450 Building some Align T-Rexs and get read for questions.

[Cloudancer]

Tried to rebind TX with the RX and I still get throttle at mid stick. I have a D7 TX and AR8000 RXs. Also tried three different RXs. Maybe it's a radio setting? I can't bind it with the throttle stick in the cutoff position as the TX just sits there and flashes MIX while beeping.

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I did the binding with and without the 3GX installed.

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I did the binding with and without the 3GX installed.

Well I am totally at a loss. I switched all my RF to Fubuta and I still get my throttle at mid stick. Time to search on YouTube.

 

[D.O.G.]

Just a thought but did you try setting your elevator trim all the way down instead of having set in the center?

 

[Smoggie]

You got me confused..

As far as ESC's having 'magnets''' nope, ESC's don't have magnets, none of them do. Only the motor has the magnets.

Regarding binding. For Spektrum at least the receiver will bind with whatever throttle position you set. It should be closed for safety but if it's not the bind will still work. if it's not binding then there is some other reason.

If you are only getting the motor starting when you reach mid stick then (assuming you have a linear throttle curve) you need to calibrate the ESC throttle range. You should always calibrate a new ESC anyway, it's part of the basic setup. You should check the ESC manual for how to do it, but for most ESC's it's like this:

Starting with heli and Tx powered off and blades removed from heli.

• Turn on Tx and put throttle to full
• Power up the heli
• When the ESC/motor beeps (number of beeps varies, check manual) close the throttle.
• ESC/motor omits it's usual arming beeps and now your throttle range in calibrated.

 

[Cloudancer]

Elevator trim? No, I'll put that on my list. I have the ESC and RX out of the hele and I'm trying to get it to work. I accidentally reset all the settings so I'm trying to remember how I got the swash plate moving right. I even switched my RX & TX to Fubuta with same results.

 

[Smoggie]

Actually with a flybarless heli you should never use any trims.

So did you calibrate the ESC as i suggested?

 

[Cloudancer]

You got me confused..

As far as ESC's having 'magnets''' nope, ESC's don't have magnets, none of them do. Only the motor has the magnets.

Regarding binding. For Spektrum at least the receiver will bind with whatever throttle position you set. It should be closed for safety but if it's not the bind will still work. if it's not binding then there is some other reason.

If you are only getting the motor starting when you reach mid stick then (assuming you have a linear throttle curve) you need to calibrate the ESC throttle range. You should always calibrate a new ESC anyway, it's part of the basic setup. You should check the ESC manual for how to do it, but for most ESC's it's like this:

Starting with heli and Tx powered off and blades removed from heli.

• Turn on Tx and put throttle to full
• Power up the heli
• When the ESC/motor beeps (number of beeps varies, check manual) close the throttle.
• ESC/motor omits it's usual arming beeps and now your throttle range in calibrated.

This is after I bind it. OK I,ll try it. This all occurred after I smoked the ESC so I sent out for that programing card and D/L'ed the DX7 manual. Aahh the joy of RC aircraft.... I wish it wasn't so expensive to fly these days. I'd go back to flying the Grumman TR2 at the airport flying club.

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You got me confused..

As far as ESC's having 'magnets''' nope, ESC's don't have magnets, none of them do. Only the motor has the magnets.

Regarding binding. For Spektrum at least the receiver will bind with whatever throttle position you set. It should be closed for safety but if it's not the bind will still work. if it's not binding then there is some other reason.

If you are only getting the motor starting when you reach mid stick then (assuming you have a linear throttle curve) you need to calibrate the ESC throttle range. You should always calibrate a new ESC anyway, it's part of the basic setup. You should check the ESC manual for how to do it, but for most ESC's it's like this:

Starting with heli and Tx powered off and blades removed from heli.

• Turn on Tx and put throttle to full
• Power up the heli
• When the ESC/motor beeps (number of beeps varies, check manual) close the throttle.
• ESC/motor omits it's usual arming beeps and now your throttle range in calibrated.

I don't remember mentioning ESC magnets. I know that there are three in the motor and the ESC sends signals to fire the correct ones to get it to spin.

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Actually with a flybarless heli you should never use any trims.

So did you calibrate the ESC as i suggested?

I ordered the card. I didn't have one.

 

[Cloudancer]

You got me confused..

As far as ESC's having 'magnets''' nope, ESC's don't have magnets, none of them do. Only the motor has the magnets.

Regarding binding. For Spektrum at least the receiver will bind with whatever throttle position you set. It should be closed for safety but if it's not the bind will still work. if it's not binding then there is some other reason.

If you are only getting the motor starting when you reach mid stick then (assuming you have a linear throttle curve) you need to calibrate the ESC throttle range. You should always calibrate a new ESC anyway, it's part of the basic setup. You should check the ESC manual for how to do it, but for most ESC's it's like this:

Starting with heli and Tx powered off and blades removed from heli.

• Turn on Tx and put throttle to full
• Power up the heli
• When the ESC/motor beeps (number of beeps varies, check manual) close the throttle.
• ESC/motor omits it's usual arming beeps and now your throttle range in calibrated.

The magnet I was talking about was the circular magnet on the BEC cable.

 

[Smoggie]

The magnet I was talking about was the circular magnet on the BEC cable.

That's not a magnet. It's called a 'Choke'. It's there to block radio frequency 'noise' being transmitted from the ESC to the receiver. They were important back in the days of MHz radio bands but with 2.4GHz they aren't really necessary, hence why many ESC's don't have them anymore.

 

[murankar]

Except castle still use them. My ferrite ring is still on it just because it came with it.

 

[Smoggie]

Except castle still use them. My ferrite ring is still on it just because it came with it.

Yes, some ESC's still come with them. I assume it's because there are people still using MHz band radios which might from having the choke installed.

 

[Cloudancer]

Yes, that's exactly how I do it. Collective at mid stick and use throttle hold to set throttle to closed.

I never worry about if I have any positive pitch as I figure if signal loss was going to happen then it could happen any time, upright, inverted, in a banked turn, you just can't tell. If you lose signal for any length of time you have crashed regardless. The only sure thing IMHO is to cut the power, primarily for safety reasons, but it should also lessen the damage in a crash.

Best thing is not to lose the signal in the first place!

I can't do that with a DX7 because if I try to turn on the transmitter with the throttle cut switch on it beeps and flashes "MIX" until I click the switch back.

I even swapped the Spektrum T/X and R/X to Fubuta and I get the same result. No throttle until mid stick.

 

[Smoggie]

I used to own a DX7 and have has a number of Spektrum Tx's and they all bind perfectly fine with the throttle closed. Having said that there is no reason to use the throttle cut switch on an electric heli. Just activate throttle hold.

Like a said before, regarding throttle activating from mid stick; you need to calibrate the ESC throttle range.

 

[Cloudancer]

I can't do that with a DX7 because if I try to turn on the transmitter with the throttle cut switch on it beeps and flashes "MIX" until I click the switch back.

I even swapped the Spektrum T/X and R/X to Fubuta and I get the same result. No throttle until mid stick.

Got it !!

I turned on the transmitter and put the throttle stick all the way up. I then plugged the helicopter in and waited for all the chimes to stop. I lowered the throttle stick to it's lowest point, the ESC made a beep, (armed) and when I advanced the throttle stick the motor worked from the lowest point of the stick to the highest. Thank Goodness for Youtube...

 

[Smoggie]

Yes throttle calibration works wonders!

 

[Cloudancer]

Yes throttle calibration works wonders!

I even put different color shrink tubing on the motor and ESC end so I would not mix them up.

Now it is time to program the 3GX. I did the DR mode, I did the elevator limit. I'm at the point where you check the front to back compensation and the swashplate moves, but not much. Even did the Aileron limit and the same. The swashplate compinsation really doesn't move much. Now to figure that out.

 

[Cloudancer]

I had tried that before and it didn't work. I bought an ESC programer, programed the ESC, and then it finally worked.

 

[Smoggie]

The swashplate compinsation really doesn't move much. Now to figure that out.

Move it fast, really jerk it over quickly and you should see it move. The swash has to move as though it's trying to remain level, so the swash movement must be opposite to the direction of lean of the heli.

It's very important that this is done right, get it reversed and the first flight will end in tears.

 

[Cloudancer]

Move it fast, really jerk it over quickly and you should see it move. The swash has to move as though it's trying to remain level, so the swash movement must be opposite to the direction of lean of the heli.

It's very important that this is done right, get it reversed and the first flight will end in tears.

These videos show them just slowly pushing the bird over and the swashplate rocks over and stays there as long as the bird is in that attitude being side to side or front to back.

 

[Tony]

Just a note on skimming over this thread. You should NEVER move the trim tabs when you are using a 3GX or any 3 axis gyro for that matter. They hate trim. Only use sub trim.

Glad you got it working though. Sorry I couldn't be on here to help out as well.

 

[Cloudancer]

These videos show them just slowly pushing the bird over and the swashplate rocks over and stays there as long as the bird is in that attitude being side to side or front to back.

OK, I got it to compensate at all attitudes.

Now the rudder....