My 1st 500 build!

[Kamilitaryman]

Hey guys,

Per your suggestions, I've decided to stay away from HK helis. I've went ahead and purchased the popular T-Rex 500. It's the FB version and it will stay that way for a while. I've got the hover down in all orientations, can do figure 8s small and big. I'm also getting into some light 3D moves while doing some sport flying such as front and back flips as well as loops and rolls. So this set up should do just fine in the meantime

I'm not going into much detail on what's going on in the photos because they're pretty self explanatory, but if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask at any time I must admit, the quality of this kit is amazing. Everything fits snug and feels right. No wonder people love these kits!

So, on with the build pics!









I had to stop once the frame was finished as I had to go to work (where I created this thread). I will update it as the build progresses

[Diggiz]

Looking good so far. Yes they are nice helis!!

[Relisys190]

You will love it! The power blew me away from my little blade 450...

And the stability!...

[Ron_R]

I love my 500e!!!

Enjoy!

[chalmene]

The exact kit I bought and still fly. Was my next heli after my old Axe CP 300. You're gonna love it, so smooth and enjoyable.

[Kamilitaryman]

Originally Posted by Diggiz

Looking good so far. Yes they are nice helis!!

Originally Posted by Relisys190

You will love it! The power blew me away from my little blade 450...

And the stability!...

Originally Posted by Ron_R

I love my 500e!!!

Enjoy!

Originally Posted by chalmene

The exact kit I bought and still fly. Was my next heli after my old Axe CP 300. You're gonna love it, so smooth and enjoyable.

I am so pumped. I have pretty much everything I need to finish this build.....except for batteries lol. I'm thinking of picking up two 6s 2650mah 40C Turnigy. I've had really good luck with them before on my 450.

I was able to dedicate some more time into the build yesterday. This build is taking some time because I'm trying to keep the whole wiring mess under control. Additionally, I'm pre-threading any plastic parts with their respective screws. You can see where every screw caused the plastic to lift around it's mounting hole, so I remove that with a x-acto knife before final assembly of the whole unit.

Here are some pics to show you guys what I'm talking about

[Kamilitaryman]

Question:

Which ESC-to-battery plug is the easiest to disconnect? I want something that will hold in flight but won't be a hassle to unplug once I need to remove the battery. Those EC3 plugs I have on my 450 are such a PITA.

The Align ESC is 70A.

Thanks in advance.

[Ron_R]

http://tfaotc.wordpress.com/2014/05/...n-power-poles/

No soldering needed!!!

[chalmene]

Originally Posted by Kamilitaryman

Question:

Which ESC-to-battery plug is the easiest to disconnect? I want something that will hold in flight but won't be a hassle to unplug once I need to remove the battery. Those EC3 plugs I have on my 450 are such a PITA.

The Align ESC is 70A.

Thanks in advance.

I use the EC5 connectors, a little tight, but not too bad. Look for the ones that have solid split male terminals, instead of the thin mesh style. Much easier to disconnect. Ill try to find a link. Also Im running the 3000mah Turnigys if u want a bit more capacity. They fit well under the canopy and I get 5 minute normal/sport flights.

[Kamilitaryman]

Originally Posted by Ron_R

http://tfaotc.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/anderson-power-poles/

No soldering needed!!!

Originally Posted by chalmene

I use the EC5 connectors, a little tight, but not too bad. Look for the ones that have solid split male terminals, instead of the thin mesh style. Much easier to disconnect. Ill try to find a link. Also Im running the 3000mah Turnigys if u want a bit more capacity. They fit well under the canopy and I get 5 minute normal/sport flights.

Thanks dudes. I decided to be good and not spend any $ on these as I found some Dean's plugs I purchased a while back. They've been chillin' in my RC tackle box and I simply forgot about them. I'm just going to suck it up and use them up.

I dedicated some more time over the past couple of days to try and finish the build. I want to say that I'm nearly finished with it. I'm waiting on my batteries to come in. Once they come in, I'm installing the receiver and testing out all the controls before I tuck all the wiring on this bad boy

Onto the build pics:

[Kamilitaryman]

I received the batteries yesterday. I would like to get the receiver hooked up today and set the head & tail up so that I can give this bird it's maiden flight.

Does anyone have some setup sheets for the Trex 500 w/ GP790 gyro and the DX6i?

I'd greatly appreciate your feedback on this!

Edit: Found the info I needed here

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=53304

Another good series here:

Trex 500 E - Electronics and Setup #1 (6 min 33 sec)

Thanks!

[Kamilitaryman]

It was another productive day. I managed to install the AR6210 Rx, tucked all the wiring and set the radio up so that the servos move in proper directions. Also calibrated the gyro and verified the ESC settings from factory. Instead of starting with a blank helicopter profile on my DX6i, I copied my 450 profile and made some tweaks to it to make it work with my 500.

All that's left to do now is to set up the head, blade pitch and tracking and it's off for the maiden flight. But this will have to wait until Wednesday as I'm waiting on the the swash plate leveler to come in. I could just eye ball it but I strive for perfection when it comes to these things. In the meantime, the simulator will have to do

[kenkadish]

Fly it!



Ken

[chalmene]

Have you maidened her yet? Let us know how she goes, and if you have any questions!

[Kamilitaryman]

Originally Posted by kenkadish

Fly it!



Ken

Originally Posted by chalmene

Have you maidened her yet? Let us know how she goes, and if you have any questions!

The maiden flight will happen either tomorrow or Monday. I was tinkering with my 450 after it's rebuild and swayed away from this project for a day or two. I've got it at work with me right now. I will finish setting it up on lunch soon here.

Hopefully I will have a video to share with you guys. Stay tuned

[Kamilitaryman]

Well, I flew it on Monday! 1st reactions: Holy crap, this thing is smooooooth. The 450 is super twitchy compared to this bird. I can't get enough! I should've bought the 3000 mAh packs (running 2650mAh 6s) because the 5 minutes of flight time is not enough! I love the power, I love the noise....I just love it!

[kenkadish]

[SumOFparts]

Originally Posted by chalmene

I use the EC5 connectors, a little tight, but not too bad. Look for the ones that have solid split male terminals, instead of the thin mesh style. Much easier to disconnect. Ill try to find a link.

Just a heads up - dont use the solid split type male ec5's - they will FAIL on you!
One of two ways - they loosen up over time - there by coming apart in flight - or on others - as there is less and less metal contact - they heat up melting the surrounding wiring - and can even desolder the connector.....in mid flight!

-

Use the older more conventional (cage type) ec5 males.....save the others for charger leads - dont have anywhere near the juice going thru em there......

-

[chalmene]

Originally Posted by SumOFparts

Just a heads up - dont use the solid split type male ec5's - they will FAIL on you!
One of two ways - they loosen up over time - there by coming apart in flight - or on others - as there is less and less metal contact - they heat up melting the surrounding wiring - and can even desolder the connector.....in mid flight!

-

Use the older more conventional (cage type) ec5 males.....save the others for charger leads - dont have anywhere near the juice going thru em there......

-

Thanks for the heads up, I havent had any problem yet (knock on wood), but heavy sparking when connecting my 700e batts. I will change them out though now, as I have a lot of cage style ones in stock.

Kamilitaryman- Good to hear you got her in the air, she's a sweet bird. I did replace my stock swashplate early, as it developed slop after the first couple flights. If this happens to you, I highly recommend the one from I2RC. Over a hundred flights on it, 1 crash, has yet to develop any slop whatsoever.

[kenkadish]

Originally Posted by chalmene

Thanks for the heads up, I havent had any problem yet (knock on wood), but heavy sparking when connecting my 700e batts. I will change them out though now, as I have a lot of cage style ones in stock.

Kamilitaryman- Good to hear you got her in the air, she's a sweet bird. I did replace my stock swashplate early, as it developed slop after the first couple flights. If this happens to you, I highly recommend the one from I2RC. Over a hundred flights on it, 1 crash, has yet to develop any slop whatsoever.

No issue with sparking (other than carbon build up). Lets you know you've got lots of power on hand

Ken