FBL getting close

[Matt-L]

Looks like its not far away now :-)

[Jamin_00]

It is close, Alan Szabo has posted on Facebook this morning too its close

[0h5h1t]

this is gonna be serious competition for Mikado, me thinks.

[mattie-lodge]

I've have a funny feeling there's not going to be a lot of competition here.

Align will wipe the floor with this one. I might even have to put one on my 700

[Jamin_00]

Very tempted to do my first FBL on the 600le

[Arwel]

I really can't wait now They look awesome. Should a heli with FBL have more power?

[waveydavey]

It will have more power. No flybar or mixing to take up energy

[Bart101]

I definitely think I'll be trying one!

[scallybert]

I've have a funny feeling there's not going to be a lot of competition here.

Align will wipe the floor with this one.[...]

Why do you reckon this ?

Do you think it will be a better product, or a(nother) case of marketing trumping engineering ?

I certainly think it will be interesting. Not least because the BMFA A (& B) can't be taken flybarless.

[Jamin_00]

I've always wanted to do a FBL and this is going to be typically Align.

Cheaper and easier than the rest

[Matt-L]

Looks like its going to be fairly easy to set up as well :-) cant wait.



Set up is ridiculously easy:

Contrary to other FBL systems, the Align system needs the radio in 120′ swash mode.

Press the SET button while powering on – this brings you into the 1st setup phase. Here you set everything to zero. Adjust collective pitch to +/- 14′ by adjusting the swash %. For cyclic, simply adjust the aileron cyclic pitch to +/-14′, again by adjusting the swash %. Use the same swash % for elevator.
This completes phase 1.

Press the SET button to go to Phase 2 – setting the Elevator Limit. Simply move the elevator stick to full positive and negative travel.

Press the SET button to go to Phase 3 – setting the Elevator Direction. Check that the swash moves in the right direction. If not, reverse the direction by moving the stick to alternate the light from green to red (or vice versa)

Do the same for Aileron.

Swash done. Power off.

Power on (not holding the SET button). After power on, check that the swash moves in the right direction by tilting the heli. Swash moves in the opposite direction for both elevator and aileron.

Press the SET button for 3 seconds. This enters the tail setup. Simply set up the tail as you would the Align 760 tail gyro.

All done.

In the radio – set your roll rates by increasing or decreasing the swash %. Tail gyro gain is set like any other tail gyro.

Go fly.

The kit comes with a FBL head, sensor, control box, special servo wheels and a nifty “flybar” holder to check the pitch. At least you have a use for the flybars in your spare parts drawer

[t43er]

Impressive! If it's as easy as you said, Align has done it again! But then again, I would wait for the feedbacks from the beta testers! lol

[Sesame]

Very tempted to do my first FBL on the 600le

Ill have the LE head off you then

[moonmanflyer]

This is bound to be a winner for sure, by summer 2010, we will all be flybarless

[scallybert]

Looks like its going to be fairly easy to set up as well :-) cant wait.
[...]

It sounds neat - but OTOH, like there's nothing much that you can configure.

In theory, electronic stabilisation (FBL) should offer loads of advantages and posibilities. A downside is that whereas a flybar head can be tinkered with (*), an electronic system runs the risk of being a 'black box' that you can't do anything with.

Kind of analogous to fuel injection vs carbs. I love my EFI bike's engine - but there's not much opportunity for tweaking. (Though there's an interesting tangent we possibly shouldn't go down.)


(*) flybar length, weights, paddles on any head. Mixing ratios on better heads (or if you have skills & tools.)