Newb X50e owner - Any words of wisdom??

[ghenders]

Bought a X50e airframe (assembled but never flown) from a guy in Tampa,FL and will have it on Tuesday. Already started my list of electronics and wanted to get your wisdom & advice:

• Found a Align 700mx motor (used 20 flights) and it includes a new set of bearings and a shaft for $95. Good choice?
• Looking for a CC Ice2 80 or 120 (do I need a 120amp or will an 80amp suffice?)
• CC Bec Pro & seperate RX lipo battery (i am assuming a 2s 2000mah??)
• Will be running a Align 3GX since i have one on my Mini Titan & know how to tweak it to my liking (you can find these for around $75 all day long)
• Unsure on Cyclic Servos & need some help here! Heard good things about Align 620 & 650's as well as Savox 1267mg but open to other ideas.
• Decent tail servo - Align 650?
• Plan on running either 10s or 12s. Have not decided yet but assume I will potentially need to pickup another pinion other then the 15t the kit comes with.

Looking forward to the build and learning from all of your experiences. Will post pictures once i receive it. This is my first venture into a heli bigger then a 450. Looking forward to the sweaty palm & pit in the stomach feeling again :-)

[paul nathalie]

Use align servos on mine, plenty good enough.

[ghenders]

Which Align servos are you using Paul? DS620's?

[raptorz499]

My setup is on 8s with AR7200BX, Align 610's, BLS 251 tail, Edge main and tail blades. I love this heli it is just so smooth and is a workhorse!!

[ghenders]

Received the X50e today around 1 pm and had it fully assembled (airframe only - still waiting for parts) a few hours thereafter. Very easy build considering I am used to 450 size Heli's which contain some rather small bits & pieces and my eyes are definately not what they used to be. I am impressed by the quality of the components and it appears to be really well engineered. Now my Mini-titan has a big brother as a role model ! Slowly collecting the parts and so far have the 3GX controller, a CC BEC PRO, and a Align 700mx 510kv. Will be looking for the other odds & ends but so far it has been a rather inexpensive build: X50e - Paid $350 from guy in Tampa, FL who built the airframe but never installed any electronics and then decided to sell it, Got REAL lucky here! 700mx 510kv - $110 on eBay brand new. Align 3GX - $64 used handfull of times (supposedly). CC BEC PRO - $25 brand new from guy on RunRyder.

Now just have to be patient and find similiar deals for the rest of the stuff! Thanks for reading and will continue to post as I progress and learn.

[raptorz499]

Good to hear you are getting close on having all the bits you need for the heli! This is just a great heli to fly...it simply works every time!

[R3L72]

Although I haven't finished my Prôtos and gone flying, I'm seriously interested in the X50e as my stepping stone from 450 Class Helis.

Agressive looks got me and from what I've read, flight characteristic's wouldn't punish an Intermediate pilot like myself.

I'll definitely follow this Thread and if you could possibly post a photo of your X50e with your 450, that'd be great...curious on size difference. I'll also be interested to hear your flight impressions.

[ghenders]

R3L72 - Getting closer to completing my X50e build. Have sourced all the components (still waiting for the Servos to arrive via eBay - Align DS615 cyclic & DS650 Rudder as well as the DSMX Sats) but have everything else in-house. Here is run down of what I am using outside of the Servos, Rx:

Castle Creations Ice2 120 HV ESC - Going with a 12s setup.
2x Turnigy 4000mAh 6s batteries in series
1x Turnigy 2200mAh 3s battery for the Electronics
CC BEC Pro - Running all electronics @ 6v
Align 3GX flybarless controller
Align 700mx 510kv Motor

Most of the above was sourced used or new take off such as the motor. So far, it has been a relatively inexpensive build for a 600 class bird.

I will post a few more pics of the size comparison between the X50e and my Mini Titan (450 class). It is a BIG difference and it should be a stark difference in flight characteristics!

[Langelus]

Why use a separate lipo for the bec? Just run it from one of the main batteries and save the hassle and weight.

[ghenders]

Couple of reasons I am using a seperate Rx power supply - even though the CC BEC Pro is rated for 12s, i personally feel better not testing that rating! Have heard quite a few stories of the CC BEC Pro's failing (mostly the V1) and I think it will have a longer life regulating 11.1v versus 44.1v. Also, I am running a 700mx motor which will not have any problems lifting the weight of a 3s lipo. If I ever have a main battery failure and have to auto in, the seperate Rx pack will allow me to attempt a safe landing (most likely a extremely rare occurance but again I like the piece of mind knowing i have a little redundancy built in).

[R3L72]

Originally Posted by ghenders

Couple of reasons I am using a seperate Rx power supply - even though the CC BEC Pro is rated for 12s, i personally feel better not testing that rating! Have heard quite a few stories of the CC BEC Pro's failing (mostly the V1) and I think it will have a longer life regulating 11.1v versus 44.1v. Also, I am running a 700mx motor which will not have any problems lifting the weight of a 3s lipo. If I ever have a main battery failure and have to auto in, the seperate Rx pack will allow me to attempt a safe landing (most likely a extremely rare occurance but again I like the piece of mind knowing i have a little redundancy built in).

That's Definitely something I'll keep in mind! Going 600 Size and up, there's a lot I still need to learn for sure. With Thunder Tiger had a 500 Sized kit that looked similare to the X50E or Raptor G4...I'd jump on it in a heartbeat.

I did take a look at the X50E build manual and was very very surprised by the little amount of English instructions or posted link length measurements. Another 600 Sized Heli, the Beam Avantgarde 600 is another one I'm considering because of the well thought out Build manual.

[ghenders]

R3L72- As requested here are a few pictures of my completed X50e next to my Mini Titan e325 (450 size). There is a HUGE difference that pictures really do not convey. The weight difference alone is substantial to the point that you know the wind will not stand a chance against the X50e. I am running a 12s setup with (2) 4000mAh batteries so it is pretty close to max weight (i think you can run 5000mAh batteries but there is really not much room left on the battery tray). The manual is really not that bad. There is a new version out there if you go the the Thunder Tiger website that does have the correct linkage lengths as well as the distance from the main shaft collar to to the bottom of the main shaft. It really is an easy build especially compared to a 450 size heli because you can actually access really any part of the X50e easily. Let me know if you have any questions. I just finished the X50e and spun it up without the main rotor blades, but it is dark (and raining) here in GA so the maiden flight will have to wait till tomorrow!

[ghenders]

R3L72-Another note here regarding the Thunder Tiger manual - Use Google Chrome to download the manual from the Thunder Tiger website. It has a built in English translator that does a great job of converting it into English. Like i said, all the linkage lenghts have been corrected in this manual. I will try to find the link and provide it if you want to peruse.

[R3L72]

Originally Posted by ghenders

R3L72-Another note here regarding the Thunder Tiger manual - Use Google Chrome to download the manual from the Thunder Tiger website. It has a built in English translator that does a great job of converting it into English. Like i said, all the linkage lenghts have been corrected in this manual. I will try to find the link and provide it if you want to peruse.

Whoa! That is one Awesome looking Heli! Thanks for posting your Photos

Ghenders, just from the Aggressive looks alone, your X50E build looks spot on. I'm really interested in your impressions on how she fly's. If you would, please send that link as Thunder Tiger USA website still has the manual without any measurement lengths.

It looks like I could take the Tower Hobbies route, get the kit and some of the components through there. Tower is also recommending the CC ICE2 HV120 which is almost half the price of the Heli Kit...definitely not cheap.

[ghenders]

I am trying to find the url to the manual but cannot seem to find it. I have a copy of the PDF on my PC, just need a place where I can upload it so you can download. Any ideas?

[raptorz499]

Hey R3L72.... I hear you on the esc being expensive as I wanted to build a somewhat reasonably priced heli, which is why I went 8s power! The ice 100 esc is half the price and an original scorpion HK 4025-890 kv motor can be had for a great price as well...just an idea

[R3L72]

Originally Posted by raptorz499

Hey R3L72.... I hear you on the esc being expensive as I wanted to build a somewhat reasonably priced heli, which is why I went 8s power! The ice 100 esc is half the price and an original scorpion HK 4025-890 kv motor can be had for a great price as well...just an idea

Thanks Raptorz499! I don't Smackdown 3D yet and I'm really working my way to Sport flying - Circuits with 3D.

I'm thinking along the lines of GHenders build and go with the Align Servo's. So 2 4S packs but at what mAh?

I do have a FBL unit or two that I can use but I'm feeling either the MSH Brain or Spartan Vortex VX1 will be my choice. I'm also looking to get more flying Impressions before I drop the money on this kit.

[raptorz499]

I can send you some pictures of my setup if you like? Just PM me your email address!

[R3L72]

Originally Posted by raptorz499

I can send you some pictures of my setup if you like? Just PM me your email address!

Thanks! PM'd! Love the stock canopy design as well but I've also started planning on a Fusno or Canomod one.

[ghenders]

Alright - As noted in another thread, I had an issue with the tail oscillating but found out I failed to set the Tx Gyro menu to Aux2. The tail holds incredibly well now especially considering there was a good 10mph crosswind. On (2) 4000mAh 6s packs I am easily getting 8min of flight time running at a governed 2000rpm headspeed.