EASY 3D PROGRAMMING TRICKS

EASY 3D PROGRAMMING TRICKS

Making the most of your computer radio’s features can really improve your flying. Setting up a plane with the right radio programming will make performing all kinds of maneuvers much easier. Let’s see which programs will help improve our 3D flying. But before we address programming, let’s talk about using dual servos for the ailerons. Although most planes over .25 already use one servo in each wing, we just want to plug each servo into its own channel on the receiver. By not using a “Y” harness on the aileron servos, we can independently set each one to react differently to stick input, and that allows the plane to respond to inputs more precisely.

The advantages of having two separate aileron servos more than compensate for the weight added by the extra servo. By having a servo for each aileron plugged into its own channel, you can now use the spoileron and flaperon programs; these mixes will allow both servos to work in conjunction with the aileron stick. Both of these programs allow the ailerons to have dual functions. By setting them up on a 3-way switch, you can flip the switch in one direction and have both ailerons drop down and function as flaps while still working as ailerons. If you flip the switch the other way, the ailerons will move up and act as spoilerons while still functioning as ailerons. Flaperon and spoileron can both be used during high-alpha maneuvers to help stabilize the plane.

DUAL AILERONS

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | EASY 3D PROGRAMMING TRICKS

ABOVE LEFT: dual rates allow you to switch from one control deflection to another. On the Airtronics RD8000, the screen shown is where you program that in. When the dual-rate screen is in position 2, the aileron servo has 125-percent throw.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | EASY 3D PROGRAMMING TRICKS

ABOVE RIGHT: exponential programming is used mainly to soften or decrease the stick sensitivity of the control around center stick. Expo helps pilots by allowing them to fly more smoothly and with larger control throws. On this screen, when the dual rates switch is in position 2 (high), the ailerons have 70-percent exponential.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | EASY 3D PROGRAMMING TRICKS

On this screen, when the throttle stick is moved, it also affects the elevator’s movement. This helps the plane to maintain a straight downline.

Both of these mixes also allow aileron differential programming. This refers to the ratio of up to down movement of each aileron. Many planes need more movement from the upward-deflection aileron than from the downward deflection aileron. This allows the plane to roll true and eliminates unwanted yaw when the ailerons are applied. This is important because it will keep the plane flying true through all aerobatic maneuvers.

DUAL RATES
Dual rates allow you to reduce or increase control deflections by simply flipping a switch. This feature comes in handy when your plane is used for normal flying and hard 3D flipping around. You use standard or low rates (small deflections) to fly the plane smoothly, but right before it enters a big 3D maneuver, flip a switch, and now you have, movements of 45 degrees and larger on the control surfaces. Although you may need that much deflection for the maneuver, it would be difficult to fly the plane smoothly and with precision at normal speeds with those deflections. That’s where dual rates come in: after the maneuver is over, dual rates allow you to flip the rate switch back to standard rates and continue flying with lower deflections.

EXPONENTIAL

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | EASY 3D PROGRAMMING TRICKS

Radio mixing allows one transmitter control input to affect two or more flight functions. On this screen, when the rudder stick is moved, it also affects the elevator’s movement. This mix is used for knife-edge flight.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | EASY 3D PROGRAMMING TRICKS

The spoileron or flaperon program allows you to have a servo for each aileron yet still allows them to function as one. The advantage is that you have control of the rates, endpoint adjustment, centering and the amount of differential for each servo; this lets you refine your plane’s flying characteristics. The Stylus’s Spoiron screen is shown.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | EASY 3D PROGRAMMING TRICKS

Aileron-to-rudder mixing is useful if your model has a problem with adverse yaw when ailerons are deflected. You can adjust the percentage of mix to fine-tune the control response.

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | EASY 3D PROGRAMMING TRICKS

Mixing throttle to rudder also is useful when flying an upline at full throttle. Using a little rudder helps keep the model on track. The mix can be used to fine-tune the amount of right and engine downthrust you have to eliminate any veering offline that occurs at full power.

Another program that works hand in hand with dual rates is exponential. Exponential (expo) programming is used mainly to soften or decrease the control-stick sensitivity around center stick. Without exponential, a control-surface servo will move in an amount proportional to the amount of stick movement. For example, if you move the stick 50 percent of its available movement, the servo will also move 50 percent of its available travel. This is called “linear throw” or “linear movement.”

Using exponential changes the relationship between stick deflection and servo travel. With expo, you could move the stick 50 percent of its available movement and have the servo move only 20 percent of its available travel. The amount of servo travel depends on the amount of exponential programmed in. Keep in mind that exponential settings do not change the amount of servo travel available at 100 percent of control-stick deflection. If the stick is at the end of its deflection, the servo will be at the end of its available travel. Exponential changes the amount of servo travel that will occur with stick deflections of less than 100 percent. Servo travel is small at center stick, but as the stick moves closer to the end of its travel, servo travel speeds up to reach the end of its travel at the same time.

Expo reduces stick sensitivity at center stick and allows pilots to fly more smoothly with larger control throws. Imagine having large 45 percent throws on a control surface with a plane that you are flying straight and level. You move the stick 1/4 inch, and the control surface moves 1/4 inch; that causes the plane to veer off course quite a bit and makes your flight look jerky and erratic. With expo programmed in, that slight stick movement wouldn’t cause any surface deflection, and your flight would look smooth and controlled. Exponential is great when you have first flight jitters because if your hands shake expo prevents that anxiety from being transferred to the control surfaces.

Updated: July 16, 2015 — 4:08 PM

3 Comments

  1. Great overview!

  2. How would I set up the 3-way switch, so I can flip the switch in one direction and have both ailerons drop down and function as flaps while still working as ailerons with the Flysky FS-TH9X radio? I’m new to flying and having flaps would help me out because of the short run way I use.
    Thanks…Davcrockett

    1. @ Dave… Every controller is programmed different. There are several ways to do this on my Futaba 14mz. Refer to the manual, if you cannot locate it, download it. But, having said this it needs a servo for each aileron w/o using a y-harness, so you will need a receiver with at least 6 channels. If I remember off hand it is the function menu on mine then sub-trim out the desired degree of flapperon. You may even want to try spoilerons. Just word of caution you’ll need to compensate it with adjusting your elevator (on the same switch). I fly 2 to 3 mistakes high and adjust until it flies like a champ. I believe the point of this article is to make you aware that these things are possible while going briefly into detail. Google it for more in depth explanation. There are tons of threads on this subject. I use them when the corn grows to tall for a nice glide in. Best of luck!

Comments are closed.

Air Age Media ©
WordPress Lightbox