Hobby King HK500cmt Build Day #1

My mistake was having $300 to spend...
 
I bought a Hobby King HK500cmt heli last week, and it arrived yesterday. I ordered Hitec 225mg servos for the swash and a Himax 9257 tail servo, a Turnigy Typhoon 500H 1800kv motor, a HURC 5 amp UBEC, and a HURC 60 amp ESC OPTO. I plan on setting her up to fly 6S 4400 mAh by setting up two 3S 2200 mAh in series using a series EC5 adapter from ProgressiveRC. I have a Spektrum AR6210 (DSM2) with satellite for the reciever, and an Align GP780 gyro. I think I made a mistake buying the HURC 60A ESC as it doesn't have a very soft start setting... and I may need 80 amps. I also cannot get it to allow me to program it: it doesn't accept commands from the Hobbywing programming card (most HURC ESCs do), and it won't respond to transmitter programming. I will likely replace it.
 
This morning I started the build by rebuilding the heads, resetting all the screws with Locktite for the metal to metal, and CA for the metal to plastic. I then installed the ESC and UBEC, which I had previously soldered the connectors on and joined the UBEC to the main battery circuit, built and installed the tail boom installation and then tried to program the ESC... Separately I am painting a spare 500 sized canopy I have. The stock one is coke bottle plastic and won't last long. I'm planning a flourescent green canopy.
 

I had one of several Emax DS9257 tail servos I have ordered come in the other day. I used it to replace the failed Align DS520 on my HDX 500, and it kicked over and burned out! It has a Sonix ESC OPTO and a separate BEC, but somehow the ESC must have sent the entire 4S voltage to the servo... not sure how. But I went ahead and divided the red wire on that ESC and I hope it doesn't happen again. I wonder if this is why swash servos keep frying on this heli? I don't understand how this could happen since there should be no current in the OPTO red wire. So, waiting for another Emax tail servo to arrive, hopefully tomorrow, so I can put all the servos online and set up the CCPM. I will call HURC tomorrow, but I think this ESC isn't going to work out... the site is pretty clear in that it doesn't mention being able to program very soft start, so its my fault.
 
UPDATE (6/27/12): I decided to buy a Hobbywing 80a ESC OPTO to replace the HURC one. I can keep the HURC one for another project on another day, fixed wing. Bummer is Hobbypartz takes forever to ship... NEVER a problem with the HURC guys!
 

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