Friday_2006

So... here we are.

After spending many days reading forums, reviews and watching videos. I am about to make my final decision.

I want to admit here, that T-Rex 450SE V2 was my first choice, but as i went through comparing those T-Rex 450 & Mini Titan the balancer leaned towards MT.

At first i was discouraged by the fact that Hitec 65MG servos wouldn't be a str8 fit.

I have to say here, that i am a completely noob at helicopters. I have no previous experience other than flying a Picooz.

What i like about this heli is that from the videos i ve seen, it seems more stable and smoother than the T-Rex and since i plan on flying scale this is a huge + for me.

The setup i am thinking to start with is the following.

1. Mini Titan E325 + Motor + Esc : 199,00
2. Spektrum AR6200 receiver : 79,00
3. 3X HS-65MG : 3X32,00 OR 3X S3153 : 3X33,00 (S3153 is a str8 fit i think)
4. Futaba GY401 Gyro : 119,00
5. Futaba S9650 tail servo : 62,00
6. JR X9303 with 2,4Ghz Module : 420,00 ( i have this already)
7. FP 2500mAh 25C 11,1V 3S : 89,00

TOTAL COST w/o shipping : 1067,00 OR 1064,00 depending on the servos.

Do you see any incompatibilities in the above setup ??????

Which of the two servos should i get ?

Is there anything else i should include ?

Take into consideration that i am a complete noob building or flying (car experience only), and fly style would be scale.

Do you think i might find difficulty finding scale fuselages or parts ?

Thanks for reading and please reply fast ! I can't wait order it !!!

PS : I can afford to buy something more expensive for the model, lets say PRO or SE edition, do you think i should ? or save the money for the plenty of broken parts i would need to replace...?

osterizer

Sounds like a good starting setup. Where the servos are concerned, yes, the 3153s are a bolt-in job with no mods, but they're a fair bit more expensive than the Hitecs- you ought to think the 3153MGs, and they're something like $40 apiece compared to the $32 you listed for the 65MG. As I understand it, the fiddling required to use the 65s isn't all that much and shouldn't put you off.

You would be wise to factor in a couple extra sets of main blades, and yes, I'd forego the higher-spec version in favor of a nicely stocked parts bin for crash repair. We've been over the question of what spares to get a couple of times. Where the mains are concerned, I would get some Align Pro 325 woodies for training, not more of the TT ones, but your choice.

You might also think of a different motor. If the kit you're talking about is the Ace one with the Ripper OBL motor, then the ESC is a good starter unit, but the motor seems overtaxed in the MT. If it were just me, I'd get the no-electronics version of the kit, then add in a 35-40A ESC and a Scorpion HK 2221-08 with a 10T pinion for a starter setup. It'll come out a bit more cash, but a lot better gear.

Friday_2006

if i understand what you said 3153s are more expensive than the 65mg. Actually they are 1,00/unit more than the 65's.

Would the stock setup (motor & esc) be insufficient for my scale needs ? I would not perform any 3D at least for the time i still don't have the slightest idea of how to fly it at all.

As for the parts that i ll brake i should stock we have

1. Main blades 325 Align Pro and...????? there should be more things to brake when crash. I am waiting to read them here.

For the motor, i ll stay with the stock for the time being.

osterizer

Ha, well you're getting better prices on the Fubs than I did then. The stock motor works ok, it just gets awfully hot if you venture beyond slow, smooth FF.

There are a lot of parts you can break- the usual suspects like shafts, flybar, gears, grips, skids and canopy. Then the secondary stuff- washout arms, flybar control frame, link ends, tail boom, frames, pushrods, ...you can go overboard here.

Friday_2006

Hmmm i see your point with this motor thing.

Let me tell you what is the case for me.

First of all I buy from here www.flying-hobby.com

It has really good prices but most of all it declares less value at the package and changes the description of the package as well. Something that really matters to me as it will clear customs without paying +25% of the total i gave you.

If you visit the site, you ll see that its out of stock of the KIT no electronics and doesn't have the motor you mention.

AND I CAN'T WAIT TO ORDER THIS THING !!!!!

Friday_2006

Ohhh and something else. Is there any simulator that is better for heli training ?

thanks guys,all the input is really helpfull

patatchim

@Friday_2006

the stock motor for the mini titan gets very hot, even with no pitch.

As for simulators i´m using the realflight 3.5 . It´s not the latest one but it gets the job done.

Friday_2006

It seems that i may have to look into that issue.

Any other motors in mind ?

osterizer

The best general purpose motor for 450 helis is the JGF 500TH- you can run it all day at 200W, and if you want to get silly you can put 600W through it. If you're not an electrical engineer , 200W is a good nominal power for every day flying with the Titan, and 600W is more than most batteries you'll use will ever put out- i.e., it'll fly forever with anything you're likely to do.

If you get the bare kit and put a 500TH in it you'll need an ESC- you can use the run of the mill Align or Scorpion ESCs and be very happy with them. The Phoenix 35 from Castle is more expensive, but it's more friendly to use and is as bullet-proof in the Titan as the JGF motor. It also has an excellent governor program that makes flying easier.

Friday_2006

Thanks, but as a newbie i have some difficulty again, mainly understanding terms.

What is the governor program ?

Sorry for asking so many things

osterizer

Ha, no biggie. The governor is a mode you can set the ESC to, in which the ESC will try to maintain a constant RPM automatically. The alternative is to tune your throttle curves to achieve that result. Both approaches have strong and weak pionts of their own, and some ESCs have governor software that doesn't work very well. The Phoenix code seems well done, as does that in the Jeti Spin controller. The Ace ESC that comes with the motor-and-ESC-combo Mini Titan works a lot better with throttle curves, on the other hand.

redvtr1000

the jgf 500 is a pretty good motor as osterizer has suggested. I use one in my MT with the stock esc and it rocks. I'm using a 14t pinion now but had a 13t on it before. More flight time and easier on the packs, wouldn't even warm up with a 13t in it. Put a 14t on it and it has some pop now! 13t would work great for a scale type flyer and you wouldn't even need all the power available.

For a sim, hands down phoenix is the only way to fly if you ask me.

For crash parts -

Main shaft
Feathering shaft
Main gear
Battery tray
Flybar
blades
extra package or two of linkage
blade grips
landing gear
Tail fin (buy the carbon one instead of plastic, the plastic breaks too easy and you will easily spend more than the cost of the carbon fin in a few crashes)


Probably more stuff but those are the most common parts to break in a crash I think.

RC David

Hey guys,

Just want to run this by you...

After my last MT crash, I replaced the main shaft, feathering shaft and flybar. The vibration that I had was gone, however, I noticed a few days ago that the new set of Align Pro woodies were not swinging in track. The old ones were PERFECLTY in track.

I decided to change out the TT plastic spacers for a new set. Tracking still off with new set. Tried loosening the blades more, still off.

Then I put my last set of TT woodies on and the tracking is ALMOST perfect (but not 100%).

That tells the problem is either the Align blades and/or the plastic grips w/spacers. I've examined the grips very closely and don't see any cracks so I wonder if it's most likely the Align blades that are a little "off"?

When I weighed them they were each 17.8g so I don't know what else to check? Other than the tracking, the MT is flying pretty well.

Dave D.

Vigo

Please where to buy 325mm non symetrical (profile) blades for MiniTitan? I need it for scale model.

Thank you

H3li

Hi,

The Mini Titan ARTF package comes with the TG-6100M head lock mixing Gyro.
This package also comes with a rather basic 4/5 channel Transmitter.

Has anyone configured or changed the Pot settings on the top of this Gyro unit?
Alternatively, is there an Instruction/User Guide for this item floating about on the internet anywhere.

I'm interested in making some minor adjustments to the Pot, for Pitch/Expo.
Out of the box, I'm finding this Heli VERY sensitive to stick input, and I'd like to tone it down a bit (at least for the next few flights until I get more confidence at least).

Thankyou in advance.

redvtr1000

David,

ever since the first post about tracking and align blades, that whole mess seems to have spread like wildfire. I'm not disputing the fact that some models may have issues but I do think that more than a handful of tracking problems have been blamed on the align woodies when the real problem is something to do with your setup as opposed to the blades.

What seems to happen here is that the stock woodies look to hide some of the tracking problems that are more visible with aligns. I would think this is part of what is going on in your situation. Tracking is one of those heli setup tasks that is pretty common and you should get comfortable working with it. When it gets to the point where you cannot track the blades by adjusting the linkage as you should, then you have a problem which requires replacement or upgrade of some part.

If it is just slightly out of track, you will need to adjust one of the links going to the blade grips. Small changes can make a difference here. Read up on tracking to understand the process but the basic steps you want to take are:

1. Designate a master blade by marking one side of the head/blade with a dot from a sharpie. You can make all adjustments to this side and always adjust the master or make all adjustments to the slave (the other blade) and never touch the master. Do it either way but only adjust one side that way you don't end up changing the overall pitch range.

2. Pop the link off that goes to the grip and try making a 1/4 turn adjustment in either direction and reinstall the link. Just remember here that the links are unidirectional and should only be installed in the proper orientation. Test fly, if the tracking is now worse, land and pop the link off. Go back to the starting point and now try 1/4 in the other direction. Test fly again and if it got better then you went the right direction. If it was really bad, you can make adjustments to the longer linkage but you shouldn't really need to if it is close.

If you can't get it in track by doing that, look at your entire head assembly and check each and every ball/link to make sure there is no slop or loose balls/backed out screws.

If none of that works, then you could look at upgrading to some metal items.

RC David

Thanks Red.

I'd say the tracking is "approximately" 1/2 inch off at the tips of the TT woodies. I hope it's ok to fly it that way because I'm off work today and was going to fly at the heli field. Tomorrow I will try adjusting the linkage of the master blade to see if I can cure it. I will also get a 2nd set of Aligns anyway as I like them so much I'd like to have a backup set.

After I fly today I'm going to the LHS to browse and look at the TT E550 again. I'm starting to lean towards that instead of the GAUI H550 mainly because of the simpler design, proven performance, local parts support, and the fact that I LOVE my mini-Titan! I also found out that I can use (2) 3s packs in it so at least I don't have to buy a new Li-Po charger.


Dave D.

redvtr1000

Tracking is pretty simple man so I would look at it before flying if it is that much out. They will fly that way but it translates alot of vibes to the heli and it won't feel right either.

Just mark a blade and pop that link off, try it one full turn either direction and test fly. IF it got worse you will be able to tell because it will sound funny and be even farther out of track. Go two turns the other way (one to get back to where you started) and I bet you will have it near perfect.

If it is about a 1/2 inch out, one full turn up by the ball link should put it back where it was. I'd attribute this to a link getting turned during a rebuild or look for something loose but I would try and take care of it during your flying as opposed to going to the field to fly for flying. Helis love maintenance so spending a pack spooling up and down and adjusting in between is something you get used to.

GL!

RC David

Red,

THANK YOU!

My local heli mentor was at the field today and he told me the exact same thing. I popped the link off the long control rod (what he called "fine" adjustment) and turned 1 turn right (in). Flew it and the tracking was worse. Landed, turned 2 turns out and tracking was almost perfect (or maybe as perfect as it will get). I think if I turned out 1 more it would be worse again so I left it.

I might try adjusting it 1 more turn out next time I fly just to see if it makes it better or worse.

He said that's a problem with many Align wood blades. They are very often "off" due to the wood being warped so very often when you put a new set on you will have to adjust the tracking if you want it perfect.

I also noticed (as you mentioned) the training gear balls were vibrating much less after I adjusted the tracking.

Now, I think I'm going to order that AXI cooling head for the stock MT motor after all. I'd rather do that now and put the extra $$ towards my E550 Raptor or H550 Hurricane.

Dave D.

redvtr1000

You can get that thing perfect. At least you saw the basics and understand the idea. Now just play with it till you get it exact. You don't have to turn the link a full revolution, try small amounts once you get close. The long link that you turned and the smaller link that goes to the blade grip itself will both accomplish the same task. If you got it pretty close with the linkage coming from the swash, try popping the link off the blade grip up top and twisting it slightly. You shouldn't need a full revolution to get it perfect if it is close now. Just remember to stay on one side of the head with adjusting your linkage or you will have to check to make sure you didnt change the pitch range after you work with the tracking a time or two.

I don't know what it is about the align blades that make them track funny but I don't think it is really related to the quality of the blades because guys with the trex and everyone else with a 450 seems to like these blades and probably don't have as many issues with tracking. I like to attribute it more to the fact that the MT blade grips are designed around blades with fatter roots and some combination of spacers and setup really like to show tracking issues with those blades. I played with mine regularly until going to the kasama head and still have to track once in a while but it seems a bit more consistent with this head.

Your right on with the thought about trying to play with it and see what happens, its a good way to experiment and learn.....

H3li

Following my last message a few Posts up ^ , I've decided to go with the Thunder Tiger E325 Flybar weights - PV0828 - Flybar Weights E325.
Nice clean and simple way of reducing the sensitivity of my Mini Titan without playing around with the electronics (that could easily make things worse!).

Have been trawling the net trying to find flybar weights designed for OTHER Heli's, but now (finally) have come across the real deal !

Cheers.

osterizer

Good for you H3li, and thanks for sharing. I'm sure some other folks will be interested in those too.

H3li

Hi Osterizer, Thankyou for acknowledging my Post.

My Mini Titan is very sensitive to stick input, also I have a rather basic 4 channel Transmitter (came as part of the ARTF package) - therefore I have no facility to configure "Expo". So, I looked to alternative solutions....

I was not previously aware of an "official" set of Thunder Tiger flybar weights for the E325 - however now I have found them (PV0828).
To save someone else time, who has a similar setup, I thought it useful to post my findings.

Again, thankyou for your reply.

osterizer

Ha, I hope I didn't sound like a wiseacre. I am one, but wasn't trying to let it out then . I've had difficulty locating some pieces for the MT that didn't come stock without getting a hint on the forum, so I expect your info will help, too. I bet it would be difficult trying to get used to the MT without being able to toss in a little expo or something else to slow things down a little. I do assume you put the head settings on the sport flying holes vs "3D" ones.

GRR_Mojo

Just replaced the upper and lower arms with sonix and my align woodies track right on