Day 2: The build continues...
- When Frame met Tranny
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We start with mounting up the transmission on the frame. The lower boom doesn't attach via friction cups like on the Goblin 500 so I locked this all down tight.
- Independent spindles
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Here I took a close up of the main head assembly (came pre-assembled). Note how the screws do not screw down all the way. I initally thought this meant I had to take this all apart and re-lock it all. Turns out, the screws are more or less set screws against the pins you see outlined right below the screw heads. Those pins go through the spindles to keep them in the hub. So the screws don't clamp down all the way, they're supposed to be like this. The independent spindles is a really cool design. Simple. I actually wouldn't mind seeing the two blade heads go to this style too, if the physics works in a two blade head.
- Follower
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This was a bit of a pain to assemble. Instead of the usual two follow arm design found on most two blade heads, this uses a single follower attach point to the swash, with a two arm swing assembly holding it to the hub.
- Dampers shmampers
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- Dampers installed
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The dampers have an o-ring that is captured and sandwiched between the damper and the inner hub. This damper feels more or less like a solid piece of carbon. Very light, no discernible flex or squishiness. This is going to be one rigid SOB.
- The fun part
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This is one of my favorite parts of every build. Getting the parts for the grips all sorted out, cleaned, lubed, and assembled and locked down with the spindle bolts. That last part was a pleasant surprise on this build. Normally you need two wrenches to lock down the spindle bolts. Since the spindles are captured into the hub by the independent pins, you only need a single big honkin' wrench to attach these spindle bolts. You can grab the whole head assembly and anti-torque with your hand. So much easier and seemed to allow for a lot more comfort in applying the herculean force I usually try to use on these bolts.
- Take your medicine
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Quick note on how I'm lubing up thrust bearings these days. I got sick of buying little mini tubes of clear silicone lube. So I bought myself a tub of grease and loaded up a hobby syringe with it. Easy to apply now exactly where and how much I want. The grease is messier to clean up, but this is working out better over all.
- Assembled
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Head is assembled and ready to rock!
- Swash you talkin' about, Willis?
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Swash seems much better than previous generation goblin swashes I've worked with. Bearing quality, the spherical in the middle, all of it just seems built like a tank and silky smooth.
- Getting closer
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And the end of the session. Only a couple hours put in today. And nothing more on the motor assembly since I got a late start and didn't want to be grinding off the motor shaft while my wife was trying to sleep.
It's starting to look like a heli. And it seems big. 700's always seem big at this stage though, to me.
I did run into one issue so far. When I put the head assembly on the main shaft and tightened it down... it still had axial play. I've tightened down the jesus bolt and cross clamping bolt at the bottom of the hub a much as I dare before I risk stripping threads out. At my club's funfly this weekend Chris Reibert mentioned that he had a lot of play in something (I don't recall exactly what) on the head of his KSE, as did all the KSE's Kyle Stacy himself has. Said it was normal, albeit unusual compared to other helis and Goblins. I thought he was talking about the follower arm assembly, but he may have been referring to this. Will have to ask him in the morning. Hoping there isn't something wrong. Pretty sure I didn't forget or overlook anything.
