401 issue? or something else...

[hoverpunk]

sorry about the long post...

i got the vibration mostly worked out on my blade400 heli and now i got to fly it the last couple days with the new gy401 gyro and 3500g tail servo and its like the gyro isnt working well. it holds well most of the time, but side to side response is terrible. i cannot do piros at will like i could with the stock pos 110 gyro.

this just caused me to crash (although not that bad at all, still a crash). i had NO left response when i needed it. wish i could just get this thing setup long enough to enjoy it. seems like its been a few weeks and few hundred bux of chasing problems.

is it possible the gyro is defective? it is brand new. it blinks when i give it input. i rebinded the rx to the tx for good measure. my end limiter pot is set, and delay is set to 0. when in rate mode i adjust the limiter to get the slider to go from end to end on the shaft. this is the correct way to set up the limiter pot isnt it?

is there anything that would cause the servo to simply not move left when input is given?

the servo moves fine in rate mode.

is this more than likely a gyro issue?

one other thing i have noticed is that no matter how high i turn the gain on the gyro, i do not get tail wag. is that odd?

no matter whats going on when i hit rudder left the tail should go left correct? im assuming there shouldnt be lag when i hit the rudder. it feels weird to have the rudder simply NOT work. it puts you in bad places sometimes. i noticed this yesterday when finally getting the vibes out and testing. mentioned it to you last night in g4 i think...

i was just out testing in the front yard when it spooled up, i went to go into hover and it piro'd about half a turn "with no input from me" before the gyro kicked in and began holding and then i was unable get back to tail in from the angle (unchosen by me) that i was forced to be in. there was no rudder response at all. its almost as though there is hesitation before it does something, and then it does something big the direction i was telling it to go unresponsively...

UPDATE: ok i just got it all set up again and gave it a test in the backyard. this time caused me to force it down fast due to unexpected movement on the gyro. i broke a tail blade off, and hopefully nothing else...

the gyro is setup per sokal in the b400 forum. this time when i setup, i made a new servo arm. drilled my own hole. the new hole is closer than any stock holes. this allowed me to up the limiter on the gyro pot to right around the 110-120 mark.

should i be making the travel go FARTHER than what should be possible with the limiter? i am making it so it goes end to end on the pitch slider.

i had a few moments of hovering in the backyard where the tail was completely flyable. it was not as responsive as with my old stock gyro however. then randomly after it had just been working "fine", when i needed left it wouldnt go left (again) and then all of a sudden it DID go left, but too far. which is why i was forced to bring it down fast. no response or delayed response on the tail is NOT FN COOL!!! it also makes control nearly impossible.

flying my heli right now is like an orientation test. you never know where you are going to end up pointing before the gyro decides its going to move and how far on your input, and then decide hold again in some new exciting orientation.

[Wyn]

Here's a functional bench test (motor unplugged or engine off) for gyros that might help:

Double check that the end-points (ATV) in the TX for the rudder are about 100% in both directions, and that no dual rate or AFR is lowering the range -- use the servo monitor built into most radios to verify. This setting will determine the max piro rate that the gyro will attempt to control in AVCS (heading hold) mode. It's kind of like setting the speed control on your car though, if the engine can't pull the hill at the set speed -- it just gives full throttle anyway.

Set the gyro to rate mode then rotate the heli back and forth quickly about 30 degrees. The tail blades should move quickly back and forth, the amount they move should be proportional to how fast you rotate the heli. The servo should go about full travel each way if you move it fast. If travel appears low, raise the gain.

Check that when the rudder stick is centered, the blades always return to the same position every time (in rate mode only).

Hold the rudder stick at each extreme and double check that the angle on the tail blades look proper at each extreme. (I've no experience with the blade, but make sure there is enough blade pitch in both directions, especially the side that isn't working.)

Now set the gyro to AVCS mode in the TX with the same gain as rate mode. Power off the RX and then turn it on with the TX already on and set for AVCS mode. Don't move the rudder trim, the 401 will now memorize this signal coming from the TX as center. Move the stick slightly off center and the servo should slowly move the tail blades to one side, move it a little more and the servo should be on the travel limit. Repeat for the opposite stick direction. The servo should NOT return to the same position every time the stick is released to center (because it's in AVCS mode, which has an integral term added).

Move the rudder stick and get the servo about centered when the stick is released. The servo should stay put (no drift).

Rotate the heli 30 degrees quickly back and forth, same as before in rate mode. The servo travel should look similiar to what was seen in rate mode, except it will stay to one side when you stop moving the heli.

One last test for the servo. Add some finger pressure to oppose movement while moving the rudder stick. Do this in several different servo positions and check that it's putting out decent torque.

Suggest only flying AVCS mode, flying rate mode is another story... If it fails one of these tests, hopefully the problem will be easier to determine. Best of luck. Didn't intend to write a book, just happens sometimes.;)