Gyrobot Information and Configuration Thread

[kyalamikid]

OK so what is/and/or not a Gyrobot?

I was busy with a post on my conversion of my Trex 250 to FBL with the Gyrobot, and thought it may be better to post the GB configuration separate from the hardware (Trex 250). This way maybe we can have one source of information for the Gyrobot (700/900) for all helicopters, as one of its weaknesses is the sporadic information available for English speaking users. The configuration data may be uploaded to this thread to assist others with similar configurations/helis.
This information is what I have gleaned from posts, and observed from personal experience. Please feel free to add corrections and append more information. I will follow with my T250 configuration data. Firstly A FAQ of sorts:

A Gryobot is:

1.A stabilisation system, allowing :
a. Flybarless flight and you to rid your heli of flybar, mixing arms, precision bars etc.
b. Stabilised flight with flybar . (only system currently that allows for this)
2.A triple axis gyro (think 3 x very good quality gyros with closed loop PI adjustable gains, one on aileron, one on elevator and one of rudder)
3.A sophisticated mixer.
a.You know that swash menu in you radio? Its functionality is migrated to the GB.
b.You have to setup your radio for single servo swash (abandons all mixing in radio for swash)
4.GB 900 has accelerometers to give “hands off” control in certain beginner modes.
5.GB 700 does have the accelerometers (functionality seems diabled) but does not facilitate hands off flying..
6.The Gyrobot actually does have an indicator light at the bottom of the servo plug sockets, so it’s hard to see.
7.When plugged into the PC, the cable connecting to the GB does not supply power, so you will have to have power from a battery or receiver to the GB.
8.The Cockpit software that runs on a PC is just a display of the Gyrobot’s state. There is no capability to copy configurations to or from the PC, everything is stored in the Bot.
9.There is both an external hand held Cockpit programmer, as well as a USB cable based laptop/PC programmer.
10.Typically you need both, as new firmware upgrades require the PC, and the handheld Cockpit is more convenient to take to the field for adjustment.
a.I am using only the laptop as once the GB is setup, I am hoping to not need the handheld cockpit.
11. Has three separate memories or "banks" that can be used to store different parameters in. The switching of these is via a 2 or 3 position switch that you assign on your radio.
12. The gyro sense menu on you radio can not be configured to work. All gyro changes (gain, limits, etc) must be done via the Cockpit device or the PC/laptop.

A Gyrobot is not:

1.An auto pilot system.
a.Although it can stabilize (GB900) it does not fly to a point etc.
2.Well documented at this point in English.
3.Easily available outside of Germany.
a.HeliRND and ElekroRC are the only twp dealers I know of currently outside of Germany.

Gyroboter Helicopter Configuration Settings:

Gaui 200 - Maubouni
http://www.helifreak.com/showpost.ph...0&postcount=13

Gaui 200 - Picofly
http://www.helifreak.com/showpost.ph...1&postcount=14

Logo 10 - Jag72
http://www.helifreak.com/showpost.ph...8&postcount=12


Trex500 - ZuvieleTeile
http://www.helifreak.com/showpost.ph...1&postcount=50


Some interesting links:

Online Shops:
http://www.heli-rnd.com/
Morris is actively updating his site with GB information configuration help and files.

http://elektrorc.com/index.php?cPath=28_86

And of course, LF-Technik home of the manufacturer:
http://www.lf-technik.de/shop/index.php?language=en

Hands off Capability demonstration:
http://www.lf-technik.de/shop/shoppics/GB900bm.wmv

Probably one of the most comprehensive looks through of the Gyrobot and well worth sticking through:
http://www.rcheliplanet.com/index.php?topic=5050.0

Manual for Version 1.03 firmware:
http://www.lf-technik.de/shop/shoppi...03_english.pdf

Firmware V1.03 upgrade:
http://www.lf-technik.de/shop/shoppi...t900_v1.03.bin

Kai Bruckner competition flying with Roxxter and Gyrobot:
http://www.rcmovie.de/video/aa186f5a...kner%3Cfont%3E

Pictures of the GB range, Cockpit programmer and USB programmer..

[kyalamikid]

OK, so I chose a T250 as the pilot for my GB900. I am not a great flyer, and my thinking is to use beginner/acro mode of the GB900 to give me bail out capability. I have spent enough time fixing my T250 to know that I need one.

My thread on the mechanical conversion of the Trex 250 can be found here:

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=136566
I found an earlier post with setups from guy who had managed to fly the 250 with the GB. So this was my starting point for my configuration.

I am not going to go through all of the menus and configuration options, as the manual does that adequately.

Firstly, I setup the device as per the manual for the following two menus:

1.Rudder Base
2.Swash Base

This is basically where you setup your heli and transmitter to match with the GB.
Next I used settings from another thread on the T250 to setup the tuning setting for both rudder and swash.
Then I spun her up and took off.

Impressions:
1.It is amazing how quiet and smooth the T250 becomes with the GB, its almost eerie. I really like it!
2.Stability is really great, better than a stock 250, which is already pretty good.
3.The rudder is not doing what I want it to do, actually neither is the elevator and aileron.
4.All controls are too slow and detached, but I decided to work with the rudder first.
So it all works, just needs tightening up.

Rudder
I know what my rudder should be behaving like, but what it was doing was weird. It would slowly move on stick input, and when it stops, it would bounce back in the other direction. This would only happen on left turns, right was no bounce but still too slow and still kind of vague.

I tried first of all adjusting ATV’s, which didn’t really help, it just did everything faster (ie turned quicker, and bounced quicker). There also seemed to be a drift.

It seemed to be insufficient gain to me, so I changed my base rudder setting (P=288, I-438) to something with a higher P value (drift and sluggishness) and lower I value. I used P=400 and I=250. The 250 rudder now handled much better. I reduced expo to 25% and 60% ATV. There is still some twitch but it’s looking good.

Elevator

Flew another pack like this, and now need to focus on the Elevator. I am going to try and up the P value from 245 to 350, and leave the I value at 445. At the moment cyclic feels a step or two behind what I am doing on the sticks.

Will report back tomorrow when there is light.

[kyalamikid]

Guys, maybe I am dumb here, but if I remember from setting up my other AVCS gyros, transmitter end points do not set pitch limits. They set speed. For example, if my pirouette rate is too slow, I up the end point values.

So, if my elevator is slow (feels like its always one step behind) would I not up my radio endpoints instead of P value in the gain settings of the GB for elevator?

I just tried to up my P values, and it makes squat difference to how quickly the elevator reaches max pitch. It is still at least .6 seconds behind my stick movements. If I raise the end points, it makes a dramatic difference in speed.

However, the pitch setting for elevator are too wild, something like 14 degrees, as this is set in the GB swash limits.

So my question is, should I not set the cyclic limits to say 8 degrees in the GB, and then use the end point adjustment on the radio to set how responsive I want the controls?

[Heli-RND]

Originally Posted by kyalamikid

So my question is, should I not set the cyclic limits to say 8 degrees in the GB, and then use the end point adjustment on the radio to set how responsive I want the controls?

You should set the cyclic limit to max, as much as you can, then adjust your end point to achieve the roll rate that you want, lower the end point if the heli is too wild for you, I like changing the Dual Rate in my Tx, that way I can keep the expo unchanged.


Very good write up, I was trying to post a set up manual in my site as what I did to the SK 360 but too bad I found the set up for GB is very easy to do but very time consuming to write. We can keep sharing in HF to keep things going and sharing fast

[Heli-RND]

GyroBot is also the only system that you can choose to fly with or without a flybar ... of course, flying with a flybar only gives you good stability as well as the auto leveling, not unleashing any power

[kyalamikid]

Thanks RND I will try it that way.

I have updated point 1 above.

[kyalamikid]

Still working on getting the elevator and aileron feeing right. I have got the ATV's at 40% on both now, so it is really sensitive. However I think I need to up the P gains on both as there is no crispness to these controls. They feel real mushy still.

I will up first elevator, and if works I will try increasing aileron.

[kyalamikid]

Wow! This P change fixed the mushiness for good! This thing is so stable and responsive now I am really impressed.

My rudder still needs more work, but the aileron/elevator control are already better than stock.

I will try and up the I gain on the rudder now. I will post my settings as soon as I feel it is a good well tried setup.

I also tried beginner and acro-beginner modes. They work very well, beginner is sort of fun for sweeping leaves from my driveway.

I am starting to really dig this thing! Patience pays off....

[Heli-RND]

Originally Posted by kyalamikid

Wow! This P change fixed the mushiness for good! This thing is so stable and responsive now I am really impressed.

My rudder still needs more work, but the aileron/elevator control are already better than stock.

I will try and up the I gain on the rudder now. I will post my settings as soon as I feel it is a good well tried setup.

I also tried beginner and acro-beginner modes. They work very well, beginner is sort of fun for sweeping leaves from my driveway.

I am starting to really dig this thing! Patience pays off....

That is the GyroBot, all you need to do is to play around with the parameters and you explore the real power

[kyalamikid]

Heli-RND, do you have tail setup tips? I have a touch of tennis racket effect, and uneven speed throughout the pirouette...?

Busy reading the stuff on your site.... looks good thanks.