AP2000i Setup video?

[Deron Douglas]

I was reading the manual for the AP2000i last night and was wondering if a setup video is available or in the works? Also... would the TREX600E be a SR-3 swash plate setup?

[MarkWebber]

I did make a setup video but I'm not pleased with it. If you follow along with our quickstart guide, it should do just as well as the video.

www.webberaerialimaging.com/quickstart.html (http://www.webberaerialimaging.com/quickstart.html)

Yes, Trex600 is SR-3

[Deron Douglas]

I did make a setup video but I'm not pleased with it. If you follow along with our quickstart guide, it should do just as well as the video.

www.webberaerialimaging.com/quickstart.html (http://www.webberaerialimaging.com/quickstart.html)

Yes, Trex600 is SR-3

Thanks Mark, I'll give it a read. I've become to used to Bob's videos that I've become lazy... damn there are so many words to read otherwise :lol:

[Deron Douglas]

Thanks Mark,
Just read over the quick start guide. It's a lot easier with this than the manual. Although I read the manual as well.

Thanks.

[okiefarmr]

But a video would still be nice. Put it on your website and charge a fee to download it. Cheaper than sending out DVD's. Then again the quick start manual is really helpful.

Mike

[crewchief]

The AP2000i works quite well but I found the manual very short on information, which I attribute to sheer laziness on the part of Spartan-RC. Mark's quick-start guide is very helpful indeed, but it should not have been necessary for him to supplement the manual. For example there is not adequate detail in the manual regarding calibration, how to mount the sensor, use of external gyros and altimeters, etc. It's more like "The AP2000i can do this and that, now go figure it out".

An example of excellent technical writing is the FMA Direct CoPilot user's manual. FMA also has a downloadable White Paper on the IR approach to stabilization, which offers an in-depth understanding of the basic concepts and how they are implemented. Spartan should be extremely careful about resting on its laurels, because in the engineering world this can lead to a quick loss of market. FMA is already working on a line of similar products, and they own all patent rights to IR leveling in the U.S.!

[MarkWebber]

:confused:

I never had any intention of charging for the video. Rather than hearing me blather on for 30min, you can follow along with the quickstart guide and reap the same results. I know I'm probably too obcessive about it but the quality wasn't up to what I was after.

[crewchief]

Mark,

The patent rights have obviously nothing to do with your involvement with Spartan. Your customer service has always been superlative, not only from my own experience and from what I can tell from others' experiences as well.

What I was referring to regarding patent rights is that FMA controls the rights for IR stabililzation for model aircraft, PAT# 6,181,989.

http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=06181989&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fn ph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DP ALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25 252Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%252 6s1%3D6181989.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F6181989%2526RS%3DP N%2F6181989&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

DraganFlyer Innovations of Canada licenses the patent for its Thermal Intelligence stabilization for the DraganFlyer quad helicopter, and it is no accident that Spartan uses the FMA sensor for the AP2000i. FMA may not have gotten overseas protection for the patent, which is an extraordinarily expensive endeavor, but even though the AP2000 is manufactured overseas, as soon as it hits our shores FMA is protected by the U.S. patent. Therefore Spartan certainly must have licensed the FMA technology.

I have been talking with the engineering department at FMA for about 8 months now regarding their new product(s) that will control CCPM helicopters in conjunction with 3rd-party 72 MHz and 2.4 GHz transmitters and receivers. In other words, the CPD4, but with 3+ channels. Currently you must buy their proprietary 72 MHz Rx which integrates with the stabilizer if you want to use it with CCPM. I have used the CPD4 CoPilot with the Falcon 3D and found it an excellent product. Along about July, I realized they were never going to meet their projected delivery date, which is when I discovered the AP2000i and ordered a couple from you. The good thing is that the AP2000i is a mature product, and it looks like the gremlins that tend to plague new designs have mostly been tracked down and sent packing.