headspeeds???

[JJVWG]

Hey everyone, first post here. should be getting my 516 kit tomorrow and this is my first real electric build. mostly fly nitros and have only had owned a smaller align 450 electric that i ran with the kit harware and recommended throttle curves ungoverned. just wondering what the proper headspeed range is for the stock 18T motor pinion? i fly more sport and light 3D but no hardcore 3d moves so i dont need a crazy headpseed. just wondering what headspeeds i can run on the stock pinion and what i could run on something like a 16T pinion. been looking at some headpseed calculators online and if im reading them right, its seems that i should be able to run anywhere from 2300-2800 on the 18T pinion. my initial thought was to setup with N=2300/IU1=2400/IU2=2500. any need to switch pinions with those headspeeds. want to keep the electronics happy. Thanks everyone and happy new year!

[Jay Fitts]

Thanks for posting, you will love this heli!

What motor and esc are you using? Are you planning on using the esc gov or fbl gov? If fbl, which one?
All of this info will help determine the ideal headspeed range..

[JJVWG]

jay, i am going to be running the XNOVA 4020-1350 paired with a hobbywing 120A V4 ESC and ikon 2 FBL unit. planning on using the ikon gov.

[richwc]

I’m kind of in the same boat but haven’t ordered motor yet. Thinking around 2300 headspeed. Should I get 1350kv with 16  tooth pinion or go like 1100 kv with 18. Fully plan on stretching to 556. Also my first synergy and first kits that didn’t come as a combo. I plan on the same esc and same flying style as op.

[Jay Fitts]

Hi guys,

The 516:
A 1350kv motor is a great fit with the stock (18T) pinion.  The HW ESC has active freewheeling so you can get a wide range of headspeeds. I use the HW gov on mine and it works great, I havent tried the iKon gov yet. In my idle 3 I'm right around 2750 with good overhead for gov performance. I would recommend sticking with the 18T pinion. Give it an honest try with this setup and the headspeeds you were planning. Make adjustments up or down in headspeed as necessary. If you end up finding you only need under 2500 rpm, then you can look at gearing down, but I would suggest trying this setup first as it is quite typical of what most people have in a 516.

Stretch (with 556 blades):
The short answer is you can go either way.
I first ran a 1350kv with a 16T pinion, it yielded great results, but I want more efficiency so I am going to try a lower kv motor with an 18 or 19T pinion. The important thing is that you do one of the two (either motor KV or pinion choice) to get the headspeeds down. The lower KV will likely yield less overall power, but gain you some flight time from my experience. If I were you and you are certain you will be going with the stretch, and never want to try it as a 516, I would order a lower kv motor in the 1050-1150 range and keep the stock pinion.

Everyone has different preferences and enjoys different flying styles, so these are only my suggestions from my personal experience. You may need to experiment a little but the 516 is a ton of fun!

To the OP, for your flying style and being that you typically fly nitro, you may enjoy the lighter disk loading and better auto performance of the stretch / 556 blades. The fun thing is you can stretch it later for very little money if you ever want to try it.

[JJVWG]

Thanks for the advice Jay! Figured it’d be best to get it all setup and see how it flies and what headspeeds I’ll want to run first. There is definitely potential to stretch it in the future but for now I’ll leave it as is.

[Jay Fitts]

No problem Jeff! Once you get her in the air and a few flights under your belt, report back on what you think about it. 

[richwc]

Thanks Jay. I had a hard time deciding between the 516 and an e5. I choose the 516 for the belt and the simple fact its 10+ years newer design. My plan was always to go 556 and stay with a single 6 cell. Again I’m still pretty new, have a trex 450 and 470. Wanted something bigger because I never have calm days here.  Think I’ll go with a 1100kv. Thanks again for the info and More input is would be greatly appreciated if I’m way off in my thinking here.

[Jay Fitts]

I think you are on the right track! The e5 is still a very good helicopter, but the 516 is a whole new design and has many advantages. I think you will be happy with the 1100kv and 556 stretch combo. Its very stable and precise. Remember to either use the speed up tail pulley or larger tail blades when you stretch. You will have to play with the headspeed and pitch setup for your flight style and the conditions if its windy to find the sweet spot for you. It doesn't take much to get this heli really moving fast!

Have fun!

[JJVWG]

started building thursday night. may start a new thread regarding the build for some help. a few minor snags but mostly smooth so far. at the point where i need to figure out how to mount my servos and start putting some power to my ESC and IKON units. ikon setup seems fairly straightforward from the videos ive watched, completely lost with the setup on the HW ESC, so many options and not sure what they all mean or what i need to pick!

[Jay Fitts]

Yeah start a build thread and you can post questions along the way. Dont be scared of the HW, it's actually quite easy once you set one up for the first time. Plenty of people out there running HW including me and it works really well. Get yourself a programmer for the esc if you haven't already, makes it so much easier.