Elev-8 DX8
Hi all,
So I am new to rc, but have finished and promptly crashed my elev8. I feel like i barely touched the controls and the thing responded to such small corrections, I quickly lost control(I have now purchased a simulator for practice). I've read a lot about gain settings, but am a little confused. I am using a DX8 controller and don't see gain in the menu. Is this akin to throttle curve? Can anyone please provide me with some suggested beginner settings for the DX8, in DX8 settings term? Also, I have read that for a quad, the controller setting should be left as a fixed-wing airplane... Is this correct?
So I am new to rc, but have finished and promptly crashed my elev8. I feel like i barely touched the controls and the thing responded to such small corrections, I quickly lost control(I have now purchased a simulator for practice). I've read a lot about gain settings, but am a little confused. I am using a DX8 controller and don't see gain in the menu. Is this akin to throttle curve? Can anyone please provide me with some suggested beginner settings for the DX8, in DX8 settings term? Also, I have read that for a quad, the controller setting should be left as a fixed-wing airplane... Is this correct?
Comments
You should start with the gain (gear channel 5) being set at about 25% on both sides of the switch. This is an input to the Hoverfly's control system PID loop.
If the ELEV-8 responded the way it should, just aggressively, then you're probably correctly configured. What I suggest is that you put the aileron and elevator throws at 40% to soften the control system and try again.
Do you need some spare parts? Let me know and I'll send them over. We'll get you in the air and you'll stay there.
Ken Gracey
Yeah, I need some props, I'd be most grateful for a few more.. Part of why I want to sort out the settings and practice with software more before another flight. Please forgive me, but I'm not sure I understand. Gear channel 5? You mean under travel then gear, correct?It did respond as should ( hovered nicely before I tried to maneuver it). Aileron and elevator throws in the software settings, right? Also under travel? So leave throttle curve alone then? I realize I have a lot of newbie questions about the DX8 settings and appreciate your patience and guidance... Do you know of some pages which would help me with the terminology a bit more? I'm sorry, things like elevator throws are a bit beyond my experience at this point. Other than that, great machine and can't wait to learn more and master flight! Seeing my elev8 lift off was an awesome experience!
Don't adjust throttle curve. It's not necessary with this control system and it helps to have a very linear throttle.
Yes regarding gear under and over travel. Set them at 25%.
The amount of travel on throttle and rudder should be 100% but aileron and elevator should initially be set at 50%. Having about half the control response on the aileron and elevator will make it easier to fly for a newbie.
We have about 60 pages ready to publish for th ELEV-8 V2 which will be useful to you. We will see them on August 1st.
Lots of questions are no problem. You're asking the same ones as other people which are often due to our lack of detailed documentation.
Didn't you do a most excellent build?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOWb-43FD08
Roy did one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4aWV5i1S5U
And Dino did a three part series, starting with this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbquBpk7iZ8
I think anyone building an Elev-8 should watch these, especially Dino's.
Dino's is closest, I haven't watched it all but it seems very thorough, but what I have in mind is a series of many short videos so that you can get right to what you need to know. Besides, with the new ELEV-8 version things will be a bit different.
For clarities sake, the setting changes suggested should applied under the servo menu and none other, correct? Those are the only changes I have made.
Also, I had to replace my ESCs because one of them was dead and when I ordered a replacement it was a little different than the ones I had and didn't work the same as the others the kit came with. The guy at the local hobby store sold me ZTW spiders. Does anyone have any experience with these? The only real documentation I can find says they do not need programming and calibration. Is this true or could it be the source of my flight woes?
Lastly, in the hoverfly manual it specifies the gain should be 25, but one of them should be negative... Is this true or should I leave both at positive 25?
Thanks to all for the support!
I was wondering if anyone has any answers to or suggestions regarding my last questions? Looking forward to getting the last kinks out and getting to fly!
Thanks again!
With the transmitter powered on and in the main screen, press and release the roller to enter the “Function List.” Rotate the roller to the right until “Servo Setup” is highlighted and click once. Scroll left to "Throttle" and click once. Scroll right until "Gear" appears then click again. Scroll right to "100%" and click once. Scroll left until "25%" is displayed, then click again. Locate the "Gear" switch on the top left of the unit and switch it. The highlight box on screen should now highlight the other "100%", click once. Scroll left until "25%" is displayed, then click again. Set the "Gear" switch to the "0" position. You will need to keep this switch in the “0” position for normal flight operation.
Maybe I should repost that under dx8 settings for all the other nubies out there. In your opinion, would the mismatched gain be a probable cause of the strange flight behavior described above?
Also, anyone out there know about the Spider ESCs? It seems strange the say they require no calibration or programming because these processes seem to be pretty universal. There seems to be a real lack of documentation on these so I was wondering if anyone has experience with or knows anything about these different ones?
Thank you all again for your continued support and patience!
with "ACRO" model type selected. the following are the only setup changes you need to make on the DX8:
With the transmitter powered on and in the main screen, press and release the roller to enter the “Function List.” Rotate the roller to the right until “Servo Setup” is highlighted and click once.
Scroll right to "Throttle" and click once. Scroll right until "Aileron" appears then click again. Scroll right to "100% 100%" and click once. Scroll left until "50% 50%" is displayed, then click again.
Scroll left to "Aileron" and click once. Scroll right until "Elevator" appears then click again. Scroll right to "100% 100%" and click once. Scroll left until "50% 50%" is displayed, then click again.
Scroll left to "Elevator" and click once. Scroll right until "Gear" appears then click again. Scroll right to "100%" and click once. Scroll left until "25%" is displayed, then click again. Locate the "Gear" switch on the top left of the unit and switch it. The highlight box on screen should now highlight the other "100%", click once. Scroll left until "25%" is displayed, then click again. Set the "Gear" switch to the "0" position. You will need to keep this switch in the “0” position for normal flight operation.
I've made an executive decision and am scrapping the spider ESCs. Hate that they have such little documentation and feel like the hobby shop guy just got me to waste money with those. I still have the one 'good' gemfan ESC the kit came with, so I'm buying three more so I can be done with that complicating factor. This way I can just use all the great info in these forums and that should be that!
The Elev-8 has a gain setting for the flight controller that affects how quickly and how strongly it reacts to outside forces, as detected by the gyroscope. If you haven't told it to tilt, but a bit of turbulence hits it, the controller sees a change in the gyroscope values and changes the motor outputs to compensate for it. The gain setting on the flight controller changes how hard it tries to compensate. Too low a gain setting will make the Elev-8 feel "mushy", and too high can make it oscillate as it over-corrects in response to its own adjustments. This gain is the one you control with the "Gear" switch on your radio, and also with the end-point adjust on the Gear channel. Changing the end-point setting on the gear channel is how you tell the Hoverfly board what gain value to use for flight control. (see below).
There's a different setting in your transmitter, often called travel adjust, end-point adjust, or ATV. (This is what Kyle gave you instructions on how to change) When you push one of the sticks on your transmitter in a direction, this setting controls how much "output" your transmitter produces. If you have the end-point setting at "100", it means that pushing the stick all the way in one direction sends "100%" of its possible output. If you set it to 50, pushing the stick all the way in a direction outputs a signal half as strong. This is very useful for toning down the response of a model and making the controls less sensitive.
The HoverFly instructions recommend setting your end-points at 100, but I found for myself that was WAY too touchy. I recommend starting at 50 and working your way up a little at a time as you get better. The higher settings make the model more responsive, but require a lighter touch. If you're new to this, it'll be easier to start lower.
Cheers,
-Kyle