Why No Love For The Alias?

[JatoTheRipper]

I recently picked up a Blade Inductrix which I absolutely love for indoors. It is way too small to fly outside. It doesn't have the power to deal with anything other than the slightest breeze.

I am considering the Alias for my first "outdoor" quad. Why doesn't this thing seem more popular?

For those that own it - what are your thoughts on the Alias?

[JatoTheRipper]

I guess not. No love for the Alias.

[Double G]

It was a little more popular before the Aton came out. A good way for people to get their feet wet inexpensively.

Though with quads consumers desire FPV and/or video. This is just a small sport flier.

[cozyFozy]

Jato,
I just happened to be looking through the quad forums tonight and ran into your post.

I agree with Double, the Alias is a great (imo), inexpensive, sport quad. As long as your not concerned with FPV flight.
It handles decent breeze just fine, but the larger gusts do push it around a bit. It just depends on how good your reaction inputs are. I bought my first Alias and love flying it years later (they are pretty durable). When the white frame and accessories came out, I built a second Alias (all white, upper & lower frame, canopy, and all four rotors, looks really clean). I put clear lenses in the front arms to match the led light bar accessory, and blue arm lenses in the rear to match the blue led status light on the rear of the quad. The orientation is very visible for night flight (tons of fun). I purchased all the parts separately and built it from the table up, vs RTR like my first one.

To get back on topic, yeah this is a great step up from indoor quads (I have dozens of those too, lol).
The Alias does not do well indoors (typical living rooms and such, it is just too fast to have fun inside without knocking stuff over) unless you are at a gymnasium, which would be perfect if you have access to one..
I don't mind helping if you have any questions. I run all factory parts, apart from motors & bearings.. which we can get into later if you choose. Good luck!

[Lavaheadache]

the alias in incredible.. just my $.02

[hemidoo]

I have 2 of them , great quad for the $ !

[RegisteredUser]

In the world of drones, Traxxas aren't that popular. You can find better for the same or less then the cost of Traxxas drones.

[JatoTheRipper]

In the world of drones, Traxxas aren't that popular. You can find better for the same or less then the cost of Traxxas drones.

Do you have examples?

[Gunnz]

I would like to know too. I very recently started flying again after a year or so. I started with my Alias. I really like this drone as a "toy" drone. I have so far replaced motors and rotors and one shaft because it wasn't flying right. Ordered more parts too. As a matter of fact I going outside to test it again in a few minutes. One drone I can recommend is the Nihui U807 w/o camera. It is almost as good as the Alias ALMOST. IMO it's not as fast but plenty fast as a beginner drone or practice drone. Mine was the first "real" drone after all the little tiny ones meant for indoors. for $50 you can't go wrong with this one. Alias really fast and maneuverable, U807 fast and maneuverable

[JatoTheRipper]

I decided to go with the LaTrax Alias. It arrived at my house yesterday. It's a very nice looking drone.

I took it outside to fly for one battery because it was starting to snow and it was extremely windy up on the hill where I live. I had one low speed crash into a tree and the one blade is already showing a weak spot. I'm not happy about that. Sure, I hit the tree, but I cut the throttle off so I didn't expect any damage. Again, the blade only shows a white crease that you see when plastic gets weak. Nothing is broken or misbehaving, but from everything I've read this quad is super stout so I was surprised by this. Hopefully the cold temperatures had something to do with it.

[ksb51rl]

JTR,
I’m pretty sure based on my experience with our Aliai that the blush mark in the rotor will not cause you a problem.
Now when you start chopping up the leading edge, that’s a different story.
Also note that, like the other, larger, land-based vehicles, temperatures below 50°F (my figure) can significantly increase impact damage to plastic.

[cozyFozy]

Very nice Jato, I hope you fully enjoy this flying machine as much as I do!

Again, the blade only shows a white crease that you see when plastic gets weak. Nothing is broken or misbehaving, but from everything I've read this quad is super stout so I was surprised by this. Hopefully the cold temperatures had something to do with it.

As per a previous post where I referenced "durability", this event plays to what has happened to your rotor blade, it didn't break, but just shows where stress creased the plastic some. I don't have to worry about flying in blizzard conditions, but hopefully you get a break in the weather to play around with it some more!


Have fun man!

[JatoTheRipper]

JTR,
I’m pretty sure based on my experience with our Aliai that the blush mark in the rotor will not cause you a problem.
Now when you start chopping up the leading edge, that’s a different story.
Also note that, like the other, larger, land-based vehicles, temperatures below 50°F (my figure) can significantly increase impact damage to plastic.

Yep, that's why I said I hope the cold temps are what caused the blade to so easily show a stress mark in the plastic. It's good to know it should still be fine. Thanks.

It flew fine after the mark, as far as I can tell, but it was extremely windy like I said.

Very nice Jato, I hope you fully enjoy this flying machine as much as I do!

As per a previous post where I referenced "durability", this event plays to what has happened to your rotor blade, it didn't break, but just shows where stress creased the plastic some. I don't have to worry about flying in blizzard conditions, but hopefully you get a break in the weather to play around with it some more!

Have fun man!

Thank you! I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun with it. Do you have alternative battery recommendations? The stock tray is tiny and the 650mAh battery doesn't give long run times.

[ksb51rl]

I have not found a battery better than the stock one. I have found some disappointments.

[cozyFozy]

Thank you! I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun with it. Do you have alternative battery recommendations? The stock tray is tiny and the 650mAh battery doesn't give long run times.

The stock battery works well, I have a few to increase run time (running multiple packs back to back).
Traxxas makes a dual output charger, so you could charge 3 at a time including the single charger that came with it.

I also have two packs from Micro Motor Warehouse, but they are only 450 mah if I remember correctly.. they are supposed to be more snappy if that makes sense, lol. They perform well, with less run time vs the stock packs.

MaxAmps makes a battery specific for the Alias, but I have not tried it yet.

I have not found a battery better than the stock one. I have found some disappointments.

ksb, are the disappointments any of the ones that I just listed by chance??
Particularly the MaxAmps??

[ksb51rl]

No, they are literally no-names from Banggood.com. I was able to procure new Traxxas batteries for a great price, so I have 9 at the moment. One I plain wore out, and another of the 9 is failing for the same reason. So we split the rest between two aircraft, then segue into frisbee, soccer, football, wiffleball or w/e else is possible at that day’s aerodrome location.

[JatoTheRipper]

I have not found a battery better than the stock one. I have found some disappointments.

I'm not surprised. Traxxas makes things proprietary for a reason. I would think the size of the Alias battery is also proprietary. That won't stop me from looking though.

The stock battery works well, I have a few to increase run time (running multiple packs back to back).
Traxxas makes a dual output charger, so you could charge 3 at a time including the single charger that came with it.

I also have two packs from Micro Motor Warehouse, but they are only 450 mah if I remember correctly.. they are supposed to be more snappy if that makes sense, lol. They perform well, with less run time vs the stock packs.

MaxAmps makes a battery specific for the Alias, but I have not tried it yet.

I have a lead to charge the Traxxas Alias batteries with my Thunder AC6 charger. So, at this point, I have the ability to charge two of the Alias batteries simultaneously if you include the stock charger that is included with the Alias. The bundle I bought on eBay also included two extra batteries. So I currently have three of the Traxxas batteries.

Which Traxxas dual output charger are you talking about though?

450mAh is weak. 200mAh less is a big deal. I know what you mean by snappy though since Traxxas batteries are typically low C. Low C means low punch.

MaxAmps goes off of marketing and bullying techniques. I avoid them like the plague since their batteries typically perform no better, and often worse, than other battery brands that are typically much less expensive. If I can't find an alternative I might give them a shot though since $18 isn't too bad. $18 gets you 150mAh more which is probably 2 minutes or so of flight time over stock. They are rated at 40C. I can't find a C rating for the stock batteries.

[ksb51rl]

I bought an ApexRC 4mm bullet to 6x JST parallel charge cable. Together with four USB single battery chargers, it’s more than enough.

[cozyFozy]

Which Traxxas dual output charger are you talking about though?

This is the one. https://latrax.com/products/accessories/6638

[JatoTheRipper]

This is the one. https://latrax.com/products/accessories/6638

Cool. I didn't know that existed. Thanks.

[cozyFozy]

Not a problem, my fellow internet stranger friend.. lol

[Gunnz]

The stock battery works well, I have a few to increase run time (running multiple packs back to back).
Traxxas makes a dual output charger, so you could charge 3 at a time including the single charger that came with it.

I also have two packs from Micro Motor Warehouse, but they are only 450 mah if I remember correctly.. they are supposed to be more snappy if that makes sense, lol. They perform well, with less run time vs the stock packs.

I have been using these for the entire time I've owned the Alias they work just fine. The original ballooned on me.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3pks-Traxxa....c100675.m4236

[cozyFozy]

I have been using these for the entire time I've owned the Alias they work just fine. The original ballooned on me.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3pks-Traxxa....c100675.m4236

Gunnz, do these packs fit without modification? This is a pretty good deal for a three pack of batteries! I think I'm about to order a set to try out anyway.

[Gunnz]

Gunnz, do these packs fit without modification? This is a pretty good deal for a three pack of batteries! I think I'm about to order a set to try out anyway.

yep, no straight on but, angle one side just a tiny bit and then the other and they slide right in

[cozyFozy]

Thank you Gunnz, they will be delivered next week, and I'll give 'em a go!

[Gunnz]

sweet glad I could help. Ran all three today again in U807

[JatoTheRipper]

I have been using these for the entire time I've owned the Alias they work just fine. The original ballooned on me.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3pks-Traxxa....c100675.m4236

Nice. Thank you for sharing! They are only a couple of dollars less than the MaxAmps batteries which claim to be 800 mAh.

[JatoTheRipper]

I live on a hill so the air is always moving, but tonight it was calm enough to get in a few flights. I'm loving this thing. It has definitely lived up to its super durable reputation as well.

[cozyFozy]

Nice. Thank you for sharing! They are only a couple of dollars less than the MaxAmps batteries which claim to be 800 mAh.

Jato, the ebay Eaglenergy batteries are a quantity of 3 for under $14 shipped, the MaxAmps pack is 18 bucks for 1 + $6 shipping. I just received my ebay batteries yesterday, they look good, just didn't have time to fly them yet (I was finishing my installation of the factory leds on my TRX-4 Landy!). I'll let you know how it goes, soon as I put a couple flights on the new batteries.

[JatoTheRipper]

Jato, the ebay Eaglenergy batteries are a quantity of 3 for under $14 shipped, the MaxAmps pack is 18 bucks for 1 + $6 shipping. I just received my ebay batteries yesterday, they look good, just didn't have time to fly them yet (I was finishing my installation of the factory leds on my TRX-4 Landy!). I'll let you know how it goes, soon as I put a couple flights on the new batteries.

I noticed that after I posted. I tried to edit my post, but I wasn't able to do so. Three batteries for $14 shipped is a steal. I might grab some. Definitely let us know how you like them. Thanks!

[cozyFozy]

...Three batteries for $14 shipped is a steal. I might grab some. Definitely let us know how you like them. Thanks!

Well so far, I don't really have any helpful info to share yet... lol, but I will post what I have found so far.

I have flown on all three new Eaglenergy packs twice each so far, but only for 9 minutes per charge to break-in the packs, no full stick, no flips, just some slow, "cold laps" around the backyard (no fast hot lap'n). I set a timer on my cell phone for 9 minutes, to leave some charge in the packs, I wanted to make sure that I didn't hit the LVC on the first few runs, also while pulling the least amperage possible.

This photo is a stack of batteries for comparison, the "mylipo.de" 480mah pack from MMW is on top, stock alias 650mah pack in the middle, and the new ebay Eaglenergy 750mah pack on the bottom.



The Eaglenergy is only fractions of a millimeter larger in every dimension, but it fits perfect!

Next photos just for size/fitment comparison..



Last photo staged for cool guy points.. lol
My two Aliai, collection of batteries, fancy multi-port usb charge station, random RCCA that was lying around near the bar, a bottle of TriFlow ptfe, some crawler thingy that I found hiding under a dirtbike in the garage, and a brand new official Alias camera accessory that I picked up from Tower, clearance 12 bucks w/free ship! score! Have not played with the camera yet, I do have a micro sd card for it though.



Will report back at a later date with some actual flight performance opinions after the break-in period..

[JatoTheRipper]

I was able to get my Alias outside for a night flight. My phone camera is extremely frustrating. When you want a nice shot in the dark it won't pick up light. But when it is dark and you want that to show it looks like.

Some poser shots on my test stump to show off the pretty lights!





Here I am flying at when it was getting dark. The photos make the sky look much brighter than it was in reality. These aren't the best action photos, but I was flying and taking photos at the same time. Not an easy task!

[cooleocool]

Looks like fun! I actually dusted off my Alias the other day. Most of my flight time has been indoors (thank you high ceilings!), but I really should spend more time outdoors with it!

[JatoTheRipper]

Looks like fun! I actually dusted off my Alias the other day. Most of my flight time has been indoors (thank you high ceilings!), but I really should spend more time outdoors with it!

It is fun. You should try it. Even if your ceilings are high take it outside to do some speed runs and see how high you can get. LOL

[cooleocool]

I'd rather not lose sight of it or have a gust of wind carry it away only to be lost.

I also need to buy a new battery for it. I only have the original battery, back from when the Alias came out; it doesn't hold a charge like it used to.

[cooleocool]

I ended up bringing the Alias outdoors for the 2nd or 3rd time in however many years--it was fun! I think the battery is actually alright, as my run time seemed acceptable. I did end up making a charging adapter for the Alias battery so I can use it with my normal chargers, so maybe that helped (vs using the supplied charger like I've always done). Or perhaps it's waking up after using it a few times. Either way, good times.

[N2ZU]

I got my Alias in 2014 but have not flown it much in the past two years. Last winter I sent the flight controller board to Megasmicros to disable the LVC. I took the Alias out to the flying field with three LaTrax batteries also purchased in 2014. What a hoot. I flew for 8 minutes on each battery with no LVC beeping or falling out of the sky. Each battery was at just below storage charge - 3.7 volts. I've been flying the Alias more than ever and having more fun than I remember with the LVC shortened flights.

[GoatZilla]

I recently picked up a Blade Inductrix which I absolutely love for indoors. It is way too small to fly outside. It doesn't have the power to deal with anything other than the slightest breeze.

I am considering the Alias for my first "outdoor" quad. Why doesn't this thing seem more popular?

For those that own it - what are your thoughts on the Alias?

I picked one up when they came out but quickly got rid of it when it became clear the motor thing was going to be an issue.

[JatoTheRipper]

I picked one up when they came out but quickly got rid of it when it became clear the motor thing was going to be an issue.

LOL I saw your entire post before it was edited. You are just trolling. The motors are fine.

[Darth Beavis]

My complaint about the Alias is it is too light to fly outdoors in Texas. Here in the DFW area, there are often 10-20mph breezes, and they blow the little guy all over the sky. I'll stick with the Aton for outdoors, and fly the Alias in a gym or auditorium.