..again folks i am a little lost []

I am (still) finishing my t-rex 450 SE build and got a DX6i radio. I have read thru the instructions and still am lost. I have also looked at other posts concerning binding of the radio but i guess my noggin is just impenetrable

ok so here is the deal ... as per the instruction booklet for the dx6i it states that i must have a receiver switch to bind the radio with the Rx, however i do not have one of these (switches) and from what i read dont really need to have one. From the posts i have read it says to put the ESC plug into the "slot" for the battery/bind then power up .... but how can i power up if the battery is not plugged into this slot? ... do i plug the battery into another slot?

another thing is i have the RCE-BL25X/35X ESC that came with the kit that shows i have to do setup (and i guess program it) before i use it .... this confuses me as i would assume i need to plug the esc into the Rx to set it up, but i need to bind the radio to the Rx so as to communicate with the Rx for it to pick up the radio which i need to setup the esc.....i hope i have not made this as confusing to you as it is to me ....

i guess another way to ask this confusing question is - how EXACTLY do i bind the radio to the rx (what goes where? ...battery, bind plug etc) how and when do i do setup of ESC and which comes first, esc setup or bind of Tx to Rx?

Also could i assume i dont have to bind seeing as how the radio and receiver came together and may be already "bound"?

hope i can get some help ... and please dummy this down for me and (pretty please) dont beat me up because i am not that learned in the rc heli ways.

thanks guys

I just built my T-Rex 450 and Esky Belt-CP. Using the DX6i radio also.

You MUST bind your radio to the helicopter. It is not already bound. So here is what to do.
You don't need a receiver switch to bind the radio with the RX.
Use the bind plug that came with the radio and or heli.

"Make sure you connect all these correctly". The plugs go in two ways and only one way is correct.
Black wire is negative.

For the bind plug only it does not matter which way you plug it in.

1. Plug the bind plug into the BAT on the receiver.

2. Plug the ESC into the THR on the receiver.
(The ESC plugged into the THR will give power to your receiver).

3. Power up the heli with the "radio off" with the bind plug in the
BAT on the receiver. The led's on both receivers will be flashing.

4. Pull up on the trainer switch on the radio and "hold it". Turn on the radio, "keep holding up the trainer switch",
The leds on the receivers will go solid soon when binding is complete. When that happens let go of the trainer switch.

5. Turn off the heli power then turn off the radio. Remove the bind plug from the RX.
You’re now bound and ready to continue with setup.

After this you can program the ESC.
Your throttle curve in the radio MUST be O, 25, 50 , 75, 100 to program the ESC.
Then after you program it you can change the throttle anyway you like.

First bind your system then try to program your ESC and post for help if needed.
It would take me a LONG LONG time to type it out so ask where you get stuck.
The directions are very good. I did it on my first try.

If all else fails and you still can't get the ESC programmed after posting I'll PM my number and talk you through it.
I have the same ESC as you and have the directions here.

Tom

Tom

i lift my hat to you sir! [sm=thumbup.gif] ....MUCH thanks for this detailed instructions - this is so much clearer for me now! ... i cannot express my thanks enough to you!

I will be doing this as soon as i get home

have a GREAT day ... (and one last time .... THANKS!!! [sm=teeth_smile.gif])

Your welcome rc-jj, glad to help out!

I know how hard and confusing it can be with all of this.
Took me a lot of time to figure it all out. Had to post many times for help.

See if you can get it binded and will take it from there. I'll check this post tonight.
Once you get it binded the ESC and radio programming is all
that's left to do then you can take it for a test flight!
After I built mine I was able to hover and fly great the first time with no adjustments
at all except to fine tune the gyro gain.

Also after you get the radio all setup you may want to rebind
again to lock in all the settings. I am checking if this is a
needed step or not. I didn't do it to either of mine and they
both work great but will still check anyway.

Tom

If you have the Telebee Gyro the brown wire in the 3 wire plug is the negative wire (where the other wires are black for negative).
The yellow remote gain wire (single wire plug) is not a negative wire. This is the same as the white wires where they plug into.

Tom

just curious Tom - what Gyro do you have on your 'rex?

oops - sorry did not see that last post - guessing it is a telebee gyro ... how does it work for you?....i am torn between telebee and shelling out the bucks for the 401 - knowing full well i love the hobby but i just dont spend that much time flying to quite yet justify the 401

I have the Telebee TLB01 Dual Rate Standard/HH gyro.
It works well and holds solid.
Good gyro for the price.
Not a good gyro for 3D flying but good for standard flying and hovering.
If you can afford the 401 gyro I would get it instead.
I couldn't so I got the Telebee gyro to start out with.

The Telebee TLB01 Dual Rate Standard/HH gyro is the same gryo as the Align 500X
gyro. Just has a different sticker on it and a cheaper price.

Tom

When you program the ESC make sure the Brake is set to disabled.
The brake is for airplanes. If you use it on a helicopter when you throttle down it will
slow down or stop the blades, not good, big crash!

If you are a new pilot I would use the motor soft start feature, Helicopter 1 (soft start).
For electronic timing select mid timing.

Will go more into this when your ready.


Tom

Tom

got the binding down - great instructions .... i am now reading and researching the esc setup, so far i am slowly ( i think) making sense of it - the last part of the instructions (setup mode 5 thru 9) has me somewhat confused - i will do some research to see if i get it....if not i will either post or pm you

Good job on binding the helicopter rc-jj!

Your half way there. Just need to program the ESC.

Post or PM me if you are still stuck.

I'll be online on and off and will keep checking.

Also I checked and you will not need to rebind again.


Tom

There are only 5 modes to program.
The very bottom row are them on your instruction sheet.

Before you program be sure to do this!

Set the throttle curve in the radio to O, 25, 50 , 75, 100 to program the ESC.

But first either take out your motor or take off your main blades and tail blades
for safety reasons. You don't want the heli to throttle up on you for some reason
during the ESC programing. If it does with the blades off no big deal.
With them on a big deal. Who knows what could happen.


Very bottom of instruction sheet:

# 5 Brake mode - set to disabled (throttle stick fully down to program it).

# 6 Timing mode - set to mid timing (throttle stick in middle to program it)

#7 Battery protection mode - set to high voltage protection mode (throttle stick fully down to program it)

#8 Aircraft Mode - set to Helicopter 1 (soft start) (throttle stick in middle to program it)

# 9 Throttle response - set to Standard (throttle stick fully down to program it)

Give these a try and see how you like them. I think these are good for you to start out with.
#5 must stay this way for a helicopter so don't change this.
You can change # 6, 7, 8, 9 to different values. Different values are more for a super fast responsive helicopter. Faster motor timing, faster throttle response, etc.

I'm still trying different battery protection modes to see which one works best for me.

Follow this and you should be in good shape.

Let me know if you need more help.


Tom

================================================== =============

Edit:

Here are the final beeps. When your done programing the ESC turn off everything.
Then put the throttle all the way down (zero throttle). Turn on the radio,
turn on the helicopter. It will go into beeping. Listen for this below.
If you here this you did all the above steps correctly. Your now done with the ESC programming!


It will go through this one time.

One beep
Two beeps
One beep
Two beeps
One beep


This will give you:

Brake mode - Disabled

Timing mode - Mid timing

Battery protection mode - High voltage protection mode

Aircraft mode - Helicopter 1 (soft start)

Throttle response - Standard

Tom

you rock! (were you a teacher in a former life? ... if not you missed your calling ).... i will have this programmed today - hopefully can get this baby in the air next week ... guess that is the one part you can't help me with

(ordering gyro today - still not sure if 401 or telebee)

really do appreciate your insight and help.

Thanks rc-jj, glad to help out!

Could have been a teacher in a former life...

Will be nice if you will be up and flying in a week or so!
It's a great helicopter. I'm glad I bought mine.

Let me know if you need more help with the ESC programing.
I'll go online tonight and check your post.

Tom

Tom...

mission accomplished! [sm=thumbs_up.gif][sm=shades_smile.gif]

thanks a million for helping me with these key phases - it was fun and educational - i really really did enjoy it! ... also thanks for your kind and gentle approach.

ciao

Great news rc-jj! Glad you got everything setup. Good job!

You’re welcome and glad I could help you out!

Which gyro did you decide to get? Did you order one already?
Let me know and I'll post some setup links for you.
There are good setup guides for the Telebee and 401 gyro.

As always let me know if I can help out with anything else.

Tom

i was so split on the telebee and the 401 - then i thought let me just go ahead and get the 401 and hope that it lasts me a long time - so i ordered it last week.

all i have to do now is finish the setup on my radio then hook up my servos, blades, balancing - you know the final stuff (hopefully ) then off the crashing eeerrrr i mean flying

Good choice to go with the 401! It should last a long time.
It is one of the most liked, popular, and supported gyros on the market.

You should mount it under the tail boom mount to protect it from a crash.
If it is mounted on the top the flybar paddles can crush it in a crash...

There was a 401 for sale like new with box and instructions on this site for $85 shipped.
Some others were $90-105 shipped.

Are you a member on helifreak.com?
I am and have all of the videos downloaded for the T-Rex 450.

There is a very good step by step setup video with the 401 gyro on a T-Rex 450.

401 gyro setup (48 Megs)

http://helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=11373


Tom

i am a member of helifreak and have been watching the videos - more so of lately ... it is some very good stuff - thanks to Finless Bob!

wish i had known about that 401 sale ...oh well - life ...after you buy it is always free [sm=48_48.gif]

question ...again ... what settings do i put in for the dx6i - i saw a post somewhere for this and have been searching but cannot find it ... i need help! .. Dr Phil kinda help

Hi rc-jj, I'm online now.
What settings are you talking about? Pitch, throttle, gyro, etc...

Tom

i have already programed the throttle but the DX6i has a bunch of settings for each model - i have seen setups for other birds but wanted to know what are general settings for everything else (or most of the other options fo the radio you have to set up) ...hope my response was not confusing

Best bet is to compare others settings to get a basic idea to start from.
The default settings are a good start and some you will be able to leave there.
Finless Bob has good throttle and pitch curves for our T-Rex are there pretty good for both new and pro pilots.
Pitch curves need to be set with a pitch gauge and radio settings.

Every helicopter will vary some and have different radio settings for everything.
So what works for mine can/will be different on yours otherwise I could just list all my settings
and you could put them in and fly.

If we use different servos, servo arm lengths, and gyros and so on, we will both have different settings for the radio.

-1 degree blade pitch may equal 59.5 % pitch on the radio on my radio but be different on yours.

Hope this gives you some kind of idea...


Tom

okey dokey my good man. Thanks again for this always great info.

No problem!

Here is one setting you can make that will be the same.
Throttle hold -0.5%. (make sure it is minus 0.5 percent).

If you need a specific setting (s) you can see what I have. Let me know.

I used all the defaults and went from there.
Throttle and pitch settings were Finless settings to start then were modified by a guy in my flying club
to tame the heli down to learn with. Like 75% throttle max, and a mild pitch curve. Used for hover and gentle flying only.
Also added D/R or Expo which really helped out.

I used the Finless gyro setup video and a setup guide on this site then took it from there.

Tom