Setup procedure and accessing the menus
I am trying to access the menus but if I press the button either after powering on or before, the "A light" never goes solid or blinks. Also if I hold it for 10 seconds it doesn't appear to perform the factory reset.
To enter one of the menus you have to wait until the self test and initialization is finished: The Status LED must get blue or purple and the cycling LEDs A to G and H to N must have stopped.
Factory reset only can be performed when being within Setup menu. So you have at least to get to Setup menu point A (or later), release the button and then push it and keep it pushed for at least 10 seconds. Note that factory reset will only revert all parameters of parameter menu and setup menu to default. It has no influence on receiver menu parameters. If the unit does not initialize due to wrong receiver setting the factory reset will not help. In such case also have a look here.
Maybe there is not enough movement or any movement at all on the rudder channel.
- Check servo throw and dual rate setting for the rudder channel in the transmitter and increase the throw.
- Receiver type "Standard": Check that the connector for the rudder channel (orange wire) is inserted correctly in the receiver.
- Is the correct stick moved? Check stick mode of transmitter and have a look at the servo monitor. Is there any movement on the channel that you have connected the orange wire for rudder function to (Receiver type "Standard")?
- Serial-wire receiver: Was the rudder channel assigned for rudder function at receiver setup menu?
Here you can see a list of collected data: The BEASTX servo list
This list is not intended to be complete or accurate! Please ask the servos manufacturer about his recommendations regarding servo specs and usability in helicopters with flybarless systems.
- Neutral impulse: The neutral impulse normally is 1500-1520µs on any servo. Only special high speed tail servos use a different impulse and are normally fitted to a specific gyro -> Futaba gyros 760µs -> LogiTec gyros 960µs. MICROBEAST supports all types of different neutral impulses for the tail servo. On cyclic you are not able to adjust the pulse.
- Update frequency: The higher the frequency the faster the control loop will work and the more accurate the system will perform. But also the servos will be more burdened as they get more work to do and the current consumption will greatly increase.
- If using a digital servo it definitely should be capable of more than 65Hz. So if we have a unknown servo we carefully increase frame rate step by step by testing on the workbench and then fly shortly and check servo temperature very often. If there are no abnormalities like extreme heat production we again increase the frame rate and again test carefully.
This procedure can lead to damage and severe injury if not obtaining safety rules. If you want to be on the safe side go with 65Hz unless the manufacturer doesn't give you another classification. We cannot tell you the specs of a servo unless we don't have any data of this specific servo ourselves. Please ask the servos' manufacturer. We do not produce or sell any servos, we only give you the possibility to use those servos. Therefore we do not accept liability for incorrect setting.
The servo list on the website only is a collection of some servos' data. It does not say that if a servo is not on the list that you must not use it. If a servo is not on the list we simply did not test it ourselves or we could not find any data about it. Also we can't know any servo on the market. In fact the BEASTX flybarless devices are compatible to nearly any servo on the market. Anyhow, when choosing a servo for your flybarless helicopter please note this topic: Servos for flybarless usage.
I cannot get any servo horn arm to be mechanically 90° to the boom. The MICROBEAST does not have a tail "sub-trim" feature!? Is trimming in the transmitter allowed?
Do not trim the rudder servo by using the transmitter as this will apply a constant rotation command to the unit! When you can't get the servo horn exactly 90 degrees this has no significant effect. The "90 degrees rule" only should give some good basis for initial linkage adjustment. In flight the system will control the servo all the time anyway, so it is not an issue if the center position is slightly offset. It is more important that the tail servo linkage is adjusted correctly in general, so that you get asymmetric tail pitch throw: 40 degrees against main rotor torque direction, approx. 6 degrees at center position and 20 degrees in main rotor torque direction.
At Setup menu point G make sure you adjust your mechanical setup while electric trimming is active (Status LED is lit up in some color)! You mustn't do any adjustment while the system shows "reference position" (Status LED off at step G). This is only for finding the servos' true center positions (i.e. for attaching the servo arms to the servos) but is not used in any other way. If your servo arms are perfectly aligned in this position check electrical trimming anyway and readjust if necessary. Only the servo positions you see in trim mode (when the Status LED is lit up in some color at Setup step G) show the center positions that are used later onwards during setup and in operation as trimming will always be added to the servo output!
You only have to adjust one direction, whether it's left or right, it doesn't matter. Important is to exactly adjust 6° when the blades are aligned on the aileron axis as this teaches the unit the servo throw. Push the aileron stick to adjust the pitch and when the blade pitch is 6° simply push the button briefly and that's it.
When getting the 6° too early this shows that you may not use full servo resolution (not using the full throw). This can be solved by using longer blade grip linkage arms, reducing the swashplate inner diameter (shorter linkage balls) or larger swashplate outer diameter (longer linkage balls). Or simply by screwing the linkage balls on the servo horns further in (but this will reduce both cyclic and collective - the cyclic/collective ratio will not change).
Anyhow, the color is not a fixed value that is a must to reach. If you get blue you have something similar to 80% usable servo throw. The further you can go the higher the value will be. So everything from blue upwards will give a good resolution and you won't feel any disadvantages. If using good, precise high class servos, strong and with fast speed you even can fly with only red LED without any noticeable difference. Also rotorblades (flybarless blades or not) can make a difference.
On a 250 or 450 size heli you should try to get "dark blue" at exactly 6.0° as here servos normally are not so precise.
With firmware version 4.x.x you have to choose the exact mounting direction of the device at Setup menu point A. So we can directly determine the necessary direction for pirouette optimization. Manual adjustment is not necessary anymore and therefore it was removed from Setup menu point N. Instead menu point N now serves to enable the internal Headspeed Governor (but only in combination with a single line receiver/remote satellite!). Please carefully read the manual for your firmware version and especially make sure you've set menu point A correctly!