 |
Upgrade
Parts |
| 1. Raptor 30/46/50 -- Metal collective pitch arm -- '3rd' bearing mod -- swashplate -- canopy -- clutch -- clutch liner -- 50 tail upgrade -- metal washout base -- mod to improve washout base -- fix skids for sliding autos 2. Raptor 60/90 |
| Raptor 30/46/50 | ||||
| Metal collective pitch arm ====================   Ron
Lund (Ricks R/C)
has a $30 metal pitch arm for the Raptor 30/50. It is
built very well. I did have to raise the ball links and
bend the rods* to get complete clearance at full travel.
And I had to turn the collective servo around. It comes
with it's own bearings and all bolts necessary to put the
metal pitch arm together as well as bolts to mount the
aileron servo. You will need to re-use the two screws
that bolts the old pitch arm to the frame (page 8, step 6,
items 2 & 3) Note that at full aileron throw, the
ball links might touch the pitch arm. I did two things to
fix this. If you look at the left picture, 'A' shows that
I put an extra 2mm nut between the ball and the servo arm.
'B' shows that I bent the aileron rods.*Note: One suggestion by Kryoclasm, is to turn the two brackets the servo sits on so that the flat side is on top. This will let the servo sit higher and you should not need to bend the links. I have flown several tanks with the metal pitch arm and I can tell a lot of difference with it. The collective has a more responsive/solid feel to it. This was worth the $30 it cost! I can most see the difference doing tic-toc's. I'm not one to upgrade this/that just because it looks kewel. I like the stock Raptor, but when there is a part that really makes a difference then I will try it. I went through the 'metal this', 'push/pull that', and other eye-candy stuff when I flew Xcell's. Now I save my money and only buy what works :) ==================== TT upgrade pitch arm PV0068 $49.99 Should provide the same performance increase as the above metal pitch arm. |
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| '3rd' bearing mod Lee Marshall posted some pictures of the '3rd' bearing mod on his website at RCHeliWeb |
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swashplate
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clutch v1
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| 50 tail upgrade (all Raptor v2's come with
this already): The 50 kit comes with the Raptor 60 tail hub/grips, but if you did like I did and ordered the conversion kit then you still have the stock 30 type hub/grips. If you are doing 3D type flying then I think you need to get a better tail due to all the torque involved with the 50. Also this tail hub/grips add 8mm to the total diameter. The only parts needed to convert my 50 to have the 60 tail are these: PV0148 Tail rotor grips (make sure you get 2 in the pack) PV0151 Tail rotor hub (get 1) PV0200 Tail rotor bearing (get 1, comes with 4) |
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| Modification to improve stock washout hub A simple mod to take the play out of the stock washout base:- Clean the inside of the base with alcohol and then coat it inside with a thin smear of JB Weld. Slide this onto a spare 10mm mainshaft that has been oiled, (I used silicone oil), and leave for at least 24 hrs. A gentle tap should remove the base from the shaft and it should now fit onto the mainshaft without slop. Mine has had a couple of gallons through so far with no signs of play. mod submitted by Roger Melville 2-25-2 |
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Fix skids for sliding autos   I really like to do sliding autos, but my skids don't <grin>. Although lots of fun, it does tend to wear them out. The first thing that goes is the bottom of the plastic struts. Once this is worn through the skids won't stay in place. They will twist and move. What I came up with is to take out the set screws in the top, drill from the top all the way through the bottom of the skid. This provides a hole for an M3 bolt to go through the top hole and a hole in the bottom. The bottom hole needs to be redrilled for 5mm so the head of the bolt will go through it. Next insert an M3x10mm bolt up through the bottom and an M3 nut on top. I like how this turned out, that solved that. Now I wonder how long until the metal of the skids wears through??? Another idea that is quick and easy is to take JB Weld and mold an 1/8" thick pad on the bottom of each plastic skid grip. The runway happily chews away at the JB Weld during these slides. They last a long time and when they get thin or break off he just apply some more. Credit for this idea goes to "CalTrans" Mike, Thanks Mike Here is another idea that came from Paul McCarthy:
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PSP has a titanium main shaft
for the 30.
Frame
stiffener
| Raptor 60/90 Ron Lund has Mr. Carbon Raptor 60 frameset for $78.  Carbon
fiber framesetRon Lund now has a very nice metal head for the Raptor 60. I took a few pictures of it at the fun fly. It comes with metal flybar control links. I don't have an exact weight on it, but it feels just as light as the stock head. <pict 1> <pict 2> I got to see the Raptor 90 with carbon frames and many other hop up items. Click here for <pictures> |
     These
are some pictures of my friend Maurie Spratt's Raptor 60.
He made some servo spline supports for the collective and
elevator out of some spare links, rods, and bolts. Credit
for the idea goes to Vic from V Blades. |
 HeliProz
has some nice tailboom servo mounts for the Raptor 60 |
