Trex 550 - Replacement ESC and LiFe or BEC decisions...

[PaulJC]

I need to replace the Talon 90 on my 550 Pro DFC, one of the connections has come loose, i've been flying with it having resoldered it which has been fine and will probably continue to do so but in the real world i need to replace it for peace of mind, i'm thinking of taking advantage of the sales and buying a new ESC of which the CC Edge 100A seems to fit the bill, longer cables to allow better positioning and data logging to keep an eye on things (i already have castlelink) but the BEC doesn't look up to much at just 5A peak...

So this is the dilemma, do i go for a separate BEC the likes of the CC Pro or a small LiFe battery pack...?
What are the pros and cons of going to a battery pack?
Is a 'backup guard' of some kind only really a requirement when running a BEC or also when running a separate pack for the electronics?
Are my servos (Align DS615 & DS655) going to cope with the slightly higher voltage that a LiFe pack will give?

Lots of questions i know but i'm still fairly new to 'big' electrics and there is no point having to buy things twice...

[rugbymud]

You could always look at the Talon 120 , my friend big BEC upto 20amp.
and if it doesn't have logging are you that bothered, after al what you don't know won't hurt you!
i used to run all the telemetry sensors I could on my radio and to be honest I'd rather not know as it made me a nervous wreck!

[PaulJC]

The Talon 120 is an option, but it is also physically quite large and again has the built in bullet connectors which i'd rather avoid if i could, the 730MX motor which comes with the Pro only has short cables so in reality i'd be looking at cable extensions for the motor which i'd rather avoid if i can...

[rugbymud]

730 mx you say, you doz know the current draw on that is 115amps continuous?
youve been living on borrowed time!
i have been changing over to YGE and they are very good they do a 120 lv with a 12a BEC and kicks out up to 8volts!

[Martind]

Give a hobbywing 100a v3 a chance. They have a very good bec now and the gov store works very well
Giantshark had them for £54

[PaulJC]

The 730mx (850kv) is the standard motor supplied with the kit along with the Talon 90, a lot of people do say it's close to the mark but at the moment i'm not flying it too hard so probably in safe territory, it's also another good reason to upgrade now before it lets out the magic smoke one day

[ChrisB]

A club member is running a Jive 80LV on his 550 Dominator with 730MX,It was my heli before he bought it from me,takes a good beating and Jive comes down cold.

Running inbuilt BEC,with heatsink fitted.

Another option maybe.

[Mike Sanders]

I have the same servos on my 600. I use a life receiver pack, 2200 mah, with no trouble.

[PaulJC]

I have the same servos on my 600. I use a life receiver pack, 2200 mah, with no trouble.

Thats good to know, how many flights do you get for your 2200mah? Do you run any kind of backup guard with it?

[PaulJC]

Well, i was ordering stuff from Hobbyking so just added a YEP 120A ESC and a couple of LiFe batteries on to the order to give a try, if that route turns out not to be for me then i've hardly broken the bank

[dwazzer]

I have a Talon 90 that lost one of the built in bullet connectors! I modified and it works perfectly...!!!

If I were you, I would take the connectors out of the ESC and solder wires in their place! It gives you a Talon ESC with wire connectors instead of the built in bullet connectors

Like I say, mine is working perfectly in it's 'Hotliner' Home

Cheers, Dave.

[PaulJC]

I have a Talon 90 that lost one of the built in bullet connectors! I modified and it works perfectly...!!!

If I were you, I would take the connectors out of the ESC and solder wires in their place! It gives you a Talon ESC with wire connectors instead of the built in bullet connectors

Like I say, mine is working perfectly in it's 'Hotliner' Home

Cheers, Dave.

Ha ha, that is actually exactly what i have done to mine

So far so good but i just have doubts in the back of my mind...

[Mike Sanders]

Thats good to know, how many flights do you get for your 2200mah? Do you run any kind of backup guard with it?

I usually change the LIFE after 4 flights but rarely put back more than 800 mah (servos don't take as much power with a flybar). Depending on your fbl unit you should get 5 or 6 five minute flights easily.

You are probably aware that you can't monitor LIFE batteries very well during use because the voltage stays fairly constant at about 6.5 volts until it drops off suddenly at the end. You can really only tell how many flights you will get by measuring the mah that you put back in.

[PaulJC]

It'll be running the new Spirit FBL with twin satellites, 3 x DS615's, 1 x DS655 and a TM1000 telemetry module... The packs i've ordered are 2100mah, if i could get 6 flights that would be ace but i'll aim for 3 at first then take off and charge to get an average before pushing them to far, i'll probably add something like an optiguard too just in case...

[helijohn]

do i go for a separate BEC the likes of the CC Pro or a small LiFe battery pack...?
What are the pros and cons of going to a battery pack?

On that size and up I have almost always gone with an Rx pack and I'm glad I do after the main battery fell out one time.