Rebuilding my 500 and going flybarless

[350Z_Al]

Well, after about 50 hard flights on my 500, I finally crashed it and need to do some fixing.

All in all, not really a bad crash. I figure now if I'm fixing it, I may as well upgrade it! I've got a spare Align 3GX lying around, so I'm going to give it a shot on the 500. If I like it, I'll run it on my new 600EFL PRO, if not I'm going to go with something else.

I ordered all the Align flybarless parts today, a few were on back order, but I should have them in a few weeks. I decided to go with all OEM Align parts for ease of getting replacement parts locally and some of the aftermarket flybarless conversions qualities are hit or miss.

I'm considering upgrading the ESC to a Castle like on my 600 for the governor feature not sure yet though. Other than that feature, I have no problem with the stock ESC, so I'm undecided on spending the $150 or so on a new one or not.

Casualties of the crash:
-Feathering Spindle (replacing thrust bearings just to be safe)
-Main Shaft (replacing main shaft bearings to be safe)
-Main Drive Gear and bolt
-Pitch, Aileron and Elevator servo gears
-Flybar
-One Flybar Paddle
-One main blade (Minor damage, but ANY damage and they should be replaced)
-Tail Boom
-One Tail Boom Brace

Upgrade Parts:
-Align 3GX Flybarless system
-Align 3G 425mm Flybarless Blades
-Align 500FL Main Shaft
-Align 500FL Main Rotor Housing
-Align 500FL Blade Grips (2 sets)
-Align 500FL Mixing Base assembly
-Align 500FL Linkage rods and balls
-Align Aluminum Blade Case (Just Cause.....)

Now onto the carnage pics:

[350Z_Al]

These some of the damaged parts from the crash:




These are the parts from the head that are getting reused:

[350Z_Al]

Tearing the bitch down:




These are the perfectly good parts that are getting replaced and upgraded to flybarless:
(Anybody need spare FB 500 parts? I don't need these)






This is how she'll sit for a few weeks until the upgrades come:

[Deet]

Instead of the CCesc, why not get a VBAR instead of the 3Gx, if you go the full size version you can use the gov in the VBAR with the align ESC.

You will get a much better FBL controller, and a MUCH better gov, and it will be around the same cost

[veghov]

or you can buy the beastX. it has many good reviews plus its cheap.

[350Z_Al]

I already have a spare 3GX, so I'm going to try it and form my own opinion based on what I experience instead of just hearsay. If I like it, I'll keep it, if I don't I'll try something else.

[Mike2112]

That last pic is funny...what kind of skids are those??? I recently picked up an entire Align FBL head minus the FBL controller. It's actually nice looking and I can't wait to do it.

You can always dremel out that damage on the canopy to give it a new fresh look...make it a radius that is centered on the ball links of the swash like on the fusano canopies. Post pics when it's all done...

[bstanley72]

Is there a particular reason why you have the rear landing gear on backwards? (saying this in a genuinely curious/inquisitive tone, not a know-it-all jerk one )

[350Z_Al]

Those are Align 600 skids. The rear is on backwards because it looks cool. :p

Those skids look really awkward with the heli stripped like that. They look good when the heli is all together.

[rcflyerheli]

I can't verify this info, but I've been told by a respectable flyer/computer tech, etc, that he has ckecked the Align sensors and the VBar sensors and they are exactly the same p/n stamped on the sensors. What this really means, who knows.

Just thought I'd throw that out. This might be on the older V4 vbars or the black Vbars, as the newer blue ones have a thinner case than the older black ones. Boy the 3GX and mini Vbars sure look similar.

[rcflyerheli]

You had a photo of the headstopper and blade grips. Did either get damaged. When I first got started, in particular with the FBL version, I was told that in a hard crash, the blade grip balls will hit the headstopper and break the blade grips.

Just something else to think about.

[350Z_Al]

Originally Posted by rcflyerheli

You had a photo of the headstopper and blade grips. Did either get damaged. When I first got started, in particular with the FBL version, I was told that in a hard crash, the blade grip balls will hit the headstopper and break the blade grips.

Just something else to think about.

If I remembered where I put the head stopper and the rest of the parts I'm reusing in the FBL conversion I'd look and see.... But I seem to have forgotten where I put them.

I looked at the blade grips, they look fine.

I can confirm that what you heard is true though, I did it on my T-REX 250 a while ago. Destroyed both blade grips because the ball links hit the head stopper.