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09-15-2009, 09:52 PM | #1 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Apr 2009
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Align night blades
I just started night flying a few weeks ago and I can't seem to get a good set of blades. The first set wouldn't take a charge. Returned them for another set and one of the blades will only hold a charge for about 15 minutes. Are the Align blades junk or I am just having bad luck? What are some good night blades for the 450 Pro?
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10-09-2009, 05:44 PM | #2 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
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I just set my pro up this week and flew with the align blades and are working great so far to me. I even left the blades powered on to see how long it would take to get them to drain down, after a hour I was happy and still burning bright. So either I'm lucky or your unlucky.
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10-11-2009, 06:33 AM | #3 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Sep 2007
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I have read of many guys here on the Freak that have had problems with Align night blades. I have had 3 or 4 sets and really haven't had a problem. My experience has only been with the 325mm"s. All seemed to light for well over a half hour. Unfortunately, several sets didn't last more than a few flights before I crashed them. My first set seemed to work fine when I first got them, but I didn't use them for over a year and when I got them out to use they wouldn't stay lit for more than a few minutes and wouldn't hold a charge. MS Composite blades are supposed to work better and last longer, but they are about twice the price and the LED's on the 325's only come in green. As for your blade only lasting 15 minutes, I think it's bad and while it may be a pain in the ass, I would return it again. Maybe 3rd time will be the charm. Alan
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08-02-2010, 05:47 AM | #4 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Dec 2009
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Had the same problem, but for me I bought the blades from my LHS yesterday and made them test the blades, only 1 of the blades lit up and the LHS suggested that the batteries were run down and needed charging. (BTW, the LHS said that the blades arrived from Align the day before and I was the first customer to take them). The other stocks were for the TREX 600 and only 1 set was in stock for my TREX 500.
So I bought the blades, charged them up and still the same issue, only 1 side worked and the other blade's batteries wouldn't hold the charge, went back and returned the items and got a full refund. Quite disappointed as I expected the blades from a manufacturer such as Align to not have defects like this. Seems like a gamble to buy these night blades, any other options for me to consider in the same price range? |
08-03-2010, 10:51 AM | #5 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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Which blades are the newer blades? HS1241, or KU110001TA
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08-03-2010, 06:59 PM | #6 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Mar 2010
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i had a set of 325 mm on my old blade 400 worked great for like six months, used fairly heavily, and they always worked great sold the bird and actually, still have them. same with my set for my 600. they were heavily used for 6 months till i smacked them hard.
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10-03-2010, 12:40 PM | #7 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Oct 2006
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The problem with these blades with the lipos inside is that we use them only a few times a year. Lipo shelf life is not that good so its very likely that your good blades will turn bad, or one of them will, before you break them.
My 600mm aligns were good, but now one of them doesn't last so long. Maybe I have to strap some lipos on them. Its a real pity the lipos aren't changeable becuase there are so many with lipo issues. There is a new set of rotortech night blades out with separate lipos on a carrier that attaches on the blade root. Seems like the way to go - but way more expensive than the aligns to buy. Jason R I'd really like to know what battery in in the 600 night blades. I think it might not be a single cell lipo. I don't suppose you looked in the blades you smashed? My 325 blades are useless (in the dark) My 600 blades have been reasonably good, but one is now not so good My 425 blades are still going strong. I saw an interesting setup on a 500 (425 blades) with remote lipos on a special head button running the blades on 3S making them really bright! |
10-08-2010, 07:46 PM | #8 (permalink) |
Join Date: May 2008
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align night blades are kinda crappy. i took a small 100mah lipo and put it inline and the were MUCH brighter.
doing so is pretty easy and harmless. just take the pos and neg of the cell and attach it to the outer two pins on the on/off adaptor. i just cut off the wire that shorts the two pins and attached the leads there. if you plug it in backwards no harm done it's not a short. Last edited by RĒzĒ; 10-10-2010 at 06:57 PM.. |
10-10-2010, 05:54 PM | #9 (permalink) |
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I only have experience with a single pair of Align 600mm night blades. They were junk. The battery on one blade would only hold a charge for 15 minutes. But the real deal-breaker was that they flew horribly on a FBL system (This heli had a V-Bar on it.)
I didn't check CG (span or chord) but my guess is that they weren't ideal for a FBL system. Blades had a lot of flutter and the heli wasn't stable at all. (it took a lot of effort to even keep the heli in a stable hover.) I tried some Torsion 600 night blades and they worked MUCH better. Just got some of the newer RotorTech Luminous night blades (690 mm) with the external batteries. This battery setup seems to be a much better solution than the integrated battery. I plan to try them out in the next few days. |
10-15-2010, 08:39 PM | #10 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Mar 2006
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Ditto on the align 325 night blades. I tried 3 sets and all were bad--about a year ago. I had already bought a XeroG lighting system for my 450, and wound up putting it on a foamy and giving up on the idea of night flying (my heli's).
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10-16-2010, 11:44 AM | #11 (permalink) |
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FYI, I found a fix that seems to work most the time but not always. This is going to sound WEIRD but if you have a set of Align 325 night blades that wont seem to charge do this. Reverse the charger on them. E.g. plug the charge plug into the blades backwards for about 5 minutes MAX.... Yes they will light when doing this and the charger LED will act weird. But it does seem to work. I think what it is doing is shocking the battery with the reverse polarity. I have fixed a couple of bad blades doing this. FYI, this was not my idea. I believe Ray Stacy told me this trick a while back.
Also I cut one of these blades apart and the battery inside is not a lipo. It is a Lithium Ion battery. Bob
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10-16-2010, 10:28 PM | #12 (permalink) |
Join Date: May 2008
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not sure how that could possibly do anything. on the align blades the 3 pin adaptor is wired like this
pin 1 - negative to battery pin 2 - positive to battery AND positive to leds pin 3 - negative to leds if you short pins 1 and 3 that connects the neg of the leds to the neg of the battery thus turning them on. charging on pins 1 and 2 charges the battery charging on pins 3 and 2 (reversing the plug) should only turn on the lights. shouldn't effect the battery at all as the negative lead to it is completely open... odd, plus because center is always positive theres no way to reverse the polarity. maybe there's something weird going on with the charging adaptor. it does have 3 pins, and I never thought to read the voltages on them. i assumed just 2 of the pins was "live" and the 3rd was just to ensure the positive lead was in the center spot |
10-16-2010, 11:38 PM | #13 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Jun 2008
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HHHmmm I gotta to have a drink to digest this.
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10-17-2010, 09:05 AM | #14 (permalink) | |
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Quote:
Bob
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10-17-2010, 09:49 AM | #15 (permalink) |
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If I had a pair, or even one Align night blade that wasn't working, I'd definitely give this a try. What do you have to lose? If you're thinking about trying this, the blade lights aren't charging/working anyway!!!
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10-17-2010, 09:58 AM | #16 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Dec 2009
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I just wired up my Trex 450 SPC with xerogear LED's and they can make u night blades out of any blades u like. Problem with most night blades in gliding the align is they flex way to much! Not great for 3D. Check out his website. Www.xerogear.com He sponsored the night flight comp at IRCHA this year. It was sick. Looks way better than glow wire.
Didn't have the blades on in these pics but they are just as bright. |
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