The Abc-intl.net Mini-Copter
The success of the Silverlit PicooZ has attracted a lot of imitators. Some of these have resulted in legal action for being straight copies. Others have tried to differentiate themselves without going for a completely new design. One such example is the subject of this review. Mechanically, the Abc-Intl.net Mini-Copter is very similar to the PicooZ. What sets it apart is the fuselage being a reproduction of the full-size 1956 Hughes 300.
I was attracted to this model after a colleague told me that it was even smaller and cheaper than the Silverlit PicooZ. The box proclaims it to be the “SMALLEST & LIGHTEST WITH AUTO-STABLE TECHNOLOGY”. This goes against Silverlit’s award from Guinness World Records for the smallest remote controlled helicopter in the world. Who’s opinion is correct is open to debate. The Mini-Copter is shorter, but the PicooZ is lighter and both models feature identical rotor blades.
The box contains everything needed to get flying except for six AA batteries. There is the Mini-Copter helicopter, a combined two channel controller and charging station, a spare tail rotor, the instruction manual and a small cross head screwdriver for fitting the batteries.
Configuration
The Mini-Copter is conventionally arranged with a twin blade 132mm diameter main rotor and 30mm tail rotor. The all-up weight is 13 grammes. The Plastic fuselage houses the battery, electronics and the motor that drives the main rotor through a large gearwheel. Unlike the PicooZ the gearwheel is low down between the undercarriage and unprotected. The tail rotor is fitted to the end of the boom supported behind the fuselage on plastic struts. To match the real helicopter the undercarriage is formed from fragile plastic skids; more of which later. Turning the helicopter over reveals the recessed on/off switch and charging socket.
Above the main rotor is the stabilizer bar. Where as Silverlit models use a weighted propeller, here there is a more standard arrangement of a long bar with weighted ends connected to the main rotor by short struts such that rocking of the stabilizer changes the main rotors pitch. The spinning weights act as a gyroscope keeping the helicopter flying level.
Controller
The controller is where the greatest similarity with the PicooZ is apparent as illustrated in the photographs below. Apart from the slightly different color plastics they are indistinguishable from the front.
On the rear the Silverlit controller has the manufacturers name moulded into the plastic and the screw holes are in slightly different places, suggesting some internal differences.
The infra-red controller doubles as the charging station. A hatch on the controller slides down to reveal an umbilical cable that plugs into the socket on the underside fuselage. On the Silverlit controller the hatch stays attached when opened but, annoyingly, the Abc-Intl.net one slides right off.
With the power switch on, the charge LED will illuminate until the battery is full. Not mentioned in the manual is that the red power LED starts flashing if the batteries need replacing.
The controller has two levers: the left stick operates as a throttle for the main rotor to control climb and descent; the right stick operates the tail rotor to control direction. Both are spring loaded to neutral. Below the tail rotor control are two trim buttons. These are used to keep the fuselage pointing in one direction with the tail rotor control set neutral. Trim is set by multiple presses of the buttons and will have to be adjusted each time the main rotor speed changes.
The final switch on the controller is the channel selector. This should match the sticker on the underside of the fuselage. In this case channel B. Despite the other similarities the channel letters on the Abc-intl.net and Silverlit controllers are not compatible and they will not control the others helicopter.
Airspace
The manual recommends a room of about 3m x 5m x 2.5m. The maximum range of the transmitter is not quoted, but given the similarities, I would assume the same as the PicooZ at 10m. Avoid rooms with strong air currents, bright lights or strong sunlight through the windows. All of these can cause the Mini-Copter crash.
Flying
The first flight showed early promise. After lift-off The Mini-Copter set off in a smooth right hand circle. It sounded smoother and quieter than the PicooZ. I suspect the Mini-Copter’s stabilizer bar produces less aerodynamic interferance with main rotor, than the PicooZ’s stabilizing propeller.
The problems started when I tried to trim it for straight flight. The Mini-Copter started randomly swinging and bobbing and was impossible to hover. It would also just drop out of the air for no apparent reason. This continued over multiple flights and no amount of trim button pressing and twisting the tail boom (as per the instruction manual) would correct it. After a short time the undercarriage had snapped in two places.
A simple glued repair could not attain sufficient strength and broke quickly.
Next I tried binding the break with cotton and soaking it with glue. To do this I needed to remove the canopy. There is a black plastic bar at the base of the canopy that holds it firmly in place.
This has to be cut in order to remove the canopy. This repair created a brittle joint that cracked after a little use.
The final repair involved a paperclip opened out and formed into a shape to match the landing gear. This was then bound to the undercarriage with cotton and soaked in glue. This was definitely strong enough, but the extra weight stopped the Mini-Copter getting airborne.
I attempted to lighten the repair by trimming off as much paperclip as possible, but in the process broke two battery and motor wires off of the circuit board. I dislike throwing away potentially repairable gadgets, but with my level of disappointment, I didn’t want to spend any more time fiddling with it.
Conclusion
Even though the Mini-Copter is cheap, I wouldn’t recommend actually buying one. It’s flimsy and based on this sample, doesn’t fly in a controllable manner. Personally I’ll stick with a genuine PicooZ.
Addendum
I notice that the ebuyer website is now showing a slightly different version of this Helicopter that uses the propeller type stabilizer a la PicooZ. They are showing favourable reviews so it looks like that version has better flying characteristics. The flimsy undercarriage is still breaking though.
Facts and Figures
Whats in the box
- Mini-Copter helicopter
- Combined infra-red transmitter and charging station
- Manual
- Spare tail rotor
- Cross-head screwdriver for fitting batteries.
You have to supply
- 6 x AA batteries
Dimensions
- Main rotor diameter: 132 mm
- Fuselage length: 135 mm
- Height: 70 mm
- Weight: 13 grammes
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