Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

Hello,


I need help with a MX400 Pro. My friend bought it used, and the person who tried to help him crashed the helicopter on the first flight. So now I'm the new helper for my friend!


I am awaiting parts to fix the helicopter, I shouldn't have any problem fixing it as the manual is ok ( I already built a couple helos...).



However, I have a few questions:



1-The stock blades look to be made of Balsa, or something like that. I am really not very confident these blades will fly well ( I might be wrong...). Can you recommend a better blade for this heli? And I want to avoid CF blades, my friend is still learning to fly. I was thinking of something that look like my wooden blades on my T-Rex. Btw... what's the size of an MX400 Pro blade??

2-The manual suggest -8 to +8 degrees of pitch, which seems a bit insufficient.... (again I'm probably wrong....). I was thinking of going -2 to +9 in normal mode, and -10 to +10 in stunt mode.... Can it be done? (using stock motor and ESC). Also, what is a good headspeed for this heli? (with stock blades and the blades you recommend...)


3-The heli came with a Futaba G190 Rate-only gyro, and 4 Hitec HS-55 servos. I think those servos should be enough to teach my friend how to fly, but can you tell me your experiences with this gyro???


4-And lastly, I can't find any instructions to program the stock ESC... can you help me with this??




I know that's a lot of questions... And I'd appreciate any comment that could help me!



Thank you!

RE: Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

You may be able to get some good info from the folks at hobby services. http://www.hobbyservices.com/contact.html

I am sure they'd be able to give you very specific info for all of your questions. I hope this helps.

Ted

RE: Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

They won't say anything different thant what's in the manual as far a blade pitch goes, and they will certainly not recommend any after market blades or anything, and I doubt they'll say anything about Hitec servos....



That's why I asked here.... real world testing you know..... And I just sent them an email requesting a manual for the ESC.




Thank you.

RE: Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

standard blades I believe are 285mm (that comes to mind), they are alright.. but a set of 12 dollar align 325mm blades are better in my opinion...

skip 2 and 3, I don't know..

there isn't a manual that I know of for that ESC, I don't believe there's any programming involved, I've just plugged them in and went crashing...

RE: Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

You can use any number of different blades, but you'll need to get spacers for them and you should get the longer tail boom to use the longer ones. Ask customer service how to get a set of the spacers they ship with the MX450XS. If they can't help, then PM me-- there are a couple other options but I don't have time to look them up right now, sorry. The Align blades are good inexpensive ones (I liked the 315 FGs I tried-- a little flexy/sloppy, but probably a good choice for a beginner). I've flown the long blades with the short boom, but you're taking a significant risk of tail rotor interference. If you're not worried about breaking expensive blades, then take a look at the SAB 280mm CF blades at helihobby-- I really like them but they cost a lot more than the Align stuff.

Right around 2300 RPM is a pretty soft, forgiving speed.

-8 to +8 isn't bad, again for a beginner. Too much more and the standard motors will bog a lot at full collective. If you want more pitch, then you should think about a stronger motor.

The HS55s are good servos, but the heli will fly better with a faster servo like the S3154 (Futaba), but you should only do this if you get the heli really set up right. If there's any mechanical imbalance you'll burn it up in a short period of time. Whatever you use on the tail, a set of boom mounts and a better pushrod are a good mod.

No idea about the 190. I have a few 401s and they're fantastic in rate mode, but that's as much as I know. Same with the ESC, I'm afraid-- I have the 40A one, but I only used it for about a week and then swapped it for a Castle Phoenix :).

RE: Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

The stock blades are 285mm. You can put longer ones on
but that just increases the load on the motor.

The blades that came with the MX 400 Pro have been
hallowed out and then covered in plastic. They are very
light....but very weak. Only good for low level hovering.

Heli-Max makes solid wooden blades for it that work
very well.

The original speed control comes preset for NO BRAKE
and slowly shuts down when voltage gets low.

The ESC will shut off power to the motor after 2 seconds of
no signal from the transmitter.

It will also shut down slowly if the temp exceeds 105 cenigrade.

A head speed of around 2100 rpm works well for new guys.

Hope that helps,

AB

RE: Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

AB-- the longer blades do increase the parasitic drag, but they also make it more stable, and by reducing the disc loading the collective response feels lighter and cyclic is smoother.

RE: Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

Thank you for the replies so far.



But how do I "teach" the ESC where are my throttle sticks high and low position?



Those solid wooden blades sounds interesting. I'll try to find a part number for them.




Thank you!

RE: Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

-8 and +8 are the max you'll get before you start hitting the links on the grips.

RE: Need help with a MX400 Pro
 

what make and model is the speed control