By: Mark Ronge
Two new innovative mini helicopters with outstanding aerobatic capabilities
Two new innovative mini helicopters with outstanding aerobatic capabilities Gazaur Technologies has been developing new mini electric helicopters for the past three years, and the culmination of their research and development is the Poseidon 480 and Mars 480. The only distinctions between the Poseidon and Mars are the frame shapes and landing gear shapes; their mechanics are identical.
Both models are made with carbon side frames and CNC-machined aluminum main rotor heads. They feature a symmetrical servo mounting system for 120-degree electronic cyclic collective pitch mixing (eCCPM) control. All 3 servos are spread evenly around the main shaft and give unprecedented accurate control with minimal cross coupling between controls. The flight performance is excellent; they are very stable in hover, fast and groovy in forward flight, and very graceful in 3D. These models are going to set a new standard for high-performance mini-class electric helicopters. Plus, the models will be sold and fully supported in the U.S. by Hobby Lobby.
The kits have good English instructions with excellent computer-generated engineering drawings. The parts are separated into three large bags according to assembly steps, and then the nuts, bolts and small components are separated into smaller bags to make them easy to identify and fast to assemble. It should take an average modeler about five hours to assemble the mechanics and then another three to install and set up the radio, motor and ESC.
Unique Features
The carbon frame layout is very unique, with 3 servos mounted in the middle of the frame. The metal servo tray also functions as the strong support for the main rotor shaft. The innovative landing gear design is soft-mounted to the frames without using any screw to help absorb shock. This landing gear is lighter than conventional skid systems. The moving flybar system (MFS) main rotor head design is the highlight. In a MFS system, the entire flybar can float up or down when collective pitch control is applied. The MFS design reduces the parts count by eliminating the washout unit. The MFS rotor gives the Poseidon and Mars very desirable handling. The geometry of this MFS system was laid out carefully so the collective pitch is not overly sensitive as on some other small electric models.
A constant-drive main gear system is included to keep the tail rotor spinning during autorotation. The tail rotor drive belt tail is guided by four pulleys to reduce friction. The Mars and Poseidon are designed for flying with 315mm up to 340mm main rotor blades. I successfully autorotated using 325 and 340mm blades, but doing autorotation with any mini electric helicopter should be attempted only by pilots with extensive autorotation experience.
The tail rotor blade pitch control mechanism is very well designed. The tail rotor pitch control lever grabs the pitch slider from above and below, and it provides smooth and precise pitch change. Each plastic tail rotor blade has a built-in leading-edge balance weight to help reduce control power needed to actuate the tail rotor blades. This is quite innovative. A 2mm carbon pushrod provides a direct control run to a tail rotor control servo mounted on the center of the helicopter. There’s plenty of room in the frame for the mounting receiver and gyro.
I used the Hitec Premium mini electric helicopter flight pack for control. There are two locations reserved on the Mars and Poseidon for mounting the receiver and gyro and the locations can be swapped depending on the builder’s preference. To install the HS-65 servos on the Mars and Poseidon, the servo tray requires opening up the HS-65 servo and splitting it into two halves, then mating the servo halves back together from each side of the servo tray.
The Poseidon and Mars are designed for 400-class brushless motors, an ESC with at least 35 amps, and a 3-cell, 2100mAh LiPo battery. The Poseidon and Mars are slightly bigger than other helicopters in their class, and this helps give the Poseidon and Mars some added stability and visual aid when flying farther. The ultimate power combo is the Gazaur Lingo 8 outrunner motor and Gazaur 55A ESC designed for the Poseidon and Mars. The Lingo 8 motor is bigger and has more torque than most 400-class mini electric helicopter motors. The Lingo has a 4000Kv rating and when used with the supplied 10- or 11-tooth pinion, it is possible to get 2600 to 2700rpm with the Gazaur 340mm wood blades and 2800 to 2900rpm with the Gazaur 325mm wood blades. The 325mm wood blades give very good 3D hot-dogging and four and a half minutes for 3D flying. The 340mm wood blades provide higher efficiency and still give excellent 3D performance, and it is possible to obtain five minutes of 3D or seven to eight minutes of cruising around.
Summary
The Poseidon and Mars have very high-quality parts, the flight performance is outstanding, and the models are innovative and different from other mini electric helicopters. The models have an almost hands-off hover. In forward flight, both models are very agile and aerobatic.
Both models are made with carbon side frames and CNC-machined aluminum main rotor heads. They feature a symmetrical servo mounting system for 120-degree electronic cyclic collective pitch mixing (eCCPM) control. All 3 servos are spread evenly around the main shaft and give unprecedented accurate control with minimal cross coupling between controls. The flight performance is excellent; they are very stable in hover, fast and groovy in forward flight, and very graceful in 3D. These models are going to set a new standard for high-performance mini-class electric helicopters. Plus, the models will be sold and fully supported in the U.S. by Hobby Lobby.
The kits have good English instructions with excellent computer-generated engineering drawings. The parts are separated into three large bags according to assembly steps, and then the nuts, bolts and small components are separated into smaller bags to make them easy to identify and fast to assemble. It should take an average modeler about five hours to assemble the mechanics and then another three to install and set up the radio, motor and ESC.
Unique Features
The carbon frame layout is very unique, with 3 servos mounted in the middle of the frame. The metal servo tray also functions as the strong support for the main rotor shaft. The innovative landing gear design is soft-mounted to the frames without using any screw to help absorb shock. This landing gear is lighter than conventional skid systems. The moving flybar system (MFS) main rotor head design is the highlight. In a MFS system, the entire flybar can float up or down when collective pitch control is applied. The MFS design reduces the parts count by eliminating the washout unit. The MFS rotor gives the Poseidon and Mars very desirable handling. The geometry of this MFS system was laid out carefully so the collective pitch is not overly sensitive as on some other small electric models.
A constant-drive main gear system is included to keep the tail rotor spinning during autorotation. The tail rotor drive belt tail is guided by four pulleys to reduce friction. The Mars and Poseidon are designed for flying with 315mm up to 340mm main rotor blades. I successfully autorotated using 325 and 340mm blades, but doing autorotation with any mini electric helicopter should be attempted only by pilots with extensive autorotation experience.
The tail rotor blade pitch control mechanism is very well designed. The tail rotor pitch control lever grabs the pitch slider from above and below, and it provides smooth and precise pitch change. Each plastic tail rotor blade has a built-in leading-edge balance weight to help reduce control power needed to actuate the tail rotor blades. This is quite innovative. A 2mm carbon pushrod provides a direct control run to a tail rotor control servo mounted on the center of the helicopter. There’s plenty of room in the frame for the mounting receiver and gyro.
I used the Hitec Premium mini electric helicopter flight pack for control. There are two locations reserved on the Mars and Poseidon for mounting the receiver and gyro and the locations can be swapped depending on the builder’s preference. To install the HS-65 servos on the Mars and Poseidon, the servo tray requires opening up the HS-65 servo and splitting it into two halves, then mating the servo halves back together from each side of the servo tray.
The Poseidon and Mars are designed for 400-class brushless motors, an ESC with at least 35 amps, and a 3-cell, 2100mAh LiPo battery. The Poseidon and Mars are slightly bigger than other helicopters in their class, and this helps give the Poseidon and Mars some added stability and visual aid when flying farther. The ultimate power combo is the Gazaur Lingo 8 outrunner motor and Gazaur 55A ESC designed for the Poseidon and Mars. The Lingo 8 motor is bigger and has more torque than most 400-class mini electric helicopter motors. The Lingo has a 4000Kv rating and when used with the supplied 10- or 11-tooth pinion, it is possible to get 2600 to 2700rpm with the Gazaur 340mm wood blades and 2800 to 2900rpm with the Gazaur 325mm wood blades. The 325mm wood blades give very good 3D hot-dogging and four and a half minutes for 3D flying. The 340mm wood blades provide higher efficiency and still give excellent 3D performance, and it is possible to obtain five minutes of 3D or seven to eight minutes of cruising around.
Summary
The Poseidon and Mars have very high-quality parts, the flight performance is outstanding, and the models are innovative and different from other mini electric helicopters. The models have an almost hands-off hover. In forward flight, both models are very agile and aerobatic.
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