Idle Up

[supergenius]

What's the Idle up switch for, and how do I use it?

[DebianDog]

What's the Idle up switch for, and how do I use it?

Madd 3Deez! :YeaBaby:

actually a typical setup is:

Normal = Throttle curve from 0-100 and a pitch from -4 to +10 (or more)
Idle Up 1 = Throttle locked at a particular headspeed and a pitch range from negative XX degrees to positive XX degrees (so you can fly inverted)
Idle Up 2 = usually more headspeed and/or more pitch

[mporlier]

That brings me to a different question. When I first read the title I thought you were talking about the WEB site www.idleup.com. They have advertised for many months saying Openning soon! Yet it is still under construction.

Marc

[TheBum]

Definitely don't use idle-up if you haven't gotten used to hitting the throttle hold switch when you get into trouble instead of slamming down the throttle stick. In idle-up mode, slamming down the throttle stick will drive the heli into the ground at full speed.

[istandalone]

^^oh yes it will! ask me how i know! that negative pitch makes gravity suck even harder! although i've finally gotten over the "dump the stick" to bail out, i just started using idle up every flight a month or so ago. once you get the T-stick lower then the halfway point the heli goes towards earth really fast. it does take some getting used to, but idle up is your friend.

[Pinecone]

That's why many people recommend to learn to use Throttle Hold EARLY in your training, and move to Idle Up as soon as possible. If you learn to dump the stick, it will be VERY hard to break that habit.

[supergenius]

Definitely don't use idle-up if you haven't gotten used to hitting the throttle hold switch when you get into trouble instead of slamming down the throttle stick. In idle-up mode, slamming down the throttle stick will drive the heli into the ground at full speed.

What's the throttle hold switch do?

[TheBum]

It kills the motor without losing control over the collective pitch of the main rotor. If you'd like to learn more about how RC helis work, check out the Electric Helicopter Beginner's Guide (http://www.swashplate.co.uk/html/ehbg.html).

[Pinecone]

On a nitro heli, it moves the throttle to idle, where the clutch is not engaged. The engine still runs, but it doesn't power the blades. This also allows you to practice autorotations.

On electric it is set to shut the motor off, since there is no clutch and an electric motor will start up again when to turn TH off.

Using it in a crash keeps the heli from doing the funky chicken dance and destroying more parts than were destroyed in the initial crash.

[aucmax]

"It kills the motor without losing control over the collective pitch of the main rotor."

On electrics, throttle hold is sort of a misnomer. That is, the "hold" actually means stopping current to the motor. Set it to zero on your TX. With fuel driven helis, it merely "holds" a preset lower/minimal RPM of the motor. TH will limit c(r)ash woes, but learning to auto (that is, autorotations) the heli softly to the ground without power is the way to go. It will seem like a completely insane thing to learn at first, but it will save your ass and your bank account time and time again. I suggest you find an instructor in your area to help you out with a buddy hook-up to your transmitter to help you learn this scary maneuver. They can help bail you out if needed while you learn. Better to be prepared now. Sooner or later you will have to bail out. We all do. Even while learning only the basics. And as a bonus, when you get really adept at it, someday when you're performing for the crowd or just for friends, ending a flight with an auto is totally freakin' cool! Non-heli versed people will be wowed for sure. (but we'll all secretly know it's a no-brainer, heh?) :thumbup:

[Pinecone]

Yes, the title comes from the earlier days when there were no electric helis. :) But we live with it. :)

I set my TH throttle position to -5 or -10 to make sure there is NO power to the motor.

[supergenius]

On a nitro heli, it moves the throttle to idle, where the clutch is not engaged. The engine still runs, but it doesn't power the blades. This also allows you to practice autorotations.

On electric it is set to shut the motor off, since there is no clutch and an electric motor will start up again when to turn TH off.

Using it in a crash keeps the heli from doing the funky chicken dance and destroying more parts than were destroyed in the initial crash.

...wish I knew that a week ago...I killed a perfectly good nexus.

[Pinecone]

Many of us learned the hard way.