Ion Belt conversion revised pictures

[misskimo]

hey , well I got back from Vegas and decided to redo my Ion like Clints setup , heres a few pictures of what I did , with just a band saw , 4 1/2 grinder and a facing wheel on a dremal came out with this , supplys , carbon plate , aluminum 3/8 diamond plate. drill and taps ,
YEH! Im happy with this version so far , alot more beafer , working on the new battery plate for the front , no more saddle type battery plates ,

Tony

[Robert Johns]

Nice job Tony!!!

[TomC]

Tony,

Another great looking Ion belt drive and here I still am waiting, waiting, waiting for the MA mod to come out. Very cruel mate!

Cheers,

Tom C

[misskimo]

well, All I can say , is , I cant wait , just stuff off the hobby table

[t-rexn8]

You never stop amazing me. DAMN that is cool.
Nice work Tony.

[misskimo]

hey , well Im about done with the conversion , I do think it looks good , cant wait till spring time, a few months away ,
I can use Charlies newest cells with this layout alot better , 2 5s 4400 thats in there, and 12s the new 25C 3850s , and the new 25C 5000s ,
ganna be another good year with the hottest cells on the block, Tom , it wont be long till the kit for the IonX2 comes out , within a month , but we all know how that is , sometimes alittle later, maybe not , but if you cant wait , make your own , I like to tinker since my winter are long ,

Tony

[TomC]

Great job Tony. I hope the MA mod version is as good as your quality one. I'd like to tinker, but I really suck at it, so I'll have to wait for the MA mod to come out.

Cheers,

Tom C

[t-rexn8]

So those must be the TP 3850's then ??
Looks nice I wonder how the CG will be.

[misskimo]

hey , naw but they look like the new 3850s , these are the first gen of 1P batteries , these were the proto type cells , 4400s , had them since may of last year. CGs from what I was told is good , the long packs might not work though , like the 4600s from TP , but thenew 3850s , 4500s and 5000 are the same lenth as these ,

[skywalkertje]

Looks good! Maybe some info why this belt system is better?

Any updates as to when the IonX2 will be available?

[misskimo]

gear ratios , MAN , opens a big door for about any motor you choose, like 6 all the way to 23 to 1 , as far as when , I dont have a clue , soon though

[t-rexn8]

Just spoke with Min Air. Did anyone know that Chris doesnt work there anymore?
Too bad, he was really nice and knew the Ion's well. I spoke with someone else that was working on the belt conversion and he said that they were working on completing the kit and were hoping to have pics. online this week. I think we might see the kit this month based on what he said. Mian advantage is Gear Ratio's and easier maintenance I think. Another thing is he said that it stiffens up the frames too. He also told me that for all of us that already own Ion's there will be some minor carbon cutting required.

I am confused on how and why you would use the belt drive on a single reduction Ion? Maybe a 1:1 ratio belt??

[misskimo]

hey , well with the actro 32-3 , we could only go to 10s with the single stage setup, 10 to 1 , able to go to 11 and 12 to 1 , we can go up in voltage where the actro shines , motor peaks out at around 25000 , it puts out its best power , 10s was only seeing around 20000 motor rpms . and also for the fellows useing other motors , like the Neu 1521 , it had alot of power on 10s , geared around 21 to 1 , but it stripped the secondary gear . now the belt will fix that problem too , and you can also go to around 23 to 1 with 12s for that motors peak performance

[skywalkertje]

Thanks for the info, I was also looking at the EVibe90 but they had the same problem there, only being able to go to 1:10 and on 12S with the actro 32-3 you have to dial down the ESC too much I think.

Seems like you guys have solved it with the belt, now I just need to be able to buy it somewhere :wink:

[TomC]

While I'm sorry that the Ion-x belt drive mod is still not out, after over 1 year of testing, I'm even sorrier to hear that Chris and MA have parted ways. He was, and is, my large electric heli guru. I'll really miss his good common sense approach to things and his very good advise (eg the latest power systems Razor report). Imop, if it was not for him, we would not be flying good quality MA electric heli's!

Does anyone know where he's going or what he's going to do? I hope he touches base with all us large electric offspring's once in a while. All the best in the future Chris, and many thanks for all your help.

Best cheers,

Tom C

[ChrisS]

Thanks for the kind words Tom. I'm still here. I have gone back into electrical engineering. Things were not working out for me at the helicopter factory.

I'll still keep an eye on this forum and chime in where/when I can, the Ion was a true labor of love for me and I'll not soon give it up.

By the way, I had nothing to do with the Razor, only the manual. I worked an a similar heli that never made market.

Chris

[misskimo]

Yeh! Chris is the MAN! The Ion Man! he sure is a good fellow and mentor. I sure learned alot from him. and still will. he always post in a well maner and straight forward. and great to hang out with at the fields.


Tony

[ChrisS]

Thanks Tony, I have learned a good deal from you over the years as well. You have been a good friend and fellow big e-heli nut and I really appreciate that.

Chris

[bob00]

Chris, I owe my success with the big electrics to what I learned from you man.

The Ion was WAY ahead of it's time - it's full potential is now just being realized that motors and batteries have caught up. Interesting to note that it was one of the first "high CG" helis out there - long before this was a "hot feature".

This will be my 4th season with both Ion's - odd thing is that after all this time several guys in our crew have just now started to express interest in owning an Ion. The trex600 has broken the ice w/ better than 50 nitro HOT 3D performance and now these guys have gotten a taste of electric and are willing to accept reduced flight times and battery costs, they now want 90 class 3D electric and the Ion's the best game in town right now. This year we're goin' 12s :D.

Looking forward to your continued input and thanks again,

- Rob
Team FlightPower
TeamBob00

[ChrisS]

That's cool Rob

12S is the way to go, now that things are up to the task.

I agree, it was a year or two ahead of ESC/battery capability, but now things are different.

The new revision of the Ion will raise the bar again, I think. The changes that are being made are where that machine needs to go. I'm certain you and your team will be pleased.

Chris

[OICU812]

All I need to know is when will the Ion X (2) kits be ready to buy? I am ready,,,,again. :wink:

[ChrisS]

That I cannot predict, never could...

[OICU812]

Ok Chris well I understand that, I did send emails and faxes off to Tim and your shop. Hope you guys just make a post when you get closer to release, thanks. :smokin:

[ChrisS]

Remember, I'm not in the shop any longer and have nothing at all to do with anything going on there.

Chris

[OICU812]

oh.........