New Ion-X Belt Drive plus more photos from Esprit Event

[WillJames]

Check this out. A lot of people were photographing this machine.

Man this is one SWEET flying machine!!

[BigVanVader]

Wow Will....you mean you went to that event and didnt let anyone know?...I might have actually drove over had i known you were going :arggg:

[mudbogger2]

:drool:

[buster1]

ok, now I am confused - makes me doubt my Razor puchase - but I guess the convenience/better economics of the 50 class electric is what I was orginally looking for.
But for sure - I will be keeping an eye on the ION-X for a future project or possibly the stretched Razor. Was curious to know how MA plans to position the ION-X and Razor - different designs, but can't be much difference in flight performance.
Should be interesting to see,
Jeff

[WillJames]

I rode down with Clint. We had a blast flying with Chris and Gary, then the event Saturday.

Specific details of this machine will have to come from Clint.

[PDC]

Thanks for the pictures Will!

Looks good!

I want the upgrade, who can deliver first?

[OICU812]

Will there be a bottom plate of some sort to re enforce the bottom and protect the base of motor and esc etc.??

[MAIONX]

im just gonna say what i think...


That looks like Crap..... what is gonna break and burn first in the crash because of its positioning, that massive carbon plate which the battery's are sitting on.

worst design out. much rather the old ion body with the belt mod done and std batteryplates.

i know you guys will say the batteries have the same chance of being buggared in a crash as the others but if this thing polverises head first.. the battery's will probably be peirced with the breaking carbon plate and there goes ur ion

[Clintstone]

Shawn the model is very rigid and there is no need for re-inforcethe bottom. I can't tell you guys what it will do in a crash but it is my opinion that the carbon tray for the packs, if crashed directly on it , will be made as a replaceable part. While you can't see it in the pictures it also re-inforces the canopy standoffs and if the fingers have been cut out of the frame for a single stage, you can still use this conversion. This battery mount was change to move the battery CG up into the frame and I can run 12s 4350's without bulging my canopy. Also I can change gear ratios in less than 10 min and while testing last week I flew 10's and 11s and yes 12 s in less than one hr on the same heli with 3 different ratios.

Matty, sorry you dont like the design but your input is still appreciated, the heli flies better than anything I have flown and the packs go on really fast. The CG change is very benificial as it increases the roll rate and the heli is solid and predictable.
Info on available gear ratios will be posted on the MA sight soon. This conversion can be done in about an HR.

[H to the C]

It's nice to know someone that has one.

[H to the C]

Looks good , Clinster. I have the 1527 1.5y waiting to go in my Ion.

[TomC]

Clint, the new Ion design looks ok, but not great imop.

Two things I don't like so far are;

1) Stacking the batteries on top of each other is a bad idea. Why couldn't you mount each battery on separate sides, both like your high one. This would move the CG up more and the lateral CG would be better. Separating the batteries should help keep them a little cooler and should reduce the risk a little of losing both in a crash. I guess you could then stack them on both sides if you wanted to run with 4 packs for duration (like for AP work).

2) No bottom motor plate is a bad idea. I think that this plate adds a little strength and rigidity between the landing gear struts. Also, I like to be able to put a little back pressure on my Neu 1521/1.5f motor as this has helped stop it jerking back and forth and has improved my secondary gear life considerably. Given the big ratios that 12s Neu guys will need, I would have thought that this would also help the belt/pulley life as well.

As far as fitting bigger batteries and bulging out the canopy goes; Why the heck didn't MA just make the Ion Canopy a little wider and make some simple extensions for the front standoffs? I might try splitting the bottom seam of one of my old Ion canopy's and try this myself.

Clint I'm glad that you're very happy with this design and it's performance. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed. I guess I just expected a bit more from MA.

Cheers,

Tom C

[misskimo]

well , let me throw in my 2 cents worth , I thing this design looks great , many ratios can be used , Batteries will be limited to short EVO and TP 1P packs for best performance , and as far as crashing , I dont think anyone out there is makeing a tank that flys, that can handle a nose in hit with any batteries . so it looks protected than most helis out there , look at that shitty design called the TRex 600 , talking about a "boom!!!" if you hit the ground at a nose dive , my standard Ion , batteris will hit the ground in a nose dive , Joker , huh? cost to much to talk about nose diving that one . any nose dive is ganna cost you, there MATE! its a flip of the coin when you crash , dollars or MORE DOLLARS with any heli! nitro or electric . but they are all repairable if you have 1 good part left, out of a crash. word of advise , Try your damnest not to have a nose dive crash :lol: as far as the bottom plate , the motor mount plate took its strenth by 3 folds, landing gear is made to break so it dont tare the lower part to hell, its hard to break the Ion standard gear ,

[OICU812]

Clint,

Will there be a new Ion then that will be sold with this new setup? Or will MA be selling the ol gal and offering a conversion? I would hope they would just delete the old design to save new buyers money or at least offer it up front as an option and not an extra... Comments on that?

I don't know why but no plate on bottom below motor bothers me, maybe it doesen't need it, but it bothers me having that open, seems like a Lepton that way.... Anyhow it is nice to hear you can use 4350 6S packs, this heli on 12S must be real nice I would think, having the weight higher in the frame set is nice as long as it is center balanced which it appears it has been.....

Why did I sell my Ion? LOL fak!

[OICU812]

look at that shitty design called the TRex 600 , talking about a "boom!!!"

LOL Tony, did a 600 touch you in the wrong place once? You crack me up man! That is some good comedy right there folks.

No matter what heli I have lived with the fact that you build them to fly not to crash. I guess when I was first starting out I was always concerened about crashing and the costs and complications. I realised I had to let that go to advance. Now days I am certainly not the best pilot in the world but no matter what it costs I fly it the same. And in all honesty Tony has a point on the crashing bit, you never know what angle your heli is going to go in on and how much it will cost. I have had and seen real minor crashes that cost amazing dollars and seen big ones that you would think were going to be big $$ that were extremely cheap in the end....Russion Roulette games we play.....cheers :D

[misskimo]

hey , I got to do something up here on this frozen BIG beach of a state to keep me sain, theres no better way than trying to have a laugh.
yeh at IRCHA , I got to see one built without the electronics and motor , what a laugh but cheap! might get one this summer. after 1 million are trying to be sold. CHEAPER! thats what I call a one time use coptor. but I bet they learn off this one for their version 2 600 .
man a pile of 600s are out ,

[Clintstone]

Tom, you could certainly mount the packs back to back.............I run responsible setups that don't get hot so I am having no trouble. I choose to mount the batterries this way for an easy radio installation. I feel there will be more changes to come but we were trying to share things as they are now. This is easy and cost effective and the side frames for the belt add a more riggid setup than before and you can add a bottom plate if you like. The belt system was designed to be quick and easy and it is. Time will tell and thanks for your input guys.

A model that flies with no radio glitch in my opinion is a succes. I hate glitches.

[WillJames]

You guys crack me up. Seeing a couple photos you know a lot more than the designer. :roll:

Packs are like they are to allow 12+s even the 5K cells using the same canopies that everyone already has.

If you fly your packs hot enough for it to matter that they are side by side, then no design is going to make your packs last. On this machine in 70 defree weather after 6 minutes flying, the packs are 105 degrees or less. If you want to strap one on the other side then do.

Bottom plate is not needed at all, this machine is WAY more rigid than most machines with a bottom plate, it always has been. This new setup, is most likely more rigid than the old setup with the bottom plate, and yes I did the twist like hell on it to see for myself with the actual model in the photos, so I did not come up with this from behind the keyboard.

What heli is made to crash?

I have FLOWN THIS MACHINE after flying hundreds of flights on my own Ion-X. The machine in the photos is the best flying Ion-X I have ever flown, hands down. This machine flys like a dream, course, it always has, but it is even better now, don't fly it if you don't want to buy it.

If you don't want one, then don't buy it, fly what you got. Personally, I'll be doing this exact thing to my Ion as soon as possible and probably buy a second Ion again. This machine flys like a dream. Yes it IS a better flying machine.

Matty, what electric machine crashes better or is stronger or more rigid than the Ion-X? I have been flying a lot of E-Machines for a long time, and I have none that are anywhere close to as strong and robust as the Ion. a few photos don't always let you experience the machine.

Also, why make a new canopy, or anything else. The idea here is a cheap conversion that can be retrofitted to any existing Ion-X to make it lighter and improve on the already stellar flying qualities.

Man some of you guys sure know everything, even without seeing touching or flying the machine, it is disappointing, but I think most people will consider the source. :roll:

[TomC]

Will,

First of all, Will/Clint thanks for sharing the progress of the Ion-x re-design with us.

Don't think that we know better than the MA design team. These were just my honest first impressions of this Ion-x prototype. I don't actually see any seriously wrong, just a few niggly things I did not like, nothing major.

I'm sure that the final product will be great, and we'll all want one (or 2).

Cheers,

Tom C

[WillJames]

Also, for those who did see this machine fly, the packs Clint is flying have over 250 cycles on them. :)

I am telling you right now, with 100% honesty, this Ion-X setup is BAD TO THE BONE!! We hope to get video this coming weekend at Clint's B-Day.

[epc2]

Looks very Good , Cool.

In the meantime I'm liking this setup:

32-3 ,11s 3700 & PowerJazz :D

epc2

[WillJames]

WOW epc2!! You coming to Clint's this coming weekend? Hope to fly with you.

[Clintstone]

Looks good epc..........11s is really snappy. I tried it on 3 different ratios and it is easy with our setup to find what suits you. The thing about our belt setup is being able to easily setup for what you like.

[epc2]

WOW epc2!! You coming to Clint's this coming weekend? Hope to fly with you.

Nah Will , I wish I could , I'm sure you guys will have lot's of fun.

Clint the 11s is a very good compromise between power and weight IMO , I'm using the SS 10:1 ratio and with the Powerjazz governor dialed down @ 74% I'm getting a H/S of 2020 and the ESC has a lot of headroom to work and after a 5 min flight the ESC temp. is only 90deg.

epc2.

[MAIONX]

geez you bunch of guys are touchy...

as tom said that was just our impression's of the model... i guess like the synergy we will get used to the look... when i first saw one i was like pffft peice of dirt... now i own one :WOW :lolol