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Belt drive conversion...

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SkyMaxx

SkyMaxx

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I searched our site and it appears that the belt driven tail rotors are mainly found in the larger helis. I have a Blade CP Pro and thanks to the search feature of this site found some nice conversion kit/upgrades for the Blade CP; however, most of them either involve a dual tail rotor motor set up or a belt drive set up.

I understand the dual tail rotor motor configuration and why it is a good idea, but I am curious as to whether or not the belt drive is a good idea. So I am asking the experts here...what are the benefits, besides noise reduction, of the belt driven tail rotor? Are there any?

I am seriously considering upgrading my CP Pro in one of two fashions....either buying upgrade parts and mods to strengthen the little bugger...or flying it til it dies and upgrading to a better machine. Since, I am not one for killing RCs, I think the first option is what I will end up going with and I will simply add another heli when the time is right.

So please, give me the benefit of your knowledge.

-SkyMaxx
 
I have always liked the belt driven tails. Mainly for 2 reasons. First is that you no longer have the possible failing point of the rear motor. That's out of the equation. Also, kinda in the same vein, the heli now will run on one motor alone. That means you no longer have to rely on the volatile 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 boards to make the heli work. You can use a more standard ESC in them and it makes wiring and setup a ton easier. Plus, I believe when you convert to a slave driven tail you will then have your main gear set with autorotation gear which brings another major skill in the picture. IMHO, the belt or shaft tails are just a neater and more efficient way to run a heli.
 
Okay...does this mean I will need to upgrade the motor on the heli to handle the load of both main rotor and tail rotor?
 
That I can't say for sure. If you have the Blade CP Pro, I would think the brushless would handle it. But if it's a standard brushed motor, you may want to step up to brushless. Also, you will probably need to consider a new gyro if the stock one is integrated in the control box. Plus you'll need a 4th servo for tail pitch...

Yeah, the price tag tends to jump up a bit...
 
Not a problem...I'm enjoying the flying/crashing/wrenching and learning. I guess I'll have to re-evaluate whether or not I want to upgrade this heli...or just fly/crash it 'til it dies and move up to something larger. So far, I am having a blast with it and really do not mind spending money on it. Guess I will have to really give it some thought. Thanks for the information...it will come in handy when I make a decision.
 
eartaker said:
I want to convert my Raptor 30 FROM belt drive to shaft driven
Click to expand...

My Falcon .46 has a shaft driven tail rotor. I never had a problem with it, but the belt takes a couple of mechanical points out of the maintenance loop.
Why would you want to change it from a belt?
 

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