I’m looking at a full align 500. Don’t know how old it is, belonged to a guys brother, flown a couple months ago. My question is it comes with 2200 4 cell batteries. Are these large enough for this heli. I’m thinking it was a kit build and has servos, receiver and gyro that came with the kit. Should I be worried him saying these are the correct batteries.
Thanks in advance

the batteries are too small for a 425mm trex 500.
they will technically work but you will have short run time and probably run hot. head speed may be too low unless you have a high KV motor, like 2000 or more.

can you take some pictures of the heli and motor/electrics? you may get more help that way.

What pdooley said...

Photos here would help a great deal.

And the batteries do sound way too small (a typical 500 runs 6S, 3000-3300 mah batteries).

Also, almost any time I have purchased a used machine, even it it looked good, I have taken it completely apart and re-built it. The building errors, loose fasteners, work parts, etc. I have found have been amazing.

Unless you know the builder well, know the quality of their work, and have seen him/her fly the machine, you will probably need to do this.

As the others have said. I have a flybarred TRex 500 and an fbl one, and they both use 6S 2600mAh LiPos for 7-minute flights. Yours might have different gearing (usually a different pinion on the motor), or it might have a non-stock motor with higher Kv, to make it compatible with a 4S LiPo, but flight duration is going to be much less than with 6S and the amps draw is going to be higher.

Originally Posted by abenn

I have a flybarred TRex 500 and an fbl one, and they both use 6S 2600mAh LiPos for 7-minute flights.

7 minutes with a 2600 pack ? that's well over the average flight time with 3xxx packs.
do you use the stock motor and motor pinion ?

As others have said, they are completely the wrong batteries, both wrong voltage (4s-14.8V vs. 6S-25.2V) and also too small in mAh capacity.

If it were me this would make me deeply suspicious about the heli as a whole. if the guy doesnt know what batteries it needs then he doesnt have much of a clue about helis. Lots of other things could be wrong or incorrectly described.

Are you even sure it's a 500 and not a 450?

I get about 6 1/2 minutes on a couple 500's I have. running stock Align 1600KV on 75A Castle Edge Lite ESC's. Lipo is Roaring Top 2600 45C. Using 142 slant tooth main gear with 12 tooth pinion. Align blades. No 3D but sometimes vigorous sport flying.

Originally Posted by coreless

7 minutes with a 2600 pack ? that's well over the average flight time with 3xxx packs.
do you use the stock motor and motor pinion ?

My flybarred is using stock motor and pinion. My fbl has a smaller pinion (11t IIRC) because I'm using a 4-blade head in a 'scale' fuselage. I'm still a beginner, even after 8 years, so only do gentle flying. Remaining pack capacity after 7 minutes is a pretty constant 20 to 23 percent.

Originally Posted by crasher47

I get about 6 1/2 minutes on a couple 500's I have. running stock Align 1600KV on 75A Castle Edge Lite ESC's. Lipo is Roaring Top 2600 45C. Using 142 slant tooth main gear with 12 tooth pinion. Align blades. No 3D but sometimes vigorous sport flying.

Thought the slant gear was 134t, not 142t. In which case, 12t pinion and that motor will give you around HS2600 governed, which I used to fly mine at, for similar flight times with Zippy Compact 2700 35C packs. I always thought those packs were good bang for the buck, and my charger showed them to have an I.R. of only 13mOhm when new, currently about 16 - 20mOhm after about 100 cycles, and doing duty in my Protos 500 running 470 blades at HS2550, 7 minute flights.

Originally Posted by 2Doggs

Thought the slant gear was 134t, not 142t.

Yep, you're right, 134. Memory not so good these days.