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The Picoo Z ''(also sold under the brand name of Air Hogs Havoc Heli in North America)'' is a miniature remote-controlled 2-channel helicopter manufactured by Hong Kong-based Silverlit Toys. In the United States it is distributed by Spin Master. Designed by the Belgian engineer Alexander van de Rostyne, the Picoo Z was the smallest remote-controlled production model helicopter in the world (Guinness World Records) in 2006. However, Silverlit beats their own record again in 2013 with an even smaller RC helicopter-Nano Falcon〔(PicooZ MX-1 Extreme R/C Mini Helicopter )〕 ==Features and capabilities== Weighing a mere 10 grams, the Picoo Z measures 170mm long, and has a main rotor span of 130mm. The helicopter is controlled by a 3-frequency a-b-c infrared controller, with two channels (one for the main rotor and one for the tail rotor) allowing independent user control of throttle (main rotor RPM) and tail rotor RPM. It is designed for indoor flying, but can also be flown outdoors in calm conditions with minimal lighting, otherwise the sun will overpower the IR transmitter and cause the Picoo Z to crash. The Picoo Z is made of tough EPP (expanded polypropylene) foam and comprises a lithium polymer rechargeable battery and 2 micro motors. The helicopter is recharged by plugging it into the controller. Charging generally takes 10–15 minutes and will give the Picoo Z a flight duration anywhere between 5 to 7 minutes. Range is limited due to the use of infrared instead of the more common radio frequency remote control. Because of this, ambient light may also have varying degrees of effect on the range and responsiveness of the helicopter. MSRP is between $20 and $40 USD. The Picoo Z features a self-stabilized main rotor with a weighted airfoil-type stabilizer bar that removes the need for corrective pilot input to achieve stable flight. Because of this full-cyclic-authority stabilizer design, merely applying enough lift power to cancel gravity allows the Picoo Z to hover almost immediately making it very simplistic for a beginner. The Picoo Z can reduce or increase the output through the tail rotor by means of an independent motor, allowing it to yaw left or right. Many full-sized (and model) rotorcraft have mechanically interconnected main and tail rotors so that when changing main rotor speed (and hence yaw torque), the tail rotor follows suit to compensate. Because the Picoo Z uses independent motors for the main and tail rotors, this interconnection (mixing) is electronically provided. Despite this, many users find that they must apply constant left or right stick to cause the tail rotor to spin at the appropriate speed to prevent it from spinning wildly along the rotor axis. However, with a little practice, most users find that they can easily compensate for any shortcomings of the electronic mixing. The remote control includes a trim button that allows the user to adjust the amount of electronic compensation. The trim feature works by decreasing or increasing output of the tail rotor to lower or add torque. As with its higher-powered counterparts, aggressive throttle changes can result in strong yaw motions, an effect that is even more significant when the helicopter battery is over-charged. In order to simplify the rotor head design, the Picoo Z does not feature either collective or user-input cyclic control, which would have allowed the user to freely fly it forwards & backwards / left & right on demand. The rotor blades are mounted on a simple rocking hinge, and the rotor has no swashplate.) Because of this limitation, the user must add left or right tail control inputs and rely on torque-induced precession (also known as gyroscopic precession) to transition to forward flight. The helicopter includes 3 stick-on weights that can be attached to the nose in order to achieve forward flight, and some owners add greater weight (paper clips or pellets) to the nose, or nose canards. These modifications do increase the forward flight speed, but can reduce hovering ability and can increase the battery drain. Another mod that allows the helicopter to fly forward is to slightly twist the tail rotor downwards. This mod has the advantage of not adding weight to the helicopter and therefore doesn't affect battery drain. It must be noted, however, that the Picoo Z lacks the ability to fly forward on its own, and without mods is only able to change its altitude and yaw. The Picoo Z also incorporates a small blue/red LED that flashes to indicate that the unit is turned on. The LED is also useful for night time flying and locating the unit in the event that it is misplaced. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Picoo Z」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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