my opinion on going brushless with a nano.

[Flyin Bryan]

I really wanted one of the asteroid design mild kits but it looks like I will never have one because they will never be in stock again.

Maybe its for the better because as I've been waiting for them to become available again I've read more and more disappointed reviews of the a/d kits.

Mostly I've read that they just don't increase performance or run time,,,,, or even worse, hurt one or the other, or both. I've also talked to two different people that have bought the mild kit and had to go back to the stock setup because of problems it caused with the tail, which required obtaining a new frame to put it back . ........I guess maybe sometimes when you lose (never get to buy one because they are permanently out of stock) ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, you actually win (never spend money on some gimmick that won't actually help,,,,,, because they are permanently out of stock )

The way I see it, the stock motors perform great, and are cheap enough that I don't mind even if I have to buy one or two a month. And they are easy to replace, so I'm happy

Does anyone else seem to hear of the systems being more problematic than they are worth?

Please be advised that I am NOT EXPERIENCED WITH THESE SYSTEMS,,,,,,,, I'm just kinda sounding off on what I've heard and read.

[GoatRider]

I just installed a Mild kit a week ago, and today finally had it flying well today. I think it has much more consistent power than the stock motor, without any decrease in flight time. I have two nanos, the other one is stock. So I can switch back and forth. I much prefer the brushless one. The big difference is the BL ESC has a governor, which does a much better job at maintaining head speed. It doesn't eliminate bogging, but it greatly reduces it.

[KlaimXI]

Just wait 'til you get a few duds(main brushed motors) then you might be changing your tune. Plus you also have to consider that a lot of the brushless users are early adopters of the Nano. Originally there were no(and i mean NO) motors to be found anywhere. So you had no choice but to self your heli 'til motors came in stock. As for me, I love my Dbl Bl Nano. Flys great and I don't have to worry if the motors going... either of them.

Also Astroids has every part except the ESC in stock for both the Mild and Wild.

[jbilliter]

I flew stock 2 weeks before the first motor gave out. I have been brushless 6 months now. I dont see any problems with BL. Granted you have to have good batteries and good wiring or you notice problems, but that would likely affect brushed performance too. I expect the BL motor to last a long time. I'm happy with the conversion and would do it again if I got another Nano.

[Wheelhaus]

If you're happy with the performance as-is, then keep it that way, there's no real need to upgrade.

There are improvements, most notably more consistency, less maintenance, and better performance.

I believe most of the brushless problems people have encountered have been related to the installation. Tiny wires and tiny soldering can be difficult, but so long as it's done correctly it works great. I was lucky enough to have everything work perfectly first attempt. Well, I had to swap motor wires on both the main and tail, but everything was perfectly operational and fired up on the first try, haven't had to fiddle with any of the brushless bits since.

[Flyin Bryan]

Well, being new to collective flying, I really don't need anymore performance yet, but the prospect of no more motor related maintanence would really nice.

Like I said, I have zero experience with brushless helicopters.

If I were to get one I would likely have someone do the install for me. I'm fairly proficient with the iron and had no trouble with my dx6i backlight install, in fact I enjoyed doing it, but it is just common sense that someone who has done the brushless install a few times will be more at home doing it, and will certainly do a neater job. I've seen pics of a few of nccraigs and they do look very tidy.

I'm still on the fence on the brush less nano thing.

One thing I don't understand,,,, when I went brushless with my rc cars, run time practically doubled when replacing a brushed system with a brushless system of similar performance, yet the concensus seems to be that run time isn't really increased when applied to little helicopters like the nano.

I'm running four minute sessions right now, using the e-flight 150mah 25c packs. If I could extend that to five or six minutes, or even more, with a brush less system, with no loss in performance,,,,, I'd be on that like a duck on a junebug

[GoatRider]

I'm running 200mAH-35C LiPos with my Nano, and I use about 150mAH in 5 minutes for both stock and BL. But with the BL, I have much more consistent power, and it isn't dropping off towards the end of the flight. I suppose I could probably extend that with lower head speed, which would give up power for endurance.

[SHYguy]

Strange, I've seen lots of happy BL campers

I had one stock and one BL. And only ONE brushed motor had enough power. Plus they are short lived...

Most of all BL is a different heli! Lots of CONSISTENT power, good tail, governor. And with the MH 200mAh batts I enjoy 4:30 of full 3D!

Will never go back to brushed! Rather a BL tail too!

Buy yeah it's a real shame about the AD stock situation... hard to wait!

[Flyin Bryan]

Goat rider, I read above where you said you installed yours. I'm assuming that means you did the install yourself? Did you experience any difficulties with the install? Any tricks or things to watch out for?

Shy guy, did you do yours yourself as well? And if so, same questions to you as above. Anything to watch out for?

[NCcraig]

Originally Posted by Flyin Bryan

Goat rider, I read above where you said you installed yours. I'm assuming that means you did the install yourself? Did you experience any difficulties with the install? Any tricks or things to watch out for?

Shy guy, did you do yours yourself as well? And if so, same questions to you as above. Anything to watch out for?

Power your ESC first, then the 3-n-1. Direct solder the motor wires to the ESC. Don't glue your motor into place until you make sure your pinion/main gear mesh is correct. When you do, just use a small dot of CA on each side of the motor where it protrudes from the frame. Makes it easier to remove if you have to down the road. I usually don't glue it until everything is put back together and test flown.

[GoatRider]

Yes, I did mine myself. It wasn't too hard, but I've done a lot of soldering in my life and have a decent temp-controlled iron with a nice pointy tip.

Instead of soldering the power wires to the 3-in-1, I used the battery wires to connect the 3-in-1 to the ESC, and put new battery wires directly to the ESC with the components in the kit. I didn't think ahead though, and it made kind of a lump under the canopy where it goes around the board. But it works out.

The only difficulty I had was that I did a weak solder joint on one of the motor wires, and when I first powered up it would start up slowly, sputter, then turn around! I found the problem quickly, and it was easy to fix. The signal wire was not as hard to solder as I expected.

[SHYguy]

The instructions on the AD web are very good, just follow that. Have a look!

You need a solder station, a pointy tip, thin solder. A lamp with a magnifying glass is great. Good lifetime investment stuff! Good to be able to mod more stuff AND do repairs!

Initially I thought I couldn't do this, but it wasn't that hard. And felt very rewarding!!!

Do my canopy pin mod and your frame will last VERY long!

MH alu swash, head and grips are great!

Lots of good tips in the tips tread!

[Flyin Bryan]

Hey nccraig! Thanks for the tips! I mentioned above that I have seen pics of your conversions, and the workmanship looks superb! I'm actually a automation and controls electrician by trade, and there is nothing prettier and easier to work on than a well laid out system with neat, clean wiring.

Goat: I get the same initial impression about that signal wire. That is one tiny, itty bitty solder connection point!!!!!!

SG: I've looked at those mh aluminum parts actually just today. If they make the spindle adjustments less finicky that would be by far the greatest advantage to me. I'm not really concerned with the strength of the original head and grips, its just that I have to run the f-s looser than I would like to, and if they provide a more precise feel, I can see where they would be very nice!!

[TheMark]

IMO, the install of the BL kit on a Nano is crucial... they guys that are having all kinds of crazy problems aren't taking the time to balance everything and fine-tune the heli. The BL kit is not a SnapTite model, it requires a little skill and patience during install then you won't believe you ever lived without it!

[SHYguy]

Originally Posted by TheMark

IMO, the install of the BL kit on a Nano is crucial... they guys that are having all kinds of crazy problems aren't taking the time to balance everything and fine-tune the heli. The BL kit is not a SnapTite model, it requires a little skill and patience during install then you won't believe you ever lived without it!

Once you go BLack, you never go back!

[jpconard]

There are other kits and other sources for parts. Topcopter.com has most of the parts except for the actual Astroid frame kits, but he has the pj...(whatever it is) frame kit which works pretty well too.

I even went to overskyrc.com to get a programming stick (from China), only took a couple weeks to get it, think they have the xp3a's too.

[NCcraig]

Astroid Designs, often imitated, never duplicated.

[Flyin Bryan]

Since starting this thread I've just last night had to replace another brushed stock motor. Its my nano's third motor counting the original.

[Miracle Boy]

As stated above, the BL upgrade is a worthwhile investment, but it is difficult for the inexperienced. That and the higher head speed of the BL motors can show up vibe issues you never noticed before with the stock setup.

I fitted my BL kit myself and the first one was pretty difficult, but I've done a few now and it gets easier with each build.

If you are not sure about fitting the kit yourself, I totally agree that NCCraig's work is top notch, (I've seen those pics too!!) so send it to NCCraig, He'll sort you out

[Russell Harding]

I'll admit I'm one of the un-adopters. My heli never really flew right. First I had vibes. Then I had bogging. Then I had short flight time and stock batteries coming down warm. Then my motor shaft broke off.

Happily went back to stock for a week. But now my main motor is getting weak again. I'm going to re-do the BL Mild kit today. I've done 2 conversions on my mCPX now (including a tail) and my soldering skill and tiny heli knowledge is improving. I also have some new Hyperion 160s. I'll see how it goes this time.