PDC 10 & 20 Setup

[Hamilton Neves]

Hi
I´ve just bought , one PDC10 and PDC 20 unit , I dont have any documentation of how to wire these things ... I have also a FS8 system , so if anyone has experience of how to make the proper wiring or manual of this units please give me a help.
PDC 10 v 1.13
PDC 20 v. 1.42
A friend of mine are planning a 100 km flight , between two cities here in Brazil :D , First we are going to install it in a trainer for a setup and leaning , after it , we will install in a 5 meter plane/sailplane with a Zenoah 42 , Maxstream Xtrend for gps telemetry , and blackwidow 1w system... :eek:
I hope it works otherwise a lot of electronics and money will be wasted...
Tks

[kd7ost]

Hamilton,

I know those two units quite well. Does each of them have four servo wires attached to them? BTW, PM me with your email address for a copy of the PDC-10 manual in PDF form. I can get that right to you. Also, there are some specific instructions for both. I'll get you the manual to read over on the PDC-10 and we'll get started.

What GPS unit are you thinking of using?

I don't know the FS8.

Dan

[Myron]

Hey guys,

The FS8 is a pretty decent wing leveler but it has no altitude hold so your gonna have a way to keep her level. Keep us posted on your progress..

Myron

[clolson]

The co-pilot at least stabalizes pitch. My Kadet Senior will loop if I jam it to full throttle from an idle. But with the co-pilot active it stays much more stable in pitch. It will climb, but you can see the co-pilot fighting to keep the nose down.

It doesn't know altitude, but it could be one piece of the puzzle ... it makes the problem easier to solve if nothing else because you don't have to worry about strange things like looping if your altitude controller decides it needs to go full throttle.

But a dedicated altitude hold module isn't a bad way to go either ...

Curt.

[kd7ost]

Hey guys,

The PDC-20 is a barometric sensing altitude lock. He has one of those so he's in good shape there.

Dan

[JettPilot]

I have two FS-8's. They are really great units, its like a super FS4, the reciever is built in and has a lot of other functions. They work PERFECTLY :D

What do you do for a living Hamilton Neves ??? I have been to Brazil and 99% of the people are so poor they could not afford to even put the gas in a UAV :( There are some rich, but VERY FEW. No middle class like we have here... Most workers in Brazil earn about 140 dollars a month... It is cheaper to live in Brazil than the US, but at about 7 dollars a day all you can do is eat and buy cheap cloths even there...

The Zenoah is a good choice of engine, because you need something reliable !!! If that UAV goes down in Brazil, you will NEVER see it again :mad: ... When most people are hungry, ANYTHING found is quickly sold to the highest bidder. I lived in South America for 3 years.. In public restrooms they have steel shields and locks on the flush valves of the toilets so people wont steal them :eek: . Even though I lived in the most expensive, safest, and best area of the city, I could NEVER leave my car parked outside, not even for a single night :eek: So make sure that UAV does not land anywhere where someone else will get it before you do !

Good luck to you. Brazil has beautiful land and scenery and I look foward to seeing your pictures and viedos :p

JettPilot

[clolson]

The way I heard it ...

A couple pilots are up flying some airplane and get completely lost in the clouds. The captain sticks his hand out the window and prompty says, I know where we are ... we are over paris, I just felt the Eiffel tower. A while later there get completely turned around again. Pilot does the same thing, this time announces they are over new york city; he just felt the statue of liberty. A while later, they get lost again. The copilot says, let me try that, sticks his hand out the window and says I know where we are ... over Lima Peru. The captain asks how he knows, copilot replies that he just had his watch stolen ...

I was born in Peru and lived there the first 13 years of my life. Just about the best country on the planet, but hold on to your valuables when you go out in a crowd in the big city. :-)

[JettPilot]

You are right about that Clolson. Here are some pictures you should recognize. The first is the view of Lima out my apartment :) Peru does have the best dirt bike riding on the planet :p I dont always wear my helmet, but I never ride without my pistol under my coat :eek: Its gotten much worse in the last few years, there are so many desperate people without jobs or money im afraid terrorisim will start there again soon :mad:

Its also a great place to do slope soaring, I have an RC glider I also fly down there all the time. It always draws a lot of attention, most people there have never seen an RC plane ;) How long has it been sinc you have been there Clolson ??

[clolson]

I can't find my "online" Machu Picchu picture at the moment, but I was there with my wife in '99. We did a lot of the touristy stuff ...

Here's a picture from when I was there in 1992. It's hard to make out, but notice the nose of the airplane is slightly below the oncoming ridge. Then notice there's not much room between the ridge and the clouds ... The pilot snuck us through somehow, but it wasn't the only time on that trip where I was wondering if this wasn't such a good idea ... :-)

For what it's worth, there are a few places here in the USA where it's worth having a pistol along. :-) For myself personally, I never felt like I needed/wanted one in any of the places I've visited in Peru.

[Hamilton Neves]

I have FS8 system also , but I´m not so lucky , it frozes twice , once on the ground (ok easy to recover ) , the second time just after a take of , fortunately I had the flight recorder and the log shows failsafe , I sent the log to the FMA people but no answer after 8 emails :mad: (Nathan if you read this please answer !) , but as the UAV doesn’t need the receiver to work ( works with failsafe activated) , it seems not to be a problem. By the way the plane mentioned was destroyed (AXI 2826/12 , Phoenix 60 , and 4S1P Kokam 3200 ).

I’m a mechanical engineer , and I work at a Pharmaceutical Industry , I’m not rich even to the Brazilian standards (I’m middle class ) , Brazil has a very poor population as you said , but it is not so bad as people uses to think , I live in Rio (population 7 million) and 50 % is really poor people , 1~3 % are really reach, and the remaining is a very wide middle class (earning between US$1200 up to ~ US$ 8000 /month ) . The worst part to be a model builder here is to pay 50% ~ 80% more than you in US , high taxes on import make things worst. So every time I travel to US or Europe I use to bring some model parts .
I use to fly mostly electric planes , from small WesTechnik models up to AXI 4120 , but I will leave the 4120 (5S2P 3200 Kokam is to expensive to sustain :p !)
Concerning the planned flight , it will be mostly over the shore , between Angra dos Reis and Rio (Google earth can find it) , and we are planning to follow it in a boat ( not shure if we can follow, as the boat cruises at 35 kts ).
Dan Tks once more for your support ! The unit will be the Garmin 12 as some threads recommended

[kd7ost]

Hamilton,

I got your PM and sent a copy of the PDC-10 manual to you last night. About 20 hours ago. I just got the second e-mail and sent you another copy. Let me know if that worked. I don't know what else to do.

Can you take a picture of the PDC-20 and PDC-10 seperate from each other. Just like that on the table. Don't get real close to them and fill the frame. Leave a little room just like the picture you posted. I'll copy them and label the parts and wires for you and repost them so you know what is what.

Dan

[Hamilton Neves]

I´ve just received and i´ve just started to test ... there is a regular and "R" reverse servo wires , and as far Ive tested "e" means enable and the last one plugs into the rudder ch Is it right ?
Once more TKS !!!
Sorry about my English ... this is not my mother language .
Hamilton

[kd7ost]

Yes thats correct.

Dan

[JettPilot]

Ola Hamilton,

I had problems with my FS8 when I first got it also, and thought it was a bad reciever. What it turned out to be is that the FS8 is a VERY narrow band reciever and if your transmitter is off frequency a little bit, it will not pick up the signal very well and will go into failsafe a lot and your range will be horrible. I took my transmitter to FMA personally and they tuned it for free :D It was quite a ways off frequency, which they say is common :eek: After that, it worked much better. I run 5 watts of video and the FMA rejects interference from it better than my JR reciever does :eek: The 5 watts desensitizes both receivers, but the FMA handles it ok. The JR is pretty useless with the video turned on :mad:

Brazil is a very fun place if you have money and a good job. I like South America much more than I do the USA ;) There is good and bad, but I have a great time down there...

As far as your crash goes, you should set up the Failsafe on the FS8 so that your plane does the following.

Throttle - Idle
Elevator - About 1/4 up
Ailerons - Neutral
Rudder - Neutral
Stabilization- FULL ON

That way, if you lose the signal, the plane will level itself immidately and go into a nice slow glide :) Even if it goes into the ground its just like a landing as long as it does not hit a tree :o

On many of my longer range flights, I get as many as 60 failsafes accroding to my data recorder, but its not a problem, the plane just levels out until I move my antenna to a better position :p

I know what you mean about everything being expensive, I take eveyrthing I can down to South America, never buy anything there, import taxes make stuff almost double what it costs here. Thats what corrupt governments do for you... Can you immagine if everything we imported here costs twice as much, and we put even more taxes on gasoline so that it is even more than it cost now ??? It will kill our economy in short order. Much consumer spending would stop. Many businesses would close. etc. etc. Just like South America. They do it to themselves :mad:

Anyways, You got some neat stuff, I hope it works well for you. Just make sure you do lots of testing before you send it beyond visual range. Circuits around the RC field etc. etc. Try a Garmin Gecko 201 GPS, its MUCH smaller than the GPS in your picture and lighter, and is only 100 dollars here :p It does routes, and everything your bigger one does. Its nice to meet you and keep us updated on your project.

JettPilot

[Hamilton Neves]

Tks JetPilot
I will work in the tx tunning (the main problem is to send it to FMA :) ) so I will try some technichians down here. I will ask to my partner to take some pics from the plane , and as soon the first Nav test is finished I will post some info.
Concerning the crash I left the receiver without fail safe ... now too late :D
I like the FMA receivers I have 2 FS5 and one M5 great receivers ! At least I hope as I´m running a 135mph pylon with one FS5 :eek: (Quick with Neu motor) !!!
Hamilton

[JettPilot]

Are you still alive Hamilton Neves ???

I am wondering how your project and testing has come along. Tuning your radio for proper frequency is very easy for someone that does that sort of thing. I am sure you can easily find a radio shop in Brazil that can do it for you. Have you made any more progress with your system ???

JettPilot

[Hamilton Neves]

Hi JettPilot
Still avive !! but my FS8 seems to be dead :rolleyes: Finally I spoke with FMA people and I´ve made a several tests with my receiver but it seems to have a problem , I will send them the receiver and tx module and they will evaluate my system. I made some tests with the PDC10 and it is OK , now I will make a short test in a trainer (finishing tonight) . My friend is finishing the big UAV plane , I will post the finishing pictures as soon I have , but he send me some of the building phase.

[libelulamodelos]

where you buy the system? how much is it?

[JettPilot]

Good to hear you are making progress Hamilton :) That looks like a Zenoah G-26. I was going to use that engine but by the time my UAV was getting finished it was almost 20 pounds :eek: and the G-45 gives twice the power for only a few ounces more, so I returned my unopened G-26 for the G-45. Im glad I did, the G-45 runs perfectly and I like having huge amounts of power when I want, and it will cruise at 1/3 power all day long :p

You will like the PDC-10, it works very well. I have flown it in more than 30 MPH (50 kph) crosswinds, headwinds, downwinds and it always maintains its track and finds the waypoints... And it turns very smooth, no hunting or bad stuff at all :D

JettPilot