Helis are very dangerous for beginners

[Dedcalm]

Ok, not tracked down a copy of the destructions as yet but there is some interesting reading here,

http://www.runryder.com/helicopter/t136888p1/

It would appear that the Vision 2000 gyro takes a loooooong time to initialise, about 20s!

connect the Aux to the gyro channel which would be 5 I think (in Futaba case anyway not sure about Hitec). This controls the mode of the gyro (normal or heading hold)
use the rudder trim to stop the servo movement in HH mode

Instructions in German are here (not much use to me though)
http://data.robbe-online.net/robbe_pdf/P1122_1-8065.pdf

There is a change to the Eclipse manual regarding gyro setup.http://www.hitecrcd.com/Support/Faqs/faq_Eclipse.htm
See the 2nd last hyperlink answer.

[Fixer]

Thanks Rob that was a great help.

The German PDF also has an English version if you scroll down.

I tried the tail servo on its own and it was fine so I now know thats set right and according to the HH instructions you use Ch4 & Ch5, mine is using 4 & 6 with the volt spy on 5.

I'm going to have a good read on both links before I go any further.

Btw what does ATV stand for.

Cheers M8

[Fixer]

Could this have caused my first near miss?

I think I've found out what caused my first near miss.
When the throttle stick is half way the pitch angle points to 6%, when you are at full throttle the pointer is at 0%, and when the stick is at idle the pointer is at 12%, guess I need to reveres the servo.
It was ok when I brought it home so this must have happened when I cleared the memory.

[mackem54]

hi fixer,
atv is i believe the same as epa, end point adjustment, it lets you choose how far or how little your servo arm travels on input,
regards

[Dedcalm]

ATV probably stands for Adjustable Travel, same as EPA (End Point Adjust) on Futaba Tx's. You can normally adjust the servo travel between 0 and 140 or more each side of neutral.

I would suspect that when you wired the pot on the Tx throttle back to front you reversed its action, just reverse the action in the software.

Didnt look very far down the doc as German means nothing to me glad it was of some help

If your gyro was on ch4 and ch6 with the voltspy on ch5 what is your collective servo connected to ? I would expect that it would be on ch6. Not read the manual for the Eclipse7 but I would certainly check that all the servo's are connected to the correct channel.
With futaba its,
Ch1 Aileron (roll on the swash)
Ch2 Elevator (pitch on the swash)
Ch3 Throttle
Ch4 Rudder (output to gyro)
Ch5 Gyro Mode
Ch6 Collective Pitch

Rob

[Fixer]

I new what EPA meant but ATV keeps cropping up and I couldnt fine a setting in my radio for it.
I believe the collective pitch is on Ch6 but I will check that later.

Im a bit lost with the instructions for the gyro so I might have to leave it until Saturday
Not sure if I should use Normal or HH mode for a beginner.
Also it talks about sensitive gain not sure what this means.

[Dedcalm]

I would recommend you use heading hold mode, that is not to say dont worry about Normal mode as this should also be configured to work correctly just in case.
Once you are hovering I would suggest you try Normal mode as it teaches you to keep control of the tail and this will help you in forward flight (especially with heading hold on).

Gain sensitivity is how sensitive the gyro is, the gain should be set to 60% for both heading hold and normal mode initially and adjusted from there to ensure there is no "wagging" of the tail during forward flight.
This will be adjusted by your instructor if required so you should know how to do this before attending next weekend. Take a copy of the gyro instructions with you as your instructor may not be familiar with the particular gyro.

Rob

[Ade_Law]

leave it until the weekend it will all become clear then.

Ade

[Fixer]

Ch1 Aileron (roll on the swash)
Ch2 Elevator (pitch on the swash)
Ch3 Throttle
Ch4 Rudder (output to gyro)
Ch5 Gyro Mode
Ch6 Collective Pitch

My Eclipse 7 handbook confirms the above configuration but on page 41 under gyro settings it says, the gyro must be plugged into CH6. This function will only work with dual heading hold gyros.
Roll on Saturday.

[Dedcalm]

There is a correction to the manual for the Eclipse,

See the 2nd last link "How do I set up Eclipse with my gyro in a helicopter?" at the URL,

http://www.hitecrcd.com/Support/Faqs/faq_Eclipse.htm

It talks about Ch5 and Ch7. It would seem most sensible to use Ch5.

Hitec use the same channel config as Futaba, I have gyro gain/mode on Ch5 and Governor control on Ch7.

Rob

[Fixer]

Cheers Rob

I will try again,

The model shop in Leeds are offering a full setup and test for 25, sounds very reasonable to me.

[Dedcalm]

But if someone else sets it up will you learn from it ? Unless they let you sit with them and ask questions etc I dont think it will help in the long run.

I think a good understanding of how everything works is vital to keeping a reliable and safe heli. After all you will need to make changes and fix the heli in the future

Save the 25 and put it towards a fast tail servo in the future, as this will help I am sure.

Just my opinion of course...

Rob

[Fixer]

There is a correction to the manual for the Eclipse,

See the 2nd last link "How do I set up Eclipse with my gyro in a helicopter?" at the URL,

http://www.hitecrcd.com/Support/Faqs/faq_Eclipse.htm

It talks about Ch5 and Ch7. It would seem most sensible to use Ch5.

Hitec use the same channel config as Futaba, I have gyro gain/mode on Ch5 and Governor control on Ch7.

Rob

Rob, its says use CH5 or Seven but I have two wiers marked Aux and RX , do I conecct RX to 5 and AUX to 7?

[Smoothound]

As rob says, 25 is not good value unless you are sitting there and learning. Better find someone local privately who can help you and by all means offer them the 25 :lol:

[Fixer]

Save the 25 and put it towards a fast tail servo in the future, as this will help I am sure.

Rob

I'm thinking along the same lines but its but its not easy for the beginner, I guess it will all make sense in time.

Could you recommend a fast servo that would be compatible with my setup?