How do I adjust a Raptor e700 to not drift?

[rs2k]

I just put my SK720 in my Raptor e700 this evening. It wanted to drift nose down and roll left. How do I adjust the helicopter so it does not drift? The e700 doesn't have adjustable links. It instead uses a special tool and frames to ensure a perfect 90 degree setup. I went ahead and added 5 units to the left and aft ccpm servo in the Skookum setup to raise the left part of the swash and lower the aft part. This got rid of most of the drift, but I didn't bother trying to get it perfect since it was so windy out. (Gusting to 25 mph)

Is this an acceptable way to do it?

[Digger1973]

If the swash is level and cg is on then it shouldn't drift. Even with my cg out a bit my 540 on my 500 is just awsome. Without adjustabe links it will be a pain to adjust out

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[omerco]

post your cyclic tabs screen shots.
what about gain adjustment?

[rs2k]

I remember I had to change my Trex 600's swashplate from level to get it to fly right. I thought this was a normal adjustment and was supposed to be done on a calm day.

Here are the screen shots:

[omerco]

yes the manual says to put the Hiller decay to 200 and while there is no wind to do the adjustment. i never do that - i level my swash in the mechanical setup and check for level pirouetting.

my heli drifts due to a high hiller decay (150-180). i don't mind. it could be your drift was because of that 140 HD and the wind. check again on a calm day? i always do nose in and out to eliminate wind factor

what i think you need to do is
1. check your swash is level - the last raptor i fixed for a friend was, so I'm surprised you needed to adjust.
2. check for level pirouetting (shows level swash).
3. verify your gain is high enough - did you fine tune it?
3. if it still drifts and it bothers you you need to lower your hiller decay. expect a "heavier" feeling on the cyclics. you could compensate with higher bell gain and acceleration.

last your numbers are a little odd:
50 / 55 for hiller - why not 50 both?
20 /16 damping - i use 16/16 the manual says 18/16 for digital servos.

[rs2k]

Originally Posted by omerco

yes the manual says to put the Hiller decay to 200 and while there is no wind to do the adjustment. i never do that - i level my swash in the mechanical setup and check for level pirouetting.

my heli drifts due to a high hiller decay (150-180). i don't mind. it could be your drift was because of that 140 HD and the wind. check again on a calm day? i always do nose in and out to eliminate wind factor


what i think you need to do is
1. check your swash is level - the last raptor i fixed for a friend was, so I'm surprised you needed to adjust.
2. check for level pirouetting (shows level swash).
3. verify your gain is high enough - did you fine tune it?
3. if it still drifts and it bothers you you need to lower your hiller decay. expect a "heavier" feeling on the cyclics. you could compensate with higher bell gain and acceleration.

last your numbers are a little odd:
50 / 55 for hiller - why not 50 both?
20 /16 damping - i use 16/16 the manual says 18/16 for digital servos.

A calm day? In Kansas? I'll check and see what happens with the HD set to 200 if we ever get one.

I'll set my swash back to level. It's really easy to do. I had originally leveled it and then unleveled it to remove the drift. How low can I take the HD without having a problem in 3D?

I'll reset the hiller gain numbers to 50 each. I'm not sure why they're different. I'm thinking someone recommended I try it. What about the bell gains? I'll set the damping to 16/16. I'm using JR 8917 servos on 2S lipo.

[omerco]

for the hiller decay - just try: when you do the 200 test do some tictocs and then put it to 100 and do them again. you will see the diff.

bell gains - if you want a quicker cyclic reaction you need higher # like 70-80. low number make the cyclic feel delayed. if its to high it will feel too snappy and uncomfortable also seen in overshoots at hard cyclic stops. do that after you set your rate to your liking (max roll at full stick).

both of them are subject to personal liking....

[rs2k]

Thanks, I'm happy with 280 degrees per second along with 20% expo right now. It felt a little slow on the Trex 600, but feels good with the 700. I upped the bell gains to 70 and set bank 1 to HD of 200 and bank 2 to HD of 100. I'll some tictocs and see what happens.

[omerco]

On my 600EFL i needed 85 bell gain to get the feel i wanted.
My x7 is 70-75

[rs2k]

I tried tictocks on both 200 and 100. They both felt bad. I'm going back to 140.

[omerco]

Your bell gain is very low VS your rates. Try 65-70 for bell it will very much improve. If still - go even higher.

The numbers you have now will feel like there is a delay on the cyclic

[Digger1973]

The 200hd is only for a trim flight to adjust for drift. I run my hd for my 500 at 90. Heli handles nice now.

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[rs2k]

You set your HD to 500? I read that as 50 the first time. How does it fly at 500 compared to 200?

[omerco]

Thats a 500 SIZE heli. He is using 90.

[rs2k]

Haha, oops. Temporary dyslexia. I read that as a 90 at 500.

[omerco]

Tried higher bell gain?

[rs2k]

The biggest difference I've made so far is replacing the really squishy spartan gyro pads I had with 3M tape. It made tictocks and half piro flips easier (and quieter). I think the 3M tape's too stiff though. I need to find a happy medium.

I tried playing around with the bell gains last weekend. I tired 50 to 85 in steps of 5 and 10. I found 75 to feel the best. It made my sloppy tictocs the smoothest at least. I also played around with the hiller decay. I think 140 feels the best to me. I need to try changing it around with my new gyro mount location and tape. I'll start playing with them next weekend, but so far I'm really liking how this feels.

I tried two settings at a time on cyclic bank one and two. I switched back and forth and tried some flips, piro flips, and tictocs on each bank back to back. I have not tried adjusting the Hiller gains at all.

I currently have:
Control Rates 300 / 300
Bell Gains 75 / 75
Hiller Gains 50 / 50
Damping Gains: 16 / 16
Hiller decay: 140
Cyclic Accel: 30

Rudder piro rate: 500

Throws / Expo
Ail: 100%/20%
Ele: 100%/20%
Rud: 100%/20%

I think I'm going to lower the expo just a bit more. I don't think the E700 Raptor needs much expo to be linear being 140 CCPM and having very large bell cranks... assuming expo even eeffecta travel on FBL systems any more.

[omerco]

Sounds like you are on the right track!
I find 40-50 on cyclic accel optimal. Give it a try

Expo effects - the commands you send VIA the sticks ate roll rate to be performed by the gyro. Expo will make it more accurate around center.

[rs2k]

I though everything was ok, but I redid the setup on the cyclic and cyclic servos. I'm at 125 endpoints on all servos and 0 for center. I have adjust the cyclic mixes to give me 13 degrees collective pitch up and down and 10 degrees of cyclic pitch. The drift seems to have "magically" gone away after getting everything perfect.

I think one of my servos was in a bit too tight.