Hey Guys,

After playing around with a 3ch ModelArt heli for months i wanted something more hobby grade. I moved to cars and bought an XXT. I have learn a lot with the truggy and have had a lot of fun. Its a very convenient stress buster on weekends and i love it!
Now i want to learn something new, something different, challenging and technical.
While exploring my options i spent time reading about multi-rotors. They seemed too technical for my taste. Few hours into the research my thoughts shifted towards helis. I loved it! the more i read about them the more i wanted one.
So now its time to get a 450 heli

I would like to document my, slow and patient, journey in this thread.

For now:
I spent a week or so reading about CCPM and understanding the mechanics and electronics. This is going to continue.
I will continue watching Bob White videos and learning.
My plan is to buy a radio and learn everything about it.
Second step is to procure a sim and tools.
Third is to buy and put together the bird.

Right now i am in phase one. i will update this thread as things progress.

Cheers

PS : Keyword is SLOW.

Hey Rajathv8,

I was like this few months back...now I am building a 450. Its a fun and adventurous journey !

Yup it is exciting to learn something new.
Got my radio  - Turnigy 9x. I spent some time fiddling with it.
The sim is on its way

Update:

I have a sim now. I am not able to get it to work though - i will post details in an appropriate thread.

I am planning on buying the following :
1. Hobbyking SS Heli Series 50-65A ESC
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__10013__Hobbyking_SS_Heli_Series_50_65A_ESC.html

2. GA-250 - HobbyKing GA-250 MINI-MEMS Gyro
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__15318__HobbyKing_GA_250_MINI_MEMS_Gyro_.html

3. HXT900 - HXT900 9g / 1.6kg / .12sec Micro Servo for cyclic

4. HK15158A Digital BB/Coreless Mini Servo 25g / 2.8kg / 0.07s as a tail servo.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__16267__HK15158A_Digital_BB_Coreless_Mini_Servo_25g_2_8kg_0_07s.html

5. R/C Helicopter Pitch Gauge
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__9653__R_C_Helicopter_Pitch_Gauge.html

6. Hook and Loop Universal Tie Down
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__28801__Hook_and_Loop_Universal_Tie_Down_Flouro_Yellow_300mm.html

7. 450 Size Heli Blade Balancer Adapter
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__14928__450_Size_Heli_Blade_Balancer_Adapter_3mm_.html

8. Turnigy 2200mAh 3S 20C Lipo Pack

My requirements are basic. I do not intend to fly hard 3D.
I have the following motor which i plan to use:   

Turnigy 450/500 H2223 Brushless outrunner 3500KV
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11178__Turnigy_450_500_H2223_Brushless_outrunner_3500KV.html

I also have 3.5mm bullet connectors.

I have looked through the specs and read reviews/comments on HK before compiling the above list.
Please let me know if i have missed out on anything or if i can opt for something better
Looking forward to your inputs.

i think this would be a better blade balancer
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11451__Turnigy_R_C_Helicopter_Blade_Balancer_Metal_.html

a swash leveler would also be useful (v2 and pro models have different tools, ensure you buy the correct one)
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__12904__HK450_Pro_Swashplate_Leveler_Tool_.html

Thank you I will consider it before buying.

Anyone else?

hey hi i have been flying helis for about 2 1/2 years now i own a coax heli a 300 size fixed pitch ,used to own a 450 pro and currently flying 500 ....well its not about what all i have but what all i learnt from having them ....as u have said u switching from an ir coax to a 450ccpm .....firstly out of all the 450 size helicopters out there the trex 450 sport v3 or clone equivalent is better from rc bazaar ....secondly the motor specified is fine ...u can use the hobbyking motor ....as u are learning to fly u can use the hxt 900 servos for cyclic they are good and i have been using  them for a very long time  ....most importantly pls do not go cheap on a gyro and tail servo u may regret it the GA 250 is a hit and miss gyro works good for some for others not that great ,if u go cheap on ur tail servo and gyro u will have tail drifting problems and tail wags and these gyros dont compensate for temperature and pressure changes as both these factors change rapidly in our beautiful country u will have to keep on changing  gain settings n with the drift and wag problems u will deff get irritated ....this is wat i suggest ..http://www.targethobby.com/hobbymate-hb790-mems-rc-helicopter-3d-gyro-dual-rates-metal-cov-p-4162166.html this is exactly the clone of a spartan quark gyro from spartan rc which is the best tail gyro till date ......for tail servo use this http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__22687__TGY_306G_Ultra_Fast_High_Torque_MG_Digital_Alloy_Cased_Servo_3kg_06sec_21g.html its a bit pricy but u wont regret this on a long run ..... u can upgrade to the same servos for ur cyclic in future when u get good at flying .....
do not compensate on tail servo and gyro .....also for the esc http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__20690__Hobbyking_YEP_45A_2_6S_SBEC_Brushless_Speed_Controller.html this is wat i recommend its the same esc sold in uk and one of the best in the world its a clone of the yge esc ....trust me on this and dont go cheap on these three things ...i learnt the hard way .....also get a sim i recommend  using phoenix sim . dont even think about lifting off before practicing on the sim or frequent crashes will get u irritated ...many people just leave heli flying cause of this reason ....learning everything on the sim will take u a good 2 weeks if u give it 2 hrs a day but take ur time and dont hurry

tc
shannon

Thanks for the write up Shannon
I will be buying a clone from RCB. Unfortunately those electronics are way out of my budget.
I have a sim. I plan on spending time on it once i get it to work with my TX.
I want to order electronics so that they reach me about the time im done with the sim

Stick to the 401b from hobby king its the new revised version performingjust like the futaba 401 gyro the ga 250 has some really ugly reviews u would not want to try ur luck with that one seriously ...and if ur in luck and servo is back in stock check for the turnigy mg 930 servo its a metal gear digital servo very very reliable and 13$ its a mini servo u will find it in the park servo section ....its so good that i gets sold out within two days using the very same on the 500 

I opted for the GA250 after reading reviews on HK. It seemed positive. I will read more - can you direct me to any link where guys have faced problems?

The servo is on BK. The specs are - 3.6kg / 26g / 0.14sec. Is 0.14sec sufficient for the tail?  
I was in search of something under 0.10.
I prefer an MG servo but i didnt find anything suitable on HK.

My setups are 6v plus so it speeds up the servos and increases torque so far held my 450 and 500 tail rock solid

There is no specific problem but the gyro is a hit or miss if it works it works ok otherwise its doa

I know ur on a budget but the gyro esc and tail servo are worth it ..if u can wait it out get more cash and buy the above .....cause they are a one time investment specially the gyro hb790 they are clones of reputed brands ...am telling you out of pure experience ..... what is ur overall budget how much can u push it till let me know i can figure something out to get u the best

just had a look around ...the assan 250 gyro is a new revised version they removed the comment list of the previous one on hk and the sticker is different so i really dont know how the new one performs as the new one has good reviews ....try ur luck with it 

Thanks Shannon. I will read up about it
I also plan on buying a heli training kit with metal center piece.

Got the Turnigy 9x to work with 3 in 1 sim from RCB.

Changed the mode to PPM and removed the module to make it work

I have used info from this link for basic setup of my radio.

I am having a hard time with the sim.

I use RealFlight G4 with Trunigy 9x. My radio is in Aircraft mode with no Expo, no DR and no mixing.
I am able to get the heli off the ground but it keeps drifting.
I have tried calibrating the radio, setting the trims etc to no avail.
The heli always drifts or suffers from toilet bowl effect.

Am I doing something wrong or missing something?
I would love to get the drift out of the way.

hey hi ,i dont know if you are saying that as soon as u lift off the heli keeps drifting to right and left or just drifting but that is supposed to happen it is not a coaxial heli to stay in one place little drift is natural but if it just turn anywhere on lift off u have a problem ....u have to set 90degrree mix or no mix in swash plate settings keep both HH and Rate gyro to 50% gain that is about it for tx setup calibrate ur tx with realflight and your done ....but drifting in collective and fixed pitch heli is normal ....it will never stay in the same place ....i suggest u use expo helis normally are very sensitive to control input .....and if u can download it i suggest phoenix rc for heli flying for planes real flight is better 

"as soon as u lift off the heli keeps drifting to right and left or just drifting"
Shannon that is exactly what i meant.

Bought the Hiller beginner kit today

I faced similar drift issue with the sim at RCB. I met Sujju and explained the above to him. His response was inline with yours Shannon.

I guess the "issue" was lack of understanding, time to train my fingers now.

Realflight can be used in two modes with a Radio Tx.
1. Joystick Emulation : Use the radio with 4 channels and the sim software does all the mixing.
2. Pass Through Mode : Use radio as one would in the real world, all mixing and setup is to be done manually on the radio TX.

I am currently using method 1.

Yes all have to go through that phase its ok ....even a real helicopter in real life constant inputs have to be given to keep it in one place as rc helis r verg small its harder to keep them in one place but not impossible  ...but drifting will happen no matter how well u set ur helicopter or how well ur trims are set it will drift ...but trust me once u learn to fly one properly u wont stop inti al stage is a bit of an headache ...need any help on setup or anythng pm me or sujju is always available to help u

Pics of what was in the box + the box itself

Pic 20 - Box with 30cm scale to judge size.

Pic 07 - Contents, includes everything in the box
         - 9 packets
         - Tail Boom
         - Landing skids

Pic 01 - Landing Skid

Pic 02 - Tail Boom

Pic 03 , 04 - Packet 1 and contents from the top
              - Tail servo linkage
              - Flybar rod
              - Tail boom supports

Pic 05 , 06 - Packet 2 and its contents from the top left
              - Velcro with sticker
              - L wrench 1.5mm or 1mm (not sure)
              - Gyro foam pad with sticker 27mm x 27mm (2)
              - Battery velcro strap 20cm x 1cm (2)
              - Zip ties 9cm (4)
              - Zip ties 14cm (2)

Pic 08 , 09 - Packet 3 and contents
              - Main and autorotation gear with one way bearing
              - Associated bushing, screw and nut

Pic 10 , 11 - Packet 3 and contents
              - Tail assembly with belt

Pic 12 , 13 - Packet 4 and contents from top left
              - Flybar paddles
              - Tail rotor blades
               - Tail servo holder , guides for tail servo linkage and horizontal tail fin holder
              - Horizontal and vertical tail fins

       

Pic 14 , 15 - Packet 5 and contents from top left
              - Frame base plate
              - Packet with anti rotation bracket, Canopy mounts and battery holder
              - Assembled main frame
              - Self tapping Screws and washers

Pic 16 , 17 - Packet 6 and contents
              - Assembled Head
              - Ball links