my range on this radio? Is it possible that my radio is defective? Do the DX6i radios have the same (crappy) range?



BIGWHEELS

[Straub]

There were a few incidents with my cx2. For a few days in a row the receiver would randomly reset itself and the bird would fall to the ground in a heap. Never did figure out what was going on with it but it hasn't happened in a while. I purchased a 7C Futaba for my trex.

How high did you go exactly?? :D

[BIGWHEELS]

There were a few incidents with my cx2. For a few days in a row the receiver would randomly reset itself and the bird would fall to the ground in a heap. Never did figure out what was going on with it but it hasn't happened in a while. I purchased a 7C Futaba for my trex.

How high did you go exactly?? :D



I'm not sure on a measurement of distance yet, but when I check the range again, I'll know exactly how far away it was! LOL

I will check this and let you know! I am curious as well.





BIGWHEELS

[BIGWHEELS]

Still in the process of ordering parts for the rebuild, no range test yet, but I'll be sure to let you know. :)



BIGWHEELS

[jasmine2501]

I love the CX2 for flying around the house, but what heck are you guys doing to abuse this helicopter? It does not deserve to be treated this way! I haven't had any blade strikes or anything like that with mine, although I have crashed it a few times, I've never seen it crash into itself.

http://jazzyflight.blogspot.com/2007/11/blade-cx2.html - videos

[Ondrew]

There were a few incidents with my cx2. For a few days in a row the receiver would randomly reset itself and the bird would fall to the ground in a heap. Never did figure out what was going on with it but it hasn't happened in a while. I purchased a 7C Futaba for my trex.

How high did you go exactly?? :D
I've had a similar problem when the heli gets pretty far away (100 meters) it drops from the sky. Amazingly it has survived a "drop off" for each of the three times this has happened so far. If anybody has a way to extend the range please share.

[jasmine2501]

I've had a similar problem when the heli gets pretty far away (100 meters) it drops from the sky. Amazingly it has survived a "drop off" for each of the three times this has happened so far. If anybody has a way to extend the range please share.

The CX2 is not designed to be flown far away outdoors. It's not really supposed to fly outside anyway. The receiver in it (depending on the version) is a full-range AR6100e, which I use in all my planes these days, and I can tell you it has at least a half mile of range. I fly a 2m glider as far as I can see it and haven't had any problems. So, I'm gonna say the poor range is the poor radio. Get a DX7 and see if that helps... I noticed that the heli flies with more precision on the DX7 too, and the mixing options on it do allow you to fix the "rudder makes it fall" problem, by mixing in some throttle to the rudder.

[flightcrazed]

It sure got quiet in here! I haven't had any range issues, and I've flown mine to almost out of site with the stock radio.. Ho far away are ya'll getting these things?

[BIGWHEELS]

It sure got quiet in here! I haven't had any range issues, and I've flown mine to almost out of site with the stock radio.. Ho far away are ya'll getting these things?

It was pretty much just across a soccer field, but it was very high up. I finaly finished rebuilding it, but still have to do a range check. I will post my results when I get a chance to play with it. :)




BIGWHEELS

[jasmine2501]

Across a soccer field (even the short way) is probably too far away to be flying a CX2, but the receiver can handle way more distance than that if you are using a quality transmitter. I regularly fly my 2 meter glider way farther than that with the same receiver and my DX7 - so I would be checking the radio on this problem.

[BIGWHEELS]

Across a soccer field (even the short way) is probably too far away to be flying a CX2, but the receiver can handle way more distance than that if you are using a quality transmitter. I regularly fly my 2 meter glider way farther than that with the same receiver and my DX7 - so I would be checking the radio on this problem.

Thanks, I thought that maybe it was the whole set-up, but sounds like I just need a new radio. The next combo that I'm looking at getting comes with the DX6i, hope that this radio will be good enough to fix any problems!






BIGWHEELS

[jasmine2501]

The DX6i is good, but I highly suggest getting it in your hands and comparing it to the DX7... I did not like the bulky feel of it, and the features it lack can be important if you're getting into more serious helicopters. If you're thinking of the Blade 400... go see the threads about it - it needs a bit of 'help' before you do any serious flying with it. Stock parts are known to fail in flight, resulting in a dangerous situation.

[BIGWHEELS]

The DX6i is good, but I highly suggest getting it in your hands and comparing it to the DX7... I did not like the bulky feel of it, and the features it lack can be important if you're getting into more serious helicopters. If you're thinking of the Blade 400... go see the threads about it - it needs a bit of 'help' before you do any serious flying with it. Stock parts are known to fail in flight, resulting in a dangerous situation.

Thanks for the input! I will be looking into the radios in much more detail now! Will make a choice after some research. The "combo" that had been mentioned is actualy for (brace yourself, this is sacrilegious!:eek:) a RTF plank. Yes, thats right, I said it, a plane.:rolleyes: It comes with the DX6i, but if I find that I will need the DX7 in the future, I will reconsider. (it also uses the same batteries as the heli)
After talking to the people that fly around here, most seem to recomend the T-rex 450. Kinda sold on that heli . . . . for now.


BIGWHEELS

[jasmine2501]

Yeah that Trex 450 is pretty good. I've got one and I really like it. I think you might consider it "the standard" for 400-class electrics... which means there are some better ones and some worse ones, but if you don't want to break the bank and you want something that flies good, the Trex will work. What airplane are you thinking about? You know the Blade 400 can be gotten with the DX6i too?

[toolguy420]

I fly my CX2 with a DX-7...LOVE IT! :oAnybody want to buy a stock CX2 radio in great shape?:o

[CSpaced]

Just as a side note, I have a 6100e in my Trex 450 - and I fly that thing outta sight :)

I also have a buddy who uses a 6100 in his outlaw. If you don't know what an outlaw is, check this thread out on FG.
http://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/fg71/26686-detailed-triple-build-team-outlaw.html

[BIGWHEELS]

Yeah that Trex 450 is pretty good. I've got one and I really like it. I think you might consider it "the standard" for 400-class electrics... which means there are some better ones and some worse ones, but if you don't want to break the bank and you want something that flies good, the Trex will work. What airplane are you thinking about? You know the Blade 400 can be gotten with the DX6i too?

My friend and I are looking at getting this e-flite combo for 5 bills. http://e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFL4800
Seems to come with pretty good electronics for a combo. I like the fact that we can use it with other planes/heli's down the road without having to by it all over again.

Q: Does the AR6100e receiver have to have that extra receiver attached to it to be full range? Or is it just the transmitter that makes the difference? That little extra antenna must do something . . . :confused:



BIGWHEELS

[CSpaced]

Q: Does the AR6100e receiver have to have that extra receiver attached to it to be full range? Or is it just the transmitter that makes the difference? That little extra antenna must do something . . . :confused:


No, the 6100e doesn't have the ability to plug in a sattelite receiver. It is classed as a short range but I (and friends) have found that the range is not a problem for flying small heli's, as mentioned above.

[CSpaced]

My friend and I are looking at getting this e-flite combo for 5 bills. http://e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFL4800
Seems to come with pretty good electronics for a combo. I like the fact that we can use it with other planes/heli's down the road without having to by it all over again.


I know some guys that just got this and were flying them around last weekend, they had a lot of fun with them. They had bought the bind 'n' fly version, no transmitter, and just flew them with their regular radio.

[jasmine2501]

T-34 is a good combo, but might not be the best plane for a beginner. It's a low-wing warbird, and may be subject to "flying heavy" that can be a problem for beginners... but if you have experience with planes it should be good. Just don't stall it - you'll never recover... seen it once already.

Your range problem is not because of the receiver. As I mentioned earlier, you can easily take a 6100e out of sight... your issue is with the transmitter - it's all about output wattage. Strength of a radio signal drops off over distance by the inverse square law... so in order to get twice the range, you need 4 times as much signal at the antenna. The CX2 radio just can't do that, and with Spektrum stuff, when you get to the glitchy range, you start getting lock-outs, which are way different from the temporary brown-outs you get with FM radios.

[Jaws_399]

My CX2 has a very fast tail wag when you give no rudder imputs. and how do your guys get yours to go so fast? thanks

[jasmine2501]

My CX2 has a very fast tail wag when you give no rudder imputs. and how do your guys get yours to go so fast? thanks

That is caused by too much gain on the gyro. You can fly a coaxial a bit faster by keeping it turning. Flying straight ahead or sideways, it will always slow down a bit.