Hard Deck Function

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by Paka

Been waiting for the announcement. Will it plug into the existing CPII and what does it do??

Need more info.....

Paka.

Hi:

Yes, it plugs into your existing CPII Avionics computer. When the time comes, you will need to upgrade the firmware in your CPII using the "CPII Firmware Update Utility".

Basically, in Quick Setup, it will ask you questions pertaining to Hard Deck. You will set an altitude for the hard deck. You can also set an altitude for the Altitude Hold feature. But HD is where all the action happens. Say, you set it for 50 feet. Flight Stabilization will be OFF above the deck. Then you are trying crazy maneuvers. You lose control. You're crashing toward the hard deck, tail first, upside-down, whatever. At the 50 feet you programmed, CPII initiates emergency recovery and levels the aircraft from any attitude in less than 1 second. It manages collective, but not throttle. So you need to maintain power.

I've witnessed hundreds of recoveries from many different attitudes. It's quite amazing to see. The unit makes a heli look very "robotic" because a computer can fly faster than humanly possible. If inverted, it punches negative collective first to buy some altitude. Then it rolls the heli to upright, level.

We will caution everybody, you need to have a heli that's well equipped for 3D maneuvers. A good solid frame and carbon fiber blades are a good start.

Hope this helps give you some idea how the system functions. Did you actually make it to the animation at this link?

http://www.revolectrix.com/HD_Animation.htm

Tim Marks

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by Paka

$$$$$ always talk. where do I pay????

Paka and n6nev:

$$$$$ - in good time. Less than one might expect.

Tim Marks

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by tbullard

I hope it is as simple as a plug in module. Not sure I would want to buy a completely new system just for this feature but I would get it for a new heli.

I what the "hard deck" altitude will be or if it will be adjustable.

Hi:

Yes, a plug in module which can be mounted anywhere in the aircraft. Yes, the HD altitude is programmable.

Tim Marks

[jdd1]

Originally Posted by tommeke

what I don't get, is how it will work when the heli is inverted, won't it detect the blades instead of the ground and then flip itself upright?

Hi tommeke,

I have been alpha and beta testing the Hard Deck for CoPilotII for the last year. I assure you it will react to the set hard deck very quickly. The quickness will depend to a degree on the agility of your helicopter. That could include servo speed, servo travel as well as the gains set on CoPilot itself just to mention a few variables that could affect helicopter emergency recovery speed.

I will attempt to give you an idea of how the helicopter reacts when hitting the hard deck inverted. The steps of the Emergency Recovery will change some what depending on the orientation the helicopter is in when the hard deck is hit. For this exclimation lets say the helicopter is inverted and in a 45 degree dive nose first.

• Hitting the hard deck triggers Emergency Recovery
• CoPilotII takes control of collective pitch, aleron and elevator (cyclic)
• Gives 8 degree negitive collective pitch
• Gives approperate elevator to pitch the nose up
• Gives aileron input to roll helicopter to upright
• As the main blades pass the vertical then 8 degrees of positive collective pitch is applied
• The helicopter continues to roll and pitch to a level orientation
• Once the helicopter is level then control of collective pitch and cyclic pitch is returned to the pilot

This whole routine take about one second to complete. It is so fast it is scary until you become accustom to it. One additional note: when inverted the throttle/collective pitch lever on the transmitter is in the down position. As the emergency recovery is taking place the pilot needs to move the throttle/collective pitch lever to a positive position.

Hope this helps answer your question.
Jack

[Slyster]

Can one of you let us know how low the deck can be set to? Specifically on a 600 set up to be quite fast.

[FLAME747]

Can this be used in planes also?

FCA

Also when will you start taking pre-orders?

[tbullard]

nvm

[Stumblebee]

The race is on!!!!! Who will come to market first with a product that can actually be purchased? Will it be the hometown favorite, F.M.A. with "Hard DecK" or will it be Align with their new auto system? The world awaits the victor! Pilots, place your bets! Which will be first? Which will be cheapest? Which will have the best performance?

[Navigator53]

It was Nightflyr, friend to friend, that finally convinced me to give CoPilot II a try over a year ago.

It was hard for me to believe this tiny little product could be that good, I mean come on

I just could't get past nose in flying no matter the sim time, go to field, turn it around then freak out

My first one went on the 600n and it was like being buddy boxed by Tareq all the time, un-freakin' believable.

Knowing that no matter how bad the death spiral, all I had to do was flip a switch and give positive collective because she's going upright right now every single time without fail.

Shortened my learning curve by months knowing that I could push myself and not have to spend the money because I put the 700 in.

I just leave in on all my heli's "just in case" and fly with it off and go thru much Nitro and Ions knowing CP will pay for itself because of each crash I didn't have.

Once I got the first one, we did a setup class in our club and most of them still keep them on "just in case"

Night or Tim, is this an add on to CP or a stand alone unit?

[jdd1]

Originally Posted by Slyster

Can one of you let us know how low the deck can be set to? Specifically on a 600 set up to be quite fast.

Hi Slyster,

50 foot is as low as we currently allow the pilot to program. I know that sound rather high but when you are headed toward the ground at 60 plus miles per hour, believe me, you are ready for Emergency Recovery to activate.

Jack

[jdd1]

Originally Posted by Navigator53

It was Nightflyr, friend to friend, that finally convinced me to give CoPilot II a try over a year ago.

It was hard for me to believe this tiny little product could be that good, I mean come on

I just could't get past nose in flying no matter the sim time, go to field, turn it around then freak out

My first one went on the 600n and it was like being buddy boxed by Tareq all the time, un-freakin' believable.

Knowing that no matter how bad the death spiral, all I had to do was flip a switch and give positive collective because she's going upright right now every single time without fail.

Shortened my learing curve big time knowing that I could push myself and not have to spend the money because I put the 700 in.

I just leave in on all my heli's "just in case" and fly with it off and go thru much Nitro and Ions knowing CP has paid for itself because of each crash I didn't have.

One I got the first one, we did a setup class in our club and most of them still keep them on "just in case"

Night or Tim, is this an add on to CP or a stand alone unit?

Hi Navigator,
It is a very small add on box to existing CPII. Plus a small weather veining tubing needed to obtain accurate altitude measurements.
Jack

[tbullard]

Originally Posted by Tim Marks

Hi:

Yes, it plugs into your existing CPII Avionics computer. When the time comes, you will need to upgrade the firmware in your CPII using the "CPII Firmware Update Utility".

Basically, in Quick Setup, it will ask you questions pertaining to Hard Deck. You will set an altitude for the hard deck. You can also set an altitude for the Altitude Hold feature. But HD is where all the action happens. Say, you set it for 50 feet. Flight Stabilization will be OFF above the deck. Then you are trying crazy maneuvers. You lose control. You're crashing toward the hard deck, tail first, upside-down, whatever. At the 50 feet you programmed, CPII initiates emergency recovery and levels the aircraft from any attitude in less than 1 second. It manages collective, but not throttle. So you need to maintain power.

I've witnessed hundreds of recoveries from many different attitudes. It's quite amazing to see. The unit makes a heli look very "robotic" because a computer can fly faster than humanly possible. If inverted, it punches negative collective first to buy some altitude. Then it rolls the heli to upright, level.

We will caution everybody, you need to have a heli that's well equipped for 3D maneuvers. A good solid frame and carbon fiber blades are a good start.

Hope this helps give you some idea how the system functions. Did you actually make it to the animation at this link?

http://www.revolectrix.com/HD_Animation.htm

Tim Marks

When the update is done to the avionics computer it will add the needed steps to the IRNet Programmer?

Obviously you will need to be able to turn HD off via the TX or landing would be impossible I assume if you are using a DX6i this function will be linked to the gear switch just like flight stabilization is now?

[Cailid]

So it uses a barometric altimeter?

I thought those had a lag time in sudden altitude changes.

[rdlohr]

Originally Posted by nightflyr

As to the questions about trees, hills, birds and anything else that could come in contact with a RC Helicopter..

Folks time for a reality check here....

Unless your willing to shell out boocoo $$$ and go to the US or foreign goverments and attempt to purchase one of their ground/air avoidance radar systems.. your basically S.O.L.

This is a hobby ( please keep that in mind ) as nice as it would be to have all those features and still keep the price within reach of say a moon shot.
Be happy with the thought that many could safely avoid lawn darting their helicopters and save the crash costs for upgrades and/or new machines.
Not to mention the fact the fear factor is now greatly reduced.

Well, it would not have to be all that complex to set up boundaries. Have a "learn" mode where you fly the heli along the limits of where you want it to stay. It keeps the gps coordinates for future control. This would not account for birds or other things that move into your defined area, but I wouldn't call that much of a limitation. It could be as easy as flying some circuits. I would enforce setting an area where all the trees and such are outside the area.

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by FLAME747

Can this be used in planes also?

FCA

Also when will you start taking pre-orders?

Hi:

Yes, fixed wing or heli. Works great in either one.

The units are in production now. Delivery is estimated as this summer. We'll start taking pre-orders probably 30 days ahead of stock. Sorry, I can't really be more precise than that right now.

Tim Marks

[stevehof]

Originally Posted by jdd1

As the emergency recovery is taking place the pilot needs to move the throttle/collective pitch lever to a positive position.
Jack

I don't understand this point. If the recovery is supposed be automatic without thought from the pilot, why the requirement to move the throttle/pitch lever?

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by tbullard

When the update is done to the avionics computer it will add the needed steps to the IRNet Programmer?

Obviously you will need to be able to turn HD off via the TX or landing would be impossible I assume if you are using a DX6i this function will be linked to the gear switch just like flight stabilization is now?

Hi:

You wrote:

When the update is done to the avionics computer it will add the needed steps to the IRNet Programmer? Essentially, yes. The IRNet programmer is just a "dumn terminal". What it displays is governed by the IRNet device itself, which in this case is the CPII Avionics computer.

Obviously you will need to be able to turn HD off via the TX or landing would be impossible I assume if you are using a DX6i this function will be linked to the gear switch just like flight stabilization is now? It's actually smarter than that. All you have to do is program HD as another Flight Mode. So, one switch position might be OFF or Level Flight. When you go above your set altitude and arm HD (the super bright green LED will glow), then stabilization is completely disabled above HD altitude, and when you fly into the HD, Emergency recovery is enabled and the model rights itself from any attitude in less than 1 second. But HD is smart. It knows the rate of decent. So, while you can always disable HD by switching to another Flight Mode, you don't have to. You can decend gently through HD altitude and it will let you. It's up to you.

Tim Marks

[rdlohr]

Originally Posted by stevehof

I don't understand this point. If the recovery is supposed be automatic without thought from the pilot, why the requirement to move the throttle/pitch lever?

I assume since it placed you back upright, you now need to fly it.

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by rdlohr

Well, it would not have to be all that complex to set up boundaries. Have a "learn" mode where you fly the heli along the limits of where you want it to stay. It keeps the gps coordinates for future control. This would not account for birds or other things that move into your defined area, but I wouldn't call that much of a limitation. It could be as easy as flying some circuits. I would enforce setting an area where all the trees and such are outside the area.

Hi:

FYI, the Hard Deck Module does not have GPS functionality.

Tim Marks

[Tim Marks]

Originally Posted by Cailid

So it uses a barometric altimeter?

I thought those had a lag time in sudden altitude changes.

Hi:

Yes, barometric pressure sensor. No, there is no lag time. It's instantaneous and accurate to within a couple of feet.

Tim Marks