700 Building the Agile 7.2
- Thread starter stokke
- Start date
stokke
Well-Known Member
nice.I'm waiting for the Agile 3.6
By the looks of it, the 3.6 might just be able to compete with the Warp
Awww you haven't
I hate you now
Thats what I want to get next.
First you get the Goblin before me, and now the Agile too.
Not fair LOL
Seriously, I really want to know everything about this one.
I thought it would be a winning machine from the first time I saw it.
You caught me, my mission in life is to get everything cool before you do Lee
The list was short, it stood between an Align 800 PRO DFC or this model. The Avant Mostro was considered shortly, but the high price compared with little knowledge of the brand took it out of the equation. I'm also very curious about the upcoming Gaui NX7 - but release looks far away and I wanted my new model NOW! The 800 fell out of the equation after a talk with the other Agile-owner in my club - I was sold
You'll get the standard "Marius build log" - many many pictures!!
Me too buddy, me too!!!!
_______
Build commencing!
I will be re-using the cyclic servos and FBL-gyro from the Goblin 630 I recently sold. I got myself a Scorpion motor and a new and bigger Castle ESC for use on this build. I got the kit, motor and ESC from Hawk-RC - which I can strongly recommend ordering from! Super fast shipping
In addition to the kit, motor and ESC, I ordered some spare parts.
Spares
I also got the 18T pinion (19T is stock) to achieve the optimal and desired head speed.
Also ordered some 10AWG wire, 4mm bullets and a bunch of EC5's for the batteries. But after looking at the large leads sticking out of the ESC, it seems 4mm bullets just won't cut it. So 8AWG leads and 5.5mm bullets are on their way.
Scorpion HK4525 Ultimate 520 KV 4500W motor.
Castle Phoenix Edge 160 HV ESC.
I considered a Kontronik Pyro motor, but those things cost a damn fortune! I also really wanted to try out a 500KV motor this time, but based on some recommendations I ended up with this particular Scorpion motor which happens to be 520KV (still 40KV less than the motor I had on the Gobby).
I got more pics, but it has to wait until tomorrow - 1:00 AM here now, and work tomorrow
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stokke
Well-Known Member
Packaging
I had the supplier swap the stock canopy for this pink one, as the stock one is a bit too neutral in the colors (hard to spot). But, I won't be using this one - I have a Canomod canopy on order
Same neat packaging as seen on the Goblins.
What stood out to me the most at first glance, is the matte carbon (instead of glossy as seen on most other models). Nice touch!
2mm thick carbon as standard - not bad
Time for some edge sanding.
All done.
There is no paper manual, that has to be downloaded off of KDS's website - which poses no problem (for me at least). I have the manual on my iPad as I'm building. The bags and parts are not labeled very well, so I think a beginner might struggle with this build (but who the h**l buys a 700 as their first kit helicopter anyways). So having some experience assembling kits does not hurt at all.
Battery compartment.
These "spacers" are supposed to protrude half way through the plate. See the holes?
The holes are machined/drilled a bit too tight, so I had to widen them with some sandpaper.
Snug fit.
Tightening a spacer on the opposite side.
Battery mount done!
______
Some spare RJX main blades and my new tail servo also arrived! Even though I will be using the old Savöx servos off of the Goblin, I will not be re-using the Savöx tail servo - as it never felt quite right. Hard to explain... Ironically, the new servo is also made by Savöx; an Align BL850H. Ridiculously fast and strong brushless servo.
Oh, and I also bought a new soldering iron! 100W.
I had the supplier swap the stock canopy for this pink one, as the stock one is a bit too neutral in the colors (hard to spot). But, I won't be using this one - I have a Canomod canopy on order
Same neat packaging as seen on the Goblins.
What stood out to me the most at first glance, is the matte carbon (instead of glossy as seen on most other models). Nice touch!
2mm thick carbon as standard - not bad
Time for some edge sanding.
All done.
There is no paper manual, that has to be downloaded off of KDS's website - which poses no problem (for me at least). I have the manual on my iPad as I'm building. The bags and parts are not labeled very well, so I think a beginner might struggle with this build (but who the h**l buys a 700 as their first kit helicopter anyways). So having some experience assembling kits does not hurt at all.
Battery compartment.
These "spacers" are supposed to protrude half way through the plate. See the holes?
The holes are machined/drilled a bit too tight, so I had to widen them with some sandpaper.
Snug fit.
Tightening a spacer on the opposite side.
Battery mount done!
______
Some spare RJX main blades and my new tail servo also arrived! Even though I will be using the old Savöx servos off of the Goblin, I will not be re-using the Savöx tail servo - as it never felt quite right. Hard to explain... Ironically, the new servo is also made by Savöx; an Align BL850H. Ridiculously fast and strong brushless servo.
Oh, and I also bought a new soldering iron! 100W.
danhampson
Member
looking good mate.
Lee
Well-Known Member
Pink Canopy?? Are you trying to tells us something Marius LOL
If you decide to change those servos, the BK ones I have on my Goblin are insanely fast.
For $90 a servo they are a bargain.
Kevin from NEXRC here on the forum has the RJX versions for I think $89, plus he's always got some sort of discount going
If you decide to change those servos, the BK ones I have on my Goblin are insanely fast.
For $90 a servo they are a bargain.
Kevin from NEXRC here on the forum has the RJX versions for I think $89, plus he's always got some sort of discount going
stokke
Well-Known Member
Pink Canopy?? Are you trying to tells us something Marius LOL
If you decide to change those servos, the BK ones I have on my Goblin are insanely fast.
For $90 a servo they are a bargain.
Kevin from NEXRC here on the forum has the RJX versions for I think $89, plus he's always got some sort of discount going
Oooh bahave! *hand gesture*
I considered getting the BK's, but as the Gobby-buyer couldn't pay the price for the servos, I kept them. The Savöx 2271SG which came off of the Gobby are actually stronger than the BK's at 2S lipo and only slightly slower, so they'll do just fine
- - - Updated - - -
Thanks Dan!
stokke
Well-Known Member
So I got the 8 AWG leads and 5.5mm bullets i ordered. I'm not sure how this is going to pan out, put I do got the bullets and leads department covered
8 AWG, that's some serious wire gauge...
Mounting rudder servo.
Love the metal casing on this thing. It's also much smoother and silent than the Savöx rudder I had on the Gob.
I got a bit confused about the balls and nuts for the servos as the instructions do refer to them with numbers, but the numbers do not correspond with anything in the kit - but they are included with the kit? LOL
Rudder servo mounted.
Got out the old Savöx cyclic servos.
The instructions calls for 20mm distance from servo center to ball, I'll have to overshoot a tad - I'm sure it won't matter.
Mounting the first cyclic servo (I believe this will be the elevator servo).
So far so good.
Part of the drivetrain. Bearings already mounted.
ESC mount I believe.
Gyro mount?
Motor mount assembly. As mentioned previously, I will not be using the stock 19T pinion - I will be using a 18T instead.
Beeeeef!
The bolts included with the motor were too long and I almost threaded them down into the motor windings! Luckily I felt something was wrong while screwing them into place. Can you see the bolt sticking out inside there?
I'll be taking my trusty Dremel for a spin later today.
8 AWG, that's some serious wire gauge...
Mounting rudder servo.
Love the metal casing on this thing. It's also much smoother and silent than the Savöx rudder I had on the Gob.
I got a bit confused about the balls and nuts for the servos as the instructions do refer to them with numbers, but the numbers do not correspond with anything in the kit - but they are included with the kit? LOL
Rudder servo mounted.
Got out the old Savöx cyclic servos.
The instructions calls for 20mm distance from servo center to ball, I'll have to overshoot a tad - I'm sure it won't matter.
Mounting the first cyclic servo (I believe this will be the elevator servo).
So far so good.
Part of the drivetrain. Bearings already mounted.
ESC mount I believe.
Gyro mount?
Motor mount assembly. As mentioned previously, I will not be using the stock 19T pinion - I will be using a 18T instead.
Beeeeef!
The bolts included with the motor were too long and I almost threaded them down into the motor windings! Luckily I felt something was wrong while screwing them into place. Can you see the bolt sticking out inside there?
I'll be taking my trusty Dremel for a spin later today.
Dirk
Member
Very nice heli Marius. I love the looks of the Agile. (and the pink canopy too!! 
)
Please let me know how you find the quality of the screws. On my KDS Innova 550 I found that the screws and bolts rust very quickly.
Keep the photos coming.
Damnit!! That's where my 8 gauge welder cables went to!! Seriously thick cables Marius!
)Please let me know how you find the quality of the screws. On my KDS Innova 550 I found that the screws and bolts rust very quickly.
Keep the photos coming.
Damnit!! That's where my 8 gauge welder cables went to!! Seriously thick cables Marius!
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stokke
Well-Known Member
Very nice heli Marius. I love the looks of the Agile. (and the pink canopy too!!
Please let me know how you find the quality of the screws. On my KDS Innova 550 I found that the screws and bolts rust very quickly.
Keep the photos coming.
Damnit!! That's where my 8 gauge welder cables went to!! Seriously thick cables Marius!
Thanks man! I sure hope these bolts don't rust, as I fly through snow and rain all year long! Time will show.
Yeah, these 8AWG lead are ridiculously thick! But I might end up not needing them after all.
stokke
Well-Known Member
Well, I have 100 cm's worth of thick cable, so I gotta put it to some good use if see the oportunity LOL
Guess it'll be on the Y-piece coming off of the ESC.________________
Chopped down the motor bolts! (they are now 6mm long)
Good as gold - literally
The engineering on this thing is well thought out. Notice the bottom part of the shaft; convex (or whatever)
Now notice the bottom part of the pinion; concave (or whatever). This secures the pinion in a perfect fit. Now, I do not know if Agile thought about this first, but it's the first time I'm seeing it and I like it!
Like a glove!
The shaft could have been a few mm's longer... But this poses no problem, as the Agile has counter bearing on top as standard! Pretty clever.
Mounting battery plate and lower part of drivetrain to the right frame side.
Mounting gyro plate and ESC plate.
Bottom plates. These have no bolts, they have slot inserts and are then clamped between the right and left frame.
Assembling belt gear and landing skid mounts.
This was sort of disappointing. Usually there is machined a groove for the nut to seat in, but the groove on this part was too shallow to seat the nut properly. This meant I had to hold the nut with some pliers while threading the bolt.
When tightening the bolt only with my standard hex driver I was not able to apply enough torque, resulting in sideways slop on the shaft. I had to get out a standard allen driver (I think it's called) to apply enough force. This secured the gear properly on the shaft. (Though I have a tiny tiny concern in the back of my head that the bolt might snap under this load, but I'm taking my chances).
stokke
Well-Known Member
Finishing the main frame assembly.
The manual instructs to mount regular bolts on the first part of the frame (right frame side), I double checked this. But on the second part (left frame side), I'm instructed to mount a canopy stand-off where on the opposite side (right frame side) there is mounted a regular bolt. This didn't make much sense as canopy mounts usually are mounted on exactly opposite sides of each other, which is true on this build as well (checked further ahead in the manual). So I had the to remove the bolt I previously were instructed to mount from the right side and set a canopy mount in its stead. This left me with two spare bolts...?
Where the canopy mount is to be placed.
On the opposite side. What?
Canopy mounts in place.
Assembling the head.
I can choose between two different thicknesses for spacing out the blade grips (how firm the head is to be set up). I'll be going with the 0.5mm ones.
The dampers has a wrong and correct way to be installed.
See the small "shoulder"? That is supposed to point outwards from the head.
No groove machine for the nut here either. Disappointing.
The head is not quite as beefy as on the Goblin, nor is the drivers as beefy - in fact I think the drivers look a bit flimsy to be honest, but I'm sure it'll be fine.
__
I was recommended to put the motor belt into a bag filled with silicone grease. I'm guessing this is to soften the belt, which will help get the best tension when mounting it into the drivetrain - I will be leaving it in the bag over night.
Drivetrain.
The manual instructs to mount regular bolts on the first part of the frame (right frame side), I double checked this. But on the second part (left frame side), I'm instructed to mount a canopy stand-off where on the opposite side (right frame side) there is mounted a regular bolt. This didn't make much sense as canopy mounts usually are mounted on exactly opposite sides of each other, which is true on this build as well (checked further ahead in the manual). So I had the to remove the bolt I previously were instructed to mount from the right side and set a canopy mount in its stead. This left me with two spare bolts...?
Where the canopy mount is to be placed.
On the opposite side. What?
Canopy mounts in place.
Assembling the head.
I can choose between two different thicknesses for spacing out the blade grips (how firm the head is to be set up). I'll be going with the 0.5mm ones.
The dampers has a wrong and correct way to be installed.
See the small "shoulder"? That is supposed to point outwards from the head.
No groove machine for the nut here either. Disappointing.
The head is not quite as beefy as on the Goblin, nor is the drivers as beefy - in fact I think the drivers look a bit flimsy to be honest, but I'm sure it'll be fine.
__
I was recommended to put the motor belt into a bag filled with silicone grease. I'm guessing this is to soften the belt, which will help get the best tension when mounting it into the drivetrain - I will be leaving it in the bag over night.
Drivetrain.
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stokke
Well-Known Member
So I'm about to mount the two front cyclic servos when I notice there are parts missing in my kit! Well, turns out I'm using an old manual and the "servo washers" are no longer included.
Seeing I have no washers nor servo mounts available, I was forced to stop the build for one day. Yesterday though, I was fortunate enough to get to borrow some alu mounts from a fellow Agile owner While talking about our helis he could inform me that him and I are most likely the only Agile 7.2 owners in Norway How bout that?
Anyways, I was able to mount the servos.
The servos were quite the loose fit, so I opted to shove them upwards to align them with the frame before tightening into place. I think I'll be revisiting these before maiden, as I'm not quite comfortable with the current solution (afraid the forces might push the servos around (even though I tightened them gooood)).
I also have some concerns about the height alignment in relation to the elevator servo which is mounted to the frame, opposed to the other cyclics which are mounted a top the drivetrain. This might cause a misalignment which again will give me problems at the swash. I'll deal with all this when I get to the head setup.
Took the drive belt out of its bag, wiped off most of the silicone grease and set it into place.
Before tightening the drivetrain into place, I loosened the lower bearing plate and also installed the main shaft. This to make sure there are no misalignment between the two plates.
Drivetrain mounted and awaiting motor.
Compared to the Goblin solution for tightening the drive belt, I like this one much better! There are no springs and nuts holding the motor in place - just four simple bolts. I will only set the bolts in place for now, as I will be removing the motor again later.
Bad picture, but can you see the sliding counter bearing under the pinion? Pretty clever
Motor in place, awaiting belt and ESC connection - which I'm going to to later on in the build.
Looking good so far.
Seeing I have no washers nor servo mounts available, I was forced to stop the build for one day. Yesterday though, I was fortunate enough to get to borrow some alu mounts from a fellow Agile owner
While talking about our helis he could inform me that him and I are most likely the only Agile 7.2 owners in Norway How bout that?
Anyways, I was able to mount the servos.
The servos were quite the loose fit, so I opted to shove them upwards to align them with the frame before tightening into place. I think I'll be revisiting these before maiden, as I'm not quite comfortable with the current solution (afraid the forces might push the servos around (even though I tightened them gooood)).
I also have some concerns about the height alignment in relation to the elevator servo which is mounted to the frame, opposed to the other cyclics which are mounted a top the drivetrain. This might cause a misalignment which again will give me problems at the swash. I'll deal with all this when I get to the head setup.
Took the drive belt out of its bag, wiped off most of the silicone grease and set it into place.
Before tightening the drivetrain into place, I loosened the lower bearing plate and also installed the main shaft. This to make sure there are no misalignment between the two plates.
Drivetrain mounted and awaiting motor.
Compared to the Goblin solution for tightening the drive belt, I like this one much better! There are no springs and nuts holding the motor in place - just four simple bolts. I will only set the bolts in place for now, as I will be removing the motor again later.
Bad picture, but can you see the sliding counter bearing under the pinion? Pretty clever
Motor in place, awaiting belt and ESC connection - which I'm going to to later on in the build.
Looking good so far.
stokke
Well-Known Member
Yes, the batteries will stick out of the frame, but I'm not worrying about it. The same guy I talked about previously smacked his Agile HARD earlier this year and the damages were minor compared to the severity of the crash. Check out his video:
Watch from 3:00 if you want to skip right to the crash.
The batteries used then are still in use today as far as I know
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