Modifying the Micro Mosquito - A Tutorial

You can modify the micro mosquito to increase speed, boost radio range, and improve appearance. :This article will show you how.

Give the Micro Mosquito a Speed Boost

You can increase the Micro Mosquito’s speed in these ways:

1. Move the center of gravity forward - Shifting the balance point forward will increase the Micro Mosquito’s speed in that direction. You can try using small weights, placed underneath the main motors.
2. Use a miniheli tail rotor - Mini heli tail rotors will fit the Micro Mosquito’s tail motor shaft.The mini heli tail rotors can move air more efficiently in one direction than another, unlike the normal micro mosquito tail rotor (which is symmetric). So if you use one of the mini heli tail rotors, then the Micro mosquito can be made to go in one direction faster than another. It is normally preferable to have the RC helicopter move faster forwards than backwards, but you can orient the propeller according to your own preference.

Make the Micro Mosquito Lighter

The lighter you make the Micro Mosquito, the better it will fly.

1. Remove part of the plastic outer shell - Unscrew and remove the bottom part of the Micro Mosquito’s body, which will dramatically reduce the weight of the Micro Mosquito.
2. Get rid of the rubber landing feet - You can trim more weight by pulling off the rubber landing feet.

Increase the Micro Mosquito’s Radio Range

I have not actually tried this, but this thread on RCGroups.com says it should work. Follow this procedure to increase the radio transmitter range:

1. Open the transmitter case - remove the 5 screws found on the back of the transmitter case.
2. Remove the circuit board - Remove the three screws holding the circuit board down, and gently pull it up.
3. Remove capacitor C15 - Flip the circuit board over, and look for a capacitor marked C15. Desolder it from the circuit board.
4. Re install the circuit board - Put the circuit board back in the transmitter case, and then attach it with the 3 screws that you removed earlier. Then re attach the back of the tramsmitter case using the three screws that you removed earlier.

We don’t really know how or why this works. Any comments on this mod would be greatly appreciated.

Get Rid of the Throttle Spring

Normal radio transmitters do not have a spring loaded throttle. You can remove the throttle spring by following this procedure:

1. Open the transmitter case - By removing the 5 screws on the back.
2. Remove one of the two screws the spring is attached to - You can leave the spring in the case, or remove it entirely.
3. Reassemble the transmitter case - Put the transmitter back together using the 5 screws that you removed earlier.

Now you can let go of the transmitter and the throttle spring will remain in position.

Better Flight Stability

Here are some tips to improve how the Micro Mosquito flies.

1. Bend the tail rotor - The Micro Mosquito tends to spin when the throttle is accelerated, sometimes leading to a hard landing. You can fix this problem by twisting the tail boom about 5 degrees to the left (when viewed from behind the Micro Mosquito). Heating the tail boom can make this easier.
2. Add weight to the main rotors - The inertia of the main rotors causes them to self stabilize when spinning. You can increase this tendency by coiling a small amount of very thin wire over the outer rotor wire. Do this twice on opposite sides of one rotor, and then repeat for the other rotor. As long as you don’t add too much weight this should improve the RC helicopter’s stability.

Change the Color

Personalize your Micro Mosquito using color and other addons.

• Spray paint the case - take all of the internal components out of the Micro Mosquito’s body and spray paint it any color you like.
• Fuel tubing light effects - Get a piece of clear fuel tubing from your local hobby store. Then push one end over one of the Micro Mosquito’s green LED eyes. Bend the piece of fuel tubing over, and push it on to the other LED. When the helicopter is turned on, the light should produce a really cool green neon tube effect. This is also a great way to move the center of gravity forward, so the helicopter goes faster.
• Insect antenna - Use stiff wire and make a pair of insect antenna. You can glue these to the Micro Mosquito’s body to create an insect appearance. Be sure to keep them away from the main rotors. This will move the center of gravity forward and cause the helicopter to move faster.

Experiment Pack

We sell an experiment pack containing parts you can use to build all sorts of RC creations.