SETUP MENU E & F - Rudder limits and control direction
Next we have to setup the rudder gyro. For this we set the limits of the tail pitch control and the control directions, so the gyro will not move the servo further than allowed and in correct direction. In first line the rudder limits are necessary to prevent the gyro from moving the servo over the mechanical limits and damaging the servo. But when adjusting the limits please note that the optimum throw is not necessarily determined by the maximum possible control travel of the tail pitch slider. When the tail mechanics allow a very high range of pitch it may be advisable to adjust the limits based on the maximum allowed angle of attack of the tail rotor blades that will not lead to an aerodynamic stall of the blades. Such stalls can cause very bad stopping behavior like overshooting of the tail when stopping from rotation and can also cause bad tail response to rudder stick input when performing directional changes. Keep this in mind when adjusting the tail rotor endpoints. Check the helicopter‘s manual to find out how much tail pitch is useful and where to set end points.
Adjustment on the device
Using the EasySetup adjustment on the device this setup is separated in two Menu Points. At Menu Point E we set the rudder limits, at Menu Point F we teach the control direction.
Connect the rudder servo to [CH4] port of MICROBEAST PLUS:
Attach a servo horn to the rudder servo in such a way that the tail linkage rod forms a 90 degree angle to the servo horn (or as close as possible). Then adjust the linkage rod as described in the manual for your helicopter. For most helicopters the tail pitch slider should be centred and the tail rotor blades will then have some positive pitch to compensate for the torque of the main rotor. This mechanical adjustment especially is important when using the tail gyro in Normal-Rate mode. If the adjustment was not done properly the helicopter will constantly drift to one side or the other on the rudder axis. When using the tail gyro only in HeadingLock mode this adjustment is not so critical. Here the gyro will actively control the rudder so the helicopter does exactly follow the commands of the rudder stick. Anyhow, for optimum performance of the gyro a good mechanical adjustment is essentially!
SETUP MENU E - Rudder limits
To adjust the servo limits move the rudder stick in one direction until the servo reaches the maximum endpoint without any binding or stall. Release the rudder stick when correct position is reached. If you moved the servo too far you can steer the stick to the opposite direction and move the pitch slider a short way back. Also you can tap the stick briefly to only make minor adjustments. Once the correct endpoint has been found, don‘t move the rudder stick anymore and wait a second for the Status-LED to flash. This will indicate that the new position was stored. (If necessary you can change position as often as you want, but always wait until the Status-LED flashes when finished and proceeding to the next step!)
Now adjust the opposite direction. For this again use the rudder stick and hold it to move the servo/tail pitch slider into the other direction. Proceed as described to set the maximum endpoint and again wait until the position has been indicated with the flashing Status LED.
When both positions have been set skip to the next Menu Point F by pushing the button on the device briefly.
SETUP MENU F - Rudder control direction
1. Move the rudder stick and check the rudder direction on the helicopter. If the stick is moving the servo into the wrong direction use the servo reverse function of your transmitter and reverse the rudder channel to set stick control direction correctly.
2. Now check rudder direction of the MICROBEAST PLUS gyro: When you move the rudder stick to the right, the Status LED must light up or flash in blue color. When you move the rudder stick to the left, the Status LED must light up or flash in red color. When the display is inverted (red = right and blue = left), reverse the display (internal control direction) by tapping the AILERON stick once.
3. Optional: When you move the rudder stick to full deflection, the Status LED should light solid, not just flash. If this is not the case, increase the servo throw/endpoint of the rudder channel in the transmitter just as far so that the Status LED changes from flashing to solid when the rudder stick reaches the end position. (Note: Do not increase the endpoint to much in the transmitter. We need an exact match of full stick position and stick end position. So the Status LED should just change from flashing to solid when raching the end position.)
Why setting stick endpoints?
This ensures that control range of the radio system matches the internal range of MICROBEAST PLUS. Later when setting the control style you can adjust how fast your helicopter should turn around the vertical axis. To get reproducable results you have to match your radio to the system!
Setup with StudioX
To activate the rudder adjustments click the Adjust button in the corresponding table row (when using the Wizard function this will be done automatically when you click the Next button after adjusting Menu Point D.
File:SetupEF mobile.png
1. Move the rudder stick and check the rudder direction on the helicopter. If the stick is moving the servo into the wrong direction use the servo reverse function of your transmitter and reverse the rudder channel to set stick control direction correctly.
2. When you move the rudder stick to full deflection, the Status LED on the MICROBEAST PLUS should light solid and the label right or left should change the color accordingly. If the stick is not moving far enough, you will see the message "Move stick to max. position! Check Status LED." In this case increase the servo throw/endpoint of the rudder channel in the transmitter just as far so that the Status LED changes from flashing to solid when the rudder stick reaches the end position and the label will disappear in the software. (Note: Do not increase the endpoint to much in the transmitter. We need an exact match of full stick position and stick end position. So the Status LED should just change from flashing to solid when raching the end position.)
3. Now check rudder direction of the MICROBEAST PLUS gyro: When you move the rudder stick to the right, the Status LED must light up or flash in blue color. When you move the rudder stick to the left, the Status LED must light up or flash in red color. When the display is inverted (red = right and blue = left), reverse the display (internal control direction) by tapping the AILERON stick once.
4. Lastly connect the rudder servo to CH4 output on the MICROBEAST PLUS and adjust the servo limit by changing the values in the two adjustment boxes for each direction. To do so, carefully move the rudder stick to move the servo to the endpoint (watch out to not jam the servo) and increase/decrease the endpoint as necessary.
Why setting stick endpoints?
This ensures that control range of the radio system matches the internal range of MICROBEAST PLUS. Later when setting the control style you can adjust how fast your helicopter should turn around the vertical axis. To get reproducable results you have to match your radio to the system!
