HDX300 Build Videos wll be here

[dr5liter]

ok almost done with this 300 project and need hellp pickin gout a battery, i dont know what a good size and have not seen anything in the videos except for one in bobs video that says EVO 20, the rest i can not make out. please help would like to have it on order for this coming weekend for a test flight :lol:

[dr5liter]

ohh and yes please a part number for a pinon gear for the hdx 400 motor, or a shaft size to help pick one out, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[ptremb]

well greenh0rn there is realy no way to get the tail sprocket off other than heating with a torch(press fit at assy),however when it does come off it seperates into 3 parts (2 sides 1 sprocket).some have had luck putting it back on with jb weld or green lockite,however you can get a new shaft assy here for about the same in price and frustration.
http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=38_114&products_id=1779

dr5liter, from what I have heard from others is a 1350mAh 15-20c 11.1v, or an 1800mAh 10c 11.1v.
Are you sure you got the hdx400 motor( http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=44&products_id=1126 ),the reason I ask is that one has a 3.17mm shaft which is hard to find gears for,you will have to look for the align gears and I think the smallest is an 11 tooth.this would give you a theoretical head speed of 2400 rpm(possibly up to 2600).if this is the one you have go here,
http://www.helihobby.com/html/t-rex_microheli.html#PARTAGNM1051
or
http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=78&products_id=378

[greenh0rn]

well greenh0rn there is realy no way to get the tail sprocket off other than heating with a torch(press fit at assy),however when it does come off it seperates into 3 parts (2 sides 1 sprocket).some have had luck putting it back on with jb weld or green lockite,however you can get a new shaft assy here for about the same in price and frustration.
http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=38_114&products_id=1779

thanks.. i actually did buy that shaft as a spare.. bent again.. after a couple of seconds after i spool up the motor.
Just tried with a zap400 shaft.. seems to be holding.

[dr5liter]

Thanks for getting back to me on the motor, I found out it is not the motor from your above link but the hdx 300 motor and it has a 2.3 mm shaft :D http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?products_id=1524
now what gear should I use? and how in the world do I find out what wires go to what from this motor to the esc? there all black. is it possible to burn out the esc if I connect them wrong? Motor came with no instructions and the esc instructions only show black to black not saying which one i should put together.
getting desprite for help.

Roy

[COOKIEULT70]

You can't burn up the motor or ESC no matter how you hook up the three wires. You can I think burn up the esc by hooking up the battery to the ESC backwards though.

Has anyone tried the E-Flite 400 series inrunner motors in this thing? If the 370 can is not enough the 400 can should do the trick. Or the Castle mamba 3600KV motor.

Eric.

[dr5liter]

have not seen in the videos a link size for servo to swash plate. any ideas ?are they custom links size ?

[ptremb]

dr5liter use these
http://www.helihobby.com/html/t-rex_microheli.html#PARTAGNM1050
or
http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=78&products_id=377
or
http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=78&products_id=987
I would recomend the align gears first as you have a selection to match up for the headspeed you want.a 9 tooth is standard install,this will give you a theoretical headspeed of 2350
the 10 will give you 2600
the 11 will give you 2900
I would stick with the 9 for woodies/plastiblades
10 for light 3d with woodies/carbon blades
11 for sick 3d and carbon blades(mandatory,woodies will get thrown,read some of the exciting things from the t-rex and high head speed) (I haven't heard of anyone getting their's to do this though,they say that the hdx450/t-rex peforms much better here)


when hooking up the motor the 3 wires connect to the 3 wires on the "motor" side of the esc.If it is running reverse swap any 2 wires.solder on a deans plug to the red/black or "batt" side of the esc.watch the polarity to ensure they match the batt or you will let the magic smoke out of the esc.


the servo to swash links are what you want them to be.the swash has 3.5mm balls.you could get the "ball ends" bag that has a bunch in it than get the matching link ends to make your own custom length,or use the stock bcp link rods with the z-bends.just make sure you put the link ends that came with the head assy. on the stock links as the bcp ball ends are smaller(atleast that's what I found).As far as the length what I did was mark the antirotation arm in the center and set my link length so that @ center stick the pin is at the center mark.


COOKIEULT70,I have read of some that are using inrunners with flying results,but couldn't say what they are.(370/400??)I would think that any motor recomended for a 350g heli would work if you can get it geared for the required min. headspeed.from what I have read this looks like anything over 2100.Much less and the tail won't have the authority to counter torque(don't ask how I know :arggg: ) till the 40 tooth tail drive sprocket becomes available

[COOKIEULT70]

I was thinking either this motor

http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLM1010

or this motor

http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLM1105

[johnnychimpo]

What is the recomended pinion size then everyone. I have a 11t 9t and 13t but i have the blue/ silver outrunner from the kit. Which one is best for this motor? 11.1v 12c 1320mah TP lipo is it makes any difference.

[ptremb]

COOKIEULT70,I can't comment on either as I have no experiance w/ inrunners.However looking at the specs I would go w/ the 400 as this bird is fat and you can always gear down if needed.

johnnychimpo,the recomended is a 9 tooth.

[dr5liter]

ptramb,
I have read on the tail also losing it over 2100 but I have also see that the tail comes with a belt gear that has 10t, I have bought the new 8t to give more speed on the tail end. Plus i have seen a video where they rebuild the tail to give about 55o of pitch. So If i can figure out the link sizes, i used what Bob used in his build videos, hs55s servos, I would love to know what his link sizes are. Thank you for the info it really has helped.
ANd i will try the stock z link bcp links, THANKS A BUNCH!

[Finless]

I would love to know what his link sizes are


For on the servos I used the Align Trex balls and links which are standard size links for the majority of heli's out there!

Bob

[johnnychimpo]

I used Z-bens on the servo ends. Almost a strait shot to the swash. Except the front servo needed about 1/8 stand off.

http://www.helifreak.com/download.php?id=12662

[ptremb]

dr5liter,there is/was 3 different tails that went with this heli so one must check the tail shaft sprocket to make sure it's correct..the first 2 are a straight zoom v1 style,one with bearing blade grips and one with ball end grips,both came originaly with a 10 tooth on the shaft requiring replacement with the kit supplied 8 tooth.the latest tail is an 8 tooth pressed sprocket shaft (junk),the shaft will bend way to easy(even w/o a crash,just an imbalance of the grips/blades and the centrifugal forces),and being pressed on one can't just purchase shaft stock and make a swap easily like with the earlier set screw style sprocket,though it can be done if you have the time.

[micen2]

I'm sitting here sighing...with a fully set up 300 in front of me...and working out the setup kinks (plenty o time to toy with it..waiting for the electric motor and esc)...have yet to fly it...but you guys are scaring me. sigh...is it really that bad??...I did see I had to drill for a small diameter metal flybar...and make other annoying adjustments to this kit...but all in all it's real purdy for what it is ...and I didn't set the belt to tight....so I'm hoping I wont experience the imfamous "blowout" :shock: ....well brushless and esc is in the mail...gotta be way better than a blade cp pro in the end I'm hoping....just not the kind of heli..you want to fly outside of my ability....no crashes. For what i put into this durn thing i justa bout could have gotten a hong kong rtf trex se combo. :? hope it flys better than you guys are ragging ....I do agree it's not a well rehearsed kit-as far as kinks go (when I fly it...I think I'll be happier)....but there are alot of parts available individually for it. so ?? any flying vids (of the complete hdx300)...link?

[COOKIEULT70]

About the whole tail shaft bending thing.. Has anyone taken the time to double check the balance in the blades and the hub and the grips? How much out of balance is too much? I have a gram scale that goes down to .01gm.

[greenh0rn]

About the whole tail shaft bending thing.. Has anyone taken the time to double check the balance in the blades and the hub and the grips? How much out of balance is too much? I have a gram scale that goes down to .01gm.

i did.. mine bent while the bird was on the ground without main blades.
i was actually just testing all the spin orientation :arggg: now my bird is grounded.. helidirect promised a stronger shaft.. still nothing..

btw.. anyone using their 40T main pulley? just ordered it.. sometimes i ask myself why bother.. but i just can't bear to see a bird grounded

[ptremb]

what I did was weigh each piece seperatly.Blades,grips w/bolt &bearing installed.I than put the light blade w/ the heavy grip assy.reweigh the assy. if your lucky they are matched.If not hopefully it's close enough that a bit of tracking tape on the light one makes it good.
These are now staticly balanced to each other,mark them so the assy. stays together.
Install these back onto the tail hub,but before you feed the belt on,with the tail assy.all together(both side covers on & tight) give the tail a spin a few times.this does 2 things,it allows you to see if there is any binding in the case+check the bearings for free movement/noise and see if the blades stop on the same place each time.If you have any binding or your tail bearings are noisy this must be fixed first or the remaining checks will be inacurate


If they do stop in the same place each time(say the blade that we put the tape is constantly down as an example),this means that side is dynamicly heavier meaning the shaft hole thru the hub isn't perfectly centered, and the way we know this is because we made sure that each side equaled the other earlier.remove a bit of the tape till the point that the blades stop in a random spot each time.
now if the blade that we put the tape on earlier is up constantly up add small amounts till we get the same effect,random stopping points

If you have random stopping than you are free to install the belt and go fly.

Now if you wanted to forgo all that effort or don't have a very accurate scale (.01g,check that it reads correctly w/ the calibration weights(you have calibration weights don't you?? :D )) you could just do the dynamic balance by adding tape to the high blade(light side) as above,but do check for binding/noise first

[ptremb]

I also just ordered the 40 the other day,should get it on monday,tuesday at the latest.hopefully this will fix the lack of tail speed as I run a 2s batt.has plenty of lift just can't control the tail above hover.

[cbdane]

[quote=COOKIEULT70]btw.. anyone using their 40T main pulley? just ordered it.. sometimes i ask myself why bother.. but i just can't bear to see a bird grounded

Yikes. Higher tail speed? The spaghetti shaft problem only gets worse. Doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

[micen2]

I also just ordered the 40 the other day,should get it on monday,tuesday at the latest.hopefully this will fix the lack of tail speed as I run a 2s batt.has plenty of lift just can't control the tail above hover.

Yea ya know what a 250 + dollar scam....my heli is at 3.5:1 and they are telling me this is not an impossible flying heli... even with fullest tail collective...the dang thing spins haplessly out of control. they are telling me if I'm not happy with that ratio :shock: ....try the new 40t upgrade ....upgrade!?!? sigh...what a pass the buck way to excuse a potentially bad ratio combo. sold as a freakin combo. sigh :? i ordered the freaking thing and left a negative comment on thier comment box. what a trip...oh it doesnt fly....hmmm must be your flying skills or your gyro.....when the tail collective is corectively locked out...and your at 3/4 headspeed....the damn heli should not rotate with the tork. sigh. Im so bent...but calm....f@#$.... I'll just use this little emo guy to express my feelings about that whole 40t thing.... :arggg: :arggg: :glasses: ahhhh there.... :? :oops: sooo....do I think this can be a good flyer...well head is sloppy....but yea...with some more work....now I know why techman finless...gave up the ship. call them about the flybarhole....oh yea you have to drill that out....sigh what!?!? even with the smaller steel bar...god forbid you drill it out for a carbon rod... there will be nothin left for body there. For a 110 dollar head...( :shock: although I bought the fully flightless combo- which will be requiring the 40t "upgrade" :shock: ) you shouldnt have to modify a thing. Finnie...I know your heart on the matter now...what a scam...but I will fly the damn beast...and I will fly it if it costs my soul....uhhh well... :? It 'll fly in a straightline at best afore I bail. Micen2 :glasses2:

[ptremb]

early on there was a known issue with the 10 tooth tail not having enough thrust/authority as the ratio was wrong for the size of the tail rotor.The original tail assy. that you would order was from the shogun that used to use a 40 tooth main for the belt kit(4:1,now it's a 32/8 so theoreticly it should work fine as is since the shogun works),so when the kits came out you got a 8 tooth tail sprocket to be used w/ the plastic tail assy., and the seperate(not a package deal yet) shogun tail box that needed to be regeared unless you ran crazy head speed.(this was something that wasn't stated anywhere unless you asked "do I use the 8t w/ this tail or use the 10t that is mounted to the tail?")


As far as the head I also found that it wasn't fabbed for a cf flybar(parts wize I prefer cf over metal as it's easier to remove a shredded rod than trying to straighten out a bent one to get it out),but the stock bcp/hbcp flybar fit the hole correctly.As far as sloppy,I havent found that yet,maybe not enough air time yet?????I did find it a bit of a p.i.t.a to get it setup the first time and have since found the easiest way to get it setup & centered quickly and very easily(only took a few hours with the caliper :D ) than it went "click".once that happened I couldn't belive how stupid I felt.all the alignment marks are already there for you once you know what to look for.

As far as flying, I have done some slow ff and the tail seems to be able to keep up on my setup,just won't hold on a punch out
Well off to install my new parts.

[micen2]

punch out means ....? like gassing it up? well the tail should hold up to full power...even a burst...wether flown manually ,(and jacking the stick intrinsicly with the throttle bursts) or by gyro....no?




.....mine wont even leave the ground....spins haplessly....I do know how to fly...even with the rudder stick hard to the side....it can't take off. 32 and 8 yes that's 4:1....but even with those gears...it still has a problem....I thought maybe the belt teeth are incorrect.....it seems as though I was/am getting 3.5:1....maybe the pinion tail...and the pulley have different teeth spacing...my heli is full set up....beautifully.....w/o the pulley/belt being hooked up. I'm bent about having to buy this 40t part. :?

I also would prefer a cf rod...although I like the feel of a steel fbr better...i agree about the removal.

did anyone else or you ptremb, have problems setting a motor in the supplied mount? i'm hafin ta make a plate to mount....can't find screws with the right heads...to fit in there without causing binding. Tried dremeling the heads down on some that would otherwise work....but almost seems like they need no head- justabout. :(

ya no what it seems like.....that this manufacturer has considered that there mass demographic is amatuer flyers....so they can pass the buck with excuses.....like it's normal to have to drill a 110 dollar cp upgrade head....for a standard flybar rod.
well....it seems to me...assuming they know this...(mass demograph of amatures) they'd put more research and time into thier product. And from finlesses comments ...it seems as an advanced pilot/techie...he has given up talking about this debaucle(I dont know if thats how you spell it...but it gets the point) of untested sales.

I'll tell you to quote one seller of these items (and there are 3 from what I can see...hd xm and j-usa..."I'm not expert player"....and again from another " yes ,you'll have to take a dremel...and ream the part out" sigh micen2.


believe me...I want this thing to fly like in the video clip and then some...I just wonder why...I havent seen a hardcore 3d clip, let alone an inverted, of this heli in action (since this is such a 3d heli)...if you know a link to one...humble me, and my doubts ...and I'll click on it.

[Dan MacKay]

I have to say that I agree with some of what you guys have been encountering but certainly not all. This ship has cost way more than it should have but I went into building one of these as a learning project and learn I certainly did. So given that I went into this with my eyes open, the only really annoying thing that I found was loose fit of the boom block, tail case and rear servo mounts with the stock boom. I would have thought for the amount of money that I paid for the entire kit that fit and finish would have been a little better than having to resort to Bob's solution of tape around the boom to make things fit. Just for giggles while I was ordering some spare parts I ordered a CF boom for it. I ordered the CF boom supports as well so when they came in I swapped out the aluminum boom for the CF and it fit perfectly. (looks pretty spiffy as well) So I am leaning towards a lack of QA with the diameter of the boom perhaps.

I as well ordered the all metal head from microheli and while it is a great looking and well machined piece of kit there was a lot of slop in the flybar that was caused by incorrectly sized balls that when I changed this out it was great. Then I took it out flying.

Being a relative newbie I got it off the ground but it was very difficult to control so I set about tracking the blades. It got the blades to track but when I would increase the collective (while secured in a mount) to about 50% the blades would start to "flutter" or appear to go out of track by as much as 3/4 of and inch! Hmmmm.... when I had a look I saw that the 'O' rings that were being used for head dampeners were extruding (stock from microheli). There was awesome free play. So I pulled the feathering shaft, replaced the stock 'O' rings which were N6 nitrile 'O' (which were very soft and of too large diameter) with V5 viton of a higher durometer, stuffed three shims on each side and put everything back together the head is nice and tight. Once again I thought to myself that if one is going to pay $136USD for a head that at least it could come with the proper length feathering shaft, the correct head dampeners and some shims. I guess it was cheaper to used stock CP parts.

In any case back to flying. I took it outside, it was just a little tail heavy trimmed it out a little, and for me it flies great. Not into 3D yet as I am just learning forward flight http://www.helifreak.com/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif but it is a pretty solid flyer and sure beats the pants off of the $1200.00CP that I was always burning motors out of.

In the end I am pretty happy with it as I know the price you pay for being on the bleeding edge. I know it does not fly as well as my 450SE but the 450SE will likely not fly as well as the T-Rex 600 that I just got and have yet to assemble. And the 600 will likely not fly as well as my blinged up Raptor 30/50. So I see this in some cases as a matter of expectation and perception. There is some consumer responsibility that should be shouldered by HeliDirect but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. Welcome to the wonderful world of beta testing. I think that I have a real nice indoor flyer now.

Dan