TRex 450 SE nV2 to 500E Makeover ...

[RChristopher]

Well, I am attempting my first somewhat scale project. I lucked out and got an Align 500E fuse and have just started trial fitting my 450 SE nV2 into it. The fuse is fairly nice. I like the pin and magnet system used to hold the nose section on.

First off I find Align did not include the correct screws to mount the spacers to the bottom of the Trex frame. Had to Dremel out a bit to allow a better grip length.

With the servo's I have it looks like I may be mounting the Trex frame a bit more forward so everything clears. It shouldn't create a problem.

Reviewing the Align fuse a couple of things I notice are the gear legs are not really attached in a scale fashion, and the vertical fins on the tee tail are not fit correctly (or shaped per typical), but it should be OK for my first scale attempt.

I wanted to do a five blade head, but that may come later.

Overall the fuse is not too bad. It really jacks up the size of the 450 ship. I am curious how she handles with the increased weight, etc.

Cheers

Bob C.

[Velocity]

We had one of our members flying it at our Sunday indoor (ERCHA) last week.

What a sweet machine - flies great very stable and responsive. I am building one as well and can't wait to get it in the air!

Am sure you will enjoy every minute you have it in the air.

:woohoo

[RChristopher]

Well, I finished the first assembly, test flew 3 or 4 times, and now doing some tweaking ...

1) I had a bi*** of a time getting the back of the 450 frame fastened to the plywood base. May modify a bit in the future.

2) Mine was tail heavy. Had to make a ballast pack, mounted just forward of the canopy split line to trim it out. Seemed to fly well enough but I don't like the extra dead weight.

3) Should have been a little more observant with regards to the tail control rod length vs. new tail servo position/gyro setup. Installation is good but I need to adjust the rod length to recenter the pitch arm and zero the gyro in norm mode.

4) Just the slightest bit of vibration noticable at the T tail top most portion. I had a feeling that was going to happen.

5) The canopy pin & magnet system work pretty well, but the loose upper portion where the pins are is prone to vibration. Get that hollow fiberglass sound on run up, plus a bit of wear on the mating surfaces. Need to make a little latch maybe and coat the mating surfaces with something to minimze the wear.

6) Need to add a little protective wire extension to the bottom of the T tail to protect tail rotor.

Otherwise pretty neat upgrade to the 450, although I do miss the stock version!!

Later

Bob C.

[Siliconsmoke]

Where did you find the 500 fuse? Every shop I talk to is out of stock or "The're on the way..."

[Siliconsmoke]

Where did you find the 500 fuse? Everywhere that I look for it they say that the are "waiting for them to come from Align..."

[crazyerick]

Very nice,

Quick question, the seasaw of the Trex can move quite a bit. What did you do (if any) to reduce the throw of the fly bar so the paddles wont hit your fuse?

Cheers,
Erick

[piwko4]

Nice looking 500...

[RChristopher]

Well, I have now taken the mechanics back out of the fuse and will be doing proper setup of the gyro, as well as attending a few other items...

I am still getting a bit of vibration in the tail. Found out my pack of Align carbon tail blades were very unmatched in weight, so I need to come up with a good fix. Suggestions ... I have temporarily attached thin strips of elect. tape which balanced it for testing. Also I need to make a set of attachment fittings to secure the mechs to the fuse. If I were really ambitious I would make a new T-Tail using thicker material, but we'll deal with what we have for the moment, maybe stiffen it up some way.

Some others had asked about the tail rotor control rod, so I thought I would attach a pic of how I did mine. There is several layers of double sided tape at various points between the Gold N Rod and the 450 tail tube. Very sturdy and doesn't touch the fuse. A little foam at the end centers the tube in the tube.

Spent a few bucks on some long reach tools. It sucks when you need to reach that screw in the back and you just can't get to it. Hope to come up with a bit easier way to fasten the mechs to the fuse.

All in my ship is weighing around 2.6 lbs. I am using the Flight Power EVO25 2500. The extra weight of the fuse is definitely noticable, with a bit of strain evident. She is a little piggy now (though a cute piggy!) Haven't taken it to the field yet, but it does farely well cruising around the front/back yard, even in gusty winds. Duration is still about 6 minutes. I will be adjusting my pitch/throttle settings a bit based on the new layout. I wish I had some blades with a little more chord span. It seems like it could use it on a two blade head. I wonder if the multi blade head would help in providing more lift, or if the added load of so many blades would cancel out the benifit.

Based on other comments I have read regarding typical flybar angles, I have not really worried about them hitting the fuse. I will be doing mostly scale flying with this one. No real aggressive maneuvers, therefore it shouldn't be an issue.

I lucked out and got my fuse from Dee Tee. They had a batch which I guess sold out quickly. Seems like there are a few variations going around. Some missing assembly manuals.

Ooops, I hear the battery charger. Getting ready for some air time tomorrow with the 600.

Later

Bob C.

[crazyerick]

Hey Bob,

Just regarding the flybar, does she spool up fine? I have vissions of mine hitting the top of the fuse.

Thanks for the reply above.

- Erick

[RChristopher]

As mentioned before, it doesn't seem to be that much of an issue. See the post by daniel reese in the attachment below ... I was doing some runs with heavy banks, no problems. Nothing radical though.

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=49286&highlight=flybar

Bob C.

[crazyerick]

Hey Bob,

I'm in the same boat now with the tail crontrol rod. Just rubbing on the bottom (inside) of the fuse boom. Looking for something similar to what you have done. Out of interest how many of the mounting blocks did you use? My elevator servo is right up against the fuse.

Enjoying this build, but didn't realise the work involved. :-)

- Erick

[screwbirds]

Hi Bob,
Yes my Airwolf is piggy too about 1300g in weight and I had changed to CF 335mm main blades and noticed it lift much better. IMO
Peter

[RChristopher]

Regarding the spacer, when I received my fuse the spacer was already assembled, so it is 7 layers thick, 20mm. My elevator and rudder servo were initially touching the fuse also, therefore I adjusted the placement of the mechs a little forward of where the manual illustrates. They both clear now by at least 1.5mm. Due to this I needed to adjust the battery angle since it was touching the front wind screen. I placed a small triangle of minicell foam/velcro at the top of the tray to steepen the angle. Works fine.

I think I will try a set of 335mm blades. Hmmmmm ... -- Update -- I just ordered some 350mm. See how these work.

Cheers

Bob C.

[kingkahuna]

Here is a shot of my Hughes 500E, when I got mine from www.rchover.com the front canopy was crushed. They told me to call Align USA, WTF? Hmmm... I hope someone will make good on this because the container was in perfect shape. Can't blame the USPS for this problem.

[RChristopher]

A little Tail-Bling for the 500E. Ordered these from RC-Tek. Let's see what all the talk has been about.

Bob C.

[RChristopher]

Got the 350mm blades and slapped them on the mech's just to check the effect on gyro setup. Can't say there was a lot of difference. Boy, I am used to seeing the white blades. These 350's are black and yellow tip, and as usual, they disappear when spinning.

They are a fair bit longer, and could touch the tail blades if persuaded to. Hope I don't regret trying these. Curious to see how they work with the 500 fuse.

Later

Bob C.

[Brent@paradise]

Those blades seem a bit long? Let us know how you get on with them. I also have an Align MD500E and are still useing 325 Align Cabon. They seem ok but have only had about 5 flights so far. The Align Fuselages are very easy to work with and are good value. I glued the tail fin to the fusealge boom this connects the heli boom to the fusealge for exrta surport.

[RChristopher]

Well, reinstalled the mech's. MUCH easier this time, with the help of a few new long reach tools.

The new 350mm blades look pretty neat. It's pretty cold today so I really wasn't able to get a good air test. I backed off a bit on the swash tilt, as well as a little dual rate to deal with the issue of blade "kissing". Got a quick hover but that was it. Looked cool!

Put extra magnets around the edge of the canopy flange. Very snug now. Easy to get off.

Still getting a bit of T-Tail vibration, but it is less than before. Still tinkering.

Later

Bob C.

[crazyerick]

Hey Bob C,

Looking good there. Did you managed to do anything about the extra weight? Out of interest you know what your baby's weight is?

Cheers,
Erick

[RChristopher]

Hey Erick, weight is 2.65 lbs., 1200 grams. Today I got a quick run around the front yard and she was great. Good tail authority, actually very sharp, which is what I was getting before due to the 770 3D gyro. I have the Chinese weights on the tail blade holders, so I may play a bit with the gain. Got the usual battery run time, which I limit to about 5.5 minutes with an EVO 25 2500. I noticed she was a bit peppier with the 350mm blades. Doing a mild bit of yanking and banking I didn't see a problem with blade kissing. I did dial down the swash a small amount to help.

Overall - Pretty Cooooool !!!

Bob C.

[RChristopher]

PS - I was just going to mention, someone had stated that balance for a scale ship can be a bit different that an open frame model. My ship is balanced flat and level and I find when she is in the air she acts a bit tail heavy. A fair touch of Tx nose trim and she seems good to go.

Below are a couple of pics of add-ons. I was concerned about tail strikes so I wanted the little J skid typical of 500's. The original tail stock is so thin that I didn't think sticking a wire into it would be sturdy enough so I made a small hard wood support for it. Not scale but it's functional. Also a shot of the canopy magnets I added. Works great.

Oh, I want to make some longer landing gear tubes. It looks like the Align material is 7/32" dia. (5.5mm) I have checked the local shops but so far only 3/16". Anyone know a supplier for 7/32" dia. aluminum tubing? I may check with K&S direct.

Cheers All!!

Bob C.

Update - Found the 7/32" tubing, as well as 3/4" streamline tubing, http://www.hobbylinc.com/prods/rda.htm

[crazyerick]

Hey Bob C.

Test flew mine today, or at least tried to. Major vibration of the fuse. Did you do anything extra to reduce vibrations?

Cheers,
Erick

[crazyerick]

Almost as if my elevator servo is hitting the fuse. :-(

[turbine50]

Man, I want one of those! I'm in Houston, where do you fly?

[Brent@paradise]

Hi Erick

I had a lot of vibration, i just reduced the head speed a bit and it went away.