Setup

SLOPING OFF... ...the Newsletter of Christchurch and District Model Flying Club for...March 2024

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	AS3X & SAFE - Setting up Spektrum AR637T (6 channel) or similar receiver on plane using forward programming by Sean Playford Other receivers include AR630 (6 ch), AR631 (6 ch), AR8360T (8 ch with telemetry), AR10360T (10 ch with telemetry) The purpose of this checklist is to enable a suitable AS3X/SAFE equipped Spektrum receiver to be setup on a plane. The checklist will cover initial set-up, AS3X setup and SAFE setup with panic button. It should be noted that forward programming will only appear as an option on the function list when the plane and transmitter are switched on and connected. If it does not appear, the transmitter will likely require the firmware to be updated and it should then be available. There are a few older transmitters (Most DX6 & DX7) however where forward programming will not be available. It is recommended to set a model up from scratch or select the model setup off the Spektrum site. This will minimize the chances of error. It should be noted that it is easy to reset the receiver to default, should you run into any difficulty with the setup. You should therefore have a go/play with this setup to gain a good/better understanding of forward programming as if all else fails, you can reset and the plane will default back to the initial setup. To reset, go to forward programming, gyro settings, system setup, utilities, system restore. Initial setup Before going into forward programming, the plane and receiver needs to be fully setup and ready to fly, albeit without AS3X and SAFE. The receiver should have been installed and bound to the plane. Please note for AS3X and SAFE to work correctly, the receiver needs to have been installed in an orientation as recommended in the manual. There are a variety of options (horizontal/vertical/upside down) but it is essential the receiver is square and facing front to back with the plane (not set at an angle horizontally or vertically). Ideally, the plane should be initially flown and then mechanically trimmed as required to suit in flight trimming. All control surfaces should be moving in the correct direction/required servo reversing done. Dual rates and Expo should be set. Elevators, ailerons and rudder need to move in correct direction. Flaps need to be set. All mixes set-up including flap/elevator mix and aileron/rudder mix. Throttle cut switch set. Any audio events setup (not essential) Within system setup, Channel Assignments will also need to be setup, ready to be used as part of the forward programming setup. These include… Adjustable gain – find a free aux channel and assign the knob or a slider to this where possible. If a knob or slider are not available, the gain will likely need to be fixed. Flight Mode Switch (AS3X, SAFE, Off) - find a free aux channel and assign it to FMode. Note, in the F-mode Setup section within system setup, this is where you choose your 3-position switch that F-mode will be assigned to. Panic button – find a free aux channel and assign the I (bind) button to this. Volume – a slider can be assigned to a free aux channel if required. It is highly recommended at this stage to go into the monitor screen to check that the required knob, slider or switch operates the correct aux channel and ensure there is no conflict, e.g. selected switch operates 2 channels. Important note - once AS3X has been setup on the plane using the above settings, if any changes are subsequently made, e.g. wing type, channel assignment or servo’s reversed, the AS3X initial setup procedure will need to be done again. Otherwise, surfaces will likely move in the wrong direction and cause a crash! AS3X setup If you are satisfied that all of the above has been done and everything is working correctly, you are now ready to go into forward programming to setup AS3X initially. Select forward programming Click on gyro settings and select first time setup. Confirm that everything in the initial setup has been done. This is the AS3X setup and is where the transmitter learns the orientation of the receiver within the plane. When prompted, set plane level and press continue. When prompted, hold the plane nose down at 90 degrees and press continue. The transmitter should then display the orientation that it thinks the receiver has been installed. This should be correct and if it is, press continue. If it is not correct, please ensure the receiver has been installed in accordance with the manual and then go through the AS3X setup again from the beginning. Gain channel select – this is where you assign the gain to the knob or slider that you setup within channel assign earlier. This will allow you to adjust the sensitivity of the AS3X when in flight. Ensure the knob or slider is fully turned up during this process. If you did not have a knob or slider, the gain will need to be fixed. The plane will then reboot and when this has completed, AS3X will be setup. The control surfaces should wag once on boot up which signifies that AS3X is active. Now if you go back into forward programming and gyro settings, more options are available including….AS3X settings, F-mode setup, system setup and 1^st time SAFE setup If you go into AS3X settings, you can adjust the gain sensitivity. Gain has 3 levels of sensitivity (1x, 2x, 4x). On initial setup, 1x will be set and should be sufficient for most planes. However, it can be changed to 2x or 4x if more sensitivity is required. It is essential that you then need to check that all surfaces move in the correct direction. Roll the plane, move the tail up and down and left to right. The control surface should move in the direction of the plane movement. E.g. if you drop a wing, the aileron on that wing should go down, pushing the wing up. If you drop the tail, the elevator should go down, lifting the tail. If you push the tail left, the rudder should go left, pushing the tail right. If this is difficult to see, you can adjust the gain within forward programming to 4X which will greatly exaggerate the movement (don’t forget to set it back again though when satisfied!) or rest your hand on the surface to feel the direction of movement. If any of the surfaces do not move in the expected direction, it is likely that an error may have been made in initial setup (servo moving the wrong way) or the receiver orientation may be incorrect. Please check and start again from beginning. If AS3X is all you require, the plane is now setup! When flying AS3X should counteract wind effects to keep the orientation level. Gain can be increased if the counteraction does not appear to be enough or reduced if the plane overcompensates and causes wag of the surfaces. If the AS3X does not appear enough when fully turned up, the sensitivity (1x, 2x, 4x) can be increased in forward programming. SAFE setup (if required) Select forward programming. Click on gyro settings In F-mode setup, assign flight mode to the switch assigned in initial setup. Select FM channel and select switch already assigned and click next. On the next screen when you toggle the assigned switch, the flight modes should change between FM1, FM2 & FM3 and if they do, this is correct. If for any reason they do not, e.g. it remains on FM1, it is likely that there may be an error when assigning the switch in Channel Assign in initial setup. Check the monitor screen as previously advised and correct any error. If an error has occurred, although it is possibly not essential, I would recommend you commence the process from AS3X setup again to align with the corrections. Optional gains on different channels – If you have enough spare channels, you can put the gains on different sliders, knobs, etc to fine tune the response. You will need to have set these channels up already in channel assign on initial setup. Go back into gyro settings, system setup, gain channel select. Here you can now set the roll, yaw, etc to the different switches. Otherwise, leave them all on the one channel which should be sufficient. Now go into 1^st time SAFE setup and press continue. Put the selected flight mode switch in the position where you want SAFE and click next. Set the plane level to capture its attitude. Tap level model and capture attitude. This will capture the attitude. Click next. Set up the SAFE settings to this flight mode. Select ‘self level/angle demand’ and click next. The plane and receiver will then reboot and initial SAFE setup will be done. The plane surfaces will wag twice which signifies that both AS3X and SAFE is active. Now we need to fine tune the flight modes so that each switch position gives the stability that we require. Go into forward programming, gyro setup. This now gives the options…AS3X settings, SAFE settings, F-mode setup, System setup. In F-mode setup, SAFE has been already setup. Now move the switch to the position where AS3X only is required and select AS3X. In the last position AS3X and SAFE can be set to off. In AS3X settings, gains, you can adjust the angle limits to the gains if required. It also allows you to fix the gains once you have got the adjustable gains correct. You will need to capture the gains prior to changing them to fixed. Panic button setup (if required) The I (bind) button can be setup as a panic button provided it has already been setup in channel assign. Go into forward programming, gyro setup, system setup. Select SAFE/panic channel and set it to the pre-selected aux channel and I switch. Select the Panic flight mode to the full SAFE switch position (FM1, FM2 or FM3 as per your previous selection in SAFE setup). It is recommended to reduce your roll, etc limits to 20 as this is a panic situation and it will give you a better chance to regain control. In gyro settings, F-mode setup, panic can now be assigned to each flight mode as required (toggle the switch). It is recommended to add to all flight modes. Summary Your plane should now be fully setup with options to have full SAFE, AS3X only or fully off, with a panic button to use in any of the flight modes if required. This checklist has been put together from my own personal experience of setting up receivers on various planes, using a Spektrum NX10 transmitter. I have gained this experience through watching various on-line videos, etc and through trial and error. Whilst following this checklist should achieve the required goal, it should be appreciated that different transmitters/updates may display the forward programming slightly differently. It may also be possible that I have overlooked a stage without thinking and or an element of the checklist has been missed when you have setup the plane. I have gained a lot of experience thro’ playing with the settings and trial and error and to date the planes I have setup have worked correctly. Although I am a fairly new flyer I am pretty much flying on AS3x only but SAFE has got me out of a few tight spots where a crash would have been inevitable! Whilst most of you are extremely experienced and are unlikely to require AS3X for every day flying, in my experience this gives a lot more options in windy conditions. Should you have any difficulties with any of the above, I am happy to assist as required. My best email is: ‘spdesign@ymail.com’. Alternatively, I can be found at Oldfield, weather permitting, most Saturdays and Sundays in the late afternoon (around 3.30 pm). Happy flying. Sean Playford.