oops

If you cannot get the Zhen Hua controller working...

Some transmitters (especially 5 or 6 channel ones) do not put out the codes...

Go into Hyperterminal, and set for the correct com-port, and 19200 baud. No parity, 8 bits, one stop bit.

If you see a stream of characters when the controller is turned on, then it's OK. Use PPJOY with Serial and virtual.
(It's actually 5 repeating characters which change with the controller inputs).

If you see nothing, then you have a fault, or no serial output.

6 Channel transmitters have no output from what I can tell.

Then you need to hook into the PPM output from the chip, and run into PPJOY via a parallel port. This involves some soldering.

Removing the Xtal only reduces power consumption by disabling the transmitter. It doesn't trigger the signal.

David

klausflorida

David,

thanks for the info, but I don't get any signals in Hyperterminal. I have a 6 channel TX and it came with the serial cable so I assumed it would work, but it still doesn't.

Anyone knows if there is a working USB hookup available? I'm getting tired of spending hours to get the TX working on the PC.

Did anyone have some luck with the 6 channel serial hookup to XP in this forum?

K

rweller

To Klausflorida - thank you - you were right - I had a hotsynch program running in my startup using COM1, and when I exited Hotsynch, the error message "error 5 opening port" disappeared and was replaced by "reading serial stream". Unfortunately, regardless of which serial protocol I select next(I tried Zen Hua, and then the others) I get the message "waiting for stream init" If I then turn on the power to the TX, the message under the serial protocol dialog box changes to "Invalid synch byte 0..." Looks like my Tx is communicating, but doesn't have the right translator. Anyone know what to do next?

oops

If the Six Channel puts out no serial, then a USB adaptor will not work either....

If you really want to get it going, here's what I did.
http://blackice.com.au/heli/
It modifies it for Parallel port connection to the PC.

To get your parallel port adaptor working with PPJOY,
http://www.rc-sim.de/art_engine_en/a...hp?article=118

Hope this helps -

David

rweller

My Tx is only a 4 channel model, and it appears that some signal is getting to the PC when I turn it on. I'm still hoping someone has an answer to the serial protocol problem.

ppatram

THIS SETUP IS FOR THE BLACK ZHEN HUA PCM-4 TRANSMITTER AND FMS. IT MAY WORK WITH OTHER TRANSMITTERS BUT I HAVE NOT TESTED IT.

I am running XP Prof and had a little bit of a hard time getting things setup properly. I would like to describe this setup in more detail so others can follow setp by-step.

1. Download ppjoy. I don't know if I am at liberty to give the exact URL. Do a google search for "ppjoy dowload" (leave out quotes!)

2. Follow the installation instructions for ppjoy.

3. Launch ppjoy 'Configure Joysticks' application.

4. There should not be any joysticks listed. Click 'Add'. For 'Parallel Port' choose 'Virtual Joystick' . Do not set any other options. Click Add.

5. I'm running XP Prof. My computer then detected a device. Choose to search for and install the device automatically. It will detect a second device. Follow the same auto-setup procedure again.

6. The Configure Joysticks application will now show one joystick (PPJoy Virtualjoystick 1). Click the 'Done' button to close the Configure Joysticks window.

7. Open the PPjoyCOM application.

8. The only option you need to set is 'Serial Protocol' -- set it to Zhen Hua 5 byte protocol. Under that option you should see 'reading serial stream'. DO NOT CLOSE THIS WINDOW. This is the application that will translate the joystick commands to the FMS program.

9. Open FMS, click 'Control'. Choose 'Joystick Interface' and click 'Mapping/Calibration'.

10. Check out the settings I used at this url : http://3dub.com/heli/ . I am not sure why it was necessary for me to re-map some of the controls and reverse some of them, but it took about an hour to figure it out. Hope it works for everyone.

11. Click 'Calibrate' and do the wiggle wiggle wiggle with the controls. Click "Ok" to close the calibration window. Click "OK" to close the Control window. All of your controls will now work!

rweller

To ppatram: Thanks for the instructions. I have uninstalled PPJoy and reinstalled after making sure I exited another program that was using COM1. Everything works according to your instructions until step 8, where instead of "reading serial stream after I choose Zen Hua 5 byte protocol, I get "waiting for stream ini". (my Tx is off at this point) If I then turn on the Tx power, the "waiting" message immediately changes to "Invalid synch byte 0..." . (It does still say "reading serial stream" next to the COM1 dialog box at the top) The uninstall/reinstall hasn't helped, and I haven't gotten past this point. I'm still waiting for some repair parts so I hoped I could get this simulator working, but it's been 2 months now!

ppatram

I have the batteries out of my transmitter and took out the crystal as well (it is possible that the crystal somehow tells the electronics inside the transmitter that it is in 'transmitter' mode and not 'joystick' mode. Hope that helps. You should not need batteries in the transmiter. Devices using the COM port get power from the port itself (like the older mice).

rweller

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it, but unfortunately, I just get the endless "waiting for stream init..." after I open the PPJoy Com dialog box.

ppatram

An earlier post suggested checking the COM port settings. Look at the screenshot at http://3dub.com/heli and match the COM port on your computer to the same values. There was also some mention of 'hardware flow control' -- read this whole post.

Hope it works. I've been jamming on FMS for the last few days. I set the trim on the controller way off whack and the heli now behaves very erratically (more like the real thing). It's a lot of fun. Hope you get your FMS working soon. What OS are you running on your computer?

rweller

Thanks for your comments. I changed my port settings as per the earlier post, and tried with both fif buffer off and with lower settings, but no luck. I still get the "waiting for stream init.." When I compare my settings to the site you mentioned, Instead of "sending joystick updates to PPJoy" on the top line, mine just says "successfully opened joystick". Still hoping for solutions. I'm using XP Pro as my O/S, and it sounds as if others have had success with it.

klausflorida

RWeller,

I followed all the steps too and have the same problem. What TX do you have? I have the original esky 6CH and serial cable it came with. Already contacted esky, they are just referring me to the their instruction on their website. I'm trying to get another cable (LPT or USB), but it looks like there's really nothing out there with the little s-video connector, it's all just the DIN connector. Your last post was on 3/12, did you have any luck so far getting it working? I haven't, only had 5 crashes and I need a cable to learn to fly that thing.

K

ppatram

check out this other site -- it has more detailed instructions than the post I submitted. Good luck:
http://www.radio-controlled-toys.com/jabo_fms.htm

rweller

I don't really know what TX I have since the only label on it says "Dragonfly." My helicopter is a 4 channel model (Dragonfly #4), so I think I have a Zen Hua 4 channel Tx. I've used the website and directions in the post by ppatram, and I've sent emails to the individual who developed these detailed instructions, but he has not been able to help me either. I'm still stuck at the message "invalid synch byte 0" on the PPJoy Com dialogue box. I've received my repair parts, so I'm back to flying/skimming around the garage floor until I either learn the controls or wreck it again.

ppatram

My instructions worked for the Jabo heli. I'm not sure what protocol the Dragonfly uses but it must not be Zhen Hua since that is proprietary to the Jabo manufacturer. Sorry it doesn't work.

oops

It might just be broken ???

Also, try another PC. It might be an issue with your PC.

David

iron1800

This is for David... I have a 6ch transmitter and was going to make the cable that you show on the site. I noticed that you recommend using a bc548 transistor. Can this be supplemented with anything else as these are hard to find? If so what else would work in its place? Also you show the black ground wire connected to what you say is the ground of a cap, and on my controller the specified location is the hot wire for the plug. Is this a typo error or do I maybe have a different controller?

oops

Hi Iron1800.

Have a look at the photo. If yours isn't exactly the same, then it's probably not the same transmitter.

Even so, you can probably connect up. Most transmitters have the right signals somewhere.

The black wire was just GND... It could connect to anywhere that is connected to the Battery GND.

The white is the PPM signal. It comes from the main chip usually. You can get it from one side of the Crystal socket too, although if you do,
then you might not want that extra 10K resistor inline (The one soldered to the white socket). That resistor is there so you don't kill the main chip by
driving into the base of a transistor directly, which is almost like a dead short for a logic chip.

The BC548 is just a common NPN small signal transistor. The emitter goes to Ground. The base comes from the transmitter signal, and the collector
goes to the IRQ line on the Parallel port. It's only function is to invert the signal.

You can use almost any small signal transistor here... The only limitation is that you want one that is quite sensitive, because you are only driving the
base with about 500 microamps - or probably around 100 microamps if you get the signal from one side of the XTAL socket.


Regards
David

p.s. Feel free to upload a photo of your TX board (both sides), and I'll look at it. I can't promise anything though -

rweller

The seller has told me he would send a USB cable, so I may be able to get the FMS simulator to work at some point. I've moved to reality and spent a lot of time with the helicopter trying to get a stable hover. It really seems unbalanced and either oscillates or vibrates a lot as soon as its off the ground. I have experimented with the stabilizer wing weights, moving in or out and this seems to help, but I still can't get it to be smooth after takeoff. Should the weights be near the end of the bar? Broke my second swashplate tab, so I'm grounded again. Any thoughts on stability/balance? I'm thinking I have to invest in a more expensive model, and will do my learning on this cheaper one.

oops

Hi Rweller,

See:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_27...tm.htm#2728663
Regarding the oscillations.

Simple version: Make the blades *really* tight. Align them carefully before flight, and make sure that the flybar moves really freely (should move jsut from breathing on it). That should get rid of the oscillations.

Get some 1.5mm spring steel wire (from local model shop - about $1, also get 1mm for the shaft pins, and 2mm for a spring tail sometime).

Now cut off a piece the same size as the tab.

Hold it over a gas flame until it's really, really red hot with some pliers, and then, without burning yourself, melt it into the swashplate plastic where the tab was. It will bury itself about 1.5 mm into the plastic and stick fast. You have to do this quickly, because it cools real quick when it melts the plastic.
If it's not in far enough (when it's covered by plastic and really hard to remove, it's in far enough) then re-heat and repeat. I bought a new swashplate when I broke my tab, and did this with the old one, without even removing it... It's never broken since, even in bad crashes. The spare has never been
fitted.

Spring steel heated and fitted can also be used to repair/reinforce the landing gear plastic fittings as well.

Learning to repair the heli with bits and pieces rather than always buying new stuff is as important a skill as learning to fly it. Trust me on that.

It is worth getting the simulator to work, but if you end up with no serial options, the signal wire for a Parallel port interface as I did for the 6 channel
is found on Pin 14 of the 78P458 IC in the 4-channel controller. There's a resistor just out from it that you can use as a solder point for the wire. Or get it from the crystal socket leg (The end closes to the aerial)

David

rweller

Thanks for the suggestions - I don't know why I hadn't thought of doing the repair work myself instead of waiting for new parts (this is the second time the tab broke off the plate). I'm a little surprised about the main rotor, though. My directions said it should be loose enough to align itself by centrifugal force. I'll try tightening it up. Sooner or later I'm going to get more than 2 feet off the ground!

rweller

To Oops again - I sent the other email before looking at the link you included, and you describe exactly the problem I'm having. I have a clockwise oscillation that becomes "coin-like" and I have to get it to ground fast. I tried a lot of flybar weight adjustment while holding the helicopter, but still feel the oscillation. I'll try loosening up the flybar, tightening and checking the weight balance of the main blades, and maybe trying the heavier battery. Where should the weights be on the flybar, and how is it best to balance them?

oops

To RWeller.

The weights should be right on the outside, next to the paddles... Make sure that the distance from the hub to the paddles is equal on both sides, and especially, the paddles must be flat, and parallel to the flybar... (Sight along one to the other, and the flybar is in the middle... All should be parallel.

The essence of the problem is the slow head-speed. Someone suggested flattening the rotor blades, and I even considered cutting some of the trailing edge off, but in the end tightening the main blades and cleaning up the flybar mechanism and a 8cell battery did it for me... I've hovered for up to 5 minutes so far, and when it's working well, I can keep it still in a 3m by 3m area in my backyard.

The trainer kit is dubious, but does stop you hitting the rotor blades when you take off. The Heli is more stable without it, but wants to tip over when on the ground, before it balances out, when spooling up.

Usually I get to 80% power, then jump the throttle about 4 notches to get it off the ground, although when trimmed right, I can smoothly power up to takeoff. (Mine is really unstable just before liftoff when on the ground - not like the 22A which is a rock).

I also find I'm flying at 50% throttle with the 8cell.

And absolutely practice on keeping it tail in... Keep it close to the ground, so when it goes nose-in at first, you can get it down fast... Also train on grass
if possible... Less damage when it does the dead chicken dance.

The "Coin" problem had me beat at first! I seriously considered giving up... Now this is my favourite toy. It feels good to damage it less.

Regards
David

RadioFlyer2

Rjweller - When I use it I get the same message waiting for stream init... But it should be ok. That message never changes for me either. But I just leave it open and run FMS and even know that message never leaves it still works with FMS. So I think that maybe it will work for you. Everytime you open the ppjoy thing make sure you change it to the zaun controller. then just leave it open. And open fms make sure the radio is on and then set it up in FMS like the post says and it should work.

klausflorida

I finally bought a new SIM cable, after I couldn't get the first one working. I got the waiting for stream init message with my first one put no input, nothing.

I bought this one here

http://www.hobbyjapan2000.com/store/...php?prod=SK300

and now my 6CH e-sky TX works in FMS.

I'm only using 11.1V Li-polymer batteries. I have a 1200 and 2200 mah. The 2200 is a really heavy piece, but the heli lift off fine and the extra weight helps balancing it. Haven't burned an engine so far.