Hardware Wiki JCS Plasti-Blades

From Heli-Wiki

This is a run down on the pro's and con's of JCS's Plasti-Blades

The plasti-blades are just what they sound like, helicopter blades made out of plastic. They are available in asymmetrical (flat bottom) and symmetrical (aerobatic), and are available in yellow, white and black. JCS Hobbies

Weight for the stock blades is 10g or so a blade, and the plasti blades are 17-18g each, so total weight gain to go to plastic blades would be 14 to 16g.

Pro's

• Much more durable than the stock blades (can be used after several more minor crashes that would crack the balsa stock blades)
• Do not warp in varying temp and/or high humidity situations (better for flight in the cold)
• Not as susceptible to warp during storage
• You can see when damage is done to the blades, where sometimes with the stock blades you cannot see that there is damage to the wood because of the covering
• They add more weight to the head, which would be beneficial for auto-rotations (anyone with any experience feel free to chime in here)
• Better for beginners because the head takes longer to respond because of the extra weight
• Will not splinter apart on spool up causing heli to crash and parts to come flying like damaged stock blades (in the case of where you cannot tell there is damage underneath)

Con's

• Because they are more durable, and do not take the energy instead they transfer the force and can cause parts that don't normally break with stock blades to break more easily. These include blade grips ($10 a pair), feathering shafts ($5), bent main shafts ($6), tail booms($4), and possibly sheer pins ($2 for 6), a center hub ($10) and pitch links ($4).
• If you suffer a boom strike with plasti-blades it is quite possible for the heli to cut the boom, and even severe the wires in extreme situations
• Not as responsive for mild aerobatics, and not recommended at all for 3d aerobatics (mostly head speed changes, and some cyclic motion)
• Can cause more damage with blades with nearly 80% more weight
• The flat plasti-blades are pretty sharp and can cut
• Can warp in extreme heat, like maybe on a dashboard in a car in the summer time
• Takes a significant amount more of throttle to get off the ground

The other thing to think about is total cost and repair time. Say for example we have two exactly identical crashes, one with the stock blades, and one with the plasti-blades. Most likely the stock main blades will be damaged and need to be replaced, which would be $15 bucks plus probably a feathering shaft or a main shaft at $6. If you have plasti-blades your damage might be a busted a tail boom $4, and bent a main shaft or feathering shaft $6. Total repairs for the stock blade would b e probably $21 bucks, and the plasti-blades might run you $10 bucks, but might have you might have an hour down time putting everything back together. So the plasti-blades will probably be cheaper in the long run, but require more parts and time to fix them, especially in the more significant crashes. In the minor crashes, especially on grass or something I think the plasti-blades would save a lot of money. It's all up to you and what you want out of your heli.

Plasti-blades are also quite repairable with CA (superglue), and you can repair almost any damage with it if you balance it after words and make sure the airfoil stays fairly intact. I would not repair anything that had damage through the cord of the blade though, because it is likely to spin off and go flying at someone (the cord is the thickest part of the blade about 1/3 back from the leading edge).

If you decide plasti-blades are for you make sure you have the right motor/pinion/battery setup (I'll try to list as many as I can). I would also do the paper clip mod (Tips Wiki Paper Clip Mod) as this helps to reduce the chance of breakage other places, such as blade grips, pitch links, the spindle, or the main shaft. You might also consider the fuse mod (HOWTO Wiki Fuse Mod) because the blades will likely not break in a crash, and can stall your motor and burn out the 3 or 4 in 1. Either the paperclip mod or the fuse mod is pretty much a requirement for plasti-blades. You may also have to adjust the pitch links to get the blade pitch in the right spot, but likely you will not. Also I would definitely use 1 or 2 heat-sinks on the main motor because the motor is doing alot more work spinning around the heavier blades.

JCS Plasti-Blades Table

8T - 8 toothed main motor pinion

• 3s lipo, flat blades

9T - 9 toothed main motor pinion - Stock CP Pro pinion

• 3s lipo, flat blades*
• 3s lipo, symmetrical blades
• 9.6v MiMH, flat blades

10T - 10 toothed main motor pinion - Stock CP pinion

• 3s lipo, symmetrical blades*
• 9.6v MiMH, flat blades
• 9.6v MiMH, symmetrical blades

11T - 11 toothed main motor pinion

• 9.6v MiMH, flat blades*
• 9.6v MiMH, symmetrical blades

( * ) Means that this is extra work on the motor which will require atleast 1 heat-sink if not two, could cause excessive heat in the motor, and might make the motor not last as long.

Plasti-blades are not recommended for 3d aerobatics

Alternately, to reduce weight, you can drill holes just to the rear of the cord of the blades along the length and cover them with packing tape. Make sure to balance them after you are done =) See this for more info.

mrasmm

PS feel free to PM me either on RCU or RCgroups if you have any questions or comments