Hardware Wiki What's the Difference Between the CP and CP Pro
From Heli-Wiki
This article is to cover and explain the differences between the Blade CP and the CP Pro. There are 8 main differences going from the CP to the CP Pro and these include: lipo battery with charger, separate receiver and 3 in 1, 2 extra rotary knobs on the Tx (one for idle up throttle curve, and one for remote gyro gain (requires an add-on gyro like the g90), or whatever else you want to use it for), greater pitch range on the CP Pro, a 9T pinion on the main motor, heat sinks are stock on the main and tail motors, the CP Pro comes stock with symmetrical blades and a grey canopy, and one of the most important differences is that the CP Pro comes with the Bell Hiller head. There are also some differences in weight because of the batteries, and that info is in the battery section.
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Hiller vs Bell Hiller
This is one of the main differences between the CP and the CP Pro. Basically for the CP to change blade pitch, it relies on the flybar because the blades do not have a direct link to the servo's. This means that the flybar paddles have to respond to the change in airflow before the pitch angles change on the blades. What this ends up meaning is that the heli will be a bit delayed after you push the stick to do what you are telling it to. For some this makes learning easier, for a smaller amount of people it makes it harder because the heli is not doing what they want it to do. The Hiller head that comes stock on the CP does not allow for full 3d flight or sustained inverted flight and/or hovering.
Basically the Bell Hiller head has a direct link to the swash plate, so as soon as you give it input it starts changing the pitch. This amounts to quicker response time, full 3d aerobatics capability, and sustained inverted flight/hovering (not just a loop or something).
You can also upgrade the CP to the CP Pro, or downgrade the CP Pro to the CP.
If you want that info check out this article HOWTO Wiki Upgrading the CP to the CP Pro and Downgrading the CP Pro to the CP
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Battery and Charger
The CP Pro comes with an 800mAh 3s lipo, and the CP comes with a 650mAh 9.6v NiMH battery. Basically what the difference between the two is power density (weight vs how much power the battery can supply), voltage, weight, and capacity. The battery in the CP Pro has 150mAh more, and 1.5v more, and weighs less. All that amounts to more performance. It does come at a cost though. The battery in the CP can be charged in as little as 15 min (this will probably damage the pack from too much heat, recommended 30 min charge), and can put up with a lot more abuse than the lipo. They are also easier to maintain, and cost about 1/2 the money. The lipo is prone to abuse problems, and can be quite volatile when handled improperly. Nearly all lipo's cannot be charged greater than 1C. This means nearly all lipos will charge in about an hour at the least (different lithium chemistries are coming out that can charge much faster). Lipo's also require balancing, and cannot be charged unattended, or left in a hot car. Lipo's also do not have a hard casing, and are prone to being smashed, which in some cases can cause explosions. They are pretty safe though if you know the risks and take care of them how you should.
The stock CP weighs in at 325g and the stock CP Pro weighs in at 298g, both with batteries (info contributed by Choppersrule from RCU).
Rx (Receiver) Differences
The CP has a 4 in 1 (gyro, mixer, ESC, and receiver), and the CP Pro has a 3 in 1 (gyro, mixer, ESC) and a separate receiver. What the separate receiver allows you to do is upgrade your heli to separate components (such as a gyro and/or brushless) without having to take apart the 4 in 1 and in some cases solder new leads on the board. It also allows you to more easily upgrade to a different radio such as a DX7 or something. You can do it with the 4 in 1 (here), but it involves a lot more work, and can be risky depending on your skill level. It is also less expensive to repair the pro if something goes out because you don't have to replace the whole thing every time.
Tx (Transmitter) Differences
The Transmitter is also different from the CP to the CP Pro. There are not a lot of differences, but there are a few. The 2 main differences are that the CP Pro has 2 knobs up on the top of the Tx. One of these knobs is for idle up (3d mode) throttle curve adjustment (See the CP Pro manual starting on page 27 here). The other one is for remote gyro gain (requires an add-on gyro like the g90), or whatever else you want to control with a rotary knob on the heli, such as lights (this can also be made into a toggle, or on and off switch). See what that means in the CP Pro manual here starting on page 38.
Blade Differences
The CP comes stock with flat blades, and the CP Pro comes stock with symmetrical blades. The flat blades are supposed to be more stable (little to no wind conditions), and they do provide more lift. The flat blades are not aerobatic capable, especially inverted. Because of the shape of the airfoil when the heli is upside down the flat blades develop lift that will suck the heli to the ground which would require more negative pitch. It also makes a lot of air turbulence that would probably make you loose control of your heli. The flat blades providing more lift means they can carry more weight, such as super-skids and training gear, or a camera or something. They are not as stable in the wind because of the asymmetry of lift depending on wind angle (very close to a retreating blade stall), and because of their shape they do not feather as well as the symmetrical blades. Flat blades do not need to spin as fast as symmetrical blades to produce the same amount of lift.
The symmetrical blades are basically the opposite. They have a curved airfoil on both sides, and do not provide as much lift. They are more stable in wind because of the symmetry of lift, are more stable in 3d aerobatics, and are also stable upside down because that's the same as right side up. These are considered more professional and stunt type blades, where the flat bottomed ones are more beginner/hovering/heavy lift type blades.
Motor and Heat-sink Differences
The main motor on the CP comes with a 10T pinion. This matches the lower voltage put out by the battery. Lower volts means less electrical pressure, which means the motor does not spin quite as fast or with quite as much power, so they have to put a bigger tooth pinion on the main motor to make the main rotor go a bit faster to produce enough lift to get off of the ground at the same time not getting too big of a tooth that it bogs down or over heats the motor.
On the CP Pro you have a stock 9T pinion. A couple of reasons for this is because of the higher voltage the motor spins faster, so naturally you don't want the head speed to go way faster, but maybe just a bit. The lower T (T stands for tooth), the more torque you end up getting because torque and speed are inversely related. This means more power for punch outs and pitch changes, which are well suited for aerobatics. Because of the higher voltage, and the motor doing more work, the motor will get much hotter. This is why the stock CP Pro comes with heat-sinks, although it is a good idea to put another one of each on both the CP and the CP Pro (so you have 1 each on the CP, and 2 each on the CP Pro).
Canopy
The stock canopy on the CP is a yellow color, and the stock canopy on the CP Pro is a grey color (but there is a yellow one available). There is also a white one available for you to paint a custom color. Overall the yellow one is easier to see from a distance. Any of the canopies will fit either machine.
Yellow Canopy - stock CP
Grey Canopy - stock CP Pro
Yellow Canopy - optional CP Pro
White Canopy - no decals
Pitch Range
The last difference is the pitch range. In normal mode the CP goes from 0 to +10 degrees pitch, where as the CPP goes from -1 to +12 degrees. In idle up the CP goes from -10 to +10, and the CP Pro goes from -12 to +12.
mrasmm
PS feel free to PM me either on RCU or RCgroups if you have any questions or comments
