giving up on bl tail

[txflyer]

you need to make sure that if you get a 8mm boom or a 9mm boom with the kit that when you replace the tail boom that its the correct size. it uses a rex 450 tail boom, a rex 450 tail set up, the tail paddles are not from a rex. the belt im not sure of there like 3 bucks i think so buy an extra one or 2 when you order it. if the tail breaks just go buy replacment rex tail stuff. make sure your brushless powered the bl park 370 i think can barely handle the belt drive. i would say the park 400 should be plenty. a computer radio woudl be help full. you will also want to pick up a larger battery pack to help offset the weight. also make sure you get a good servo for the tail. high speed high torque and the smallest one you can find. also about the battery make sure it can handle it. the last thing want is to start puffing packs..

[Gino CP]

The Freestyle Belt Mod uses an Easton 9 mm arrow shaft. Much thinner than a Trex boom. You can find this in a sporting goods store.

The tail parts are Trex parts except for the boom clamps and tail box and the aluminum linkage plate. You can use Honeybee King blades or the Trex 1208 blades (this gives better tail power). Everything else is Freestyle. I am not sure about the servo clamps. I think they fit the HDX300 boom.

The Eflite Park 370 4100kv is just about perfect for this conversion. That will give you 3D level power. 9T should be great for sport flying. 10T for more aggressive transitions. The 9T can be used with low power handling escs like the Phoenix 10. You will need a 20amp esc for 10T. Or a Phoenix 10 and a Park BEC ( I have yet to test this combo).

This will eat a bit more power so you will need minimum 12C. 20C is more realsitic but it gets heavy. And oh, no JST connectors here. Deans is a must. My 11.1v 1000mah 12c does 5-6 min.

A more conservative Arc 110 BL motor on 9T does 9-10 min with an 11.1v 850mah lipo. No wicked quick but better than stock.

As for parts, as long as you order the spares in advance, keeping the heli in the air will not be a problem. I have crashed this a few times and it is one robust tail. No breakage yet just realignment of the tail boom. My spares: belt, cf boom, tail shaft/pulley, airframe side boom clamp, servo clamps. To be honest, I don't see anything else that will be breaking soon.

The most economical option is the fiberglass plat and tail fin, aluminum boom, and plastic tail with King blades. But this is also the heaviest.

The heli balances perfectly with an 11.1v 1320mah 12c lipo. But of course, it is heavy. If you will use a 730-1000mah lipo, order the extended battery plate. Don Rosella knows about this. It is 1.75" longer. I have one coming in the mail.

Email the site owner for all your questions. It will be a lot faster. In truth, very few people here are knowledgable enough on this tail because I am the only Freestyle Belt Mod user here as of today. Chris and I got the prototypes.

[txflyer]

lmfao wow i was really off on that.

[pmbou]

This kit is perfect for me! But, the ordering options are a little vague. I will probably wait a while to see what others do while I finish other projects. If the freestyle folks would like to send a kit for me to evaluate, I would be glad to do a review!

I have been struggling with my BCP pro tail since I mastered forward flight. I wanted a belt tail so bad that I almost bought a hdx, but it got horrible reviews here. When I added up the cost of a hdx300, it didn't make sense... 7075 cnc aluminum, gyros, brushless motor and esc, new radio. I decided not to do it. I converted to dd tail instead, but now I have progressed to see that it has serious limitations. I have slowly been buying better electronics (brushless motor, esc, 1320s...) so I could power a belt drive tail, now I have about everything needed.

This is a great find, nice pictures, thanks Gino!

[Gino CP]

Don't count on an evaluation kit. We have evaluated the first runs already hehe. It passed with flying colors. This is in full production now. All your questions will be quickly answered by the site owner.

[Mortificate]

I just ordered my Freestyle Mod Kit yesterday and can't wait till it arrives. I placed and order for a 10t pinion as well.
Don Rosella from Freestyle has responded to all my questions in a very timely manner. If the Freestyle Belt Mod works as good as it looks I am gonna be on happy CPP owner. :mrgreen:

[Gino CP]

It does. 10T will be right on the money since your esc can handle it. I had to compromise qith 9T because my Phoenix 10 is sitting on the limit.

Here are videos of my Freestyle CP2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIe_OEAnwIk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K50i4TbW74

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KetjxGfG6n8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJUaPEmmPd8

[txflyer]

loop it gino...


man ive gotta get that kit. but i think m going to hold off and just buy replacment dd motors. untill my rex is complete

[Mortificate]

LOL, yeah Gino I have watched all your videos linked from the Freestyle page. Also read the entire thread where you and Don (and several others) were going over the development of the Belt Mod. LOL, sorry, just a little stoked about this kit.

[futura]

Looks like your having a fun time Gino. I shattered my ankle Tuesday, surgery on Wednesday and now layed up in bed. I had my boy bring me the freestyle package and started taking stock in my BCP bits box. I think I have everything I need. What do you think a JGF DH400 would be like with that tail? How much headspeed rpm do you think it will match and hold up to? Anyway, should be a good project for the next week with my foot in the air <sigh>

Planned setup..
DH400 w/cc25 esc 8t or 9t pinion (need to test)
3HS55's and HS56 on the tail
Microheli head/shaft/maingear

Heres another good question for you or anyone. Can the freestyle kit work with the Microheli frame (the one that sells for $120)


The weather here is so nice...calm days...I just finished two new mini helis, beautiful machines only maidened....and I can't go out and play now. Oh well, heli builds are fun too.

[Mortificate]

Oh, dude, you totally have to post up some pics of your Freestyle heli once it's finished. I was goin though some major heli withdrawls today so I spent about 20min streightening out my main shaft for the 9th or so time. That thing is done. I got 3 more on the way so I'm good.

[eddo22]

man, the idea of having a belt tail is awesome. i'm with tx tho, i'm gonna hold off and stick with the brushed dd tail for now. it's holds the tail long enough for me to crash every time so i'm happy lol! oh yeah, as always...nice vids gino!

[txflyer]

i may give the tail esc mod another try. i have a few esc's laying around. but the only brushed one i got is a pixie 20p.i just dont want to sit there soldering everything up and trying to program it. then it not work right.

[Gino CP]

Futura, Don of Freestyle Hobby does custom work. If you send him a frame or if by chance you can give him accurate dimensions, he can adapt the tail. I had him make me an extended CF battery plate to accommodate a light 1000mah lipo. This will balance the heli nicely.

I think the DH400 is way to powerful for a micro. You'll end up flying in the lower power band which is less efficient. You'd want to fly near 100% throttle.

[txflyer]

from what ive heard is that if you add a esc for the brushed dd tail. it will hold pretty solid. something about the 3n1 not being able to supply enough power to the tail motor, to stop kick outs when you punch it

[futura]

First, I'm in no way dismantling my brushless frankenblade. It flies perfect and I've been flying it for over two years this way. I just want to try the belt system and have pleanty of spare bcp frames and stuff NIP laying around. I just need a project for the next few days till I get back on my feet.

Gino...he he yea, the way I figure it, the hs would be around 3100 with a 9t at 90% with the DH400. But with an 8t its around 2800. We all know that what calculates vs actual is about 20% less based on battery burn and such. My Duzi hornet pulls 2800 and can crank to 3000 and actually flies though a bit on the "crisp" side of controllability.

With the stiffer uH frame (stock would flex too much under that load) and harder servo mounts....plus I've found the uH CNC bcp head does best over 2500 rpm.

I have some hornet gear that might work as well...what about this setup:

Hacker Brushless B20-22S
Hacker Brushless Master 08-3P speed controller

I love this combo on my hornets but the hornet is lighter than what I expect this ship to be.

Bottom line, if I'm not pulling 2800 or better it wont be worth putting the money into it. Your right though if I cannot sustain 80% + with the DH400 it can't be used.

People went with the HDX300 belt tail and then found it to be under powered. they are putting DH400's on to get better power. The Belt tail is a strong drain of power on the 300 bl motors. If I don't build it with enough power to do hard 3D like a Duzi hornet...why do it at all. The hornet is an extreemly delicate ship...explodes if you look at it wrong. What I like about the BCP is its ruggidness. I want a tough micro with at least extream sport capability and mild to hard 3D. Of course higher head speeds means more violent wrecks....eg broken parts.

[txflyer]

hey futura if you need a esc ive got 4 laying around 1 brushed 3 brushless. even a cc10 with castle link.

[futura]

Thanks txflyer I appritiate the offer, I've got plenty to chose from though....

cc10's, 25's, and a 35
electrifly 12
the hacker mentioned above
EF 20a
Mtroniks Genesis 30

Motors to choose from:

JGF 400DH, 450TH :twisted:
EF 3600
Hacker A20 6XL, B20 18L, and the B20 22S mentioned
Himax HA2015-3600, HA2015-4100, HA2025-3200
and a ....erm the medusa28-40-3400 :shock:

The HA2025-3200 might work here with a cc25 and is probably the best bet....if I can find the right pinion. The HA2025 is for a shogun...of which I....have a few :lol: and could be put to work at any time...but it only produces strong sport flying capabilities in guns.

The way I see it, I have three possibilities.

mild
Hacker Brushless B20-22S
Hacker Brushless Master 08-3P speed controller

Strong
Himax HA2025-3200
Phoenix 25

Insane
JGF 400DH
Phoenix 25

[Gino CP]

The stock frame is stiffened by the Freestyle battery plate. I never had the main gear eaten up by the pinion on rough landings and crashes. That is a worthy upgrade on its own and is an option to those who do not wish fo a belt tail yet.

I think the stock frame with the Freestyle Belt Mod is still the lightest setup. At 350g AUW, it is hard to beat. It could be lighter since I am using a 1000mah lipo.

[futura]

good point about what the freestyle frame piece would do to the overall stiffness. Just looking here at the mount points....

I'll contact Don to see what it would cost to get a custom job to fit the uH frame. After I get this built up, In July I'm getting the new uH frame and belt drive tail set...then well have a true comparison of what I think are the two "best" belt drive microheli's available. I'm also watching the mini zoom with sceptical interest....but it seems too limited in its scope of usable power and electronic units.

[txflyer]

well i had a good flight just now. the tail shake problem i had is 90% better with a new 3020 prop. my side in hovering is dead on, time to work on the other side. i also for the time went full throttle in normal mode and dod i nice climb out to about 30 feet. countered the tail slide problem. i think i need the belt kit. but i gotta get a new radio first..

[Gino CP]

I backout of an EP 100 clone test because the electronics are too specialized. Though the kit is free, the electronics munches away form my TRex fund.

[Mortificate]

Would the Park 400 BL motor be over kill for this tail mod? I am planning on using the Park 370 BL with a 10t pinion, but if that doesn't cut it what should i consider changing to? With my current set up (Park 370 8t pinion) the motor gets a little warm (still cool enought to touch continuously, but pretty hot) by the end of a battery pack. Will this tail mod put a lot of extra strain on the motor or just a little more?

[Gino CP]

The Park 370 4200kv is just about right. The tail doesn't really rob your heli of tangible power. Runtime is just reduced a little. The thing with strong motors is that if you can't gear it down enough, you'll be forced to run them below 100% throttle. As you go down the power band, most BL motors become less efficient. So the best tactic, is to know how much punch you need based on your skills, then get an appropriate motor.

Of course getting the right esc is also important. A 20amp esc is safe. I've gotten away with a Phoenix 10 but my system is on the edge. The esc heats up in a hover. But does well in moving flights. I do backwards flights so it is not a problem.

A good economical (in terms of runtime) combo is an Arc 110 BL and a Phoenix 10 with a 730mah -850mah lipo. That gives 9 min.

[Mortificate]

I currently get almost exactly 9min from my stock eflight packs on the setup I have now. I just don't want that to drop a ton with the tail upgrade. I plan on changing my packs over to Thunder Power packs next month, so I hope that will help. Any suggestions on what sizes I should buy? oh! and what charger?