Yes another Roban 700 AH64 build

[thebirdman]

Have always wanted to build up one of these large scale beauties, so the bullet has been bit.....
Been tinkering with upgrades over the last 2 month's in spare time, now that the outdoor flying is over "too damn cold for me" only time I like my body shaking is with a good shot of homemade whiskey..
Have lots of pics and will post as i get going full on it.
Do have a question though.... many thoughts on the motor to use, did purchase the recommended motor MOTION RC stated but see that has been "amended" was it because they had the wrong info or too much stock?
So from those who are flying this bird, what is your recommendation on what worked for you? weight - headspeed ?
I have on hand these choices:
Scorpion 4035-450
Scorpion 4035-500
Xnova 4030-560

Also chat on the Tengu 515kv ??? Already into this balls deep so another motor recommendation is not an issue, just like to install/setup and fly :)

Tossed in the 3d printed pilots, than canadianized them

and electrical connection for the cockpit lighting and future automated pilots

Tkx for your suggestions
Birdman

[DCORSAIR]

I know of three guys flying the Apache, one guy is using the 450kv but went to a larger pinion gear, another is using the Tengu 515kv and my buddy Gravy tried the Align 450kv that I loaned him and he didn't like it because there was not much headroom for the ESC, I think he was at like 90%, so he gave it back to me and ended up using a 510kv I think he said, hopefully he will chime in if I'm wrong, so I took the Align 450kv motor and installed it in my Roban 800 Hughes 500 with a 4 blade head and it has plenty of power for that big boy and I have 27% headroom on my Kontronik 160 ESC, so hope some of my info helps you decide, I would go with the 515kv myself, if you go with a Scorpion motor, they require you to oil after so many flights, not easy if you can't get to it.

[Gravythe clown]

Yep DCORSAIR is correct. I’m using a align Bl-700mx 510kv. I’m running 30% headroom and I’m very happy with my head speed. I was at 25% headroom and DCORSAIR might remember I had two instances of over speed after coming out of banks. So I dialed the speed down 5% and have never herd a over speed since.

you might be good with that 500. That might put you right at 25% headroom.

I’m also printing up some new pitot tubes. So far my plan is to use brass tubing and resin printed parts slid over the brass tubing. I also plan on having the pitot swing on the ends. The whole setup will screw into locking nuts epoxied into the base the glues to the fuse of the pitot tube set. This way I can swing the whole setup back during storage so they don’t stick out.
I just printed the first rev today. Need to make changes and reprint tomorrow. After I get it all done and working right I’ll post the files for others to use.

Next time I’m on HS while in my computer I’ll also print the SLT file of the bottom antenna. I printed it out using a 50/50 abs like resin / flexible resin. Worked like a charm and no more breaking it.

Gravy

[thebirdman]

Thanks guys, did some calcs this am, seams from what I've read the ratio is 13.8:1? I just did a tooth count and came up with 12:1:
22/68=3.09
20/78=3.9
3.9x3.09 = 12.05
so looks like the 500kv will be in the sweet spot
500x44.4x.75/12 = 1387
Yes interested in the slt files, i will be posting all mine on Thingsverse just redoing the stab asme pods, decided to make a new mount so they can be pinned in and replaced with different weapons. also working on the hellfire tubes, will be leds installed with a light sequencer :) the list goes on......
AMASE pod

[Gravythe clown]

I did the same math and got the same numbers, however when you go old school and spin the motor by hand and count how many motor rotations it takes to spin the head one full turn, it’s more like 13:1.

also Michael Brown sales the cascading tail. Great price too. I recently bought one from him and flipped my first umbrella gear, then pined all for ends of the torque tubes so my tail rotor now spins the right way.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008313572745

Gravy

[thebirdman]

yes, putting together the cascade tail also, using the md700 shaft, align tail slider and kd7.2 tail grips, as for the direction reversal i'll swap the tail bevel to the otherside :)

[thebirdman]

Well got a fair bit accomplished in the little time I have pre-Christmas. Cockpit done, pilots printed and painted, contacts installed for the lighting and future expansion's

[thebirdman]

Front landing gear mounts redone, just need to touch up...Also added aluminum inserts in the top mount so force is not on the fiberglass but on the wood mount.

[thebirdman]

printed electric board that slides in under the frame, holds the esc/sound system (Benedini) /lighting system (Unilight) and space for ???
Removable for access without having too remove the frame.

[thebirdman]

Printed wire rails for the sides for the power/speed control/telemetry/ servo wires..

[thebirdman]

Not having much luck swapping the tail bevel to the opposite side, have tried machining a new side plate but still issues with not enough travel to the one side due to the bearing placement, playing with new printed pitch arms to try and offset a bit more, also trying a Gaui X5 tail assembly...work in progress

[Gravythe clown]

Well got a fair bit accomplished in the little time I have pre-Christmas. Cockpit done, pilots printed and painted, contacts installed for the lighting and future expansion's

I really like the cockpit connection for the lights. I would have thought I would have done something familiar as that’s the same type of connection I used to make up when I built lightsaber years ago. Oh god is the mind starting to fail me? Lmao

great setup.
I’m still getting a vibration on mine. I have my tail boom and riser very well secured now, so now I’m going to focus 100% on my main rotor.

gravy

[thebirdman]

I really like the cockpit connection for the lights. I would have thought I would have done something familiar as that’s the same type of connection I used to make up when I built lightsaber years ago. Oh god is the mind starting to fail me? Lmao

great setup.
I’m still getting a vibration on mine. I have my tail boom and riser very well secured now, so now I’m going to focus 100% on my main rotor.

gravy

Well have noticed a few things i did correct, one main was the servos were touching the bottom plate when mounted so shimmed them up a tad for clearence.... second don't like the idea of the rear frame mounts floating, anything loose will vibrate, not sure how i'm going to correct yet but looking like a couple extra small access holes need to be drilled and bolts installed.

[Gravythe clown]

I added stiff foam (the stuff that blade storage supports are made of) into the tail section. This stiffened up the whole back section and everything is very solid now between the mechanics and fuse.

Gravy

[thebirdman]

Messing with the linkages for the swash today while a final fbl mount prints. Have assembled too many helies in my time and one thing that allows the FBL to function at peak is proper geometry...
I'm baffled as to why they placed the Pitch/Aleron lever on the inside? If they were external the linkages to the servos would be parallel and the swash links would be at 90* if balls were to be moved to the inside?
This will be something ill look into correcting after it is finished, anyone try to relocate yet?
Birdman

[Gravythe clown]

Yeah that’s a known issues even with their 800 mechanics. I kind of vaguely remember someone doing something that fixed it, but I can’t remember details. I didn’t notice any unwanted behavior during flight with mine.

Gravy

[thebirdman]

while the fix looks easy enough, matter of swaping the 2 sides as they are each independent, only issue will be the bearing placement for the elevator shaft assembly,as they will now be on the outside, possibly a little fancy mill work should correct? going to see if i can order those 2 supports and play with it :)

[DCORSAIR]

while the fix looks easy enough, matter of swaping the 2 sides as they are each independent, only issue will be the bearing placement for the elevator shaft assembly,as they will now be on the outside, possibly a little fancy mill work should correct? going to see if i can order those 2 supports and play with it :)

I questioned the linkage issue as well but decided to go with it stock, this is on both of my 800 size Hughes 500 mechanics, which I believe is the same mechanics, but anyway after flying both of mine, I don't see an issue with the way it's setup, never have I ever flown a scale heli so smooth as these are, so unless your just OCD about it, I wouldn't change a thing really, try it out first, no need to use large servo horns either, little movement is all that's needed with the design as is.

[thebirdman]

I questioned the linkage issue as well but decided to got with it stock, this is on both of my 800 size Hughes 500 mechanics, which I believe is the same mechanics, but anyway after flying both of mine, I don't see an issue with the way it's setup, never have I ever flown a scale heli so smooth as these are, so unless your just OCD about it, I wouldn't change a thing really, try it out first, no need to use large servo horns either, little movement is all that's needed with the design as is.

Agree will fly it this year as stock, and worry about it next winter......parts are backordered anyways :)

[DCORSAIR]

Yeah good idea, fly it first and see if it works the way you want, that's what I meant by smooth, not so much the vibes but the feel is more what I was talking about, mine fly so easy, from lift off into a hover then into forward flight and flying around, coming into land is my favorite, pull collective and flare early, then flatten it out for a nice scale approach, of course it could be the 800 size making it easy but when I got into these bigger helis, I wasn't expecting them to fly this good.