General Getting Started but with a little more coin

[muskrat]

Background on me: I have been doing RC cars for years and now getting into helis. I have mastered the bladeCX3 on heli flying / orientation, looking to expand.

So the parts list tony made looks good. I have a little more money to spend but don't know what would be the best things to upgrade. I would like to shell out the money for a programable transmitter and a HK-450GT Pro. The DX6i has several versions that I don't know the difference. They have thing I don't know about like "full range" and "microlight". So which one would be best for me? Is there better servos that will only be a few bucks more? Can I use my RC cars 3s 40c 3000 mah Lipos?

I was hopping I could use lipos/charger from my RC car, and spend 200 - 400 for a heli with good Tx.

Thank you for any input!

 

[Tony]

Welcome to the site. The DX6i that I have is just the standard DX6i. I'm not sure what the microlight is, but full range can be, an AR500 Rx, AR-6200 with satellite, stuff like that. Full range means that you can fly farther away in lamens terms. I run my helis on the orangerx from hobbyking, and they are good until you can no longer tell what way they are facing. I have a crash video that I have not uploaded to prove it lol. But, full range, mode 2 is what you want here in the USA. Some countries like Australia use mode 1, and I find that a little hard to learn. But, if you start with it, you will grow with it.

If you have the money, get the HK450GT Pro Belt version. Don't get the TT, trust me lol. I have played hell with the one that I have. Well, unless you keep a steady supply of gears on hand for those "not so good" landings in grass.

The servos that I'm running are the Turnigy Mg90S on the cyclic, and the EXI D213F on the tail. My 450 has a 3 axis gyro on it cause of the new head, but I ran the Assan GA-250 gyro from hobbyking with great success. if you have the money, get the same cyclic servos, and get the Ds520 tail servo with the Align GP-780 gyro. your tail will be as solid as a rock. Oh, and to use teh D213F tail servo, you will have to custom make a plate to mount the servo, or get the servo mount off of the HK450GT. The Pro uses a 500 sized "mini" servo, 26g in size, and not the "micro" servo, 9g size.

the 3000 mah battery is a little big, and I'm sure that it will not fit under the canopy. If it does, it's more than likely going to be very nose heavy. The 2200mah batteries work perfect in the 450s, although some are getting away with the 2650's. CG is not as important on a heli like it is on a plane.

And you should be able to use the same charger. If it can charge a 3s battery, you are golden.

Don't fret over the battery, they are only about $12 for a decent one, and about $40 for a great one.

Hope this helps.

 

[muskrat]

Thank you for the great info and fast response tony. I now know where I can go in future for my heli needs. Few follow up Q's:

The Turnigy Mg90S have several bad reviews on HK. But they work fine in your experence? Should I just spend 8 more bucks and get all EXI D213F servos?

I dont understand what you mean by "to use teh D213F tail servo, you will have to custom make a plate to mount the servo" How would I do that?

 

[Tony]

Actually, I think I would suggest the EXI servos over the turnigy, or tpro on hobbypartz. The EXI's are digital, whereas the Tpro and turnigy is analog. Digital is better, by far, but I don't think they are that strong.

In my experience, yes, the mg90s servos are great. I have had them on my HK450GT and my EXI 450 Pro TT, and they are flawless. But, I have thought about putting the D213F's on the cyclic for the faster response and better centering, even though I have not had an issue with these mg90s's.

And, what I ment was that the Pro 450's use a center mount 26g servo. It's bigger than the 9g servos, and thus you can't use the 9g in the stock mount. If you look at the pics, you can see the mount that I'm talking about. The stock one anyway. I made a simple aluminum plate out of .063" aluminum sheet. Drilled the 4 holes to mount it to the stock mount, then the two holes for the servo mount. I will try to get some pics to better explain it.

You can make the plate to use that smaller servo, or you can just order the tail boom mount like is on the HK450GT.

And just let me know if there is anything else that I can help with. That is why I'm here.

 

[muskrat]

Ok sounds good. The reviews on the T-Pro MG90S 9G Metal Gear Servo are great. I think I'm going to get 4 of those. Do You know if I will need a mount? Thank you again for all the help tony.

 

[Tony]

If you order the Pro, then yes, you will need a mount to use the tpro servos (9g). However if you get the DS-520 align servo, you can use the stock mount.

Oh, and the Turnigy and T Pro servos are the exact same. Just FYI.

 

[coolgabsi]

Hey Tony... Now that we are on that topic.. What (cheap) servo replaces ds520?? Why I ask is that I have another 450 now!! and I will take the ds520 gp780 and throw it in the new pro align soon... ( till I find some more parts for it) and wanna get it set up. It's nowhere near complete... But anywaz... Something cheap and good to go with my gy48v.. And also I know why my tail desire with it.. Two reasons -- mg90s (li'll slower) and gy48v is temperature change sensitive.. Needs time (couple mins) to acclimate and then works fine..


---
- Gaba

 

[Tony]

Why not get another 520?

 

[coolgabsi]

i donno... i might if i get a GOOOD deal on it... but if not then i will need a cheaper one..

 

[murankar]

hobbies4life.com has the align ds-520 for around $35. I just bought one myself along with two pack motor pinion + shipping was around $41. Thats still cheaper than any other site. I am not sure what the going price is at an LHS.