Hi Guys,

I have a couple of gyro questions:

1) I am after instructions/information in english for the V3 ACT fuzzy pro gyro .......anyone have a source or other information/comments that might be useful?
2) where is the best place to buy the Futuba GYA 351 gyro....are they still making them? Could not see them on Futuba's website.

Thanks in advance,

Craig.

Craig

This is the manual. It is in 3 languages

http://www.acteurope.de/intanlfuzzypro3.pdf


John

Futaba does not sell the 351 gyro anymore, and thay are hard to come by; I keep looking on Ebay and Marketplace, and I have found a few over the past year or so.

Thank you guys for the replies. Do you know if they make the 352 gyro anymore? It is a real shame they don't produce the 351....seems like a good product.

Craig.

Where can I buy the ACT Gyro. The web site is all in german.


regards

Hi Tommy,

I guess you can run the gauntlet and buy directly but I have also spoken to Peter at Intairco about possibly getting some in so give him a call and let him know you are interested before he places an order.

Regards,

Craig.

You can buy Futaba 350 – 352 on e-bay.
http://toys.shop.ebay.com/items/Radi...=p3286.c0.m282
However, I’ve heard from a friend of mine – he is from Hong Kong, that those gyros are just replicas with low cost parts – not original products.

props are for boats[:'(]and gyros are for helis [:'(]

We sell the Act Fuzzy Gyro on our website.

Great gyro, the ACT Fuzzy Pro V3.

Extremely sensitive and precise.
For jets, do not use more than 40% max sensitivity (better to limit this on the ATV of the transmitter instead of on the manual potmeter on the device itself), and get fully confident with it in "Normal mode" (I do never use "AVCS mode" )
Be sure you can open and adjust the sensitivity proportionally by means of a TX slider, so you can immediately turn down the sensitivity a little in case the model starts to wag (high speeds, oversensitivity,...)
Don't experiment with a on/off switch for the initial sentivity, the wag can be very violent, better to open it very slowly and observe what the model does.
Use very fast and precise servos, only in such case the gyro can really do its work properly. I use brushless servos Futaba BLS451 and in the past used Futaba S9450.

In case of risk of tip stall, remember that the gyro will try to correct to such extent that you will not be warned anymore of the tip stall and will cause a flat spin at the opposite side of the correction (=to the side where the aileron is fully down)... Therefore : keep the plane speed safe or lower the sensitivity considerably at risky low flying speeds (especially on landing) ! I decrease the sensitivity with about the half on final approach, which is still enough gyro for that "Rolls Royce feel" and blindfolded touchdown.

One minus on the gyro is that the top and bottom halves of the plastic case are held together with the paper (!) sticker ; put it in transparant heat shrink (wich is also a much better base for double sided foam tape).

Last advice : for battery F/S : change on your transmitter the gyro channel from "Hold" into "0%". When your battery pack lacks power, you certainly do not want the gyro servos to drain all what is only left there and cause a battery failsafe situation by dropping the voltage too low ! "0%" might restore a safe situation.

Good luck !

PS. The owner of ACT, Klaus Westerteicher, speaks good english !


Nicolas.

Very infomative post. Thanks Nicolas!

Another Gyro question.
If the aircraft has elevons which means that you MUST have each aileron on seperate channels, do you need to use 2 gyros?
Can you put the gyro to just one aileron? I am expecting that in use the gyro is only making very small trim changes.

Same question for rudder.

Jeff,

I think the ACT gyro has two channel input so you only need one gyro.

Craig.

Such gyros have double servo input - double servo output (PLUS one additional servo lead for the control of the sensitivity), and ONE axis to stabilize.
How you mix and program all the "differences" between the two ailerons (or elevons, flaperons, tailerons,...) : it does not matter and all this remains unaffected by the gyro operation.
The ACT Fuzzy Pro V3 has also a "learning" feature during your set-up, so that the corrective movements of your gyro never ever surpass the mechanical limits you are pre-setting. (= some kind of "ATV" limits which you program into the gyro).

If fact, you must first install and program and fly your plane WITHOUT the gyro in between (thus : with preference also the maiden flights !!!), and once you are happy and confident with all your settings in your transmitter programs (aileron differential, ATV, AFR, mixers,...) then you disconnect the servo leads of both ailerons and plug them into the gyro inputs and you add the gyro feature. The two leads soming out of the gyro are plugged instead in the RX.
Then you triple check the eventual REVERSE plus correct corrective direction of the movement, plus the absolute maximum throws allowed by the gyro.
After that, it is a matter of fine-tuning the two potmeters on the gyro (by consecutive test flights) for max sensitivity (or on the ATV on the TX for the gyro sensitivity channel) plus the way how the gyro interacts between your stick movements and his own "findings" (= soft or dynamic setting).

It is in fact very easy to do, you only need to follow the different steps of set-up and programming in the right order, and always remember it is much better to start from zero percent gyro action and build up your gyro interaction to its optimal setting, than to start from hyper-sensitive and to dial down.

Nicolas.

I want to address a couple of questions I have received via PM on the gyros real quick It may clear up some questions for other people too.

First, SpiderJets refers to the Fuzzy Pro V3 gyro. This is their NON-SMM gyro. It is a great gyro and is less money, however it is not their top-of-the line SMM gyro. For the SMM Gyro, they are only on version 2. There is no Version 3 SMM gyro (yet anyway).

Before deploying any gyro, use it in a less expensive plane to test it on. Some have made some fatal mistakes (using heading hold mode) that have cost them dearly. Get familiar with the use and gain settings that you are comfortable with. Also, it helps to put the gyro on a selector switch to adjust gain on-the-fly. The amount of gain you will use will vary from aircraft to aircraft, as well as how you want the plane to "act" in the air.

PLEASE, test it on a test-bed aircraft before throwing it in your $10k King Cat or $20k Mibo!

I received a lot of questions on the benefit and differences of these gyros.

I have been trying Futaba GY350-GY351-GY352 and some of the early ACT "Wingo" gyros, plus one recent ACT Fuzzy Logic Pro V3.
It will be something of preference, but I've always been finding the ACT somehow more user friendly (don't ask me in which respect...).
I have no idea what is precisely the difference between the V2 and V3, but the early "Wingo" did not even have AVCS mode and/or a pot meter for setting the hard/dynamic mode. I did this myself by programming a mixer which dialed away the gyro sensitivity completely as soon as I touched my aileron stick. As long as I was steering, I got full unlimited control, when I released the stick, the gyro took over the stabilizing corrective actions.
This blending-away was already built in in the original gyro software, but could not be adjusted. Hence the own programmable mixer.
Again, without knowing the differences between V2 and V3 : the gyro which ACT made 8 years ago was totally meeting with all my needs for displaying the SpiderJets F-16 in the highest AoA at slowest speed ever seen without tip stalling, so I can only assume everything "better" than that is fine with me but won't make a difference.

I would NOT recommend AVCS mode, as it adds more complexity to your preparation and attention before and during each flight, and as for me, I have always been 100% satisfied with the "Normal Mode" for jets.
I guess Heading Lock (= AVCS) was invented for helis and definitely has its obvious benefits there, but with jets I don't see it. The normal mode dampens the influence of crosswinds, or eliminates for example corrections of ailerons in knife-edge, or corrects minimimally at such high speed you don't even see it. The best description litterally is : flying like on rails. That's the difference, and it makes any plane a very relaxing and docile one, without nasty habits and unexpected movements. I have never tried it on elevators (I don't see how it can stabilize a lot there...) although I had installed it in my JetLegend L-39 (but never opened the gyro sensitivity on that axis).

In the future, and for avoiding human mistakes, I am considering to put the ATV of the sensitivity on the AVCS side completely to 0%, so it can never enter this mode.
An example, suppose you trimmed during your flight your ailerons, and you open your AVCS mode in flight, will result in a slow roll as the gyro refers its "natural" zero point as the point when you booted up your RX.

I would like to once again stress the importance of proportional control of your gyro sensitivity on your TX (I use one of the side sliders), as our jets have a very wide speed envelope. A jet whichs starts to wag at full speed (and this is with such fast amplitude it is similar to flutter !) is definitely NOT something you want when you make a full throttle vertical dive. Clicking it back with a few clicks will be sufficient ; a switch is too much "ON/OFF" and you will not develop a feel on HOW MUCH you should correct the sensitivity.

Hope this information helps some more.

For any detailed information : better to ask the dealers or the manufacturer : [email protected]


Nicolas.

Oh, and by the way : these doubled gyros are in their operation and function a totally different class than the simple gyros used on nose wheel...
It is not just keeping a right tracking of your plane like with the nosewheel gyro, it's much more than that, it really adds a superior "feel" of flying.
Hard to describe... just try it one day !

Nicolas.

Great answers. Thanks
I was worried that I would need two gyros for elevons.
Before heading hold (AVCS) in the heli gyros I always had a V curve for the gain on the gyro to reduce sensitivity as I increased rudder stick travel.
This was so that the gyro would not be fighting the input.
From what you described, I am understanding that I will still want to do this in the airplane.

I only see the SMM gyro at Sin City is there a USA dealer that Has the Fuzzy Pro V3 gyro?

Now where did the smoking remains of that Visa card go..........

A quick comment about the whole V2 vs. V3.

Act sells two planker gyros. One is their NON-SMM gyro (it is a more classic piezo style). That particular gyro is on Version 3. It is their less expensive and I do not carry it as most people who spend this much on a gyro want the best.

Their other gyro is the SMM version (external sensor) and it is currently on Version 2. So the version 3 is NOT a newer version of this particualr gyro. The SMM gyro is their top of the line gyro. This is the only one we carry.

Just wanted to clear up (some) of the confusion.

Guys,

The GY 350, GY 351 and GY 352 are available at http://www.hobbypit.com . They are all original Futaba.

Hope this helps.

Is it possible to use the futaba 401 with jets?

Pete

Hi Pete,

Yes you could use it for single channel operation like on the rudder or nosewheel steering, or to your ailerons if you have both on a single channel.

Hope that helps

Craig.

Thanks. I used them on my helis, Was just curious.

Pete

Funny how many heli guys also fly jets and vice versa.....both are challenging and keep us entertained I guess!

Craig.