heli-savage

Guys,

I just got a Hornet II for Christmas and I'm wondering what gear should I get for it. I have a new GY401 gyro that I will put in my Raptor 50 this summer but can I use it in the Hornet or should I get a lighter one? I have two HS-55 & two JR261 servos I plan on using, maybe a HS-50 for the tail. I think I will stick with the stock motor for now but plan on upgrading to a brushless later after I learn to fly it. What should I get for a battery? I have a Triton charger so I'm thinking Li-Poly.

This is my first electric heli so any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Dion

ChopperMike

With a micro heli, the lighter the better. I'd use only lithium batteries, any sub-micro servo like the HS-55 or GWS Naro will be fine. I have the GWS Naro servos, E-Tech 1200 mAH 3 cell lithium battery and Hitech Electron 6 with case removed (mine is collective pitch). As for gyro I currently have a cheap Hobbico style gyro but I'm thinking of installing my Futaba GY 240 out of my Hawk Sport so I have heading hold.

Is this the collective pitch version? If so take a look at the E-zone review (there's a link on the Hobby Lobby site). The way they have you install the cyclic servos makes for some improper geometry of the pushrods.

Good luck with it. I'm just getting used to mine myself, they (micro's) are a little twitchy compared to a larger nitro heli. But I'm not too thrilled with freezing my butt off flying my nitro birds in the Wisconsin winters.

Regards,

Mike

heli-savage

Thanks CopperMike!

I got the Hornet II (CP Version) for the same reason - Northern Canadian winters are way too cold for messing with the nitros. Are you running the stock motor (300) or a brushless? I am asking b/c if you are running the 300 motor, isn't the 3 cell Ly-Pol too much juice for it? What servo are you running on the tail? I'm thinking a HS-50 because it is very fast - good match for the GY401. Thanks for the reply.

Dion

ChopperMike

I'm running the stock brushed motor and a Hobbico CS-5, which I happened to have on hand. It's the same speed as the GWS naro. I used the 3 cell battery on the advice of several hobby shops that carry the Hornet. Actually the higher battery voltage of the 3 cell LiPo doesn't really matter a whole lot due to the type of speed control these things use. It's a PWM signal (Pulse Width Modualtion) which pulses the voltage on and off and the amount of on time is what controls the motor speed. The only difference in using a higher cell count is the peak voltage the motor sees, the average voltage is the same as using a lower voltage battery (and having a longer on-time) for a given head speed. Obviously if you use too high a battery voltage the high pulses would damage the motor. Running a 2 cell battery probably would work although the voltage toward the end of the charge would be considerably lower than with a 7 or 8 cell nicad or NiMH.


Mike