RCcrazyperson

So,I decided to learn Heli's by going with quality stuff.Caliber 30,7ch Futaba,401 gyro,before I buy an electric to chase the cat around the house.
Do I have a problem?
[8D]

N11634

No problems at all, I also went with quality stuff to start. Raptor 50, JR 6102, futaba 3050 servos, JR Gyro, and OS50 Hyper. I was doing loops and rolls within 1-1/2 months of starting (ad haven't crashed the Raptor...yet). Your learning curve will be much faster learning on a big bird. just don't fly outside your abilities until you're ready and you'll be fine.

Going all out to start shows that you're willing to make the commitment to the hobby and won't be throwng it aside after getting frustrated with it.

Welcome to the hobby.

Gorgok

Your choices look good. I have always liked nitro over electric for just about everything, in anything even slightly larger (and more powerful) nitro is cheaper and easier to work with, imo.

If battery technology got as cheap as nitro technology in larger scale, then i might consider it... but until then, nitro all the way.

derek533

Excellent choice. In fact, your setup is identical to mine except that I have a Caliber 5 instead of a 30. The 7CH will last you for a long time before needing anything more. The 401 can't be beat. Did you get the one with the 9254 servo for the tail?

credence

My Feedback: (2)

Gorgok pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one. You can easily get large and very powerful larger scale electric helis. The problem is they currently cost 4x more than a comparable nitro heli. So unless you're really bent on electric flight like some of us, it's almost always cheaper to go nitro. The only part i'd disagree on is nitro being easier to work with. With electrics, they either work, or they don't. Nitro engines require tuning and constant maintenance. They're alot more work to setup and maintain than electrics are. Electrics, however, because of their adaptability, can be very complicated in choosing the right motor, the right battery, the right pinion, speed controller, etc. Probably requires more overall know-how from the operator, but once you've got a setup you like, it's set for life unless you totally demolish the heli [8D].


Also, when going from a large nitro to a micro electric, you will likely find the small electric a real handful after getting used to flying the nitro. Not saying you won't be able to do it, but many nitro pilots end up giving up on small electrics because they need to totally retrain their reflexes to keep up with the little devils.

Gorgok

Heh i guess always being a nitro guy im used to it. Tuning and cleaning seems just part of flying. I don't think i could handle battery pack management: cycling, discharging, charging for storage, charging for flight... Also, how many packs (or chargers) would you need to fly as long as a nitro can in a day... Of course, as you said, all the equipment choices required as well.

Either way, hope you enjoy the hobby, i know i am.

Norrmannen

Saw a nice t-shirt that I want, it said:

Say no to glow, pass on gas....

If you calculate your costs lets say over 2 years I'm pretty sure a mid-size electric would not be any more expensive than a nitro.
Some dudes here insisted their Rappy 50's were cheaper to run than a T-rex, I know lot's of people don't like maths and are not very good at it, I'm decent at it and man were they wrong.....they gave me the figures, I just did the math...

Yes electrics can be demanding on money up front but they do have their percs.

credence

My Feedback: (2)

Well, if you look at the cost of nitro fuel over the longrun, then yes, nitro would probably end up being more expensive. But most people don't bother with long term costs. It's the upfront cash that you "notice" and what kills most people. Shelling out $1000 for 2 LIPO packs for a single 15 or 20 minute flight isn't very encouraging. (Talking about big electrics here that require 30+ volts).

A well setup micro like the t-rex will initally cost you about the same as a .30 nitro (~$1000) but assuming you don't fry any electronics, the only time you'd need to spend money in the future is from crashes. The t-rex would be a better investment, except for the fact that for $1000, you're getting a much smaller helicopter, but in the longrun that small helicopter will cost you significantly less without the fuel charges.
The killer on big electrics is the betteries. On micros the batteries are pretty cheap (Most 3 cell lipos will cost you about 50 bucks) so it's not a big deal. Spend $200 on 3 or 4 packs and you can fly untill your fingers are numb. With big electrics, you spend $400 per battery pack, and you usually need 2 battery packs connected together. So you average $800 - $1000 on one "set" of batteries for one single flight. If you want to fly for more than 15 or 20 minutes, you need $2000(!) in batteries to keep flying continuously.

That's all assuming you fly LIPO, of course. If you're not into hard 3D, you can do just fine with sub-C nimh cells. $150 and you can get your self two 14 or 16 cell packs. Sure, may not last as long in the air as the LIPO's, but damn, is it cheaper..

RCcrazyperson

Its me again,,,
I am going with the 9254 servo that comes with the 401 gyro,unless somebody has a better idea.That is not a cheap servo,and its only 46 inch pounds,to boot.
I looked at electrics,long and hard.I live in the country,and flying space is not a problem,but the breeze is.First thing I learned about fixed wing was,if you are waiting for a perfect day to fly,you will never learn how to fly!
I have done hundreds of dead stick landings with fixed wing,and never lost a plane.At least I can spell auto-rotation
Anyway,I have plenty of experience with nitro burning engines.
A big electric still seemed interesting,but my buddy,who went with a Walkera 36 to fly in the garage,showed me the Li-poly safety tips.Things like,keeping your battery pack in a ammo can,never leave it unattended when charging because it can burn your house down,and several hundred dollars in decent packs and a charger did nothing to sell me on electrics.Besides,big electrics do not use BEC that the cheaper ones do,so now you are dealing with two battery packs,per flight,even if both are ni-cads.
My buddy and I both consider this the very best forum on the net,BTW!You guys make it that way.

credence

My Feedback: (2)

I think alot of people run external BEC's to keep weight down. I personally fly my eco-8 with a receiver pack as it's just easier for me (can't feel bothered/justified to buy a EBEC yet) and never had any problems. Even on a lowly 700 MAH RX pack i can get atleast 2 flights out of it. I plan to make a higher quality pack this summer though. No sense in cutting things close if you don't gotta .

As for LIPO's, yeah, they CAN be dangerous, but probably no more dangerous than storing glow fuel around your house. You just gotta use common sense for both.
Walkera 36 is still considered a micro by the way. Helis I was referring to were .30 size electrics and above. I'm looking to buy a Mikado Logo 20 soon. Will probably cost about $1500 since i've got alot of stuff already. Not too bad .

RCcrazyperson

I thought about an eco 8 myself,but the kit appear to just that,nothing assembled.Being new to helis,I wanted something more complete.I even called and was about to order one,but the salesperson told me it used micro servos.Is that true?Isn't that bird a little big for those?
Anyway,the freindly folks at Hobby Corner,in Richmond,sold me the Caliber 30,with the OS 32 ringed for only $325.00,and they meet internet prices on everything else.I enjoy checking out stuff before I buy it,so thats how I ended up with this bird.

credence

My Feedback: (2)

The eco-8 uses "mini" servos, not micro. It's somewhere inbetween a regular size and micro. They really need a better naming system for servos.. Like..big..medium and small, or something.. . I run HS81's, which are "medium" sized servos. The eco-8 can get away with this because it uses electronic mixing. Most nitro birds use standard CCPM which requires beefier servos with more torque. Also, the eco-8's focal design point seems to have been on making the bird as light as possible, so using smaller servos saves a good deal of weight. Upside of that is that the eco-8 can achieve some crazy power to weight ratios with todays technology making it very aerobatic.

Also, if you're going to get into helis, especially collective pitch ones, I would really suggest a kit over pre-built. The knowledge you gain from building your heli is invaluable.

I would never buy an ARF heli if I had the choice. I'd rather build it my self and know that it's A. Properly put together (factory people can get lazy, NOT something you want with something that has tip blade speeds apporaching 200+ MPH) and B. I know how to build and rebuild the heli, so that in the event I need to change, or break something, I know how to repair it and/or tweak it. Not to mention, of course, that kits are almost always cheaper .

Of course, just as many people may tell you that ARF is the way to go, so it comes down to personal opinion .