New FBL gyro for my 550

[Psych101]

I am thinking of demoting my 3gx unit on my 550 to converting my FB 450 to FBL. What do people recommend for a new FBL unit for my 550? I have only ever flown the 3gx so have nothing to compare it to (works fine for me so far but my ability does not exactly push it to its limits atm).

[chrismechanic]

i used the beastx...i cant say a bad word about it...it works flawlessly for me
chris

[trexpro]

Originally Posted by chrismechanic

i used the beastx...i cant say a bad word about it...it works flawlessly for me
chris

+1 on the 550 and the 450 pro

[markleyland]

I'm going to have to say Vbar since I just bought one. The built in spectrum analyser is the perfect tool for tracking down vibrations too, down to the part. Don't know what the Beast is like but the Vbar blows the 3G out of the water!

[jockstrap]

Well I have a 3gx on my 550 and seems to like being on that heli - works quite well..
A minor elevator bobble that I havn't even tried to tweak out yet..

So got the new 450 pro V2 with 3gx and not having too much luck with it yet... nowhere as nice as my 3gx on the 550...

I have a pro with beastx on it and flies sweet..

so maybe go 450 beastx and 550 3gx ....

[mkovalcson]

I'd put in a vote for the Skookum SK-720.

The SK-720 and V-Bar are the best out there especially when you are looking at diagnostic information. They will both run off DSMX satellites allowing you to remove your receiver from the equation.

Vibration logs are very useful when diagnosing issues and all of these Flybarless systems are sensitive to vibrations, so this is very important.

What the SK-720 brings to the table is the bailout feature where you can flip a switch and auto level the heli out. This has saved my butt a number of times. In fact I would have lost my entire heli if it wasn't for this feature.

The SK-720 has an internal 2Gb SD card and allows you to examine your flight after the fact. You can see what the inputs are going into it, vibration, accelleration, servo actions, voltage etc.. and watch your flight in playback mode.

It is also nice to be able to save your configuration to a hard drive, to reload and play with very easily.

[1004ron]

Originally Posted by chrismechanic

i used the beastx...i cant say a bad word about it...it works flawlessly for me
chris

+1 for the BeastX

Mine was dialed in within three battery packs and only tinkered with it recently to install V3, which I only did because I'm a tinkerer and not out of need.

It is very unusual to find a top rated product at such a relatively low price.

[squeky]

Flip a coin, you won't be disappointed with any of the top choices.

Having said that, I'm flying BeastX.

[what-d-heli]

Bx here.

One of my flying buddy really like skookum, while my other buddy prefer the 3GX due to dual sat capability.

[gr8fun]

All of these are excellent, beastx if you want a simple to use stable controler for a good price if you like extras like self leveling and vibration tracking softwear/hardwear than skookum 720 and V-bar are good but you will pay more for these options.

[Ah Clem]

BeastX or V-Bar.

[Roblucky13]

+1 for BeastX. It is simple, it works well, it is easy to set up, very tunable, and not expensive!

[mtuccio]

From lowest to highest cost:

1) BeastX
2) V-Bar
3) SK-720

Just my opinion of course.....

[mkovalcson]

Initial cost is one thing. Final cost is quite another!

I would have lost my ENTIRE helicopter if my SK-720 bailout feature didn't allow me to bring my heli back, and it has saved me from at least one crash past that.

So is the incremental initial cost a smart form of insurance?

For me it is!!!

I have also flown it from a hill where I could keep a lot of room under it and if I get dissorientated, I can flip a switch, the heli auto levels itself in a split second and I give it a bit of positive collective and the heli is stable, out of harms way and I can start over.

How much faster can you learn to fly with a what is effectively a reset button. This makes it a bit more like a real life simulator, reduces the pucker factor quite a bit and gives me more confidence to learn to fly this heli.

This dramatically improves my enjoyment of flying my heli, and since this is all about fun, I think the SK-720 is definitely worth the investment!

I have crashed my heli since then. I was flying it too close to the ground and flying acrobatics beyond my ability to control. The bail out feature won't save you from stupid, but it is a great tool to help you progress and learn new manuevers.

[Psych101]

I can get another 3gx for $209 or a beastx for $259 with the USB interface (both a bit cheaper if I buy on ebay and wait four weeks for delivery). I am leaning towards the beastx just based on the feedback (I have only read positive things about it with the v3 firmware).

Is the beastx $50 better (or more) than the 3gx?

My 3gx flies great on my 550 and I am wondering weather it is worth the extra money for the microbeast. The 3gx is the only fbl unit I have ever used so I have nothing to compare it to.

Also, can someone confirm that it doesn't matter which version of the microbeast I buy (i.e. v2 or v3) and that a firmware update is all that is required for version 3 (i.e. there are no hardware differences)?

[bladesr]

Originally Posted by mtuccio

From lowest to highest cost:

1) BeastX
2) V-Bar
3) SK-720

Just my opinion of course.....

+1

[Nko15]

Vbar. Vbar. Vbar. Just love em. easy to setup(its mostly graphics displayed!!) and the customer service is just insane. You break the unit in a crash, you get another one.. you wont see that with Beastx.

[aviator493]

I love my cgy750 on my 550 as well as my 6s and 7s"!!

[Valley]

Originally Posted by Psych101

Also, can someone confirm that it doesn't matter which version of the microbeast I buy (i.e. v2 or v3) and that a firmware update is all that is required for version 3 (i.e. there are no hardware differences)?

Yes a firmware update will bring it up to V3

I do prefer the tweak-ability of the vbar but given the microbeast is £90 cheaper I can live without the bells and whistles