Ok, I'm gonna get a MiniCP, what do I need?

[ChitownMatt]

Ummmm, Where did you order it from????

I'm just kidding, but seriously, i have an 02s V1, 02s V2, and a MiniCP.

The V2 is by far the best for FFF, but it is also very difficult to flip and roll unless you use a ton of negative expo... Like -50 or more.

You might still want to pick up a Mini, as it is (IMHO) better for learning flips, rolls and inverted flight.... And much less likely to break in a crash.

[zadaw]

Originally Posted by geckgo

So I get this nice box from the UPS guy yesterday. I know exactly what it is, my new Mini CP kit. Sat down on the couch and started rumaging. Looked at my spare tailbooms first. MAN they are tiny. Blade holders, OMG, they look like tail fin holders with smaller ball links! Finished with my spare parts and pulled out the "mama" box. First think I noticed was that the canopy on the box was GREEN????

Box says VD120D02S w/ Devo 10. A little confused I thought well maybe they just all share the same box. Open it up, sure as the sun this thing is a green VD120! Sooo, I got a 200 dollar bird and only got charged for a 100 dollar miniCP. After much deliberation, (it was a very hard decision to make) I decided the hek with it, my 450 is still on the workbench and I want to fly, it's been a month on the sim without any real helis while at work.

Just to make you feel less guilty, the difference in trade prices between the Mini CP and the V120D02S is not that great, probably less than 30%.

It is a toss up as to whether the Mini CP or the V120D02S is the best Walkera heli ever. My preference is for the V120D02S. The Mini CP out-flies the competition, whereas although the V120D02S is outperformed by the Blade 130X, it appears to be much more durable. Certainly things look very bad in the 130X forum at the moment and they have started to use Walkera parts for the 130X.

I would still consider getting the Mini CP. A V120D02S and a Mini CP is an excellent combination for learning basic 3D. I would use the V120D02S to do the first moves and use the Mini CP to polish it off.

[geckgo]

yea,, I ordered extra batteries and tail booms and some other stuff for the heli I thought I was getting, so eventually I'll need to get something to fix with it. And the price point for the mini is pretty low, but I better wait before I add another heli to the fleet as the missus is getting a little jelous of my helicopters (spending more time with them than with her)

I was impressed with the v120. I've been paranoid about the tail gear stripping but it flys wonderfully. Just like a sim heli and the light 2-3mph winds yesterday didn't seem to bother it at all. Then I had a few drinks and crashed it into a lawnchair, but it was a positive experience as the only damage I could find was a cracked canopy and the tail boom linkage dissappeared. Can't wait to get it back in the air

All in all, I'm very happy with it so far. While it was down today it also gave me a chance to finish repairs on the 450.

[Judo JoNny]

Originally Posted by Majic1

The OEM charger for the Mini is USB. No connector for external PS. It's a cheap charger, what do you expect? I never use the stock OEM chargers anyway. With low amps, it takes forever to charge with them. You never get a full charge with them, and with multi cell batteries, they don't balance the cells very well, which is not good for the batteries. Do yourself a favor and buy a balance charger. You can get a decent BC for about $40 US and with the multi charge cable, can charge 3 batteries at once in 15-20min at 1C.

Thanks for the response! I did intend to get a proper charger at one stage, but then got out of the hobby due to lack of time, and only recently got back into it again. I guess I'll have to do my research as to which to get, and even learn all the names of the connectors and plugs I need to know about hah...as you can tell I'm still a relative n00b for the most part. I'll have to stick with the OEM charger for the time being though.

[geckgo]

I think the usb charger is perfect for my application. Charge 2 batts at once, and the walkeras have 2 cables comming from the charger so you can charge on the white one and check your voltage on the red one with a volt meter (least that's how I do it). I have yet to let it go until the red light goes off, though I have heard that this is what you need to do to get a full charge. Today I charged them up to around 4.1 V and that gives me plenty of time to practice hovering and orientations.

I'm actually quite surprised with my skill level after using the sim so much. I can get the thing off the ground and it will stay right where I want it. Now that I'm done "playing with it, I plan on getting some good practice time in today with the little birdie, doing the orientation practice that I work on with the sim.