600 Got A 2nd Hand Align Trex-600 Eelecric

[Alex Evans]

I have no manual for it and I looked at several manuals online, tried the CF and ESP because it is I think 10 years old and I am not clear, what initial setup - main rotor rods length should I use.

I am a 75 years "Young" guy, so not likely to try any inverted flying or 3D stunts.
Do I really need a negative pitch setup at zero throttle? I will not fly high enough to attempt Autorotation either...

Thanks for any help

 

[D.O.G.]

Well first I like to welcome you to the forum and we have pleanty of "Young" guys on this site. Can you tell us if it's a FBL or FB setup that's on it now? Better yet a picture would be nice. That will give us a better look at what you have. I'm no help but I know other will jump right on in. I did find this that might help ALIGN T-REX 600ESP INSTRUCTION MANUAL Pdf Download.

 

[Alex Evans]

Hi D.O.G

It is a FB model. The manual you mention is the one I have, but, the rod dimensions (in the manual) in some cases contradict what I have on this bird. For example - the rod that goes from the swash plate up to the FB frame, in the ESP manual it shows as 38mm between the plastic ends, I have 43mm instead.
On page 19 of the ESP manual it shwos the elevator vertical guide, but mine on the bird itself looks very different.

My Gyro is an Align GP780, it seems it is stuck in HH mode
Flyin on 6S with a Turnigy 80A ESC

My questions are :

1) Can I have my pitch setup without any nagative at low throttle? If not - why not? I set it so that the FB frame looks balanced horizontaly at zero throotle, at 50% it is not.
2) My swash setup is level all the way, 0, 50, 100%
3) My rudder stick, when returned to neutral - the blades stay where they were, it seems to be in HH mode and only gets back to neutral once I move the machine on the bench, but how do I go out of HH mode?
4) On startup and until about to take off, I have very bad vibrations....
5) Do I have to remove the red / + connector from the throttle lead (I have a seprate LiPo 2S for the RX

Looking forward to your instructions

 

[Matt]

That's a nice heli. #1 take off the flybarred head and put on a flybarless head #2 get an Align Microbeast Plus, every good Align needs an Align Microbeast Plus..

Sorry, didn’t mean to highjack this thread.. lol

 

[D.O.G.]

Hey Matt. Don't be sorry to hihack this tread. We need to help out Alex so he can this bird up and flying so he can enjoy it . Yes a FBL set up would be nice. Less moving parts. Sorry about the manual I showed you Alex. It was a try. Now as for the measurements on the rod length, remember the numbers they give you are just numbers to start off with. You mention "ESP manual it shows as 38mm between the plastic ends, I have 43mm instead." This part is going to be a trial and error section. If you don't have 0 degrees when you zero out then you have to adjust accordingly. If you read + number then you need to shorten the lenght on the rod and if you read a - number then increase the length on the rod. Mr. Tony will be the one that could help you out. He has a nitro 600 heli but he nows his stuff. I imagine you'll here from him soon enough.

 

[D.O.G.]

I also found this Alex. Hope this might help Helicopters - ALIGN
Oh yeah, about the vibration. Something is bent from the main shaft,tail shaft, FB shaft and so on. It's hard to tell unless you can make a video. If your not sure if that's a good idea to make a video then you must go through the parts individually to find the bent part. It's going to take time to setup your heli. Take your time and get it right the first time. When you do a maiden , that's not the time to fine out something is wrong. Last thing you want to do is crash. Parts for that bird isn't cheap. Good luck .

 

[D.O.G.]

As for the server. Close out of the site then sign in again. You should be able to find your post on Recent post. Then post up again .

 

[Matt]

I had an Align Trex 250 flybarred head and I ordered a flybarless head from AMain Hobbies. A Microbeast was only a suggestion. Any fbl system will work and everyone has preferences on their fbl systems but a Microbeast is a good one, in fact I might put one on my Protos 380.

 

[D.O.G.]

Hey Alex. The picture you took is fine but a side view would also be helpful. I'm not sure if you found this on you tube but there's 3 part videos to this heli setup which looks like yours from the front view. This video is 7 yrs old too Just trying to be helpful .

 

[RandyDSok]

Hi Alex....

I'll report the thread and see if an admin or mod can clean up the extra repeated posts.

I'll also mention that you don't need to repeat the photos you'd already posted... the first time ( not including the error posts you mentioned ) are enough.

 

[RandyDSok]

Ok... I'm getting an error reporting the issue... I'll us a PM and link to the thread instead. Whatever the underlying issue is... it may take a while to figure out...

 

[Matt]

The shaking could be a bent main shaft.

 

[Tony]

I checked the server log, and it appears that the server went down for a bit causing the issues. The cache on the server held the responses and they kept posting. Not sure why the server was offline, or so it appears, but I will be keeping an eye on it. I will also clean up this thread of all but one of the posts with the images.

Just tried cleaning up the thread, and it gave me a server error as well. Looking into the issue.

 

[Admiral]

Hi Alex, welcome to the forum. I'm in the same age bracket as you, a sports flyer and just up the road in Brisbane, hope I can help in some small way.

Firstly what Transmitter do you have ?
I agree with the others, a conversion to FBL would give you a more positive experience.
You need to have some negative pitch to hold the machine on the ground while spooling up, otherwise the smallest gust of wind will tip the heli over on the ground.
To get the Gyro out of HH depends on what transmitter your using for Spektrum some of the early ones, above a Tx Gyro setting of 50% Plus is HH and below is Rate mode, on my DX9 above 0% is HH and Negatine % is Rate mode.
To convert to FBL you would need a Flight controller (FC) and a 600 DCF main shaft to match the (Direct Flight Control) head you have. For an FC I use iKon but Vbar, BeastX, Spirit etc are also excellent it is a matter of personal choice.
The vibration on start up is either a bent Main shaft, too much vertical play in the main shaft, unbalanced blades, missing gear teeth or damage belt if belt drive or something else not up to spec.
I think you you only use the ESC signal wire but not sure as I have never set mine up that way.
You have a Flying club in you area Home - PARCS - Peninsula Aeronautical Radio Control Society they have all disciplines of RC flying they may also be of use to you.
And finally our local source of helicopters & parts is Australia's largest FREE radio control classifieds website.

Hope this helps, Stay safe!

 

[buel williams]

Hi Alex, to convert to fbl you might need all kinds of parts. as for pitch if you have 9 positive at high you need 9 negitive at low and 0 at mid stick. you also want 6 degres cylic pitch. and then rock on you young man. Iam 61 myself but feel 80. p.s. your landing skid nuts are in the wrong place.

 

[Alex Evans]

Hello Admiral and all,

I am adding here pictures of the left and right sides of the machine.
PARCS is too far for me, I visited that club once in the past and didn't like it.

This is the first time anyone explains to me a good reason for negative pitch, makes sense.
After the crash, I replaced : Main shaft, main rotor blades, tail rotor blades, main gear stripped, umbrella front gears. Examined the feathering shaft, looks OK.

I am using a Spektrum DX9 Black.

Some of the acronyms you are using or the brand names are unclear to me, I am a complete dumb in this field.

If I am to switch to FBL - do I need another shaft? What parts do I need to buy?
After that, what manual settings should I start from? ESP? How will I know the rod length for a starting point?

Thanks again

Hey Matt. Don't be sorry to hihack this tread. We need to help out Alex so he can this bird up and flying so he can enjoy it . Yes a FBL set up would be nice. Less moving parts. Sorry about the manual I showed you Alex. It was a try. Now as for the measurements on the rod length, remember the numbers they give you are just numbers to start off with. You mention "ESP manual it shows as 38mm between the plastic ends, I have 43mm instead." This part is going to be a trial and error section. If you don't have 0 degrees when you zero out then you have to adjust accordingly. If you read + number then you need to shorten the lenght on the rod and if you read a - number then increase the length on the rod. Mr. Tony will be the one that could help you out. He has a nitro 600 heli but he nows his stuff. I imagine you'll here from him soon enough.

That's a nice heli. #1 take off the flybarred head and put on a flybarless head #2 get an Align Microbeast Plus, every good Align needs an Align Microbeast Plus..

Sorry, didn’t mean to highjack this thread.. lol

Hi Alex, welcome to the forum. I'm in the same age bracket as you, a sports flyer and just up the road in Brisbane, hope I can help in some small way.

Firstly what Transmitter do you have ?
I agree with the others, a conversion to FBL would give you a more positive experience.
You need to have some negative pitch to hold the machine on the ground while spooling up, otherwise the smallest gust of wind will tip the heli over on the ground.
To get the Gyro out of HH depends on what transmitter your using for Spektrum some of the early ones, above a Tx Gyro setting of 50% Plus is HH and below is Rate mode, on my DX9 above 0% is HH and Negatine % is Rate mode.
To convert to FBL you would need a Flight controller (FC) and a 600 DCF main shaft to match the (Direct Flight Control) head you have. For an FC I use iKon but Vbar, BeastX, Spirit etc are also excellent it is a matter of personal choice.
The vibration on start up is either a bent Main shaft, too much vertical play in the main shaft, unbalanced blades, missing gear teeth or damage belt if belt drive or something else not up to spec.
I think you you only use the ESC signal wire but not sure as I have never set mine up that way.
You have a Flying club in you area Home - PARCS - Peninsula Aeronautical Radio Control Society they have all disciplines of RC flying they may also be of use to you.
And finally our local source of helicopters & parts is Australia's largest FREE radio control classifieds website.

Hope this helps, Stay safe!

The shaking could be a bent main shaft.

Main shaft is new, feathering shaft looks OK

 

[D.O.G.]

Hey there Alex. Nice bird for the age. I think the you tube video I posted is really close to help you out. Atleast give you an idea. Wow, you have alot of linkages. It would be real hard to convert your heli into a flybarless heli because where your servos are located at. So with that being said you need to invest in a digital caliper, that's for sure from your local hardware store or walmart 6 in. Digital Caliper then try to find a manual that you can work with. Atleast you have some sort of numbers to work with from that manual. With that you tube video and this manual ALIGN T-REX 600ESP INSTRUCTION MANUAL Pdf Download. and the length you have on the heli now, find a happy medium. Say the linkage from the blades holder to the swashplate measure now at 38mm and the manual that I posted saids 40mm then start with 39mm. My question to you is, did the heli fly when you got it. Start with those measurements first. Take your digital caliper and mearsure each linkages to see if they match. Make sure there the same size. Just a mm here and a mm their on each linkage could screw everything up. For example, measure the 2 linkage that goes from the servo to the servo arms. Make sure they're the same length then go to the opposite side of the heli and measures the 2 linkage from that servo to the servo arms. All 4 linkages should be all the same size. It's going to take time but check all the linkages one at a time. I hope this makes sense. Any questions, keep posting up. Were here to help the best we can.

 

[Tony]

Alright guys, thanks to the help of Ken, I was able to locate the issue and have resolved it. Let me know if you see anything else that is causing issues.

I have cleaned up the thread, but only removed things from view. If there was something in one of the posts that you need, let me know and I can restore it. This thread was TLDR, so I just looked at the images and if I saw multiple threads that were the same, I deleted them from view. Just let me know.

 

[Admiral]

Having a second look at that head I don't think its an FBL head, you may have to go the complete assembly 600DFC Main Rotor Head Upgrade H60239A - Align have them but you would need to check to make sure they are compatible with the ESP 600.
May make more sense at the moment to get it flying as a fly barred helicopter before investing too much money in it, parts for the older Aligns are getting harder to get.
What acronyms do you need the meanings too.

 

[Alex Evans]

Hello again,

I must admit, I am a bit confused about how to respond here to people ... So, I will make a general response:

1) I am not at all sure if I have the ESP version, can anyone tell me just by looking at the pictures.
2) One comment says that I may not be able to use the Align DFC head due to my servos location, is this the case?
3) I am happy to try and fly it as FB version, but have too much vibrations, even after replacing the main shaft, main blades, tail rotor blades. My Swashpalte seems tight, no play. No vertical play on the main shaft, the feathering shaft seems OK while turning it. I am using a digital pitch gauge, my main blades tracking looks good.

What else can I check?
I am keen to convert it to an FBL, but can I ?

Again, please someone tell me - which version of the 600 does it look to you?

Thanks again
===================================================


Hello Admiral and all,

I am adding here pictures of the left and right sides of the machine.
PARCS is too far for me, I visited that club once in the past and didn't like it.

This is the first time anyone explains to me a good reason for negative pitch, makes sense.
After the crash, I replaced : Main shaft, main rotor blades, tail rotor blades, main gear stripped, umbrella front gears. Examined the feathering shaft, looks OK.

I am using a Spektrum DX9 Black.

Some of the acronyms you are using or the brand names are unclear to me, I am a complete dumb in this field.

If I am to switch to FBL - do I need another shaft? What parts do I need to buy?
After that, what manual settings should I start from? ESP? How will I know the rod length for a starting point?

Thanks again

Hey Matt. Don't be sorry to hihack this tread. We need to help out Alex so he can this bird up and flying so he can enjoy it . Yes a FBL set up would be nice. Less moving parts. Sorry about the manual I showed you Alex. It was a try. Now as for the measurements on the rod length, remember the numbers they give you are just numbers to start off with. You mention "ESP manual it shows as 38mm between the plastic ends, I have 43mm instead." This part is going to be a trial and error section. If you don't have 0 degrees when you zero out then you have to adjust accordingly. If you read + number then you need to shorten the lenght on the rod and if you read a - number then increase the length on the rod. Mr. Tony will be the one that could help you out. He has a nitro 600 heli but he nows his stuff. I imagine you'll here from him soon enough.

That's a nice heli. #1 take off the flybarred head and put on a flybarless head #2 get an Align Microbeast Plus, every good Align needs an Align Microbeast Plus..

Sorry, didn’t mean to highjack this thread.. lol

Hi Alex, welcome to the forum. I'm in the same age bracket as you, a sports flyer and just up the road in Brisbane, hope I can help in some small way.

Firstly what Transmitter do you have ?
I agree with the others, a conversion to FBL would give you a more positive experience.
You need to have some negative pitch to hold the machine on the ground while spooling up, otherwise the smallest gust of wind will tip the heli over on the ground.
To get the Gyro out of HH depends on what transmitter your using for Spektrum some of the early ones, above a Tx Gyro setting of 50% Plus is HH and below is Rate mode, on my DX9 above 0% is HH and Negatine % is Rate mode.
To convert to FBL you would need a Flight controller (FC) and a 600 DCF main shaft to match the (Direct Flight Control) head you have. For an FC I use iKon but Vbar, BeastX, Spirit etc are also excellent it is a matter of personal choice.
The vibration on start up is either a bent Main shaft, too much vertical play in the main shaft, unbalanced blades, missing gear teeth or damage belt if belt drive or something else not up to spec.
I think you you only use the ESC signal wire but not sure as I have never set mine up that way.
You have a Flying club in you area Home - PARCS - Peninsula Aeronautical Radio Control Society they have all disciplines of RC flying they may also be of use to you.
And finally our local source of helicopters & parts is Australia's largest FREE radio control classifieds website.

Hope this helps, Stay safe!

The shaking could be a bent main shaft.

Main shaft is new, feathering shaft looks OK

Hi Alex, to convert to fbl you might need all kinds of parts. as for pitch if you have 9 positive at high you need 9 negitive at low and 0 at mid stick. you also want 6 degres cylic pitch. and then rock on you young man. Iam 61 myself but feel 80. p.s. your landing skid nuts are in the wrong place.

Well first I like to welcome you to the forum and we have pleanty of "Young" guys on this site. Can you tell us if it's a FBL or FB setup that's on it now? Better yet a picture would be nice. That will give us a better look at what you have. I'm no help but I know other will jump right on in. I did find this that might help ALIGN T-REX 600ESP INSTRUCTION MANUAL Pdf Download.