FBL conversion complete on this $100 used Blade 450-3D. CopterX FBL head and K-Bar FBL controller.
This was actually 3rd attempt at test flight, as the first two attempts ended with tail blades being flung-off on spool up.

....safe landing...

 

looks good

 

Thanks.
It still needs some fine tuning. Cyclic and tail gains showed to be just a smidge too hot toward the end of the flight as I noticed a slight jitter, and I need to adjust the collective and cyclic ranges more to my liking.
It did good for a test light though.

 

yeah I can't tell the difference between the Blade and CopterX. They both sound the same??

 

Generally same, but different configurations such as motor position, servo position, plastic frame, larger diameter tail boom and beefier tail shaft. One drawback I see is that B450 motor mount doesn't seem to be adjustable to set gear spacing or different pinions. B450 might weigh a bit less, but I can't tell for certain since both aren't equally fitted at the moment.

 

Seemed to hover ok? has a bit of POP as well (when you punch the collective).

 

I could use another degree or two on collective. Cyclic was a bit touchy.
I went with the CX450 settings to rough-in the setup, but with geometry being different and servo specs different, I expected to need further adjustments after test flight.

 

Blah! I don't think I like the E-Blite 7.6g servos.
I was finally able to get to the park and turn the B450-FBL loose....... and loose it was.
It may have been that I haven't fine tuned the setup since the test flight, but still yet, the DS76 servos are plastic geared and seem to lack a bit of torque compared to even the Turnigy TGY90S servos I've been using for the last 6 months. I don't expect the E-Blite servos to last long. I can't say the servos aren't FBL capable since Blade uses the same servos in the 450X (factory FBL version). I'll have to refine the setup and try again before I can say for certain.
I know the B450 didn't feel right through two inversions and resulting fights to recover when the thing got a bit wobbly.
If anything, this bird is testing my reflexes.

 

Do you think it might be loose due to servos? What about small vibes? Feeling loose/slightly out of control can sometimes be vibes that you dont notice. IE the heli still flies fine, but will feel almost like its out of control... super loose.

 

Servos are certainly in the equasion, I'll check for vibe and such later this evening when I get into it. It definitely doesn't feel the same as the CX450SE.

 

I noticed when looking at your video the stabiliser appeared to be vibrating. It might be nothing but tail vibes are very inconspicuous because they are often higher a frequency than the main rotor. The only way to really check is to remove the main blades, clamp the heli down and spool it flat chat and look at the swash. It should not move, the swash should be rock solid steady and the tail should not drift.

 

Vstabi setup revised, both banks set (low/high agility)..... hopefully the thing will fly smoother tomorrow.

 

Addressing the vibration issue....
Spool-up with no blades revealed no vibration out of the ordinary other than some motor vibe which was cured by removing the sticker from the side of the motor. It's amazing what such a minute amount of weight will do at 40,000 (or so) Rpm. I might consider fabricating a damper plate to put under the K-bar since its mounted under the plastic frame and has nothing metal or rigid to dampen normal vibrations. K-bar log showed "good health".... no abnormalities. This mornings test started out well enough after revising setup, but still had B450 getting squirrelly toward end of flight. I suspect the E-blite servos more now than before, having gone over everything else.
I may have to put the new Corona servos on just to satisfy my curiosity.... they should arrive sometime in the next day or two.

 

One thing I overlooked was the added power drain of adding the K-Bar on an ESC that is most likely barely up to the task of running the stock setup. I will be breaking out the ammeter tonight..... will change to Align ESC and possibly the 600W/3500Kv motor..... pending results of BEC output.

 

If you're needing an align ESC/motor I think there was a post on the classified recently. Not sure if it's sold

http://heligods.com/threads/align-bl-450m-motor-bl35x-esc.4348/

 

Actually, I have a 3500Kv, a 3800Kv, and a 4000Kv on the way that I just won on EBay for $10+shipping. The Align 45A ESC works fine, the Blade ESC is okay with 1A/3A surge BEC but I'd rather get a better ESC with stronger BEC as soon as I can get away with it. The Blade ESC is 3S only, and I run 2S also- so the Blade ESC won't do.
I'm going to run the Align with 3500Kv on 11:140 (12.727 to1) ratio. It has 3A/5A surge BEC.

 

I finally decided to get a better radio.... FS-TH9X 9-channel computerized radio. For $59 shipped, I couldn't pass it up. I'll need to convert to DSMX, but I'm going to forego the Orange module and use the DSMX module out of my DX4e. It's a reasonably easy conversion from what I read, and it's a popular mod.
9 channels will allow more control over K-Bar parameters "on the fly" and possibly a few other functions. Model memory, throttle curves, timer, and all the good bells and whistles.

 

The surgery was a success! Resident protocol of the TH9X is now DSM2 (I couldn't bring myself to part the DSMX module out of the DX4E just yet).
I'm very fortunate that the particular radio I bought already has the upgraded firmware in it for DSM2/X selectivity. No firmware flashing needed! Using the HP6DSM module and antenna, you cant tell anything has been done to the radio except the empty module socket in back of the radio.
The first setup was tested on the little mSRx. After some fumbling through the menu to find the servo reversals for ailieron, I managed a quick flight.
The mSRx flies like a totally different Heli with rates at 100%! Now to program in the rest of the fleet..... including the B450-3D in original flybar configuration.

 

Okay..... B450-3d back to original flybarred configuration, ccpm mixing in the TH9X radio set up and calibrated fairly mild to start out, I should be able to get a good test run on the thing today.
It should be interesting since I put a new 4000Kv motor in the thing..... head speed calculates to around 3400rpm! Good thing I have CF blades instead of the stock woodies.