Rettungsfunktion (AttitudeControl)

Bitte beachte, dass die AttitudeControl (Lagestabilisierung) ein optionales Feature ist. Die zugehörigen Menüpunkte können nur ausgewählt und aktiviert werden, wenn die PROEDITION Firmware auf dem Gerät installiert ist. Dieses optionale Update kann über den freakware Webshop gekauft und dann mit der StudioX Flow App auf das Gerät aufgespielt werden.

Was ist eine AttitudeControl und wie verwendet man sie?

Im Prinzip ist die AttitudeControl eine Lagestabilisierung, die den Heli auf Knopfdruck in die Schwebeposition bringt und dort hält. Dabei gibt es verschiedene Möglichkeiten, wie sich das im Detail auswirkt. Die Art der Stabilisierung lässt sich im PARAMETERMENÜ auswählen.

Leveling modes

• Angular Mode
  

In this mode the helicopter flies like a quadcopter. You have full control over pitch, but pushing aileron or elevator will only cause the helicopter to tilt by a given angle instead of rotating it around the roll or pitch axis. This makes flying much easier, as you can't flip the helicopter over - instead, the maximum tilt is limited by your stick input. (Note: if you want to practice inverted hovering using Angular Mode, you will have to bring the helicopter into inverted position with AttitudeControl disabled first, and then activate it.)

• Bailout rescue
  

The rescue mode can be used to bring the helicopter into a safe, well-known position in case you lose orientation. No matter what position the helicopter is currently in, upright or inverted, once you activate the bailout rescue the system will bring your helicopter into an upright hovering position. If you additionally set the Attitude Mode to "Bailout rescue with Pitch", the system will also add some collective pitch input, so the helicopter hovers even if you accidentally have the thrust stick at a negative pitch position. You could also add even more pitch so the helicopter gains height quickly (for this purpose you can also use "Rescue boost", which can be set using the StudioX Flow app).

• 3D Mode
  

This basically does the same as the rescue mode, but the difference is that it also levels the helicopter in inverted position. Here the system detects which position is closer to reach and directly levels the helicopter without turning all the way around. This can be used when you want to practice and learn aerobatic maneuvers, like inverted hovering, flips or tic-tocs. Since you can override AttitudeControl by adding some cyclic stick input, you can even leave AttitudeControl activated for a longer time, so the system guides you like a helping hand. For example, when doing a front flip you only have to concentrate on giving the correct collective pitch input - the elevator input does not have to be as precise, as the exact leveling when reaching the inverted hovering position is handled by AttitudeControl, which will pull the helicopter into level position once it is tilted more than 90 degrees forward. Note that the system will not level the heli in either direction while it is in a vertical position. This makes it more comfortable to fly loopings or knife-edge flight while 3D Mode is active!

Besides the general choice between these 5 modes (Angular Mode, Bailout rescue, Bailout rescue with Pitch, 3D Mode, 3D Mode with Pitch), you can adjust more options using the StudioX Flow app. For example, you can add some boost pitch for a short amount of time so the helicopter gains height quickly, or you can lock the thrust stick input. These options are described in detail below. Also note that when using Bank Switching (flight mode switching), you can set different Attitude modes and options for each flight mode and tweak the system to your liking even further.

Adjustment at the device (Microbeast Plus and Ultra only)

If not already done, enter PARAMETER MENU by briefly pushing the button while the device is operational, so that the Menu-LED next to point A starts to flash. Then repeatedly press the button to skip to Menu-LED (menu point) L. At PARAMETER MENU point L you can choose between five different AttitudeControl operation modes. This is done by selecting with the rudder stick - tap the rudder stick repeatedly until the Status-LED lights up in the desired color. Once one of the AttitudeControl operation modes is selected, the AttitudeControl function is enabled and can be activated/deactivated during operation using the previously assigned transmitter channel for AttitudeControl. The "AttitudeControl disabled" option means AttitudeControl is completely disabled, and actuating the AttitudeControl channel has no effect. The assignment to the Status-LED colors is as follows:

Status-LED	AttitudeControl operation mode
off	AttitudeControl disabled
purple	Angular Mode
red flashing	Bail out rescue mode
red	Bail out rescue mode with pitch
blue flashing	3D - Mode
blue	3D - Mode with pitch

Only enable AttitudeControl once all initial settings in SETUP MENU and RECEIVER MENU have been completed. Otherwise the servos may drive to their mechanical end stop, start binding, and may get damaged - e.g. when AttitudeControl gets activated while leaving the menu and the system starts trying to move the heli.

Briefly press the button to store the setting. If you've chosen a mode with (collective) pitch control, briefly pressing the button at point L will take you to menu point M. Otherwise menu point M will be skipped and the system will exit PARAMETER MENU.

Hovering pitch

At PARAMETER MENU point M the collective pitch moves to the set hovering position. As described above, this is used to keep the heli in hovering position (when using an AttitudeControl mode with pitch). Ideally the pitch angle is exactly as large as necessary to maintain a stationary hover without ascending or descending - typically somewhere between 5 and 6 degrees.

By moving the rudder stick left or right you can decrease or increase the hovering pitch. The color of the Status-LED indicates the range the pitch is currently in, specified as a percentage of the maximum positive/negative pitch.

Status-LED	AttitudeControl collective pitch
off	> 20% of maximum collective pitch
purple	> 30% of maximum collective pitch
red	> 50% of maximum collective pitch
blue	> 70% of maximum collective pitch

• Please note that during operation you can always add more pitch by giving thrust stick input. The pitch you adjust here is only the minimum amount of pitch, so in case this is not enough to keep the heli in the air, you will always have the option to override the pitch input for safety reasons.
• When using "3D Mode with pitch", make sure the maximum pitch range is symmetrical, i.e. the maximum positive and negative pitch are the same size. Otherwise the hovering pitch will differ between normal and inverted flight, as the AttitudeControl pitch is calculated from each maximum pitch setting! The setting affects both directions - separate adjustment of the hovering pitch angle for each direction is not provided.
• If the maximum positive/negative pitch is changed at SETUP MENU point K, the hovering pitch will change as a consequence! So after adjusting the maximum pitch, also check and readjust the hovering pitch here at menu point M.
• When tilting the helicopter, the amount of pitch will change and you may not see the exact hovering pitch you set. This is because the system uses an internal algorithm that controls the pitch during rotation, trying to roll the helicopter with as little horizontal and vertical movement as possible. This algorithm assumes you've set the hovering pitch as well as possible - so, for example, if you've set more pitch to help the helicopter gain height when AttitudeControl is active, this may prevent the helicopter from turning cleanly on the spot.

Setup with StudioX Flow

Once StudioX Flow has connected to your BEASTX System, click the "Parameter setup" button on the device overview main screen. Then click the "Next" button repeatedly until you reach the "Bank 1 - AttitudeControl" screen, or go directly to this screen using the box at the top. Here you can choose between five different AttitudeControl operation modes. Once one of the AttitudeControl operation modes is selected, the AttitudeControl function is enabled and can be activated/deactivated during operation using the previously assigned transmitter channel for AttitudeControl. The "AttitudeControl disabled" option means AttitudeControl is completely disabled, and actuating the AttitudeControl channel has no effect.

Hovering pitch

When an AttitudeControl mode with pitch is used, you can set the minimum amount of pitch deflection used to keep the heli in hovering position. Ideally the pitch angle is exactly as large as necessary to maintain a stationary hover without ascending or descending - typically somewhere between 5 and 6 degrees. The value shown here is the percentage of the maximum pitch. So if your helicopter is set up with 12 degrees of pitch, a value of 50 corresponds to roughly 6 degrees of hovering pitch. If you want to measure the exact pitch, click the "Measure" button - this will temporarily move the swashplate into the hovering position.

• Please note that during operation you can always add more pitch by giving thrust stick input. The pitch you adjust here is only the minimum amount of pitch, so in case this is not enough to keep the heli in the air, you will always have the option to override the pitch input for safety reasons.
• When using "3D Mode with pitch", make sure the maximum pitch range is symmetrical, i.e. the maximum positive and negative pitch are the same size. Otherwise the hovering pitch will differ between normal and inverted flight, as the AttitudeControl pitch is calculated from each maximum pitch setting! The setting affects both directions - separate adjustment of the hovering pitch angle for each direction is not provided.
• If the maximum positive/negative pitch is changed at SETUP MENU point K, the hovering pitch will change as a consequence! So after adjusting the maximum pitch, also check and readjust the hovering pitch here at menu point M.
• When tilting the helicopter, the amount of pitch will change and you may not see the exact hovering pitch you set. This is because the system uses an internal algorithm that controls the pitch during rotation, trying to roll the helicopter with as little horizontal and vertical movement as possible. This algorithm assumes you've set the hovering pitch as well as possible - so, for example, if you've set more pitch to help the helicopter gain height when AttitudeControl is active, this may prevent the helicopter from turning cleanly on the spot.

Pitch boost

The "Pitch boost" option lets you set additional pitch input that can be added for a limited amount of time. For example, if you set "Pitch boost" to 80 and "Boost time" to 1000, the system will give 80% pitch input for 1 second (=1000 milliseconds) as soon as the helicopter reaches the horizontal position when activating AttitudeControl. You can use this to instantly gain height and get away from the ground, e.g. when rescuing the helicopter.

• You can use the "Pitch boost" feature in any of the five AttitudeControl modes, not only in the modes with pitch! However, when using "Pitch boost" together with "Rescue with pitch" or "3D Mode with Pitch", the system will first apply "Pitch boost" for the given amount of time and then move the pitch to the set hovering pitch.
• When "Boost time" is set to 0, "Pitch boost" is disabled and has no effect.