What ESC and batteries?

[Trex-Twizzle]

I ordered an agile 5.5 during the black Friday sale and need some advice on ESC and batteries for it. Ill be going with a 6s set up for now and have the stock 4020-1100KV motor with 560mm blades.

Would the new align (aka-HW) 100a be a good choice for it or would it be right on the edge? It looks like a good esc at a great price. The specs are almost the same as the HW120V4 other than the constant amp. They both peak at 170 for 10s. Ill probably be running straight 2s lipo to the servos and rx so a bec is not a must either.

As for batteries I'm thinking 6s 4500 60c or maybe 4000 to keep weight down, any thoughts on this would be great too. Thanks guys!

[nflanagin]

The recommended is a 120 esc. On 6s, with the stock motor, I was using a CC 120 and at times I would hit peak at 200 amp via the Castle logs. This summer I replaced it with a KDE xf550 and started pulling upwards of 210-220amps, and over currenting it (with protection set at Insensitive). Plus, even stock with the 120, it would get pretty warm in the summer, I replaced it with a cc160 with a fan and it never get's above 120 F - which is definitely overkill.

Just bought a Logo 550sx and got a 130hv for that one, with a Herc super bec - going to run 6s on that one too. I'm going to keep the 120 around in case I ever go 12s on either 550.

Also, I've been using the glacier 5000mah 6s packs. I like the price and they seem to hold up. However, pull that front nose plate so you can get the CG right - the front of the battery will be flush with diagonal ESC tray.

For me, once you get that the crown gear setup so there are no tail vibes, the Agile is my favorite bird.

[Trex-Twizzle]

I'm glad to know its your favorite helicopter. I have not seen one in person yet but it looks like a really nice machine and I'm surprised they are so scarce. I guess that has something to do with the availability though.

So basically I need to get a 120a min with this motor. I know the specs called for that but I see a lot of 550s running the HW100a and thought it could work with it. I may end up having to get a hobbyking yep esc for now then. No way I can drop 300$ on an esc at the moment still having to buy some packs for it and do some holiday shopping this month.

[pctomlin]

I started out with a Castle 100 and Quantum 4125-1100, could over-amp it pretty easy. Has been totally fine with the 120 amp ESC.

The 5.5 is a very nice heli and a lot of fun to fly. I would not go below the 4500 battery, could get hard to CG without adding some weight going with a 4000 mah. I use 4500 mah batteries currently and get just a little over four minute flights. Personally I would go with 5000 mah batteries, try to keep one side around 45mm for getting the battery on the tray. I like the Roaring Top LiPos in my Agile. www.roaringtopusa.com

[Trex-Twizzle]

The 5.5 is almost ready for action. I went with the castle talon 120a ESC and am ordering some 5000mah batteries soon. I love this thing so far, it looks great and has a lot of unique features. I did have to flip the motor pinion upside down in order to get the belt aligned properly. Anyone else had this problem? That was the only part of the build that was not a perfect fit. I hope to maiden this thing in the next week or two when I receive a battery.

The castle governor looks like 2400 to be the top head speed that it can govern efficiently. This is a little lower than I was hoping (2600) for as I know its not very light for the disk size. What do you guys run for idle 2?

[flint723]

You can ignore the castle warning and go a little higher, it's well known the Castle gov calc is pretty conservative. Mr mels calc shows maybe 2550-2570 max gov rpm with your gearing. Maybe higher if you have good strong packs.

You can always set whatever rpm you want, if it is too high the esc will simply be at 100% throttle out and may not achieve the set rpm.

[Trex-Twizzle]

Thanks that's good to know. Ill probably set it at 2500 at first and see how it works out. If I like it great if not ill be going to a bigger pinion or maybe 7s but then id have to buy a new charger and seeing as I just built the one I have id rather not.

I almost forgot!

[nflanagin]

If you haven't already, review this video from Nelson Rodriquez. Getting that tail torque tube gear and crown gear meshed perfectly and the main shaft setup correctly with washers will get rid of a bunch of vibes.

Nelson Rodriguez - KDS Agile 7.2 and 5.5 build tips. (12 min 32 sec)

[Trex-Twizzle]

Thanks, I watched that before the build. Everything should be good to go. The main shaft is perfect with the 1mm washer and I set the crown gear up with a small amount of play by using a piece of construction paper.