FBL Gyro Spirit Pro Set Up

[Harford]

Hi Heliman

Needless to say you would be more than welcome if you ever decide to visit New Zealand – and I am not going to say it is more beautiful than Switzerland.

I do appreciate very much reading about your development and experience but please understand that I don’t want to make this a task for you. You have given me plenty to work on so I have a full RC schedule (pity I can’t fly due to the weather here).

I’m sure my two grandsons would be very happy if I set up a workshop at their place !

Thanks for the photo of the summer landing gear. What a good idea – I am well familiar with the problem you are talking about.

Can I ask, what is the Dead-band setting in the gyro please ?

Thanks for the note about the new thread - I have questions about the stabilization function so to avoid any digression, perhaps I should keep them in this thread ?

 

[Heliman450]

Hi Harford,

The task is my hobby and my hobby is the task so no problems there.

The 'Dead-band' setting is a means of electronically programming the stick response around the central position. I suppose that's easiest to imagine for the cyclic stick but I noticed its affect first from the collective stick when I was watching the green indicator bands under the 'Diagnostic' Tab. I had a much higher setting than normal for me on 'Dead-band' and noticed that the very slight left/right movement that can occur when moving the stick upwards was not there as the band didn't respond at all for some distance along its travel. The manual says that you can't see it, only 'feel' it. This is something we've already touched on for D/R and Expo. I'm wanting to start some field testing on it but haven't been back there since my maiden as I've been very busy with my caretaker role for the club and starting today, I'm also covering for our groundsman during his holidays. I can spend my time most profitably right now with what we've been discussing in the threads.

Back to my Spirit user manual interpretation.

 

[Heliman450]

P.S. Here's a screen shot of it. The little drop-down box is cropped away but it says that the range is 4-30, so there's still plenty of adjustment left after my setting of 10. The window comes from the 'Expert' settings located under the 'Advanced' Tab.

 

[Smoggie]

It's always interesting to hear how people got into the hobby, I got the model flying bug off my father and have been flying models one one type or another pretty much since I could walk. Helis came much later. It's a bit off topic in this thread but probably warrants a thread of it's own.

As for deadband.. I've always just left it at default. It can be useful if your Tx has old warn gimbals and pots that dont always return precisely to centre. I've not thought about using it as a feature to adjust the feel of the heli though. I guess it could be useful in eliminating the cross controlling that we all do to some extent because our thumbs/fingers dont move in perfectly straight lines so we tend to add accidental (for example) aileron input when we move the stick in the pitch direction.

 

[Harford]

I got into this hobby several years ago after seeing someone at a market (food, general produce etc ) flying a coaxial helicopter and remarking to my wife that it looked like fun. She brought me one for Christmas and that was it..
Tks re the deadpan option. I see it in the Spirit software - have to admit I am not quite ready for the advanced tab yet

 

[Heliman450]

One of the things that I noticed different from the Spirit when I got the B.D. Axon was that the Axon changes settings when you change the flight style. Up to now, I haven't spotted any change in the settings. Next time I run through, I'll take some screen shots to confirm if there are any.

I finished trimming the field so we can now get to the helipad again. Back to the Spirit software/manual.

 

[Harford]

Setting Up Stabilisation Function in Spirit Pro

DX9

On Channel Input Configuration screen, assign channel Aux2 to switch G.

Spirit Pro

• General tab, select Channels which takes you to Receiver Channel Mapping page;
  
  
• On Right side under Function, from first dropdown box, select F: Stabi Function
  
  
• Under Channel dropdown box, select channel 7 (Aux2)
  
  
• Stabi tab, Function box, from dropbown box select Stabilisation Normal
  

From this point I am lost. I don’t know if a collective pitch value is required, if stick priority has to be set, or simply what the heli will do once the stabilization function is engaged (other than move to a horizontal position, skids down), What happen then, ie how much control does the pilot have, over throttle, rudder for example. What happens when you take it out of stabilization mode, ie where should the collective be. I can guess the position where the heli normally hovers but presumably this must be quite precise to have a smooth transition.

I also appreciate there are references to negative tail gain. I am not sure what to do here either.

 

[Heliman450]

Hi again Harford,

I'd have to do the research to advise anybody on how to do the actual setup on the Tx. side of things but certainly to give the advice on what must be done, not how it should be done. I was helping my friend who owns the land where the helipad is and downloaded the user manual from a website, which I use from time to time. I'll look it up and include a link in a thread later on.

I got into some trouble trying to set up an individual channel and came to the conclusion that I need to buy another Rx. to do this. My Jeti only has a couple of spare channels (total 8) into the bargain so at some point in the future I may have to buy the next stage in the availability. However, "there's more than one way to skin a cat" as the saying goes.

Having made the mistake of not realising the stabilisation only works when it sees a negative ('Normal (Rate) Mode') signal I actually learnt my simple routine without the stabilisation so can now describe what happens with all kinds of variations adequately.

A word of caution to anybody reading what follows..................... you need to be very careful about how you approach anything if you're relatively new to the hobby and, as such, if you need to ask the question "what throttle or pitch curve should I use for my DX???", then you need to extend your knowledge before trying to fly. Buy a simulator and play around there before attempting to do it with the real thing. Unless you have an experienced mentor by your side to guide you along the learning curve.

I went through a quite demanding day setting up my heli and creating a video of the process. I'll make all attempts to publish it in about two weeks' time but I'm busy at the moment with other stuff. I'll do a draft 2 of my rewrite and expand it with what I've tested out asap. Here goes with your queries after the bullet points............... First a coffee.

1. First of all the stabilisation mode isn't a GPS, so the heli will still move around the sky. Assuming that the heli in question is well built and adjusted this shouldn't be too difficult to control.

2. The function is designed primarily to assist the pilot to overcome the tendency to give too much cyclic input in any situation and cause instability and crashes (very easy at the start). This needs to be combined with what I'll call 'beginners settings' in the Tx. This involves using Dual Rates and Expo outside anything I've ever seen given by an experienced flyer. Their problem is that they've probably learned years ago at a time when such benefits as Spirit Pro gyros had never even been conceived.

3. Given that a suitable choice of D/R and Expo exist, the heli will perform more like a real heli i.e. not be capable of racing around the sky doing all kinds of crazy stuff like you can see any time in the internet. "Boring is the name and boring is the game"
some might say. For me that's fine as it's exactly what I want when the time comes (hopefully) to build and fly a scale heli without crashing it due to a lack of knowledge and skill. I imagine myself sitting in a helicopter (the model) not wanting to meet my maker earlier than intended. From an acrobatic achievement point of view, if I can one day fly the model inverted for a bit then I will have achieved my goal on that score.

4. If you can recall what it's like for the heli to race forward and you're thinking "Oh dear! What am I going to do next" (or similar sentiments) the stabilisation gives you the opportunity of a lifeline. Provided you release the cyclic stick and don't try to correct anything the heli will slow down. It will still move forward but at a much slower rate. You then have the opportunity to make a very gentle correction of the forward momentum to halt the progress. It does not affect the throttle or collective pitch functions. The 'Rescue' mode is the one that will affect the collective function in addition to the 'Stabilisation' mode.

5. The 'Rescue' mode provides additional lift by inputting a fixed position for the pitch of the blades. The 'Stick's Priority' gives the pilot the opportunity to select how much involvement he/she gives the model during the process. I doubt that a beginner would have any idea how to make best use of this function. The higher this value is set to, the more influence the sticks will have to override the gyros control of the situation. I set my 'Rescue Collective Pitch' to 40% as this gives me enough pitch to lift out of any situation I'm likely to be getting myself into.

Enough for now................... I'll get back again soon.

 

[Heliman450]

Hi again Harford,

5 (Cont.d). When setting this function up, the heli's rotor blades 'snap' straight to the setting you've programmed in. So depending upon what you're doing at the time (in our case Harford nothing too extreme) the heli will begin to ascend rapidly and if it's in the 'Rescue Acro' mode, it will also bring the heli to either upright or inverted, whichever the heli's orientation is at the time you input the rescue command. Up to now, I've never done anything daring enough to need an automatic rescue function but that's where I'm at for the near future, hence, my return to this issue.

6. With the most up to date software version as you know, it's possible to programme in a separate switch to initiate the changes. From what I understand of your current flying capability it's very similar to my own. At this point in time, I have no use for a rescue facility as I can hover extremely well and fly almost to the limit of being able to see the heli. To move to the next stage of my development, I need the opportunity to rescue the heli from my lack of skill/coordination as an insurance. The way I intend to do this is as follows. Bearing in mind that the gyro needs a negative signal to activate the functions, I will only fly in 'Normal (Rate) Mode' with MINUS 70% set in the Tx. as this works perfectly for my tail rotor. This will be programmed as position 1 in my Jeti. Positon 2 will be the equivalent 'Heading Hold' value i.e. PLUS 70%. In this way I can easily reach the switch on the top right-hand corner of the Tx. and it will provide a seamless switch between the two gyro modes. I will (and currently have) the 'Stabilisation (Normal)' setting programmed into the gyro so when I switch between the two gyro modes, I'm effectively switching off the 'Stabilisation' without delving into the software, which I can do via my Jeti Tx. but not without landing to do it.

7. Ideally, the 'Rescue (Normal)' mode should only be programmed to a spring-loaded switch so that you don't forget to move it to the alternative position, which could be the 'Stabilisation (Normal)' mode. In my case for the future to activate a dedicated switch for the 'Rescue' modes, I need to do some more research on my Jeti and particularly the Rx. as I'm sure my failure to get that working properly was that I don't have a spare channel and need to upgrade it to a REX9. I may have to decide what to change if I do have a spare but that it's currently in use on something else. However, in the meantime, I could programme Position 3 to minus 70% and Positions 1 and 2 to plus 70%. Bearing in mind that I need to land to change the setting in the software, I could switch the software to 'Rescue (Normal)' mode and do a special exercise to help me to push the envelope a bit in which case, I would push the same switch completely forward to activate the rescue function and return it to either of the other two positions to return to the 'Heading Hold' mode, which I can fly with.

Finally on this thread for now, a suggestion on how you could progress.

It sounds to me that you have a bit of a gap with your understanding of what's in the magic boxes and how to fly for enjoyment. Forget trying to push your knowledge of the Spirit Pro for now and I'll start a new thread and share what I tested out yestarday, which for me was combining my knowledge of the Spirit Pro with Dual Rate and Expo use. The D/R and Expo use seemed to be something that you were also concerned with.

Get back to me and I'll put something in another thread later on.................... duty calls

 

[Harford]

Hi Heliman

I can't thank you enough for everything you describe here. I am most grateful and I absolutely no doubt many other will benefit. May be I should describe my mediocre skill position. I can hover tail in, each side on, and nose in with comfort, and obviously move the heli around within these confines. Upright only, and no aspiration for 3D. I am focused on stabilization at present, not rescue. I of course have a switch on the Tx which enables me to switch between Head hold and normal (rate) mode - I have to admit I have not flown in rate mode. You are right though, I have a very limited appreciation of the subject .

Many thanks again.

 

[Heliman450]

Hi Harford,

Back again after doing my household chores . Thanks for your kind feedback. I hope you're right and thousands of people visit the Forum to support it.

Please don't talk down your skill level, it sounds more than good to me. One reason for feeling that way is that we're conditioned to thinking that we have to be doing the most crazy things possible or we haven't succeeded in a sport, hobby or just life in general. It sounds to me that you're more than ready to enjoy the benefits that the improving tech. gives us. Most important for you is to buy those batteries to give you the time to improve and promote yourself to the wide open spaces waiting for you at your daughters place .................. seriously don't play the skills down.

When I started, each visit to the helipad was a bit of re-learning for the first battery and a half, hence, investing in more. It was a bit of a shock having to dispose of a total of four before their time was over due to my poor knowledge and battery management regime. It's looking much better now but I don't put batteries in the fridge (as Steve mentioned once) in favour of charging on the day of my session. I'm going to the field again this afternoon so the batteries are charging next to my desk in readiness.

I included a short test run using 'Heading Hold' mode along with my D/R and Expo experimentation and there's no difference at all with what I can do. A straight ahead, reasonably fast run with a slow down and turn included was no problem, the heli did exactly what I wanted it to do. When more experienced pilots are doing much more, then I can see that they'd probably need an added ingredient in the mix. I'm nowhere near that point yet. Sorry Steve, but I'll be staying in 'Normal (Rate) Mode' for a bit longer to benefit from the stabilisation feature for the next steps.

I've practised a lot keeping the heli relatively close to me and turning backwards and forwards/ left and right to achieve a similar result as I've seen Steve doing but it still needs a lot more of the same. As I've begun to venture further away (altitude, too) I'm having to get used to keeping the orientation. To help with that I've resorted to flying with my test/training gear that I made to protect my 700X from my fear of smashing it straight off the blocks (see photo). It shows the 550 wearing the gear yesterday but it works amazingly well. The design was to give me 100% rotor diameter on the 550 and about 80% on the 700X. I could make it bigger but it wouldn't fit in my car then

I don't know a better way to give it high visibility and it also gives a bit of extra stability to the rotor, too. Maybe I could fit it up with some flashing LED's, now there's an idea.

Bye for now!

 

[Heliman450]

Hi Harford,

I started a new thread Dual Rates Expo & Stabilisation to open up a discussion on the subject of D/R and Expo settings if you're interested in contributing.

 

[Smoggie]

Hartford, the simple way to have stabilisation active is to set it up under the stabi tab then set your gain to negative value in the Tx.
That will give you 'on all the time' stabilisation. If you want the options of turning stability on or off and/or having rescue then you need more complicated programming.

 

[Smoggie]

Another tip with the Spirit, if you don't have a Tx that supports integration get the wireless dongle gizmo. Using wireless you can set the Spirit up from any smart phone. This saved me a lot of frustration today as I was maidening a new heli with a Spirit Pro. The ESC wouldn't initialise and normally this would have meant going home to tweak the throttle settings but luckily I had the wireless gizmo fitted so I was able to make the changes and got a couple of flights in.

 

[Heliman450]

Hi Steve, good to hear from you again. Are you exposing your failings on modern tech.? Gizmo? Wireless? Isn't it 'Bluetooth? No idea why some geek in Silicon Valley called it that but I'm only an out of date old git and couldn't possibly question the methods of the new world

 

[Heliman450]

Sorry Steve, I couldn't resist a little leg-pulling of the 'King of Kopters'

 

[Smoggie]

I'm sure 'gizmo' is the correct terminology

 

[Heliman450]

Undoubtedly oh great heli Guru!

 

[Smoggie]

The 'gizmo' is actually WiFi (not Bluetooth), so you just connect to it like any WiFi network. You then log into the Spirit your phones web browser (or a PC or tablet etc).. You dont need to download any App so it's dead easy to use and open to any platform that has a web browser, you could even set it up from your smart TV if you wanted!.

The Spirit was installed in my new XLPower 520 that I got for a build review and it flew perfectly right from the get go. There was a howling wind so not the right conditions for fine tuning but it didn't seem far off. Video will have to wait for next time I'm out.

 

[Heliman450]

Very interesting........................ so how does Wi-Fi work in the field?