Purchase Information:

Banggood has the V911 in stock in their overseas wearhouses now!

Original V911
V911-1
V911-2
FAQ, UPGRADES AND TROUBLESHOOTING: LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.
Questions/Comments: Please PM JamesChen072


THIS THREAD IS FOR ALL ISSUES YOU RUN INTO AFTER YOU GET YOUR V911 (OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HELI ITSELF)
IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS REGARDING PRICES/DEALS/DEALERS AND TRACKING, PLEASE POST THESE QUESTIONS/COMMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING THREAD:
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...5#post20850720

============================Original review below============================================
-Preflight-

Hey all,
Recently a neighbor saw me flying my V200 and asked me to teach him how to fly... and my gf wanted to try out single rotor helis as well (she began flying coax helis a few months ago). Unfortunately my Solo Pro and Bravo SX simultaneously developed problems with their receiver boards...SO I decided to purchase a rugged trainer to add to my ever growing fleet...
Living in China has it's benefits.. the water and food might not be the best in the world(i miss the food back home)..but flying is much cheaper here than it is in the States ...I ran across the V911 about a week ago and decided to buy it because of it's low cost (30usd) and interesting design(solo pro mated with a Trex100)...

-On the tarmac-


It arrived last night after much anticipation... The V911 was very well packaged and had a lot of extras including a spare main and tail blade set, USB dual battery charger and 2 batteries! I couldnt wait to fly it but I promised to give a review..so here it is

-The cockpit-

The 2.4ghz Tx is (what looks like) a clone of the Trex 100's Tx... It is very nice to hold and the overall build quality is good.. there are trim buttons for all 4 axis and a dual rate button on the top left hand corner of the transmitter. There is a small LCD screen that indicates stick movement, trim and Tx battery levels... it does not indicate dual rate settings though so a check before flying may be necessary. Some do say that this Tx will bind to the Trex 100 but I don't own one so I would'nt know.

-The heli-
The V911 is a near identical clone of the Solo Pro, while the receiver is like that of the 100S (Servos instead of the exposed configuration of the SP)


Control movements are very smooth and the servos have plenty of throw. The V911 is slightly longer than the SP and parts feel of better quality (canopy is very robust but not too heavy.. skids are thinner but more elastic and the tail boom is thicker than that of the SP).

Here are the specs:
Length: 220mm
Height: 82mm
Main blade length: 192mm
Tail rotor length: 36mm
Flying weight: 32grams

-Flying-
The V911 is one of the most stable single rotor helis I have flown..it has very good tail holding and flies almost like a coaxial. It is very stable during hovers and responds to the Tx commands very well. Note that the rudder is very sensitive if you are used to flying helis like the SP.

Another thing you might not like is that the max ff speed of this heli (high rates) is about the same as the that of the SP's under low rates.

Outdoor flying is possible in 0 wind conditions.. I tried to fly it in a little wind and it was near impossible. Although that was before I discovered the dual rates on this heli... I still think that even under high rates it would not be fun to handle.





-Post flight-
The V911 is a very good heli for it's price... the quality is nice and it has tame flying characteristics. I can see a few problems with maintenance as everything is soldered onto the board but it shouldnt be too hard. My gf flew the V911 last night and she could hover after about 3 minutes of practice... it comes with a very detailed manual (detailed because it was copied from Align) and parts are cheap... The factory that makes this heli is the same as the one that makes the 9958 according to most sellers on the Chinese equivalent of Ebay... and the address seems to confirm that.

Now a hits and misses chart for this heli:

Hits
-Good build quality
-The looks!
-Cheap
-Stable
-Most parts are interchangeable with that of the SP

Misses
-Rudder can be hard to control at first
-maintenance could be a hassle
-Forward flight performance is not as good as the SP
-Small battery (120mah)



Hope you enjoyed the review! Happy flyin'!


========FAQ, UPGRADES AND TROUBLESHOOTING(Continuously updated)============
Contributed by: WinterKill, Erdnuckle2 and Jameschen072

FAQ
-This is a work in progress. for MECHANICAL related issues, refer also to the Solo Pro FAQ found here: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=1337008
-Or similarly, refer to MassiveOverkill's excellent blog on upgrades for this bird: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/member.php?u=350297
1.
Q:"Is the V911 compatible with other transmitters?
A: Yes, and they are as follows: (quoted from Erdnuckle2)

FlySky TH9X (which was actually the original, Turnigy is the clone/rebrand):
http://www.hobbypartz.com/79p-th9x-r...nel-radio.html
(I wonder why this is "out-of-stock" now ... and if it will still be available for 89$ once it gets back in stock )
CopterX CX-CT9A:
http://www.ehirobo.com/shop/product_...oducts_id=9986
(this seems to be the only one in stock right now ... ...)
and of course
... the FAMOUS (infamous) Turnigy 9X:
https://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idproduct=8992

2.
Q: "Can I use the battery from my other micro helis on the V911?"
A: No, the V911 uses it's own unique battery connectors. If you want to use the batteries from other helis, you will need to modify your V911 skids.

3.
Q:"Which upgrade parts are available for the V911?"
A:"Solo pro Delrin main gear, Bravo SX main motor, Solo pro/Bravo SX swashplates etc...links coming soon!"

4:
Q: I want longer flight times... What can I do?
A: The stock battery has been upgraded to 130mah from 120mah, which adds to the flight-time. If you want to use a custom battery from another heli, you will need to modify the stock landing skids.

-Known Issues and solutions/Upgrades.-

Swashplate separation
Issue: The swashplate has been known to separate easily in crashes (experienced by most flyer's including myself)
Symptoms: The V911 will become noticeably sluggish or uncontrollable following a crash
Solution: Press the two halves of the swashplate together OR replace with the swashplate from the Solo Pro

Motor issues
Issue: Motor becomes hot, noisy or seizes during operation
Symptoms: Listed above
Solution: Replace motor with the motor from the Nine Eagles Bravo SX

Toilet Bowl Effect
CAUSE:Too much flybar friction
SOLUTION:decrease friction on the flybar backing out the screw until the flybar moves freely

Vibrations
CAUSE:Too heavy or out-of-balance flybar weights
SOLUTION: modify stock flybar or purchase an aftermarket, adjustable weight flybar (IE: Xtreme Solo Pro CF)

CAUSE:Main gear (out of round, "wobbly", not flat, non-meshing teeth)
SOLUTION:replace the main gear

CAUSE:Too much play in the mixer arms ("see-saw thingy's")
SOLUTION: flip the mixer arms over (one at a time - trial and error depending on your setup)

CAUSE:Too much play in the rotor blades on the pivot pins
SOLUTION:fill the gap with spacers (washers) ensuring the blades still freely pivot with less lateral movement along the length of the pin

CAUSE:Out-of-balance (malformed) rotor blades
SOLUTION:replace blades with a new spare set (it was reported that a new set of blades helped alleviate shuddering issues)

CAUSE:Too much play in the inner diameter of the swash
SOLUTION:use a small amount of tape to increase the diameter of the main shaft without introducing too much friction to the inside diameter of the swatch

CAUSE:Swash separation
SOLUTION:ensure the swash pieces are not separated (gap between top and bottom pieces) before flying (there are many posts on gluing and securing the OEM swash) OR replace with a Solo Pro swash (reportedly does not separate) or an aftermarket swash (cnc etc)

CAUSE:Misc head issues (incl. above causes including flybar issues)
SOLUTION:replace with a suitable replacement head (stock, solo pro, aftermarket (IE: Xtreme) metal or delrin) - NOTE: if you use a Solo Pro head - you should also use Solo Pro rotor blades as the pivot pins are smaller making issues worse with v911 OEM rotor blades (as per cpuken)

CAUSE:Too much general friction in one or more areas of the heli
SOLUTION:Lube the motor and gear components with your lube of choice (including ball joints with wet or dry lube - pencil graphite has been sworn by) closely inspect all moving parts for hair, lint, grime and general debris


==========Note to all users of this thread===================
Hey guys,
I'm glad to see the humble little V911 thread grow to almost 3500 posts! That said, I've seen a few issues I would like to address:

1. Regarding shipments/vendors:
Everyone loves a great deal, and I personally don't have any problems with hearing about deals..but I have been PM'd about people posting personal shipment updates.. that I do have my concerns about. While I get wheresmypackageitis when I order stuff too, it does create some clutter on the thread if you post and update it. Therefore, I think I will open a separate thread for you to discuss these matters if needed. (If you think this is needed, please PM me!)

2. Regarding arguments
It's hard enough to find people who share the same hobby..let alone the same heli! Please keep your comments civilized and respectful!

Happy flying to all! and may parts always be cheap and your batteries always be fully charged




For those of you who would like to purchase the V911, please visit banggood.com or follow this link

I wonder whether it comes from the same Trex 100 / GW9958 / Turnigy stable. I wonder it will bind to them and vice versa.

Originally Posted by zadaw

I wonder whether it comes from the same Trex 100 / GW9958 / Turnigy stable. I wonder it will bind to them and vice versa.

Hey Zadaw, I think it will bind to the 100S according to many sources..and I wouldnt be surprised if it binds to the 9958 since they are made by the same factory/company (as far as I know)

I've adjusted it a little and the FF speed is now pretty good! also found it could do a funnel like maneuver that I cant pull off on the SP ... starting to love this thing

This looks very like the first rendering of the Trex 100 before the design was suddenly switched from using bells to paddles. It could well be involved in developing a 100 sized CP for Align.

Originally Posted by zadaw

This looks very like the first rendering of the Trex 100 before the design was suddenly switched from using bells to paddles. It could well be involved in developing a 100 sized CP for Align.

I think you are right, either Align sold this prototype to another company, or the first pictures of the Trex100 that were leaked to the internet, showing a heli that was almost identical to a Solo Pro, were used as reference. Simply copying the Align manual sounds very silly...

I like the fully closed servos, but the lack of connectors makes swapping parts to iron out the cause of a problem a bit of a hassle.

The lack of forward flight might be explained by the shifted center of gravity, although the Bravo SX is also very fast (for a micro 45 degree flybar FP) in FF, and is considered tail heavy.

Are there any flybar srikes (like the Solo Pro)? or maybe the not so fast FF eliminates that ?

Edit: I noticed that the swash has short and long linkage balls, are the links connected to the longer ones? Is the Tx a mode 2, can it be swapped?

Originally Posted by SoloPro

I think you are right, either Align sold this prototype to another company, or the first pictures of the Trex100 that were leaked to the internet, showing a heli that was almost identical to a Solo Pro, were used as reference. Simply copying the Align manual sounds very silly...

I like the fully closed servos, but the lack of connectors makes swapping parts to iron out the cause of a problem a bit of a hassle.

The lack of forward flight might be explained by the shifted center of gravity, although the Bravo SX is also very fast (for a micro 45 degree flybar FP) in FF, and is considered tail heavy.

I think it is the other way round. Align has no previous expertise in developing submicros and choose this company to do it for them. It is quite possible that the same company is developing the Align Trex 100 3D. So if Align decides to shelve it, a version under another brand may still come out.

And I would like to know if the skids are a plug and play replacement for Solo Pro skids. Since these appear durable yet light, and the battery is facing backwards, so you will get a more neutral CoG, this might be interesting.

Originally Posted by zadaw

This looks very like the first rendering of the Trex 100 before the design was suddenly switched from using bells to paddles. It could well be involved in developing a 100 sized CP for Align.

SoloPro: The skids probably do fit on the frame of the SP but the batteries are not compatible with each other... So I'm guessing you'll have to do some mods to it

Asanado: I havent gotten it to fly at the speeds of my SP yet but I'm guessing that the flybar strikes are still possible.

Update on the review
After a day of tinkering with the heli I am happy to report that it is much more precise in flight than my solo pro... and MUCH MORE ROBUST I've had many many crashes trying to do crazy stuff at full throttle today that would've broken more than a few parts on the SP...but there is not a scratch on the V911... loving the bird now..

As to the speculations on whether this heli was a previous Align design, Ockham's razor suggests that the most simple answer is more likely the right answer... The Chinese are very good at reverse engineering things and I think the most likely scenario is that they bought both the Align and SP helis and took what they needed. The Tx is similar but still has many differences than the Align one in Helicopcat's post... and the heli has many different features also (like a shallower angled thick tail boom, battery and skid differences etc)... I think they copied the pics as they leaked!


either way..very happy with this heli and the price.. wondering when we'll get our 30usd flybarless helis =]

Originally Posted by jameschen072

wondering when we'll get our 30usd flybarless helis =]

I hope we'll get them soon... The simplest logic is that when a new branded model is released to market, the manufactures are starting to work on its clone.
This work is taking some time, in this time the brand companys are working on the next generation/improvement - this results in a very close release times of a new branded model, and a clone of the previous generation.

If this logic is close to reality, it means that brand companys that are releasing their new models to the market with a relatively significant delay from their other branded competitors, may loose a huge share of the market - this is because the clones are released adjacently (for example, Trex 100S, Trex 100X and this clone, and from the opposite, the MSR, MSRx and the 9958 clone). Ofcourse, the clone has be a decent competitor (not like the JiuChon 9C002).

We know that the MCPx V2 has just been released - does it mean that the MCPx V1 Clone is around the corner ???

Maybe the it's OEM version of the Trex 100

Originally Posted by asanado

I hope we'll get them soon... The simplest logic is that when a new branded model is released to market, the manufactures are starting to work on its clone.
This work is taking some time, in this time the brand companys are working on the next generation/improvement - this results in a very close release times of a new branded model, and a clone of the previous generation.

If this logic is close to reality, it means that brand companys that are releasing their new models to the market with a relatively significant delay from their other branded competitors, may loose a huge share of the market - this is because the clones are released adjacently (for example, Trex 100S, Trex 100X and this clone, and from the opposite, the MSR, MSRx and the 9958 clone). Ofcourse, the clone has be a decent competitor (not like the JiuChon 9C002).

We know that the MCPx V2 has just been released - does it mean that the MCPx V1 Clone is around the corner ???

Hopefully!
I cant help but be amazed at the variety of cheap helis available now...using technology that was very expensive only a year or two ago

3g? bring it on!!!

HobbyWing states that the V911 has better performance than the Trex 100S, watch the vid here:

V911 Single Blade 4CH 2.4G RC Helicopter (5 min 9 sec)

jameschen072,
From this vid we can estimate that the V911 is not as fast as the Solo Pro or the 9958, but it looks fast enought for begginers - and it seems that it is more controlable and stable for indoor flight.

I think a better question would be whether there are any parts compatible with the Trex 100s? Sure they can copy a design but there is no point in copying a transmission protocol. If it is indeed compatible with Turnigy radios, then I would think it is the same manufacturer behind the Trex 100s.

By the way, walking along the market the other day in Hong Kong. It is obvious that the cheap clones have completely displaced Walkera and Nine Eagles from the marketplace for entry level FPs.