450 - Motor, Gyro, ESC, Servos???

[thercman]

Well, after much thought and wieghing my options I decided to go with an EXI 450 SE Special Edition (silver carbon) for $99. http://www.xheli.com/tg-450-special-...opter-arf.html Since everyone has mentioned the faults of the brand I am going into this expecting to purchase a few replacements right off the bat. This kit needs to be fully assembled so I will try to sort out the bugs as I build. Which leads me to some questions.....

First I am trying to do this on the cheap side. So the parts I need to finish it just need to be able to do the job they are intended.

The Motor - I would like something a little peppier then sport. When flying the sim the sport models do not seem to give me enough power to get out of trouble. So what Kv is recommended and with what size battery pack?

Gyro - What is good for this application? I have no idea the difference between a $15 gyro and a $200 one....

ESC - these seem inexpensive. I am guessing I will need something to handle the current draw of the motor and battery used.

Servos - Torque recommendations, I have no idea what is adequate. I just remember that a buddy many years ago upgraded to a .60 from his .30 and used the same servos -crash!

Radios - Since I am no where near flying 3D I am going to use the 5 channel Spectrum that came with the Phoenix Flight Sim....

P.S. - Please don't hammer me to bad for the kit choice.

[RC Dbutz1]

OK man, I'll try not to hammer you too bad.

That's a pretty old model of the 450 though. Since then people went to the SE V2, then the pro version. For you I would have recommended the 450 pro belt version:

http://www.xheli.com/18h18-exi450pro-belt.html

I prefer the torque tube version, but a belt drive is better for beginners.

Anyways, it sounds like you've already made you purchase, so moving on to the electronics.

Motor: You'll want something close to 3500kV. I would recommend buying a Scorpion 2221-8 because it is capable of being dialed down (lower pinion teeth) or boosted up (higher teeth) as you progress. For a 450 you'll want at least 3200 headspeed, but I prefer more around 3500. The headspeed you get can also depend on the number of cells you're using, the motor kV rating, the motor efficiency, and your gear ratio. If you ever need to figure out what you need for a desired headspeed, the Darkhorse calculator is a great resource (http://dhrc.rchomepage.com/calc.htm)

Gyro: The best cheap gyro I've heard of lately is the xheli GY48V (http://www.xheli.com/60p-dy-1017.html) It's a G401B clone and I've flown it for a short period myself and was very impressed. The gyro will not be the most dependable in reverse flight and tail slides, but that's much further down the road for you anyways. If you have the money and want the best tail you can get, go for a Spartan Quark (http://www.helidirect.com/spartan-qu...se-p-16586.hdx)

ESC: These are expensive actually, and you want to make sure an ESC can handle the current you're pulling. Of all of the things I've had bad experience going cheap on, ESCs are the worst. Don't even bother with the cheap ones. For capabilities, some people will fly a 450 with just a 35 amp ESC, but I prefer at least a 45 amp on a 3S (3-cell) setup. On my 450s I have them on a 4S setup with a 60A ESC because I like to be safe. There are quite a few good brands of ESC. I personally prefer Scorpion and Castle Creations, and even have some Align ESCs on some of my birds. There are also Kontronik ESCs, which are fantastic, but way overpriced IMO.

Servo: Generally, you will want more torque for your cyclic servos and more speed for your tail servo. Price will completely determine what you get and you'll find that there is a torque/speed trade-off. Any servo with great torque AND speed will likely cost a pretty penny. You can go for cheap servos, but at your own risk. I found that some good middle of the road servos are the Align, but JR is a great brand. Here is the servo I'd recommend to the cyclic (http://www.readyheli.com/K10460A-Ali...r_p_34662.html or if you can afford it http://www.readyheli.com/JRPS285MG-J...o_p_34598.html) and here is what I'd recommend on the tail (http://www.readyheli.com/JRPS290G-JR...o_p_34601.html). Those are micro sized, and it never hurts to go for a mini size on the tail. Either way, there are specs on those links that will give you an idea of what to look for with regards to speed and torque. Also, metal gear servos are great, unless you want to get into replacing servo gears more often.

Radios: You're going to want a 6-channel system for what you have. I'd recommend a DX6i or DX7, or DX8 if you want even more channels. Three channels will be for your cyclic servos (which also control pitch), one will be for the rudder, one to control the rudder gain from your radio, and one for the throttle channel from the ESC.

Good luck, let us know if you have more questions.

[eDeK]

For the ESC - I've been using for long time the RCE 35A with scorpion -8 and 13t doing middle/hard 3D with luck. Some people use it even with -6. IMO it's a good and cheap controller.

[dze]

i like the align35 esc to .. for a decent budget build i would get most of the stuff at xheli or hobbypartz, heres what i would do myself:

http://www.hobbypartz.com/e450brmow27f.html

http://www.hobbypartz.com/9gexidimeges.html (X4)

http://www.hobbypartz.com/60p-dy-1017.html

.. theyre out of lipos as usual but 2200 30C is about right .. i would probably get one of the 2650 or whatever they had to tide me over until they restocked then buy 3-4 of the 2200's ...

[thercman]

RC Dbutz,

I actually had the 450 you are suggesting in my shopping cart and found that one on the site and it said "New" so I figured it was a newer model. With that said I did not buy it yet. I was waiting for peoples responses before I did anything. That way if you recommend something that Xheli carries then I can is it to the order and save on shipping.

"I prefer the torque tube version, but a belt drive is better for beginners."
Is that because of crashes? Less parts to replace?

Gyro - "The best cheap gyro I've heard of lately is the xheli GY48V"
I was reading that on different places on the net but questioned it because it is so inexpensive. So I'll get that to start!

ESC - Xheli has the Volcano Series 60A Brushless ESC (w/o BEC) for $54.95. They also have one with a BEC. Which would you recommend? I use BEC for my cars but they won't fall out of the sky.

Motor - I'll probably get the one you are recommending.

Servos - still looking

Radio - The the 5 channel Spectrum won't work even just starting out? If not I would have Bought the DX6i and then bought the sim without the controller.


eDek + dze,

Thanks I am checking out that stuff as well!

[SYMAWD]

Here's what I just recently got:
http://www.xheli.com/18h20-exi450pro-shaft.html -kit
http://www.hobbypartz.com/topromisesg9.html - cyclics
http://www.valuehobby.com/product_de...20&item_id=347 - tail servo
http://www.hobbypartz.com/60p-dy-1017.html - gyro
http://www.hobbypartz.com/07e-c-platinum-40a-v1.html - ESC
http://www.cnchelicopter.com/servlet...tor-for/Detail - motor
http://www.hobbypartz.com/77p-2200mah-3s1p-111-30c.html -lipo
http://www.hobbypartz.com/60p-dyc-1003.html - charger

[GunnyGlow]

Originally Posted by thercman

Radio - The the 5 channel Spectrum won't work even just starting out? If not I would have Bought the DX6i and then bought the sim without the controller.

It will NOT fly a CP heli. You need a minimum of 6 channels. I'd recommend a 7 channel radio. The 6 is...mmm...limiting, to a certain extent. But the DX6i would work fine, just fine.


It's good to see someone getting into the hobby and buying a sim sooner rather than later. It WILL pay for itself.

Good luck.

[trexasaurus]

Maybe spend some time watching the Finless Build Videos for the Trex 450 https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=11373 --- all of them (several times) before pressing the "Order Confirmation" button.

You might waste some cash and from one pilot on a budget to another, buy quality gear that will last. Buying the wrong gear and cheap parts can be really discouraging, especially on your first build.

Here is a budget build of a 450 you might want to take a look at and follow https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=114833.

[nuttcase21]

not to thread jack, but are there more videos as well, say for a furion 450?

[dk31]

Hi there,
First of all you have to begin by getting a transmitter(+receiver) . 6 channels is minimum for helis - 7ch is advisable if you don't want to upgrade any soon. If you are generally going cheap this is the only item you gotta buy quality (JR, Spektrum, Futaba are the most common)
Then get a sim. There are free sims and also it's easy to find knock-offs on the net. That will keep you busy for a while
I ve spent months looking at various posts here on Helifreak to find what electronics to put in my 450. These two lists (one cheap/one quality), are what most people use and report back as good choices.The cheap list is sorted by what you would want to upgrade first in the future
Here you go:
Cheap List (all from HobbyKing)
Gyro -->HK401B or GY48V(not HobbyKing)
Tail Servo-->D922MG
Servos for cyclic (3) -->HXT 900 9gr
ESC-->Turnigy plush 40A
Motor-->Turnigy Typhoon 2215H
Battery-->Turnigy or Flightmax 2200mAh 20C-25C

Quality List
Gyro -->Spartan Quark or Futaba 401
Tail Servo-->Futaba S9257 or Futaba S9650 or JR DS3400G
Servos for cyclic (3) -->Hitec HS-65MG
ESC-->Castle Creations Ice 50A
Motor-->Scorpion HK2221-8

Good luck