600 Got A 2nd Hand Align Trex-600 Eelecric

[Alex Evans]

Hello again,

I must admit, I am a bit confused about how to respond here to people ... So, I will make a general response:

1) I am not at all sure if I have the ESP version, can anyone tell me just by looking at the pictures.
2) One comment says that I may not be able to use the Align DFC head due to my servos location, is this the case?
3) I am happy to try and fly it as FB version, but have too much vibrations, even after replacing the main shaft, main blades, tail rotor blades. My Swashpalte seems tight, no play. No vertical play on the main shaft, the feathering shaft seems OK while turning it. I am using a digital pitch gauge, my main blades tracking looks good.

What else can I check?
I am keen to convert it to an FBL, but can I ?

Again, please someone tell me - which version of the 600 does it look to you?

Thanks again

 

[Admiral]

Hi Alex, Yes I am convinced it is a 600 ESP looking at the Frame in the manual compared to your pictures.

Next I have never owned an Align 600 largest I have owned is a 500 which I still own and converted to FBL and at one stage DCF, I have owned 550 & 700 in other brands.
I stay away from older Aligns now days as the supply of spared in Australia is difficult for anything older than the "L" series.
This is a video of the conversion of a 600 ESP to FBL from 2012 which may help get it clear in your mind, I don't recommend using the Align Flight Controller.
Now it appears the first issue is the tail vibration, if you have inspected all the components and can't see anything wrong remove the Main & Tail blades and power it up to a medium speed to see if you still have vibration, if you have you know it mechanical, if not balance the tail blades and attach them and run it up again if still no vibration balance the Main blades and put them on and run it up again. This will give you an indication where the problem stems from.

 

[Alex Evans]

Hi Alex, Yes I am convinced it is a 600 ESP looking at the Frame in the manual compared to your pictures.

Next I have never owned an Align 600 largest I have owned is a 500 which I still own and converted to FBL and at one stage DCF, I have owned 550 & 700 in other brands.
I stay away from older Aligns now days as the supply of spared in Australia is difficult for anything older than the "L" series.
This is a video of the conversion of a 600 ESP to FBL from 2012 which may help get it clear in your mind, I don't recommend using the Align Flight Controller.
Now it appears the first issue is the tail vibration, if you have inspected all the components and can't see anything wrong remove the Main & Tail blades and power it up to a medium speed to see if you still have vibration, if you have you know it mechanical, if not balance the tail blades and attach them and run it up again if still no vibration balance the Main blades and put them on and run it up again. This will give you an indication where the problem stems from.

Hello again,

OK, this is good news for me, to know what maual to use (I have 3 of them), thanks.

I will remove the main rotor and tail blades to bench test for vibrations, but if they are gone, I can't run the machine with say, only tail blades on - it will spin crazy... If the vibrations are not gone, I intend taking the tail boom off (big job) and check the torque shaft and see...

I am really keen to convert to FBL - can you suggest what bits should I get - can I go with DFC for my model? If not Align, then what controller? With my DX9, I would like the Spektrum controller, but it seems to be discontinued. It is in my mind a good option becasue it is all in one - 8Ch Rx_ controller in one box.

So, what do you say - "My teacher"

Cheers

 

[Alex Evans]

Hello Pilots,

Is there a way to send a PM in this forum?
How?

Thanks

 

[Matt]

Alex, honestly you can fly it as a flybarred helicopter. Now I am thinking that might be the best thing to do. They fly great as flybarred helicopters.

as far as sending PM’s click on the person’s profile and select send private message.

actually go to Inbox and start new conversation

 

[Admiral]

Hi Alex, I wrongly assumed your 600 had a belt drive tail, the Torque tube would have been one of the first places I suggested to check for vibration, there are two ways to have vibration with a TT tail, firstly any slight bent will give a vibration and secondly if the support bearing is exactly in the center you can get a harmonic vibration.

You can get to the TT from either end, I would remove the tail rotor leaving the boom in place to check it.

 

[Smoggie]

For the vibration, one thing that is often overlooked is tracking (unequal pitch from one blade to the other). If the tracking is badly out you will get a severe vibration, especially at lower RPM as the helis spools up and powers down.

You can narrow things down quite easily. If it a relatively low frequency vibration that threatens to tip the heli over, then severe blade imbalance, uneven blade grip tension or tracking are things to look at. If it's a higher frequency 'buzzing' vibration the the tail or the motor itself might be suspect.

 

[D.O.G.]

Like Smoggie mention the tracking will give you vibration. Just for shits and giggles, if you have a digital scale, also check the weight of each blade. One blade might be heavier, not by much, then the other which will give the heli the shakes too Lol. Just a thought being the heli is 2nd hand.

 

[hdavid11580]

Hello all, I am a new one to this group, been flying a long while and got another year before I get to 70. I have one of the Align 600 E pro and it matches 100 % with the pictures originally posted. I have not got either of my 2 big Helicopters out for about 7 years but with all the stay at home orders it seems a good deal to make them fly again. Luckily I still have my old JR9303 transmitter using a spectrum module for output so I have my original setup. converting it to the IX12 and doing some repair. The location " Helicopters - ALIGN " has a 600 manual on the bottom called 600E PRO and seems to match what you have. Mine is about 12 years old and the comment about converting to FBL is valid, will cost you more that purchase of a new 600 FBL even with all the goodies. Mine still has the original carbon blades, I was using it to hone my skills at scale flight rather than 3D.

 

[Smoggie]

The 600e 'Pro' is a very different heli to the one in this thread (which is a 600 ESP).

The 600e 'Pro' (as per the manual you mentioned) was the model that followed immediately after the ESP, but it had a total frame re-design. The biggest changes are:

• The Pro has the motor positioned in the top of the frame (bottom on the ESP)
• The battery on the Pro is 12S with two packs mounted in tandem on a tray in the bottom of the frame (single 6S pack on the ESP, front mounted)
• Aileron and pitch servos on Pro are direct to swash operated (bell-cranks on the ESP)
• Pro has receiver, ESC and Gyro/FBL controller all mounted on a plastic electronics housing which is located on the front of the frame.
• Tail servo mounted in frame on Pro, boom mounted on ESP.

There are also a bunch of less obvious changes like wider frame on the Pro to take larger motors, and lower tail drive ratio to work better at very high headspeed.


If your heli is exactly like the one in this thread then its a 600 ESP, not a 600e Pro.

 

[Alex Evans]

Like Smoggie mention the tracking will give you vibration. Just for shits and giggles, if you have a digital scale, also check the weight of each blade. One blade might be heavier, not by much, then the other which will give the heli the shakes too Lol. Just a thought being the heli is 2nd hand.

Yes indeed, one blade was 148g the other 150. I found the middle of the blade / CG and added to the lighter one some RED tape. after that, the tracking looks fine.
Thanks

 

[Alex Evans]

The 600e 'Pro' is a very different heli to the one in this thread (which is a 600 ESP).

The 600e 'Pro' (as per the manual you mentioned) was the model that followed immediately after the ESP, but it had a total frame re-design. The biggest changes are:

• The Pro has the motor positioned in the top of the frame (bottom on the ESP)
• The battery on the Pro is 12S with two packs mounted in tandem on a tray in the bottom of the frame (single 6S pack on the ESP, front mounted)
• Aileron and pitch servos on Pro are direct to swash operated (bell-cranks on the ESP)
• Pro has receiver, ESC and Gyro/FBL controller all mounted on a plastic electronics housing which is located on the front of the frame.
• Tail servo mounted in frame on Pro, boom mounted on ESP.

There are also a bunch of less obvious changes like wider frame on the Pro to take larger motors, and lower tail drive ratio to work better at very high headspeed.


If your heli is exactly like the one in this thread then its a 600 ESP, not a 600e Pro.

Yes, I tend to believe it is a 600 ESP
Thaks

 

[Alex Evans]

Hello all, I am a new one to this group, been flying a long while and got another year before I get to 70. I have one of the Align 600 E pro and it matches 100 % with the pictures originally posted. I have not got either of my 2 big Helicopters out for about 7 years but with all the stay at home orders it seems a good deal to make them fly again. Luckily I still have my old JR9303 transmitter using a spectrum module for output so I have my original setup. converting it to the IX12 and doing some repair. The location " Helicopters - ALIGN " has a 600 manual on the bottom called 600E PRO and seems to match what you have. Mine is about 12 years old and the comment about converting to FBL is valid, will cost you more that purchase of a new 600 FBL even with all the goodies. Mine still has the original carbon blades, I was using it to hone my skills at scale flight rather than 3D.

I want to eventually convert to FBL (but only if and after I manage to get it right) not for 3D or inverted but rather for the scale look. I have a Bell 206 Jetranger fiberglass "envelope" waiting to dress up this machine...

Cheers

 

[hdavid11580]

The info you list seems to be correct. I got interested in the Heli and since I am not in the habit of tossing out manuals I went looking for it in the filing cab. Found it and my original is listed as just Trex 600 EP Helicopter. Publish date June 2006. I was originally looking at the way everything connected in the head and the fly bar setup.
So sorry if I got it a bit confused.
Starting at the blade mount on the original manual these are the listed starting points. In measuring mine they are longer by just a few mm.
linkage rod "A" shows 30 mm from fly bar to blades
linkage rod "B" shows 38 mm
linkage rod "C" shows 67 mm from swash to fly bar
linkage rod "D" shows 58 mm from swash down to servo links
linkage rod "E" shows 51 mm as part of servo links.

 

[Smoggie]

Flybarless conversion is perfectly possible. I would suggest avoiding the DFC head snf go for the standard flybarless head from the 600 Pro EFL.

You might have to cut down a main shaft to the correct length unless you can find a suitable one that's still available from the long list of different shafts that were made for the 600. Cutting and drilling a shaft isnt difficult.