PicooZ Update

Just a couple of notes on the PicooZ front. Silverlit Toys, the patent holder of the PicooZ mini helicopter, has updated their website, at least since I was last there. From their main page, click on the Products nav button and then on the PicooZ panel. Or just go to the page from here -> PicooZ specific page Click on the "FEATURE" thumbnail for a flash demo of the PicooZ controls and operation or click on the "LINKS" thumbnail for links to other pages with discussions groups, performance tips and more.

There doesn't seem to be a PicooZ II on the horizon just yet, Silverlit has probably been to busy with legal battles over all the PicooZ knock-offs.

My Picoo-Z Instructables project

I completed the rotor mod project over the weekend and posted it on Instructables a little while ago. http://www.instructables.com/id/ECVKZ75ZVQET9K5TSC/

Mod'ing the Picoo Z mini helicopter

In the next week or so (once I have all the parts) I'll document a mod that I'll be doing on my Picoo Z helicopter. After a few crashes it's developed a nasty vibration. I picked up some .04" (1MM) carbon fiber rod to use as the rotor shaft and I ordered a set of 1x3x1 MM ball bearings. This mod is documented at the website I mentioned in a previous posting.

The weekend ride went fine, although it was a little windy. In the colder and windy weather this short (~30 mile) ride, with about 1200 ft of climbing, seemed a lot longer.

More Picoo / Picco Z info

I've had a little more time to play with this micro helicopter that I mentioned in my previous posting and it's way cool. One problem, after a few crashes the rear tail rotor was getting lint and hairs wound up in it. This was easy to fix by gently pulling the plastic rotor blade off of the motor shaft (that's correct, there's a separate, very small electric motor on the tail) and clearing the stuff that was fouling the prop. This allowed the trim to work, as the rotor was being slowed down by the hairs. So that was part of what was causing the constant clockwise rotation in flight.

There's also a website devoted to the Picoo Z (that's the spelling on the box). There's two mods I may do right off the bat; 1) the bearing and carbon fiber shaft replacement and 2) the Airwolf body change out (that one is totally custom at this point, so I'll wait till someone sells a kit).

Tuesday Ride: I missed it this week, we're just starting to early and the days are getting to short. Looks like it will be weekend rides for me, for awhile.

Picco Z Helicopter

I've been seeing the videos on the web, and being the gadget nut that I am, of course I had to have one of these. Most of the Radio Shack stores are sold out, but I found one that said they could order it (this was last Monday) and I'd have it by the end of the week, plus the shipping would be free direct to my home. That's alot better than the eBay deals I've seen, people are paying between $39-$49 and then $15 dollars shipping on top of that. Anyway it arrived on Friday, so I've had the weekend to play with it a bit. So far I haven't quite got the hang of it, it's been crashing a lot and our dachshund hates it :)