Woo-hoo!

 

Careful that like a v1 ikon if so is not polarity protected be careful how your plug in the power or you will let out the magic smoke

 

That was the first thing I looked at. All I have to do now is put it in place of the K-Bar, download the setup software, and finish it up.

 

Let us know how it feels by comparison....

 

So far, from running setup and a few no-blade spool-ups,
the thing seems to have stronger gyro feedback to the servos with more movement than the K-Bar. This does make sense since the Ikon has to have full control in order to employ the rescue function, which seems to be working if the bench tests are correct. If I lean the heli one direction and engage rescue, the swash imitiately snaps in with positive collective and opposing cyclic movement. Tail lock seems solid from spool-up with tail blades.
I do find yet again, I can only use 6 out of 8 channels, so to use rescue or self level, I have to give up adjustable tail gain or bank switching. Could this perhaps be a limitation in the Ikon or is it the DSM2/X satellite system? I have an 8-Ch Tx!

 

First flight with Ikon shows smoother cyclic response, but cyclic gain might still be a little low to start with. Tail stops from piro are solid with no jitter or wag.
An attempt at the rescue from a level hover simply added collective with no veering in any direction. I'll have to wait till I get out in open air to be able to give it a real test.

 

..... the GUI (software) for Brain took a little getting used to after using Vstabi for 9 months.

 

Oh, snap! I just figured out I can use the same Bluetooth module from my K-Bar if I make an adapter cable.

 

So I finally worked up the nerve to try some inversions and rolls and what not..... as luck would have it, and wind, I found myself in enough of a compromised position to activate the rescue...... which worked as expected. There remains the default 45* bank limit after rescue cycles out, until turned off..... as I found out shortly thereafter.
So far, no defects with the Ikon.

 

Hey thats GREAT news! I think @Beaver if you can fly over long grass you will be supprised how well the protos 450 crashes. I have seen many people - including my self - crash the minip in long grass, pick it up and fly it again.

 

Yes.... I've seen one of @Crash Heligod's rants about...... what did he call them.....Mini Prostates?? Despises them He said??

 

.....anyway, back to what I was saying.....
If I'm not mistaken, the important part of an FBL with rescue/leveling is having the model on a level surface during power-up. That's the only step I've done other than assigning a switched channel to the rescue on AUX.
For sake of comparison, I will say that the Ikon does feel more locked in for all 3 axis, a little less twitchy at times, and overall better quality than the K-Bar..... and yet the Ikon has already paid for itself with the successful deployment of the rescue cycle, and the successful resolution of what would have otherwise been a costly mistake.
No regrets.

 

Aww, d@mmit! I just seen an Ikon 2 for sale for what I paid for my Ikon 1.
It's all good though. Ikon 1 working as expected. It's been a month and a half since I acquired this Protos...... No crash, no foul.

 

Yep... thats always the way. I don't think there are huge differences though, only the reverse polarity thing. So the heli is flying 100% now? no twitches or anything strange?

 

It's all good. I'm still in holding pattern for new servos, but the ones Im using are reliable...... Just not as quick as I want, nor are they metal case. In other words, rock solid, just lacking a bit of agility. I have yet to prepare for the 6S conversion..... Packs and good quality charging station, but I want better servos before I go there.

 

I haven't been comfortable with the first run of programming the FS-TH9X to the Ikon, as I didn't use the ccpm setup template before. The throttle hold and idle-up 1&2 weren't in the correct positions, which made manipulating throttle a bit awkward.
This time I was able to use the ccpm template in the Tx and simply bypass the cyclic mix into separate Ail, Elev, and pitch channels. Throttle and pitch curves were adjusted........
It's the same template That worked for both B450-3D and K-Bar 450SE.
Much better.

 

Good to hear! The only way to understand your gyro is to try different setups....

 

Having estimated I've logged around 50 flights or so up to now, I think its safe to say I'm a Protos convert now. The Mini lives up to my expectations with the quiet and reliable belt-drive. With a proper Tx, FBL and servos, it flies nice and tight. No regrets.

 

Love it!!! so good to hear. Its a nice machine and brings lots of pleasant nostalgia to mind. You can keep flying this bird forever... Such a unique design.

 

Definitely a step-up from where I was.
I can't begin to describe how annoyed I was with the T-Rex type drive system and the annoying gear noise. Full-on belt-drive is exactly what I ended up wanting in a heli.....no damn distracting gear noise...... Just nice quiet floating around in the air with no worries.
The stretch, even at 3S is much more stable and predictable than a CX450SE at stock 325mm configuration. I wish I had bought one of these Mini-Protos two years ago!