700 My New T-Rex 700X Build

[Smoggie]

Thanks Rodney, The lemon sats do indeed bind to a normal Spektrum tx in exactly the same way as a standard Spektrum sat. One would be enough for most if not all helis because you can route the two intenna to different locations, but i figured two sats and four antenna is even better.

The Weather is looking good for flying today, very cold (hovering around freezing point) but otherwise ideal. I'll have to dig out my fingerless thermal gloves and woolly hat!

Phil,
The default ESC settings are ok to fly with, i wouldnt let not having the box stop you.

 

[Heliman450]

Thanks Rodney, The lemon sats do indeed bind to a normal Spektrum tx in exactly the same way as a standard Spektrum sat. One would be enough for most if not all helis because you can route the two intenna to different locations, but i figured two sats and four antenna is even better.

The Weather is looking good for flying today, very cold (hovering around freezing point) but otherwise ideal. I'll have to dig out my fingerless thermal gloves and woolly hat!

Phil,
The default ESC settings are ok to fly with, i wouldnt let not having the box stop you.

Hi Steve, right now I can't fly anyway as I've been heavily involved in preparing our clubhouse for winter. We had some repairs that needed doing but looked like being left until I managed to persuade 'the system' to get them done. Having moaned so much about the state of things, I could hardly ignore getting the work done before serious snow and freezing temperatures arrive. I've got some painting to do on the toilet block (Monday) and then I'm going forward having just bought my patch cable for the receiver/gyro. I decided upon a 20 cm length, rather have a couple of centimetres too long as too short I always say

My farmer friend has finished the end of season grazing of his cattle on the field and has taken down the electric fence from around the heli pad so there's also plenty of space to fly around without getting chased by his bull if I need to recover anything (hopefully not). Of course there's a completely logical reason for him doing this as the field's too wet to take the weight of his tractor and cutting gear. Hopefully, I'll be able to fly over the cow pats adorning the field without a problem

 

[Smoggie]

The cow pats should make for a soft landing, if in trouble aim for one! I'm just back from the field and happy to report 4 flights on the 700X with no problems at all, she's flying perfectly. Whatever the problem that caused the crash it looks like it's fixed.

The Lemon Rx diversity sats performed like real champions. I did the most thorough range test I've ever done and they kep solid bind even when i was well past the recommended 30 paces (in low power range check mode). I did a complete circuit around the heli to make sure there were no weak spots in the reception and bind was 100% solid throughout. I'll be using more of these diversity sats, thats for sure.

 

[Heliman450]

Video??

 

[Smoggie]

Video??

It's uploading as I type. It's pretty boring to be honest, but pretty boring was exactly what i was hoping for under the circumstances. I had enough 'excitement' last time out!

 

[Smoggie]

Here's the video from today. The fourth flight was better but the Video cam battery crapped out half way through:
[video=youtube_share;Orkno0FhurQ]https://youtu.be/Orkno0FhurQ[/video]

 

[D.O.G.]

Hey Smoggie, boring and simple first few batteries is just fine especially what happen to you right out of the gate the with the 700X. I would be cautious too! Still nice job flying chief

 

[PLANETGETLOW]

Nothing really boring about that. Smooth flying, low-headspeeds, big air, and a successful battery drained without an incident.

 

[Smoggie]

I discovered a bit more crash damage this evening. I was giving the heli a 'once-over' and noticed that one swash to grip arm link rod was adjusted quite a bit longer than the other. Despite the links being different lengths the tracking was correct, this didn't seem right. On investigation i found that the grip arm itself had been bent in the crash but the damage was only obvious after the arm was removed. This arm is a solid chunk of aluminium, it must have taken one hell of a whack to bend it I'm amazed the servos survived unscathed. Luckily as i had the spare airframe i could just swap a good arm over and re-adjust the link.

Just goes to show how meticulous you have to be to pick up all the damage after a crash.

 

[D.O.G.]

I discovered a bit more crash damage this evening. I was giving the heli a 'once-over' and noticed that one swash to grip arm link rod was adjusted quite a bit longer than the other. Despite the links being different lengths the tracking was correct, this didn't seem right. On investigation i found that the grip arm itself had been bent in the crash but the damage was only obvious after the arm was removed. This arm is a solid chunk of aluminium, it must have taken one hell of a whack to bend it I'm amazed the servos survived unscathed. Luckily as i had the spare airframe i could just swap a good arm over and re-adjust the link.

Just goes to show how meticulous you have to be to pick up all the damage after a crash.

Good catch Smoogie . Could of been another disaster for your 700X Pre check before flight is always a good thing .

 

[trainrider06]

Hi Rodney, thanks for your words of support. In my case, I think 'pro' is somewhat overstated. This is my first exposure to modelling and lots of stuff is new to me. I've always tried to do the best possible job whenever I've taken something on and part of that is having the right tools. I saved your link to the small tools specialists and will probably seek out something more local if possible for my first step as I always like to look around before buying. I could see at least 20 things that would be great to have in my toolbox 'just in case'

One thing that I've enjoyed about my winter project is sharing the activities here and I suppose that the number of views reflects interest by others, too. I never expected my build to be quick and it was a big boost that the Axon gyro turned up quicker than expected. I think that Steve's inclusion of his build (and unfortunate maiden) has given viewers the fast-track option.

I'm not becoming impatient just yet, however, the wait to get hold of my ESC programming box is a pain. If it doesn't turn up next week I'm going ahead with the next steps. It would be nice to video the maiden using a Soloshot3 but they still haven't released it yet and are hoping to start first deliveries before Xmas, we'll see!

oh shoot Phil rookie modeler or not your a natural, Very nicely laid out and thought of placement of things, the execution of plan bringing great results!
You guys alone with these builds I have heard Align company reps say have boosted their sales 300%! Ok maybe I'm fudging a bit, but really nice info and presentation from two perspectives is a really nice thing to behold!

 

[trainrider06]

Oh boy looks like someone may have a new favorite heli growin on em eh Steve! ......man that thing is so so much more quiet with the belt drive! Really sweet heli! You make it look good Steve!

 

[Smoggie]

Rodney, Yes it is pretty quiet but it's not due to a belt drive because this one is all gears and TT tail drive. The actual drive train is the same as the previous 700L. It's only the new Trex 470 that has gone to belt tail, maybe Align are saving the belt conversion for the next model of 700

 

[Smoggie]

Good catch Smoogie . Could of been another disaster for your 700X Pre check before flight is always a good thing .

I dont think it would have led to another crash. The arm was bent but not to the point where it was likely to snap off. It was a really hard thing to spot, it was just because I'd had to adjust the links to different length that have the game away that something was not quite right. Usually I find that if the two pitch control links are made the exact same length tracking is automatically spot on, in this case it was well out.

 

[Smoggie]

Another four incident free flights today. It was even colder than yesterday so after the four flights with the 700X i called it a day. No sign at all of the previous problem so hopefully I'm just about at the point where I can officially call it 'fixed'. The only issue i am having is that egg shell fragile canopy. The mounting points are fine now that I've added carbon reinforcement, but the 'chin' of the canopy where it flexes as it slides past the battery during installation has a network of tiny cracks and bits of the gelcoat have started flaking off. Fortunately the canopy is white in this location so the damage doesnt look too obvious. When Fusino bring out an aftermarket canopy i'll be first in the queue, the stock one is just too fragile.

I did shoot some video but it's just more of the same old stuff.

 

[D.O.G.]

Another four incident free flights today. It was even colder than yesterday so after the four flights with the 700X i called it a day. No sign at all of the previous problem so hopefully I'm just about at the point where I can officially call it 'fixed'. The only issue i am having is that egg shell fragile canopy. The mounting points are fine now that I've added carbon reinforcement, but the 'chin' of the canopy where it flexes as it slides past the battery during installation has a network of tiny cracks and bits of the gelcoat have started flaking off. Fortunately the canopy is white in this location so the damage doesnt look too obvious. When Fusino bring out an aftermarket canopy i'll be first in the queue, the stock one is just too fragile.

I did shoot some video but it's just more of the same old stuff.

If you can use 700 or 700EX canopy, HeliDirect has canopys on sale. I just ordered one for the 500. It was $99.00 down to $69.00. Check it out. Not just for the 700. Show the videos . They gets me pump up to fly my small/big heli "500" Lol

 

[Heliman450]

Hi Steve, well done............. boring? I could watch lots more. Your camera works very well and you don't jerk your head around like most of the 'cameramen/pilots' I've watched so most important is that my lunch stays where it is when watching

I'd like to see a photo or two of your bent holder, well spotted. I've also been amazed at what can be missed when supposedly checking things carefully.

I just finished checking out my latest video of my 550 with its Spirit pro set to 'coaxial' and using the batteries from my new heater arrangement. It worked very well and improved the battery life quite well although the temperature at the helipad settled out at 11.5 degrees today at 15:15 hrs as the sun was heading off for the day. Next job will be connect up all the cables on my 700X and go through the setup of the Axon. I'm hoping to get that done ready for the weekend but I'll be going along a learning curve on the Bavarian Demon, too.

 

[Smoggie]

According to reports by others canopies from previous versions of the 700 won't fit as they dont have enough clearance for the ESC.

Phil, I've tried to get a decent photo but so far failed to get one that made the bend obvious. It's only about 2mm out of line but that's quite a bit considering the precision that the head has to be set up to. i'll have another go at taking a photo.

 

[Heliman450]

According to reports by others canopies from previous versions of the 700 won't fit as they dont have enough clearance for the ESC.

Phil, I've tried to get a decent photo but so far failed to get one that made the bend obvious. It's only about 2mm out of line but that's quite a bit considering the precision that the head has to be set up to. i'll have another go at taking a photo.

Not to worry Steve. I know what it's like to try and get the best shot from 'nothing'.

 

[Smoggie]

Photos of the bent pitch arm:

You can see the strain marks in line with the weak point where the bolthole is (shown with the arrow):


And the actual bend with a couple of straight lined drawn for reference: