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Setting up a Mikado LOGO Electric Heli

Mikado LOGO Motor Considerations

There are several motor setups that work well for each LOGO heli, and one also has to consider the altitude that one flies at. It seems that all the preoccupation with what is the very best motor is way out of proportion given the abilities of most of the pilots asking the question. Batteries are VERY important for performance, but some people who are complaining about poor performance don't have much of a clue as to how their batteries were assembled or just how much battery performance can vary, and they don't give ANY thought to that issue.

I recently flew with Ralf Buxnowitz at my "flying spot" in Canmore Alberta, and it was a real pleasure to watch him fly his SMOOTH aerobatic routine on his LOGO 10 at only 1550 rpm. His stock LOGO 10 uses my setup - a 600-18, 13 cells, 15T pinion:) I run at a much higher rpm though. He did more, and did it longer, due to his smooth style and lighter heli (mine had steel spindle and ball bolts at the time). Another of his LOGO 10's, a "stretched" version, has a longer boom, 550 blades, and a Tango 45-10 motor, but that will change to a 45-08 soon. It had much power at a constant 1550 rpm.

The method for calculating head speeds for different motor. ESC, pinion, battery combinations is detailed in the FAQ. Dana Ferguson, aka Lost Horizon, has submitted a link for a handy "rpm calculator", which saves punching all the numbers on a calculator while experimenting with different combinations. Also Danal Estes has made this Excel spreadsheet.

Using the procedure shown on the right, I make sure that the pitch max/min and total range is what I want (with the pitch gauge), by adjusting the total pitch throw if necessary and then making the maximum positive and negative values more or less equal, with positive often getting a bit more. This is done with the mechanical setup, not mixing. I currently have my "10" setup for something like +12/-11.5. I do all this with one blade, then set it to mid stick, take an EXACT pitch measurement and make the other blade EXACTLY match it.

The pushrod lengths given in the LOGO 20 manual are for a tame setup, say -3 to +12. Starting with the recommended servos arm lengths for 3-D, what I do these days for setting up the pushrods is: Get the swash level throughout the pitch range. Make the 3 servo arms exactly 90 degrees to the pushrods (LOGO 20) or level (LOGO 10) with the left stick centered (and the arms on the bellcranks vertical w/LOGO 20): First, with the servo trims/sub-trims at neutral, get the servo arms as close to the desired position mechanically by trying different servo arms (they usually come with a variety of different spline alignments) Second, use sub trims to adjust the servo arm position EXACTLY in the desired position. These days I have 109% travel in both directions on the LOGO 20 elevator servo to keep it level throughout its range. This means that my method isn't perfect, or I just notice the mechanical error more now.  Get the swash in the middle. Change the 3 pushrods hanging down from the swash in equal amounts to allow full pitch travel and have the swash not hit/bind at the top and bottom ends of its travel.   Adjust the stuff above the swash (and maybe tweak the stuff in the second step) so that the mixing arms are level and the pitch is 0 degrees at mid stick.   Measure total pitch range and change the swash mix percentage for pitch to achieve desired amount. If your Tx does not have this feature then you will have to adjust servo travels   Tweak the stuff in THIRD step