bryant.law

I am trying to decide whether to upgrade to a Futaba GY401 gyro and Futaba S9257 tail servo or to just get the servo and stay with the stock gyro. I have been flying planes for sometime but, I am new to heli's. I understand the 401 would be the best way to go but, I was wondering that at my level it would be just as good with going with just a better tail servo and setting the gyro for a digital servo. Please give me your thoughts.

bad400

it would not hurt to upgrade the gyro and servo.
the ones you have mentioned are a good setup for the 400.

they have a g401b gyro on cnchelicopter.com for 36 bucks. theres alot of good things being said about it.
you could do the logitech 2100t as well and its cheaper the than futaba gy401.
now for a tail servo you might check out the JR. ds290g, alot of good things said on it as well
people like the futaba 9257 too.
honestly you have alot of choice`s, its all on how much money you want to spend.
so the futaba gy401/9257 is about what 150 to 189 bucks
or the g401b/JR.ds290g is under a hundred

bryant.law

Thanks. I think I will just get a better tail servo for now and stay with the stock gyro until I learn to fly better.

rotarydoc

Hey bryant,

I was going to post, but it looks like you already decided...

I have been flying my B400 for nearly a year, coming up in April, and I am still using the stock tail servo (lucky) and the stock gyro as well...

I still haven't felt the need to upgrade yet, but I'm starting to consider it now, as my abilities are finally getting to the point where I might actually appreciate the higher grade electronics...

The stock servos are marginal at best, and an upgrade is definitely a good idea, I have been lucky so far, and have not had a tail servo fail yet, even after a couple of pretty ugly crashes[X(]

Good luck with whatever you decide

Glenn

bad400

i am as well after a year on the stock gyro/servo combo.
but i have went with the hxt900`s on the front and right cyclic. i havent done the left one cause i dont want to cut up the heli to make it fit

rotarydoc

bad,

Good to know you are still using your original gyro and tail servo too...

I upgraded my cyclics very early on, because I had a very bad/scary experience with my B400 on the third battery pack out of the box...the elevator servo lost it's centering, and was tilting the swash back, towards the rear of the heli...I caught it before I lifted off....good thing, or it would have/could have come right back at me...[X(]

Keep in mind, no crashes, just an internal servo electrical issue....

Now my other B400, which has all stock cyclics, has given me no problems yet, but only has about 8 flights on it, if that many...

I know many have not had issues with the stock servos until later on...but mine did, and I don't trust the stock Eflite servos to this day...but they seem to hold up pretty well on the tail for some reason...not as much stress, guess, or not as much damage in crashes, I don't know...

Anyways, since I did the upgrade to the JR DS285MG's, I have never given the cyclic servos a second thought...

Hope you can get around to doing that last servo, always good to have 3 of the same cyclics on the heli...

Take care,

Glenn

bad400

i just dont want to go cutting on the heli. i may try and find another brand that will fit in the rear servo mount.
the hxt900`s are pretty thick compared to the stock servos.

but im with you on the tail servo. im thinking its location and use tends to keep it safe.
i think haveing that long of a push rod takes some of the stress off of it, probaly cause that long of a rod tends to flex, where the short cyclic link`s are short and stout. like the little teapot. lol
which sends the shock of a crash on a shorter distance to the servo`s.

i will if i can ever get back to work upgrade the gyro/servo combo. but for now im content.

rotarydoc

Hey bad,

I have to agree with your theory, on the location and long pushrod maybe helping to save the severe impact that the cyclics do, with the short and stronger links...makes sense..

I'm still pretty happy with the tail performance on my B400...it's not great, but it's more than enough for my skill level to this point anyways...maybe later this season, I'll upgrade, esp if I have a tail servo get damaged or fail...I would definitely go with the GY401/ 9257 combo, it works great on my Trex 500... so it should be great on the B400 as well...

Sorry to hear that work is a problem, I am guessing the bad economy is really hurting you in MI...[] Hope things get better soon.

Happy flying!

Glenn

bad400

im keeping my fingures crossed
michigan being so auto industry driven makes for a hard time right now forsure.
some good things though is my house is paid for, and my girl has worked at a hospital for 35 years and still does.
so we have some kind of income.
she has me on a very little allowance that barelies pays for broken parts.but food and life right now is more important.

ive been doing application`s for like 4 months,and sense im not an angel and have some problems in the past doesnt make it any easier.
but spring is near, so maybe some contruction work will open up.
i would really like to get this heli up to its peak performance

rotarydoc

Hey bad,

Wow, yeah, the Michigan is hard hit by all of this, as you pointed out, it's so automotive oriented...

Glad to hear the good things...and you are at least making ends meet...

Hope you can find something soon....hang in there!!

I think this whole thing will turn around, but it's going to take a while, my guess is a year or two, before things really start to look up..[]

It can't get a whole lot worse....

Take care, hope things get better soon!

Glenn

bad400

its all good
i just hate i dont have the money to get what i want like a year ago.
i had 9 heli`s at one time, been selling them off. im down to 5 now and still am trying to sell 2 of them

but thanks man, cant keep good people down long

bryant.law

Thanks for all the good input. I just ordered a Futaba GY401 and S9650 combo (used for $100) and if everthing goes well that should be all I need.

bad400

that should work well for you,
the gy401 i hear is alittle finiky to set up. but once you get it right, it does rather well

rotarydoc

Hey bryant,

You are welcome, hope we helped some...

Congrats on the gyro and servo for the B400, they should work out fine.

Let us know how you make out with it...

Glenn

JPEE

Hey,

Hobby City is having a sale right now on several servos but like mine the Hitec HS 65MG are only 28.00 each and that is a savings of 10.00 each. I have them in two of my Blade 400's and just mightmake the plug t put them in my third Blade 400 still sitting on the shelf. FYI

http://www.hobbypeople.net/

JPEE

hover55

You're in good companionship, Rotary Doc! I live at the bottom of the "thumb" in Michigan, and my income has dropped by 65 percent over the past two years... Which is precicsely WHY I try to avoid crashes at all cost!!!!!!!!!!

I have both the MCX and BX2 "tuned in," and hovering nicely. The B-400 is another story... Quite frankly, I'm almost AFRAID to fly this CP beast!

Fortunately, my wife is willing to turn her head on this childish endeavor, and she turns a deaf ear to my complaints over adjustments and settings and crashes.

Onward and Upward!!!!!!!!!

bad400

what town are you in there hover
well heck i see it now, i guess i want to ask what towns are you close to
i guess it really doesnt matter i dont know this state much

tande

My Feedback: (48)

Can't be far from me....I'm in Millington, Mi.......

hover55

Bad & Tande... I'm in Lakeville, MI (55 miles north of the "D")... My technical writing business (for the D-3) has gone down the tubes... Kind of redirecting my efforts to more general-interest writing projects. In the meantime, I work part-time seasonally at Addison Oaks County Park (Oakland County)... We have a great RC flying field there. If yu guys are ever interested in coming out to fly, give me a holler! I feel no shame in having others watch me crash the B400!!!

bad400

thats cool might just have to do that hover55.

some folks go over to stonie creek, others go down to freedom hill

just stay with us on this forum and we can get a date set when its not supper windy or raining.

im like 30 or so miles north of detroit so you maybe closer than you think