hello, i have a x-cell 60 custom, problably the first mod, metal frames large wooden servo tray, etc.. purchase it with bad main gear, inner gear chewed up from tail rotor gear, top and bottom, someone told me to buy a tranny upgrade(torque tube), my question how can i tell if i have torque tube or the original. thanks...

reefguy, the only true way is to pull the tail boom, however.....

In front of the 4 bolts that hold the tail boom in is a hole in the side of the frames. Look in the hole and if you see a metal collar with set screws then it's probably has a wire drive.

If you see a white nylon tube then it's probably a torque tube coupler.

I say probably because there were some aftermarket torque tubes which did attach to the front shaft with set screws.

If you have a wire drive you cannot remove the tail boom without loosening the set screws. If you have a torque tube it will slide out by just losening the 4 clamping bolts.

For what it's worth - Al
http://www.rchelibase.com

thanks, i gonna have to take off the tube to tell before i order the upgrade or not.

......and here are your tail drive pictures.


http://www.rchelibase.com/xcell/mode...taildrive.html

AL

heliguy, i took off the tail boom(4bolts), a white nylon tube was there the female dog bone insert, in the boom it self was the male part of dog bone, i went to the link you gave me(thanks), it did look like pre 99 of course, so does this mean it does have a torque tube upgrade? thanks..

Yes you do have the torque tube drive.

The kit for the HD front transmission support is #0832 which will include all the parts sown on the bottom right of the above link.

Just to make sure you don't already have the HD front support, the lower main shaft bearing block on your unit should be black in color and not gold. It should not have the U shaped bearing on the rear of it.

For what it's worth - Al
http://www.rchelibase.com

PS: The instruction for the 0832 kit are on my site. Look under "heli plans & information" then "Miniature Aircraft"

thanks, heliguy for all your help, glad to see that i have the torque tube, i did order the tranny upgrade and main gear($30) from heliproz, hope see this heli running soon, heliguy currently the heli has a futaba fp153bb gyro, i do know it is old, but what is the difference from this one to per say gy401 or other, cause i do want to get a better and newer heli soon. when i bought this x-cell the guy gave me complete concept 30 with no throttle servo(only), this tx is 7 channel ft7uhp(1024), i cannot find where the module went(damn!)... my next step is checking the setups like collective, tail rotor, i guess the whole works.

The 153 gyro is an old Futaba mechanical gyro. The square black box actually has a motor in it spinning a wheel which acts as the gyro. The sensor is reading the motion of a magnet attached to the motor frame. The manual for this gyro is available at http://www.futaba-rc.com/manuals/index.html

Although this gyro will work just fine for your initial learning, it will not compare to the accuracy and sensitivity of the current piezo gyro like the 401. If you would like to understand the internal workings of the mechanical and piezo gyro then go to my site and look under "understanding your heli. The Colin mills article "part 7 & 8" explain the operation of both. The newer "heading hold" function is however not addressed.

The non technical difference is that the standard gyro senses rotation and applies correction until the rotation has stopped. The Heading Hold gyro not only senses rotation and applies correction until the rotation stops, but continues to apply correction until the unit senses that it has rotated back the equal amount to which it rotated (returned to where it was).

If you were to upgrade your gyro, the Futaba 401 with the 9253 servo would be a good choice.

The Futaba 7u transmitter you have is a very good but slightly outdated unit. If you have the 7uhpS model versus the 7uhp model then it has a 4 model memory and a few extra functions. The manual for it can also be downloaded at the above link. As far as a module goes, I believe you can still get one from Tower. You might even want to put an add on the board for one. Remember modules come on a specific frequency an need to be sent in for frequency changes so get one on the right frequency that you want.

One thing you will have to do if you use your 153 gyro is set up revolution mixing (revo). This is a transmitter function which varies the tail pitch based on the throttle setting. It must be used with the old mechanical gyro's to maintain a constant heading.

One final statement. If you are a total beginner at this, and it sounds like you are, then I cannot over stress this. If you can find and experienced flyer in your area to assist you in setup and flight testing your chances of succeeding will be greatly improved. This is not to say that people have not learned on their own, but the road of hard knocks and expense may be your downfall.

The Kyosho Concept you have, depending on it age and condition, may be a better first try heli than the X-Cell. The problem with the Concept is that it has been discontinued for some years and parts are becoming hard to find. If interested, there is also a complete library of Concept plans and documentation on my website. Look under "Kyosho". I myself learned to fly helis on a Concept 30 when they first came out in 1988.

Enough for now - good luck - Al

heliguy, thanks for the info and insight on my question, i first learn to hover and fly on a shuttle, so i am beyond a total beginner, then i did pick up a used gmp cobra which i do still have but, the tail was always twitching, and never upgraded, then bought and still have a nexus(with 46) no electronics just heli and motor, then got used x-cell, with free concept, so i have been to the flying field(sepulveda basin) couple times to ask and observed the experienced flyers, but not to many willing helpful helps around, so it comes down where i am trying to learn on my own. since several guys had x-cell(pro,se) so i saw one in the papers not thinking that i should have bought a more updated model. heliguy, do you know about tsk helis? like how many models?

reefguy, my opinion...........

Stay away from TSK. They are out of business and parts will be an issue. Lots of good buys, but now you know why.

Your X-Cell, although old, will still fly fine. Although you may have to replace older parts with current version part, you will be able to repair the unit. X-Cell is the only model I know of that has maintained parts replacement/upgrade from their first to their current model.

Do you have the plans that came with your X-Cell?
What is the date on the plans (1987 or 1993)?

Al

heliguy, i just found the build plans to the x-cell, will post back with manufactured date, thanks for the insight on the tsk, but i got a deal could not pass up, think its the mystar, carbon stacked frames, servo tray, jr pro head, cnc machined swashpale, ys91 with 2 9202, and 2 jr nh 537, new clutch, main gear, bell housing, purple andonized parts etc. etc...upgrades, i did check around before buying, several guys still carry parts, could not pass up for 200.00 need tail boom, and air chamber for ys91, in your opinion, should i still have passed it up, i guess still wanted a heli like the guys at the park. but back to my current x-cell project, it has the aluminum u-shaped muffler, what can i put for replacement or is the one i have still okay, again thanks for all your help, have you ever been to ama convention with cars, boats, air, helis, swapmeet, etc.. i am going this saturday in pasadena, calif, to see if any good deals, like gyros, electronics...