Beginners 450 Part 1 Cheap Cheap Cheap

[Racer38]

Originally Posted by bimmerbill

What do you think of the suggested "bundles" (servos, etc) that xheli suggests? there is so much info out here on 450 clones that my head is spinning...

Like the EXI Aluminum 450 barebones kit, version 2. They recommend a bunch of stuff (roto head, upgrade kit, etc). Is that all good stuff?

I really cant comment on any of the xHeli stuff as I have never used any of it. When I decided to do my articles I stayed with one supplier which was Hobby King also known as hobbycity.com .

The suggested parts I used all worked for me, the new HK401G Gyro is new and is superior to any of the other Gyro's I tried.

There are alot of other folks who have been contributing to this thread with their findings on parts from other sources, some good and some not so good.

All I can say is my HK450 has about 200 flights on it and a couple of pretty good crashes and its still flying. They also have the 450GT kit now with the metal parts which is probably a bit sturdier. I will do another 450 when they release the 450 pro clone.

Craig

[Bullitt5094]

Originally Posted by bimmerbill

Like the EXI Aluminum 450 barebones kit, version 2. They recommend a bunch of stuff (roto head, upgrade kit, etc). Is that all good stuff?

The $50 barebones kit is very good. I have one and it's a higher quality kit than the plastic HK kit but if you intend to buy the upgrades with it just buy the HK GT kit or even better, the EXI carbon fiber kit. For $77 for the EXI CF there is no need to upgrade anything on that kit. It has a CF frame, all CNC head and tail. I also have one of those and the only thing I've upgraded on it is the tail boom to CF and the blades to CF. You can get CF blades from Xheli for $9 and they work great. The CF tail boom is on sale for $3.50.

So far I've built and flown...
HK 450 still flying with about 150 flights
HK 450gt, Built for a friend and flew quite a bit. Loved it.
EXI bare bones 450 V2 Great kit for $50 and includes a lot of metal.
EXI CF Frame with Copter X head and tail. The CX stuff is very good and equal to the EXI
EXI CF Kit The best kit out there for the money IMHO
Flasher PE kit. That is absolutely the biggest POS kit there. Same opinion on SN Hobbies that sold it to me.

With the exception of the Flasher kit, these all are great kits/products. Would recommend any of them and I still really enjoy flying the HK 450 kit.

[dmackerson]

i want to do this hk450 project. what would be the best setup. i want power and unlimited 3d ability. i would like to use the copterx kit with hk parts everyone has been talking about.i have access to a 40amp esc. what would be the best parts to fill in the rest. battery ,gyro,servos ect. i would like the best of the cheap hk parts. what would everyone here use to fill this setup in. and also is the copterx kit as compatible as the hk450 kit with trex parts.thanks

[imq707s]

Originally Posted by dmackerson

i want to do this hk450 project. what would be the best setup. i want power and unlimited 3d ability. i would like to use the copterx kit with hk parts everyone has been talking about.i have access to a 40amp esc. what would be the best parts to fill in the rest. battery ,gyro,servos ect. i would like the best of the cheap hk parts. what would everyone here use to fill this setup in. and also is the copterx kit as compatible as the hk450 kit with trex parts.thanks

The CopterX, EXI, and HK clone kits are "clones" of the Align Trex 450.......so they ALL are 100% compatible with Align Trex 450 parts.

[dmackerson]

thanks.what parts would you go with from hk to make this heli full 3d.i'll be getting the dx7 soon for my airplane so ill be using that for my heli. i want to start out with this setup to keep it cheap. my question would be what parts from hk would give me a great unlimited 3d setup.thanks for the help. i am new to this. i have the sim to practice and i have flown others helis but never had my own. so any help would be great. thanks.

[Racer38]

Originally Posted by dmackerson

thanks.what parts would you go with from hk to make this heli full 3d.i'll be getting the dx7 soon for my airplane so ill be using that for my heli. i want to start out with this setup to keep it cheap. my question would be what parts from hk would give me a great unlimited 3d setup.thanks for the help. i am new to this. i have the sim to practice and i have flown others helis but never had my own. so any help would be great. thanks.

Well I really didnt start my article for a 3D set up, but I am sure the updated kit is more than capable of 3D. Servo's and Gyro will be the big questions for flying 3D. I'm not a 3D flyer, but I am sure there are others that have been following this thread that can recommend the best stuff for 3D.

[T-Bird]

Hobby King just got a new 450 clone, the hk450 ver 2. " V2 heli includes 4mm feathering shaft, updated components AND more alloy! " Check it out. For $27.99 still. Great deal.

[Bullitt5094]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Hobby King just got a new 450 clone, the hk450 ver 2. " V2 heli includes 4mm feathering shaft, updated components AND more alloy! " Check it out. For $27.99 still. Great deal.

Just keeps getting better, doesn't it. Maybe now they'll add some V2 feathering shafts and metal blade holders to the parts list?
Pro Version soon?

[sik304s]

I just finished ordering my heli with all the parts recomended here cant wait to get it here and start working on it. I went with the V2

[Bullitt5094]

Originally Posted by sik304s

I just finished ordering my heli with all the parts recomended here cant wait to get it here and start working on it. I went with the V2

I think you'll get a very good fun to money ratio there. Let us know what you think when you get it. I would specifically like to know how much of the head is now metal compared to the all plastic V1.

[sik304s]

I paid for fast shipping so as soon as I get it I will try and post some pics of the important parts.

[heliguitarist]

I'm thinking of building a CopterX 450. Time for me to move to a 450 class and I'm debating building my own or just buying the Blade 400.

Any opinions on the CopterX 450 electronics package? Here: http://www.hobby-usa.com/shop/produc...oducts_id=9728

Is it good enough for basic 3D? I have an Eflite g90 heading lock gyro I can add if that stock gyro sucks (I hear the g90 is on par with the Blade 400 stock gyro). Thanks!

[Bullitt5094]

My opinion is... build the copter yourself and learn. You're going to have to learn to rebuild it and set it up at some point anyway unless you never crash or upgrade it. Not likely that will happen!
Don't know about those electronics you linked to. I would recommend going with some of the tested electronics from HK even if you buy a Copter X, Xheli EXI or some other kit other than the HK. Things like the HTX900 servos for the cyclic, Tower Pro 40a ESC and other HK supplied electronics, that are well documented in this thread, are really hard to beat on a price and performance comparison vs anything else I've seen.

[imq707s]

I started off with a Honey Bee FP heli. I learned my basics on that and the sim. After about 8 months I bought my first 6ch CP which was a Blade 400. I flew it for a few months getting used to it, and learning all I could about setting up CP helis and the Dx6i radio that came with it. It was a HUGE step up from my HBFP, even with the stock electronics that it came with. It was much more stable in the air, and much easier to do forward flight maneuvers. I learned a lot about gyros, motors, ESC’s, and servos from the guys here on helifreak. After I learned enough and felt comfortable enough about all of the components that I needed, I decided to buy a CopterX 450AE V2 kit from ehirobo.com just because the kits were so cheap and I heard so many great things about them.

For the CopterX kit that I built, I went with a Radix 3550kv motor ($20), GY401b Gyro($20), Turnigy Plush 30a ESC ($20), and some pretty good digital servos (see my sig). The kit was really easy (and fun) to build, and I was able to use all of my knowledge from setting up the Blade 400 and Tx on the CopterX. I’m really happy with the electronics I went with….they may not be the most expensive parts, but for what I’m doing with the heli….they all work great!!

As far as flying the CX vs the B400 goes….going from the B400 to the CX was almost as big as an improvement as when I went from the HBFP to the Blade 400. I’m not really sure why because they are similar in size, but the CX feels so much more stable in the air compared to the Blade 400. Maybe it’s the metal head and tail on the CX, but it’s VERY responsive and quick, but has a much “lighter” feeling compared to the blade. I think the GY401b gyro also made a HUGE improvement ….it holds the tail so much better than the stock B400 gyro did.

Overall I’m very impressed with the CX 450AE V2. I do mostly sport flying with some simple 3D stuff like loops, rolls, and some inverted stuff…..and it has no problem doing any of that. It’s quick, fast, has plenty of power, and gives me 5min flight times with a 13t pinion (2800rpm head speed). Also, the parts are much cheaper for the CX450 if you get them off of ebay and some of the other online places. Even the real Align stuff isn’t too bad in price.

There is no comparison between how the Blade400 flew and the CopterX. I really can’t think of any reason why not to get the kit. Actually if I had to do it again, I might look at one of the EXI kits from HeliX just because you can get them faster, and the quality is the same as the CopterX. Also check out the HK450’s at Hobbyking.com. They also have great deals on servos, ESC’s, and motors…that’s were I got all of my stuff from. As long as you don’t mind waiting a little longer to get your stuff, or paying a little extra to get it fast…it’s a great place to get stuff from. Get the kit, and if you run into any issues you know where to go for help.

[bimmerbill]

How does this look for a noob HK450? Want to keep it cheap in case I lose interest. If I don't, I'll upgrade to a Dx6i in time:

HK450 CCPM 3D Helicopter Kit (Align T-rex Compat.) Ver. 2

Turnigy Typhoon 450H 2218H Heli Motor 3450kv (450 class)
TowerPro H40A Brushless Speed Controller
ZIPPY Flightmax 2200mAh 3S1P 20C
Part # F050 (motor pinions)


Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 5A Balancer/Charger
IMAX Power Supply 100~240v 5A


MKS DS480 Digital Servo 1.85kg / .068sec / 10.9g
Hobby King 401B AVCS Digital Head Lock Gyro
HXT900 9g / 1.6kg / .12sec Micro Serv
HXT900 Replacement Gear Set


Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx & Rx (Mode 2)
Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx USB Cable for Win2000/XP


R/C Helicopter Pitch Gauge
Curved ball link pliers 5mm

****************
Not sure if I need a BEC or not. Or a programmer card

[sik304s]

Sounds like the same setup that I ordered. I should be getting mine either monday or tuesday. From all I read here and on other sites it sounds like good setup and it should work.

[helifuel]

Buy a used dx6 or 7. you won't be sorry. Enjoy your HK. I do everyday.

[sik304s]

I am sure I might have missed it but I have read that the est place for the gyro is on the underside of the boom block but I see it pictured on top of the block alot. Whats the deal should I place it over or under?

[MHInvest]

Originally Posted by sik304s

I am sure I might have missed it but I have read that the est place for the gyro is on the underside of the boom block but I see it pictured on top of the block alot. Whats the deal should I place it over or under?

Place it under for protection. I am guilty of being lazy and placing it on top. Sometimes for initial setup on a new Heli I will place it on top for easier adjustments. After the Heli is flying like I want it is moved to the underside.

[sik304s]

Originally Posted by bimmerbill

How does this look for a noob HK450? Want to keep it cheap in case I lose interest. If I don't, I'll upgrade to a Dx6i in time:

HK450 CCPM 3D Helicopter Kit (Align T-rex Compat.) Ver. 2

Turnigy Typhoon 450H 2218H Heli Motor 3450kv (450 class)
TowerPro H40A Brushless Speed Controller
ZIPPY Flightmax 2200mAh 3S1P 20C
Part # F050 (motor pinions)


Turnigy Accucel-6 50W 5A Balancer/Charger
IMAX Power Supply 100~240v 5A


MKS DS480 Digital Servo 1.85kg / .068sec / 10.9g
Hobby King 401B AVCS Digital Head Lock Gyro
HXT900 9g / 1.6kg / .12sec Micro Serv
HXT900 Replacement Gear Set


Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx & Rx (Mode 2)
Hobby King 2.4Ghz 6Ch Tx USB Cable for Win2000/XP


R/C Helicopter Pitch Gauge
Curved ball link pliers 5mm

****************
Not sure if I need a BEC or not. Or a programmer card

I got this setup and so far I am doing ok with my build. Iam following the build vids at mikeysrc and they are helping a lot along with the finless vids its almost impossible to go wrong. Just my opinion