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I'm a Newby Again

Old 01-30-2012, 12:18 AM
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jlander
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Default I'm a Newby Again

I've been out of the hobby for 20 years. I bought a fixer-upper on Craigslist and am ready to install my receiver.When I built my last model, mixing was either mechanical, or if you were really slick, you used a Christy Mixer.I still got one in my toolbox. Now it is all done in the radio and I am not sure the best way it all up. I have a 6 channel radio and will be using 5 channels (throttle, elevator, rudder, ailerons, and flaps). My ailerons are using 2 servos and the manual says to plug one servo in the aileron channel and one in the flaps channel and them mix them in the radio...but then, what do I do with the flaps? I'd really like the actual flaps to be on the variable flaps channel.The other channel is either on or off.Can I use that one for the ailerons?I hate to sound stupid, but what happens if I use that channel and then flip the switch?Does my model fall out of the sky?
Old 01-30-2012, 03:08 AM
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ORIGINAL: jlander

I've been out of the hobby for 20 years. I bought a fixer-upper on Craigslist and am ready to install my receiver. When I built my last model, mixing was either mechanical, or if you were really slick, you used a Christy Mixer. I still got one in my toolbox. Now it is all done in the radio and I am not sure the best way it all up. I have a 6 channel radio and will be using 5 channels (throttle, elevator, rudder, ailerons, and flaps). My ailerons are using 2 servos and the manual says to plug one servo in the aileron channel and one in the flaps channel and them mix them in the radio...but then, what do I do with the flaps? I'd really like the actual flaps to be on the variable flaps channel. The other channel is either on or off. Can I use that one for the ailerons? I hate to sound stupid, but what happens if I use that channel and then flip the switch? Does my model fall out of the sky?
It would help if you indicated which model transmitter and receiver you have. It all depends upon the programming included in the transmitter.

The simplest method would be to connect a Y Harness to the Aileron channel on the receiver and then connect each Aileron servo to the Y Harness. This would allow you to connect Elevator, Rudder, Flaps, and Throttle, to their respective channels.

Despite the fact that the Gear channel is assigned a two position switch, it is usually a proportional channel. If you have sufficient programming in the transmitter, you could mix the Aileron and Gear channels, for Dual Ailerons, and Inhibit the Gear switch.

Some transmitters have a Wing Type or Tail Type program that allows you to choose Dual Ailerons. Others require the use of a Programmable Mixer program. You could most likely use the Gear channel as the second Aileron half.
Old 01-30-2012, 05:09 AM
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Default RE: I'm a Newby Again

Just plug the aileron servos into a Y cord and plug that into the aileron channel
Old 01-30-2012, 06:28 AM
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Default RE: I'm a Newby Again

Only as a last resort.
It all depends on the radio. I avoid using a "Y" harness on primary control surfaces if at all possible. Using a "Y" on the ailerons losses the ability to program in some differential.
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Old 01-30-2012, 08:21 AM
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Default RE: I'm a Newby Again

And I'm just the opposite. I avoid using two channels unless I absolutely have to. Differential can easily be obtained mechanically by rotating the servo arms
Old 01-30-2012, 08:56 AM
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ORIGINAL: MinnFlyer

And I'm just the opposite. I avoid using two channels unless I absolutely have to. Differential can easily be obtained mechanically by rotating the servo arms
I see no risk in mixing channels. I see it as a great convenience with more precise control.

I have used Y Harnesses for years, before computer radios. I have experienced many problems traced to a Y Harness.
Old 01-30-2012, 09:45 AM
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Default RE: I'm a Newby Again

Hi!
I did not get if this is a trainer airplane or not.If it is you should not use a flaps!
Old 01-30-2012, 09:46 AM
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Default RE: I'm a Newby Again

No risk involved. I just prefer to keep things simple. Just my choice.
Old 01-31-2012, 05:08 AM
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jlander
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Default RE: I'm a Newby Again

Thanks. Sorry I've not responded yet with my radio information. I'm a Florida State Trooper and because of those big accidents in Florida on I-75, for the last day and a half I've putin 24 hours and todayI'm scheduled for 14.

I have a Futaba 6XA that is brand new in the box that was given to me. It is capable of mixing with the gear channel. I didn't know you could deactivate the gear controls, so that sounds like what I'm going to do. Since I have the channels available, and I've never had a programmable radio before, I'd like to give that option a try. The Y-adapter is an option I'll keep open though.

My model is not a trainer although it is trainer like.It is very large and flaps will be nice. I've posted a photo and there are more here: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10926684/tm.htmif you know what this model is. Because I purchased it off Craigslist, I don't know much about it. It looks like it might be a wing from a Spook mated to something else.
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Old 01-31-2012, 05:18 AM
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ORIGINAL: jlander

Thanks. Sorry I've not responded yet with my radio information. I'm a Florida State Trooper and because of those big accidents in Florida on I-75, for the last day and a half I've put in 24 hours and today I'm scheduled for 14.

I have a Futaba 6XA that is brand new in the box that was given to me. It is capable of mixing with the gear channel. I didn't know you could deactivate the gear controls, so that sounds like what I'm going to do. Since I have the channels available, and I've never had a programmable radio before, I'd like to give that option a try. The Y-adapter is an option I'll keep open though.

My model is not a trainer although it is trainer like. It is very large and flaps will be nice. I've posted a photo and there are more here: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10926684/tm.htm if you know what this model is. Because I purchased it off Craigslist, I don't know much about it. It looks like it might be a wing from a Spook mated to something else.
Inhibiting switches is not always an option with lower end transmitters. Usually as the cost of a transmitter goes up, you get more channels and a wider variety of programming.
Old 02-01-2012, 12:25 PM
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jlander
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Default RE: I'm a Newby Again

I hooked upthe servos and installed the receiver today. I could not get the aileron programming to work right when I kept the flaps on the flaps channel. So...I went out and bought another y-harness and I'll do it the old fashioned way. The motor won't run because the carb is all gunked up.The new carb I got has a choke so I think I'll use the extra channel to operate it.

I noticed that when operating the flaps, one seems to lag a little behind the other. It over travels a littleand kinda wags back and forth until it finds the correct position. This only happened when operating the controls quickly. The flaps are already hooked up with a y-harness. I don't know what kind of servo is used because they were already installed in the wing and I didn't want to take them out and have to worry about fishing the servo wire back through the wing. Any ideas of what is causing this?
Old 02-02-2012, 06:00 PM
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I figured out the servo problem.  I had a bad y-adapter.  I got my receiver installed and connected all the servos and everything is working the way it should.  I pick up the engine tomorrow and other than a little more trim work on the covering and checking the balance it is done.
Old 02-03-2012, 11:39 AM
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ORIGINAL: jlander
I figured out the servo problem. I had a bad y-adapter.
Exactly why some guys like Rich and I try to avoid them if possible, although I personally have only had a problem with a Yharness that is made to reverse the direction of one of the servos; Called a "Reversing Y-harness" they are handy for applications such as two evevator servos where the servos are installed in mirror image to each other, forcing them to rotate in opposite directions to allow both surfaces to move the right way. In of the problems with the reversing y is that they have a very small, very cheap pot that you can turn to adjust the center of one of the servos. the pot either tends to physically creep, or the pot is so bad that it cant't hold it's electrical adjustment... Nether FUT or JR make such devices, so they are not something I'm willing to use. That is not saying I won't use a generic component in my setup, but I wont use something that the main manufacturers don't produce. A simple voltage regulator is another example. Both Futaba and JR make 6 volt packs, but nether make a regulator, i.e. I don't use one.
Old 02-03-2012, 12:34 PM
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ORIGINAL: jlander

Thanks. Sorry I've not responded yet with my radio information. I'm a Florida State Trooper and because of those big accidents in Florida on I-75, for the last day and a half I've put in 24 hours and today I'm scheduled for 14.

I have a Futaba 6XA that is brand new in the box that was given to me. It is capable of mixing with the gear channel. I didn't know you could deactivate the gear controls, so that sounds like what I'm going to do. Since I have the channels available, and I've never had a programmable radio before, I'd like to give that option a try. The Y-adapter is an option I'll keep open though.

My model is not a trainer although it is trainer like. It is very large and flaps will be nice. I've posted a photo and there are more here: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10926684/tm.htm if you know what this model is. Because I purchased it off Craigslist, I don't know much about it. It looks like it might be a wing from a Spook mated to something else.
I was thinking you had a Futaba 6EX 2.4 radio.

http://manuals.hobbico.com/fut/6ex-2_4ghz-manual.pdf

The T6XA is a 72Mhz radio.

I had two T6XA radios, years ago. One was on Ch44 and one was on Ch46. They were my first computer radios. They only had 3 Model Memories, so I bought a second one so I could have 3 more Model Memories. Because you could not Name each Model Memory, I had Labels on the back of each transmitter to identify which aircraft was assigned with which Model Memory.

After all these years, and many more advanced radios, I assisted a friend in setting up his T6XA, last year. That is when I realized how limited the programming choices were.

Is this your radio?

http://manuals.hobbico.com/fut/6xas-hs-manual.pdf



You need to enable the Flapperon function by changing the value from INH to On.

Right Aileron servo connects to the Aileron channel and Left Aileron servo connects to the Flap channel.

See page 30 and 31 in the manual.

By default, you see 100%. Some aircraft, like high wing aircraft, benefit from having more Up Aileron than Down Aileron. This is called Differential. You can adjust that percentage in the Flapperon function

You need to adjust the Flap Trim function to control the amount of Deflection of the Flaps when you turn the Flap knob.

There is also a Futaba 6EXA.

http://manuals.hobbico.com/fut/6exa-manual-v1_1.pdf

This has a Wing Mix (w.mix) that can be set to Flapperon (Ch1 and Ch6). See Pg 17 about the removable Flap Control Lever.

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