Air Hogs Reflex Helicopter hacking and Fixes
Got my hands on the Air hogs reflex Rc indoor helicopter. Ok ,this guy is fun, but really unstable. Buying it for a kid is not a good idea as they will not have the patients to learn it or get used to the instability it has. It likes to act like it's swirling a toilet bowl, and has some other problems that simply make it not a good toy for a kid.
For an adult, one that likes to hack things, that's another story. first things first, get rid of the dang stickers on the blades, it makes a big difference in stability. Second get a toothpick or coffee stirrer and cut it to be 3 inches long. tape a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch square of a light business card or thick paper to the end and stick the other end in the tail sticking way out. This will help balance it and significantly reduce the rotation and toilet bowl effect.
Second, get rid of some weight. Lots of guys cut off the body, it's really not needed but makes it look less like a copter and more like a science project. I cut out the bottom of the body to lose some weight and give the battery some cooling air. The Lithium polymer batteries are delicate as can be. You can destroy your battery in 2-5 charges if you dont baby it. That means do NOT charge it right after a full run, let it sit for 1 hour and then charge it. Try to limit your runs. IF it's starting to have problems climbing, time to rest and then charge. Try not to run it for 10 minutes solid, 3-5 minute runs with a rest will let the battery cool down. The battery is undersized for it's job and therefore will eat it's self if used like you think it should.
Removing the shrouds around the control fans reduces weight and actually makes it control better.
Here's the down side. They cost from $50 to $65.00 and you can buy a high end one for $130.00 that will not need mods, will not destroy it's own battery, and is far easier to control. so if you can find one cheap, go for it. Lots of garage sales will have it as the kids cant control it and then want to get rid of it.
EDIT: Adding a 1/2 inch wide strip of a business card off the tail works far better than the toothpick+flag or other boom. the larger surface area reduces much of the bad effects of the copter and makes it more controllable.
For an adult, one that likes to hack things, that's another story. first things first, get rid of the dang stickers on the blades, it makes a big difference in stability. Second get a toothpick or coffee stirrer and cut it to be 3 inches long. tape a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch square of a light business card or thick paper to the end and stick the other end in the tail sticking way out. This will help balance it and significantly reduce the rotation and toilet bowl effect.
Second, get rid of some weight. Lots of guys cut off the body, it's really not needed but makes it look less like a copter and more like a science project. I cut out the bottom of the body to lose some weight and give the battery some cooling air. The Lithium polymer batteries are delicate as can be. You can destroy your battery in 2-5 charges if you dont baby it. That means do NOT charge it right after a full run, let it sit for 1 hour and then charge it. Try to limit your runs. IF it's starting to have problems climbing, time to rest and then charge. Try not to run it for 10 minutes solid, 3-5 minute runs with a rest will let the battery cool down. The battery is undersized for it's job and therefore will eat it's self if used like you think it should.
Removing the shrouds around the control fans reduces weight and actually makes it control better.
Here's the down side. They cost from $50 to $65.00 and you can buy a high end one for $130.00 that will not need mods, will not destroy it's own battery, and is far easier to control. so if you can find one cheap, go for it. Lots of garage sales will have it as the kids cant control it and then want to get rid of it.
EDIT: Adding a 1/2 inch wide strip of a business card off the tail works far better than the toothpick+flag or other boom. the larger surface area reduces much of the bad effects of the copter and makes it more controllable.
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