My trip to the 'Dark Side'

[testpilot58d]

Don't know if all you guys saw this or not in the 'Thank You' thread, so I'm starting a thread here, with some details of my move to the T-Rex for anyone who is interested.
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Well, my T-rex came in yesterday. Spent all night putting it together and setting it up.
Initial impressions...wow!

The head is a thing of beauty. Biggest pain in the setup was screwing all the links on the rods. Followed Finless Bob's setups through the whole thing and all went smoothly. Only thing different from his setup vids that I didn't end up doing was 1) the servo holes all held my HS-65MG's nicely and I didn't need to file any out. and 2) The forward servo didn't present the problem to me that he mentions in his videos. (having to dremel down the ball so it doesn't rub. I don't know if the cases are somewhat different than older models or not, but I had no issues). The whole T-rex head design is SO much easier to work with than the Belt CP. I thought it would be more complicated just by looking at it, but I was completely wrong.

Getting the tail sorted out was fun, as my servo was mounted on the other side on my belt CP, and the gyro mounts upside down on the T-Rex. Took some messing with servo reversing and reversing the gyro, but using Bob's videos, made it easier on me.

Head install was a breeze, I set all links to the lengths in the manual by threading the ends on and laying them on the diagrams to make sure they were the correct length. Put the head on and everything was level, the washout block was just short of touching the bottom of the center holder just as Finless described in his videos. Initial pitch settings were -12,0,11. Set the DX7 to 39% for the start of my pitch curve in norm and it gave me -3 to 11 degrees of pitch.

Couldn't believe the tail authority. The Logitech 2100T/Futabe S3153 combo works great.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a209/bbeagle/T-Rex-1.jpg

[testpilot58d]

So I tinkered with it a little more today. Balanced the blades (which turned out to be unnecessary when I put them on the balance) They were perfect from the factory. Put the red tracking tape on one balde and blue on the other in the exact same place just for tracking.

Tracking the blades was a pure joy compared to the Belt-CP. I could never get the blades just right on the belt. At low-mid rpm's they would track one way, and high RPM they would track another. Blade tracking on the T-Rex head is done with two separate links. The long ones for small amounts of pitch change and the short ones for large adjustments. Each rod end must be turned 360 degrees for each adjustment as they only go on one way.

It was unnverving holding that thing down looking at those blades at eye level 11 degrees of pitch at almost 3000 rpm' but the blades track perfect. (ok...I was too scared to take it ALL the way to max pitch/throttle...but the sound of that rotor system is just.....mmmmmmmmmm)

Revisiting the head...If I had a 'redo' in my history with the belt cp...first thing I would have done is put a T-Rex/EXI/CopterX head on it with a Align main shaft. The quality difference between the two is night and day. ESPECIALLY the CNC Esky rasputin. Everything is tight, but smooth. The bearing are all precision. I can spin the head with my hand and get about 10 full smooth revolutions before it coasts to a stop. I was lucky to get 4 on my Esky CNC.

The Tail box....even though I know the copterX is supposed to be nicer with the ALL metal components. (the Align pitch slider is plastic, but it rides on a brass bushing on the shaft)...it is still precise, tight tolerances, but smooth operating.

The stock 315's that come with it...I wasn't too happy with as they were VERY tight to put in the grips. Working them back and forth, they have finally wore down the plastic enough to where they can lead and lag.

One other negative comment. With EVERYTHING else being manufactured to such tight tolerances, little things that I would have never paid attention to on the Belt will stand out on the Rex. That one last thing (besides the blades) is the autorotation (tail) gear. It is slightly imperfect, and causes a noticeable wobble at very low rpm's when spooling up.

The instruction manual is fantastic compared to the Esky one. All linkages are mechanical drawings to scale on the page. All you have to do is lay them on the page and center the holes on the crosshairs to verify lengths. My head was Two separate ONE PC link turns from being perfect when assembled using this method. That's Pitch range, AND blade tracking. That's how easy setting up the head was.

I'll stop rambling for now...will post more as I think of other things. Flying her for the first time in 12 hours, and can hardly wait. I know I'm not going to sleep tonight.

[testpilot58d]

Additionally,

You can put this kit together with everthing that comes in the Kit. All you MUST have is a soldering Iron/solder and some CA. The kit includes loctite. Used sparingly as per Finless's instructions, there is just enough in the bottle to do the whole heli. I didn't have to loctite the head at all. I checked all the screws in it, and every one of them was so tight, I may need to heat them with a soldering iron to get them loose.

I know loctite is used at the factory, because I took the tail box apart to remove the idler bearing (recommended by almost everyone here at Helifreak) and there was residual loctite on the screws.

Things I would RECOMMEND having:
Ball link tool....this was ...for lack of a better word...a ***** to put on all those ball links.
Ball link sizer. Finless addresses this in the setup videos. I had two links that were pretty tight. Fortunately Align gives you a whole baggy full of spare 'bits'....and I used SEVERAL items that were in there. (grub screw, frame screw, ball links, tailboom support screw) BIG kudos to Align for providing this, especially if you are like me and putting this thing together for 12 hours straight through the night. you get clumsy.
Hemostat/Forceps- These were great for holding onto small parts like servo nut plates during assembly. As well as the electrical parts when it came time to solder.

Speaking of soldering...I have a butane powered soldering iron. Soldering the bullet connectors for the motor was being a pain and taking forever to heat them up to take the solder. I removed the solder tip and put a torch tip on instead. The torch tip heats the connector instantly, push the solder into it, fill it with a puddle of solder, hold the wire in there and remove the heat. Took about 10 seconds start to finish for each connector.

A good set of hex drivers- I have a set from Helidirect, and the 1.5mm one is getting a bit worn and is loose in the screw heads. Am going to purchase a nice set of Align's, or Bondhi, or Wiha's soon.

...more as I think of it.

[Ber60]

Man, you make my wanne come over to

[another_finn]

I'm with you on the head... I only have the T-Rex 450S alloy/plastic hybrid, and it's a whole new ballgame with that and a decent main shaft installed. I'm just setting up the HDX450, and I can really feel the difference that decent CNC makes. It's getting to the point where I just don't want to go back to setting up the Belt CP head ever again - even if it is now installed on the King II :)

[DierWolf]

Welcome to the Dark Side :)

Where is your whobble exactly? kinda got lost on that part.. Yeah setting up Trex head is like a Breeze compared to the Belt CP.

Also when are you going to take off the Training Gear??

[Ber60]

Hey guy's, a contest of pointing out the 7 differences :lol:

[lebmaestro]

Speaking of soldering...I have a butane powered soldering iron. Soldering the bullet connectors for the motor was being a pain and taking forever to heat them up to take the solder. I removed the solder tip and put a torch tip on instead. The torch tip heats the connector instantly, push the solder into it, fill it with a puddle of solder, hold the wire in there and remove the heat. Took about 10 seconds start to finish for each connector.

.

You made me want one, but i am just starting with belt cp, anyway talking about your struggle about soldreing, here is a youtube link to how to solder bullets....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9yY9Kk4bEA

[testpilot58d]

Welcome to the Dark Side :)

Where is your whobble exactly? kinda got lost on that part.. Yeah setting up Trex head is like a Breeze compared to the Belt CP.

Also when are you going to take off the Training Gear??

Dier,

It's the gear itself, I'll try to take some video of it in the morning when my roomate wakes up and goes to work. It's just the bottom tail gear, it's like its not perpendicular to the main shaft, it's very slight, but like I said, because everything else is so nice, it's noticeable.

The training gear? lol....are you talking about the flybar weights? I thought I'd try them out and see how it feels.

[testpilot58d]

Leb,

Thanks for the link, I watched Finless Bob's videos from right here on Helifreak, but he made it look a heck of a lot easier than it was working for me. I just held the connectors vertical with the forceps, hit the connector for a second with the torch and it was hot enough to melt the solder. I just found it alot easier than holding the tip on it.

[DierWolf]

LOL yeah the flybar weights..

Got it with mine as well but didnt use them.. I like response :)

Belt also had that problem with some of the lower gears... So far dont see anything at all wrong with the Exi.. everythings smooth running and straight..

Contest on differnces.. there isnt any other than his head/tail is completely cnc while mine is not.

I got the following coming (didnt bother cnc-in out the rest yet as the plastic on this seems very very strong and no play so since i can fly now no need for cnc just yet, if it breaks then i will buy it, until then nope)

I got

1. Gorilla Gear low profile coming
2. Curtis Youngblood Radix 325mm CF Main Blades
3. Trex CF Tail Rotor
4. Gorilla Gear Programable Paddles

Trying to find a funky looking canopy but cant decide..

Ber60 check to see if you find differences :)

http://i26.tinypic.com/2n7jojl.jpg

[Ber60]

found one, you got a antenna tail sticking out but I think you have to consider
The MacDonald Straw Antenna Drainpipe Mod v.0.2 for that

[testpilot58d]

yeah...I'm gonna leave em on for the 'maiden voyage' tomorrow. never used em before just thought I'd try them to see the difference. I don't know as though I want 'responsive' just yet. Just starting with figure eights and I would rather go with stable until I get more flight time and used to orientation.

I think you got a great deal on the EXI, and the money you put into it with buying the exact motor you knew you wanted as well as the exact ESC you wanted. I know that financially it worked out better, but to be honest I haven't been in the hobby long enough to know what 'good stuff' is, ie the 'right' esc, and the 'right' motor, so I just went with the whole kit.

Oh, one last thing on the .vs Belt CP...the carbon fiber frame is rock solid. The Belt CF had some lateral flex to it and seemed somewhat 'flimsy'. The T-Rex (or EXI) style just feels a lot more rugged and feels like it will take the inevitable crash a lot better than my belt did.

[testpilot58d]

Oh yeah, I also have some new Gorilla gear coming, and some Align CF blades.

I'm not up to 'Dier Standards' flying skill wise to start thrashing $45 Curtis Youngbloods

:)

[DierWolf]

CF on the Belt is one way weave only thats why, believe the rex comes with weave horizontal and vertical... makes a huge difference.

[wibble]

Man, you make my wanne come over to

But I thought Esky = Exi = T-rex for half the price!?

[wibble]

She looks lovely Wolfy, I think the naked canopy looks really nice too; but then again I've always wanted the jet-black Mercedes 500 with no markings anywhere on her :)

[Ber60]

But I thought Esky = Exi = T-rex for half the price!?
ok I will stick with my belt for now (no more money for the hobby just ordered a 7c 2.4)
and dream of pink bling ;)

[testpilot58d]

Well all, I hate doing this to you, but.....

WOW.

I couldn't wait for my buddy joel to show up to film the first battery through it, so I spun it up, got it light on the skids, nervous with anticipation...

...and it lifted up so gracefully and smoothly I just grinned from ear to ear.

Before I started this little essay I promised I would be as unbiased as possible...bearing that in mind I have to say, flying this thing is head and shoulders above the belt. It practically flies itself. I was totally comfortable with it, it was steady as hell, smooth as hell, and just plain all around fun as hell. Hovering the T-Rex 450 on RealFlight is twice as hard as hovering the real thing. Put the T-Rex 600 on dual rate in RealFlight, and it comes close.

I'm trying to get the video uploaded, but my connection is really slow tonight.
When it does get up, compare my two videos. The first one shot on easter sunday two weeks ago with my belt cp vs. this sunday on the t-rex. Bear in mind I haven't flown at all since easter sunday (I was down for parts last weekend, remember). Compare 'hovering' my belt CP vs. Hovering the T-rex.

I couldn't be happier right now and wish I had about 10 more batteries to put through it today. I have to admit I was scared at first to get it moving in the figure 8's, especially at about 25' up, but once I started...it was just so smooth flying it that it took hardly anything at all.

Again...I really hate having to tell you guys this, but it took flying to a whole new level for me today.

Will post a link when the video is up.

Cheers,
Brian

[wibble]

T'rex Tester, no-one ever said that there was anything wrong with having an open-top Austin Healey and a brand new Lotus in the garage! The guilt trip is getting to you :lol: It sounds like lots o' fun bro'!

ps just gotta tell you that your vid where you're in the leading chopper; everyone goes "Naaaaah, no way, that's a video game you got there!!!!! :noteworthy

[testpilot58d]

Sorry took so long fellas. Couldn't upload it to my .mac account for some reason and had to use youtube.

Flying the Belt CP 2 weeks ago on easter:
http://gallery.mac.com/testpilot58d#100018

Flying the T-Rex yesterday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhNFHq3EGo8

[DierWolf]

LOL you love it huh.....

I knew that all along... its like night and day compared to the Belt CP.

But again although i have a Rex (Clone) i still must pick up for Esky a bit... Its a damn good bird for a really damn good price..... And when set up right it comes pretty close
to smoothness like the Rex (albiet it dont have all the flash).

Good to see it in the air, was waiting on just this type of response about it, its great, i have flown alot of rex's, and even though mine dont say align on it, flies jsut as nice.

Now some questions on your bird.

What blade length are you running? Exi came with 325's and its longer than the belt and looks like it can go 335 easy.

Also i am looking for some nice CF Tailblades but only get the cheapy looking ones, if anyone over on the darkside can recommend some good ones let me know..

PS your good enough flyer for Curtis Youngbloods :) Although you almost bit the big one on that low altitude piro towards the end of the video :)

That definately would not have been nice on its first outting.

[testpilot58d]

Dier,

Thanks! I have been like a kid waiting on xmas ever since I saw your hovering your EXI in the house like that. I thought 'either that guy is just really really good, or these birds are really really nice, or somewhere in the middle lies the truth'

The blades are the stock Align 325 Pro's.

...and yes....I may have soiled my shorts ever so slightly with the cocky piro at the end.
:)

And I DO love the way the Curtis Youngblood's sound and all the 'studs' here have them on theirs. But I've watched them unwrap a new pair and put it into the ground 5 minutes later. The anger that ensues is something I'm trying to avoid.
:)

[Grant_beltcp]

Hey guys, Ive finally signed up to this forum and finaly got my EXI :)
Your trex looks awesome, and a quick hover with this thing seems just as good lol.
I'm very tempted to get some youngblood rotors, but probably just to look at! but i cant find any really good tail rotors apart from the trex 3k carbons that i have on the belt. I have now SMASHED my belt twice in a matter of 3 flights so its staying on the shelf for a while untill i break the EXI.
I may upgrade to the metal gear servos at some point, but untill then the SG90's seem to hold up well.

[testpilot58d]

Grant,

Thanks! Post some pics of your EXI! You are going to love it!

P.S. Be a wuss like me and give the flybar weights a try. heheh