Vbar/CoPilot II Flybarless Stabilization System

[nightflyr]

One way to check, is to do a stationary piro, If the heli remains flat and level your setup is good

[MatLi]

Thanks for the tip. Will do that today - but first I had to take a photo - just in case things go wrong today
Check out my album if you like.

[nightflyr]

Very nice bird

Might I make a suggestion or two...

Firstly. I would hot glue the connection of the VBar main sensor to the controller. They are noted to work loose during flights and if it does, there is no hope of saving your heli

Secondly, remove that mesh covering from the main sensor wire, it makes it too rigid and will transfer any vibrations back to the sensor.

This is how I laid my setup out...

[MatLi]

Yes, I did that modification on the sensors connector (https://www.helifreak.com/showpost.p...9&postcount=52) and also added two cable ties to secure the sensor cable to the main frame in order to avoid vibrations to get transferred to the sensor module as much as possible.

Yesterday I had a huge amount of luck as I noticed some strange roll without stick input and after managing to get the bird down without hitting ground I figured out that the cable connecting my aileron servo to the vBar unit was very loose and forced the aileron servo to act strange. I have no idea why this could have gotten loose since there are one connector each on its left and right side. Maybe it happened during transport - but for sure I will keep an eye on it before I get the bird up in the air next time.

My main sensor connector sits very tight in the vBar unit so I am confident that the mod I applied should work just fine

[nightflyr]

Ok folks,

Here's the skinny....

Finally got a decent enough day to test out the CPII/VBar Flybarless Stabilization system...

By the heli gods it works, this system is scary stable, it will level out your bird albeit a bit slower than a stock flybarred head and CPII, due to the gyro's controlling the swash.

But it functions quite good and is well behaved.
I'll be doing more flight testing but as of this moment I can say YIPPPEEEEE IT WORKS!!!

[neavissa]

YIPPPEEEEE!!!!!!! GOOD JOB AND THANKS, you are plowing the road for many of us! (is that too dramatic??? )

thanks,
G

p.s. do you think you can shoot a video at some point?

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by neavissa

YIPPPEEEEE!!!!!!! GOOD JOB AND THANKS, you are plowing the road for many of us! (is that too dramatic??? )

thanks,
G

p.s. do you think you can shoot a video at some point?

As soon as I get accustomed to this new system I will try to video it, for the moment I need to focus on how it flys and reacts.
Still some tweaking to do.

[neavissa]

Makes sense...

[teb1963]

Hi Night, do you have anymore updates on CP2 working with FBL, you have helped me in the past with my 450 and I Love it . I have ordered a TREX 600 3G that shows to be delivered in the next couple days, and I am hoping to use another CP2. Any input is apreciated. Terry

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by teb1963

Hi Night, do you have anymore updates on CP2 working with FBL, you have helped me in the past with my 450 and I Love it . I have ordered a TREX 600 3G that shows to be delivered in the next couple days, and I am hoping to use another CP2. Any input is apreciated. Terry

I have already installed a 3G my 650 stretch along with a CPII and it has been functioning quite well.
My first suggestion would be to get the 3G setup and tuned before you try to hook up the CPII to it.
I am assuming your going to install this on a 600 class bird, take your time and triple check everything with the 3G installation

[teb1963]

Thanks, I am relieved to here that it will work properley..Terry

[gobase]

Im planning to install this on a Furion 450 that is already FBL with a Mikado Mini Vbar.
Im a little nervous, the wiring is a little intimidating to me.
And my bird is kind of small.

Have you guys tried the CPII with Mini VBar on a 450 heli?

[nightflyr]

Sorry I haven't....
It was tough enough to fit all the hardware and configure the wiring on my 650 and 700.

But you have my blessings to try it on 450

Best of luck

[SFACV]

nightflyr

Haven't been looking in the AP forums for a while now and just stumbled onto this thread. Great work integrating the 2 systems. You will be very happy with it once you get the kinks worked out. I have been using a L600 for the past year with V-Bar and that alone makes a world of difference. Just set up another L600 V-Bar as a backup, and for play. I won't own a flybar again. I was considering the HC Rigid when I went Flybarless but after doing some review it appeared that after 20 or so feet up the sensors didn't really help, it was more like heading hold gyros on the roll and pitch axis. I figured if that was the case I might as well stick with V-Bar because that is essentially what it is, only it is the most refined and tuneable one on the market. If you put the heli in a stable hover at 5 feet and climb till it is out of sight, it will not drift without wind. You can tame the heli far easier than a flybarred heli.

As for getting the recovery time a bit faster, bump up the cyclic agility a bit and hold on. You can make it respond as fast as you want. You could also set up bank switching and run it off the same channel as the one that activates your copilot, when the copilot is engaged it responds one way, when you are in control it responds another, depending on what is needed. I would suspect the copilot would want the heli a bit more responsive than you do. With a flybar you are dealing with expo and rates in your radio. The copilot doesn't see those, it has full access to normal rates. With the V-Bar, expecially if you dumbed it down, the copilot sees the same rates you do.

Have a great day.

[nightflyr]

Thx for the info,

I did raise the agility a bit and also increase the gains on the CPII to compensate, I have to keep in mind that these are 700's and that they do not react as quickly as 450's, but I managed to get it to recover fairly quickly now.
Though to watch this 700 just sit where ever you put it is pretty funny, so stable now it will stay in place till the the timer goes off.

[SFACV]

Originally Posted by nightflyr

Thx for the info,

I did raise the agility a bit and also increase the gains on the CPII to compensate, I have to keep in mind that these are 700's and that they do not react as quickly as 450's, but I managed to get it to recover fairly quickly now.
Though to watch this 700 just sit where ever you put it is pretty funny, so stable now it will stay in place till the the timer goes off.

Technology is awesome isn't it, I was out beating on my Logo yesterday and just with the V-Bar I had it in an inverted hover approx. 6 feet up and literally took my hands off the controls for about 15 seconds before it started to drift. Had to see what it could do. I can't imagine what an actual position lock would be like. I am interested in the DJI stabilizer, I will be running the V-Bar as a stand alone until I am able to get my hands on one of those.

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by Wbird

Technology is awesome isn't it, I was out beating on my Logo yesterday and just with the V-Bar I had it in an inverted hover approx. 6 feet up and literally took my hands off the controls for about 15 seconds before it started to drift. Had to see what it could do. I can't imagine what an actual position lock would be like. I am interested in the DJI stabilizer, I will be running the V-Bar as a stand alone until I am able to get my hands on one of those.

I read up on that unit, interesting ,BUT very costly, I'm holding out for something else

[xxq111]

preseting for v-bar ?

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by xxq111

preseting for v-bar ?

You'll need to install and set up VBar according to your helicopter and sensor placement.
Once test flown then you can move forward to adding the Copilot II

[Elios000]

nice work sir
What you have just built is basicly a 3 axes Fly-by-wire system very cool