Out of the closet with a few ?s

[Hawk404]

Well, the X5 that showed up back in May has finally been liberated from the closet. I was in the mood for some experimentation so it's nearing completion as a sort of test bed mule for stuff that was also in the closet or too long unused.

So a couple of the "is it only me" sort of questions:

Anybody else notice it's got a mild "nose high" stance on the landing gear? Nothing wrong with this - just seems unusual.

Did a fresh build show up mildly tail heavy? The only thing that I can think of offhand is the SK720 I put toward the rear of the frame which mounts on some heavy metal gizmo - but it's not that heavy. My stock of 6S is mostly TP 3300s which I didn't think were particularly light.

Anyhow I balanced the thing by strange means - specifically I removed the Hobbywing ESC from the front of the electronics tray and substituted a big old honking Mezon 120 which didn't fit so it's "underslung". Looks goofy as all get out but that seems to be its only disadvantage.

Anybody else get the weird tail blades with the 2.3mm mounting holes? I replaced them with some Rail 85s that actually worked with the 3mm bolts and learned something new - apparently Rail balances the things in pairs or so it would seem based on the presence of balancing tape. Pretty slick if they do.

Poor thing won't ever make it into the any "show off your X5" threads with the "pregnant guppy" ESC but I have a soft spot for kludges.

[OnceYouGoJack]

I think most people on here use bigger batteries than that, which could account for the nose high stance/tail heaviness. I use 4000s and have heard of people using 4400s or more.

I'm not familiar with that ESC, but I have the new hobbywing platinum V3 with the fan on it which wouldn't fit in the front. I ended up taking the battery plate off, jamming the ESC in on its side, then putting the fan on from the outside. It's an extremely tight fit but it works. If you're set on getting the ESC in there, maybe the battery plate--> mount on its side trick will work for you too.

Tail blades: nope, mine fit

[jorge141020]

I agree on the batteries. I use 4000's on my X5 as well.

[Hawk404]

Compared to the X4II the X5 manual does appear to be a bit long in the tooth. Since it was calling for 3000mah I thought the 3300s would, if anything, be a bit heavy.

There goes my excuse for "under-slinging" the Mezon as the HW100 fits with a little encouragement.

I may still "test bed" the thing with the Mezon. This was also to be my first heli with the Jeti and I was curious to see all the telemetry.

[Hawk404]

Originally Posted by OnceYouGoJack

I think most people on here use bigger batteries than that, which could account for the nose high stance/tail heaviness. I use 4000s and have heard of people using 4400s or more.

I'm not familiar with that ESC, but I have the new hobbywing platinum V3 with the fan on it which wouldn't fit in the front. I ended up taking the battery plate off, jamming the ESC in on its side, then putting the fan on from the outside. It's an extremely tight fit but it works. If you're set on getting the ESC in there, maybe the battery plate--> mount on its side trick will work for you too.

Tail blades: nope, mine fit

Tip 'o the month - thanks. It wedged into the frame sideways. Cramped and some of the cables will bear watching for abrasion.

As far as the tail blades go, tis a mystery.