Hurricane 550 buiding thread

[eddiemoth]

Well...Steve pointed last year and what has been holding me up was no US dealer carrying it. This morning, I dropped by at Aeromicro and it is here in CA. I am seriously looking at it and reading about it. Does anybody know there is any issue or anything I should know about this heli? It is not too big but it is a step up for me from Trex450. I can use my existing two 3 cell lipo packs. I saw it - the only thing that I don't like is the Z tail servo push rod but I think that can be mod to have the tail servo installed on the boom.

Owner manual PDF (http://www.skyhobbies.com.sg/HURRICANE_550/Hurricane550_manual.pdf)

FEATURES:
* Almost Ready to Fly, ready in 30 minutes!
* Complete with Brushless motor and 50 amp ESC
• CCPM control system
• Uses 2 2100 3S T-Rex size LiPo Batteries!
• Belt driven tail rotor
• Plastic components made from Dupont aviation engineering plastic for light weight and outstanding durability
• 2 stage gearing for outstanding power
• Full ball bearing equipped
• Full 3D aerobatic capability
• Designed for use with all standard RC gear

SPECIFICATION:
* Overall length: 1060mm (41.73”)
* Main rotor diameter: 1110mm (43.30”)
* Tail rotor diameter: 222mm (8.74”)
* Tail Blade length: 80mm
* Rotor head assembly: CCPM control system
* Motor: 180 size brushless as standard
• Gear Ratio: 5.4:24.5:1:4.36
* Flying weight: 1900g (4.25-4.50lbs)
Note: Weight will vary depending on size of battery pack and R/C gear used
* Flying duration: 6~8 minutes with 2- 2100 3S 11.1v Li-Po batteries
• Complete with Main and Tail rotor blades.

http://www.ezfly.se/Hurricane_chassie_new.jpg

http://www.rc-expert.com/plane/images/h-hurricane-550-kit/b7.JPG

http://www.rc-expert.com/plane/images/h-hurricane-550-kit/b6.JPG

http://www.rc-expert.com/plane/images/h-hurricane-550-kit/b8.JPG

http://www.rc-expert.com/plane/images/h-hurricane-550-kit/b4.JPG

[eddiemoth]

Does anybody have any experience with this online store? http://advantagehobby.com

[G-MRM]

One of our members is flying his one now, I will ask him to post his thoughts !!!

Nigel......

[eddiemoth]

Thanks, Martin. Also, I like to hear about his set up as well. It seems like a decent heli but it is good to hear from a non biased pilot especially our member.

[swatson144]

It's one I'm interested in also, but it looks like Eddie linked to the Hurricane 50 manual. :) . 600mm blades is a bit larger than I want. I think the 550 runs a choice of 500mm or 550mm though I don't know what root size is needed.

It sure is nice to run 2X 2100 3s for economy if the thing will give decent flight times, but I suspect much larger than 400mm blades and it'll be short flights on 2100 6S or 3S2P. Just a suspicion but both my 400mm get me about 10mins a flight with plenty reserve. So it's possible to get 6 probably. I'll be watching here too!

Steve

[G-MRM]

Yes Nigel has the 30 size and that's the point, if you fly a 450 class and have two good Li-Po packs you have a start on this heli and will keep the cost down till you can buy some more !

[eddiemoth]

Steve, I'll lkeep looking for the manual some more. I read other forums and people including myself seem to get confused between the two when you don't attention to the number.

For Advantagehooby, it seems to be a very good online store - they give 5% for the first time buyer and then they have club member discounts. The membership is free. Their price seems to be comparable to Grandrc and they said they would match the price if you see anywhere cheapper. However, they don't have Hurricane 550 in stock yet when I called and they said it will be any time within two weeks. I hope they are good so we can have another good store to deal with.

Aeromicro has it in stock but their website is down - they sell it for $360 for the ARF Kit with motor, ESC, and BEC and I can always pick one up at the store - it is only about 2 miles from where I work.

For the fight time, I talked to the guy at Aeromicro he said that you only get 6 or 7 min for the 2X 2100 3s for the stock set up and normal fight.


My prelimanry part list
1 - stock motor and ESC and BEC
2 - 3 S9252 for swash
3 - 1 S9254 for tail
4 - GY401
5 - I am not sure about RX. Any recomendation?
6- I'll set up the tail servo on the boom - so I'll need some parts for it

[swatson144]

5 - I am not sure about RX. Any recomendation?
Heck I'd probably put a Berg7 on it. I love those things!

6-7 mins would be about what I suspected on 2100s. I'm kinda wondering if maybe it's getting about the right size for 7S emoli? or are they set up as 3s2p?

Steve

[G-MRM]

Have a look at this full UK review, sure went down well here !!!

"So how do I feel about this model overall? I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that it is probably one of the best small helicopters I have tried"

http://www.trextuning.com/ep550.php


Martin

[swatson144]

Thanks Martin, That answered a lot of Q's for me. It is running as 6s which I like better than 3S2P as I don't really like paralleling packs much.

It's a little large for what I want (no secret there I like .15 sized electrics). I guess I'll just keep waiting for another that spins around 400mm blades with out being as pricey as the EP8, VE, FS, etc.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

5 - I am not sure about RX. Any recomendation?
Heck I'd probably put a Berg7 on it. I love those things!

6-7 mins would be about what I suspected on 2100s. I'm kinda wondering if maybe it's getting about the right size for 7S emoli? or are they set up as 3s2p?

Steve

Hi Steve,
The one that they test fly at the shop set up with 3s2p. I think that the stock ESC can only take 3s to 6s. Well...I'll think about it later when I need to go more than 6s. I still have my Xtrema and that can go up to 10s if I have to.

Do you mean this one? I don't have a Berg before. Is it a PCM?
http://j.b5z.net/i/u/2031093/i/berg7p.jpg

One more question for the experts? If I use a Berg 7 or Futaba R146iP, is BEC necessary? I don't have BEC on both my Trex and MX400 and don't seem to have any problem.

Martin, on that note - I am going to pick one up tomorrow. With 90% assembled, I probably can get everything set up in two weekends. That one of the good thing.

[eddiemoth]

Hi Steve here is the manual from Infinity-hobby. You have to download it and unzip. It is not in PDF.

http://www.infinity-hobby.com/main/images/heli/550ep/menual.zip

http://www.eflypower.com/download/ep550-new.jpg

.

[G-MRM]

Wow Eddie you getting in with the big boys toys !! ha ha

I recon you will like it for sure ! It is nice to fly with some wind in the garden and not be always correcting it and thinking 'should I land'

I have asked Nigel again to post, He was removed when we were hacked !

Re BEC depends on what ESC you use and if it has a 3 amp BEC within it. In Uk some high voltage ESC don't have BEC or at high cell counts you can't use them. We don't have that Rx here so can't comment.

Martin

Martin

[swatson144]

Hello eddie, No the Berg7 is not PCM (and yes the picture is of it) it is DSP which means digital signal processing. Basically a computer on board throws out any signal that shouldn't be there as noise. A part of that also happens to be TSR transmitter signal recognition, it picks up the timing of your TX pulses and will ignore a tx on the same chan and farther away.
More here http://www.castlecreations.com/products/berg_7-channel.html
It's not hype, it works. Full range micro RX.

On the BEC a 3A linear is marginal at best on 3S. Most of the people complaining about ESC heat are actually complaining about the BEC's heat. Here is how it breaks down. Let's say you pull 1.5A on the electronics, and have a 3A linear BEC. A 3A would be (IXE=P 3AX5V=15W) a 15W device. Now the simple formula for figuring how much power a LR disipates as heat stepping down the voltage is Vin-Vout X I=P. So 11.1-5*1.5=9.15 so a device that can dissipate 15W total is using 9.15W as wasted heat just to step down the voltage at that current. The gear is consuming 7.5W (still assuming 1.5A) so with out really good cooling you are in a heat dissipation deficit at 1.5A on 3s. Depending on the LR used you are headed for it's thermal cutoff temp. If that temp is reached the LR shuts off until it cools leaving you without control. Different servos pull different power and very few times will the manufacturers share the working current with us.

Yep a Switching BEC is your buddy. I also don't use one on the X400 but I'm running S3110 servos that aren't exactly power hungry. If I were to switch to HS65 etc I'd probably put a switching BEC on it for some safety margin. It gets hot here!

Steve

[eddiemoth]

As always great info! Thanks Steve.

[eddiemoth]

OK - I picked up a Hurricane 550 kit from Aeromicro at lunch time today - he dropped the price to $349.

Items included in the kit:

1- A 10 page English owner manual and a one page addendum. I scanned through it., It is pretty clear with more pictures than text. You wouldn't need th manual as much unless you plan to reassemble the kit all over again.
2 - A bag of parts: skids, flybar paddles and cable tie for battery
3 - Decal (not every impressive one). I'll learn how to pain the canopy and put HeliTown sticker on. So it does not matter to me.
4 - A completely assembled frame and head set - The material looks very strong and good quality. One of the good things is there is almost no slop on any part connection but every moving part is moving freely.
5 - A box of ESC, motor and pinion. I don't find any ESC or motor connectors provided in the box. So make sure you buy them. The GUI ESC is 50A and for 3s to 6s only.
6 - A bag of tail blades, vertical and horizontal fins.
7 - A white plastic canopy - it is not painted like the picture above
8 - A completely assembled tail boom with the tail assembly and boom support - even the belt was installed.
9 - A pair of woody blades
10 - A RX antenna tube
11 - A tail servo pushrod

That is all in the box. There is no extra screws or tools included.

Hurricane 550 Kit

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricaneinthebox.jpg

Hurricane 550 frame and head set
http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550frameandhead.jpg

The included ESC and Motor
http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550motorandESC.jpg

Boom and tail set
http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550tail.jpg

The while plastic canopy
http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550whitecanopy.jpg

Now - I need to look for electronics and start to put them up a little here and there until I get the electronics.

[eddiemoth]

While I am still working on ordering the electronics from Heli Direct, I began to put it together just to see how it looks.

First step, I installed the skids. The screws go from the bottom up. Note: you need to place the washer between the back skids and the frame. There is no washer for the front skids.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550installskids1.jpg

Second step, i installed the boom, hooked up the belt and made sure I get the correct tension and not twisted the belt by checking the tail blades.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550Belt.jpg

Third step, I attached the boom support to the frame.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550Boom~0.jpg

Just to put the canopy on.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550Canopy.jpg

Next, getting the motor ready for installation. I am supposed to solder the connectors first before installation. I am going to install it without the connectors just to see how things go first.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550Motorandpinion.jpg

To install the motor, do not install the pinion first. You will have to remove it back like I did because yout pinion is bigger than the hold on the motor holder.

So first step is to remove the motor holder from the frame. There are four screws from the side of the frame.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550Batterystand.jpg

Take the motor holder out.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550motorholder.jpg

Then, install the pinion between the motor and the motor holder. The short end is the front going toward the shaft. Make your motor wires are on the right (facing the helicopter) because your ESC will be on the right side too.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550motorandpinion2.jpg

You need to get the correct mesh before you can install the motor holder back to the frame. It is more difficult than other helis like Trex or other helis where you can adjust the mesh on the frame and screw the motor at one step. With the Hurricane 550, you have to put the motor with the motor holder into the position and manually adjust to get the correct mesh AND then take the motor with the motor holder (make sure you don't let the motor move or you have to do it again) and then tighten the motor screws to the holder. It is helpful if you mark it on the motor holder with a maker so you know where your motor should stand to get the mesh you want.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550motorinstalled.jpg

Then, I installed the vertical and horizontal fins. The horizontal fin is very small compared to other helis.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550verticalfin.jpg

Then, I stalled the tail blades. Here is the picture of the tail blades from the top

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550tailfromthetop.jpg

This is what I got so far. As you can see, I have not gotten the flybar paddles installed yet.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550Sofar.jpg

Here is the Hurricane 550 next to Trex 450 S side by side

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550nexttoTrex450.jpg

I just wanted to see how much the different in weight between the two paddles. It is only a fraction different! The left paddle weighs 17.7 g and the right weighs 17.8. Not a biggy - i just added a small piece of clear tape and they are perfectly balanced!

Left paddle weighs 17.7
http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550flybarpaddleLeft.jpg

Right Paddle weighs 17.8

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550flybarpaddleRight.jpg

Just to sum up so far, here are the pictures of my Hurricane 550:

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550_045canopy2.jpg

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550withcanopy.jpg

[eddiemoth]

My electronics came today from Heli Direct (www.helidirect.com) - great service and great price. I always have a peace of mind when I order from Heli Direct. Steve, Sean, Larry, etc. are very helpful and if you hate calling (which I do), you can use their Help Desk ticket to ask questions. They would answer your e-mail or your Help Desk questions almost instantly even on a holiday. I paid on Wednesday and everything got to my door on Friday. That is awesome!

3 Futaba S9252

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550Servo9252.jpg

Futaba S9252 spec and detail information

This is the Futaba S9252 Digital High Torque, All-Purpose F3C Servo
with High-Current Wire Lead and "J" Connector Pre-Installed.

This servo can produce high-current draw from your batteries.
If using NiMH or LiPo batteries, make sure they are capable
of delivering sufficient amps.

FEATURES: Digitally enhanced microprocessors cut about 1/2 the esponse time from transmitter input to servo reaction.
Coreless motor
Dual ball bearings on the output shaft
Plastic/nylon gear train
Moderately high speed
High current, high capacity wire lead with low resistance
Case is made of black plastic
Dust and water resistant (Not waterproof)
Works well with all control surfaces on F3C helicopters or precision
fixed wing aircraft.
One year warranty

INCLUDES: One Digital All Purpose Servo w/Small Round Horn
Four Rectangular Grommets
Four Brass Bushings
Four Mounting Screws
One Large Round Horn
One Six Arm Horn

SPECS: Speed: .14 sec/60 degrees (based on 4.8V rating)
Torque: 92 oz-in (6.6 kg-cm) (based on 4.8V rating)
Weight: 1.8 oz (50g)
Power Supply: 4.8V (Futaba does not recommend using 6V)
Length: 1.6" (41mm)
Width: .8" (20mm)
_ Height: 1.5" (38mm)

COMMENTS: S9252 Digital Servo Precautions,
-It is best to avoid long leads and Y-harnesses especially with
standard grade wires. If problems are encountered, consider using
heavy duty wire such as Futaba's Heavy Duty Series or Hobbico's
Pro Series ,minimizing lead lengths, and/or removing Y-harnesses.
-Current Drain: Futaba S9252 Servo is specially designed for high-
torque and high-speed, therefore very high current drain is
normal at startup. For ultimate performance when using this servo,
please review the following points.
(1) Always use a 4.8V NiCd battery. Dry cells are rated at 1.5V
each making the overall voltage 6.0V which will damage the gyro.
(2) When using systems with the battery fail safe function it has
a higher cut-off voltage setting which will cause shorter
operation time.
(3) When installing the servo please check pushrod linkage to make
sure there is no binding in order to prevent excessive power
consumption and decrease the life of the motor and battery.
When Used With GY501 Gyro:
Switch the GY501 servo frame rate function (Frm) from "NOR" to
"High" to display the performance of the gyro to the fullest.
Setting Method:
(1) Press the GY501 FUNC+ or - key to call the Servo Frame Rate
Setup Screen.
(2) Press the DATA+ or - key to display "High".
This digital servo cannot be used with the following * AM *
transmitters as the servo neutral signal is: 1310us).
CONQUEST AM, FG Series (T4FG, T5FGK,T6FG, T6FGK, T7FGK), New Terra-
top, T3EGX, T3PGE, T2NL, T2LGX, T2FR, T2PK series.
**** Otherwise they will work fine with current AM systems *****

An explanation of Coreless motors, a conventional servo motor has a
steel core armature wrapped with wire that spins inside the
magnets. In a Coreless design, the armature uses a thin wire mesh
that forms a cup that spins around the outside of the magnet
eliminating the heavy steel core. This design is much lighter
resulting in smoother operation and faster response time.

1 Futaba S9254 and Futaba R146iP

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550servo9254.jpg

Futaba S9254 Details:
This is the Futaba S9254 Digital Coreless High Torque,
High Speed Helicopter Gyro Servo with J Connector.

This servo can produce high-current draw from your batteries.
If using NiMH or Li-Po batteries, make sure they are capable
of delivering sufficient amps.

FEATURES: Coreless motor for reduced weight and high-speed response
Digitally enhanced microprocessors cut in half the response time
from transmitter input to servo reaction
Dual ball bearing gear train
Dust and water resistant-not water proof
Black plastic case
One year warranty

INCLUDES: One S9254 Digital Coreless High Torque High Speed Helicopter Servo
One round servo wheel, one 6 arm servo horn, one four arm servo
horn, four grommets, four mounting screws and four rubber mounts.

SPECS: Speed: 0.06 sec/60 deg @ 4.8V
Torque: 47.2 oz-in @ 4.8V
Length: 1.6" (41mm)
Width: .8" (20mm)
Height: 1.4" (36mm)
Weigth: 1.7 oz (49g)
Power Supply: 4.8V (Futaba does NOT recommend using 6V)

COMMENTS: S9254 Digital Servo Precautions,
-It is best to avoid long leads and Y-harnesses especially with
standard grade wires. If problems are encountered, consider using
heavy duty wire such as Futaba's Heavy Duty Series or Hobbico's
Pro Series,minimizing lead lengths, and/or removing Y-harnesses.
-Current Drain: This digital servo is specially designed for high-
torque or high-speed, therefore very high current drain is normal
at startup. For ultimate performance when using this servo please
review the following points.
1. Radio systems with the Battery Fail Safe function have a
higher cut-off voltage setting which will cause shorter
operation time.
2. When installing the servo, please check pushrod linkage to
make sure there is no binding in order to prevent excessive
power consumption and decrease the life of the motor and
battery.

A note on coreless motors. A conventional servo motor has a steel
core armature wrapped with wire that spins inside the magnets. In
a coreless design, the armature uses a thin wire mesh that forms a
cup that spins around the outside of the magnet eliminating the
heavy steel core. This design results in smoother operation and
faster response time.

This servo is rated as high-torque for helicopter gyro applications,
the rating would not be considered high-torque for airplane control
surface or monster truck steering applications.

This digital servo cannot be used with the following * AM *
transmitters as the servo neutral signal is: 1310us.
CONQUEST AM, FG Series (T4FG, T5FGK,T6FG, T6FGK, T7FGK), New Terra-
top, T3EGX, T3PGE, T2NL, T2LGX, T2FR, T2PK series.

***** Otherwise they will work fine with current AM systems *****
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For RC 146ip Receiver, you need a Futaba FM Receiver Crystal Short like the one below http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/FM_Receiver_Crystal.jpg

Servo Futaba S9254 with rubber cushion and brase. I am going to use this for the tail.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/normal_Hurricane550Servo9254a.jpg

[eddiemoth]

The first step is to install servos is to first set your radio model set up to all neutral. For Futaba 9C, I just copied a model from one of my helicopter models, gave it a new name and then set everything to neutral. For example, Pitch Curve to all 50% and Throttle Curve to all 50%, all subtrims to all 0, etc.

The 2nd step is to install servos into the frame. Hurricane 550 is designed perfectly for Futaba Servos. I use S9252 and S9254. They are perfectly fit with absolutely no adjustment. Bob White said in his video that Hitec servos are also fit perfectly. However, if you use other servos like DX7, a little adjustments need to be made. It is really a piece of cake installing Futaba servos. You don't have to open up the frame or unscrew anything. So I installed all for servos right now into the frame before doing the linkages.

By reading around, because of the offset servo arm bell crank installing linkages will be a little bit difficult than other helis. So I watched Bob's videos and there are a few things that I picked up from the vidoes. So I would recommend that you watch Bob White video on this to get some ideas though he may not be setting the same servos as yours. It will help you a bit. For your convenience, I put links here to the two servo installing videos. You need to register with Helifreak to watch the video. Once you are registered you can watch the video from here.

VIDEO: Servo Install and Setup (85 Megs) (http://video.helifreak.com/?subpath=finless/hurricane550&filename=servos.wmv)

VIDEO: Servo Setup using JR large servo wheels (25 Megs) (http://video.helifreak.com/?subpath=finless/hurricane550&filename=servos1.wmv)

2nd step is to install the three servos into the frame.

Here we go, it is not difficult to install the servo into the frame as said above.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550servosinstalled.jpg

After installing the servos into the frame, you can start assemble the linkage and decide which servo horn you would like to use.

In the owner manual they provided the measurements of the linkages but I don't seem to make sense of them as all my measurements are different. I am not sure why.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550servolinkages.jpg

I wanted to use the wheel like in the owner manual but then when I weighed the wheel and compared it to the one of the long star horns, the wheel is 5 times heavier than the star horn. I see some people used the star horns. So I decided to try to make use of the horns first. If they do not work, then I will use the wheel horns.

Note: As said earlier, installing the servo linkages and get everything perfect (binding free) is quite a challenge! Take your time and be patient.

Bob White suggested to use one of the bell crank as a template to drill the servo wheel and get both linkages at the same length. I looked at the manual, they provided a template for wheel horn as well. However, the template on the owner manual does not suggest the off set on the servo horn. If you don't have an off set on the horn, you need to get your off set with your linkages which I decided to try first.

Negative Comments: This is something that I don't like about Hurricane 550 so far. I don't see why GAUI has to design the servo mechanism with this off set. I wish they will change this desing in the future. Another thing I see as potential problems or difficulties is most of the head linkages are not adjustable. This will be a challenge later when you set up your pitch. Bob While suggest that you covert some of the nonadjustable to adjustable linkages. I would agree with Bob and I wish that GAUI change this design as well.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550Aileronservo.jpg

I took me a lot of hours (well I am a slow person) to get all the linkages installed with the best I can and get the swash level. It is already hard to get to linkages to be exactly the same length (one turn can be too much or too little) let a lone to add the off set into it.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550Aileronservo.jpg

Getting the swash level when you are at middle stick with 0 pitch.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550swashplate.jpg

Next step, I'll work on my tail servo and the linkage.

[eddiemoth]

Wow Eddie you getting in with the big boys toys !! ha ha

I recon you will like it for sure ! It is nice to fly with some wind in the garden and not be always correcting it and thinking 'should I land'


I got a good impression of the kit so I hope I'll like it. It is the right side for my yard - not too big and not too small. I heard a rumor that Trex 500 will not be cheap. It will be about the same price as Lepton so this is kind of reasonable for me to start with for now. So I'll give it a try.


Re BEC depends on what ESC you use and if it has a 3 amp BEC within it. In Uk some high voltage ESC don't have BEC or at high cell counts you can't use them. We don't have that Rx here so can't comment.

The manual says the build in BEC is intended for hovering. This may work for me right now. But it a BEC does not cost much, so I may just get one for it or use a 4.8V battery for RX. The guy at Aeromicro set up his with no BEC but with a 4.8V battery for the RX.

[eddiemoth]

It seems like Hurricane 550 handles winds pretty good. Of course it is depending on the pilot's skills and there is no way I can handle the wind like that.

http://www.ezfly.se/Video/hurricane_storm_web.wmv

[eddiemoth]

I just wanted to add a link it a headspeed calculator for Hurricane 550.

http://www.ezfly.se/hscalc.htm

[eddiemoth]

My first problem with Hurricane 550 set up. The ESC does not seem to work when the power is connected and the motor does not respond.

Here is my ESC, RC, Battery, BEC and motor wiring in case anybody can spot anything wrong. All 4 servo working OK when I connected the power either via a 4.8 battery or via BEC. The only things don't seem to work are ESC and Motor. Any hints as to what I should check?

The picture below, I tried to connect it with the ESC to chan 3 - it did not work and I tried to connect it with the BEC to chan 3 - it still does not work.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550wiringcomponents.jpg

[swatson144]

Sounds like you need to reverse the throttle channel so the ESC will arm?

You can probably slip the remote gain pin from the gyro into the bec plug to make things simple with a 6ch RX.

Nice looking build. I'm getting servo envy. That has to be the longest lived pair of Apex packs ever! Mine lived a long and blessed life also.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

Thanks Steve. I already have the throttle channel reverse.

[swatson144]

Hmmm well Aaah did you try it not reversed? Stupid question, but one must ask.

Other than that try it each way with the throttle trims down if not then try it with a bunch of subtrim also to rule out it not seeing 0 throttle.

Does that ESC make any sounds?

Steve

[eddiemoth]

Hmmm well Aaah did you try it not reversed? Stupid question, but one must ask.

Other than that try it each way with the throttle trims down if not then try it with a bunch of subtrim also to rule out it not seeing 0 throttle.

Does that ESC make any sounds?

Steve

Hi Steve, I did all the above and it still did not work. The ESC does not make sound at all. It does not seem to get any power as it is still cold though I left it connected with the battery for a while. Once I plug in a servo to the receiver, the servo was working.

[swatson144]

If the ESC is opto isolated (it'll have no internal BEC if so) and you unplugged the red wire that could also be an explanation. Opto isolated requires power from the RX vice supplying it.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

I have not removed the red wire yet. That problem might be surrounding the BEC and ESC wiring, as the only difference from other helis I set up is the BEC wiring.

I know that the GAUI ESC has an internal BEC as it is stated in the owner manual when they suggest for an external BEC for digital servos.

Just a silly question in case there is how. How do you know if your ESC has Opto without having to read the manual? You have seen some of my negative comments about Hurricane 550. There are a few things I don't like and this is another thing - lacking info. If you checked their website - they are all in...I am not even sure what language it is in. :)


You can probably slip the remote gain pin from the gyro into the bec plug to make things simple with a 6ch RX.

Steve

How? BEC plug already has three pins. I am thinking about using a Y harness for ESC and BEC into chan 3 and leave chan 4 and 5 for GY401. Which way is better?

[swatson144]

The BEC doesn't have a signal so odds are pretty good that the sig wire is doing nothing (most likely just used a premade servo connector with 3 wires) . I've never seen one with 3 wires, though. You can plug it in either way with the same results.

You are in an area I have never visited. in HV usage all of my ESCs have been opto and no internal BEC. I don't think I've ever even seen anyone plug a ESC with internal BEC into 6S, nor have I seen a HV ESC that wasn't opto.

Probably by the time you see this you will have stopped by on the way home and gotten answers. Your wiring looks fine other than you need both the BEC and ESC plugged in at the same time. (redwire thing again).

Steve

[G-MRM]

Well just for me.... would you plug the ESC into CH5 say and plug a servo into Ch3 where you had the ESC connected.

This will test if you getting power from the BEC thats in the ESC and seeing if the throttle channel is working. You DO have the motor out of mesh, sorry jusy have to ask !!

If the servo works in the throttle ch it would look like a ESC problem I think.....

Martin

[swatson144]

We'll have to wait a bit. Eddies a late sleeper and doesn't get up until about 3pm your time :lol:

He's probably hitting the snooze button right now.

Steve

[G-MRM]

I hope Eddie don't mind but I just need to go to basics and see what is working !!

He will be up soon after a few hits of the snooze button ! 1:47 pm here so onlt 5:47 Hayward where our other office is, down the road to Eddie !

[eddiemoth]

Hi Martin and Steve, I woke up early in the morning (taking a day off today) at 10:00 AM and wanted to try it one more time before I am taking the whole thing to Aeromicro for them to check the ESC for me. I soldered back the ESC red wire to do Martin's test by plugging ESC in chan 6/B and plugging a servo in chan 3, the servo did not respond. So your test concluded that it was not ESC. I then had some hope. I then tried to plug BEC in chan 6/B and plugged ESC in chan 3, you guess what? The motor responded for the first time! Steve is right - this GAUI ESC requires power. Again, you both are awesome! You saved me from making a 35 mile trip to Aeromicro. I am going to buy a Y harness to have both BEC and ESC for chan 3. I hope it works.

For those who buy a Hurricane 550 - you are left in the dark to figure out this yourself as there seem no clear information as to which ESC has an internal BEC and which does not. On the manual, it is stated "the built in BEC is made for general cruising and hovering, if you are using digital servos......,external receiver battery is strongly recommended." This led me to believe that there is an internal BEC in my ESC. Also someone told me that if the the ESC comes with a separate GAUI BEC, then there is no internal BEC and if it comes without a separate BEC, then the ESC has an internal BEC. Mine does not come with separate BEC and it does not have an internal BEC either OR (big OR) my LHS pulled separate BECs from the kits for selling them separately!

[swatson144]

I'm glad it's working! It seems that manuals cost about as much as designing the item and the trend has been less and less information, and more warnings. So Gaui isn't alone. The last few items I have bought were sans any info. Even with Castle Creations the bulk of the instructions are how to program. I bought my 1st HV ESC from them and plugged it into the Casle Link USB programer just like all my other Phoenixes and nothing! Hooked a 6S pack up to it and nothing...finally unplugged from the USB gadget and powered it up on the mains then plugged it into the link and I had it programming. That would be a nice detail to have in the pamplet. :roll: Heck I may have that backwards as there isn't anything to check with.

Don't matter much to me as who reads the corrections any way? out of the last 2 helis I bought I have 2 pages of instructions :shock: Oops I take that back the Lama came with more instructions than the 2 before it. I forgot about the lama.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

....out of the last 2 helis I bought I have 2 pages of instructions :shock: Oops I take that back the Lama came with more instructions than the 2 before it. Steve

Steve, that is because of the Chineses scripts. :lol: I think manufacturers know well enough that we all will help each other to figure out regardless of they are providing information or not. Sometimes I feel like we are all in a contract providing support services for their customers day and night except they are getting the profits and we are getting statifactions by helping each other :).

[eddiemoth]

Continue setting up. So I got the Y harness for the ESC and BEC and I plug both of them into chan 3 leaving chan 4 and 5 for the GY401. Everything is working fine so far.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550Yharness.jpg


Next step is to program the ESC. I heard Bob White said that there are new instructions online somewhere on how to program ESC but for now I followed the instructions in the manual. There are not much you have to do based on the manual:

(not in the manual)
Set up the Throttle Curve to a linear line 0,25,50,75.
Remove the motor pinion or take it off the frame.
---------------
Setting up throttle curve initiation:

I - Move the throttle stick to the max position
II- Turn on TX
III- Connect the battery to the ESC
IV- The motor will acknowledge by beeping b, b, b, b, b, b (6 times)
V- Move the throttle stick to the min position
VI- The motor will beep b, b, b, b (4 times)

Then the ESC programing will enter the new step for setting up battery management system. I don't do anything here as I want to keep the default setting which is for "standard discharge protection for Li-Po battery." The other optoin is "5V cut-off protection for Ni-MH." So I just wait until ESC enters the flying mode programing (next step).

Programming flying mode:

There are 4 options:
Aircraft (default) (bb-b),
Glider (bb-bb),
Helicopter without governor (bb-bbb) and
Helicopter with governor (bbb-bbb).

I wanted to set it up with Helicopter Without Governor. So when the motor beeps bbb-bbb, I just pulled the throttle stick all the way to the max position. Then pulled the throttle stick back to the min position to confirm. That was all for setting up ESC based on the provided instructions in the manual. After the confirmation (b, b, b, b),disconnect the battery.

----------------------------
Just to test the ESC, motor, BEC and mattery set up to see if it works ok without servos and main rotor blades on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgkpNbcH0H0

[eddiemoth]

After testing without servos hooked up, I then tested with all servos connected. I realized that my Aileron and Elevator servo directions need to be changed. This is something I should have checked when I set up the servos initially! I copied the radio model from my Trex450 and I thought everything is the same as the Trex450 servos positions are similar. I am wrong you. Here we go the is the price I have to pay because of I was guessing. I need to work on these two servo directions before I can proceed to other steps. But my pitch and rudder servos seem to be working fine.

OK - there is no more guessing:
AIL = NOR
ELE = REV
THR = REV
RUD = REV
GYR = REV
PIT = REV

For my Futaba TX.

Everything seems to be working fine so far.

[eddiemoth]

For the new plastic canopy, it seems like I have to cut where the arrows are to get some clearance for Aileron and Pitch ball links. They are not touching but they are very closed to the canopy. So I think it is a good idea to cut them like we do to Trex 450.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550canopybeforecutting.jpg

[eddiemoth]

Well...everybody knows that I am impatient. There were still things I needed to refine but I was eager to see my Hurricane 550 flying. So I was prepared for the first test yesterday evening after work. But tt was so windy that it almost blew my Hurricane away when I stood it on the ground. So this morning, I woke up a little early and tried to fly test my Hurricane for the first time. cmaxim was excited as I was and took some pictures to share. I still need to check the pitch range, balance blades, oil all the bearings and linkages, cutting the canopy, etc. I am sure by this weekend I can make a first Hurricane 550 video. I got it up for about 5 minutes. My first impression it was great! It is stable but less precise than Trex450. I know I can't compare it to Trex450 but I don't have any other helicopter experience to compare to. Overall, I am sure that Hurricane 550 does not disappoint me and it will give me a new experience of a 550 size helicopter.

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550Firsttest1.jpg

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550Firsttest2.jpg

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550Firsttest3.jpg

[G-MRM]

Well Eddie glad the ESC and BEC were sorted and more this point you got a test flight in !! Well done !!

Yes you can't look at the Rex 450 and a 30 size in the same way. Both are good but you will soon find the bigger heli is nice to fly once you use to it not going everywhere at top speed !!!

I tend to fly the larger models more like a real model, towards scale flying but I am not that good yet !

Canopy on pic next and a video too please.

Martin

[eddiemoth]

Hi Martin,
The more I fly it, the more I like the big heli. That is why they say bigger is better :lol: I got about 5 minutes this morning before going to work. So I flew it with the canopy on. Just like others say, I think Hurricane 550 is a little tail heavy. The boom is long. I have not installed the servo on the boom yet but it seems like it is going to be hard to keep it ballanced. I have pushed the batteries to the front as far as could and still I had to use a lot of elevator trim and stick to keep balanced. I'll continue to refine little things here and there. The Z push rod works just fine - The tail pitch range is more than plenty. I only use about 80% of travel for the tail pitch. The tail is so strong. I'll see if I can get a video this weekend.

Some pictures to share:

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550testflying6.jpg

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550Testflying1.jpg

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550testflying2.jpg

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550testflying3.jpg

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550testflying4.jpg

http://www.helitown.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10006/Hurricane550testflying5.jpg

[eddiemoth]

Just want to keep a link here for longer ball links. These are needed to remedy the short servo link rods (not enough threads when to extend the link rods)

http://www.infinity-hobby.com/main/images/heli/Raptor/color/_PV0041.jpg
http://www.infinity-hobby.com/main/product_info.php?cPath=32_82&products_id=1007

[eddiemoth]

The first Hurricane 550 Video on HeliTown! I went out early this morning (well...not quite about 10:30 am) for cmaxim to video tape it. I had a little rough landing. Over all it was great - very smooth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4NRIiGSb0A

[eddiemoth]

Well...I bought my Hurricane kit for $350 from Aeromicro and I thought it was cheap. Now HeliDirect sells it for $260 here http://www.helidirect.com/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=3703

I am not sure if the kit comes with the motor and ESC though. I am checking with Steve. If it includes the motor and ESC, this is really an awesome deal.

[swatson144]

I saw the same thing but it says "kit only no electronics" so I figured not. How much "pop" does the stock motor have? If it's not so great I'd as soon buy the bare kit and put a HV45 with a good motor in it. Before I got the BPE I thought replacing stock motors was almost manditory. This could also have a good motor.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

Hi Steve. You maybe right: it is almost to good to be true if he includes the ESC and motor in the kit for that price. I sent him a question yesterday through his Help Desk ticket to clearify. Because I am not doing anything more than just hover and slow FF here and there, I feel that the stock motor is fine for my flying style right now. I feel like I only use about 70% to 80% of the motor power so far. I also hear some people talking about using Emoli. I still try to verify it, but I feel like I get more than 7 minutes of flight times with my two cheap Apex 2100 mah packs. I went out looking to buy more Apex packs at my LHS. It seems like onebody sells them any more. I'll buy some of them online. Even without the ESC and motor, $260 is still cheap - it is almost like a Trex450.

[swatson144]

Deleted as the info probably wasn't as sound as I thought it was.

Steve

[swatson144]

My flying friend and I ordered one each of these. I mentioned that I was thinking of getting one for ~320$ and had a 40$ off discount code for the H550. It seemed a good deal at 320$ but I was liking it for 280 a bunch more. He did too. I mentioned he could email readyheli and they'd either tell him the code or not. Back out to fly and in about 1 hr he had the code. 2 helis were bought.

Mine is going up low rent. DS821 servos on the swash, 401/9254 on the tail, and the stuff in the kit. There are plenty unwanted ds821 servos around I ordered 3 from espritmodel.com for 20$ each. Gotta love when digital servos that come with a DX7 ain't good enough for stunt pappy!

I'm a sport flyer and figure that this heli is an economical entry into the 30 size realm. If it turns out too big I can probably recover pretty well from the adventure.

I know it tends to be tail heavy so one of the things I'm really looking at is to run 6S2p via 4 packs of 2Ah 3s CSRC 8c that'd let me pull 700W on 100$ worth of batteries I allready own. Really at that end of things it's the same as 6s1p 16C pack and for me equal enough to the 880W you could get from 2 x 2100 20c. The battery accomodations was the biggest turn off for me re this machine. Either way I have good 2100 packs too.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

Steve you got it for $320 and a $40 discount? You also get a DX7? I am so jealous. :) Sound like you'll get a lot of power with your 6S2p? What ESC you are going to use?

[swatson144]

Yep it was 280$ to my door, but with no DX7. I was just pointing out that the servos that come with DX7s that no body uses are probably on the better side of good enough for this use, and cheap. So the DS821 servos will arrive 3 for the price of 1 s9253 (62$)
Type: Digital Hi-Torque
Torque: 72 oz/in @ 4.8v, 88 oz/in @6v
Speed: .19 sec/60° @ 4.8v, .15 sec/60° @ 6v
Dimensions (WxLxH): 0.74"x1.50"x1.47"
Weight: 1.5 oz
Bearing: Single Ball Bearing
Motor Type: 3-pole ferrite
Gears: Composite
Application: Standard size-digital servo upgrade for sport pilots

Speed control, motor, and BEC are gonna be the ones that come in the combo so the same as you are using. Yes this was the combo! http://www.readyheli.com/204000_Hurricane_EP_550_Helicopter_Combo_p/204000.htm They also have the parts listed on the site and they are very economical. I mean it doesn't look like it's gonna cost much more to crash than the BPE! 15$ woodies

I'm figuring that Gaui had this in mind as an entry level large electric. I'm also pretty certain through experience that trying to get more from a heli than what it was designed for can be done but starts the whole mod the weakness to turn up another weakness to mod sequence. That's fine with me on this heli because I'm just a putzing around sport flyer.

The 6s2p is just for flight times and the packs in 6s1p wouldn't bear the current. It should help with the tail heavies too. That was one of my concerns as the apex are around 175G if I remember correctly and the 2 pairs of 2100s I have are less than 150G ea. Either way I'd have the same amount of money in the air. Actually a little less with the 4 packs as 6s2p if they'll fit.

Steve

[swatson144]

Today the LHS was closed so I came home and ordered the rest of the stuff I need. Monday I called readyheli.com and asked if there was anything that would make the build go easier and he mentioned a set of Raptor control rods so I had him put a pack in mine and Ricks box. Seems that is another way around the short link problem. We'll see. Not being but nearly normal I also ordered the links IAW Eddie (they didn't have them at RH so I ordered from HeliProz.com along with the other stuff).

Rumor has it that the tail servo boom mount from Trex 600 fits so I ordered them. I'm figuring since the main thing I don't like about the H550 is the pack placement. There is very little adjustment from what I can see. I do like the fact that it puts the packs high up in the airframe, but not having much forward / aft movement is a part of that. *Gee Steve, just what the HECK has this to do with the tail servo mount?* It seems the thing is designed around 2.5AH 6S so adding more (I intend 4AH 6S) will make it nose heavy and moving the tail servo aft should balance that.

I also splurged for the align step down regulator as I know the S9254 detests 6V.

So I guess I'm looking forward to the build.

Steve

[swatson144]

Mine arrived today.

I'm doing something a little different on dealing with the offset on the arms. I don't have any JR wheels or HD arms. So I cobbled out 3 G10 3/32" overlays for the arms. They have a hole for the servo screw 2 for the balls and an additional 2 holes to secure to the actual servo arm. It took about as long to draw them as make them.

The nifty part of this is that after hooking up the links every thing can be moved and tested easily. The overlay arms can rotate on the servo arm to get everything at the right angle. When everything is all tested and adjusted just pin drill the aditional pilots in the servo arms and lock them down with screws.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

Steve, I am looking forward to fine tune mine after I am done with the forum migrating with your technique so please provide more infor as much as possible. Mine is still not binding free. Are you going to use raptor ball links and make some of the links adjustable?

[swatson144]

Mine has gotten pretty smooth and I now have 2 flights on it. I lost the post in this thread where I pointed to the flight data log I posted (hit submit after you closed for the conversion :)) http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1160 is where it is and should give an idea of what to expect.

I don't see the need for making other links adjustable. If I did I'd likely order up some Corona links and some 2/56 all thread, as they fit and are unidirectional (snap on either way) and are a lot longer. To be honest I usually don't bother with the links when I'm out flying any more. I've broken too many links and arms and had problems from that crap. Probably get fired for saying this but... Just bend the long rod a little leading the high blade to set tracking. If it bugs you it's easy enough to snap off and straighten later. I've been doing this for a couple years now on the X400 and it sorta migrated over. Just for exoneration my H550 is setup blades tracked (perfectly) and no rods bent.

I'm waiting on a package to come in via ole brown mule from Montana that has my stepdown reg for the tail so I'm flying with a 4AA pack vice the 5.8V Gaui BEC. Then there'll be room for setting up for 4 packs in the nose (I hope). It also has the Trex 600 boom mounts for the tail servo to adjust for the extra nose weight. We'll have to see how that turns out.

If you were refering to the offset servo arm kludge? I like the way mine worked out. It was pretty simple and effective. The only problem is I'd like a bit longer servo screw to make up the 3/32" thickness of the G10. On Mon. I'll go to see the fastener troll which is a shorter, meaner, and thicker version of the bearing goddess, and enquire.

Steve

[estarter]

I'm tempted to order one after reading all the posts, I want to fly a bigger bird. Where can I find the discount coupon and when will it expire?

[swatson144]

GAUI40 worked for me and Rick. They also threw in a CF fin set. I have no idea when it expires.

Steve

[swatson144]

Ok here is a drawing of my arm mod / template. It was a trace of the pattern in the assembly pamphlet. On checking it I found some problems but they were on the example too. It's good enough to work well.

There is a pic of it completely installed with the retaining screws and all. Installation is simple. screw in the center screw. Rotate until everything is exactly where you want. Pin drill the retaining screw pilot holes and set the screws. Now if you want to get rid of the G10 arm you can remove the balls and drill holes in a HD arm or wheel. Since I have only standard too short arms the G10 arms are staying.

Also I wanted a sauna so I whipped up a stop button. It looks better in person than the pic. I went for a very slight but course thread on top. You can see it but barely feel it and nothing grabby.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

I'm tempted to order one after reading all the posts, I want to fly a bigger bird. Where can I find the discount coupon and when will it expire?

estarter, you saw it. You'll like it. With your skills, this bird will entertain you very well. Steve got a very good deal for his kit. When I am done with moving our photo gallery, I'll fix mine and you can come and see how it flies. Perry carries parts for Hurricane 550 so we have a LHS to pick up some parts quickly. Price is very reasonable.

[G-MRM]

I recon they are good value, I fly the Swift, a sub 30 size and always take it to the field, I did yesterday evening.

I would like to try one of these, and on a day where it is a little too windy for a smaller heli, these, with a good head speed will get you flying :D :D :D

Martin

[eddiemoth]

I like to hear what you think you would do. My Hurricane physical pitch is +12 at the top stick and only -8 at the low stick. Because there is only one adjustable rod, I can't do much in terms of physical adjustment unless I make another linkage adjustable. +12 is kind of too much. I don't use negative pitch right now. I think there are a few options and see which one you would take and yes your pros and cons:

1. User the radio servo end point.
2. Set up Throttle Curve to use only 80% of the pitch.
4. Make another linkage adjustable.
3. Do nothing.

[swatson144]

Really it'd depend on why it bothered you.
If you just aren't getting enough pop while inverted probably could just lengthen the to long links from the upper swash to mixing arms a few turns to even it out.

Got a few flights in today on mine it did well.

Steve

[G-MRM]

I may be talking rubbish as I don't know the heli but is it ccpm if so it sounds like the zero pitch is not in the middle of the swash plate movement ??

Sounds to me you need to set the swash in the middle of its movement and at 50% throttle center of the pitch curve adjust for zero pitch I would then expect +/- 10 top to bottom.

Also look at swash AFR pitch settings too !

[swatson144]

Still playing with ways to power it. I've been running on 6s2p CSRC 2000mAH 8C they'll supply 32A continous 48A 5sec bursts and I have yet to get the heli over 24A. They are short enough to fit in the canopy easily and best of all only 46$ a pair, so all 4 are landed for 101.25$ to my door. I've had long and happy life from 8 packs of these so I just ordered 2 more pair.

Steve

[G-MRM]

So your enjoying flying the 550 now Steve ? You will need more chargers, I found that with the 3 6 cells I bought for the Rex 600, Flying was at the call of the chargers !!

Martin

[swatson144]

I still prefer the 500 class helis, but I keep hoping this one will grow on me.

Running the packs this way 2X 3s2p in series I can still use them in the BPE for 20 mins of flight(3s2p). So run a pack out of the H550 and charge by the time I've fiddled and farted and run 2 packs through the BPE the H550 packs are pretty much done. That would leave me with another 8 3s1p to decide how/what to configure for.

You are right I'll probably want to pick up a couple more chargers as I'm only running 3 now. Nice thing is the new ones can be cheap 3s only with no readout.

Steve

[G-MRM]

Yes they can be basic chargers and every now and then charge on a better charger to see whats going back into the pack.

I have used my Li-Po sack for charging but with the short balancer leads I ended up the the balancer in the fire-proof bag too !!

Martin

[swatson144]

Well I just ordered an extrema (http://www.tmenet.com/xtrema.htm) charger and a dewalt 36v pack. It looks like I'll be running 7S A123 cells soon. Everything is a little vague other than it'll charge at 8A but only 4A at 10S Lipo I'd really like to put back 6-7A and I'll be happy. It don't take much to please me but 20 min charge times would make me downright giddy!

The pack prices are back down a bit mine are gonna arrive at 10$ per cell. The only bummer is with 10 cells in a pack I'll have 3 left over, build another pack and I'll have 6 left over. It just don't work out even very quick.

Steve

[swatson144]

A123 and the H550 go together like penut butter and jelly! Pure awesome!
4 cells sideways on top and 3 sideways on bottom leaves the canopy a snug fit.

Flew for 5 mins and then hovered until LVC at 8:15. Stock motor and ESC. No drama. I'm not even gonna mess with the LVC in the ESC works fine like it is. The extrema can charge at 5.5A if you tell it 7S with 3.6v cutoff but I see no reason I can't tell it 6S at 4.2V and charge at 6.5A both are 25.2v cutoff. I'll experiment that later. Right now they are charging at 5.5A which in theory is 25 mins. In theory 6.5A would be 21 mins I think I can wait the 4 mins.

Steve

Added the readout of the 1st charge I think I can live with 6min flights and 25min charges.

[xodarap1]

Hey Steve :)

Sorry to crash in the thread but I had to tell ya that I was looking at the pic you posted with the 4 Li-Po's chained together and thought to myself.. man, those batteries weigh more than my 450 and tx combined lol. What kind of flight times do you get in a bird that size with that power setup? Anyway, just wanted to say that it looked really cool seeing all those Li-Po's on board.. made me think right away of my daughters scooter battery! :)

Steve E.

[swatson144]

Hey Steve :)

Sorry to crash in the thread but I had to tell ya that I was looking at the pic you posted with the 4 Li-Po's chained together and thought to myself.. man, those batteries weigh more than my 450 and tx combined lol. What kind of flight times do you get in a bird that size with that power setup? Anyway, just wanted to say that it looked really cool seeing all those Li-Po's on board.. made me think right away of my daughters scooter battery! :)

Steve E.

No problem.
Those packs weigh in at 600g total and by math I could make 13:20 easy flying. But I limit to 6-8mins on timer. The power calls can change pretty drastic with just the moods. One time flying around nice and smooth averaging 18A and next flight jerking it around and averaging near 30A. I have 2 timers on the TX so if I'm jerking around I land on the 1st alarm If I've been a good boy on to the 8min alarm and sometimes a little longer.

The heli was intended to use 2X 450 size packs as 6s. But I don't really like the flight times with a proper reserve left in the packs. That's part of the reason I'm so stoked about the M1 cells. Anyhow I can still run the other combos since no setup changed.

Steve

[swatson144]

Well here is how it looks with the A123 packs.

Steve

[swatson144]

When I first got the H550 and started setting it up I wasn't really thrilled with the thought of a 2S lipo RX pack and a regulator to step it down to 5v. The one that came with it is at 5.8v which is harder on my gear and no improvement for a pilot of my poor skills. Well I gave it a try and really didn't like having to make sure all three planets aligned...TX charged? main packs charged? DOAH why only red and yellow on the RX regulator? All my other helis just use switching mode BECs and now this one will too. That way I only need charged flight packs and a charged TX something a guy with my mental abilities finds challenging but do-able.

I'm going to try the CC 10A on it. It's the blue thingy next to the old regulator and battery pack it's eliminating. 5A cont @ 24V and voltage is adjustable via castle link which I already have. It's factory set at 5.1V so I'll just leave it there.

It'll mount inside the battery wedge which will keep it away from the other electronics.

One thing I did like about the regulator was being able to power up the heli without powering up the ESC. I'm gonna keep that feature with a mini deans between the power packs and it.

Steve

[swatson144]

I got to looking and really didn't want the wires coming out of the bullet connectors as I don't like that. So I skinned the ESC (got about 3' of HS for that) and soldered the wires onto the pads. Then re-shrunk it.

[Sonex128]

What kind of setup is needed to run 2 2100 3s packs in the Hurricane? What motor, ESC and size blades is best for this setup? I am wanting something bigger but would like to use 2 3s packs that I can also use in my Dragonus.

[swatson144]

The stock setup works fine for upto 6 mins at a go. The naked airframe is only a couple bucks less than with motor and ESC, so I figured to have a look and it turns out I like the setup. The Gov is great from spool up even through LVC.

The heli was designed for the same purpose you have in mind. It's not hard to hit 35A while hammering on it. Some people claim they can hit 60A so be mindfull on choosing the packs. Mine gets normal flight at ~18A with 6s1p 2200 mAH.

Steve

[swatson144]

Even though I was assured that my kit was up to date and had the OK gears, I stripped one in flight. I assumed that the OK stamp wasn't visible because of the hub and didn't really want to remove it to see. It wasn't an "OK" gear. I had never seen anything saying there was any visible difference between an OK gear and an older gear but I noticed a slight difference in thickness. The "OK" gears are 7mm thick and the older gears are 6mm. That goes along with the change in materials. http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/photoplog/file.php?n=398&w=o

Maybe all the teeth will stay on this one. 8hrs on the heli and no crashes.

Steve

[eddiemoth]

What happened when you had one stripped in flight? Did you feel it or you found out until you brought it down?

[swatson144]

When the middle gear stripped I auto'd in. This one just started clicking but I'm sure staying in the air a little longer would have been another chance to practice autos.

Steve

[G-MRM]

Steve, I hope all that fly heli's read your last post. this is why all heli pilots should setup throttle hold and practice autos !! Trust us, it will save you $$ one day !! :roll: :roll:

Martin

[eddiemoth]

Well...since Steve asked me about my H550, this morning I took it from upstairs and let it smell the fresh air outside for the first time. You can tell how long it has been colling dusts when you look closely on the boom.

http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/photoplog/file.php?n=429&w=l

You can see the boom stike mark on the boom from the last crash.

http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/photoplog/file.php?n=430&w=l

So this time, I made sure that it was a correct model before I started connect the motor. It was a different feeling when flying H550 after I didn't fly it for a long time. Since it needed to be fine tune, I did not do anything much except hover it around. It still flies good but with some vibrations. The tail is still heavy so I need to rearrange electronics to the front. However, even though I moved all electronics to the front, I think it is still tail heavy. I don't want to remove the vertical tail fin as it makes the heli looks good. I saw Steve has the tail servo in mid way on the boom, how do you balance your CG?

http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/photoplog/file.php?n=431&w=l

[swatson144]

I saw Steve has the tail servo in mid way on the boom, how do you balance your CG? 7S A123, 7S Emoli, or 6s2p lipo. I gave up on the 2X 3S 2100 packs as trifleing.

7S A123 rocks for sport flying this heli, and also works well on the swift. Recharge time is now 15-20 mins so I seldom even take the packs off. I just take turns flying the Swift and the H550 while the other is charging.

I need to reconfigure it so I don't have to take the canopy off to plugin/charge. 8-) Now that's lazy!

Steve

[medtech]

steve,
That is alot of battery! My hurricane 550 is on it's way, should be here today. I still haven't decided on a motor but it'll be a while before I fly it anyway. I read a few of your posts about the a123 giving long flight times which is what I'm after. My question is what motor/pinion do you use? Also, how do you charge your A123's?

Thanks!

Oh yeah, your old corona is still alive and flying well. It'll soon be moving in with my brother so he can learn to fly!

[swatson144]

I'm running the stock motor (short weak one), pinion and ESC. I get about 7 mins on 7S A123, don't know if I'd call that long. The worst thing about the H550 is lack of battery placement or maybe the flimsy canopy. I bought a FG canopy but probably wouldn't of had to if I'd reinforced the grommet holes before I ever flew it.

I think you'll like the H550 over all a great heli but it has a couple of warts.

What is your plan on dealing with the offset holes?

Steve

[medtech]

I did get the cnc pitch/roll arm set. I also got the carbon fiber offset servo wheels from readyheli. I'm really confused as some stated the cnc arms have no offset, some say they do. I do know they have 4 holes just don't know which ones to use. Any advice would be great!

I got a couple different cnc parts, spares, and short tail conversion from esprit because they were 40% off so I figured why not.

I'm kinda mad now. I got a box of parts today that were shipped from Florida a day after the heli kit which shipped from Mass, the state I live in. Fedex was originally supposed to deliver the kit yesterday but delayed til today. Then today they delayed again til tomorrow. I hate Fedex. Grrrrrrr.

[swatson144]

I hope you got the CNC elevator lever as that's really the only "must have" the pitch and roll can be configured with or without offset but the elevator lever only has 2 offset holes and a tiny little square to keep it from turning. All the Gaui CNC levers have 4 holes and can be offset or straight. The micro Heli brand is a cnc duplicate of the plastic piece with 2 offset holes. Mine was first setup and flown with the offsets and later straight I couldn't tell any difference. Then again I'm so blissfully happy when I'm flying most all a heli needs to do is leave the ground.

It's even more maddening when the kit comes in and you can't do anything but goggle it until the other stuff shows up. :(

What ya thinking about for a setup?

Steve

[medtech]

I got all the cnc parts left at esprit which were elevator, stabilizer control, washout arms, swashplate guide, seesaw, pitch/roll, washout base, yoke, washout guide and mixing levers. At almost half off I had to do it, lol. There's only a few parts they were out of like grips and tail parts.

So far for a setup I have the base kit, a cc phoenix 80 esc with integrated bec, DX7, AR7000, (3) DS821 servos, GY401 w/9254, and eagletree logger.

I'm leaning toward FP EVO 30C 3200 3s1p packs. As far as motor I think I'm going to try a scorpion 1000kv motor due out next week. It's supposed to be just as efficient as a z20 with more power! Not sure what pinion yet.

I think that's about it for my setup. Did I miss anything else I'll need?

Holy crap, when you make me list everything in one place I start to realize how much I've spent. If the Mrs. finds out I'm dead! :) I told here the heli cost $250, which it did, so I didn't have to lie to her!! :)

[medtech]

Oh yeah, do you think it'd be better off starting with the short tail/smaller blades or keep the long tail/big blades.

By better off I mean easier, more stable hover/flight. I'm no where near 3d, can't even fly inverted yet.


Before I forget, if you want to get some cnc parts or spares, esprit still has a few left and they're all on sale until gone. Excellent deals, $17 for a short tail conversion kit, the price of the blades alone!

[medtech]

I ordered a z20 today. Now I have everything I need to finish the heli. I got the servos and head setup yesterday. The tail will be tomorrow. Then all I need to do is the motor and electrical gear! Almost there!!!

[eddiemoth]

medtech, I know it is late but I just wanted to say welcome back and I am glad your heli is getting bigger now. :)

[xodarap1]

Medtech,

Don't use thread locker on the servo horn screws ;)
The Z20A is a great motor and it isn't as much of a battery hog as the larger KV motors. I've moved up one pinion from stock and it has some great pop to it and doesn't bog much with the 500 blades. (I haven't tried it with the 550 blades yet). This Z20 500 blade setup works well with 2 3S Kong Power batteries but I guess 3300ish would be better. Only 6 min flights with some room to spare is what I'm gettin', but that's fine with me because I can swap them out for fresh ones in a minute or so.

Steve

[swatson144]

I've moved up a cell to 8S A123 as that is the most that will fit in the canopy. :D that helped performance some but the stock motor was having trouble keeping up with the canopy:roll: and the Swift was just busting it's chops.

The generous and unexpected gift certificate from HeliTown (thanks again!) was put to good use to supply the most of a scorpion 30-26. It came in today.

http://www.rchelicoptertown.com/forum/photoplog/file.php?n=529&w=o
Compared to the stock Gaui motor. If you are thinking I down graded just look at the windings. There's nearly as much wasted space in the top and no fan.

Installation was a snap (besides the trial and error H550 lash setup). Just grind a flat and install. I have no idea why one should have to gring a flat on a heli motor. If you look close you can see the small flat above.

I dropped down to a 13T pinion as I'm running very close to the same voltage as 7S lipo. I had been cruising right at 2K on the head speed so the additional 120 kv seems to have given me ~an additional 200 rpm on the blades after the smaller pinion. I didn't have the micro logger on for the flights but the HS was up and the tail was "buzzy" but not hunting with no change in governor or gyro gain.

1st flight was just to get an idea of how it did and I think it's a winner. Lots of pop and 6:30 flight time. I'll get the logger on it and check it with various HS without gearing changes.

BTW I found that the old 14T pinion was the exact thickness off the bottom of the motor mount as a shim to set the new pinion's position on the shaft. So no hassle setting the pinion depth.

Steve

[broggyr]

I just read this entire thread, so what's become of everyone's H550's? I ran across a deal that includes all electronics except Rx for $399 and would love to buy this thing by the end of the summer...

[swatson144]

I sold mine.

Steve

[estarter]

I ran across a deal that includes all electronics except Rx for $399

Keep looking, I've seen some go for $160 shipped air frame with motor/esc and 3 cyclic servos.

[broggyr]

I should mention that this comes with two 2200mah lipos and a receiver battery. After seeing a lot of heli kits, this one struck me as a good value...
http://www.rotortech.ca/osc/product_info.php?products_id=464

[estarter]

The 2200mah pack won't last very long, you may need a higher capacity packs.

[xodarap1]

I'm still flying my 550's everyday it's not rainin'. I've recently added the first Hurricane 200 V2 to the group, so it's become even more fun! I plan to add a second Hurricane 200 V2 so I'll have a backup 200.

As stated, the 2200 packs won't work well for very long unless you fly em real easy.

I'm flying 3300mAh 6S bricks on them now most of the time, but the 3700mAh 6S pack works fantastic.

The Hurri's really helped me move into 3-D and they are still a blast to fly and are easy to repair/maintain.

This is an older clip of me flying one of the Hurri 550's (sorry, i still don't have any more recent videos due to the lack of camera person) but it will give you an idea of the power level of the heli during sport flight with an average setup.

*Sorry..I was forced to put the video camera on the roof of my car so it's hard to see much from that distance. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImScrDbcy_I

[xodarap1]

Some of my recent hurri pics :)

[eddiemoth]

Very nice! you got a pair of them!

Some of my recent hurri pics :)

[Popeye]

Does anyone have pictures of a better set up to hold the battereis on the plasic frame and also what are the best 6S Lipos to use for regular flight.
Thanks

[Skytrek]

Hobby King has good prices on Lipos. The crowd I fly with just can't seem to get enough of them. Remember you don't purchase Lipo's you rent them.:D

Some good strong Velcro attached to the frame and battery, along with a few good quality, well placed straps should keep every thing nice and tight.

[swatson144]

On page 8 you can see pictures of the G-10 pieces I added to mine to help hold the batteries. It's been a while since I bought any LiPos so any info I have on sources would be dated.

Steve