should I ???

[Donnie68]

I have a hausler 450 se v2 (trex clone) and
And after having not be smart enough to put locktite in the allens holding my grips I walured out and bent a post holding on a grip.not to mention I think the whole head is a rather soft n cheap alloy anyway.so I orderd another rotor head assembly that is flybarless( fbl) my question is am I going to need one of those expensive dfc flight controllers to?

[simplechamp]

Yes, if you are currently running a flybar head with standard tail gyro, and want to convert to a FBL head, you will need to buy a FBL controller.

An Align 3GX is what comes with Align helis, they can usually be found in the for sale section for pretty cheap ($50-70). There are mixed reviews, some have 1000 perfect flights, others say the thing glitched out on the 3rd flight and made them crash. There are a lot of complaints about the setup being confusing/difficult, although personally I didn't think it was that bad. There are plenty of videos and guides to help. Many people start out with 3GX because it came with as part of the Align super combo and end up replacing it with a Vbar, Ikon, BeastX/AR7200, etc. Some people use cheap systems like the ones from Tarot or Hobbyking and say they are fantastic. You will hear a lot of opinions on which is the best to get.

My suggestion would be Mini Vbar (with Pro software) or Ikon/Brain. I didn't get rid of the 3GX because of problems, I just like trying new stuff and wanted to see what the others had to offer. I feel they are worth the extra cash over a 3GX for the additional features and better setup/programming. If it's your first FBL system they both have a very easy setup wizard that walks you through each step, but also have advanced options for fine tuning and really customizing how the heli flies. There are plenty of other good systems, I suggest those 2 because I have experience with them and they have worked well for me. My buddy has kept the 3GX on his 550 and it is dialed in nicely and he flies WAY better than I can. Whatever system you choose, the biggest factor will still be the pilot at the sticks.

[Solmanbandit]

To add on, I am currently using the Ikon and the beastx. Beastx on my 450 and Ikon on my bigger helis. I don't care for the beastx on the bigger heli's but works great on the 450. For a 450, either will work just fine but the Ikon definitely have more options to play with as you grow more. With the Ikon you can program up to 3 banks to make the 450 fly as easy or as aggressive as you want.

For FBL heads, I am not crazy about the DFC and have found more flaws than positives. One of the ones I found out is that it is extremely hard on servos in a crash because there is no give or weak point. So I use standard FBL heads.

As a side note, Even Align is switching back to a standard style FBL head on the 700's.

[suthae]

3GX can be difficult to setup for some one new into the hobby.

I suggest Robird G31 FBL gyro, the best bang for buck out there. The setup wizard is simple and straight forward, and the gyro flies great out of the box, with no tuning required for sport flying.

[Imzzaudae]

I don't think there is anything wrong with 3GX. I'd be more inclined to believe problems are created buy pilots creating profiles above there skill level.

3GX Setup Guide Part 1 Mounting & Wiring (10 min 38 sec)

3GX Setup Guide Part 2 DIR & Governor Setup (8 min 15 sec)

3GX Setup Guide Part 3 Rudder, Delay & Anti Torque Compensation (6 min 33 sec)

3GX Setup Guide Part 4 Flight Mode Settings On The Gyro (No Computer!) (7 min 17 sec)

Pay attention to this video!

3GX Setup Guide Part 5 Flight Mode Settings On The Computer (6 min 6 sec)

[Solmanbandit]

3GX can be difficult to setup for some one new into the hobby.

Setup isn't hard, just a sucky system in my opinion.

[ArchmageAU]

Originally Posted by Donnie68

I have a hausler 450 se v2 (trex clone) and
And after having not be smart enough to put locktite in the allens holding my grips I walured out and bent a post holding on a grip.not to mention I think the whole head is a rather soft n cheap alloy anyway.so I orderd another rotor head assembly that is flybarless( fbl) my question is am I going to need one of those expensive dfc flight controllers to?

If changing from flybar to flybarless you will need a FBL unit. There are lots to choose from. Some are easier to configure than others. Prices range on manufacturer and features. Which is best borders on a religious debate. I'm pretty sure that <name pro pilot of choice> could configure and fly the skids off a <name heli of choice> with a <name FBL unit of choice>.

Originally Posted by Solmanbandit

Setup isn't hard, just a sucky system in my opinion.

3GX setup looks to have evolved from a flybar CCPM (cyclic/collective pitch mixing) configuration. If you are comfortable with setting up a CCPM configuration in your helicopter and transmitter, the 3GX setup is very similar. I would guess the 3GX is evolved from an early electronic stabilization assist mechanisms (where FBL units were not trusted with entire stabilization job).

Most FBL units do the CCPM work in the FBL unit itself (you tell the FBL unit the configuration of the servos round the swash plate and it will change the aileron, elevator, collective inputs into the servo outputs for you).

The main difference between units seems to be:
- Ease of configuration, first time and tuning.
- Method of configuration (PC, Dedicated device, TX).
- Features (built-in receiver, sat/sbus/CPPM connection capability, piro compensation, governor, logging, vibration analysis/compensation, GPS, self-leveling, etc...)

My best advice on a FBL unit is get one that is:
- in your budget
- has the features you want
- will work with whatever receiver / transmitter combination you have
- seems easy enough for you to understand (after having a quick flick through the manual).

[Solmanbandit]

- seems easy enough for you to understand (after having a quick flick through the manual).

If someone has never used one, then how would they know? I found my first one difficult because I didn't know what I was doing. I also struggled a bit programming the beastx the first time, but after that, found it really easy. After After programming the tarot and beastx, I didn't find my Ikon difficult at all.

[ArchmageAU]

Originally Posted by Solmanbandit

If someone has never used one, then how would they know? I found my first one difficult because I didn't know what I was doing. I also struggled a bit programming the beastx the first time, but after that, found it really easy. After After programming the tarot and beastx, I didn't find my Ikon difficult at all.

That is precisely the point. Imagine if your first FBL unit was iKon. Harder (but not impossible).

If the manual is hard to understand (or only in Chinese), as well as being new technology, chances are that you will not be able to set it up properly first time.

Compare BeastX with Tarot ZYX-S2 with Ikon with vBar with Bavarian Demon with Turnigy 3D-H with Robird G31 with ... BeastX manual I found very easy to understand (also used for the AR7200BX). Tarot ZYX-S2 looks a little light on but still easy. vBar iKon or Bavarian Demon for a first timer would be more complicated. For example, Bavarian Demon (if you can get your head around the software) would require help to get the numerous gain settings done properly. Programming Ikon banks would also be a challenge for a first time FBL user.

My first programmable FBL unit was BD3SX (was a struggle, took hours and lots of reading to understand, but I wanted the features it provided so I persisted).

[Solmanbandit]

Originally Posted by ArchmageAU

That is precisely the point. Imagine if your first FBL unit was iKon. Harder (but not impossible).

If the manual is hard to understand (or only in Chinese), as well as being new technology, chances are that you will not be able to set it up properly first time.

Compare BeastX with Tarot ZYX-S2 with Ikon with vBar with Bavarian Demon with Turnigy 3D-H with Robird G31 with ... BeastX manual I found very easy to understand (also used for the AR7200BX). Tarot ZYX-S2 looks a little light on but still easy. vBar iKon or Bavarian Demon for a first timer would be more complicated. For example, Bavarian Demon (if you can get your head around the software) would require help to get the numerous gain settings done properly. Programming Ikon banks would also be a challenge for a first time FBL user.

My first programmable FBL unit was BD3SX (was a struggle, took hours and lots of reading to understand, but I wanted the features it provided so I persisted).

I really don't agree with this. The tarot is pretty simple to set up, as the settings are basic as long as you program it through the computer. My poblem with the tarot is that I had two in row go bad on me. My next one was the beastx. I had to watch a video to program it the first time because I had a hard time understanding the instructions. Once I programmed it for the first time, all subsequent instances were super easy. As for the Ikon, it was really simple to program. The menu walked you through it and the basic setup was no issue at all. So I was pleasantly surprised with programming the Ikon and needed no external help to do a basic setup and fly it. Now getting into the advanced menu requires some more research and work with the Ikon, but not necessary if you are a beginner. The basic menu will get you up and going. Setting up the banks for the Ikon was very easy as well. If I remember correctly, I was told that the Helicommand can be difficult to set up properly and can't comment on it specifically because I have never dealt with it.