Servo reverser in a Gas airplane?
12-29-2013, 07:22 PM
#26
First of all it is fresh... i know a lot of electronics can go bad over time, the world expert reverser you have is probably more than a few years old... before i posted this i did look it up and couldnt find any negative reviews on it...before i were to put it in an rc plane i would play with it extensively with the engine off and also with it on to simlulate as if you were going to fly it... you can do the same thing with you World Experts reverser it may still be good too
12-29-2013, 07:26 PM
#27
My Feedback: (19)
Not sure about your question AV8TOR but two points here: First, depending on age, the World reverser was most likely made in China also! Second, if it was an older version, they may have used TTL chips which won't work well, if at all with a 6V+ power source.
I helped a local flyer with a reverser problem several years ago. He was using a 5 cell battery (NiCd) at the time and fresh off the charger, only one elevator worked. After the radio was on for awhile, the second elev. would start working .... intermittent at first then OK after a bit more time passed. The problem was the TTL in the reverser, it would only work after the voltage came down into the working range of TTL. I believe I suggested he remove it from the airplane and smash it with a hammer so that it couldn't be installed again.
I helped a local flyer with a reverser problem several years ago. He was using a 5 cell battery (NiCd) at the time and fresh off the charger, only one elevator worked. After the radio was on for awhile, the second elev. would start working .... intermittent at first then OK after a bit more time passed. The problem was the TTL in the reverser, it would only work after the voltage came down into the working range of TTL. I believe I suggested he remove it from the airplane and smash it with a hammer so that it couldn't be installed again.
Last edited by Truckracer; 12-29-2013 at 07:30 PM.
12-30-2013, 12:35 PM
#32
Yeah, I've reversed them numerous times before; it's not hard. As long as the servo I have in there isn't SMT. We'll see when I get around to working on it here in a bit.
Another trick that a lot of people don't realize is that JR servos are reverse when compared to Futaba or Hitec servos. That's another route to go, but you have to be sure the servo speeds, torque, and throw match. That wouldn't be so critical on the ailerons for example, but on elevator halves or flaps you would want as perfect a match as possible.
Thanks again for all the responses guys,
AV8TOR
Another trick that a lot of people don't realize is that JR servos are reverse when compared to Futaba or Hitec servos. That's another route to go, but you have to be sure the servo speeds, torque, and throw match. That wouldn't be so critical on the ailerons for example, but on elevator halves or flaps you would want as perfect a match as possible.
Thanks again for all the responses guys,
AV8TOR
12-30-2013, 07:04 PM
#33
My vote would be for a Smart Fly Equalizer. Basically a Matchbox but a bit less expensive. Either device would allow you to reverse the servo and set the center and end points of either servo. Either device would also have no drift. The mix that is incorporated into the TX should work just fine as well because once the airplane is trimmed you shouldn't need to move the trim lever.
12-30-2013, 07:24 PM
#34
Just sitting here with nothing much to do.... poking around on the internet. So I too did a search on the World Experts servo reverser I had asked about, but used a different search engine than before. Came up with several hits talking about occasional failures, and several about them drifting off center with temperature changes just like the other reverser I now have in the plane is already doing.
My 50cc Wild Hare Extra is just about ready to jump off the work bench. When it does, I'll get the Giles on the bench and go after the problem. I will reverse the servo unless I find it is a SMT servo. If it is and I can't reverse it, I will just use a program mix, and go through the long process of trimming electronically on one servo in flight, landing and hand adjusting the other servo linkage, etc. until it is equal and right. I imagine that will take a few flights to get dialed in, but once done will work fine.
It seems like one time I reversed a SMT servo by cutting traces and hard wiring the hook up. Might be another option there too....
AV8TOR
My 50cc Wild Hare Extra is just about ready to jump off the work bench. When it does, I'll get the Giles on the bench and go after the problem. I will reverse the servo unless I find it is a SMT servo. If it is and I can't reverse it, I will just use a program mix, and go through the long process of trimming electronically on one servo in flight, landing and hand adjusting the other servo linkage, etc. until it is equal and right. I imagine that will take a few flights to get dialed in, but once done will work fine.
It seems like one time I reversed a SMT servo by cutting traces and hard wiring the hook up. Might be another option there too....
AV8TOR
Last edited by av8tor1977; 12-30-2013 at 07:27 PM.
12-31-2013, 03:44 PM
#37
Even if the servo can be reversed the two servos are not going to have the same travel so after opening it up and doing the work and then more time trying to match the elevator halves mechanically the best you can hope for is 80% correct. With an Equalizer you can have it perfect in 15 min.
01-02-2014, 03:49 PM
#38
Duh, it's so simple!
Man, have you ever had one of those "Oh my god, the answer is SO simple and it is right in front of my face!!!" moments?? I just had one of those.
Got the 50cc Extra done and test run, so it was time to look deeper into this Giles elevator servo reverse problem, so I got it up on the work bench. Took the elevator servos and electronic reverser out, and then took apart one of the servos. Damn, they are SMT servos and a real pain to reverse.
So I went out in the front yard and sat down with a cocktail, thinking I would probably just "get off the bucks" to buy a better reverser like the Smart Fly unit or whatever. Then it hit me. It hit me so hard I laughed. A big light bulb lit up over my head; I swear. I'll just put the Giles on my Futaba 7CAP, which does support trim adjustments on slaved channels!! I won't even have to buy a crystal, as I have extra receivers with crystals for the 7CAP! Too cool! I'll have to copy the radio setup for the other channels and reproduce it on the 7CAP, but it is going to work fine and without buying a thing nor having a extra electronic link inline to my servo. Yee Haa!
I'll just keep the Futaba 6XAS on my simpler planes; park flyers, glow planes, etc. Probably give it away some day to a kid that really shows an interest in the hobby/sport. (I live in Mexico, so the 72 mhz instead of 2.4 ghz shouldn't be a problem for many years.)
AV8TOR
Got the 50cc Extra done and test run, so it was time to look deeper into this Giles elevator servo reverse problem, so I got it up on the work bench. Took the elevator servos and electronic reverser out, and then took apart one of the servos. Damn, they are SMT servos and a real pain to reverse.
So I went out in the front yard and sat down with a cocktail, thinking I would probably just "get off the bucks" to buy a better reverser like the Smart Fly unit or whatever. Then it hit me. It hit me so hard I laughed. A big light bulb lit up over my head; I swear. I'll just put the Giles on my Futaba 7CAP, which does support trim adjustments on slaved channels!! I won't even have to buy a crystal, as I have extra receivers with crystals for the 7CAP! Too cool! I'll have to copy the radio setup for the other channels and reproduce it on the 7CAP, but it is going to work fine and without buying a thing nor having a extra electronic link inline to my servo. Yee Haa!
I'll just keep the Futaba 6XAS on my simpler planes; park flyers, glow planes, etc. Probably give it away some day to a kid that really shows an interest in the hobby/sport. (I live in Mexico, so the 72 mhz instead of 2.4 ghz shouldn't be a problem for many years.)
AV8TOR
01-02-2014, 06:36 PM
#40
My Feedback: (19)
AV8TOR, I'm deeply disappointed in you! You mentioned you had an A9, but I don't remember anything about another Futaba radio! How are we suppose to provide useful suggestions if we don't have all the facts! 
Seriously now, sitting up here in a snow drift, our time is valuable. And you lead us down this path ....... I think you owe us all one of those cocktails ....... and maybe even a warm place to sip it!
Seriously now, sitting up here in a snow drift, our time is valuable. And you lead us down this path ....... I think you owe us all one of those cocktails ....... and maybe even a warm place to sip it!
01-02-2014, 07:59 PM
#41
Cheaper yet to just buy another receiver for my Hitec Aurora 9 and put the plane on that radio. Cheaper than that, change the crystal to the channel of my Futaba 7CAP and use it's more advanced programming to do what I want. I was just hoping to use the "new in package" World Expert servo reverser that I had bought a long time ago to solve the problem with a simple disconnect/re-connect process. Guess not...
Thanks for the answers guys!
AV8TOR
Thanks for the answers guys!
AV8TOR
Hey, I used to run a bar down here called Margaritavilla. Total Jimmy Buffet theme bar. Anyone that wants to come down, contact me and I'll buy ya a margarita for sure!!
AV8TOR
01-08-2014, 06:47 PM
#43
Well guess what guys. NO LUCK. Little did I know, but the Futaba 7CAP DOES NOT support trim adjustments on slave channels. I changed everything over to the 7CAP system from the 6XAS it had been on. I got rid of the servo reverser and put the elevators on two different channels, and I had the ailerons on a "Y" before, so I put them on separate channels as well and mixed them together with the 7CAP. I then also programmed "Flaperons" as I often do with my Hitec Aurora 9.
The 7CAP has electronic trims, but guess what? THEY DON'T WORK ON SLAVED CHANNELS!! So now my elevators don't both respond to transmitter trim changes, my ailerons don't both respond to transmitter trim changes, and even worse, when I try to program in a little "down" elevator when the flaperons go down, only one elevator goes down!! For a theoretically at least somewhat intermediate to advanced transmitter, this thing is a joke! I'm about to throw it against a wall!!
I lost a lot of time fooling with it, because it doesn't say anything about slave channel trims in the manual, and I just couldn't BELIEVE it wouldn't have slave channel trim support. But finally I checked with Futaba online, and it really doesn't. The Futaba 7CAP does not support trim on mixed slave channels. What a bummer!!
Looks like I need to do one of two things. Buy myself another 7 or 9 channel receiver for my Hitec Aurora 9 radio and switch it to that, or spend a bunch of time at the field trimming one elevator and one aileron, landing, "eyeball" a mechanical ground adjustment on the both of each, fly it, do it again, and again, and again, etc. AARRGGHH!
AV8TOR
The 7CAP has electronic trims, but guess what? THEY DON'T WORK ON SLAVED CHANNELS!! So now my elevators don't both respond to transmitter trim changes, my ailerons don't both respond to transmitter trim changes, and even worse, when I try to program in a little "down" elevator when the flaperons go down, only one elevator goes down!! For a theoretically at least somewhat intermediate to advanced transmitter, this thing is a joke! I'm about to throw it against a wall!!
I lost a lot of time fooling with it, because it doesn't say anything about slave channel trims in the manual, and I just couldn't BELIEVE it wouldn't have slave channel trim support. But finally I checked with Futaba online, and it really doesn't. The Futaba 7CAP does not support trim on mixed slave channels. What a bummer!!
Looks like I need to do one of two things. Buy myself another 7 or 9 channel receiver for my Hitec Aurora 9 radio and switch it to that, or spend a bunch of time at the field trimming one elevator and one aileron, landing, "eyeball" a mechanical ground adjustment on the both of each, fly it, do it again, and again, and again, etc. AARRGGHH!
AV8TOR
Last edited by av8tor1977; 01-08-2014 at 06:50 PM.
01-09-2014, 08:49 AM
#45
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Wellllllll I have a 7-C and while it is an advanced type of radio to a point, there are many things it will not do as you found out.
So now you have several options all of which but one cost Money . I think through out the thread about every option has been covered at least once maybe twice in some cases to solve your issue.
Myself I would either get a reversed servo or use the servo reverser and be done with it.
So now you have several options all of which but one cost Money . I think through out the thread about every option has been covered at least once maybe twice in some cases to solve your issue.
Myself I would either get a reversed servo or use the servo reverser and be done with it.
