Getting close to having enough of Align

[RaceAce]

Spot the difference Guys. It took me a while

This is a brand new DFC shaft next to the original Pro shaft.

Is it any wonder i could not get my main gear back on and the
securing bolt through

At first i thought it may have been the KDE bearing blocks for some reason
So i swapped them out for the original blocks which are only two flights old and have more play in them than a xmas panto

I am so close to selling all my Align stuff and starting out again

This is the last in a long list of problems i have had with my Align helis over the years,
I guess you get what you pay for

[DesJardins]

Both blocks facing inward?
Guess I see you have an ESP so not sure if the first question Is relevant...

Anyways it looks like the shafts "self collar" is a bit lower correct?

[Kiwi-heli-nut]

Originally Posted by RaceAce

Spot the difference Guys. It took me a while

This is a brand new DFC shaft next to the original Pro shaft.

Is it any wonder i could not get my main gear back on and the
securing bolt through

At first i thought it may have been the KDE bearing blocks for some reason
So i swapped them out for the original blocks which are only two flights old and have more play in them than a xmas panto

I am so close to selling all my Align stuff and starting out again

This is the last in a long list of problems i have had with my Align helis over the years,
I guess you get what you pay for

My 600 shaft was longer at the bottom ..... could not believe it.
Had to lap the shaft to the main gear once way clutch to get it to work.... All the other dimensions and centres were the same..... just a bit more shaft protruding through at the bottom...... Not sure what went wrong at the machine shop, but something has not gone quite right.

[RaceAce]

Yes i need to update my sig, the esp is in a fuselage and i have a Pro also

You spotted correct, it would appear that the machined collar is set too low

Its only about 1.5mm but too much to get it to fit, must have been a friday afternooner !

[Deet]

thats why they have a shim kit

BTW All brands have the same sort of issues

[DesJardins]

Yes other kits have some tolerance issues but shims don't help when the shaft is "too short" from hole to hole

[ddj74]

Looks close to the same to me. DFC shaft has a lower CG up top. It's designed that way. If there's play you need to get the Pro shim kit. Might be something you are doing wrong.

[DesJardins]

You guys aren't looking at the bottom... The machines collar is too low from what I see and even without shims he can get the bolt through.

Am I on par here?

[RaceAce]

Yep a couple of you are on the the money
The shaft has the collar machined too low so no matter what i do i cant get the bolt through the main gear

I have given it to my LHS to deal with but it leaves me with a bird on the bench with no head.

I appreciate the remarks that other makes has their problems but Align seem to have had more than their share of late

I love Align machines and own nothing but, its just frustrating that when you lay a certain amount of money out and you still have to correct problems that designer/engineers/manufacturers seem to overlook

I am not bashing Align, just wondering if its time to try a new flavour

[Bob O]

Every brand I've tried has had its issues, some bigger than others. Check my Sig line, all of them have had build or out of the box issues, and some had ongoing issues. Even my new 6HV is not perfect. I have developed a tolerance for this and have come to expect that there is no "perfect" kit or brand. But I also know that a person can only take so much before they move on.

Good luck.

Sent from my phone

[DesJardins]

Could always give the X5 FES kit a try, seems to be well liked in that size range.

Mikado is going to be pushing some nice combo packages soon as well as the new smaller Goblin...etc
How deep are the pockets is the question.

I'm sticking with my beloved 500EFL & will just be tossing on the DFC head/swash.
More than enough for me

[jazzboy]

I went with Mikado. Very nice but not perfect. Lighter machines that fly well but quite fragile in the frame department. The 400 would be a good choice to replace a Trex 500.

[Raydee]

I love my Logo but find that I dont fly it close to as much as the Align heli's, not because they fly better but because I dont want to crash my Mikado heli. We have had our share of problems with the Mikado heli's too, I dont think any company is immune to problems.

[Joe Bailey]

Come to the dark side, you don't know what your missing.

There's loads of great helis out there besides align and some truly awesome flying machines.

Joe

[Souskei]

Originally Posted by DesJardins

Could always give the X5 FES kit a try, seems to be well liked in that size range.

Mikado is going to be pushing some nice combo packages soon as well as the new smaller Goblin...etc
How deep are the pockets is the question.

I'm sticking with my beloved 500EFL & will just be tossing on the DFC head/swash.
More than enough for me

I sold my 500 efl pro to fund a x5.. I couldn't be happier.
By far one of the best flying helis I've flown.
I can't really explain it, you just have to fly one haha.

[Raydee]

Originally Posted by Souskei

I sold my 500 efl pro to fund a x5.. I couldn't be happier.
By far one of the best flying helis I've flown.
I can't really explain it, you just have to fly one haha.

Yes but isn't that comparing apple to oranges? Isn't the X5 a larger heli swinging 500mm blades?

[DesJardins]

Yup

[davehour]

Align has been the one brand that has changed the way helis were designed and made several years ago. Before Align, there were a lot of plastic composed helis out there, remember?. Then Align introduced carbon chasis/metal parts made helis.

Align changed the way helis were designed at one time and the others had follow in order to keep in competition, and of course, the competitors have come with machines that can be considered better than the Align helis themselves. But I haven't seen other company with so much "energy" to introduced changes and bring new things to the R/C helis as Align has done.

And to make things clear, I used to refrain to fly Align helis.

David