Blade mCPX Grommet Mod Photo

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Gary Puppa

Many of you have heard about the Blade mCPX ‘grommet mod’.  The problem is the ball links that connect to the swash plate are not very tight.  During flight there is a little bit of play between these ball links and the swash plate.  The result is unwanted vibrations.

In the box for the Blade mCPX, you were given some extra canopy grommets.  These are tiny tiny little rubber washers.  You can take these washers and put them on the swash plate balls, then put the links on.  This causes a very snug fit between the ball link and swash plate ball….eliminating vibration.  See photo below showing where the grommets go.

Gary

Blade mCPX Grommet Fix

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How to stop a Blade mCPX from ‘fluttering’ or vibrating.

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Gary Puppa

Finally, solved this problem I was having.   I did the following:

  • Put those extra canopy grommets on the swash plate ball linkages.
  • Make sure the blades are loose.  If you tilt the helicopter to the left, the blades should easily fall to the left.  Same goes if you tilt to the right.
  • There must be no slope / play in the main shaft…at all.  Even 0.5 mm will mess things up.  This is so important.

The only aftermarket modification I have is an aluminum swash plate, everything else is stock (out-of-the-box).

My Blade mCPX can now hover properly and is very stable in the air.  I use the RTF DX4e radio.

Gary

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Blade mCPX Battery Harness Using EFLA7002UM Adapter Lead

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Gary Puppa

After each flight, I need an easy way to measure the battery voltage of the 1S battery that the mCPX uses.  This is easy to do with a 6S pack, but much more difficult with these tiny 1S battery packs.   I created a simple battery harness that allows me to directly connect the 1S battery to my voltmeter.

  1. Take the Blade EFLA7002UM adapter lead and clip off the end (see photo below).
  2. Strip the wires.
  3. From Radio Shack (Source), purchase two banana plugs.  Screw them on
  4. You’re done.

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Blade mCPX dropped like a rock when using the RTF DX4e

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Gary Puppa

I’m flying my Blade mCPX using the included Spektrum DX4e transmitter (RTF bundle).

Yesterday I was flying, about 1 minute into the flight, the helicopter dropped like a rock straight down (about 10 feet / 3m).  Then the DX4e beeped and the LEDs flashed.

Fortunately, the helicopter landed in tall grass, so no damage.  I checked the main gear for slop and verified it was still aligned with the shaft key.  No slop and the gear was still aligned with the key.

I turned the DX4e off and back on.  Power cycled the mCPX and continued flying with no issues.  It could be sunspots…or something else!

Does anyone know what happened?  My DX4e is flagged for update based on the current recall (DSMX transmitters operating in DSM2 mode).  It this what the recall is about?

Thanks,
Gary

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Blade mCPX First ‘True’ Flight

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Gary Puppa

2011-08-17: After fixing the following issues with my Blade mCPX:

  1. Rebinding the TX with the heli. This is very tricky to do. It took me 4-5 tries to get it right.
  2. Main gear has not rotated on shaft.
  3. No slop with main gear on shaft, none!

I am finally able to take it out for a flight. This is my first ‘true flight’ with this heli.
I’m using the included RTF Spektrum DX4e transmitter. There is a bit of wind, but I’m flying with the ‘forward flight blades’, so no problem.
A few more tips:

  1. Power on the DX4e.
  2. Wait 5 seconds to let it ‘boot up’.
  3. Attach battery to mCPX.
    1. * the 5s wait ensures a good ‘binding’ with the DX4e *
  4. Don’t touch the mCPX while it powers up.
    1. * If you touch it, you will confuse the FBL controller

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What’s Wrong With My Blade mCPX – Vibrations and Weird Behavior

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Gary Puppa

I have a new Blade mCPX. It seems to fly okay with the ’3D’ blades, but not with the Forward Flight Blades.

I have done the ‘grommet-mod’, but still, the heli behaves very weird with the forward flight blades. Any ideas?

SOLVED: Believe it or not, the problem was the fast-forward-flight blades were slightly damaged and off-balance. Previously, my blades hit a table leg. The tip of one of the blades lost a tiny piece.

MY THEORY: the tip of the blade was damaged enough to affect the blade tracking…which confused the mCPX’s 3D flybarless gyro and caused the weird behavior. I replaced the blades and it flew fine.

See the photos below showing the difference between the good vs. bad blade.
Blade Damage 1

Blade Damage 1

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How Remove the Notches on a Spektrum DX4e (Blade mCPx RTF Radio)

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Gary Puppa

This video shows you how to remove the ‘clicks’ or ‘notches’ on the throttle thumbstick for a remote control transmitter.

I have a Spektrum DX4e that came with my Blade mCPx. I also have the Interlink controller that came with my RealFlight G4.5 flight simulator.

Both radios have notches on the left throttle thumb stick. As you’re adjusting the throttle, the stick is ‘clicking’ in order to maintain a constant throttle.

Although this is great for airplane flight, it makes helicopter flight difficult. Its hard to maintain constant altitude since I’m constantly adjusting the throttle.

This video shows you how to modify the radio transmitter to remove the metal piece that causes ‘notches’ on the throttle thumbstick.

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Blade mCPX Celectra Charger LED Patterns

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Gary Puppa

The Blade mCPX comes with a 1 cell charger.  Here is a video showing the charging pattern.  Important to know the DONE pattern.

 

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Welcome to My Blade mCPX blog

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Gary Puppa

I recently purchased the E-Flight Blade mCPX remote control helicopter.  I purchased the Ready To Fly (RTF) version which means the radio is included.  Part number BLH3500.

The Blade mCPX is a flybarless micro-heli.  The reason I bought is was because you can do 3D acrobatics with it.  Also, it has been getting great reviews on the Internet and in magazines.

RTF BLH3500 Blade mCPX Flybarless Micro Heli

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