Idle 1 and 2 setups?

[JeeUm]

Just wondering how you guys are setting your helis up? Right now my Idle 1 and 2 and damn near the same, but I'm thinking of lowering the negative pitch a bit. My normal mode is pretty much -4,+10 and hovering just above midstick.

My Idle 1 is around +10,-10 with 0 at midstick and about 5.5 at 3/4 stick

My Idle 2 is +10,-10,0 mid,5.5. But my throttle curve is higher the whole way through.

I know I've got them close,but I'm thinking I need to retune them. I haven't flown the helis yet. Just want to get them as close as possible.

[RappyMan]

Hi
Here's the setup I use:
0 pitch at mid stick on all pitch curves
-10, -5, 0, +5, +10 on idle 1 & 2
-10, -5, 0, +5 +12.5 (all I can get on the R50) on throttle hold pitch curve
-6, -5, 0, +5, +10 on normal mode

Throttle curves: (headspeed rpm)
1500 - 1600 or so in normal mode with no govenor
1550 in idle 1
1750 in idle 2

Looks like you are using mid stick hover in normal & 3/4 stick position to hover in the other modes. I did this for quite awhile & then did the jump to 0 at midstick in all modes. It makes it a bit more jumpy hovering around since there is less stick travel to control the hover, but it gets rid of the jump when you flip into idle 1 or 2. It also nails down the throttle hold - you can use it in normal or idle 1 & 2 without a jump as you flip the switch. It saved my butt once too - the tail pitch control rod broke & I had a Raptor 50 spinning like hell at about 10 ft. I flicked the T-hold, let as much head speed bleed off as possible & set it down spinning upside down. It killed one blade & the flybar & spindle - not much damage for that.
I use normal mode to see if the motor is running okay & then go to idle one for the calmer stuff & idle 2 to rip it up. If you go for this setup, you will love it after about 3-4 flights. Hope this helps.

Thanks
Terry

[JeeUm]

Ok, So I'll make sure I'm at 0 mid stick for all modes, which prett much means I'll bump the pitch down in normal, and also add more negative at the bottom. Also, in my hold mode I was told to only go +9 at the top so I don't have to worry about stalling the blades? and to also not go any more then -6 at full bottom stick. Of course I know it's all up to the preferences of the user.

You don't use the govenor at all in normal mode? I've got mine to come on at 25% stick in normal,on all the time in 1 and 2 and off for hold. I can switch it on or off for any of the modes.

[RappyMan]

On the throttle hold (autorotation) you want all the pitch you can get on positive. I suppose you could stall the blades, but that extra bit of pitch gives me a little more hang time on the end of an auto. -6 is probably safe if you are never upside down with the chopper, but a -10 will give you the chance to get it out of a bad spot - like my tail linkage breaking. You shouldn't go full negative on a normal auto - just try to feel what's necessary & listen to the blades on the way down.
On the Futaba 9C you can copy throttle & pitch curves from one to the next idle up - it saves a bunch of time.
I don't run the GV-1 at all in normal & usually just take off & fly for a 1/2 minute to see if the engine sounds right & then go to idle 1 or 2 and finish off the tank that way. I don't have a switch setup to turn it on or off, but I haven't needed it. I had the sensor housing break once & the motor revved up some, but went to normal & landed.
Sounds like you are on the way to having a blast with the choppers. I didn't even fly a plane for about a year after getting the R30 - just so many new directions to go with a heli. Of course they want to kill themselves if you aren't constantly on the sticks - planes are a bit more "relaxing"?

Terry

[JeeUm]

Cool, I've gotten some great info from Scorf and nitrohugger,err I mean huffer.I'm sure once I get it setup my final tweaking will be a little different. But all the info has gotten me to the point that I feel safe putting these things in the air.

[Colin Bell]

It all depends on the size of the heli. A .32-.39 will normally pull +/- 9 depending on fuel, blades, rpm etc...but +/- 9 is a good starting point. On a .50 you can easily pull +/- 10, and in most cases +/-11 (if the helicopter allows for it mechanically). A .60 will handle about 10, and a .90, depending on the blades can be anywhere from 9 to 12.

The way the curve is setup is decided upon by your personal taste and flying style. I run a normal mode on all of my helis, which I only use for hovering and slow forward/backward flight at a head speed of about 1500 (give or take for the different helis). I like to have all of my curves with 0 deg. of pitch at half stick, this way when switching in-between flight modes there is no jump up or down. I use only one idle up (I don’t like playing with switches while flying ) which has a head speed of 1850 (give or take, depending on the model).

I find it easiest to keep everything as simple as possible. The second idle up could be used for a higher or lower head speed if you like.

Colin

[JeeUm]

Thanks Colin. The one heli is a tiger 50 and the other is a raptor 90. So I'm right around +/- 10 on both. Gonna make sure I'm at 0 mid stick on them all. Just gotta fly em to get em fine tuned.

[fastlif]

Colin I agree with you on switches, and my theory is the old adage-KISS.
Keep it simple stupid.

I run basically same setup on mine and am happy with it.

[JeeUm]

Got the R90 pretty much dialed in now, just a little fine tuning on the Tiger and I should be good to go. Thanks for the help.

[RappyMan]

Keeping it simple is a great way to go, but I love having two different head-speeds with idle 1 and 2. The pitch curve and everything is exactly the same between 1 & 2 - just 1600 vs. 1800 headspeed. I like doing inverted hovering at the lower headspeed - it's less twitchy & the big power at the higher headspeed isn't needed. It's good for cruising around too & then kick it in high gear for the crazy stuff.
I did originally have a -3 to +10 setup in Idle 1, but never used it. I would just hop to idle 2 for the fun. Now it's -10 to +10 on idle 1 and 2 & I like it.

Thanks
Terry

[JeeUm]

Thats pretty much the setup I'm starting to like.. My 1 and 2 curves are identical, but with different head speeds.