Maxx FBL unit?

[trillian]

Has anyone tried the new Maxx flybarless unit?

I've been reading a bit about it on HF and have read their FB and website. If memory serves I think they said they actually developed it a few years ago but it is only recently being produced and sold.

I will say, in terms of features, there's nothing really unique about it. But for someone like myself where you've been using an older FBL and want to try something new, it might be of interest.

I can only assume that it comes with some kind of USB link or something, but the website is so lacking in detail that it doesn't actually say what you get in the box.

What really caught my attention is they have a prototype programming card, ala the Spartan Datapod.

Having said all that... it may just be a bit too late in the game for a new company to jump on the scene now and survive, so they might just burn out and fade away if they don't get some traction. To this end, it looks like perhaps Lynx might work with them, which would probably get them the profile and credibility they need.

MAXX Pro Flybarless System - Maxxtronik

[bigpops]

I saw it on Raj's site a few days ago, and was immediately surprised at the price.

It's £210. How $188 translates to that price in pounds is beyond me, but nothing surprises me in that regard of late.

Now, I know it has built in rescue, but I just don't see a new unit at that price possibly gaining any traction against Mikado, Brain/Ikon and Spirit, which at a glance, are all cheaper. When you dig into the details, of course the Neo costs more, but on the flip side it just makes the Maxx Pro even more over priced versus the Brain2 and Spirit.

[Grumpy]

Unfortunately I also cant really see it gaining a foot-hold unless they add some more features and reduce the price. Compared to the Brain2 or Spirit it's lacking a few important features, Jeti EXbus and Spektrum SRXL support, transmitter integration and ESC telemetry are all big missings, plus of course it costs significantly more. Other than the very nice looking CNC case and the fact that it's 'something different' I cant see why anyone would take the gamble of an unheard-of brand that cost more and offered less than the more established/trusted brands?

As for the programming card/box. That may have been a nice feature 5 years ago but it's rendered hopelessly obsolete by the transmitter integration that both the Brain2 and Spirit come with, . Why would you want to pay extra for a programming box that you have carry around and plug in whenever you want to change a setting, when you can just do it from your transmitter screen? Even Blutooth interface to your smart phone (which the Brain2 and Spirit also support) leaves the plug-in programming box looking very outdated.

What was mentioned about it being developed a few years ago actually makes total sense. If it has been released a few years ago then it would have been right up there with the best but a few years is a long time in FBL development.

[trillian]

£210 does not make any sense when it can be bought for $188.00 direct from them with free shipping, which makes it a bit cheaper than the Spirit Pro (188.00US would be about £153.00 at today's rates).

I am also a bit pessimistic about the viability of a new FBL coming on to the market now, so we shall see.

I've been using the Spartans pretty much since it came out and just recently got a Spirit but so far I am not massively impressed - it takes a lot more tweaking and as yet still does not fly as good as the Spartan. I'm not giving up yet, but I'm sure not sold on it. So for me, the Maxx looks interesting.

[Grumpy]

I've been using the Spartans pretty much since it came out and just recently got a Spirit but so far I am not massively impressed - it takes a lot more tweaking and as yet still does not fly as good as the Spartan. I'm not giving up yet, but I'm sure not sold on it. So for me, the Maxx looks interesting.

Shame that the Spirit isn't flying to your liking. I've had nothing but good luck with them and for me they fly great for me right out of the box. The default settings are quite 'soft' so for more aggressive flying settings need to be turned up a bit.

In what area is it not flying as you would like?

[trillian]

Well, at the moment the weather has hindered further testing, so if we would have had a bit more summer it may have been sorted by now.

To be fair, it's not miles off. I upped the rotation rates a bit and the last flights were close on the cyclics but I was overshooting the tail. Since then I backed down the rudder rates a bit and haven't had a chance to try it. My hope would be that I'd be able to apply the same mods when setting up the next one.

I don't fly aggressively but I like a very 'crisp' responsive feel.

[Grumpy]

Yes, the rotation rates are quite slow on the Spirit by default but that's a simple thing to adjust. If you want the rudder stop to be more aggressive then just increase the 'Rudder Dynamic' setting that you can find in under the advanced tab, again the stock settings are quite soft which is only sensible as aggressive stops can do damage to helis with fragile drivetrains.

No FBL will meet everyone's personal preference for 'feel' out of the box, but it's all fully tunable. If you contact Tomas on the Spirit forum he'll probably be able to advise some settings that will make the Spirit feel more like a VX1

[trillian]

I just put a post on the forum so we'll see what the response is. Previously I had a post on there a while back when I could not get the wifi link working, so I wanted to get that solved first before asking any more questions.