tean
Senior Heliman
Location: Gloucestershire,UK
| Well folks, at last it's here and it's a bit good. Flippin awesome in fact. At last, the electric Raptor is no longer a conversion, but a fully fledged electric. And it's well worth the wait.
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My previous TP Packs conversion was great, but only as a full on 3D machine. The gearing gave a headspeed of over 2200 and, with no pinion options available, you were pretty much stuck with this unless you started experimenting with different motors. It was also difficult to use any batteries other than the TP 10s2p stick as the space under the motor mount was limited.
The 600ep fixes all this and more. There is space inside the frames and the battery mounting is versitile enough to allow virtually any battery pack you can think of, even dual packs. The frames also allow the use of Raptor60 maingears, making it possible to change the gear ratio. With the supplied 9 tooth pinion and a 95 tooth maingear, I have a headspeed of 2000 at 100% throttle and 1850 at 55% (Schulze controller). Running at 2000rpm, I now get 8.5 mins of full-on 3d from 3200mAh, up from 7.5mins with the old setup! The motor sounds happier with the new gearing and is even more unboggable than before. Motor and battery temperatures are down from 55-60C to 45-50C. That's got to be good news for battery life. I have also been able to raise the gyro gain by 15%. In flight, the model feels crisper and more nimble. Rolls and flips, in particular are neater. With the motor and controller now up in the front of the model, there is no longer a need to poke the aerial out of the front of the model, where I used to keep catching it on the workshop door. The radio range is now about 30% more than before.
The downside is that you now have to remove the cabin to change the battery. No more just wipping it out the back. You should also be aware that, for an electric, this is not a quiet model. The gearbox emits a not unpleasant, but considerable whine. Still massivly quieter than a stinky glow, but it ain't no park flyer.
All of the components in the kit are top quality and the build is easy. The gearbox is still tricky to get right, but much easier than the old one. The only fault I could find, is that the "hub" of the elevator servo arm rubs on the mainshaft when JR servos are used. It's easily cured just by filing some of the arm away, but it's hidden away between the frames and could go unnoticed.
If you're considering buying a 600ep, but are worried about the cost, you should seriously consider selling the house, wife and any children you may have to help raise the cash. You won't be dissapointed. Bravo to all involved in its development!
regards
Andy
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