SETUP MENU B - Swashplate servos
Setup menu point B is for selecting the servo update frequency (pulse rate) for the swashplate servos. To optimize the performance of your BEASTX flybarless system the rule is: the higher the better! With high update rate the system will recalculate correctional movements more often and in consequence will send new commands to the servos with a higher frequency. This gives much higher precision in control and stabilization. Nevertheless, this will cause the servos to make more position changes at a given timeframe. In case your servo is not built for this kind of application this can cause high power consumption of the servos and cause the servos getting very hot. When this happens, reduce frequency immediately to prevent your servos from getting damaged. Only go as high as recommended by the servo manufacturer, or even lower when the servo is not capable of handling such high frequency in field use.
Notes:
- When using a servo that allows a higher frequency than you can adjust on the BEASTX system or that allows a frequency which is not choosable, please select the next lower frequency that is closest to the given frequency or set the exact frequency by using the StudioX app. Using a lower frequency is always possible. Only high frequencies can damage the servo and/or will cause the servo to not work properly. Here you can find a list of parameters for the most common servos. Please understand that we can not list all servo types. We also can not guarantee the accuracy of this data. Ask the manufacturer of the servos or your servo dealer for detailed information.
- With high frequencies, some servos run in a jerky manner, especially the fast ones with coreless or brushless servos. This is due to the high update rate that the servo receives. This is not critical and will not impact flight performance.
If you do not know the maximum pulse rate tolerated by your servos do not select more than 50Hz driving frequency. A higher driving frequency can lead to failure of the servos!
Adjustment on the device
To select the desired servo frequency move the rudder stick repeatedly in one direction until the Status-LED lights in the correct color at SETUP MENU point B:
| Status-LED | Swashplate servo frequency |
|---|---|
| purple | 50 Hz |
| red flashing | 65 Hz |
| red | 120 Hz |
| blue flashing | 165 Hz |
| blue | 200 Hz |
Note: When you set a different frequency using the StudioX App the Status LED will be off. You can switch back to a preset setting by tapping the rudder stick as described, but this will remove your custom setting!
Setup with StudioX app
Choose a preset frequency by clicking one of the provided buttons for menu point B (Swashplate frequency) or set a custom frequency by directly changing the value with the dial or buttons. Using a custom frequency you can go up to 300Hz frame rate for the swash plate servos. This is plenty enough even for the fastest servos on the market.
Servo connections
After setting the correct update frequency plug in the swashplate servos. Warning: Do not install the servo horns yet as the servos could bind and get damaged on first power up! Only attach the servo horns after the servos got plugged in and are in center position.
When routing the wires in your model, ensure that there is no tension on the flybarless system. Allow the housing to move freely to prevent vibrations from being transmitted through the wires. It is not recommended to bundle or tie down the wires close to the system. Lay out the wires loosely for a few inches, then attach them to the helicopter so they cannot move due to G-force. Additionally, avoid using shrink tubing to bundle or encase the wiring near the point where the cables are plugged into the BEASTX system. This can make the cables stiff and inflexible, leading to vibrations.
MICROBEAST PLUS / ULTRA
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- The elevator servo is always plugged into [CH1] port.
- With electronic swashplate mixing the two aileron servos have to be connected to [CH2] (=left) and [CH3] (=right).
- With a mechanical mixed head (H1-mixing) the aileron servo connects to [CH2] and the collective pitch servo to [CH3].
Additional swashplate servo for scale helicopters
When using a scale helicopter with 90 degrees eCCPM, you can connect a second elevator servo to [CH7] output on the MICROBEAST PLUS. On MICROBEAST ULTRA the second elevator servo connects to [CH6]. Note that these ports are only signal outputs, so you must power the servo from elsewhere, i.e. by getting power from the [SYS]-port using a Y-adapter (for + and - only!). Anyhow, with large scale helicopters we recommend to use a separate power distribution unit to which you connect the servos. This will be the better option in regards to robust and fail safe power distribution. Please note that the second elevator servo port will require a power cycle to enable after you've set up 90 degrees eCCPM mode. Also you can change the ratio for the servo at [CH6] / [CH7] in StudioX to activate the servo mixing. When the ratio for [CH6] / [CH7] is 0 on the other hand, the servo outputs will be controlled from the AUX channel that can be set in RECEIVER MENU.
NANOBEAST
- The elevator servo is always plugged into [CH3] port.
- With electronic swashplate mixing the two aileron servos have to be connected to [CH4] (=left) and [CH5] (=right).
- With a mechanical mixed head (H1-mixing) the aileron servo connects to [CH4] and the collective pitch servo to [CH5].