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Micro AP system
We are releasing the new 325-360mm blade class micro AP system. This mount fits trex, mini titan and most heli with blade size from 325mm upto 360mm. This replaces the older trex 450AP system. this system is just a smaller version of the mini-AP setup. same size as Trex, but comes with easy adjustable mounting system. that allow you to fit it to most heli in this size class. total weight is about 160gm minus stock LG weight, but it is strong enough for 395 heli. It was a tradeoff between strong design and universality vs light weight. it is also bit larger for more stable platform. Trex 450 is made by Align in Taiwan. Due to its low cost and good flight characteristics, this full collective pitch helicopter has become one of the most popular in its size class. Align has been very responsive to the public by releasing affordable upgrades for the T-Rex series helicopter. Several other companies also produce upgrades to help make this an excellent micro Aerial Photograph (AP) helicopter camera platform. AskmanAP produces an Aerial Photography Landing Gear (APLG), designed specifically for the T-Rex, which can carry a small camera. Due to the small size of the T-Rex, the challenge was to make the APLG strong and light weight. The AskmanAP APLG replaces the original T-Rex landing gear. The APLG illustrated above, is our new V2.0 T-Rex platform now comes in Black G-10 The AskmanAP T-Rex APLG has a 5" carbon fiber (CF) camera mount and floating mounting system for better vibration damping. It has more standard feature than any other available mount. It will also fit Thunder Tiger E-titan without modification. The V2.0 T-Rex platform can easily be upgraded to our Procam mount. The AskmanAP Procam upgrade kit adds an oil shock dampener to the self leveling gimbal which adds 40 grams of weight, and does an excellent job of swing damping. In order to enable the T-Rex to carry the additional weight of the APLG and camera, the helicopter can be optimized to produce additional lifting capacity by using the items listed below: 1. Motor: Several brushless motors are available which fit the T-Rex and provide more power than the standard Align brushless motor.We have had good results with the Mega 16/15/3, Hacker A20-6XL and Neumotor 1105/1107. Medusa also produces the MR-028-032-2400 high power motor for the T-Rex. 2. ESC (Electronic Speed Control) The ESC is the brushless motor controller. We have had success with the Kontronik Jazz 40-6-18 and the Castle Creations Phoenix-35. 3. BEC (Battery Eliminator Circuit) An electric helicopter has a large battery which powers the main motor. The voltage of this main motor battery is typically higher than can be used by the receiver and servos which normally require 4.8 volts. The BEC lowers the voltage of the main battery pack to 4.8 volts to power the receiver, gyro, and servos, eliminating the need for a separate 4.8 volt receiver pack. The ESC's listed above have a self contained BEC which is sufficient to supply the voltage for the receiver, gyro and four servos normally used to fly a T-Rex 450. The AskmanAP T-Rex APLG uses an additional servo to operate the camera tilt as well as a device to trigger the camera shutter. Consequently, the self contained ESC BEC does not have sufficient capacity to supply these additional loads, hence we must add an external BEC that has sufficient current capacity for our system operation. We have found the ParkBEC or Kool Flight UBEC to be capable of adding the required BEC capacity. 4. Battery Pack With a powerful motor and the relatively small T-Rex frame, it is necessary to find a battery pack that will give the longest flight time practical and yet be small enough to fit in the T-Rex battery position. We have had good results with the Thunder Power TP2100 3S LiPo (lithium Polymer) battery packs, but there are lot of good packs available. Make sure you have at least 12C continous discharge rating for optimal performance. 5. Flight Stabilization System Although not mandatory, a flight stabilization system can make aerial photography much easier by lowering the pilot work load and making the helicopter easier to fly. The T-Rex 450XL (HDE) model uses a single servo to control blade pitch. The T-Rex 450XL (CDE) and T-Rex 450SE use 3 servos spaced 120 degrees apart on the swashplate to control pitch. The CDE and SE are known as CCPM (Cyclic/Collective Pitch Mixing) machines. A good stabilizer for the 450XL (HDE) is the Co-Pilot CPD4 by FMA. This unit is not designed to work on the CCPM helicopters. The Spartan RC AP-2000i will work on both the CCPM and HDE versions of the T-Rex. 6. Gyro The Futaba GY240, GY401 or JR G500T work well. The GY240 does not have a remote gain setting capability thus does not require a radio channel. The GY240 could be a good choice if you are limited by radio channel availability. 7. Camera Shutter Trigger - AskmanAP carries the RC Flysoft line of IR and electronic switches that can be used to trigger the camera shutter. Another alternative is the Hexpert Systems PRISM Photography Radio-Infrared Shutter Module which will trigger any IR capable camera with a single radio channel. We have used the Pentax Optio series camera which has an IR (infrared) triggering capability. 8. Transmitter and Receiver The T-Rex helicopter normally requires a six channel receiver to fly. The AskmanAP T-Rex APLG requires two additional channels. One to operate the camera "'pan" and another to trigger the shutter. Select a transmitter and receiver with at least eight channels. It would be a good idea to buy one with as many channels as you can afford to allow for future expansion. 9. Blades The flat bottom blade (315 mm length) from like 90 with the headspeed reduced to 18-2000 RPM (or below) will give the maximum flight time vs load, but the maximum weight needs to be kept below 1000 grams for best result. The headspeed can be reduced by changing the pinion gear ratio gear ratio and by the throttle setting. The T-Rex comes with 15, 13, 11 and 9 tooth pinion gears. You can choose the proper pinion gear to provide the desired RPM. Plan on gaining 20% flight time with flat bottom blades. The 335 Pro blade is also a good all around blade, but because it is symmetrical instead of flat bottomed, it must be operated at higher RPM to produce the same lift. The 335 mm blade target RPM is 2200. A slightly higher RPM can be used for a heavy setup. If endurance is not a primary concern, the 335mm Pro blade is the best all around setup. 10. Upgrade recommendation Heliworkz.com and Rotorworkz.com makes good 120 CCPM frame for the T-Rex. Some of the frames allow for the installation of larger batteries. They are lighter and stiffer than stock frame. Align also makes great upgrades. The Align full aluminum upgraded head can help eliminate vibration. Besides that, they look great. 11. Which model T-Rex 450 is best for an AP platform? The best T-Rex, is one that you can afford. The best one is one that has the least vibration. A lot of people automatically run SE, but that is not not necessary. Either of the standard version will work fine. Careful setup with select upgrades, like the aluminum main hub, will help reduce vibration. Properly setting up the helicopter, carefully balancing the blades and learning to fly well will all help to produce excellent results. SPECIFICATIONS: for micro AP system with camera mount with standard Tilt 5" apcam camera mount. Price: $120 Procam mount Option. Price: +$50 HS56 servo for tilt premounted (this is for those who want a ready to go solution. ) :+$30
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