- Skookum Robotics
Contents
1. cccssseeesseeeees 22 Appendix A Specifications ccccsscceecssssseceesseeseeeeeeeeneees 24 Appendix B Firmware Upgrades ccccccsssseseeeeseseeeeeeeeenees 24 Appendix C Warranty and Technical Support 00 25 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 1 Intro The SK 360 Digital Flybar is a high performance compact and lightweight pitch and roll stabilizer for model helicopters Its function is to replace the traditional flybar stabilizer bar and its association linkages while saving power increasing flight times and reducing repair costs Features include Control Options e Control over the Bell and Hiller ratio direct vs stabilized control e Control over roll and pitch rates in software e Control feel is adjustable in software or on the gyro case Swashplate Options e Suitable for 120 135 140 and 90 degree eCCPM as well as mCCPM swashplates e Mixing In Gyro but able to accept pre mixed 120 swash input e Swash Ring anti binding algorithm e Phase Trim adjustable to 90 Servo Options e Works with digital or analog servos e Synchronous with receiver s PWM frames for minimal lag e Groups swash servo PWM pulses for low swash motion error e Swash servo rate equalizing prevents uncommanded pitch during aggressive maneuvers 2 Package Contents Your gyro package should include e SK 360 Gyro unit Four strips of 3M 4408 mounting tape USB Interface with jumper USB Extension Cable CD wit2. Note the servos may be slightly jittery while connected to the USB port due to noise from your computer If the software will not run at all make sure your Windows NET Runtime is up to date Check the Microsoft website for the latest version On the menu bar the File menu allows you to save or load gyro configurations setups or go back to the default setup The Connect menu allows you to send a setup to the gyro burning it into its memory or fetch a setup from the gyro Any setup sent to the gyro will be labeled with the first 8 letters of its filename Live Data This area displays constantly updated telemetry from the gyro including the control inputs from the receiver and position outputs to the servos Remember that while in setup mode all elevator or aileron stick motions are sent directly to the swashplate as if stability gains were all zero and bell gain is 100 to allow for easy mechanical setup For Inputs and Outputs the units displayed can be percent of full throw from the current setup or PWM pulse width microseconds Note that the collective Pitch display should turn green for positive climb pitch if the gyro is set up correctly Under Gyro Internals the Pilot Elevator and Aileron command percentage is given as a guide for setup It is important that cyclic stick input for nose up and for right roll should give positive values here Nose up stick and right aileron should both show green back
3. Show Actual Gains Brings up a table of the actual gains the SK360 will use in After a pitch or roll change the Bell gain is too high relative to Control flight These gains are based on the settings on the Advanced tab modified by rotor disk springs back after the Rates Decrease it slightly or the Bell and Hiller dial s settings This feature can help you understand how Stick is released increase Control Rates the gain dials and base gains work together Responds too sharply to aileron or Bell gain is too high Default Gains Resets all of the settings on the Advanced tab to those in the elevator Default setup file Does not effect any settings on the other tabs Heli precesses in hover a motion Interaction between the Elevator like a child s spinning top as it Aileron and Yaw axes Check that slows down Gets worse with the SK 360 gyro and the yaw gyro higher Hiller gains are both mounted correctly Also check phase angle 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 21 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd Appendix A Specifications Random jitter or jumps in roll Vibration effects on the gyro Make sure Weight without cables and pitch it is mounted on good damping tape Operating Temperature Range and doesn t contact the frame Also check for tail vibration Operating Voltage 3 6 to 8 5 VDC cance aseorsenvesseed preaeionvonthe without causing oscillation frame rate is too slow Rotor head Wiring Gauge especially with high head mec
4. centre servo Servo Speed Take this from your servo manufacturer s specifications Units are in seconds per 60 degrees of motion This helps the gyro move the swash evenly This field only matters if Equalize Servo Speeds is on Servo Travel Amount of servo motion on either side of centre Servo motion outside of its mechanical limits can cause binding and overheating The servo travels can be set individually to trim the swash to be level at max zero and min collective pitch 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 18 Servo Trims and Reversing Here each servo s center point can be set and each can be reversed if needed This is the same idea as sub trim on your transmitter Be careful that the servo doesn t bind Control Tab Receiver Control Setup Similar to the settings for the servos but here the centers and reversing for the inputs from the radio receiver are set Note Features of your radio such as exponential or pitch curves will work normally Auto Trim at Initialization With this feature enabled the gyro will use the cyclic stick centre it receives at initialization as neutral cyclic If left off the gyro will use the exact values entered in the Control tab Dead Band A dead band can be set for the cyclic elevator and aileron functions so the heli doesn t drift with small errors in stick centering One percent is a good value for most radios note your radio s centering may change with temperature For scale mod
5. the pots that measure their position can vary by 10 or more 3 If the heli tends to nose up when max collective is applied quickly from a hover subtract one from elevator tail comp If the heli goes right subtract 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 20 a from aileron tail comp Add one to the fields if it noses down or goes 16 Tuning Troubleshooting Guide Vibration Filter Where high frequency vibration is present especially on a nitro Symptom heli this option will filter the outputs to the servos to reduce servo jitter and wear However filters also introduce response lag so its use should be Heli tends to drift feel loose in minimized This feature is meant to protect servos it will not resolve control pitch and or roll problems caused by vibration Hiller gain isn t high enough even Increase cyclic blade pitch range Hiller Decay Causes accumulated Hiller response to decay back to neutral to at 100 using the Swash Mixing setup values make the gyro more forgiving of insults If you watch a heli with a flybar in or increase servo travel hover after a sharp control input you ll see the flybar s disk offset for a After a sharp pitch or roll Hiller gain is too high moment then drift back to level This provides the same effect command is released the heli A value of 100 here can help smooth out rapid tic tocks piros or other 3D oscillates slowly maneuvers especially repeated ones However high values for Hille
6. down slightly Repeat until you get the best gain 4 Try some forward flight If the helicopter oscillates in roll at high speed turn the Hiller gain down a small amount If it doesn t hold well in pitch turn the Hiller gain up 5 While in a hover pitch the helicopter sharply nose down centre the cyclic stick then do the same nose up If the helicopter is slow to start turn the Bell gain dial up a small amount If the helicopter snaps back a bit and oscillates after it stops turn the Bell gain dial down a small amount Repeat until you get the best balance For sport flyers the Bell gain needs to be only roughly correct For most users no further tuning should be required But if the maximum aileron and elevator motion of the heli is not fast enough for you or for other advanced tuning see Sections 15 and 16 Good starting points for the gains can be found in the Default Scale or Basic_3D setup files all of which are included with the USB interface software 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 16 14 USB Interface Software Reference To use the SK 360 interface software first install the software on your PC and plug in the USB interface Then attach the jumper to the gyro set its mode switch for setup mode and power it up with the motor disabled if you have an electric heli On your PC the Connected indicator should turn green and the gyro s serial number and firmware revision should be displayed
7. SK 360 Fyvar User Manual and Setup Guide Throw out your 1940 s technology mechanical flybar and replace it with a Digital Flybar Rock solid hovering with a less complex lighter rotorhead for more power or longer flight times For 3D flying you can dial up cyclic rates to the limit of blade stall without losing any stability Lightning quick 3D with great performance in wind and a solid hover Rev 1 06 SK360 User Manual amp Setup Guide Table of Contents 1 MEME Oe acacia eee he cace on cece E 3 2 Package Contents we vsisiseccicecscsreccnieccntaceussieveecrecsvweentsss 3 3 SRY E E E A E 4 4 Mounting the GYf0 cccsssceseseescesseeesneeseenseesneeeseeees 4 5 Helicopter Airframe Setup cccccsscesesseeeeeeeseeneees 5 6 How to Check Cyclic Pitch amp Phasing 00 7 7 COTO COINS iis ede trey ct sertosnanet E 9 8 Modes Indicators and Power UD ssccssssseeeeeeees 10 9 Gyro Setup Using the USB Interface 005 11 10 Alternate Setup Method Using the Transmitter 13 11 After Setup Final Check cccssscssssseeseseeseeseees 15 12 Flight with the SK 360 Gyr o tssccsseeeeeeseeneeeeeees 15 13 Basic Tuning vtec se ccna sce ce ecm cceeneecnnecseeccnecsubessecesescesceces 16 14 USB Interface Software Reference c scccssseseee 17 15 Advanced Tuning ODtiOns cccccsseesssseeseeeeeseees 20 16 Tuning Troubleshooting Guide
8. d Click the Send Setup button or press the F1 key to set the changes on the gyro You must SEND the setup whenever you want to test changes After a few seconds check Inputs from Receiver again The values for Elevator Aileron and Pitch should be close to zero You can trim the collective pitch centering on the Controls tab Try moving the elevator stick towards you nose up and look at the Pilot Control field under Elevator The number displayed should be close to 100 and show green If it is negative go to the Control tab and click the Reverse field for elevator If it s too low or reaches 100 much before the stick s limit adjust Travel on the control tab Repeat for Aileron Pilot Control but move the stick right green Then repeat for the Pitch input but move the stick up green Check the Gyro s Sense Directions Now look at the Gyro Rates fields in the Live Data area Note the Rate fields only sense movement not angle Pick up the heli and slowly tilt it nose up The Gyro Rate for Elevator should be positive and show green If not click Flip Elevator Axis on the Control tab If the gyro rate for Aileron is high instead click Rotate 90 Degrees on the Control tab Skookum Robotics Ltd 11 Repeat for the Aileron roll axis but slowly tilt the heli to the right The Gyro Rate for Aileron should be positive and show green WARNING All the control input and sense directions in steps 2 and 3 must be St
9. e with the servos connected and the swashplate mechanically set up 2 Try full right aileron Check that the swashplate tilts to the right 3 Try full up elevator nose up Check that the swashplate tilts back 4 Command full up collective pitch Check that the swashplate moves to give maximum blade pitch 5 Try zero collective pitch with throttle hold active Check that the swashplate moves to give zero blade pitch 6 Put the gyro into Flight mode leave it undisturbed and wait for the LED to turn green 7 Pick up the helicopter wait a few seconds and then tilt it nose down and to the right The swashplate should tilt back and left Note In flight mode the swash will tilt forward slightly at full positive collective pitch and backward slightly at full negative pitch to compensate for tail drag during fast climbs and descents 12 Flight with the SK 360 Gyro In flight mode the swashplate will not respond to the controls directly Its action will be similar to a heading hold tail gyro Also after it has been static for a few seconds it will level the swash during spool up to ensure a stable take off When you land your heli always wait at least 5 seconds after the rotor spools down before spooling up again so the gyro knows the helicopter is spooling up Don t move the cyclic stick until the heli is light on its skids to prevent confusing the gyro when it can t fly If the Auto trim at Initialization feature is on av
10. els deadband can give a solid control feel while in stationary hover Mounting Orientation The motion sensing directions can be flipped or rotated 90 deg to allow the gyro to be mounted in any orientation After mounting always send the setup to the gyro and then move the heli slowly and watch Gyro Rates on the Live Data display to be sure nose down is negative elevator rate and right tilt is positive aileron rate 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 19 15 Advanced Tuning Options The helicopter can be tuned in a more detailed way using the settings on the Advanced tab of the USB interface program Maximum Rate The desired roll or pitch rate of the heli at maximum cyclic stick deflection Equivalent to the area of a flybar s paddles If increased Bell gain will also need to be increased slightly Bell Gain Amount of motion of the swashplate in response to cyclic stick deflection Normally set by a gain dial on the gyro s case that dial can be disabled to lock the bell gain to a specific value When the gain dial is used it will set the elevator bell gain but the aileron bell gain will be a fraction of that by the ratio set here Example The Advanced Tab shows Bell gains of 20 elevator and 10 aileron and the gain dial is not disabled Then if the gain dial is set to 50 the elevator bell gain will be 50 and the aileron bell gain will be 25 Hiller Gains Similar to heading hold on a yaw gyro Higher Hiller Gain is eq
11. ep 4 Step 5 correct otherwise your heli will instantly crash if you try to fly it Swash Mixing Servo Setup Go to the Swashplate setup tab again and set the Swash Mixing values CCPM and Travel just as you would in your transmitter Go to the Servos tab select the frame rate according to servo type and enter the speed of your servos from their specifications Make sure the control sticks are centered and then plug the servos into the gyro Check for good motion and no binding NOTE While in setup mode the gyro will give 100 swash control to the transmitter sticks zero stability gains to allow for mixing servo travel and mechanical setup Check that the swashplate motion is correct Note the correct blade pitch range for elevator or aileron input is about 10 degrees If the servos don t move in the correct directions reverse them on the Servos tab If the Aileron or Elevator motion is reversed change the sign of their swash mixing value ex to Try to keep swash mixing values below 60 If you need more motion increase the servo travels instead for ex to all to 125 This prevents unwanted interaction at max and min collective Do not try to change cyclic throw using the Control tab Adjust the servos for a level swashplate on the Servo tab Ready for Flight Save your setup to disk then go to Section 11 of this manual Final Setup Note The expo dual rate and pitch curve features
12. grounds These readings can also be used to test the dead band settings The elevator and aileron Gyro Rates values are in degrees per second and show the currently sensed motion of the gyro The Bell Gain and Hiller Gain dial settings are displayed here for ease of recording values arrived at by field testing For each type of gain the first percentage is the gain for elevator the second is the gain for aileron they re linked by the ratio of elevator vs aileron for each gain on the Advanced tab of the gyro s setup Swash Tab Swashplate Type Select your swashplate and mechanical mixing type Options are 120 eCCPM 135 140 degree eCCPM 90 degree mechanically mixed separate servos for each of elevator aileron and pitch control and 90 degree 3 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 17 or 4 servo eCCPM where servos are directly connected to the swash but 90 degrees apart Mixing Options are in gyro and in transmitter In gyro is preferred here the inputs to the gyro are separate channels for elevator aileron and pitch collective control With in transmitter mixing inputs are expected to be pre mixed for 120 degree CCPM swashplates Initial setup for in transmitter mixing should be carried out using the self setup feature in Section 10 Elevator Cyclic Percent of full swashplate motion at full stick deflection for elevator cyclic This Can be a negative number but cannot be zero Aileron Cyclic Percent of full swash
13. h Interface Software Note If your computer can t read mini CDs visit our website at www Skookumrobotics com support html to download the latest version of the setup software you will not need to update the firmware 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 3 3 Safety An R C Helicopter is not a toy and can cause serious injury to people or damage to property Use of this gyro places a flight control computer the gyro unit between the radio receiver and the servos that drive the swash plate If the gyro unit is mistuned or set up incorrectly loss of control of the helicopter may result See Appendix C for warranty information Please keep bystanders clear of the flight area at all times Be sure to test fly away from spectators especially when flying the helicopter after any change in the gyro s setup or tuning and keep yourself at a safe distance 4 Mounting the Gyro The front side of the gyro is marked on its case The gyro unit can be mounted upside down backwards or sideways but it must be level and have its sides aligned as accurately as possible with the fore aft axis of the helicopter Misalignments of even a few degrees 2mm or 1 16 difference between the front and back edges of the case may cause problems with tuning the gyro The gyro should also be as far as possible from any heat sources and at least 10cm away from Xtremelink receivers Tail Boom Frame Body For vibration resistance mounting ta
14. hanics should use full servo throw speeds for desired cyclic pitch range Input Signals 3 Channels PWM 700 2300 us l l l l Output Signals 4 Channels PWM 700 2300 us Aileron or Elevator don t give Increase Control Rate gains You will fast enough roll and pitch rates then likely have to increase the Bell Analog or Digital gains slightly USB interface or by Transmitter Sticks Aileron or Elevator give rolland Decrease Control Rate gains and then Field Gain Setting Bell and Hiller Gain Dials 0 100 pitch rates that are too fast decrease the Bell gains slightly Not perfectly locked in hover Try higher dead band 1 Obtain the latest firmware update from www skookumrobotics com Heli drifts slowly in elevator or Radio receiver centering drift Many 2 Unzip the hex file from the compressed archive file using WinZip or a aileron with cyclic stick centered receivers center points drift with similar program to a convenient directory on your PC soon after take off temperature up to 3 ticks of trim Use 3 transmitter trims to correct Power it down the gyro and connect its USB interface or 4 Load the Digital Flybar USB interface software on your PC Heli drifts slowly in elevator or Gyro temperature changing too quickly aileron with cyclic stick centered or receiver drift Make sure the gyro and 5 Set the mode switch away from the gain dials Flight mode hold down the after several minutes of flight rece
15. he stick positions for Mode 2 transmitters where the left stick is Collective Pitch and yaw and the right stick is Elevator and Aileron cyclic control Step 1 Collective up Cyclic stick centered Step 2 Collective down Cyclic stick centered Step 3 Collective down Cyclic pushed around each of the four corners 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 13 Step 4 Collective down Cyclic stick up Step 5 Collective down Cyclic stick down Step 6 Collective down Cyclic stick right Step 7 Collective down Cyclic stick left After all steps are complete the LED should blink red and green to signal success If the setup failed it will blink red rapidly and will not change or store the gyro s settings If the self setup procedure is successful you can put the gyro into PC interface mode get the setup file from it and modify it further to apply phase trim you must set it with the USB interface after each self setup Note If this option is used you must carry out the setup procedure above after every change of throws servo centers or swash mixing on your radio Note Self setup will use the last setup file that was stored in the gyro as a starting point and only change swash mix servo centre revs and control centre rev settings 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 14 11 After Setup Final Check Any time you change the gyro s setup always do these checks 1 Put the gyro into setup mod
16. ics will repair or replace the product to meet its standard operating condition This warranty does not apply in cases where the product has been overheated electrically shorted subject to crash damage otherwise abused or had unauthorized repair attempts UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DOES SKOOKUM ROBOTICS ACCEPT LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL DAMAGE OR INJURIES RESULTING FROM THE OPERATION OF THE SK 360 OR OTHER PRODUCTS Skookum Robotics will provide customers with technical assistance by email free of charge If a gyro is suspect due to a crash we will check it over for only the cost of postage If the unit has malfunctioned and the 90 day warranty period has expired we will attempt repair and discuss the cost of possible repairs with the owner again for only the cost of postage If you wish to return the gyro unit or related product please write WARRANTY RETURN clearly on the shipping box and mail it to the address given below Manufactured in Canada by Skookum Robotics Ltd Email tech skookumrobotics com Website www skookumrobotics com PO Box 46912 Vancouver BC V6J 5M4 Canada 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 25
17. is Servo 1 C1 Servo 1 D Servo 4 Servo 3 Servo 3 L3 Servo 2 R2 Servo 2 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 9 8 Modes Indicators and Power Up The two primary modes are Setup mode and Flight mode chosen by the position of the small switch on the gyro s side Towards the gain dials is Setup mode and away from the dials is Flight Mode Note The gyro will change from Setup to Flight mode right away but won t change from Flight to Setup until you also cycle its power Bell Gain Hiller Gain Ae Option gt N Indicator LED Mode Switch Setup mode lets you use the USB connection and also used for mechanical setup control motions pass straight through with no stabilizing action While in this mode the indicator LED will slowly flash green In Flight mode the LED Indicator will show solid red while it s still initializing and turn solid green when it s ready to fly The gyro will not finish initializing unless it is completely still It will also not read in new values from the gain dials until it is left still for a few seconds The option button is used to enter Self Setup mode and Firmware Update modes described in Section 10 and Appendix B WARNING Always check before flight that the LED is solid green If you take off in setup mode the flight will be very exciting short and possibly also expensive The LED flashing red rapidly indicates an error There are four possible cause
18. iver aren t mounted near heat option button gently and then power up the gyro The LED should stay sources and let it acclimatize to field off and Connect on the setup screen will stay red temperature 6 Click the menu item Firmware and then Update Firmware Heli jumps in pitch or roll after Check that the heli s centre of gravity l hard changes between positive CG is directly under the main shaft 7 Select the hex file from step 2 and wait for the firmware upgrade to and negative collective and tune swash servo throws and tail complete drag compensation 8 When finished the connection indicator on the PC should turn red and the During yaw piros with collective Damping gains are too low servos are gyro will be in Flight mode pitch changes or piros during not fast enough swash moves 9 forward flight the heli wanders unevenly or tail drag compensation needs tuning see page 19 Move the mode switch towards the gain dials and cycle the power The new firmware revision number should show up on the top right of the USB interface display 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 23 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 24 Appendix C Warranty and Technical Support Warranty and Repair Skookum Robotics Ltd warrants this product against any defects in materials or workmanship for a period of 90 days from the purchase date This warranty is limited to the original purchaser In the event of a malfunction Skookum Robot
19. of your radio can be used normally as long as they do not exceed 100 travel 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 12 10 Alternate Setup Method Using the Transmitter Self setup is provided to allow use of the gyro when a PC is not available to help set it up For 90 degree mCPPM mechanical mixing this method will give you a basic setup no different than if you used the USB interface For 120 degree eCPPM this method will teach the gyro the swash mixing in your radio so in flight it can de mix those signals do its stability work and then re mix outputs for the servos Note for 120 degree eCCPM separated control inputs are preferred and will provide more precise control of your helicopter For that option see Section 9 The first step is to set your radio s swash mixing to get the correct amount of cyclic and collective pitch motion which for cyclic pitch is about 10 degrees see Section 6 Then put your radio into idle up mode with dual rates set to high Then to enter self setup mode put the gyro s mode switch towards the gain dials and hold down the option button gently while powering up the gyro The LED will flash red and green and then stay green for a few seconds before the setup cycle starts It will then blink green to count out the step number at the start of each step After each step count hold the control sticks as shown in the following table until the next step count is blinked Note the table shows t
20. oid using the transmitter trims for elevator or aileron If you do use trims you ll have to zero them before every flight ALWAYS do these pre flight checks 1 The Indicator LED should be solid green not flashing 2 Positive collective should increase blade pitch 3 Right aileron stick should tilt the swash for a right roll 4 Nose up elevator stick should tilt the swash for nose up 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 15 13 Basic Tuning If you have set up your helicopter s mechanics properly and the cyclic throws are correct then tuning should be easy Note always let the gyro be still for a few seconds after adjusting the gain dials so the gyro knows to read the new settings If your heli is nitro powered you ll need to stop the motor Definitions e Bell gain adjusts how much aileron and elevator control will directly tilt the swashplate e Hiller gain adjusts the stability and holding ability of the gyro Follow these steps 1 As a starting point adjust the dials on the gyro to about 30 for the Bell elevator gain and 50 for Hiller gain 2 Lift the helicopter off into a hover and try some small elevator and aileron motions If it oscillates or does anything violent as you spool up email tech support for help 3 If the helicopter doesn t hold well in pitch or roll or slides to the side turn the Hiller gain up a small amount If the helicopter oscillates while hovering turn the Hiller gain dial
21. pe with good damping must be used such as the 3M 4408 tape included The gyro s case should not directly contact any hard surfaces of the helicopter s frame and if a safety strap is used across the top of the gyro it should be padded slightly Cables connected to the gyro should have some slack near the gyro s case Before mounting the gyro clean its base and the mounting site with isopropyl alcohol Then use two pieces of the supplied 3M mounting tape on the base of the gyro as shown If you use a pad metal plate pad mounting for a nitro heli be careful that the stack is not too thick as this might result in resonance 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 4 5 Helicopter Airframe Setup Good mechanical setup is critical to the gyro performing correctly Please read this section fully The gyro should not be used in addition to a flybar as the results could be unpredictable It is intended for use where the swashplate alone drives blade pitch Blades Flat bottomed rotor blades are not recommended They have a pitch down moment about their axis of rotation that could put heavy loads on the swashplate servos The ideal rotor blades will have a symmetrical airfoil be torsionally stiff but a bit flexible spanwise and balanced both spanwise and chordwise Servos The best performance will be achieved if the swashplate servo s full normal range of movement is used For good 3D performance you will need servos that are fa
22. plate servo motion at full stick deflection for aileron cyclic Can be a negative number but cannot be zero Collective Pitch Percent of full swashplate servo motion at full stick deflection for collective This can be a negative number Phase Trim Rotates the plane of cyclic action about the mainshaft to allow correction for gyroscopic and aerodynamic effects and the use of 3 or 4 blade rotor heads For example setting phase trim to 90 degrees would make full stick deflection for aileron tilt the swashplate down Note that the phase angle depends on the rotor rpm and load Swash Ring Limits motion of the swashplate to prevent binding when large amounts of both elevator and aileron cyclic are used 1 e assume the swashplate is round not square Servo Tab Frame Rate The Sync synchronizes pulses to the servos with your receiver s output for minimum latency Digital uses higher frame rates than analog servos can handle and has little latency For digital servos 125 Hz is best 100 Hz is rarely used Do not use digital frame rates for analog servos Equalize Servo Speeds Accounts for the different radius of motion for the servos in an eCCPM swashplate arrangement For example for a 120 degree swash an aggressive pitch motion will demand higher speed from the centre servo than the left or right servos so it may lag behind causing uncommanded collective input This feature would slow all the servos evenly to the maximum rate of the
23. r Decay Whilein nigh speed tanvard aight Pichdampina gains ieolow will also limit the gyro s ability to hold steady in gusty wind or trim the heli the heli pitches up or down perfectly in hover momentarily Disable Gain Dials If enabled the gain dials on the gyro itself will have no effect l l Heli tends to oscillate rapidly Damping gain is too high The gains will be taken straight from those entered in the gains setup tab anes i 3 Test by giving a sharp elevator or Hiller Dial Also Scales Damping Gain If enabled then the Hiller gain dial will aileron command and then also adjust the damping gains by the ratio of the Hiller Dial setting vs the release of the stick elevator Hiller gain in the setup While in high speed forward flight Roll damping gain too low Warning For example if Elevator Hiller gain is 50 on the Advanced tab the Hiller the heli sometimes oscillatesin too high roll damping gain is hard on Dial is set to 100 and Damping is set to 20 for elevator on the Advanced roll servos or Hiller gain is too high R tao the tesulung damping gati Would De LONATE TAO Heli hesitates in pitch and roll and Bell gain is too low relative to Control This can make it easier to re tune the gyro when mechanical changes are continues to move for a bit when Rates Increase Bell gain slightly or made that will affect the gains such as to cyclic pitch or head speed the stick is released decrease Control Rates
24. rrect phasing This means that aileron and elevator control input change each blade s pitch at the correct time For most mechanical setups the phase angle will not need adjusting While checking for good cyclic throws phasing and even swash motion the gyro must be put in setup mode by pushing the mode switch towards the gain dials see Section 8 While in setup mode all stick motions are sent directly to the swashplate as if stability gains were all zero the gyro only does its mixing function The gain dials and gain fields in the PC software will have no effect in this mode To check the cyclic range and phasing 1 Set collective pitch to zero 2 Align a blade along the fuselage pointing over the nose of the helicopter as in the photo below 3 Now try full nose up elevator control with aileron centered Measure the pitch of the blade that points over the nose 4 If the mechanical setup is ideal the blade should not change pitch If it does you will need to adjust the phase angle either mechanically at the swashplate or using the gyro s USB interface If the pitch becomes negative adjust the phasing clockwise if positive then adjust it anti clockwise Note this will give 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 7 you normal phasing 90 degree lead multi bladed rotors may fly better with some positive phase trim 5 Try full right aileron control with elevator control centered The blade s pitch should be abo
25. s 1 The cyclic stick wasn t centered at initialization in flight mode 2 The supply voltage fell below 3 6v at some point 3 Itis too hot or too cold 4 The gyro has a systems fault If the first three causes can be ruled out please contact technical support 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 10 9 Gyro Setup Using the USB Interface Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 2008 Connecting First install the USB Interface software for your SK 360 gyro Unplug the swashplate servos the gyro for now Set your radio s transmitter so Aileron Elevator and Pitch Collective are output each on a separate channel Normal or 1 Servo swashplate mode The initial setup will be easier if you use a straight line pitch curve and no expo or dual rates Later those features can be set in the transmitter as you normally would Connect the gyro to the USB interface and set the mode switch on the gyro toward the gain dials to put it in setup mode Turn on the heli s power and start the setup software Check that the connection indicator in the upper left is green and says Connected Match the Gyro to Your Transmitter In the Offline Setup Values area in the lower half of the window click the Swashplate tab Then select the Swash Type that matches your heli s swashplate and make sure Mixing Location is set to In Gyro Now click the Control tab Center all the trims on your transmitter and be sure the cyclic stick 1s centere
26. st and if possible digital For analog servos check their specification and drive them at 6v if they are rated for it Stronger faster servos will let you use higher damping gains see Section 15 which is important for maneuvers such as piro flips Try to have 90 degree angles between servo and blade grip arms and linkage rods for even movement The gyro s USB setup interface will allow fine tuning of servo centers to achieve this Swashplate Rotorhead When setting up the mechanics originally designed for helis with a flybar just removing the flybar but keeping normal servo arm length will likely give too much blade pitch action Either servo travel or servo arm length will then need to be reduced For example on the Align TREX you can adapt the flybar mixing arms as travel reduction arms on the rotorhead to reduce the effect of swashplate slop and reduce servo load This will allow higher gains and better performance Some kind of anti rotation or follower mechanism will be needed to keep the top of the swashplate from rotating relative to the blade grips 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 5 If the swashplate is not held so the linkage to the blade grips is at 90 degrees to the blades for 2 bladed rotors the phase angle will need to be set to compensate See the diagram below Ball Link on Swash For initial flights the phase angle should be adjusted so that when the blades are lined up with the heli s
27. tail boom they do not move with elevator input but do move with aileron input for 2 bladed rotors This can be set either mechanically or through the USB setup software It is important that the linkages and swash have little slop and the lowest friction possible How stiff the rubber rotor head dampers are will have an effect on tuning the gyro and flight performance Performance will be better with the teeter damping a stiffer than normal but too stiff can cause vibration which is hard on the airframe gyros and servos Tail Because the axis of the tail rotor disk is lined up with the elevator axis of the heli it s important that you minimize tail rotor vibration Also if you have a belt driven tail be sure that your tail boom is electrically grounded to the heli s frame or motor case to prevent static electricity buildup Balance The gyro will perform best with the CG directly under the mainshaft or very slightly nose heavy This is especially important for maneuvers that use fast collective pitch changes combined with yaw such as piros 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 6 6 How to Check Cyclic Pitch amp Phasing The goal of mechanical and gyro swashplate setup is to get your normal collective blade pitch range and a cyclic range of about 10 degrees which means a total range of 20 degrees This is important Cyclic pitch is blade s pitch due to aileron or elevator input The rotor blades must also have the co
28. uivalent to increasing the weight of a flybar s paddles and adds stability and resistance to wind gusts This feature gives the heli a locked in feel Slop free linkages rigid rotorhead mechanics stronger servos and stiff blades allow higher gains here The Hiller gain dial is used to set the elevator and aileron hiller gains in the same manner as described above for the Bell gain dial Damping Gains Roll and pitch rate motion damping Higher gain is equivalent to having heavier rotor blades or a higher head speed and helps with stability during forward flight and pyros Fast digital servos allow higher gain here The default gains are best for analog servos but can be set to 20 16 for digital servos Appropriate Damping gains are normally about 1 3 as large as the Hiller gains Tail Drag Compensation All helis have uneven drag on their airframes especially the tail This feature lets you trim out the effects that has during hard collective pitch use for better pyros and tick tocks To use this feature follow these three steps 1 Make sure your heli s balance point is under the main shaft or slightly nose heavy 2 Check that your swash is level at min zero and max collective pitch while in Setup mode On the servo tab first adjust the swash to be level at zero pitch using the trims then use the servo travels to make sure the swash is level at min and max collective This is needed because servos are not all identical
29. ut 8 degrees 6 Try full left aileron control with elevator control centered The blade s pitch should be about 8 degrees 7 Align a blade at 90 degrees to the fuselage pointing over the right side of the helicopter as in the photo below 8 Try full nose up elevator control with aileron control centered Measure the pitch of the blade that points over the right side of the helicopter It should be about 8 degrees 9 Try full left nose down elevator control with aileron control centered The blade s pitch should be about 8 degrees If the cyclic blade pitch range is changed the gyro s stability gains will need to be changed as well For example increasing cyclic pitch range by 10 is the same as increasing the stability gains by 10 2008 Skookum Robotics Ltd 8 7 Connections The gyro has 3 inputs and 4 outputs labeled on the top of its case Note that the USB interface does not supply power For the inputs from the radio receiver the connector mapping is Swash Setup Type input moutz put Left Right means the heli s left and right looking from its tail to its nose The preferred method is gyro mixed mode set l servo in your radio For the in transmitter mixing option see Section 10 the Centre Output is the radio receiver output that you d otherwise plug the centre servo into and so on for the left and right outputs For the outputs to the servos the connector mapping
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