DX7 / AR6100 setup problems - somebody help me please!

[Ray K.]

I'm working on an Axe CP separations project, and I've hit a major wall in regard to setting up my radio.

The book that came with my DX7 says nothing about how to bind the radio to the AR6100 Rx. How do I do that, exactly?

Another problem that I'm having is that my ESC is equipped with a BEC- will I have to split the Rx power and throttle signal apart between the ESC and Rx? It's unclear to me whether or not the AR6100 will accept operation power from the ESC via the throttle channel.

Finally, what channels are used for the servos? The Axe has 120° eCCPM, and I'm not sure which servo goes to which channel.

If anyone has any information, or can at least point me in the right direction, it would be tremendously appreciated! I'm pretty much a stark-raving newb when it comes to helis, and anything with more than 3 channels is totally new and foreign to me. My project has gone very well to this point, and this radio issue(s) is the only thing keeping me from getting airborne again.

Thank you so much, guys!

Ray

[jaron]

Binding the AR6100 (AR6100 manual):
- set your transmitter to the motor off position
- position the transmitter's other control sticks and switches to the desired fail-safe position
- switch off transmitter and receiver
- plug the bind plug into the BAT port of the receiver
- power on the receiver
- press the bind button of the transmitter while switching it on
- release the bind button and wait until the LEDs on the receiver and the transmitter remain solid on
- remove the bind plug

The AR6100 will accept operation power from the ESC via the throttle channel.

Channel assignment (DX7 manual p. 75 and 97):
EDIT: Back Servo (Ch3) -> Elevator
EDIT: Right Servo (Ch2) -> Aileron
EDIT: Left Servo (Ch6) -> Pitch (AUX1 on AR6100)

[Ray K.]

Jaron-

Thank you so much, man! I could find all the info I wanted about binding an AR7000 Rx, but that doesn't do me much good, now does it?!?! I figured that I had to be missing something really easy and simple... and I was right.

Thanks again!

[hhawk]

Am I missing something......isnt binding the AR7000 exactly the same?

[joehelicopter]

Yes,it is..... :smokin:

[Ray K.]

Well, it's not *exactly* the same. With the AR7000, there's a special bind port in the bottom of the Rx, with a special plug used for the binding process. The AR6100 has no such port. The manual that came with my DX7 said absolutely nothing about the AR6100 and how to bind it. All I had was a little bind plug jumper and lots of questions. When you've never dealt with a DX7 or an AR6100 Rx, it's pretty frustrating!

[Danal Estes]

All Spektrum receivers bind with the plug in the battery port. The only RX with any difference in procedure is the AR9000.

In all Spektrum receivers, it is: (Same as Jaron's procedure, just condensed a little)

1) Bind plug in RX battery port (either alone or via switch harness)
2) Power Up RX (either via another port or via switch harness) Light will be flashing.
3) Push and hold bind button on back of TX while power up TX
4) Wait for solid light in RX (and servo control, by the way) release the TX button when this occurs.

Power everything off and remove any jumpers, etc.

The AR9000 will work fine with the above process, and it will then "Fail Safe" like all other "AR" series Spektrum RXs (see note below for "BR" RXs), that is, during loss of signal, CH1 (throttle) will go to "memorized at bind" and all other channels will "hold last good". The difference for the AR9000? Remove the bind jumper BEFORE power down of the RX and the AR9000 will failsafe ALL channels to "memorized at bind" positions. So you get to choose, by when you remove the jumper.

Note: There is an RX called the BR6000 that is identical to the AR6000 except it always failsafes all channels to "memorized at bind". This RX is not widely known to most fliers; it is sold to the robotics market (where weapons and etc must be positively shut down when loss of signal occurs).

So that "special port" on the AR7000 is really the battery port. All Spektrum receivers bind the same way: Jumper in the battery port.

[Ray K.]

I see. That's good to know. All I'm saying is that I had an AR6100 with no manual specific to it, and a manual that told me how to bind an AR7000- and I don't have an AR7000 to hold in my hand and look at. The manual didn't say that it was the battery port. That, and I've never dealt with a DX7 or any of it's Rx's before, so I had a lack of information and lack of experience. That's why I was confused and lost. That's all. And that's exactly why I started this thread- I knew that there are people out there that do know. And that's what forums are for, right?!?!

But thank you all for your help- I've been able to get it all set up, and took her up for her first DX7-controlled flight this evening. Everything went very very well, and it's just a simple matter of doing those last little fine-tuning tweaks. I just need a little more cyclic travel, and I need to calm down the collective a little, and I'll be all done. I've got the collective set up for +/- 12°, and it's a bit much. I'm going to reset it for +/- 10° and see how that goes. The throttle curve is perfect, though, so that's gonna stay.

Again, thank you all for your help!

Ray

[Danal Estes]

Excellent! Keep 'em flying Ray :)