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CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/6/2008 9:25:25 PM   
rotarydoc


 

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Joined: 3/17/2008
From: Laurel, MD, USA
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Hi all,

I was so disappointed with the CPP's performance (and mine, truthfully) yesterday, that I FINALLY decided to take a good look at my settings, rather than just fly it and try to compensate for what might be a setup problem. In all honesty, I have just been flying this thing on a seat-of-the-pants setup, I basically threw the DX6i in the heli, got the blade pitch eyeball close, and went for it. I guess I got lucky, because it flew fairly well, or at least it seemed to. Anyways, when I got the pitch gauge out (which has been in the toolbox since I bought it, 2 weeks ago!) and watched a couple of videos to learn how to use it properly, I found my eyeball settings were WAY off, I had on the low stick, -7 degrees of pitch, and on the high end, I was off the scale, probably somewhere around 14-15 degrees!!

I have read that for normal flight, hovering and basics like that, I should be around -2 for the low stick, and about 11 degrees on the high end of the stick. Well, I got them there, but I'm not sure if I got them there the RIGHT way...let me explain, if I can... I tried travel adjust, for the pitch, thinknig it would reduce the overall travel, since I was too low on the low, and too high on the high... I'm not sure exactly what this adjustment is supposed to do, but on my setup it didn't do anything. I still had the same pitch readings, whether the travel was at 0% or 125%?? Anyways, I decided to begin with the low end. I used swash mix to get the low end pitch to -2 degrees, that was no issue at all, reduced the swash from like -60 to -46 to achieve that.

Now, I was at -2 on the low side, so the only way I could figure to get the high end from off the scale, to 11 was to limit the travel using pitch curve? I tried to adjust the high end with the swash trim, but it also affected the low setting I had already made... I ended up with it at 11 degrees on the high stick, but my pitch curve is way, way low, with the high end (5) being at 50%... and 4, 3, 2, and low progressively lower down the scale to achieve the desired 11 degrees of pitch at full throw of the throttle stick.

Am I OK with this setup, or did I go about achieving the desired end result the wrong way?

The next question is, if you have been following the forum, I have decided that I want to try to get my rotor headspeed as low as possible, while still having enough power to maintain flight as discussed on another thread regarding rotor speed vs. stability... can I do this mostly with throttle curve on the radio itself, without having to change motor/pinion gearing, etc? Also, I am guessing that it's tricky to get the throttle and pitch curves set up to work well together...that it will just take some extensive experimentation to get the combo that suits me and my flying skills/tecniques? I played with the throttle curve a little earlier today, without blades, and spun it up, and then changed throttle curves to see what does what...and I ended up lowering my whole curve to max out at about 75% to start....any ideas on this?

I also switched back to flat bottom blades, hoping for some additional stability, I have read both ways on blades, some say flat bottom are better for a stable hover, some say the symmetrical are?

I thought I had the gyro all dialed in the other day (new G110), but yesterday the tail was all over the place, and not just from the torque reaction that I was experiencing, the tail would sometimes just do it's own thing, not really suddenly, but it was definately not "locked" in, at all, I had to constantly make tail adjustments, even if the gain was at 100%...I am kinda at a loss on that one... I did notice that the receiver wires (my DX6i came with the AR6200 receiver, which has a little remote receiver with it, 2 in all) were RIGHT up against the main motor case, so I moved them away, thinking I might be getting some RF noise in the radio...other than that, I am really scratching my head on this gyro, I thought it was supposed to make it EASIER to fly the heli, but yesterday, I was doing nothing more than flying the tail !!

I know that's a lot to ask at once, but I don't want to clog up the forum with a bunch of different/overlapping questions...

Thanks so much in advance, as always, you guys are a great group, hell, I spend more time here than practicing on the sim...maybe that's my problem !!!?? LOL

Glenn

_____________________________

B400/B400/MCX/MCX/Hirobo Quark SRB/Hirobo XRB/CX2/CP Pro/Gaui 200 SE/Align T-Rex 500 ESP....and BROKE!
       Post #: 1

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/7/2008 5:15:14 AM   
evdreamer


 

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Joined: 8/12/2007
From: Lincoln, NE, USA
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I keep all of my swash mixes at 60%. Then I only use travel adjustments to keep the swashplate level at low stick and high stick. Then I use the pitch curve to limit or add pitch. Then you could use the idle switch to have a setting that is a lot slower with a full battery, then when it becomes to slow at a lower voltage flip the switch to make it a little faster to your desired speed. That way you can kind of keep a constant slow speed at different voltages. Like you said you will have to mess with the pitch and throttle curves to find a good balance for you. I am stumped on the tail except if it is just worn out. I know they don't hold well when they are bad.

Nick

_____________________________

Gaui 200V2 SD, T-Rex 450SEV2, T-Rex 600 ESP, E-Sky Belt CP

(in reply to rotarydoc)
       Post #: 2

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/7/2008 5:55:58 AM   
rotarydoc


 

Posts: 1972
Joined: 3/17/2008
From: Laurel, MD, USA
Status: offline
Hey Nick,

Thanks for the input, I will have to experiment and see what works for me. I did take it outside earlier today, even though the wind was blowing at 18 MPH...I just wanted to see how the pitch and throttle curve settings were acting just hopping around. I got pretty bold, and got it airborne for a few seconds at a time, and so far, as best I can tell, I like it alot this way, it seems to have a much lower head speed, lifting off much earlier than I am used to, and it seemed pretty stable, as best I could tell. I will know a lot more tomorrow, after work, when I can run several batteries inside the shop.

In the little time I had to evaluate things, the tail/gyro issue reared it's ugly head again. I can be flying it, and the tail will go either direction, probably 75 degrees or so, and if I try to correct it, it is slow to respond, and then over-responds. I started thinking about it, and it was a simple matter to just put the stock 3 in 1 gyro back into service, bypassing the G110 altogether. It was very, very difficult to hover, as the wind had picked up even more than it was, but from what I could gather from the short time in the air, the gyro problems are gone with the stock 3 in 1, especially the tendancy to react to the torque of the blades/motor I was experiencing before. I will have a much better idea after tomorrow's flight session after work.

Although I seriously doubt it, I wonder if I got a bad gyro? Have you heard of any issues with the G110 (I think it's stock on the Blade 400, from what I have read)? Someone stated that it's a little "drifty", but this is much more than a drift situation, the gyro is just not keeping the tail anywhere near "locked"...

Let me do some more testing tomorrow, and I'll post the results...

Thanks a million,

Glenn

_____________________________

B400/B400/MCX/MCX/Hirobo Quark SRB/Hirobo XRB/CX2/CP Pro/Gaui 200 SE/Align T-Rex 500 ESP....and BROKE!

(in reply to evdreamer)
       Post #: 3

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/7/2008 6:06:22 AM   
evdreamer


 

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From: Lincoln, NE, USA
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Your welcome. I have never heard of a gyro being bad or going bad. I think a guy from spektrum has a G90 on his pro and he has a 100% gain on the G90 and around 20% gain on the 3 in 1. He said it holds the tail extremely good. Just food for thought.

Nick

_____________________________

Gaui 200V2 SD, T-Rex 450SEV2, T-Rex 600 ESP, E-Sky Belt CP

(in reply to rotarydoc)
       Post #: 4

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/7/2008 2:58:22 PM   
rotarydoc


 

Posts: 1972
Joined: 3/17/2008
From: Laurel, MD, USA
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Hey Nick,

Thanks for the info, I found that very interesting, as I was under the impression that one was to leave the 3 in 1 gyro setting at the fully CCW or basically no gyro...I did try adjusting the 3 in 1 gain with the G110 hooked up very briefly yesterday, but all it seemed to do was change the mixing, as it was doing circles, but I didn't pursue it any further than that; I just ended up putting the 3 in 1 gain back to zero.

I will definately have to check that out for sure, I was under the impression that you used only one, or the other, never thought of mixing both gyros to see what happens. I also read somewhere else that same thing about the G90/G110 gain settings, that guys with the B400 were setting the gyro at 100%...

Hmm, very tasty food for thought, thanks again, I will post my findings after I fly it tonight...

Glenn

_____________________________

B400/B400/MCX/MCX/Hirobo Quark SRB/Hirobo XRB/CX2/CP Pro/Gaui 200 SE/Align T-Rex 500 ESP....and BROKE!

(in reply to evdreamer)
       Post #: 5

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/7/2008 8:13:08 PM   
evdreamer


 

Posts: 3360
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From: Lincoln, NE, USA
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This is a quote from him, "Through the transmitter, turn the E-Flite heading lock gyro up to 100% in heading lock mode. By itself this would be too high of a gain adjustment and the tail would wag. Turning the 3-in-1 gain to 20-25% gain actually eliminates the wag and allows for a higher gain setting for greater holding power. This occurs because each gyro operates at a different PWM frequency, allowing the two to work together to produce an amazingly smooth tail response with aggressive heading lock authority."

Nick

_____________________________

Gaui 200V2 SD, T-Rex 450SEV2, T-Rex 600 ESP, E-Sky Belt CP

(in reply to rotarydoc)
       Post #: 6

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/7/2008 9:25:00 PM   
rotarydoc


 

Posts: 1972
Joined: 3/17/2008
From: Laurel, MD, USA
Status: offline
Hey Nick,

Hmm...sounds very interesting, I wonder if it will apply in my situation since I am not using the G110 through the radio yet, I am just setting the gyro on it's own external gain pot?

It's worth a shot, that's for sure! It's pretty slow here at work, so I should be able to start testing here in a little while...I'll try everything that I have time for in 3 packs...and we'll see...I'll post the results when I know more...


Thanks again, great info!

Glenn

_____________________________

B400/B400/MCX/MCX/Hirobo Quark SRB/Hirobo XRB/CX2/CP Pro/Gaui 200 SE/Align T-Rex 500 ESP....and BROKE!

(in reply to evdreamer)
       Post #: 7

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/8/2008 12:26:17 AM   
rotarydoc


 

Posts: 1972
Joined: 3/17/2008
From: Laurel, MD, USA
Status: offline
Hey Nick,

Just got home from work/heli testing, and I've got a mixed bag, for sure! I started off gradually, seeing how the all stock gyro was doing, and getting a baseline setting on the 3 in 1. All went pretty well, but the stock gyro leaves a lot to be desired, but at least it wasn't swinging the tail around. After I got comfortable with that, I decided to put the G110 back in the loop. I started with 100% on the pot, and about 25% on the 3 in 1 pot...with mixed results....to make a long story short, I ended up with the G110 at 50%, and the 3 in 1 gain at about (it's hard to say, exactly) 35-40%...and the tail is acting really nice now.

The pitch adjustements and the curve really paid off, the thing lifts off and lands so much smoother now, it's like night and day! Now for the disturbing part...at least for me, that is! It was flying pretty well, and I put the third pack in after I had it all dialed in, and just concentrated on flying it, instead of set-up. I was having trouble with holding a steady hover, and at first thought it was my lack of experience, then I realized that it wasn't all me... the bird had a mind of it's own, it will change altitude without any input on the left stick, usually dropping suddenly a foot, or more, sometimes to the floor, but not too hard or fast, just a kinda sudden power loss, but it doesn't drop like a rock, just a quick descent without any change of the throttle stick at all. I am wondering if I have a main motor that is beginning to get flakey? I have heard that they don't last too long, and I'm guessing that this one has probably at least 30-40 packs on it by now...any ideas? It's strange, because it will less frequently all of a sudden lift without warning, but only a few inches or so... I hope I don't have some weird radio glitch or something.

I am going to the LHS tonight, and picking up the aerobatic kit for the CP, that way I get the motor, and a set of blades at the same time, I'm gonna need the blades sooner or later anyways...the motor is the easiest and cheapest thing to try, and I am curious if that will cure it or not.

I will say this, when it wasn't acting up, I just had some of the smoothest take offs, and landings by far to date...and I had a couple of hovers there for a bit that were rock steady!! At least I'm getting somewhere!!

Talk to ya,

Glenn

_____________________________

B400/B400/MCX/MCX/Hirobo Quark SRB/Hirobo XRB/CX2/CP Pro/Gaui 200 SE/Align T-Rex 500 ESP....and BROKE!

(in reply to evdreamer)
       Post #: 8

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/8/2008 1:10:20 AM   
gene465



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Joined: 7/14/2004
From: Milton, FL, USA
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Glenn I had alot of issues with my Blade CP Pro and after extensive upgrades I was finally happy with it! Then I dumped it for a belted CP (HBK2). I use the DX6i and if I am not mistaken you need to set your pitch to 0 at mid stick in idle up mode. Then on the Pitch curve set your pitch to 45% this will give you a slight - pitch but not enough to drive you into the ground when you kill your throttle on a mistake! I then set my throttle curve so it had me in a hover at approx 75% throttle. Worked great for me nice stable hover I also had a G90 gyro which had the tail rock steady at about 90% on the gain on it. I had no 3-in-1 to adjust since I had both motors on their own esc. For setting up your Pro check this site it is for the CP but will work on the Pro as well this was written by Bdavidson and here is the PDF version of the guide: http://www.lenshouse.net/cgi-bin/bladecp_index.cgi It really helped me set mine up! That and all the upgrades!

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T-Rex 450SE, Sea Fury 400, P-47D, Lancair ES, Ultra Mini Stick, Traxxas Revo

(in reply to rotarydoc)
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RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/8/2008 3:14:36 AM   
rotarydoc


 

Posts: 1972
Joined: 3/17/2008
From: Laurel, MD, USA
Status: offline
Hey Gene,

Thanks for the story, and the tips! I have alot to learn, both about flying and setup. Sometimes, for a newbie, I think it's hard to tell how much of the difficulty is the setup/heli itself, or just the lack of experience flying. I have been told and have read that the CPP is probably about the most difficult heli to learn on...and that once one can master it, the others become easy, especially the bigger birds which seem to be more stable, at least the ones on the G4 flight sim certainly are!

Half of me wants to make myself proficient on this heli first, and then move up the scale, and the other half says buy something that's going to be easier to learn on, so as not to get discouraged... One thing is for sure, I need a LOT more time on the sim before I can justify buying any more helicopters, I am still struggling with the nose in, and side in stuff, and I easily get confused and lose orientation on the sim...so I need to work on that a lot more. I also am at a sticking point on the sim practice, and that is, whether to stick to the really difficult, smaller helis like the Heli Max CP, which seem overly difficult to hover and manuver (even compared to my real CPP!), or to go with the helis that seem more similar to the actual heli? I guess the bottom line is, the principals are basically the same, it's just how the different models react and handle.

I have read of a few guys who got so discouraged by trying to learn on the CPP, that they moved on to another heli, and were happy that they did...I am thinking about someday, moving up to possibly a Blade 400, but like I said, I need to at least be able to fly with confidence on the sim...

The other question mark is whether or not to practice with my CX2, I don't know if that would help or hurt my skills on the CPP, they handle and fly so much differently. I guess it's different for different people, just as there are people that just naturally learn this stuff faster than others...

For the time being, I'm just trying to get this CPP to fly and handle the best I can possibly make it, so that I can build my flying skills some more...I like wrenching on the heli, but I also want to make some progress flying it too!

Thanks again for the advice, and the link, I browsed that a little bit ago, and did learn a few things already that I didn't know.

Glenn

_____________________________

B400/B400/MCX/MCX/Hirobo Quark SRB/Hirobo XRB/CX2/CP Pro/Gaui 200 SE/Align T-Rex 500 ESP....and BROKE!

(in reply to gene465)
       Post #: 10

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/8/2008 5:19:12 AM   
evdreamer


 

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From: Lincoln, NE, USA
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With the up and down thing I think it is wind and the heli. It doesn't take much to lift the helicopter up. Then when you hover in one spot too long it creates bubbles or something like that around the blades then there isn't much air around them to keep it hovering. Just move to a new spot from time to time. I still fly my CX. I made it fly off my DX7 then added a bunch of negative expo so it is very sensitive around the center stick so it kind of acts like a collective pitch helicopter. And it is also great flyer for when the weather is bad.

Nick

_____________________________

Gaui 200V2 SD, T-Rex 450SEV2, T-Rex 600 ESP, E-Sky Belt CP

(in reply to rotarydoc)
       Post #: 11

RE: CPP setup advice/DX6i (long) - 4/8/2008 9:03:50 PM   
rotarydoc


 

Posts: 1972
Joined: 3/17/2008
From: Laurel, MD, USA
Status: offline
Hey Nick,

Very interesting point on the air movement, I definately notice that with the CX indoors, it's a big factor, actually, as I fly in a VERY small area, and it gets really blown around by it's own air movement at times. I didn't think it applied so much on a slightly bigger heli, but I guess maybe it does more so than I think...I will have to keep a close eye on it tonight, I am going to try to actually have a decent practice session with it, rather than concentrate so much on set up, I think I need to put some time in to just flying it for a change...

That's interesting on the CX/DX7 combo, one of these rainy days, I'm gonna have to put my CX on the DX6i, and see how it goes, I may need some setup pointers when I go to do that...

I went ahead and mounted the new main motor last night, I got the same pinion size, the 9 tooth, same as stock CPP. I don't know if it was the altitude problem or not, but at least I can rule it out. It may be just like you said, and air currents are wreaking havoc on the heli. I am flying it in a large auto shop, with a big open area, but I guess the air currents can still build up, like you were stating. I'll see how it goes tonight, I have 3 charged packs to play with...

Thanks again,

Glenn

_____________________________

B400/B400/MCX/MCX/Hirobo Quark SRB/Hirobo XRB/CX2/CP Pro/Gaui 200 SE/Align T-Rex 500 ESP....and BROKE!

(in reply to evdreamer)