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silas3d · 01-11-2011, 09:27 PM

I just picked up a couple KDE Direct Battery Trays and am really having trouble getting them to slide smoothly along the battery tray rails. I bought three, one is smooth, the other two are extremely tight. The stock plastic trays work just fine.

Anybody else having this issue?

Fredrik R · 01-12-2011, 12:04 AM

Have 4 of them and they are fine...

Have you measured those that are tight if they are thicker?

silas3d · 01-12-2011, 08:38 AM

Yes. According to my digital calipers they are about 5-10 mils thicker than the stock trays; which isn't that much thicker.

I was playing around with them some more last night and after putting a small amount of grease on the tray edges they seemed much easier to install.

They are still very tight, but I got an email back from Patrick at KDE who said they designed them to be tighter so the batteries wouldn't rock back and forth. Guess I'll just get used to it...

jack726 · 01-12-2011, 07:34 PM

Well they may be intentionally tighter, but I had to put one through my mill to get it loose enough to install. I could not push it in with my two beefy hands. The Align, plastic one fit perfectly.

While on the subject: I had to machine the motor mount to allow the motor to slide to adjust it.

Oh Yeah: I remember now: on my fourth flight, my KDE main gear melted to a glob. I was able to land my expensive scale model 10 seconds before the whole thing locked solid.

You know: I don't think I am that impressed with KDE.

nuclearchip · 01-13-2011, 08:43 PM

Mine just arrived.... I can't use it unless I somehow mill it down. The width dimension is slightly too big. I have 4 plastic trays that slide right in.

Wizza · 01-13-2011, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuclearchip

Mine just arrived.... I can't use it unless I somehow mill it down. The width dimension is slightly too big. I have 4 plastic trays that slide right in.

That is very disappointing, and especially considering the cost of the KDE trays. This thread settled my mind to try the carbon trays from CHP....

silas3d · 01-14-2011, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nuclearchip

Mine just arrived.... I can't use it unless I somehow mill it down. The width dimension is slightly too big. I have 4 plastic trays that slide right in.

Yeah I ended up filing mine down a little. It didn't take long and now they do slide in and out. It's still pretty snug though. At first I thought I had "pinched" the frame too tightly at that middle support, but even after loosening that and the RX mount screws they were still tight.

Don't have to worry about them sliding out accidentally!

~Cliffman~ · 01-14-2011, 06:45 AM

I was having the same problem with my KDE's until I realize the battery was being pinched between the tray and the rail. Installed some velcro which created a space/gap between the tray and the battery and now it slides realy nice.

nuclearchip · 01-15-2011, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Cliffman~

I was having the same problem with my KDE's until I realize the battery was being pinched between the tray and the rail. Installed some velcro which created a space/gap between the tray and the battery and now it slides realy nice.

I don't have a battery mounted on it. It is bare, and too wide. Not by much,, but it won't slide in passed the first 2 inches or so.

Lorbeer · 01-28-2012, 12:20 PM

Has anyone tried the carbon trays from CHP? Are they better?

spikestabber · 01-28-2012, 07:56 PM

Are these the V2 trays you guys are having issues with?

I have 3 sets of V1 trays and they slide in flawless.

Edit: That's what SHE said.

Mystic3D · 01-28-2012, 10:53 PM

I have 4 of the KDE trays and they are very tight. I just greased the rails and it made a big difference.

ChrisH · 01-28-2012, 11:13 PM

Why not use the Align V2 trays??

ShaneJourdan · 01-29-2012, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisH

Why not use the Align V2 trays??

Exactly, they are freaking awesome, including the snap in feature...

robertsm · 02-07-2012, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoctorJ

Exactly, they are freaking awesome, including the snap in feature...

Exactly what Im ordering

Wizza · 02-07-2012, 06:33 PM

I ended up order the new Align V2 nose with the push-button locking clip and the new V2 Align metal battery trays. They are absolutely awesome, and they just work first time... I just installed a KDE performance tail unit last week on my 700, and had to resize a spacer and adjust the loose fitting mount before it all worked smoothly. A simple upgrade took two nights of dicking around and re-engineering to get it to work smooth and eleminate the play in the KDE factory parts....... HHmmmmmm.. The concepts and ideas are awesome, however the KDE manufacturing and quality control seems to leave a bit to be desired....

NRPY · 02-07-2012, 08:08 PM

+1 for the Align V2 trays. They fit perfectly.

Lorbeer · 02-07-2012, 08:28 PM

Thanks to this thread I did indeed get the Align trays. Thanks guys!

Dino Spadaccini · 02-08-2012, 07:42 AM

Mystic3D your best bet would to call KDE and see how he supports this problem

KDE Direct · 02-08-2012, 08:56 AM

This thread started over a year ago, and I'm not aware of any issues with the KDE Direct Battery Tray Upgrade V2s. If you do have an issue, same as any product we offer, please feel free to e-mail me at patrick@kdedirect.com and we'll get you taken care of. The trays are purposefully machined to be an accurate fit to the rails, so there should be not issues with installation for you and the V2 version includes the necessary features for proper operation of the ALIGN Receiver Mount Latch design.

01-11-2011, 09:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
silas3d Registered Users Join Date: Aug 2007	KDE Direct TREX 700e Battery Tray Issues I just picked up a couple KDE Direct Battery Trays and am really having trouble getting them to slide smoothly along the battery tray rails. I bought three, one is smooth, the other two are extremely tight. The stock plastic trays work just fine. Anybody else having this issue? __________________ Lean not on your own understanding. Goblin 500

01-12-2011, 12:04 AM	#2 (permalink)
Fredrik R Registered Users Join Date: Jan 2008	Have 4 of them and they are fine... Have you measured those that are tight if they are thicker? __________________ Fredrik Team Scorpion

01-12-2011, 08:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
silas3d Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Aug 2007	Yes. According to my digital calipers they are about 5-10 mils thicker than the stock trays; which isn't that much thicker. I was playing around with them some more last night and after putting a small amount of grease on the tray edges they seemed much easier to install. They are still very tight, but I got an email back from Patrick at KDE who said they designed them to be tighter so the batteries wouldn't rock back and forth. Guess I'll just get used to it... __________________ Lean not on your own understanding. Goblin 500

01-13-2011, 08:43 PM	#5 (permalink)
nuclearchip Registered Users My HF Map location Join Date: Mar 2010	Mine just arrived.... I can't use it unless I somehow mill it down. The width dimension is slightly too big. I have 4 plastic trays that slide right in. __________________ SAB Mini Comet, OXY3, Team HeliDirect

01-14-2011, 06:45 AM	#8 (permalink)
~Cliffman~ Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2009	I was having the same problem with my KDE's until I realize the battery was being pinched between the tray and the rail. Installed some velcro which created a space/gap between the tray and the battery and now it slides realy nice. Last edited by ~Cliffman~; 01-15-2011 at 06:57 AM..

01-12-2011, 07:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
jack726 Registered Users Join Date: May 2006	Well they may be intentionally tighter, but I had to put one through my mill to get it loose enough to install. I could not push it in with my two beefy hands. The Align, plastic one fit perfectly. While on the subject: I had to machine the motor mount to allow the motor to slide to adjust it. Oh Yeah: I remember now: on my fourth flight, my KDE main gear melted to a glob. I was able to land my expensive scale model 10 seconds before the whole thing locked solid. You know: I don't think I am that impressed with KDE.

01-28-2012, 12:20 PM	#10 (permalink)
Lorbeer Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2009	Has anyone tried the carbon trays from CHP? Are they better?

01-28-2012, 07:56 PM	#11 (permalink)
spikestabber Registered Users My HF Map location Join Date: Jul 2010	Are these the V2 trays you guys are having issues with? I have 3 sets of V1 trays and they slide in flawless. Edit: That's what SHE said. __________________ T-REX 450P DFC 6S, SK-720BE/GPS, EDGE 50, TM1000, KDE 450XF 1450, MKS DS95x3, Futaba BLS-257, DX8 T-REX 700E DFC, SK-720BE/GPS, EDGE 160HV, TM1000, KDE 700XF 495, Outrage BL9180x3/BL9188, DX8

01-28-2012, 10:53 PM	#12 (permalink)
Mystic3D Registered Users My HF Map location Join Date: Feb 2008	I have 4 of the KDE trays and they are very tight. I just greased the rails and it made a big difference. __________________ "If you think you can or you can not you are right" Goblin Xera 4530, YGE 160,VBar Diablo, HJive, 4525 Ultimate,VBar Synergy N5C sitting in Box...

01-28-2012, 11:13 PM	#13 (permalink)
ChrisH HF Support Join Date: Aug 2007	Why not use the Align V2 trays??

02-07-2012, 06:33 PM	#16 (permalink)
Wizza Registered Users My HF Map location Join Date: Aug 2008	I ended up order the new Align V2 nose with the push-button locking clip and the new V2 Align metal battery trays. They are absolutely awesome, and they just work first time... I just installed a KDE performance tail unit last week on my 700, and had to resize a spacer and adjust the loose fitting mount before it all worked smoothly. A simple upgrade took two nights of dicking around and re-engineering to get it to work smooth and eleminate the play in the KDE factory parts....... HHmmmmmm.. The concepts and ideas are awesome, however the KDE manufacturing and quality control seems to leave a bit to be desired.... __________________ Regards, Mark R (#248) TRex 700E V-Bar NEO, BLS251, DS8915's, HJive120, JLog, VControl Carbon TDR 710 CYs, V-Bar NEO, MPH83s, Jive 120, JLog, R2 Buffer, VControl Carbon Logo600SX 600 CYs, V-Bar NEO, 8715s, Jive120, JLog, R2 Buffer, VControl Carbon

02-07-2012, 08:08 PM	#17 (permalink)
NRPY Registered Users Join Date: Aug 2009	+1 for the Align V2 trays. They fit perfectly.

02-07-2012, 08:28 PM	#18 (permalink)
Lorbeer Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2009	Thanks to this thread I did indeed get the Align trays. Thanks guys!

02-08-2012, 07:42 AM	#19 (permalink)
Dino Spadaccini Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2004	Mystic3D your best bet would to call KDE and see how he supports this problem __________________ Dino Spadaccini Team Capt Align Factory Team USA / Team Futaba

02-08-2012, 08:56 AM	#20 (permalink)
KDE Direct Registered Users Join Date: May 2006	This thread started over a year ago, and I'm not aware of any issues with the KDE Direct Battery Tray Upgrade V2s. If you do have an issue, same as any product we offer, please feel free to e-mail me at patrick@kdedirect.com and we'll get you taken care of. The trays are purposefully machined to be an accurate fit to the rails, so there should be not issues with installation for you and the V2 version includes the necessary features for proper operation of the ALIGN Receiver Mount Latch design. __________________ -- KDE Direct, Inc. --

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