X9393 & Flight Modes

[pilot232]

Does any one know how to program via flight modes gear retraction/extension. Hopefully this isn"t a "silly" question. If it has a simple answer I have over looked it.

Thanks,

Travis Brannon

[AWorrest]

You can only use the flap switch or the AUX2 switch to select the flight mode on the 9303 for the ACRO. Select either on in the DeviceSEL menu to activate the gear channel. Flight modes 0 and 2 will give you no problems as one will extend the gear and the other will retract it. Flight mode 1 will be a problem as it will put out a 1.5ms signal to the gear channel which is right in the middle.

In a program mix GEAR > GEAR. Set the offset to -176. Set the top value of Pos1 to -100%. (You won’t be able to set the lower value if you have already dialed in the offset.) Set the FM1 select switch to POS1.

Now flight mode 0 will move the gear to one position. Flight modes 1 and 2 will move it to the other.

Allan

[Troy Newman]

Travis,

what exactly are you trying to do? People usually have flight modes to change rates or turn on and off mixing. Yes you can do many other things with it too....But what exactly are you trying to do?

Do you want different rates when the gear are down vs up, or do you want to just have the gear come down on the same switch that changes your rates? or maybe have gear and flaps both come down at the same time.?


Troy Newman
Team JR / Horizon Hobby

[pilot232]

Troy and AWorrest,

Here is what I want:

FM0 - Gear down, Take off flaps, Low rates
FM1 - Gear up, Flaps up, "manuvering" rates
FM2 - Gear down, Flaps down, Low rates

I could accomplish this with ease on my Multiplex P4000, but can't seem to get it done on my X9303. I want to do this with just 1 three position switch.

Can it be done?

I sincerely appreciate your help.

Travis

[pilot232]

Alan,

Your suggestion works! I suppose the neutral pulse would be a problem with a standard servo, but you idea works well with a retract servo.

I wish I understood offsets better than I do.

Thank you very much.

Travis

[AWorrest]

Travis,
It can be done but it will take another program mix when you want FM1 to be the gear up and FM0 and 2 to be gear down. The natural gear channel output when using a three-position flight mode switch is the gear goes to one extreme for FM0, the other extreme for FM2, and in the middle (if you were using a proportional servo) for FM1. You will have make FM1 go to the opposite extreme position of FM0 with one mix. And that I already described. The program mix in my first post drives the gear channel to the same position as it would naturally go to if the flight mode switch were in position FM2, It will require another program mix to make FM2 go to the same point as FM0.

For the second mix, mix GEAR > GEAR Set the Offset to +176. Set the lower value of Pos1 to -100%. Set the FM2 select switch to POS1. Make sure all the other select switches are in POS0.

What I first posted is simply to use the flight mode switch instead of the retract switch to control the gear channel. That is done in the DeviceSEL menu. Concerning your flaps and rates, you program them same way using the flight modes as you would if the retracts weren’t an issue.

Glad to here that my first post works for you. While it worked on my transmitter, my description on how to program it might be lacking in some areas <G>.

Allan

[pilot232]

Isn't it the gear to gear mix that is the key. I don't see any where in device select a way to select flight modes to control the gear. It is simply a way to set up flight modes. Am I wrong?

Again, many thanks,

Travis

[AWorrest]

Travis,

I don’t think we quite have a mutual understanding. The program mixes are used to force the gear channel output to be what you want. The first mix forces the output for FM1 to be the opposite of what naturally occurs for FM0. The last mix I described forces the gear channel output for FM2 to be the same as for FM0.

I am using the same switch that controls the flight modes to control the gear channel output. (If you had simply wanted the gear to go in one direction for FM0, the opposite direction for FM2, and wasn’t worried about the ambiguity of FM1, you won’t need any of the program mixes.) Try going to DeviceSEL menu, highlight GEAR and press the roller, you will see that you have the option of eight different switches to control the gear channel. Pick either AUX2 SW or FLAP SW, which are the only two switches that can be used to control the flight modes, to control the gear. Leave the output for the gear channel ACT.

Since you want to control the rates by your flight mode switch, make sure the D/R option in the DeviceSEL menu is set to FM.

Hope this helps,
Allan

[pilot232]

Thanks Alan,

You are correct in that our way of looking at the mixers is totally different. I was in computers for 45 yerars and have been told I was a little "warped" in my analysis of things. I am also still converting from a Multiplex P4000 if you are familiar with it. It is a wonderful radio, but tedious to program.

Thanks for all you help. It is much appreciated.

Travis

[Troy Newman]

This works well I just tried it.

My only concern is the flipping through the middle position some servos might actually in that split second as the switch passed through the middle position try to move. I came up with a solution for that. Go under servo speed and slow the servo down....to 1sec/60degs

Now a normal retract servo will not change speed. its not proportional but the speed of 1sec/60degs setting on the speed will delay the servos response. This way as you toggle through the middle position the servo stays put. Of course if you leave in the middle position my unofficial stop watch says the servo actuates about 0.88secs after you flip the switch.

On retract servos once the output is past the middle of the servos position will drive the other way. So its not quite the same as a proportional servo in terms of speed response. Some experimenting with it makes it work. I just setup my Eflite AT-6 this way and it works great.

Allan is getting very handy with his programming tips.

Troy Newman
Team JR / Horizon Hobby