Review - FMA's new Co-Pilot II

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by rockjock3

No imagine how quick it would snap back at even higher settings (if a heli will take it without getting the jitters).

I think those are maxed out RJ, at the point of the shakes now ...add more it will only get worse and stress the servos maybe to the point of failure

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by ElectricSheep

Please tell us that you've tested the CPII on the flybarless Blade 400... Did it work OK???

Sorry ES , didn't have the time, but it is on my "todo" list of things to try, managed a few flights on both birds but too windy for the blade, plus spent time reading up on everything I need to do for the 600 build I'll keep ya posted when i do try it though

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by ElectricSheep

Yeah, not sure why it was shaking either... I was flying over hard-packed dirt (might as well have been concrete) and a very overcast morning sky.

Good question about whether the heli is dialed in; I've seen people wonder why their heli shakes so much, only to find out that they didn't change their main shaft after a crash...

Anyway, my heli (T-Rex 500 ESP) and TX (JR X9303) are pretty much 100% dialed in. It was my first build, but the main heli guys at the LHS gave it a big thumbs up right before I maidened it... No shakes anywhere and hovers are rock-solid. The heli only has about 50 flights on it and hasn't even had a hard landing (knock on wood). The only thing I've replaced on this heli is the front torque tube gear set -- which stripped twice. Once after I landed in some taller-than-expected grass. The second time I replaced the same gears was *yesterday.* I'm not even going to try and describe what happened... Let's just hope the video is clear enough so I can post it and provide a chuckle for all. (Hey, I didn't crash!)

No flying today because of Mother's Day, so I'll be back at it sometime tomorrow.

BTW, thanks again guys for keeping this thread moving at a brisk pace! Good info for all...

Well if your bird is mechanically solid, next would be to check the install of the CPII make sure EVERYTHING is secure meaning the sensors are not moving on you, if thats all good try turning down the gains on stabilization in the programmer, That hard packed dirt also might be the culprit, try it preflighting it on grass and see if that doesn't solve the shakes

[DonEmmel]

I had to fiddle ALOT with the flight angles to make the CPII hover correctly. I also had to do it in a large open field. Doing it in my backyard simply didn't work. Too many buildings and such I guess. I also kept the stick priority at 100% which means the CPII would only kick in if the cyclics were centered. Oh, I did enable the emergency recovery mode which works well.

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by DonEmmel

I had to fiddle ALOT with the flight angles to make the CPII hover correctly. I also had to do it in a large open field. Doing it in my backyard simply didn't work. Too many buildings and such I guess. I also kept the stick priority at 100% which means the CPII would only kick in if the cyclics were centered. Oh, I did enable the emergency recovery mode which works well.

glad to hear you got it

[rockjock3]

Originally Posted by DonEmmel

I had to fiddle ALOT with the flight angles to make the CPII hover correctly. I also had to do it in a large open field. Doing it in my backyard simply didn't work. Too many buildings and such I guess. I also kept the stick priority at 100% which means the CPII would only kick in if the cyclics were centered. Oh, I did enable the emergency recovery mode which works well.

I may be misunderstanding how you adjusted it. You shouldn't have to mess with the flight angles at all except for a last resort. Process you want to go through is:

--Trim the bird with the CPII off (via TXr)
--Turn on CPII then trim bird again (via TXr)
--Now it should remain trimmed between switching on and off. If it doesn't then you need to increase the "autotrim". (NOTE- a downside to this is that the CPII will be more "ON", even when it is turned off)
--If you are getting two high with the autotrim and the CPII seems to have too much control when it is switched off then you can reduce the autotrim gain settings and use the set angles to trim the heli when the CPII is turned on.

[rockjock3]

Well let me know what you all think. Heres is the synopsis.

First, let me apologize for my flying skills, or lack thre of. As for all the trees. I was going to film at the field, but opted for the back area due to the fact I wanted you all to have some perspective on how fast the recovery was and also see response time as far as altitude loss.

---The first video is of me flying the heli and doing a hard stick to the right and bringing the stick back to center (with the CPII off). You will see the heli roll then start to fall as soon as I center the stick. At the end of each drop you see me bringing it back to a hover and back up to the top for another go.



---The second video is of my flying the heli and doing a hard stick to the right and bringing the stick back to center (with the CPII on). You will see that as soon as I center the stick that the heli doesn't start falling, but instead slaps right into a hover.




---The third video is of me flying the heli and oding a hard stick to the right and brining the stick back to center (with CPII off). You will notice the heli starting to fall, that is until I switch the CPII back on. As soon as I do that you see the heli snap back into a hover.




The most the heli does at all when the CPII corrects is slide some horizontally to the right after it corrects due to the momentum.

All in all, Awesome. That is my opinion.

[rockjock3]

Originally Posted by Navigator53

Thanks for taking the time to give your feedback on this, I'll be following your reviews as you post them.

Clean looking bird you have there, is that heat shrink on the AR7000 antennas? Hmmm..

Mel

Sorry, yes it is heat shrink on the AR7000.

I also posted videos just a bit ago.

[nightflyr]

Hey RJ,
yep just about the exact results as mine did, nice job with the vids now pushing on with the flybarless experiments

[nightflyr]

hey RJ check it out,

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=138304

[boomer6]

RJ........Great job on the videos! CP2 is incredible to say the least.Thanks for taking the time to do the tests. I`m Impressed.

[rockjock3]

Originally Posted by boomer6

RJ........Great job on the videos! CP2 is incredible to say the least.Thanks for taking the time to do the tests. I`m Impressed.

No problem. I will be posting up a full review sometime this week.

[boomer6]

I`ll be watching for it.

[rockjock3]

I actually got out to "just fly" today for 5 packs. It was great. I am a beginner-average pilot. I am not super comfortable nose in hover, I can fly "O.K." at side in, but not for long, and tail in is my bailout. The biggest problem is I don't have a lot of liquid income for crashes so I am just plain and simple a weenie. I can do all of that stuff and more on the sim very easily, but it just doesn't translate well to real world. Today was different though. I spent 2 batts (7 min each) hovering nose left, 2 batts nose right and 1 batt nose in. All times I landed the heli in the orientation I was practicing. I only turned on the CoPilot once, but must the confidence that the little box gave we to practice what I knew I could do was great. Now I can progress easier and more quickly with that little safety switch on the controller.

[deswong]

Have to agree with rockjock3 - I was surprised actually at how well I can hover without it (my third flight ever) and got really ballsy and started to do FF. Obviously something I wouldn't even think of doing without the CP2 - but I was able to play a bit (15 or so batteries in one afternoon!) and when I did lose orientation and control I could hit my "bailout switch" to level it, swing it around to a nose in orientation and bring it back.

I did expect I would use it more than what I do - but it has given me confidence in having a safety net of sorts - without having to drag someone out to buddybox and see me try stupid things and wonder what the heck I am trying to achieve

[nightflyr]

Thats guys!!! glad to hear that the fear factor is quickly dropping makes learning and flying alot more enjoyable, Hope everyone has as much success as you've had.

[Kepler]

So has anyone eperimented with with the 3D mode yet? Low level inverted hovering is my nemisis and am hoping the CPII will get me over this hurtle just as it seems to be doing for normal flight and some of the newer fliers.

I should have mine in about 3 weeks as mine is part of the third production run however I am trying my best to understand the setup and full capabilities of this device.

Ideally I would like to use a programable 3 position switch. One position to switch off the CPII, the second postion for normal flight CPII on and 3rd position 3D mode setup for inveted hover. However I am using a Spectrum DX7 so I dont have a programable 3 position switch, only a normal 2 position switch which means I will only be able to switch between 2 modes.

Any suggestions on what would be the best combination with only 2 modes to choose from?

[nightflyr]

Originally Posted by Kepler

So has anyone eperimented with with the 3D mode yet? Low level inverted hovering is my nemisis and am hoping the CPII will get me over this hurtle just as it seems to be doing for normal flight and some of the newer fliers.

I should have mine in about 3 weeks as mine is part of the third production run however I am trying my best to understand the setup and full capabilities of this device.

Ideally I would like to use a programable 3 position switch. One position to switch off the CPII, the second postion for normal flight CPII on and 3rd position 3D mode setup for inveted hover. However I am using a Spectrum DX7 so I dont have a programable 3 position switch, only a normal 2 position switch which means I will only be able to switch between 2 modes.

Any suggestions on what would be the best combination with only 2 modes to choose from?

Off and Level flight, till you get the feel for it and what to expect from it, no need to rush in where angels fear. I'm forging ahead with using it for a flybarless platform, so far it's exceeding my every wish

[Billybaxter]

Would like some help with CPII set up.

My AR6100e receiver is set up as follows;
Aux1 - Top rear cyclic
Gear - Single yellow wire from gyro
Rudd - 3 wire from gyro
Elev - Front cyclic
Ale - Lower rear cyclic
Thro - ESC
Batt - empty

The manual tells me to plug all of the servos and the gyro into SVO 1 - 4.
This means 5 into 4. Which do I leave out?
Thro - ESC stays untouched?
In Howard's set up video his IRnet lights are flashing. Mine don't?

Please be patient with me. I love flying this thing but I'm a bit slow on the theory!

[deswong]

Howard's IRNET lights are flashing because the camera picks up IR from the LED's. Human eyes can't see this (well, I can but very barely) so don't panic that you can't see them.

I put the three servos into and out of the CP2. I didn't touch the gyro or gear leads and left them as they were prior to installing the CP2.

DO NOT put the throttle into the CP2 - BIG NO NO!!!

Leave that untouched and between the ESC and receiver.

I found it quite easy to install once I realised that all I needed to do was to put the three servo inputs in and then connect the three servo outputs.

Hope that helps!