Flymentor Question.

[427notch]

I got in over my head with a CopterX 450se v2 rtf and have mastered the art of inverted flying at 1 foot off the ground. I am new to rc and have no support other than the internet I know nothing about radios,rx,servos ,gyros. I think I am atleast one step below noob. I have learned thru youtube how to set my heli up and alot of practice.
I have ordered a Flymentor with programer,I do want to learn. I work on trucks all day so I dont mind putting the heli back together after a crash I really have fun doing it.
My question is simple will the Flymentor work with what I have right now.
All the electroincs are CopterX, the radio is a CopterX cx-ct6a .
The CopterX is stock with alot of Align parts that have been replaced more than once.
I am willing to upgrade if needed but I would like to get off the ground for more than 2 min first.

[pril250]

If your TX can be switched from 120* CCPM to 90* single servo then you are good to go.

[shibby75]

Your better of with fma co pilot2, it can stabilize inverted. I think flymentor cannot function while inverted.

[Ivor Hill]

Originally Posted by shibby75

Your better of with fma co pilot2, it can stabilize inverted. I think flymentor cannot function while inverted.

Well he may be better off with a CP2 it's a matter of choice but why do you " think" Flymentor cannot function inverted ?. It can.

[shibby75]

Well i have'nt tried it myself since i dont know how to fly inverted. The gyro has specific orientation and cannot be changed without the software.

I have seen youtube videos of flymentor flying inverted, i think the pilot mounted the gyro and set the software to function in an inverted position.

Have you tried it yourself?

[Ivor Hill]

It will stabilize upright or inverted without changes to the software or mounting the gyro a different way but of course the heli and TX has to be set up for inverted flight.
Have a look at the demo on the KDS website and read the manuel, quote " Keep balance in inverted flight "

[427notch]

I may have wrote that wrong. I dont know how to fly and end up flying inverted at about a foot off the ground and tearing everything up I have done this so many times i'm good at it. My wife wrote this side down on the bottom of the canopy. I did read where the tx can be set up as heli-90,120,140.
The tx has 2 switches the one on the left side switch b is the idle up switch and make the heli go into the ceiling the one on the right is labeled switch a and I have no clue as to what it does.

[427notch]

I may have wrote that a little wrong. I end up flying upside down with in a foot after getting off the ground. My wife has wrote this side down on the bottom of the heli.
I seen where I can change the settings in the tx from heli -90,120,140 I hope this is what pril250 is refering to. I dont want to fly inverted I just end up doing it and tearing everything up.

[pril250]

It looks like FM can save you from further journeys to the unknown and help improve your flying skills.

[Ivor Hill]

Change it to 90 and operate the sticks, if it is correct only one servo will move for each stick. Elevator 1 servo aileron another servo and throttle the third servo. If this happens FM will work.

[427notch]

I have to change out a servo so I am going to replace all the CopterX servos with T-Pro Mini Servo SG-90 9G Servo's. Do I need to change out the rudder servo to something else ? I plan on using the gyro that comes with the Flymentor and doing away with the one that comes from CopterX..I should have everything by 7-1-2011 and maybe crashed again by the 4th.

[shibby75]

Ive had difficulty removing the tail drift with the flymentor tail gyro, so i just used a 2nd gyro to control my tail.

[jbx907]

Originally Posted by shibby75

Ive had difficulty removing the tail drift with the flymentor tail gyro, so i just used a 2nd gyro to control my tail.

you actually can fix the tail drift of the FM gyro in HH mode, it likes to be offset to 1.520 rather than center 1.500, subtrimming the rudder will fix the dirft, got mine on +8 subtrim and the drift is gone!

[IvanB]

If your tail is setup mechanically correct (slight right rudder input to counter the torque of the main blades...set up in RATE mode, then switch to HH) you'll find little to no drift...might need one click of trim (NOT subtrim) or use a few % in "servo neutral", the gyro that comes with FM works just fine. In the video following my setup I do some pitch pumps and throw the heli around a bit...more than any beginner would do, and the tail is rock solid.

Many people have been lead to believe that the gyro is crap... if its drifting heaps...your heli is not setup correctly., besides if your using FM to learn to fly, I doubt you'd be doing 3D, and thats where you need a really good gyro...not to hover and put around.

[jbx907]

Originally Posted by IvanB

If your tail is setup mechanically correct (slight right rudder input to counter the torque of the main blades...set up in RATE mode, then switch to HH) you'll find little to no drift...might need one click of trim (NOT subtrim) or use a few % in "servo neutral", the gyro that comes with FM works just fine. In the video following my setup I do some pitch pumps and throw the heli around a bit...more than any beginner would do, and the tail is rock solid.

Many people have been lead to believe that the gyro is crap... if its drifting heaps...your heli is not setup correctly., besides if your using FM to learn to fly, I doubt you'd be doing 3D, and thats where you need a really good gyro...not to hover and put around.

i completely agree..
it really depends on the reciever, yes in rate is fine with everything, but in HH, it really need the offset if you have problems with the RX FM setup!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7Dyxp2WQ_o&playnext=1&list=PL5EDCC6617A91 8C9F[/ame]

and i confirmed this, i dont think its good to use trim where some can accidentally change the position!
check your tail servo for drifts in heading hold, it should stay at either ends without drifting back to the center or just get the balance the servo movements and your all good!!!

[IvanB]

My FM does the exact same thing as the servo in the video..as soon as I power it up the tail pitch slider goes full right, as soon as it gets up to speed I give opposite stick input and it centers then its fine. I had 1-2 clicks of trim on tx...but have since made that zero & adjusted servo neutral a few %. Even though its mechanically spot on FM fudges it a bit, but only a bit.
You can hear this in my scale fuselage video...right just before it lifts off you hear deep vibration...thats from the tail pitch slider maxing out until i correct, then it flys perfectly. Almost like its correcting for the torque prematurely.

With the 401 & 401b gyros, when you have setup your heli mechanically in rate mode (rate mode centers the servo) with slight pitch offset, you have to flick the gyro switch or toggle rudder stick 3 times ending in HH mode and this resets the gyro to remember the new center position...technically there should be no drift in HH mode.

The thing is how do you get FM to remember the mechanical center (if that makes sense)

[jbx907]

i think they made this offset for k-8x rx, the bundled 8ch rx for kds-7x radio, i didn't nid any offset then, but when i place the FM on a frsky rx, i suddenly got drifts, thats the only way i removed the driftin HH! you can use trim or subtrim, but for scaled that use rate mode, i think it doesn't need any offset, never tried rate mode!

[Copter64]

Originally Posted by shibby75

Your better of with fma co pilot2, it can stabilize inverted. I think flymentor cannot function while inverted.

Sorry this issue comes-up every time there is a "flymentor" thread on HeliFreak I need to address this again here:

The flymentor _does_ work and stabilize in inverted position, I myself have done it several times (on Blade SR)

Originally Posted by shibby75

I have seen youtube videos of flymentor flying inverted, i think the pilot mounted the gyro and set the software to function in an inverted position.
Have you tried it yourself?

Ivor Hill already said this but allow me to elaborate:

The gyro is not mounted "upside down" or any special tricks to do this. The Flymentor is smart-enough to know when you are rolling-over or flipping-over to inverted.

Also you don't have to turn it "off" thru gain to do this. it does its normal thing when its inverted (it recognizes its inverted) the only difference is it just can't use its camera (because obviously the camera is pointed up at the sky) so you are automatically placed in Horizontal-holding mode (not Position-holding mode).
(it feels the same as if you were upright, but the camera couldn't see)

There is no crazy control/gyro reversal or anything else. It's just like flying any other Heli upside down, except you have this invisible force that keeps you "level". It does not try to force you back to upright, it will hold the heli in "inverted level orientation".

[jbx907]

i agree, FM doen not have accelerometers to determine upright from inverted, it only memorizes the hoirzon you intitialize it with..
so wether upright or inverted, the horizon is what FM refers to be level!
it will self horizon (self level if correct perfect horizon) itself even inverted!