Stupid beginner questions - nano CPS and DX6

[tbourner]

OK so initialised in mode 2 and the swash is in exactly the same place as after I leveled it in mode 0 - ie: it looks to be 90° from the main shaft.

Did the drift calibration twice and it's still drifting forward left in stability mode.

I tried mode 1; it doesn't drift (obviously) but it does oscillate still, it's a bit strange and with my skill it's hard to tell exactly, but it kind of moves around in circles - so if I try to correct for rearwards movement it then goes too far forwards and it goes a bit silly. If I leave it without correcting it drifts backwards then to the left then forwards then to the right - doing a little dance. It's slow, maybe 3 or 4 seconds to do a circle of 2 feet or so in diameter.
Again, I understand this my be down to me, doing some amount of (over)correction, but it doesn't feel like it.
That's mode 1 as per the book with D/R on 100 and expo 20.

[Heliboy31]

How high off the ground are you hovering at when assessing the drift in mode 0?
In mode 1, at the moment I would suggest flying with more tamed D/R and expo as previously suggested. Say 70% D/R and 40% expo..... This should help cut down any tendency to over correct.
Ps. The high rates in the book are 100% D/R and 25%expo (not 20%) & low rates are 75% D/R and 25% expo. .....I am not trying to be smart here, it is just that I have found that, in this hobby, attention to detail can be pretty important.

[tbourner]

Yeah I put them down as I didn't feel like it was reacting quickly enough when I corrected, now I can stop it crashing into walls much easier, except for all the drifting.

[Peteski]

OK so initialised in mode 2 and the swash is in exactly the same place as after I leveled it in mode 0 - ie: it looks to be 90° from the main shaft.

Did the drift calibration twice and it's still drifting forward left in stability mode.

I tried mode 1; it doesn't drift (obviously) but it does oscillate still, it's a bit strange and with my skill it's hard to tell exactly, but it kind of moves around in circles - so if I try to correct for rearwards movement it then goes too far forwards and it goes a bit silly. If I leave it without correcting it drifts backwards then to the left then forwards then to the right - doing a little dance. It's slow, maybe 3 or 4 seconds to do a circle of 2 feet or so in diameter.
Again, I understand this my be down to me, doing some amount of (over)correction, but it doesn't feel like it.
That's mode 1 as per the book with D/R on 100 and expo 20.

To be honest I think that's kind of how these little micros are. They are not super precise like your nano QX quad. They drift about a bit and need constant small stick corrections to stay close to one spot. The slightest air current will move them around and require subtle correction. Learning to correct for these unwanted drifts is what it's all about and you end up doing it subconsciously after a while. As above, dial in some more Expo and just get on with flying it. I find that cp micros fly okay, but they don't do the hands off hover thing for more than a few seconds without heading off somewhere! Even much bigger cp helis will not hover in one spot for very long without starting to drift. It's the nature of the beast!

[Peteski]

Yeah I put them down as I didn't feel like it was reacting quickly enough when I corrected, now I can stop it crashing into walls much easier, except for all the drifting.

That's the other thing with nano/micro cp helis. The controls are nowhere near as crisp as they are on larger helis and quads. It's like having an elastic band on your sticks! But it is very easy to get into an over-correction loop. I fly micros with loads of expo and go easy on the inputs. Coming from a nano QX that took me a little while to get used to. The nano QX actually behaves more like a larger cp heli in terms of its crisp and precise cyclic response!

[tbourner]

Yeah I do understand that they're inherently unstable things, but this is flying in constant circles, if I don't touch the right stick at all it sits there doing laps (then eventually meanders one way or the other and I have to correct). I know you're probably thinking this is moving in one direction and I'm over-correcting, then it goes that way and I'm correcting again, like any n00b, and I'm just complaining about the heli being broken, you may be right! But I don't think so. It's basically doing this. I might oil everything.

I've had to lower the expo on the QX as well, I was hitting walls because the correction movement wasn't doing anything! I can't be the only person with above average stable hands!

[Peteski]

Yeah I do understand that they're inherently unstable things, but this is flying in constant circles, if I don't touch the right stick at all it sits there doing laps (then eventually meanders one way or the other and I have to correct). I know you're probably thinking this is moving in one direction and I'm over-correcting, then it goes that way and I'm correcting again, like any n00b, and I'm just complaining about the heli being broken, you may be right! But I don't think so. It's basically doing this. I might oil everything.

I've had to lower the expo on the QX as well, I was hitting walls because the correction movement wasn't doing anything! I can't be the only person with above average stable hands!

Don't bother oiling anything on the nano, it will just attract dirt. It sounds more like something is out of balance or bent. Maybe a slightly bent feathering shaft? The toilet bowl effect doesn't really apply to FBL controlled helis, you usually see it on coaxial micros like the one in the video. It's usually caused by a sticking flybar pivot. As for expo on the QX I have 100% D/R with 40% expo and the response is lightening quick, so no idea how you managed to slow yours down enough to make it sluggish!? Maybe you are doing something wrong in your Tx settings?

[KMB]

DR and expo are very personal settings and differ so much that it is something that only you can decide what works best for you. I personally prefer to lower the DR and have little or no expo but I know others who prefer 100% rates and lots of expo. Only by trying out different combinations will you discover what works best for you.

[Peteski]

DR and expo are very personal settings and differ so much that it is something that only you can decide what works best for you. I personally prefer to lower the DR and have little or no expo but I know others who prefer 100% rates and lots of expo. Only by trying out different combinations will you discover what works best for you.

I agree, but if you are hitting walls because your super agile nano quad is not responding fast enough then something else is wrong!

[tbourner]

I think I'm hitting walls because my demand is exceeding my skill. At least I can recover it if the stick does what I tell it to.

[Peteski]

I think I'm hitting walls because my demand is exceeding my skill. At least I can recover it if the stick does what I tell it to.

Hey whatever works for you!

Back to your problem, I'd try fitting a new feathering shaft and see if the cyclic "wobble" goes away.

[tbourner]

Well I may have solved it, I need a new SPMSH2027L, apparently.

It's the servo board, if I rotate the gear on the front left servo board, it rotates one way fine (to move the servo down), but the other way it catches slightly, once every revolution (of the bigger cog). This means that in mode 1 or 2 if I set the swash level with the Tx, then after 30 seconds or so the front left of the swash is much lower - as if the servo jittering can go down but not up - it's like a ratchet!

I guess something similar happens in mode 0 but on the fly. It also "jumps" sometimes, mostly in mode 1/2, it'll be sat there and suddenly it chirps and the rotor blades move, but I've never caught it before to see what was happening - apparently it's just breaking past the catch point.

[Grumpy]

Well I may have solved it, I need a new SPMSH2027L, apparently.

The joys of micro helis

[tomatwalden]

The joys of micro helis

The counterpoint though is that it's only a £12 repair! If it was like that out of the box, HH would fix it for free anyway ...

[Grumpy]

The counterpoint though is that it's only a £12 repair! If it was like that out of the box, HH would fix it for free anyway ...

£12 more than I've had to spend replacing failed parts in my 600 or 700 helis in the last few months!.... And it's not just the money, it's the hassle and inconvenience.

Each to their own.