DuuhMojo

Hey guys,

I just got my Dragonfly in the mail today finally, took 3 weeks to come.
I took it all out of the box and charged the batteries as I started reading
the manual, if you can call it that. [:'(] Anyways after everything was
ready I turned on the TX and then plugged the Heli in. The mixer's light
flashes red a few times and then goes solid red, so I let it sit fo rthe 5-7
seconds like the manual says but it never goes green.[] I've tried this a few times
now with the same results, any suggestions to help a newbie, this is my
first Heli. Also note the servos move fine(no I'm not testing them until after 2 mins
of red light). Also the Gyro light is red, I'm not sure if that means anything.
Please help!!!

DuuhMojo

Jerrykl720

on the dragonfly , it only has the red led (light) . so don't worry about the light red or green !
the thing that u have to worry about is to learn how to set it up and learn to fly it!
balance is a very important issue!

Jerry

flyingchaos

Looks like you need to setup your wiring from scratch!

The gyro first, I assume you have separate gyro and mixer, if its the pg-03 there is a setup dial and a gain dial.
Turn the gain in the middle. Turn the setup approximately middle and by trial and error, move it clockwise or counter-clockwise and look at the light and adjust the setup dial so that the light is BOTH green and red...

As for the mixer....it is red because it detects that your throttle control is not initially LOW. This is why I said "check your wiring first". When I got mine, the throttle and tail connectors were connected incorrectly!
To check which channel on the Rx(reciever) maps to which control stick....unplug everything but the esc, and connect a servo to test which Transmitter stick "maps" to which channel on your Rx.
or...you can just look at the manual for your Rx. :-)

-Dan

DuuhMojo

Dan you ROCK! That fixed my problem. Setting the gyro was easy, it now shows orange(red/green) So I assum I always
set my gyro like that in the future? The mixer would not turn green until I set the throttle trim down, I had it in the middle
like the manual said but that was enough to cause a small throttle. So now I guess I got to balance the sucker. Anyone got
some good websites for instructions since teh dragonfly manual blows.

Thanks again

Xperimental

why is it that we have to set the gyro until it flashes red-green/orange? does it always mean it's a better setup if it flashes both?

DuuhMojo

Yes I would like to know the same thing, to much information is always a good thing.

flyingchaos

when the gyro flashes green and red at the same time, it means that the gyro is "setup" for neutral; assumming you are not wagging the heli around during this setup phase! :-)

You typically would want the neutral position setting on the gyro. Use the rudder trim on the TX if you need it during flight, I find that I need it sometimes depending on battery capacity level.



You'll notice that when you manauly wag the tail to the left or right, you'll see the green OR red accordingly to the direction. ( the gyro senses this so it knows to accomodate for it...like wind blowing the tail off course)


As for the gain...experimentation is best, but this is a personal preference how much control you want the gyro to have over the tail.

-Dan

DuuhMojo

I think I need to find some docs on gyros. I understand it keeping the tail in place but not sure what the
"gain" is for. I do know one thing with the Heli so far from testing it while keeping the skids on the ground
is that when I throttle up and the skids get light and she starts to drift to the left is that when I correct it with the
Aileron or pitch the main rotor slows down. Is this normal? I have to put more throttle to get it back to were it was, and f
I let off of the Aileron or pitch the throttle jumps up. Maybe this is normal behavior, I dunno

Thx

Xperimental

gee thanks dan, i had always thought that i had to keep the gyro led green, now i know that i was wrong.
so now i have to find a neutral spot that is when the led flashes green and red (correct me if i'm wrong)... mine does that when the sensitivity is way down - (minus)... no wonder all this time my feda dominates on turning left (counterclockwise)....

about the gain.... i'll try that too... but gain also contributes to the neutral position (flashing of red and green) right?

well thanks alot, that solves my 1 week question.

StrangeRanger

DuuhMojo...if you have a new DF you probably don't have the swash-ball mod. That is why you main rotor slows down when you apply stick controls to it. It is basically binding against the black tube that is around the main shaft. The swash-ball mod and collar are two upgrades I would recomend to any new pilot.
X...the gain does not affect the "neutral" position. The gain effects how aggressively the gyro tries to correct the tail position. For new pilots it is suggested to try it in the 50% area for a bit and see what you think. Then make small adjustments to the gain up or down until you get a sensitivity that is good for you.
Duuh...just do a search for balancing and you will find a zillion posts on it.
j

DuuhMojo

Hey StrangeRanger,

Any manufacturer or shop you can point me to to price up the swash-ball mod and collar mod? Hopefully it's not to expensive []

So would Hummingbird parts fit on the Dragonfly? I hear they do. The first two items in this link, are they the two modes your talking about?

slyshobbyden.net/hummingbird_upgrades

flyingchaos

Xperimental ,

I'm only speaking through experience with the gws pg-03 gyro.

use the "setup" dial to tune the led to red&green(this will tell you gyro is in neutral position).

use the "gain" dial to change how much sensitivity the gyro will apply correction to tail. Gain should not change the led color directly when heli is stationary.

As for the head slow down...StrangeRanger is right. I'm cheap, so I just used a small peice of that 'black' tube and use a small peice of silicon fuel tube.

-Dan

DuuhMojo

Your not cheap Dragon-Dude your "Frugal" What about the shaft collor mode,
did you do that one?

Later

flyingchaos

Ha, my mother-in-law uses that word..."Frugal". And that I am

As a shaft collar mod:
I had to cut a small peice of the original black plastic tube to butt against the inner run of the bearings.
I used a peice of fuel tubing to butt against the small plastic tube and provide grip onto the shaft.

The shaft will slide down if you force down on the rotor head, otherwise it works!

DuuhMojo

I got ya, that makes perfect sense. The chances of the tube getting pushed down unless on purpose is slim. Maybe I'll give that a try first and be "Frugal"
myself.

Thanks

Xperimental

Thanks dragon,.... i do have a pg03 gyro....
Ya... i have the same problem as duuh.... when i'm flying... if i apply control sticks to it... the throttle slows down...
ya... i need that swash ball and especially shaft collar mod... but the thing is... it would be very hard for me to get those mods from online shops... or hobbyshops nearby....

So do you have any suggestions on making it from household/homemade stuffs?

Super-Hornet

Hi all

I'm flying without swash plate ball and with DIY shaft collar. IMHO, u do not need to have swash plate ball to avoid binding. My swash plate are actually floating or without touching the main shaft. The swash plate ball is to prevent the top part from collapsing down. I avoid this by using DIY AntiRotation Arm (From BTT Cupid)

So the bottom line is to get a shaft collar first and if you can get swash plate then get it if not get AntiRotation Arm first till u can find swash plate mod or get BTT Cupid Swash plate.

Super-Hornet