HDX 450 Build Videos will be here

[AdrianM]

Yup...I got confused between the HDX and the HDE. Just for my own calrification what is diffrent about the CDE?

[leapfrog]

Follow-up on my HDX450SE...

I've got almost 50 flights on her now... and all I can say is *NICE*.

I replaced the stock gear sets to the Aligns at around 20 flights... and not a lot of difference (just better alignment, and *much* better mesh). I also swapped the tail gear out with the Microheli MH-TX4142TSE set at the same time - just to try stuff out (I do a lot of that)... It performed *very* well, and I have since moved it to one of my Rexes... and moved the stock HDX set back on (about five flights ago). I haven't seen any of the tail problems mentioned earlier (although, because of the posts, I disassembled it and gave it a good once-over before putting it back on). It still performs well - so I may have gotten a later version?...

I started out with a 430L and a BL35G from the get-go (I simply like the combo, and ordered the HDX kit without the motor), so I can't say anything about the stock motor.

I am finding that as I go to pick a birdie to fly - I ususally pick the HDX first... just to get warmed up. I then tend to go back to it after the second birdie, because it was so much fun... the stinkin' thing is just a well balanced, fun flyer.

Just my 2¢... I always seem to end up with one of my Rexes, though (and usually my SE)... they're *all* fun, no?

[broke-again]

This is the second failure i have had with the HDX tail unit. First time around the main shaft failed. This time the pitch slider unit snapped where it attaches to the main tail unit. I was very, very lucky to get down in one piece. I was in a tail in hover when i heard a loud snap - heli spun - game over. This unit only had about 9 flights on it, just gentle flights, no 3d, no crashes.

The tail pitch slider is smooth on the shaft, no binding, so i am assuming that the joint was weak (hairline fracture) and couldnt handle the usual torque generated by the movement of the tail blades.

Either way i have lost all faith in the HDX tail, i was always nervous after my earlier experience and was just really regaining some confidence. I have sank a small fortune into this heli to date and now think i would have been better off with the Align SE. Guess its true that you get what you pay for.

I am going to take this up with Helidirect and will post a follow up.

Sorry about the poor quality pics, just wanted anyone else out there using the HDX stock tail to be aware of this so that they can make an informed decision.

Can anyone suggest a suitable replacement tail unit?

Thanks in advance

Bill

[ps61785]

I have an align 430L in my HDX450 Heli from helidirect running a 13t pinion. I am noticing that the motor "boggs" when i put collective into it fast...i have not begun 3d yet but am warming up to it and it seems as though that when i go to put fasst collective in it, the heli boggs more than it should. Is there a more powerful motor out there for it, or should i just go down to an 11t pinion...

Also my throttle curve is 0,70,70 in normal mode and 100, 85, 100 in stunt mode using a Spektrum DX6 system. Everything else seems alright except for this "bogging" issue.

Please let me know of any possible fixes for this. Other than that this heli flies great and is incredibly stable.

Thanks in advance, :D

[ps61785]

I have an align 430L in my HDX450 Heli from helidirect running a 13t pinion. I am noticing that the motor "boggs" when i put collective into it fast...i have not begun 3d yet but am warming up to it and it seems as though that when i go to put fasst collective in it, the heli boggs more than it should. Is there a more powerful motor out there for it, or should i just go down to an 11t pinion...

Also my throttle curve is 0,70,70 in normal mode and 100, 85, 100 in stunt mode using a Spektrum DX6 system. Everything else seems alright except for this "bogging" issue.

Please let me know of any possible fixes for this. Other than that this heli flies great and is incredibly stable.

Thanks in advance, :DMore info for my last post (above):

Radio - Spektrum DX6
Throttle Curve in stunt -100, 85, 100
Pitch Curve in stunt - 0, 50, 100 (Linear)
Pitch Limits in Stunt - -12, 0, 12
Blade Length - 325mm (Carbon Fiber)
Pinion - 13 tooth
Motor - 430L 3550kv

I have checked and made sure that everything is in alignment and everything checks out ok. Blades are in alignment and the heli flies stable...its just when i try to get agressive with the pitch it seems to bog down. Would shorter blades help this problem? Would running a smally pinion hel this as well? Im not sure if my head speed calculation is correct but i calculate it in the 3400rpm range with the 13 tooth pinion. Is this too high? With an 11 tooth pinion the head speed would be in the 2900rpm range. Please let me know where it should be. If both of these are still too high please let me know what motor you recommend and what Kv rating. With such a high Kv rating on the motor i currently have its hard to get it lower than that. I know some people are running a Medusa 2800Kv motor with an 11.1volt pack with an 11 tooth pinion. Is that too low?

In closing, i want to thank anyone that responds to my post in advance. As you can probably tell im new to the sport and i am trying to get settled in and learn as much as i can. If you could please reply in my personal messages box as well as here on the forum page that would be great, as i am trying to be organized with this as well. If you cant its not a big deal. Thanks again,

:D :glasses2: :D

[leapfrog]

Whoa... frak... hey Broke, what gears are you running?

I swapped the stock HDX gears out rather early to the Align set to slow the tail down a bit... and I also swapped out the tail set with a MH set for playing around (see previous post)... and have most of the birdy's flights on that set... although, I recently swapped the MH set out to one of my Rexes... and reinstalled the HDX set... You're making me want to pull it off again, and put the Rex SE2 set on...

I tore down the HDX set totally (and that wasn't easy - they definitely used locktite), and reassembled it just prior to installing it back on... and there was nothing out of the ordinary - but I obviously didn't put each part under a microscope or magnaflux them... and it only had 20-something flights on it at the time. It's had another 10 or so now, with no problems at all. Your failure seems to indicate a stress under the push/pull dynamic, to me. Was the servo ever buzzing at all?

I'd recommend either the Rex SE2 set or the Microheli set (because they are the best I've played with - of the sets that I *have* played with)... with one caveat - I haven't crash-tested the MH set... I *have* the Align set, and it was rather easy to rebuild... both times... hummm... in fact, now that I think about it the Rex set I took off to install the MH set was one that has been rebuilt...

Oh well... I would like to know more about the failure you experienced... call me "interested".

[leapfrog]

Hey ps61785...

I'm running an 11-tooth pinion on my HDX450SE... and I have an Align 430L and BL35G ESC... and I use a DX6, also... with basically the same settings in Idle-Up... and a 45-75-100 pitch curve and 0-75-100 throttle in Normal mode... head all aligned, and considerable effort expended to resize the stinking stock links, which seemed to bind a bit outta the box.

I haven't noticed any bogging at all (but I don't do 3D... except when saving some bad move... and that has gotten kinda creative at times... hehe). I have done, and regularly do, some rather aggressive collective pitch changes, though (in Idle-Up)... and from the "load" induced, I haven't noticed anything that could be considered "boggy".

Seems to me you're limiting the throttle to 70% total in normal (not sure why) - and you didn't say what mode you fly in mostly... So heck... just try the 11-tooth... it's a rather cheap swap, if you ask me (compared to the total cost of the heli).

YMMV, ICBW...

[broke-again]

Hi Leapfrog
Your failure seems to indicate a stress under the push/pull dynamic, to me. Was the servo ever buzzing at all?

I agree that there must have been some stresses to cause the failure, but there was no mechanical/set up issues at-all. I had no buzzing on the servo either - all was smooth as could be, prior to the failure everything was great!

I stripped the unit down last night and now think that the bearing locked up. There is only one bolt securing the slider unit to main tail unit and this runs through a bearing. I cant even move it by hand, so have to suspect that this is the cause. As the servo tried to pull/push the pushrod the bearing didnt move and the joint snapped. Its the only scenario i can think off.

I always checked the tail function before any flights and didnt see or hear anything wrong. The only thing i never did was remove the tail rod ball link and move the tail slider by hand, maybe then i may have picked up on something.

Guess i am just unlucky to have 2 dud's in a row!

Iv'e contacted HD, though i doubt they will do anything. Either way im swapping the tail unit. Apart from these 2 tail issues, the rest of the Heli is great.

[daredevil666]

are Hdx450se the same as the one on the http://www.cnc-deluxe.com site??

Thanks

[dutch_anykey]

Yep, its the same.

There are a few more stores that sell this heli...even a russian one. Maybe there are minor differrences in parts on sellers requests.

cheers,
Maurice

[byhsu]

Is the HDX450 SE basically the T-REX 450 SE? How about the 3dx450SE? who makes that one? Thank You.

[jblloyd]

Question for Bob ... where do you find the long (40-50mm) linkage rods that you use when connecting the servo arms to the swash plate in your HDX build video?

Thanks

[broke-again]

Ok, just posting a follow up. Helidirect called me about an hour ago and are sending me the Microheli tail ProSe at a good discount, which i think is more than fair of them.

http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=30_35_52&products_id=781

I will return the failed unit to them and with luck i wont have any more issues!

Kudos to HD though, i may have issues with the tail, but their service to me has always been good.

[dutch_anykey]

Hmm thanks Broke-again....

You think they will give a good discount on everyone who has this problem? I still dont feel right about that tail..

cheers Maurice

[broke-again]

Hi Maurice, If you have had a problem with the tail, you should let HD know about it. At the end of the day HD are retailers of other peoples products and in all fairness to them they could have told me tough luck, and to be honest i expected to hear just that on this occassion- but on both occasions they have always been very fair with me. Before even buying the HDX kit, I had read some negative things about HD on some forums, usually about poor customer service issues - but i have not experienced this. Like any business i guess they cant please all the people all the time, but from my experience with them - they do try. Again if you have a legitimate issue with the tail, you should take it up with HD and discuss it with them. I emailed them last night to explain what had just happened and they called me today...thats good service in my books.

[ps61785]

Just a follow up...can anyone assist me on my post about my "bogging" issue. The post is above on this page.

Thanks again.

[broke-again]

ps61785 wrote:
Just a follow up...can anyone assist me on my post about my "bogging" issue. The post is above on this page


I believe Leapfrog posted in response to you, also i couldnt see what speed controller you are using (ESC)? I use the same motor as you and its great when used with the Align 35a esc.

[leapfrog]

Yeah, I responded to ps61785... but not sure I helped at all... Just relayed *my* experience with the heli set up with an 11T, and basically the same setup... his tag line says "Castle Creations 35amp ESC"... and I don't have any experience with that one. Maybe someone else... Basically, no bogging with a 430L and BL35G combo, ps61785.

w00t! Nice news, Broke!...

Let me know how you like the MH tail set... that's the one I've been playing with on several birds... and I love it so far (that is also the set I haven't crash-tested yet, hehe).

Now, one issue - when you get it, look at the union between the control slider and the control links (not necessarily links since *everything* on this set is basically bearing unions - like the HDX set). Earlier sets had a "press fit" pin for that union (that *could* fail)... the rev 2 version replaced that pin with a brass pin with a C-clip. Mine is a rev 2 set with the C-clip... and it was a while ago that they made the change, so I bet you'll get the upgraded version. Just something to look at. Other than that one issue, this is a really nice tail set.

As for me... I've just finished pulling my HDX set off my bird, and installed the Rex set. I'm going to tear down the HDX set and look at the area again... (when I get some time). You really think the bearing froze? Hummm... If I remember correctly (and I'm old, so my memory comes and goes) there is a small brass washer that captures the inner race of the bearing at that union between the bearing and the slider control arm. You may want to check to be sure that it was there on your set... may have been left off.

Any way... blue skies, all...
/me wags the birdy's tail in a sign of stoopid heli-age...
(wouldn't it be cool to have some animated heli-related emoticons?)

[ps61785]

Will shorter blades help me out in reducing the load on the motor in high pitch situations. i plan to try the 11 tooth pinion on the motor, but i am looking for other possible solutions. Maybe im just exaggerating the problem as well, who knows. I guess the only way to really know whould be to have someone look at it that is more familiar with electrics. Thanks again for the help.

[dutch_anykey]

Hi Guys.

I told you about my fix for the tail-unit. Forget that one. It came loose again yesterday during flight :mrgreen:
This time i was able to more or less land it. It came down pretty hard on its skits.
Probably the usual again...main shaft and spindle shaft bent, servo's seem to be fine this time.
I made a vid of the tail unit about how it goes wrong. http://members.home.nl/maurice.rotjes/
You can see that when the speed goes down the brass tube gets a grip again...this way i couldnt find the problem after the first crash.

I already mailed HD about it. I hope they are willing to help me in some way.

Till then ...grounded..... No way that i'm gonna glue this again and fly.

I hope this vid helps some of you.

regards,
Maurice

[ps61785]

What is the typical head speed that everyone is running on their HDX450? Everything else has been going great with this model, no complaints at all. I plan on updating to the new DX7 from Spektrum, and hopefully this will solve my problems with only having the ability to have a 3 point throttle curve. Please let me know what headspeed is recommended. Thanks again.

[backman8571]

Bob

I had the FSE out for a maiden flight

WOW, rock steady in 20mph wind.

Used the stock new 3550 motor HS56HB and HS81MG for the tail, futaba 401 gyro and OTTER 35 esc, the new Mega battery's and asum to.

This bird tracks as good as the T-REX 600, and i only used the Align new 325 wood pro blade's.

Cheers

Per

[leapfrog]

Yet another HDX update... and a *caution* (something to look for).

I passed the 75-flight mark on my HDX (I've been favoring it a bit)... and it's about time for it's "annual" (I'm a fullsize aircraft owner, and annuals are the time to tear stuff apart and make sure that everything is still airworthy).

So I put my HDX on the bench tonight when I got home, and started a thorough inspection - I do it about every 25-30 flights. I inspected the head... and all looked pretty good - but the dampeners have a *lot* of flights on 'em... so I replaced them.

Then I started down to the links... and I noticed that a couple of them were a bit sticky. That was funny, because I normally spend a bit of time sizing them during the build - and I triflow them regularly. As I took them apart, I noticed that there was a buildup of aluminum oxide inside the links... so I got out my resizing tool, and cleaned them out. They were better afterward...

But when I got to the swash-elevator ball, I noticed that the anti-rotation bracket had actually worn a flat on the anti-rotation pin... no kidding... and a rather good-sized flat too... (maybe a couple of thousands - didn't mic it... didn't need to).

So I broke out the Align stainless ball set... and decided to replace all the aluminum stuff with stainless - and new link ends. So my HDX is out of the rotation for a bit while I get that done. No worries... (the reason I have other helis... I hate being grounded).

All else looked okay... and the birdie has actually been flying very well. But if I let that flat go... it could cause "stiction" problems down the road. May as well take the time hit... and it could end up actually cheaper to fix it now.

Thought you folks would like to know...

[BarnOwl]

Good one, Leapfrog! This has not been mentioned in this thread before, I think.
True true true........The alu balls wear MORE than the plastic links. In time so much you risk to lose the connection.

One of the first upgrade parts to get for everybody is the stainless steel ballset from Align. I second that completely.......

[bouncerman]

Hi,

I would like to have some advice from you experienced guys.
I'm a newbie regarding heli flying and trying to find out which heli would be the best to start with. At least I've decided that it has to be a T-Rex 450xl cde v2 or the hdx450se :lol: What I would like to know is, which one to chosse. Is it maybe better to take the rex because of its cheap spare parts or better the hdx, because it is so strong that it can take a crash much better without having to replace the alum. parts, which of course are much more expensive :?: Does anybody have any experience regarding the crash-resistance of the hdx?

Klaus