700 FBL 3G, wicked

[moonmanflyer]

What blades are you running Tim? I see fast lads have those edge blades in stock?

[Tim Procter]

What blades are you running Tim? I see fast lads have those edge blades in stock?

Started with the Align 690D blades. Excellent blade on flybarred helis but no good for FBL use IMO. Way too much elevator bounce for me and no amount of gain reduction got rid of it..

I then tried with some Radix 710mm Stick Bangers. Still too light but was ok.

Changed to some SAB 710mm Red Devils and they work perfect.

Gonna purchase some Edge 690mm FBL specialised blades this week and see how they do..

Weighing 180 grams each they sound as though they could be very useful on this setup.

TBH its almost perfect now and if it never got any better it would suit me fine but alas we keep trying new hardware for the sake of improvement.

[ChrisB]

The trouble is,if info is correct,the user interface for the Align 3g is going to be very limited,there is more likely to be just firmware updates as opposed to full freedom of adjustability like with the CSM,Spartan,Mikado interfaces.

The absolute killer for me was the lack of optimization for your hardware with the Align unit and i preferred my 700 with the flybar to the 3g in every possible way but i prefer the V bar on the 700 in every possible way compared to the flybar.

Also i feel fliers who have just only flown the 3g dont know what they are missing for a true fbl experience which is no fault of theirs because they have nothing to have compared it to apart from the flybar.

To me Align are a jack of all trades,master of none kind of company,meaning their stuff is Ok but whatever it is there are better options on the market albeit maybe dearer but they are better nonetheless.

[Tim Procter]

Also i feel fliers who have just only flown the 3g dont know what they are missing for a true fbl experience which is no fault of theirs because they have nothing to have compared it to apart from the flybar.

Totally agree but the thoughts of needing a laptop at the field to make adjustments just isnt worth the hassle IMO.

Yes I know you can purchase the user gizmo to adjust parameters but how much extra is that to buy.??

Several factors have made me stay away from FBL in the past.

Align brought out the Plug n Play which sounded great to me.

To me Align are a jack of all trades,master on none kind of company.

Master of none maybe Chris.

Tell which heli has won everything in the comps last year.

/ Runs for cover while Chris gets all heated.

[GravityKills]

... but how much extra is that to buy.??
...

the control box is IMO a must-have accessory for the V-Bar. A laptop in the field, it doesn't work for me, sorry.

BTW I have tried the Align stock CF blades on my 700 with the RJX head and V-Bar. They feel somewhat mushy, but are perfectly flyable. But sooner or later, they will have to go.
Now I wonder, how would the Radix FAI blades perform? They are quite a bit heavier.

[ChrisB]

Agree Tim they do win a lot but i suppose its because most people fly them and i feel its the pilot that wins the comp not the machine.

I am a happy Align user myself,i have had more of their stuff than i care to remember i just accept its not the best available but it does the job for me in most cases.

What i do know though is that they have done wonders for our hobby

[Tim Procter]

Agree Tim they do win a lot but i suppose its because most people fly them and i feel its the pilot that wins the comp not the machine.

I am a happy Align user myself,i have had more of their stuff than i care to remember i just accept its not the best available.

What i do know though is that they have done wonders for our hobby

Chris.

You have forgotten more about FBL setups than I know.

I am still trying and learning from others as best I can and hopefully passing on some valuable info along the way.

I honestly listen to blokes like yourself and GravityKills as both of you are well established with this setup.

Anyone who "thinks" they know it all are talking rubbish.

Me, I know I am learning and like my flying... Have a lot more to learn.

GravityKills.

I also looked at those FAI Blades but was thinking at 230 grams each they were "To heavy"

Your thoughts.

[ChrisB]

I have got a lot of my info from Gravitykills also and Mr Mel is a legend for information.

Amen to a steep learning curve,i am still climbing and the top is nowhere in sight

This was supposed to be my year of progressing and stop fiddling but that Beast X system has got me thinking,but i am hoping Andy(acwman) bites first but dont tell him

[moonmanflyer]

Started with the Align 690D blades. Excellent blade on flybarred helis but no good for FBL use IMO. Way too much elevator bounce for me and no amount of gain reduction got rid of it..

I then tried with some Radix 710mm Stick Bangers. Still too light but was ok.

Changed to some SAB 710mm Red Devils and they work perfect.

Gonna purchase some Edge 690mm FBL specialised blades this week and see how they do..

Weighing 180 grams each they sound as though they could be very useful on this setup.

TBH its almost perfect now and if it never got any better it would suit me fine but alas we keep trying new hardware for the sake of improvement.

Let us know how the edge blades go, i too found the 690d's to bouncy, radix 690's alot better but still not perfect, the 710's are almost there, so if the edge blades are good, might give them a go

[Steve]

I also looked at those FAI Blades but was thinking at 230 grams each they were "To heavy"

I'm using those blades and loving them, but then I do have a flybar and you know my preferred style of flying. If you want and intermediate weight blade that doesn't break the bank then have a look at the SAB208s - they're about 210g and 705mm, so in terms of weight fit nicely in between 'normal' Radix and the FAI Radix.

[acwman]

A possible solution is to shorten the arms on the swash servos (I don't own the Align unit, but know how it's done with the V-Bar).
It brings the servos closer to their optimal operation point by trading off more travel range against less torque. With better servo performance, the FBL controller can then act more aggressively without bounce (read: allows more gain).

If your FBL heli doesn't fly a straight line when you leave cyclic centered at high speed, it's an indication that the gain is too low. I suspect that's the case with your heli. If in doubt, crank up the gain and try again - some bounce during a test flight shouldn't matter in a smooth funnel.

That aside, IMO funnels do feel differently on a FBL heli. Don't ask me why, but you get used to it.

Thanks for the tip. I may shorten the arms.. but If I do, the arms to the swash will not be vertical anymore, and look to be at a very weird angle..or should this matter on the 450 sport.

The heli does fly straight in large circuits/ loops as it is now.

As said... with the gain as it now, I reckon it's on around 30% (9 O'clock position on the unit). With the gain cranked higher, I can get into funnels with ease, but it bounces around in the funnel aswell...ie not smooth.

[GravityKills]

on my own HDX-Rex 450 mongrel, the servo arms are 10 mm long, while the blade grip balls on the Outrage head are spaced at 16 mm. On the HDX frame, this even results in almost 90 degree angles.
I'd expect that the ratio 10/16 should be similar on your heli - if the servo arms are much longer, relative to the blade grip balls, it might be worth an attempt to shorten them.

[acwman]

Thanks for that..

Will be shortening the servo arms to 10mm tonight.. and maybe hopefully get some flights with it later this week.

[Arwel]

My plastic ball links rub against my servos when the stick is at full diagonal, does anybody have the same issues?

[J3DI]

My plastic ball links rub against my servos when the stick is at full diagonal, does anybody have the same issues?

Which swash servos in particular Arwel? Haven't noticed it on mine, although I did replace the balls for longer standoffs on the elevator arm to make the links to the servo parallel with the frame.