DX6i error??

[RobTom]

I ust purchased a DX6i and was programming it for my Belt CP. The connection between the receiver and transmitter was lost (battery was unplugged from the ESC. When I turned the Tx back on there seemed to be an error message?

Reads the following: ***M.MODE***
***T. HOLD***

Can someone please help me interpret this??

FYI: when I connect the battery to the ESC, the reciever light no longer comes on (unless the bind plug is in)??

I hope this is not bad!

[jasmine2501]

It will say that message until you turn off the throttle hold and return to flight mode 1. The transmitter will not activate until you clear those messages. This is designed to prevent you from plugging in the helicopter in idle-up mode and potentially having a "hot start" - the receiver light won't come on because the radio is essentially "off" until you clear those messages.

[powerlines]

your throttle hold switch is in the wrong possition to start up. Switch all the models to Air plane and you won't have that problem.. LOL.. That is a safety feature..

[RobTom]

Perfect!! I was staring to get very concerned given I just received the DX6i this afternoon.


Thanks again...

[powerlines]

Any time.. that is what this place is for!!!

[NubieHeli]

Perfect!! I was staring to get very concerned given I just received the DX6i this afternoon.


Thanks again...
Didn't I read somewhere that the DX6i had a recall? Here is the recalls and service bullitens:

Product recall DX6i (http://www.e-fliterc.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleID=1901)

Service Bulletin DX6i (http://www.e-fliterc.com/Articles/Article.aspx?ArticleID=1885)

[powerlines]

If you just picked it up. it's the new one..

UNless it's been sittin on the shelf for a while!!

[arbilab]

I read the recall, believe it had to do with scratchy pots.

DX6i is somewhat of an adventure compared to the stock RTF TXs. It's thrown me a few curves too, and I haven't even flown with it yet, just preflight and spinup.

[RobTom]

OK...one more question (at least for now). Any suggestions for the 5-point throttle and pitch curve settings for those of us refining our hovering skills - soft landings would be nice! Thanks.

[RobTom]

Currently I have:

Throttle: 0, 25, 50, 75, 100
Pitch: 30, 45, 65, 85, 100

Same settings for Throttle up.

[arbilab]

Never having flown a TX with curves, I shouldn't be answering and you shouldn't be taking what I say to the bank.

But 25% THR is pretty well useless other than a gentle startup. CPs won't fly under 60% or more.

THR might be 0, 30, 60, 80, 95. Also depends how over or under powered a particular craft is.

PIT, I've read that beginners need only slight negative pitch (50% being zero) to cope with light wind/updrafts. Might measure your pitch range, see how many % it takes to equal a degree. Some craft have +/- 12*, some less.

Reading on, beginner neg pitch is ~-2*. If you have flatbottom blades there's a 4* positive offset, for a total of -6*. You can use that for both the 0 and 25 stickpoints, as you won't be operating much in that range anyway. Also, you don't want neg pitch to go far, as it would tend to slam the heli into the ground if you yanked the stick back reflexively.

Think ahead to what to do in a forced landing from imminent loss of control. THR HOLD, low stick at altitude, ramping to max stick within ground proximity. That takes whatever energy is left in the rotor and translates it into altitude braking, or flaring. The reason for low stick is so that falling puts energy back into the rotor. It won't work from 3 feet off the ground, at that point you need to be flaring (up-stick) proportionally to altitude and descent rate. These are fine points of damage mitigation, rather than 'flying'. But early flying consists greatly of damage, so something to consider. Oh, and don't forget to program your PIT CUR for THR HOLD, it's independent of NORM.

50% pitch--which is zero, remember?--might be a good crossover point at 50% stick. Unless you have flatbottoms, then you have to subtract their 4* offset and multiply that times the percent-per-degree constant. Then there's inflow, effectively taking away 1* of that offset in the positive direction. Simple, innit?

Max pitch for beginner/hover probably needn't exceed 75% of total + range. So, 9* out of 12, or 7* out of 9. Again, those are degrees and you have to figure what % those represent on the stick by what the craft's mechanical range actually is.

Can anyone explain this better? To me, it's all just mental activity at this point, I haven't actually flown a TX with adjustable curves yet, just read a bunch of stuff. Specific curve recommendations for the craft in question?

[jasmine2501]

I thought there wasn't gonna be any math on this test?

The way I explain it is this - you need whatever throttle curve that will keep the blades from stalling as they increase their angle of attack. When you get up to hover pitch (which is different on different birds) - then you want to be around 75% throttle. So... since your mid-stick point is zero pitch, you want 75% throttle to come right after that... meaning a good throttle curve ramps up quickly and levels off...

With the DX6i, set the "EXP" on the throttle curve and set the points to 0-50-75-90-100 - this will give you a smooth curve that ramps up quickly enough to give you power in the hovering area, and a slight increase at power points. This is for normal mode flying of course... for idle-up modes, it's easiest to just set a flat curve 100% all the way across, although it's a matter of personal preference if you want to set a v-curve for idle-up. I personally don't like it, but don't rule it out until you try it.

The stock Belt-CP is not a powerhouse like the Trex 450 or something, so the increased throttle settings will help keep it running smoothly and keep the power in an area where it can be effective.

[arbilab]

I thought there wasn't going to be.... nope, you can't do it without math.

Take Jas's word over mine. She knows what she's doing. I know what I'm thinking from what I've read but have yet to prove it correct in practice. In fact I'm pretty sure I will end up changing most everything except zero throttle over time.

Speaking of time, you don't need to concern yourself with idleup at this one. BTW, don't flick it to find out what it does like I did. I'm lucky I had the heli held down firmly and it didn't strip the spur gear.