Finally maidened my ION

[arrio]

I've had this ION since last year when I bought an unbuilt kit from a fellow on RR. It had everything, the Hacker motor and ESC, and upgraded to an FAI rotor head.
My installed equipment:
SAB 680 3D carbons.
Stock MA plastic tail blades
Tanic 's 10s3p 7350ma for batteries.
3300NiMh 4cell rx battery.
Jr 5000t Gyro w/8700G tail servo.
JR 10X radio.

The canopy is still virgin white, san decals.

This is essentially my first real electric heli. I've had a micro Hornet and a LMH e-conversion, but those did nothing to prepare me for this.

Everything went pretty smoothly for the engine test run(without blades). But I was a little shocked at the rotor speed. 2K+ rpms was way more than I was accustomed to running on my 60 ships. So I dialed it back to about 50% to bring it in at 1800. I later found that the standard ratio shipped with the kits puts you at this high head speed. I have ordered a couple different counter gears to try a lower rotor speed.
Letting the KV and gear ratio dictate the rotor speed is new concept for me. But I'm trying....

Anyway,... The flight with the blades on was great! I only did some hovering flight and some mild figure eights, as I did not recharge the batteries from the motor runnup. Boy, this is likely the smoothest heli I have ever flown. Nice an quiet too, compared to my Glo ships...

I've read that IONs had a lot of gear whine, and I prepared for quite loud gear noise. It was quite the contrary. I've had foamies that were louder than this. Again, it was very impresive.

I won't get a chance to fly it again till this weekend. Really looking forward to letting loose the power.

I have a set of E-moli cells for a 10s2p configuration that I will be assembling soon. I need to clear off my work bench. Too much clutter on it at the moment to do anything.

To sum it up... I am very impressed and pleased with my ION. So much so, that I picked up another ION for my stable. :D

[DebianDog]

What no video? :dontknow

[arrio]

Yes, Video would have been great. But alas, my Sony vid cam is no-workie. :(

[Chachin]

Congratulations on your successful maiden flight! My first Ion hover was on 24-cells (yes 24 roundcells!!). Felt nice, gutless, and smooth. Then I put on some 10S4P GEN2's and had to change underwear :shock:. Been in love with the machine ever since. Enjoy it!

Chachin..

[misskimo]

FUN , FUN fun is where you at now , great story , a happy Ion owner , on the second Ion , slap on a 32-3 actro heli version , and she will wake UP!!!

[arrio]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Like I said, I was really impressed with the ION, and I'm really looking forward to flying it a lot this summer. Going all electric and dropping the glow is a distinct possibility. A lot of it depends on how well the new cell technology, like the E-Mioi's, work out.
On the #2 ION, I would love to re-motor it, but I'm going to have to wait a bit for that upgrade. But! If can sell some of the Glo stuff, it could happen sooner... :YeaBaby:

[rfaster]

arrio - good to hear another satisifed Ion-Owner. I just maidened my Ion-X that was built by the Pro Bobby Smith - Took it out of the box and was literally ready to fly in 10 minutes thanks to his setup! Our stories are quite similar in respect to needing to have more than 1 Ion-X.. in my case both of my Ion-X's arrived on the same day one with 1521 and I plan to setup the other with an Acto.

*Thx again Bobby for the perfect SETUP!

EMOLI's -
I posted a month or so back about folks using Emoli's on Ion-X's... and heard the CRICKETS... I took it upon myself to try a 10s2P setup for the first time on Friday- I plan to post my results (DataLogger etc...) and the 10S TP wiring diagram in the next couple of days - so far SO GOOD!!

[arrio]

rfaster- My #2 ION has the Hacker motor and ESC in it, I may swap it out later for the Actro. I have a cc110 sitting on the side waiting for something to do. Its currently waiting to see if its going to pushing a 11 or 12s Moli pack. I'm impatiently waiting for your Moli results. :)

[arrio]

Flew my ION again today. Though it was smooth, it was very slugish. Not a lot of power. I flew it for about 5-6 minutes. When it landed I checked the temps and the motor and esc were fine at about 115 to 125, but the batteries were cooking. Like 160 one pack 125 on the other pack. The hot pack had some puffed cells too. :(
I was very concervative in the flight. Didn't have much choice as it was gutless. The pack was a Tanic 5s3p (pair) 7350ma. 10/12C. Not sure what to do with them now.
I guess now I really need to assemble that Moli pack .

[Chachin]

Sorry to hear that Arrio. The 125degF batt temperature sounds about right, but the 160 is way high :shock:. Is it possible that the hotter pack was undercharged?? Maybe that's why it felt gutless... How old are those Tanic packs? Were they balanced??

As a reference, here's a quick video of how my Hacker setup performs on TP GEN2's 8000mAh packs:

http://www.chachin.rchomepage.com/Ion-X_0006.zip

(Hope I'm not out of bandwidth :oops: ) Not a rocket by today's standards, but I wouldn't consider it sluggish either. Plenty enough power for 3D/aerobatics, and I just got some ProLites that should give it a little extra edge. How does yours compare?

Chachin..

[arrio]

They were both charged the night befor on two 109 chargers. They were not terribly out of balance, within a tenth of a volt I think. Anyway the packs are now unuseable.
I viewed your video. :thumbup: I had nowhere near that performance. It had all it could do to do a basic loop. Climbouts were slow too. As much as I dread laying out that kind of dough, I may have to if I want this ship to perform. :arggg:

[WillJames]

Once you get used to your Ion-X, if it is ever down on power, auto immediately and see what is up. From what I have been told, it is pretty hard on the pack that does not puff to be flown with a pack that has puffed. You will get to know it to the point of instantly knowing if it is down on power all the sudden while flying.

Sorry to hear you went through a pack. I have heard Brian at Tanic can fix your packs (not for free) if you send them to him?? Not sure though.

[arrio]

Thanks for the tip on sending it back to Tanic. I may just do that. It should be cheaper to fix it than replace it. One can hope anyway.

[fitenfyr]

Arrio,
That stinks. :(

Welcome to the downside of these big electrics.
One of the big reasons I sold my other one to you.

Brian I am sure will do what he can for you. He has always treated me right.
The bad thing is those cells may not be available anymore.
Another downside of the LiPo's.
Seems like they are "updated" every few months. :D

Get a set of the (gasp I can't believe I am saying this) Thunder power Prolites. :roll:
I hate the thought of giving them money, but they seem to be the most reliable right now.
That and the balancers are really good.

[arrio]

The more I think about it madder I get. :bomb: I am almost to the point mentaly that I refuse to spend almost a grand on batteries. Ok, $700... close enough. You may be right though about these cells may not be around anymore. Would be way cheaper to replace 2-3 cells than a whole pack. Really hoping that the Moli's work out to be the ticket. Anyway If it comes to it, I'll give the ION a Jewish nip and tun him into a 50. :lol:

[fitenfyr]

I'll give the ION a Jewish nip and tun him into a 50.
Now theres a good idea. :D

[misskimo]

take them apart and make trex packs , sell them if they dont make the cell any more
huh? Jason , TP huh? well I got to say , naw better not say it , :mrgreen:
its all fun , batteries are high , but my packs , I keep them for about a year and sell them ,

Tony

[WillJames]

The more I think about it madder I get. I am almost to the point mentaly that I refuse to spend almost a grand on batteries. Ok, $700... close enough. You may be right though about these cells may not be around anymore. Would be way cheaper to replace 2-3 cells than a whole pack. Really hoping that the Moli's work out to be the ticket. Anyway If it comes to it, I'll give the ION a Jewish nip and tun him into a 50.
_________________


Get a set of the EVO 20 3700's or the new 4300 for a little over 400. If you want to fly sport for 9 or so minutes and 5-6 is not enough, then get the prolites.

I like the Ion-X at 10 pounds best, so 1p is my choice.

[Chachin]

I agree the Evo 20 packs are relatively cheap at around 400 or so and they must turn the Ion into a different animal. But the 10S4P ProLites and the right motor has the potential for more than just "sport" flying. Check out Tony's Ion with Andy at the sticks :shock: :

http://www.augustoheli.com/videostuff/videoarchive/HelifreakArchive/I/Ion-XAndyrummer.wmv

:shock: That's what I'm aiming for (for now). Awesome 3D power with decent flight times. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to see/try Charlie's new packs, and even the Evo's. But I still think the sweet spot is somewhere between 8-10min. flight times without killing the packs. This is simply more feedback on things to keep in mind when choosing your next set of batteries. You can find used sets at around 500 or so online. Good luck!

Chachin..

[misskimo]

hey , even though my 10s2ps X 2 are some bricks , Matt sure like to fly it , finaly I said , I think its time , I asked him how long do you think you flew it , around 12 to 13 min was his guess. put back 8400 ma and the heli was still flying strong , these packs like I said before act different than the new 8000 prolites I just got , down side , 4 oz more weight , and the canopy looks like its fixxing to spit out some little Baby-ion at any time , but great power still ,
some guys will like a lite heli which is about the same class as the 90s size nitro, and some fellow like a mid style flying , and some like long flights , well I must be all the above , but this year , I hope Charlie will produce the next gen of Cells , I heard its like 22C , 2200s , and if I can get my hands on 2 5s3p of those , then theres ganna be a happy mid with a punch or ( wishful thinking here ) some 1p 5000s would be nice , 25C con , 55C burst , which I think we will need bigger wire in the motor :lol: :arggg: :badair: :bomb:

[WillJames]

looks like its fixxing to spit out some little Baby-ion at any time


HAHAHAAH Good one Tony. It does flex out that canopy pretty good.

[rfaster]

Speaking of Evo 20's new formula packs -- anyone ready to post their results - are they better - the same - or still need more cycles? Bobby.....? or.

[WillJames]

I am still waiting on mine... Hopefully will try them for the first time tomorrow if they come today.

[misskimo]

here, some here say , I bet they will be strong through out the discharge compared with the standard evos in the Ion , you know , I wondering , how far will the C ratings go over the next year , man its growing ,
HE He Will , she was fat , and flew heavy , motors grunted , heli moved just about as well or better as the 8000s but the 10% sag doesnt come around till around 8 min , if you know what I mean :lol:

[rfaster]

Any new word on the TP packs... According to Charlie "several" pilots are flying them and I assumed he meant on Ion's - Joker's etc...