3
Introduction
Always carry out any adjustments required immediately, as
it is often unnecessarily complicated to adjust the settings
subsequently.
Glued joints require very little cyano; too much adhesive
just makes it more difficult to obtain a strong joint. Bear in
mind that cyano is capable of penetrating into narrow gaps,
so always apply the adhesive sparingly and accurately.
All screws in the kit are optimised for minimum weight, and
are therefore as small as possible. Please remember this
when tightening them, and don't use excessive force. For
example, the motors should be fixed just securely enough
to prevent you moving them by hand; over-tightening them
is bound to strip the threads!
Using cyano glue:
The basic requirement for obtaining perfect glued joints is
clean, dry joint surfaces. Be sure to remove all traces of
dust, oil, grease and mould release agents from the joint
surfaces. Cyano produces joints which are strong enough
to handle after a few seconds to a few minutes, depending
on the material and the quantity of adhesive applied; full
strength is achieved after about 12 hours. Cyano-acrylate
requires humidity (moisture in the air) in order to harden, so
breathing on the joint accelerates hardening. Excessively
dry air may delay the hardening process by several
minutes.
Cyano hardens in a few seconds under the influence of
humidity or moisture on the joint surfaces. This implies that
you must be cautious when using the material, and take
particular care to avoid skin or eye contact. If the glue gets
on your skin, e.g. if you find your fingers are stuck together,
wash with soapy water or hand cleaner (a good method is
to soak your hands in warm soapy water). Another solution
is to rub your joined fingers in warm water, at the same time
pushing a paper clip or a length of wire between your
fingers. After a while your fingers will separate again. You
can remove adhesive residues by rubbing the affected area
with acetone or nail varnish remover. If adhesive residues
remain, rub it off with pumice stone.
If splashes of cyano get into your eyes or mouth, be sure to
keep them open, and rinse with copious amounts of water.
Seek medical attention if necessary.
CA glue is neither toxic nor injurious to health in any way.
However, it has an unpleasant smell, so it is advisable to
ventilate the workplace effectively if you are using large
quantities of this adhesive.
Under certain circumstances you may encounter a
phenomenon known as “blooming” of the adhesive, which
takes the form of a white-ish deposit adjacent to the glued
joint. This can be removed with a little thinned vinegar or
domestic citrus-based cleaner.
Storing cyano-acrylate:
Cyano does not have an indefinite shelf-life. The bottle
should be sealed after use and stored in the coolest place
you can find, e.g. in the refrigerator.
WE IN THE IKARUS TEAM WISH YOU LOADS OF FUN
AND PLEASURE BUILDING AND FLYING THE
PRO
-
PICCOLO
If you are a newcomer to the world of the model
helicopter this next section is for you, as it explains a
few of the technical terms and some of the basic
theory.
The mechanics
are the assembly consisting of all the components in and
around the chassis of the helicopter, including motor, main
gearbox, rotor shaft and skids (see page 9).
The swashplate
consists of an outer ring, a ballrace and an inner ring. The
outer ring is controlled by servos and does not rotate,
whereas the ballraced inner ring revolves with the rotor.
When a control command is given, the outer swashplate
ring tilts, thereby inclining the plane of the entire
swashplate. The inner ring then passes on the control
movements to the main rotor.
The main rotor
is the most important flying and controlling element of the
helicopter. The main rotor includes the rotor blades and the
Hiller paddles.
The Hiller paddles
are designed to stabilise and control the helicopter. They are
connected to and moved by the swashplate inner ring by a
system of pushrods and actuating levers. The paddles are
mounted on the flybar.
The tail rotor
is located at the tail end of the helicopter and generates
thrust at right-angles to the direction of flight. The PRO-
Piccolo's tail rotor features a second variable-speed drive
motor.
The servos
are small gearboxes which convert electronic control signals
into mechanical movements, and thereby move the
swashplate. The PRO-Piccolo is fitted with three servos
which are named after the function they control, e.g. the
pitch-axis servo (forward/back cyclic) for the pitch-axis
function.
The speed controllers
control the rotational speed of the two drive motors by
varying the voltage supplied to them. Both speed controllers
are integrated into the Piccoboard.
The receiver
picks up the radio signals from the RC transmitter via its
aerial, and passes them on to the servos and speed
controllers via the Piccoboard.
The gyro
is an aid to stabilisation which affects the tail rotor. It damps
down fast rotations around the vertical (yaw) axis and
thereby simplifies flying considerably.
The mixer
defines the ratio between the rotational speed of the main
and tail rotors. Its purpose is to prevent the helicopter
swinging to either side when the machine climbs or
descends. The Piccoboard combines the functions of the
mixer, gyro, speed controllers and receiver in a single unit.
