600 550e pro dfc vs 600e pro dfc

[danhampson]

ive been talking to the helicopter fund manager and she has agreed to release enough funds for me to purchase either a trex 550 or 600 E DFC combo (no 3gx). the batteries that i have can be used in both helis according to the manuals (they are the minimum size for both helis but would get me in the air for now).

I would like some advice as to which would be the better purchase, I know that crash costs are going to be about the same as the 550 has alot of 600 parts.

 

[Lee]

Having seen and flown both, I would go for the 550. The single battery convenience will allow you more flights with the batteries you already have.
My friend has one and he loves it. I don't think you are gaining anything by going to the 600 over the 550.
Also, when they bank manager allow the next release of funds for a 700, the batteries will work for both helis LOL

 

[Graham Lawrie]

I have both a 550 and 600 + 1 with Lee. I prefer the 550 It feels and looks every bit better than the 600. Loads of parts the same, but the 550 does it for me, and if I were to sell one to fund another the 600 would always be the one I would get rid of

 

[pvolcko]

I too am a fan of the 550 size, but have not owned or flew a 600. 550 has plenty of presence in the air, great stability, and plenty of power as long as you're running reasonable collective pitch setup. Only reasons to go 600 is for the better auto-rotation capability and if you plan to hammer on it and want a beefy 10s or 12s setup.

 

[Derek]

This is a question that I pondered for myself last year. Hmmmm...550 or 600???? There are a lot of pro's and con's for both. I ended up getting a 600e Pro DFC but the reason why I got it is because it was given to me by a great friend. I was actually shopping for a 550 because I could run one 6S pack and get some awesome performance, whereas the 600 takes two 6S packs. But...since I was given the 600, I didn't need to look for a 550 anymore.

Personally, I would go with the 550. Just for the simple fact that it only takes one battery and there would still be some awesome performance and still an awesome presence in the air.

 

[xokia]

I don't own a 600 but this is my take. I bought the 550 thinking I would share the batteries with my 700 and that just wasn't the case. I still had separate batteries for each heli. The 550 flies nice but really needs some good quality batteries if you toss it around. And if you really want to toss it around hard it runs out of steam quickly.

I probably would have been content with the 730mx but it always left me wanting just a little more. I am much happier with it now converted to 12S. So it's essentially a 600 running 550mm blades. I think the decision is a hard one to answer. If I had to do it again I'd likely do the same thing over again. I am starting to think Align helis just aren't for me.

 

[philmill]

Just my thoughts , Can the 600 be made into a 700 ??? any conversions about , if so i would say go for the 600 then upgrade at a later stage if you wanted ,

if not then i would go for the 550 , a few of the lads have 550,s at our flying club great helicopter but once you start flying hard much shorter flight times with only having single battery

both good helicopters its down to what you want to do with them normal flying or 3D.

 

[danhampson]

thanks for your input guys, but im still none the wiser. ive been doing some more research and the 600 can be stretched to a 700 with just a few stock 700 parts (boom, TT an extra TT bearing and rubber cover and boom supports, the boom has to be cut down by 40mm because the 600 boom block is longer).

Ive been looking at the specs on the 600 and it comes with a castle ice2 80hv and a bec, does the bec plug into the esc or would i need a seperate rx pack.

 

[philmill]

Dan if it has a BEC thats a battery eliminator circuit you won't need a battery

 

[Derek]

yeah...the red and black wires from the BEC would get soldered to the red and black of the ESC. Then the servo lead, from the BEC, would get plugged into the BATT/BIND port on the rx. Here's a diagram from the Castle Creations website:



I hope this helps!

 

[danhampson]

Thank guys. I've done some more research and the align "bec" supplied in the combo isn't a bec its just a voltage regulator and does need a separate RX pack as it runs on 7.4v
The only reasonably priced bec I've found is a cc bec pro, this one is cabable of running on a 12s system and from the specs looks like a beast.

 

[Lee]

The CC BEC Pro is what I used on my 600 and now have on my Goblin 570

 

[murankar]

As for a 600 being made a 700, well yes I think they can. The synergy 550 can stretch to 600 and 700. Would I do it, 600 yes 700 maybe not. As you stretch the kit you need longer and heavier main blades which will need bigger servos and every thing else.

I would go 550 because it's right at the edge of auto rotations. Its still a little small for good autos but when you stretch it, it could auto quite nicely.

Sent from my LG-E980 using Forum Runner

 

[danhampson]

This is such a hard decision to make. Got to make the decision soon.
I like the simplicity of the 6s set up on 550, but I also like the idea of the 12s setup and being able to stretch to 700.
I don't really want to get the 550 and 6 months down the line want to change the setup to 12s and put 600mm blades on
Going to make the decision later today and if I decide 600 and order the cc bec pro ready for the build at the end of the month.
Anybody got any final words of wisdom?

 

[xokia]

How do you intend to fly it?

I have a BEC pro for sale could save you a few dollars

*edit* you are in the UK never mind lol. Didn't see that initially on my iphone

 

[danhampson]

I intend to fly 3d and want a machine that I don't have to start upgrading as my skills progress, I've been spoilt with the protos its such a powerful light machine and I just feel that I may be a bit disappointed with the 6s 550. I've been flying the protos at 2650rpm stock and 2450 stretched both speeds made it very fast and aggressive with virtually no bogging even with my poor collective management, it worries me that the 550 might feel a bit underpowered with the airframe being 600 size.
There isn't a lot of price difference between the 550 and 600 £40/$70 that's with the 3gx, tail servo and regulator (600 only) removed from the kits

 

[xokia]

3D your fine with a 550 even mild 3D still fine. Hard 3D or poor collective management you would be better on 12S.

 

[Lee]

Goblin 570

 

[danhampson]

Lee you like the little devil on my shoulder whispering goblin, goblin,​ goblin!!!

I did think about a goblin 570 (I like the silver and black), that was until I saw the price if the boom and canopy. An align heli make sense at the moment, just because parts are cheapish. I also like the synergy but the I saw the price of the main gear alone and have got to try and be sensible (makes a change for me). On something this size I've got to think with my head/wallet and not my heart (sort of).

I've had a think and i m going to order the 600 at the end of the month.
I'm going to go and order the cc bed pro now.

So the none stock parts for this build will be:
Msh brain + bluetooth
Savox sh-1290mg (tail)
CC bec pro
Hobbywing phase sensor

 

[Lee]

The big thing people forget is. I can afford to buy it, but can I afford to crash it?
The 600 will be an awesome model.
Shame it doesn't come with the Edge 80HV, because it has the RPM sensor built in.