Jdogga

Dr. Ted,

Do you have links to the items you mentioned below?
I guess I could search... but... no need to reinvent the wheel if you know somewhere that I can find it all in one place if possible.

Jdogga

Tedstrickland

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Like most upgrades...and parts....you find a bit here and a bit there. Both heat sinks I found on E-Bay. Search heat sink 180, xtreme 180, rotorfly heatsink. Also, make sure you use thermal (white) conductive paste, otherwise you are just wasting you time and money on sinks.....

TTFN, TJS

GTX SlotCar

This French video of a 5#10 has a very interesting background.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mbjjg4Ma0s

I can't find gears for my 5#10 in stock in the US. I had found them in stock at xheli about 10 dayes ago and ordered them, but today I got a backorder notice in my email. I almost ordered them from a company in China, but wow, their shipping was very expensive. Anyone have any ideas? It looks like Ka-Planes isn't backing it anymore.

Tedstrickland

My Feedback: (1)

Gary,

My wife is from France, so the "backround" is somewhat familiar to me. It is characteristic of the high-ceiling farm houses, constructed with rough hewn timber. The barrel-tile roofs typically do not have any underlayment (plywwod or tarpaper). These are great flying spots...

For parts for small Walkera Heli's I have had excellent luck with Terence @ Chineese Jade. He has the good parts prices and charges a flat $5 shipping, regardless of how much you order. It typically takes about 7-10 days to arrive.

http://www.chinesejade.com/walkera_Heli.htm

I was planning to E-mail you, as I have a few final thoughts re: 4G1B

Ted

GTX SlotCar

Hi Ted,

Thanks. I just ordered from them.
I put a Lama4 4in1 in my 5#10 because you just can't beat the gyro in that thing. Since the 4in1 won't run on a single cell LiPo, I had to go to a 2 cell. That meant making standoffs (spacers) between the frame and lower battery tray, but it was fairly easy to do. I also run a 4G1B canopy on it for now.
With the new 4in1, it's more stable than ever. But, with the extra voltage the thing is a rocket. I haven't had any problems with the motors, yet. They don't seem to be getting any hotter than they did before. I've been running it this was for quite a while. Of course, it helps that I'm using a programmable TX so I can keep it under control.
A couple weeks ago I was flying it outside in a mild breeze at twilight. I was going full speed forward (and it's fast) and hit one of my wife's white Christmas lawn decorations (spiral Christmas tree). The snow was too deep, so she never took it down. If it was closer to Christmas, it would have been lit and I would have seen it. I had to make my way though 3' of snow to retrieve the heli. As far as I know, the only damage was one broken blade and the stripped gears. I shouldn't have been flying when it was that dark out, and I shouldn't have been skimming the snow, but it just looked so cool doing it. I don't get too many chances to fly for pleasure anymore, so I got a little carried away.

I wasn't going to take on any new projects until we finish with our SuperBlades, but I've been selling so many parts for make-shift landing gear for the Blade CX3 that I've decided to push the schedule up for SuperSkids200. What we have on them so far is that they'll be about 88mm wide (24mm narrower than our current landing gear), and 39mm tall (about 5mm shorter than our current ones). All the holes on the top bar will remain as they are and we'll probably package them with our 3D skids which are shorter than our regular ones. We'll also include some screws and a few spacers (standoffs).

bad400

man that canopy looks huge on that thing

i have the 5#10 metal as well.
even in stock configuration its pretty zippy.
ive had one issue with the 4-n-1. they sent me a new one free.
so far so good had it for about 5 months now
and im running the 1200mah battery,it gives me 4 more minutes of flight

Tedstrickland

My Feedback: (1)

Gary,

I bought some 180 size motors for my 5#10 (from a Walkera 5G4Q3), using the Walkera 2411 rx (also for 5G4Q3) as these run on 3.7V system, but too much weight for the 3.7 V system.

Your solution to use the Lama 7.4V 4in1 is a good one, but I'm suprised that 7.4V is not overheating the Walkera 130PH motors. I might try this with my 180 motors, like the Lama uses. I think this 4in1 has a rate gyro, with stick priority. What programable Tx are you using with the Lama 4in1 ??

The new CX-3 uses a 3in1 w/ AR6100E combination, and according to the manual has a head holding gyro. I'm sure this will work great, but I don't have one.

I bought an EFlite BCPP 2.4G 3in1 (EFLH 1031), to use with a AR6100E for the 4G1B, to run at 7.4V with a 2S lipo, but the BCPP is a 3S bird, so I'll have to see just how good it is. I'll let you know how it works. I will use my Dx6i to control this.

I've been out of the loop with you for a bit, so I'm glad to hear that you are producing 200 size skids (please disregard my private E-mail, about that "Great idea"). Can't wait to tryout a pair....

P.S. had a similar situation with my 5#10. I ws flying in the front yard at dusk, when a breeze lofted my bird onto the neighbors roof. I got my ladder and climbed on his roof, which really freaked him out. Probably should have told him what I was up to. [>:] Anyhow, broken blades and stripped gears. A few minutes in the shop and back to full spead.

Take Care, Ted

GTX SlotCar

Naw. It looks great It's so cool, it's kewl - and you gotta say it like keeeeweell [8D]

And look at all the cooling around the motor. Oops, I mean, look at all the kewling.

GTX SlotCar

Ted, I haven't had a chance to read your emails, but I forwarded them to my home. I've got to get my shipments out and get home to say good-bye to my son. He's going to Sunday River for the weekend, snowboarding with some friends. No late night at the office for me tonight.

No, motors don't seem to get any hotter. Maybe, with the increased voltage, the pulses are shorter so there's less arcing.
I've had my 5#10 for 14 months (it's on page 1 of this thread) and these are the same motors.

Rowboat

I have an old Walkera 5#4, I found that the 180motors drop straight in the 5#10 motor slots. Except the Pinion gears are different. So I just put the 130 Pinion gears onto the 180 motors. Now my next problem is who’s Rx to use, the 4 in one Walkera or the Lama V4? Any ideas.

Tedstrickland

My Feedback: (1)

I think either will work, except the 3.7V walkera unit will be somewhat underpowered, given the added weight of the motors.

If you use the Lama unit, you will have power to spare, but as Gary did, you will have to modify the lower battery plate to accept the 2S Lipos. One other thing to watch out for. If the Lama 4in1 was designed to output to digital servos like the EK2-0508, now on V4 lama and Co-comanche, it might shorten the life of your 5#10 analog servos.....

Please let us know what works for you.... Ted

Rowboat

I forgot to say that I intended to use the 7.4v battery because I want power to burn.

GTX SlotCar

I'm pretty sure that if a digital Rx doesn't use a FAAST or HRS system, it'll work fine with analog servos. Then again, I know very little about 2.4G technology.
I'm using a Hitec Eclipse 7 Tx. I like this Tx because it works with both pos. and neg. shift RXs, and I can just dial in the channel number without changing Xtals. The drawback is that it only has 7 memories and I have a lot of helis. I get around it by using one memory for 2 or 3 similar helis. For example, I might put 3 HBFPs in one memory, even though one is heavy and runs a 3 cell LiPo, one is stock, and one runs a slo-max motor. I just change the trims for each as needed. Cyclic trim is a breeze, but advanced settings like throttle/rudder mixing is a pain to keep changing.

The only 2.4G system I have is my 4G1B. But, I'm going to have to learn about 2.4G TXs and get one soon. Most of the new helis I'll be getting will need it, and I'd like to have a lot more model memories. Maybe something that takes a memory card? I've been putting off buying one because I have so much else going on (new product development) that I don't have time to do the research.

GTX SlotCar

Well, I guess I didn't wait as long as I thought I would to get a 2.4G Tx. I was able to get a new Spektrum DX7 for $167 and couldn't resist. It'll bind with the Esky and E-flite helis which use DSM2 technology, but of course, Walkera isn't on board with this (once again) and it won't bind to their receivers. It's the Walkera DF4 all over again. You'd think they'd learn the lesson. Pay the liscencing fee and forget about being cheap and using your own proprietory system that's not compatible with anything else. Once again, I'll have to recommend Esky over Walkera.
I believe that anyone who stays in this hobby will (or should) buy a good, programmable radio. Once you get the hang of setting them up, they make flying so much more enjoyable; so much smoother, easier and fun to fly.
There may be a way to hack the Walkera receivers to work with the DX7, but from what I understand it's not easy.
Anyway, I can't wait to try the new Tx. I've got a couple 2.4G HBFPs coming and it'll make a great platform for testing the prototype superblades.

Tedstrickland

My Feedback: (1)

Gary,

Are you sure that the Esky "Spread Spectrum" 2.4G rx's will work with the Spektrum DSM2 DX7 ? I know the E-flite (Horizon Hobby) units have licensed the DSM2 technology, and the new CX3 actually uses a 3in1 with a Spektrum AR6100E.

I hope you are right, as I use a DSM2 Spektrum DX6i, and would love to use it to control my Esky birds...CoComanche & Honey Bee FP??? Easy enough to check, as I'll just try to bind the DX6i to the Esky rx..... bind and stroke, if you believe the Esky manual I was under the impression that Esky and DSM2 were not compatable

$167 is a good price for the DX7, especially if it came with the rechargable NiMH pack, charger and manual. I'm saving up for the X9303.

Finally, you are correct in that the Walkera system is not compatable with anything else out there. However , they brought out a 2.4G 8 channel Tx (WK-2801) that looks like a cool unit, but serves me no purpose, as all the Walkera's I own are 4 channel.... What I do like about the Walkera 2.4G Tx's is that they bind on each and every start-up and are not TX specific, so I use one WK2401 4ch 2.4G Tx for all my different Walkera birds (4#3B, 4G1B, 5G6-1, 53-8, 53Q) needing only to change the DIP settings prior to binding. The Spectrum DSM2's RX's have a "model match" feature and requirement to bind not only to a specific Tx, but also a specific program/model designator within the TX programming......

Ted

bad400

you could by the spektrum recievers and put them in any bird.
you can change the 4-n-1`s to 3-n-1`s and buy the apropreit recievers.
so im guessing you could

GTX SlotCar

Ted, you're probably right. I had a guy swear to me that he was running an Esky 4in1 with his DX7, but I didn't check it out myself. I believe the HBFP 4in1 could be taken apart (Rx and 3in1 are separate pieces) and a DSM2 Rx used, but that adds to the cost. Still easier to do than working on a Walkera 4in1, I believe.
It looks like E-flite is trying to distance itself from it's Esky heritage. Their marketing is certainly better, and offering helis without the Tx is a great idea.
No doubt, I jumped into the 2.4G without research which I know I should have done (previouse posts). But, I'm sure I'll get use of the DX7 and at least E-flite is 100% compatible. There's some value to that.
The DX7 is new and comes with the NiMH battery and charger (no Rx or servos). I don't use the NiMH in my Eclipse 7. I just use an 11.1v LiPo and get 5 times the running time. I hope I can do the same with the DX7.

Tedstrickland

My Feedback: (1)

Gary,

You jumped in good, as the DX7 is a GREAT radio, and there are many good lipo packs available for it. Remember the Spektrum radios only use 4 AA batteries, as the 2.4G DSM2 radios only consume about 1/10 of the power, typically 80mA, compared to traditional 72MHz radios. 4AA's give me many hours of flight.

If you saw my previous post, I was talking about buying a EFLH 1031, 3in1 from a Blade CPP to combine with a DSM2 AR6100E, to use for my HBFP, (with SuperSkids, of course), so I could use the DX6i. I would like to play with expo and other settings the programable radios like the DX7 and DX6i offer, as applied to the 4 channel FP's and co-ax's.

The E-Flite CX-3 combo of the AR6100E, with the 3in1, with built in head holding gyro, operating at 7.4V, would be awesome on the 5#10, but, if you're going to all that trouble, just buy a BNF CX-3..... (this is how you make a $150 co-ax into a $300 co-ax)

Pretty sure the the Esky rx's do not work with the Spectrum DSM2 radios, but I'll try and get back to you.....

Ted

GTX SlotCar

I received my DX7 today. It seems to have everything I need in a radio. It has the timer, too, which I was worried about. I use it a lot in stop watch mode on my Eclipse7 to get flight times with various batteries. I also like the display which shows trim settings.
This one has 8 NiMH cells and charges to just over 11v.

After I ordered it, I (going by what I was told) ordered an Esky 2.4G Rx and Esky 2.4G 4in1 from Ka-Planes. I rushed the order to take advantage of their free shipping offer which was ending in a couple minutes. I guess I'll never use them now

It too bad they don't make interchangeable modules so you could just pull the DSM2 module out of the back and pop in an Esky or Walkera 2.4G module. And, to repeat what has apperantly become one of my 2 most popular expressions, "Hey, how hard could it be?"

Tedstrickland

My Feedback: (1)

Gary,

I didn't realize the DX7 used 8 AA cells. The DX6i only uses the 4 AA cells, but then again, it is classified as a "park flyer" not the big-boy radio you now have

I would still try to bind them. As you well know, things changes so fast in our hobby these days......maybe Esky has "bought in" to the DSM2 protocol ???

LMK, Ted

Tedstrickland

My Feedback: (1)

The Esky 2.4 rx you bought is a 6 channel rx. The 4in1 is also 6 channels. I would send you one of my extra Esky 2.4 Tx's but they are only 4 channel. You should be able to find a good deal on a 6 channel esky 2.4g tx on Ebay....

I was also trying to beat the 12 midnight deadline Sunday for free shipping from KA-Planes....didn't realize it was you slowing me down

GTX SlotCar

Ted,
I have a couple more HBFPs coming that are 2.4G, so I'll have the radios. I'll need one of them in stock form for testing the next prototype superblades. If I test them all with nice programmable radio, I wouldn't know how they'd feel to 90% of the market. I appreciate the thought, though. For all my other small Esky helis, I'll take the 4in1s aprart and put in a small spektrum Rx.
I'll never use the Esky Rx I just bought, and I have plenty of 72mHz Esky 4in1s to hack, so I doubt I'll use the 2.4G 4in1 either. I can put then on eBay or whatever. I could email Mike at Ka-Planes for some kind of swap, but I'm a bit embarrassed about my mistake. I'll have to lay off the Manhattans at night when I'm ordering [sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

GTX SlotCar

I'm working on the size for superskids200.

Tedstrickland

My Feedback: (1)

Gary,

The 200's look great. Can't wait 'till they are availabble. I'd be happy to do some beta-testing for you [sm=wink_smile.gif]

What do they prototypes weigh?

LMK, Ted

GTX SlotCar

It's not possible to figure out what the weight will be yet. The shape isn't finalized, and then we'll have to vary the plastic formula and that can make a big difference in the weight. For the aluminum skids, I asked the guys in china to see what we could do with a smaller diameter (but same quality), but it ended up not being worth it. We wouldn't even save a gram.
Testing days with first runs (early pre-production) is probably 2 or 3 months away.

I've found some Spektrum AR6100 RXs at 6 for $250 and free shipping. Seems to be the best deal I can find. I might order them today.


For those wondering why I buy retail instead of wholesale.....
It was a decision we made quite a while ago. Even though we have 2 online retail stores (US and Canada), we only sell our products and I'd rather sell them through our dealer network. If I was buying products like Walkera, E-flite and Esky through a distributor, there would be a very strong temptation to sell them at retail. We don't want to get into that for several reasons. Actually, sometimes I buy for large discounts from some of my resellers (large items), and we have bought directly from Walkera before, but that was 2 or 3 years ago.