I first heard about the 400XT when I read Mike Cross's <a href="https://www.rcgroups.com/links/index.php?id=4874" target="_blank">YAK-55 Review</a> on EZONE. Only after I had two on order did I read with dismay the comments refering to the combination as the "Yuck 55" because of its poor performance with the 400XT motor. I started experimenting with my 400XT as soon as I finished the plane. They were right - the performance on the 10x4.7 prop and 2-cell LiPoly pack was adequate for indoor flying, but it was really lacking for outdoor flying. After numerous prop/battery tests, I settled on a 3-cell 1000 mah 12C LiPoly pack and the GWS slow flyer 8x6 prop. Current draw was between 10 and 12 amps static load. That was between 100 and 120 watts of power! This combination flew the YAK with authority - unlimited vertical - 3D hovering - and outrunning many of the 40 size gassers at the field.
When Hobby Lobby put the motor on sale for $20, several Club members ordered them. We soon had a whole fleet of 400XT YAKs flying at our club field. (See video section, below!)
When I crumpled the gear drive on my 16+ oz Electrifly Turmoil 3D, I grabbed my hot melt glue gun and mounted a 400XT to the repaired nose. It started out as kind of a joke, but to my surprise, the little 400XT flew that big old Turmoil pretty well. I never did put the gear drive back in the plane. <p>
When I found myself disappointed with the performance of my AXI 2208-34 in my Miss Hydro 1, I yanked the AXI and installed a 400XT. I used a GWS slowfly 8x6 prop and a 3-cell 1000 mah 20C LiPoly battery. My Hydro now ROW's and hovers with the best of them!
When I got a 3D-30 I naturally grabbed my nearest 400XT and stuffed it in the nose. It flew great! In fact, the reputation of the 400XT had grown to the point that many club members think it can fly almost anything. I may have to agree with them. When I got some neat floats, I stuck them on the 3D30 and was amazed at how quick the 400XT yanked it off the water. <p>
I dusted off an old Wattage Decathlon ARF that I had on the shelf. It was intended for 370 gear drive power, but it looked like the 400XT would fill the bill. I settled on the proven GWS 8x6 and 1000 mah 20C Lipoly combination once again. It works Great! The plane came in 1 oz under design. It takes off in less than 10' and climbs like a scalded cat. <p>
One Club member put a 400XT on the nose of his 37 oz. Hobby Lobby Skimmer glider. His goal was to extend the glide portion of his flight after being launched piggyback from a gas-powered mother ship. To his surprise, the 400XT provided more than enough power to hand launch the model and climb to altitude all by itself. He used an 8x4 folding prop and 1100 mah 10-cell NiCd battery pack.
While I was looking around 3D Hobby Shop, I came across a partially built E-Flite Cessna 182. It looked like a perfect candidate for a 400XT. When it was finished, it flew very scale-like - at half throttle. WOT was really fun!! Climb out was at 60 degrees, loops were as big as you wanted, and snap rolls were eye-blinking fast.<p>
When Hobby Lobby put the SF Models Super Chipmunk on their Wednesday Crash Sale, I didn't hesitate. I knew a 400XT was perfect for this size plane. The fuselage was a little tight after I modified it for rudder control, so I had to velcro the battery pack below the wing. At 10 feet you can't even tell its there. This little plane flies like it's 60 sized namesake. Linear rolls, giant loops, great snap rolls, and beautiful wheel landings.
Now I was on a roll. I was looking for a challange for my next 400XT project. A Great Planes U-Can-Do 3D EP was hiding on the back of a shelf in my garage. This plane just looked too big for the little 400XT. The specs said it would fly with a geared 280, so the 400XT should be more than enough power. Once again the 400XT was up to the task. The U-Can-Do flies great! Unlimited verticals and slow flight that looks like it should fall out of the air.
About this time, punkindrublik put one of his surplus ARF Katana 30 Profile's up for sale on RCGroups. I snapped it up and stuffed in a 400XT. Even though the plane came out about 16 oz. RTF, the little 400XT pulls it along great. It has super vertical and it will 3D, but it doesn't blast out of a hover like the UCanDo. Still, it flies better than 90% of the gas models at our club field.<p>
What's next on the horizon? I've got a GWS C47 that's begging for two 400XT's and I want to put a 400XT YAK-55 on Floats and I've got a SuperFly Delta and....... I hope Hobby Lobby keeps plenty of these little jewels in stock, I may need a few more very soon.
BTW, I know three 400XT's will fit in the 4x4x4 mailing box that Hobby Lobby ships for a flat $2.99. I wonder if they can fit four in that box?
Last edited by RCG_Jason; Jan 26, 2023 at 10:01 AM..Thread Tools |
|
|
|
When it's on the $20 offer price it's irresistible. I have three now, and like them very much, as a cheap & cheerful "universal" small motor. It does very much the same as a 6v Speed 400 on 3:1 gearing, but much lighter and more convenient to install.
|
|
|
|
|
|
What I Have Been Telling People!
The 400XT is one of those magic items that comes along every so often . I have one in my old heavy Switchback 3D and one in my 42" w/s 28 ounce scale Stinson Reliant conversion. The Switchback has had some 70 ten minute quite wild aerobatic flights with the 400XT, shows no sign of losing power or bearing problems, quiet, no fuss. The "big" Reliant does ROG takeoffs in about 20 feet, climbs scale-like and cruises for about 8 minutes on an 1100 3S lipo. HL doesn't say much about the 400XT in their ads but it is a versatile little motor and can power a wide variety of models by adjusting number of cells and prop diameter/pitch/type. I mostly use the 9x5 GWS direct drive props on 3S lipos. I imagine that the motor would also work well in small rubber scale kit conversions with 800-1100mah 2S lipos where less weight and thrust is required. BTW, if you want to use a smaller radial motor mount for a particular application or to replace another motor with different hole locations, you can make a new motormount out of 1/8 ply and drill to fit the countersunk motor screws, then you can make the mounting holes wherever you want. You don't have to make four separate arms either, mount can be circular or square.
|
|
Last edited by E-Challenged; Dec 28, 2006 at 01:33 AM.
|
|
|
|
Yup - I've got two now... one in an 16oz epp trainer, and one in a hacker reno racer. Both on 3s, 8x6 on the trainer and 7x5 (soon 7x6) on the racer. I used to fly the trainer on 7 nimh cells with a 9x7.5 and the 400xt and it was great, just not as aerobatic as it is now with the lipos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
When you change the winding to Delta and put a 6x4 or 7x4 prop on the 400XT you have a whole new beast to play with. We put 2 of these on a Multiplex TJ and talk about vertical performance. UNBELIEVABLE. Put a single Delta wind on a Stryker and that also has great performance.
All around just about the best motor for the money and lots of options. Neal |
|
|
|
|
|
400XT A Dead Motor Now?
Interesting timing. There are several other motors available in this category now, and H/L raised the price back to nearly $30 while others sell near or at the "sale" price of the 400XT.
For example, the almost directly comparable GWS 2212-13T is generally selling @ $21 (Aeromicro.com, for one). I single out the GWS for a couple of reasons: 1. Dr Kiwi did tests on both motors and found performance to be nearly the same. If I read his chart right, the GWS takes a very slight edge (meaningless). 2. The GWS is quiet (as are many other offerings) while the Skatty usually whines like a banshee (still true? Haven't seen one in a while). While I understand people form sentimental attachments to various products (me too!) it's a very good idea to inspect the broader market, especially with so many new -- and better -- builds hitting town. Okay, a $20-or-so investment isn't a world-breaker, but it appears the day is over when the 400XT was an outstanding bargain. I'd guess, really (except for people who enjoy irritating whines) it's a functionally dead motor now, even if H/L drops the price back to $20. However, momentum will probably keep it selling for a while. Dave PS: I find lower pitch props such as the GWS 9050 HD much more useful in 3D flying. As a rule, anything that can run an 8060SF will tolerate the 9050HD and deliver better efficiency. Also, in those appllications where the 8060SF is favored, it's also worth trying the newish 8060HD. Can take more RPMs and delivers better efficiency. Slightly more speed, slightly less thrust. |
|
|
|
|
|
No whine from mine...
|
|
|
|
|
|
I installed a 400XT into a Crazy 8 and also into an Ace Simple Series Corsair, both using 3S LiPo and a 9x7 prop with the Crazy 8 and an 8x8 for the Corsair. The Crazy 8 pulls 14.7A static!!
Both of these planes perform very well. This motor may not be the most efficient, but when you factor in the purchase price, the efficiency increases outasight. I have 3 more at home, and am toying with the idea of changing one to wye to see what happens! |
|
|
|
|
|
The two I have here whines like crasy.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Quote:
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
Hi rockin' roller,
The 400XT's on both of these planes deliberately have plenty of airflow around them. For US$20 there is nothing to lose, so it was worth seeing how hard we could push them. There have not been any reliability issues so far, and the motors are only a little bit warm when we land. |
|
|
|
|
|
3 Dozen 400 XT's
Our group has been flying these motors nearly every day for about 2 years and if we had a "standard" the 400 XT wins. I've got one in Slow Stick with about 400+ 10 minute flights .... and it runs like new. 2 have failed ....one due to crash damage and the other due to magnets sucking in a metal shaving off the bench. No one has worn one out.
The really "hot" set up here in Gilbert uses an 8 x 6 APC prop and a 620 hexTronic 3 cell ...... cuts the weight and still gives you 7 to 8 minute flights. They pull about 10 A at this altitude (1200 feet). I get unlimited vertical in 11 oz. AUW planes. Cheap thrills. I think this motor broke the price barrier but now faces some strong competition from Hong Kong. |
|
|
|
|
|
The original maker, Skatty Products, is out of Taiwan:
http://www.skatty-products.com/400XT.htm But I think their manufacturing is in China (or so I heard. But rumor has a way of turning out wrong). Dave |
|
|
Thread Tools | |
Similar Threads | |||||
Category | Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Help! | Big Problem with my TowPro 2406-32 Brushless Outrunner Motor | Pipercub18 | Electric Power Systems | 12 | Oct 20, 2006 03:40 PM |
Sold | Hobby Lobby Esskay 400XT brushless outrunner motor $18 shipped | dawnron1 | Aircraft - Electric - Power Systems (FS/W) | 2 | Aug 15, 2006 04:13 PM |
Ikarus H8 Brushless outrunner motor and Hacker 40-3P speed control combo for Eco8 | Bud Morrison | Aircraft - Electric - Airplanes (FS/W) | 0 | Apr 30, 2004 02:04 PM | |
Ikarus H8 Brushless outrunner motor for Eco8 | Bud Morrison | Aircraft - Electric - Airplanes (FS/W) | 1 | Apr 29, 2004 10:56 AM | |
FS: H8 Brushless Outrunner Motor (Eco 8) | cactus | Aircraft - Electric - Airplanes (FS/W) | 2 | Mar 14, 2004 08:16 PM |