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Ivor Hill · 04-08-2012, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustbemad!

Hi all

I think I have read...re read.... And readit all again .... There's so great stuff here and it seems very usefull.... That is if I can get pasts the flashing red LED (fast) when batt is connected.

In my search for answers I only came across a vid http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct...4kLqGPn8kiHfYQ

This is doing what mine is.....any clues would be a big help...

The simple answer is fast flashing red LED means no signal from reciever so rebind the reciever. But I doubt it's that simple.
Did you follow the instuctions at the beginning of this thread, is it wired correctly.
What heli and tx are you useing ?. Where in the uk are you ?.
Im curious why the name mustbemad ?, and welcome to Helifreak.

Mustbemad! · 04-08-2012, 03:31 PM

Thanks for the reply!

First started with a cp v2 bought from ecrap that had the flymentor on it... When I fully inspected it I found it to be beyond flyable so I salvaged the FM and decided to build my own as a learning tool so I can learn how to fly one. I got a hk450 and I'm at the point of putting the FM on her.

I have set up tell head and tail using the RX so I know that works....

I created a new bird on my dx6i for the FM not to confuse the 2 ie with and without FM rebound the tx and RX and all I get is the fast red light, just like what the you tube video shows. So I'm a bit clueless on where to start.....and yes I did follow the setup guide you posted.... Great job you done....credit to you!

Any pointers would be great...

BTW I'm not far from Colchester. Mustbemad to put allot of time in this far very little reward .....well for now!

Ivor Hill · 04-08-2012, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustbemad!

Thanks for the reply!

First started with a cp v2 bought from ecrap that had the flymentor on it... When I fully inspected it I found it to be beyond flyable so I salvaged the FM and decided to build my own as a learning tool so I can learn how to fly one. I got a hk450 and I'm at the point of putting the FM on her.

I have set up tell head and tail using the RX so I know that works....

I created a new bird on my dx6i for the FM not to confuse the 2 ie with and without FM rebound the tx and RX and all I get is the fast red light, just like what the you tube video shows. So I'm a bit clueless on where to start.....and yes I did follow the setup guide you posted.... Great job you done....credit to you!

Any pointers would be great...

BTW I'm not far from Colchester. Mustbemad to put allot of time in this far very little reward .....well for now!

If you are 100% sure you have wired it correctly, you have followed the instuctions at the top of the thread and the reciever is bound, FM should initialize ( green flashing led ) so it may be that your FM is defective. I am happy to PM you my tel number if you would like to talk to me or you could send your FM to me for testing.

batman72 · 04-10-2012, 12:11 PM

Hi Ivor,

Interesting thread you have here. In fact the reason I am writing is I am having problems setting up the FM on my HK450GT Pro. I currently am setting the FM to use with my Hobbyking HK-T6A V2 6 Channel transmitter. So far I didnt had any success. FM is able to initialize and blink green rapidly. I am also able to connect to the PC to program FM via the supplied USB cable. However, my servos are not working well. It sort of like getting mixed up with the throttle stick. I have read that you did mention to put the Tx in H1 mode (1 servo mode). However, I have checked the PC program T6config on how to force the Tx to go into H1 mode, but all it has were ACRO, Heli-120, Heli-90 and Heli-140.

Hence, without doing this step of ensuring the Tx is running on one servo mode, is this screwing up the functionality of FM?

Just FYI, when I connect the Aileron, Elevator and Pitch servos directly to the Rx, the heli flies beautifully and hover is never a problem. But when FM is setup with this Tx and Rx, all hell breaks lose. I can never get the servos to turn in the right directions and one servo will somehow start moving when the throttle sticks moves up and down. Its totally confusing and playing around by poking the FM colored wires (The 3 colored wires for Aileron and power, Orange and Yellow), interswithing the Rx CH1, CH2 and CH6, didnt help either.

And even when the green light is blinking on FM, I can see the servos are not counterracting the movement of the heli when I turn it left and right, forward and backwards.

So whats wrong? Is it the Hobbyking Tx is not compatible with FM?

Ivor Hill · 04-10-2012, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batman72

Hi Ivor,

Interesting thread you have here. In fact the reason I am writing is I am having problems setting up the FM on my HK450GT Pro. I currently am setting the FM to use with my Hobbyking HK-T6A V2 6 Channel transmitter. So far I didnt had any success. FM is able to initialize and blink green rapidly. I am also able to connect to the PC to program FM via the supplied USB cable. However, my servos are not working well. It sort of like getting mixed up with the throttle stick. I have read that you did mention to put the Tx in H1 mode (1 servo mode). However, I have checked the PC program T6config on how to force the Tx to go into H1 mode, but all it has were ACRO, Heli-120, Heli-90 and Heli-140.

Hence, without doing this step of ensuring the Tx is running on one servo mode, is this screwing up the functionality of FM?

Just FYI, when I connect the Aileron, Elevator and Pitch servos directly to the Rx, the heli flies beautifully and hover is never a problem. But when FM is setup with this Tx and Rx, all hell breaks lose. I can never get the servos to turn in the right directions and one servo will somehow start moving when the throttle sticks moves up and down. Its totally confusing and playing around by poking the FM colored wires (The 3 colored wires for Aileron and power, Orange and Yellow), interswithing the Rx CH1, CH2 and CH6, didnt help either.

And even when the green light is blinking on FM, I can see the servos are not counterracting the movement of the heli when I turn it left and right, forward and backwards.

So whats wrong? Is it the Hobbyking Tx is not compatible with FM?

Any TX is compatable with FM provided it can be chaged to single servo operation.
Connect the servos back into the reciever, it the TX swash type is set correctly only one servo will move when you operate aileron. Another servo should move when you operate elevator and the third servo should move when you operate throttle.
So only one servo operates for each stick control, if you can achieve this then FM will work. Try setting it to acro and heli 90. 120 and 140 will not work.

batman72 · 04-10-2012, 09:08 PM

Ivor, your instructions has got my servos working in the right direction. However, a few new things cropping up.

1. The swash does not counterreact when a tilt the helicopter right and left. When I tilt it right, it follows right. Where in Helibal do I have to correct this? I'm confused with the Servo tab (Servo 1 - Tail Servo adjustments) and Control tab (Aileron - Yaw).

2. When i switch on idle mode, the weird thing is the 3 servos (aileron, pitch and elevator) pushes the swashplate upwards. This is not correct as that would add to the +ve pitch on the blades. How do I make it all three servos push the swashplate downwards when the idle switch is turned on?

3. I noticed even without flying, the ESC (Towerpro H40A) is getting quite hot to the point I can't touch it when FM is connected. Usually my ESC will just be warm after flying like 4 Lipo packs. It looks like FM is drawing a lot of power from the battery. Anyway to reduce the heat problem?

Thanks again for the help

kimmik · 04-11-2012, 02:53 AM

1 you need to unplug your left and right servos and replug the other way. Then do hellibal and transmitter reversals as necessary

2 either your throttle curve for hold is wrong or you need to reverse throttle channel.

3 check if any servo is binding. it's not drawing much current at all for me.

Ivor Hill · 04-12-2012, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batman72

Ivor, your instructions has got my servos working in the right direction. However, a few new things cropping up.

1. The swash does not counterreact when a tilt the helicopter right and left. When I tilt it right, it follows right. Where in Helibal do I have to correct this? I'm confused with the Servo tab (Servo 1 - Tail Servo adjustments) and Control tab (Aileron - Yaw).

2. When i switch on idle mode, the weird thing is the 3 servos (aileron, pitch and elevator) pushes the swashplate upwards. This is not correct as that would add to the +ve pitch on the blades. How do I make it all three servos push the swashplate downwards when the idle switch is turned on?

3. I noticed even without flying, the ESC (Towerpro H40A) is getting quite hot to the point I can't touch it when FM is connected. Usually my ESC will just be warm after flying like 4 Lipo packs. It looks like FM is drawing a lot of power from the battery. Anyway to reduce the heat problem?

Thanks again for the help

The servo tab is used to change the direction of the servos and you set there directions so the the swash tip's in the opposit direction to the heli. This should be done first.
When you have that correct you then check the sticks directions and any that are wrong correct under the control tab.
For set up purposes the pitch curve should be set to 0-25-50-75-100. The swash moves when you change to idle up because the pitch curve in idle up is different from the normal pitch curve. You can set the curve in idle up the same as the normal curve or inhibit idle up.

batman72 · 04-15-2012, 10:35 AM

Thanks everyone, I was busy the last few days, hence didnt had a chance to configure the FM. However, after spending some time on it and based on your feedback, it works now.

1. However, the Idle mode still pushes the swashplate up. I wont be bothered really as I dont do 3D flying and I'm waiting for my Turnigy 9x Tx to arrive in a next few days.

2. I didn't had the chance to fly with the FM yet. However, I did a damn stupid mistake when I was configuring the FM. I was playing with the throttle (heli had blades taken off) and the motor was spinning with the tail rotor. I was actually trying to see if I needed to Reverse the tail rudder settings in FM. And I accidentally allowed the tail blades to hit into the side of my Turnigy Charger which had a metal casing. Well, the charger had no damage marks on it, BUT, the tail rotor shaft of the heli got bend,

and I stripped one of the main bearings in the tail. x2

. You should see how much vibe I had even at low RPM with a bend tail rotor shaft. I've ordered the parts from a local hobbystore and has still not arrived.

3. The ESC is still hot. I'm not sure what to do now really. I have not flown the heli yet, hence I am not sure if my flying time has reduced. I used to get around 8 min using the 13T pinion on a 2200maH 30C Turnigy pack.

Ivor Hill · 04-15-2012, 01:31 PM

You need to find out why the esc is getting hot. It is not normal and you should not fly untill you fix it. Check to see it anything is binding.

gquiring · 04-16-2012, 07:08 AM

My buddy dropped off his FlyMentor because he can't get it working on his PC. I tried 3 different PC's all Windows XP and nothing sees the FM. I ordered the programmer for the FM and it works fine. My question is do you need the Windows programming software? I watched a video where a guy implies you have to download something to the FM for it to work correctly. We are going to use the FM in a tri-copter and so far it's not working as expected.

http://www.myvido1.com/wTF9GdMdFNxUV...-for-tricopter

Ivor Hill · 04-16-2012, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gquiring

My buddy dropped off his FlyMentor because he can't get it working on his PC. I tried 3 different PC's all Windows XP and nothing sees the FM. I ordered the programmer for the FM and it works fine. My question is do you need the Windows programming software? I watched a video where a guy implies you have to download something to the FM for it to work correctly. We are going to use the FM in a tri-copter and so far it's not working as expected.

http://www.myvido1.com/wTF9GdMdFNxUV...-for-tricopter

No If you have the hand held controller then you do not need the programme any thing you can do with the programme you can do with the hand held controller.
But the programme is easier to use and is normally no problem with xp. If there is a problem it's normally a faulty lead, take it apart and check the soldering is seperated and not bridging 2 wires.
Or Port number to high. Have a look in device manager and if it's a high number port change it. Mines on port 3.
What is your problem with the tri ?.

Razoredge · 04-16-2012, 05:01 PM

Hi Ivor, thank you for this great walkthroug of the Flymentor.
I have finaly set up mine and it's working good.
I have some toughts about the tail setup. You say we should set up in normal mode and move the servo up/down the boom until it holds at hover. and then adjust the travel so the slider don't bind. I tried this and it works, but I get a much shorter throw range at the slider than possible with this metode. I found that I would get full throw if I center the slider and servo arm to 90 degrees and adjust the tail servo neutral in heliball software until it holds. This way the tail holds in normal mode without stick input, and I still have full throw in both HH and Normal mode.
I think this also would give the best geometry in the servo/tail sider.
Do you see any problems with this way of tail adjustment?

batman72 · 04-16-2012, 08:40 PM

Actually I found out why the ESC is getting so hot. It is related to my rudder digital servo. I'm using the PowerHD 3688HB digital servo which can be bought from Hobbyking here http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...8kg_07sec.html

Hence, I was just thinking, could it be that FM does not support digital servos? I heard the rudder servo continous buzzing non stop and the ESC will get very hot. But after I unplug the rudder servo from FM, the ESC will cool down. I didnt had this problem last time when I connected the rudder servo to my HK401B gyro.

My questions would be:-

1. Does FM support digital servos like the PowerHD 3688HB? If no, which analog servos would you recommend?
2. Is the HK401B gyro better than the FM's gyro? I was considering using FM and the HK401B. I was thinking of mounting the HK401B on top of the FM gyro using 2-layer double sided tape and using the HK401B to control the rudder. I love the HH mode of this gyro.
3. How can I make the PowerHD servo stop buzzing?

Please note the rudder works when I move the rudder sticks on the Tx. So it looks like it is normal to me.

batman72 · 04-17-2012, 09:22 AM

OK, so I decided not to use the 3 axis gyro that came with the FM coz I can't seem to get it setup correctly. I used back my HK401B gyro and mounted this gyro on top of the FM gyro using double sided tape.

I got my Turnigy 9x today and started setting up the FM with it. However, I learnt a very good lesson about Tx and Rx. Never switch off the Tx and switch it on again while the battery is still connected to the ESC. Doing this, caused the motor on the Heli to fire up at full speed. My heli went zooming upwards to the ceiling and the blades were grinding on the ceiling. Amazingly, I was shaken and switched off the Tx, I was not hurt as the swashplates have already been leveled and FM is switched on. After the Tx was switched off again, the heli's motor started to slow down and heli came tumbling down. Luck on my side, nothing was damage, accept for one of the skids of the heli became bend. I checked everything, from boom, the tail to main shaft. Luckily all were ok, including myself. whew!!! You should see the ends of my heli blades. It shows grinding marks against the plaster ceiling.

Now, I did my first test flight during twilight. I'm not sure if I setup the FM correctly, I took off. BTW, here are my FM settings:-

Mounting
Mounting orientation - Front
Main rotor direction - Right
Swashplate - 3s 120

Servo
Servo 1 - Rev
Servo 2 - Nor
Servo 3 - Rev
Servo 4 - Greyed out
Tail Servo - Rev

Neutral
Aileron = -40
Elevator = -75
Pitch = 45
Servo 4 = greyed out
Tail Servo = 0

Reverse
Aileron = Nor
Elevator = Nor
Pitch = Nor
Yaw = Nor

Travel
Aileron = 100
Elevator = 100
Pitch = 100

Tail gyro (not used as I am using back my HK401B)
Gyro sense = 0
Yaw rate = 3
Yaw expo = 0
Pitch to tail mix = 0
Servo travel limit = 32

Expert settings
Sensor gain = 0
Tail Delay = 2
Heading hold angle range = 2

Advance
Balancer gain = 80
Neutral roll attutude = 5

Horizontal and position mode
Total sensor gain = 10
Stick sensitivity = 10

Position mode only
Position sens. gain = 10
Forward freewheel = 10

Expert Settings
Manual override ability = 6
Elevator gain = 5
Stick response acceleration = 5
Positioning speed = 5

Please note the above has been setup with the Turnigy 9x Tx radio.

Observations during test flight.

1. I noticed that the heli wants to keep turning to the left by itself. This could be a physical setup not done correctly on the tail rudder. I will have to check and correct this later.

2. The heli does not seem to fly stable. It still needs my inputs to ensure stable flight. Could be becoz I was flying in low light.

3. The heli loves to rock forward and backwards. Although it hovers at one place (with my help that is), the heli will rock forward and backwards like dancing. Could it be too much gain observed here? Maybe I should lessen the Balancer gain. Any other advice anyone can give?

By using the Hk401B gyro, my ESC is now just warm. I'm not sure why when I plug the digital gyro into the FM directly at channel 5, the ESC goes damn hot and I hear a lot of buzzing on the digital gyro.

Any comments from anyone is welcome.

Thx

Ivor Hill · 04-17-2012, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batman72

Actually I found out why the ESC is getting so hot. It is related to my rudder digital servo. I'm using the PowerHD 3688HB digital servo which can be bought from Hobbyking here http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...8kg_07sec.html

Hence, I was just thinking, could it be that FM does not support digital servos? I heard the rudder servo continous buzzing non stop and the ESC will get very hot. But after I unplug the rudder servo from FM, the ESC will cool down. I didnt had this problem last time when I connected the rudder servo to my HK401B gyro.

My questions would be:-

1. Does FM support digital servos like the PowerHD 3688HB? If no, which analog servos would you recommend?
2. Is the HK401B gyro better than the FM's gyro? I was considering using FM and the HK401B. I was thinking of mounting the HK401B on top of the FM gyro using 2-layer double sided tape and using the HK401B to control the rudder. I love the HH mode of this gyro.
3. How can I make the PowerHD servo stop buzzing?

Please note the rudder works when I move the rudder sticks on the Tx. So it looks like it is normal to me.

I have use FM with digital tail servos but cannot say if it will work with the 3688HB. If you are useing 6 volts try reducing it to 5 volts.
In my opinion the clone 401b gyros are no better than the FM gyro.
I would not mount a gyro as big as the 401 on top of the FM gyro, the weight and size may cause the FM gyro to sway. Small gyros like the GA250 or Quark can be fitted on top of the FM gyro.
If you want to use the 401b then mount it in the normal position and mount the FM gyro under the heli. I normaly fix them by the top under the heli just forward of the rear skid. Or extend the boom mount platform so that both servos can be fitted one behind the other, A piece of 3mm ply painted black works well.
It is normal for digital servo's to buzz a little. The 3688HB does not have a good reputation.
I used to use the FM tail gyro untill I tried the $10 GA250, It just works and works well give it a try. Hope this helps.

ahibrahim2009 · 04-17-2012, 12:22 PM

Dose the FM Gyro Supports only a spacified kinds of servos?
i got FM installed oh HK450 pro with Align 410m cyclic servos and Align 520 rudder servo everything is going perfict and ok but.....
the rudder servo is vibrating and shacking all the time i dont know if it was something got to do with pulse or not and i couldnt find something like that in the settings of the FM ...
so can anyone help plz.....

Razoredge · 04-17-2012, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by batman72

By using the Hk401B gyro, my ESC is now just warm. I'm not sure why when I plug the digital gyro into the FM directly at channel 5, the ESC goes damn hot and I hear a lot of buzzing on the digital gyro.

Any comments from anyone is welcome.

Thx

I hope you mean Digital servo, not gyro, as it would be a bad idea to plug the gyro into FM ch.5
As for the ESC going warm, it seems like some digital servos has a problem with FM. I think the FM is leaking some signal to the rudder servo that isn't picked up by analog servos, only some digital, and can make them get overloaded with constant input. I have no proof of this, it's only a suggestion.
Btw. i use a 3$. HTX900 servo at the rudder and it's fast enough together with the FM

batman72 · 04-18-2012, 12:58 AM

Sad case. I started flying the heli again this morning but I didnt enjoy flying with the Flymentor. In fact I was pretty worried as the heli was not stable and it still required stick input to stabalize the heli. A few times, I tried hovering and the tail just rotates one direction suddenly. It could be because I mounted the HK401B gyro on top of the FM gyro. I will follow Ivor's recommendation of extending the gyro platform so that I can sit one gyro after another back to back, or maybe I will try my luck again on using back the FM gyro. (What I don't like about the FM gyro is that there is no LED on the gyro indicating you are in HH or Rate mode and you can't initialize the HH mode unlike the HK401B where you can turn of and on twice to reinitialize the gyro.)

In fact, I got the FM was because I was worried when the heli was facing me, my orientations are not matured enough. Although I practice a lot in the Phoenix simulator, no problems with the heli facing me, but it seems like there is a phobia in real life and afraid I would crash the heli.

Razoredge · 04-18-2012, 01:24 AM

I agree with you on the Led. but I think it's a case of habit. You can just look at the tail slider when you do your preflight check to determine if it's in HH or Rate mode. If the slider return to center after you move the rudder stick, you got rate mode, if it drifts to one side' it's in HH mode. It's also a good idea to set up your TX so all switches point the same way when you power up and set the gyro switch to HH as default. This way you will start in HH every time you power up your heli, and it's easy to see on the tx switch if it's in HH or Rate

04-16-2012, 05:01 PM	#253 (permalink)
Razoredge Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2011	Tail slider adjustment. Hi Ivor, thank you for this great walkthroug of the Flymentor. I have finaly set up mine and it's working good. I have some toughts about the tail setup. You say we should set up in normal mode and move the servo up/down the boom until it holds at hover. and then adjust the travel so the slider don't bind. I tried this and it works, but I get a much shorter throw range at the slider than possible with this metode. I found that I would get full throw if I center the slider and servo arm to 90 degrees and adjust the tail servo neutral in heliball software until it holds. This way the tail holds in normal mode without stick input, and I still have full throw in both HH and Normal mode. I think this also would give the best geometry in the servo/tail sider. Do you see any problems with this way of tail adjustment? __________________ Trex 100x \| Trex 250 Pro \| Trex 450 v2 \| Trex 500 ESP \| mCPx Spektrum DX8e \| Wfly WFT08

04-17-2012, 12:22 PM	#257 (permalink)
ahibrahim2009 Registered Users Join Date: Dec 2010	FM Servo Support Dose the FM Gyro Supports only a spacified kinds of servos? i got FM installed oh HK450 pro with Align 410m cyclic servos and Align 520 rudder servo everything is going perfict and ok but..... the rudder servo is vibrating and shacking all the time i dont know if it was something got to do with pulse or not and i couldnt find something like that in the settings of the FM ... so can anyone help plz..... __________________ Best Regards ahibrahim2009----

04-18-2012, 01:24 AM	#260 (permalink)
Razoredge Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2011	I agree with you on the Led. but I think it's a case of habit. You can just look at the tail slider when you do your preflight check to determine if it's in HH or Rate mode. If the slider return to center after you move the rudder stick, you got rate mode, if it drifts to one side' it's in HH mode. It's also a good idea to set up your TX so all switches point the same way when you power up and set the gyro switch to HH as default. This way you will start in HH every time you power up your heli, and it's easy to see on the tx switch if it's in HH or Rate __________________ Trex 100x \| Trex 250 Pro \| Trex 450 v2 \| Trex 500 ESP \| mCPx Spektrum DX8e \| Wfly WFT08

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04-08-2012, 03:31 PM	#242 (permalink)
Mustbemad! Registered Users Join Date: Mar 2012	Thanks for the reply! First started with a cp v2 bought from ecrap that had the flymentor on it... When I fully inspected it I found it to be beyond flyable so I salvaged the FM and decided to build my own as a learning tool so I can learn how to fly one. I got a hk450 and I'm at the point of putting the FM on her. I have set up tell head and tail using the RX so I know that works.... I created a new bird on my dx6i for the FM not to confuse the 2 ie with and without FM rebound the tx and RX and all I get is the fast red light, just like what the you tube video shows. So I'm a bit clueless on where to start.....and yes I did follow the setup guide you posted.... Great job you done....credit to you! Any pointers would be great... BTW I'm not far from Colchester. Mustbemad to put allot of time in this far very little reward .....well for now!

04-10-2012, 12:11 PM	#244 (permalink)
batman72 Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2011	Hi Ivor, Interesting thread you have here. In fact the reason I am writing is I am having problems setting up the FM on my HK450GT Pro. I currently am setting the FM to use with my Hobbyking HK-T6A V2 6 Channel transmitter. So far I didnt had any success. FM is able to initialize and blink green rapidly. I am also able to connect to the PC to program FM via the supplied USB cable. However, my servos are not working well. It sort of like getting mixed up with the throttle stick. I have read that you did mention to put the Tx in H1 mode (1 servo mode). However, I have checked the PC program T6config on how to force the Tx to go into H1 mode, but all it has were ACRO, Heli-120, Heli-90 and Heli-140. Hence, without doing this step of ensuring the Tx is running on one servo mode, is this screwing up the functionality of FM? Just FYI, when I connect the Aileron, Elevator and Pitch servos directly to the Rx, the heli flies beautifully and hover is never a problem. But when FM is setup with this Tx and Rx, all hell breaks lose. I can never get the servos to turn in the right directions and one servo will somehow start moving when the throttle sticks moves up and down. Its totally confusing and playing around by poking the FM colored wires (The 3 colored wires for Aileron and power, Orange and Yellow), interswithing the Rx CH1, CH2 and CH6, didnt help either. And even when the green light is blinking on FM, I can see the servos are not counterracting the movement of the heli when I turn it left and right, forward and backwards. So whats wrong? Is it the Hobbyking Tx is not compatible with FM?

04-10-2012, 09:08 PM	#246 (permalink)
batman72 Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2011	Ivor, your instructions has got my servos working in the right direction. However, a few new things cropping up. 1. The swash does not counterreact when a tilt the helicopter right and left. When I tilt it right, it follows right. Where in Helibal do I have to correct this? I'm confused with the Servo tab (Servo 1 - Tail Servo adjustments) and Control tab (Aileron - Yaw). 2. When i switch on idle mode, the weird thing is the 3 servos (aileron, pitch and elevator) pushes the swashplate upwards. This is not correct as that would add to the +ve pitch on the blades. How do I make it all three servos push the swashplate downwards when the idle switch is turned on? 3. I noticed even without flying, the ESC (Towerpro H40A) is getting quite hot to the point I can't touch it when FM is connected. Usually my ESC will just be warm after flying like 4 Lipo packs. It looks like FM is drawing a lot of power from the battery. Anyway to reduce the heat problem? Thanks again for the help

04-11-2012, 02:53 AM	#247 (permalink)
kimmik Registered Users My HF Map location Join Date: Sep 2011	1 you need to unplug your left and right servos and replug the other way. Then do hellibal and transmitter reversals as necessary 2 either your throttle curve for hold is wrong or you need to reverse throttle channel. 3 check if any servo is binding. it's not drawing much current at all for me.

04-15-2012, 10:35 AM	#249 (permalink)
batman72 Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2011	Thanks everyone, I was busy the last few days, hence didnt had a chance to configure the FM. However, after spending some time on it and based on your feedback, it works now. 1. However, the Idle mode still pushes the swashplate up. I wont be bothered really as I dont do 3D flying and I'm waiting for my Turnigy 9x Tx to arrive in a next few days. 2. I didn't had the chance to fly with the FM yet. However, I did a damn stupid mistake when I was configuring the FM. I was playing with the throttle (heli had blades taken off) and the motor was spinning with the tail rotor. I was actually trying to see if I needed to Reverse the tail rudder settings in FM. And I accidentally allowed the tail blades to hit into the side of my Turnigy Charger which had a metal casing. Well, the charger had no damage marks on it, BUT, the tail rotor shaft of the heli got bend, and I stripped one of the main bearings in the tail. x2 . You should see how much vibe I had even at low RPM with a bend tail rotor shaft. I've ordered the parts from a local hobbystore and has still not arrived. 3. The ESC is still hot. I'm not sure what to do now really. I have not flown the heli yet, hence I am not sure if my flying time has reduced. I used to get around 8 min using the 13T pinion on a 2200maH 30C Turnigy pack.

04-15-2012, 01:31 PM	#250 (permalink)
Ivor Hill Registered Users Join Date: Mar 2008	You need to find out why the esc is getting hot. It is not normal and you should not fly untill you fix it. Check to see it anything is binding.

04-16-2012, 07:08 AM	#251 (permalink)
gquiring Registered Users Join Date: Sep 2008	My buddy dropped off his FlyMentor because he can't get it working on his PC. I tried 3 different PC's all Windows XP and nothing sees the FM. I ordered the programmer for the FM and it works fine. My question is do you need the Windows programming software? I watched a video where a guy implies you have to download something to the FM for it to work correctly. We are going to use the FM in a tri-copter and so far it's not working as expected. http://www.myvido1.com/wTF9GdMdFNxUV...-for-tricopter

04-16-2012, 08:40 PM	#254 (permalink)
batman72 Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2011	Actually I found out why the ESC is getting so hot. It is related to my rudder digital servo. I'm using the PowerHD 3688HB digital servo which can be bought from Hobbyking here http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...8kg_07sec.html Hence, I was just thinking, could it be that FM does not support digital servos? I heard the rudder servo continous buzzing non stop and the ESC will get very hot. But after I unplug the rudder servo from FM, the ESC will cool down. I didnt had this problem last time when I connected the rudder servo to my HK401B gyro. My questions would be:- 1. Does FM support digital servos like the PowerHD 3688HB? If no, which analog servos would you recommend? 2. Is the HK401B gyro better than the FM's gyro? I was considering using FM and the HK401B. I was thinking of mounting the HK401B on top of the FM gyro using 2-layer double sided tape and using the HK401B to control the rudder. I love the HH mode of this gyro. 3. How can I make the PowerHD servo stop buzzing? Please note the rudder works when I move the rudder sticks on the Tx. So it looks like it is normal to me.

04-17-2012, 09:22 AM	#255 (permalink)
batman72 Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2011	OK, so I decided not to use the 3 axis gyro that came with the FM coz I can't seem to get it setup correctly. I used back my HK401B gyro and mounted this gyro on top of the FM gyro using double sided tape. I got my Turnigy 9x today and started setting up the FM with it. However, I learnt a very good lesson about Tx and Rx. Never switch off the Tx and switch it on again while the battery is still connected to the ESC. Doing this, caused the motor on the Heli to fire up at full speed. My heli went zooming upwards to the ceiling and the blades were grinding on the ceiling. Amazingly, I was shaken and switched off the Tx, I was not hurt as the swashplates have already been leveled and FM is switched on. After the Tx was switched off again, the heli's motor started to slow down and heli came tumbling down. Luck on my side, nothing was damage, accept for one of the skids of the heli became bend. I checked everything, from boom, the tail to main shaft. Luckily all were ok, including myself. whew!!! You should see the ends of my heli blades. It shows grinding marks against the plaster ceiling. Now, I did my first test flight during twilight. I'm not sure if I setup the FM correctly, I took off. BTW, here are my FM settings:- Mounting Mounting orientation - Front Main rotor direction - Right Swashplate - 3s 120 Servo Servo 1 - Rev Servo 2 - Nor Servo 3 - Rev Servo 4 - Greyed out Tail Servo - Rev Neutral Aileron = -40 Elevator = -75 Pitch = 45 Servo 4 = greyed out Tail Servo = 0 Reverse Aileron = Nor Elevator = Nor Pitch = Nor Yaw = Nor Travel Aileron = 100 Elevator = 100 Pitch = 100 Tail gyro (not used as I am using back my HK401B) Gyro sense = 0 Yaw rate = 3 Yaw expo = 0 Pitch to tail mix = 0 Servo travel limit = 32 Expert settings Sensor gain = 0 Tail Delay = 2 Heading hold angle range = 2 Advance Balancer gain = 80 Neutral roll attutude = 5 Horizontal and position mode Total sensor gain = 10 Stick sensitivity = 10 Position mode only Position sens. gain = 10 Forward freewheel = 10 Expert Settings Manual override ability = 6 Elevator gain = 5 Stick response acceleration = 5 Positioning speed = 5 Please note the above has been setup with the Turnigy 9x Tx radio. Observations during test flight. 1. I noticed that the heli wants to keep turning to the left by itself. This could be a physical setup not done correctly on the tail rudder. I will have to check and correct this later. 2. The heli does not seem to fly stable. It still needs my inputs to ensure stable flight. Could be becoz I was flying in low light. 3. The heli loves to rock forward and backwards. Although it hovers at one place (with my help that is), the heli will rock forward and backwards like dancing. Could it be too much gain observed here? Maybe I should lessen the Balancer gain. Any other advice anyone can give? By using the Hk401B gyro, my ESC is now just warm. I'm not sure why when I plug the digital gyro into the FM directly at channel 5, the ESC goes damn hot and I hear a lot of buzzing on the digital gyro. Any comments from anyone is welcome. Thx

04-18-2012, 12:58 AM	#259 (permalink)
batman72 Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2011	Sad case. I started flying the heli again this morning but I didnt enjoy flying with the Flymentor. In fact I was pretty worried as the heli was not stable and it still required stick input to stabalize the heli. A few times, I tried hovering and the tail just rotates one direction suddenly. It could be because I mounted the HK401B gyro on top of the FM gyro. I will follow Ivor's recommendation of extending the gyro platform so that I can sit one gyro after another back to back, or maybe I will try my luck again on using back the FM gyro. (What I don't like about the FM gyro is that there is no LED on the gyro indicating you are in HH or Rate mode and you can't initialize the HH mode unlike the HK401B where you can turn of and on twice to reinitialize the gyro.) In fact, I got the FM was because I was worried when the heli was facing me, my orientations are not matured enough. Although I practice a lot in the Phoenix simulator, no problems with the heli facing me, but it seems like there is a phobia in real life and afraid I would crash the heli.

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