Castle ICE 50 & EF Torque 2818/900
Test data, for future reference.
ExtremeFlight Torque 2818/900, APC 12x6
AirBoss 45 Elite, default settings:
10.17V 35.2A 6800rpm
Phoenix ICE 50, firmware 3.0, 8 KHz pwm, low timing (optimal configuration):
10.17V 37.8A 6990rpm
With that prop, the difference amounts to app. 150g - computed, not measured - more thrust for 2.5A more.
Notes on ICE settings:
* Don't use the outrunner mode, set the PWM rate to 8KHz. This is the same as AirBoss default pwm rate.
* The only official non-beta firmware for ICE is 2.16 . The latest available as of today is 3.00 . I noticed no significant difference for this application - 3.0 seems to be a bit more efficient, but not by much.
* AirBoss does seem to run the motor a bit more smoothly - or maybe this is just lower rpms.
Guideline on PWM rate: (RPM/60)*(# of poles) * 2 < pwm rate
ExtremeFlight Torque 2818/900, APC 12x6
AirBoss 45 Elite, default settings:
10.17V 35.2A 6800rpm
Phoenix ICE 50, firmware 3.0, 8 KHz pwm, low timing (optimal configuration):
10.17V 37.8A 6990rpm
With that prop, the difference amounts to app. 150g - computed, not measured - more thrust for 2.5A more.
Notes on ICE settings:
* Don't use the outrunner mode, set the PWM rate to 8KHz. This is the same as AirBoss default pwm rate.
* The only official non-beta firmware for ICE is 2.16 . The latest available as of today is 3.00 . I noticed no significant difference for this application - 3.0 seems to be a bit more efficient, but not by much.
* AirBoss does seem to run the motor a bit more smoothly - or maybe this is just lower rpms.
Guideline on PWM rate: (RPM/60)*(# of poles) * 2 < pwm rate
Setting up Cularis & JR9303 - switch and channel assignments
The second of two posts on setting up JR9303 to control a Multiplex Cularis glider. Setting up the Tx.
Rx channel assignments (wire->Rx socket):
Left Aileron->Throttle
Right Aileron-> Aileron
Elevator, Rudder->Elevator, Rudder
Right flap ->Flap
Left Flap ->AUX1
ESC->AUX2
BEC->batt2
Setup, device selection
Flight modes enabled
Speed INH
LAUN L3P SW Rev
MOTO Spoiler stick
Flap flap lever
AUX2 INH
AUX3, AUX4 default
TRIM: FM
Wing type: dual flaps
FUNC LIST:
ELE->FLP: not set up
AIL->FLP: Pos. 1 30%, Pos0: 0%, activated in all three flight modes
Differential +40% for ailerons, all modes, flaps, cruise and launch.
Flaperon Mix +10% fprl, 0% elev
Aileron->rudder, 30% cruise only
Butterfly mix Spoiler->flaperon Pos0 -50%, spoiler->flap Pos0: +70% spoiler
offset +170
Flap rate 20%, cruise only, that affects camber adjustment
Motor hold: off for launch, on for other flight modes, on for Aux4 (throttle hold switch). The motor is controlled by throttle stick in launch mode, switching FM or hold switch will kill the motor.
Mixes:
MX1, spoiler->elevator mix curve. Reverse default from the manual.
MX2, MOTO->ELEV, Launch only, 0, 2%, 8%. This reduces the tendency to pitch up at full power
MX3, MOTO->AUX2, Pos0 0% to +100%, pos1 +100% to +100%, active in launch mode only. That lets throttle stick control throttle in launch mode.
All control surface deflections per MPX manual.
Maiden flight went ok, very minor trim adjustment was necessary. This was my first glider, so some things may seem ok to me which really aren't, but I saw nothing obviously wrong. Like a sailboat, you need to think ahead a bit, everything takes a second or two.
The power is adequate, it goes straight up at WOT. The built-in BEC may be enough - will measure in-flight current, may get rid of the external BEC based on the results.
Rx channel assignments (wire->Rx socket):
Left Aileron->Throttle
Right Aileron-> Aileron
Elevator, Rudder->Elevator, Rudder
Right flap ->Flap
Left Flap ->AUX1
ESC->AUX2
BEC->batt2
Setup, device selection
Flight modes enabled
Speed INH
LAUN L3P SW Rev
MOTO Spoiler stick
Flap flap lever
AUX2 INH
AUX3, AUX4 default
TRIM: FM
Wing type: dual flaps
FUNC LIST:
ELE->FLP: not set up
AIL->FLP: Pos. 1 30%, Pos0: 0%, activated in all three flight modes
Differential +40% for ailerons, all modes, flaps, cruise and launch.
Flaperon Mix +10% fprl, 0% elev
Aileron->rudder, 30% cruise only
Butterfly mix Spoiler->flaperon Pos0 -50%, spoiler->flap Pos0: +70% spoiler
offset +170
Flap rate 20%, cruise only, that affects camber adjustment
Motor hold: off for launch, on for other flight modes, on for Aux4 (throttle hold switch). The motor is controlled by throttle stick in launch mode, switching FM or hold switch will kill the motor.
Mixes:
MX1, spoiler->elevator mix curve. Reverse default from the manual.
MX2, MOTO->ELEV, Launch only, 0, 2%, 8%. This reduces the tendency to pitch up at full power
MX3, MOTO->AUX2, Pos0 0% to +100%, pos1 +100% to +100%, active in launch mode only. That lets throttle stick control throttle in launch mode.
All control surface deflections per MPX manual.
Maiden flight went ok, very minor trim adjustment was necessary. This was my first glider, so some things may seem ok to me which really aren't, but I saw nothing obviously wrong. Like a sailboat, you need to think ahead a bit, everything takes a second or two.
The power is adequate, it goes straight up at WOT. The built-in BEC may be enough - will measure in-flight current, may get rid of the external BEC based on the results.
Setting up Cularis & JR9303
The first of two blog entries on setting up my JR9303 to control the MPX Cularis glider, with all bells and whistles.
MPX Cularis
JR921 Rx
4x Futaba S3114 ailerons and flaps
2x HS-82MG tail
Hyperion HP 3013-14, 1085 kV, propped for 35A max
Phoenix 35 (edit: replaced with Phoenix ICE 50 as the max current was in 45A range)
Zippy FlightMax 2200 3s
AUW 1.5 - 1.6 kg
Build notes:
Tx setup - what I want to have
Launch, cruise and land modes on the flap switch.
Launch mode: Controls are the standard Mode 2, throttle is on throttle stick - like a 'normal' plane
Cruise and Land modes: Spoilers on throttle stick - full up is normal flight, full down max butterfly mix.
Throttle hold switch enabled.
Other:
Flaps follow ailerons, launch and cruise modes
Left lever controls camber, cruise mode only
Aileron to Rudder, to coordinate turns, cruise mode only
Non-linear Flap to Elevator, to compensate pitch change when lowering flaps.
MPX Cularis
JR921 Rx
4x Futaba S3114 ailerons and flaps
2x HS-82MG tail
Hyperion HP 3013-14, 1085 kV, propped for 35A max
Phoenix 35 (edit: replaced with Phoenix ICE 50 as the max current was in 45A range)
Zippy FlightMax 2200 3s
AUW 1.5 - 1.6 kg
Build notes:
- Built mostly stock. Not a very difficult build, but you do need to follow the manual very closely. Like most good German kits, the manual is 98% excellent. The remaining 2% will get you if you don't watch out (see the next bullet).
- Glued in wing servo extensions so that a wing servo may be unplugged and replaced without tearing up half of the wing. Glued in servos using hot glue *after* the wing was finished.
- When MPX says thick CA, they do mean thick CA, NOT medium or thin.
- Replaced fibreglass tubes/rods with CF where practical
- Didn't need ballast in the tail, in fact it came out a little tail-heavy compared to the stock setup.
Tx setup - what I want to have
Launch, cruise and land modes on the flap switch.
Launch mode: Controls are the standard Mode 2, throttle is on throttle stick - like a 'normal' plane
Cruise and Land modes: Spoilers on throttle stick - full up is normal flight, full down max butterfly mix.
Throttle hold switch enabled.
Other:
Flaps follow ailerons, launch and cruise modes
Left lever controls camber, cruise mode only
Aileron to Rudder, to coordinate turns, cruise mode only
Non-linear Flap to Elevator, to compensate pitch change when lowering flaps.
Sabbatical
Will be flying non-stop for the next four weeks. 5 packs since this morning...
JR9303 - setting up a heli
It turns out that JR, in its truly infinite wisdom, maps Ch. 5 to retractable gear when in Heli mode, and I don't see a way to remap this. The gyro gain lead needs to go into Ch. 7. The manual talks at length about tying Ch.5 to a take off/land flight mode, so you take off , switch the FM and LG retracts. When you are ready to land, you switch back, and your LG drops out.
This is all great, nifty, neat, whatever. Except that my heli has fixed skids and an AR6200, and it seems wasteful to buy a 7 channel Rx.
The solution was simple enough - mix the FM switch to Gear. Now my gyro is plugged to ch.4 and 5 and it all works. Still, this is silly. I should be able to remap ch. 5 to gyro gain - the vast majority of helis don't need a 7 channel receiver.
This is all great, nifty, neat, whatever. Except that my heli has fixed skids and an AR6200, and it seems wasteful to buy a 7 channel Rx.
The solution was simple enough - mix the FM switch to Gear. Now my gyro is plugged to ch.4 and 5 and it all works. Still, this is silly. I should be able to remap ch. 5 to gyro gain - the vast majority of helis don't need a 7 channel receiver.
Setting up elevon differential on a JR9303
So far, I've found two goofy things about my JR9303, both related to flying wings. Both limitations seem to be fairly artificial.
- You can't independently reverse aileron and elevator channels. If you set up the aileron part correctly, but the elevator is still a reverse of what it should be, you need to swap the servo connections. My Optic 6 allowed to reverse these channels independently, no need to pull any wires
- You can only set up aileron differential when your wing type is set to flaperon. My FunJet requires a bit of differential to perfrom coaxial rolls. I solved that by setting up an aileron/elevator mix. Horizon confirmed there is no easier way to do this.
Neither issue is a big deal, but for a $600 Tx, this is stupid; it's not like it'd cost them anything to enable independent channel reversals or a differential for any wing type. Maybe this is limited to the heli version?
- You can't independently reverse aileron and elevator channels. If you set up the aileron part correctly, but the elevator is still a reverse of what it should be, you need to swap the servo connections. My Optic 6 allowed to reverse these channels independently, no need to pull any wires
- You can only set up aileron differential when your wing type is set to flaperon. My FunJet requires a bit of differential to perfrom coaxial rolls. I solved that by setting up an aileron/elevator mix. Horizon confirmed there is no easier way to do this.
Neither issue is a big deal, but for a $600 Tx, this is stupid; it's not like it'd cost them anything to enable independent channel reversals or a differential for any wing type. Maybe this is limited to the heli version?
JR9303 - happy (sort of) end
Ok, so I have it back. The tech didn't bother to do much beyond replacing the blown fuse; tried to claim I used an unauthorized charger. Enclosed was a Horizon service bulletin, something about Tx battery acting up during the first few charges. What I did was attempting to charge the Tx using the charger that came with it. Yes, I did enclose a pretty detailed note - and the charger - when I sent it for repairs, but a Horizon tech apparently can't be bothered to read customer notes.
It looks like the battery did act up when I tried to charge it the first time, blowing the fuse. Apparently not so uncommon for that Tx. Now that it has been through a few cycles, everything appears ok. The Tx, of course, is very nice, I don't think I'll be able to outgrow it any time soon.
The bad news is, I now have another faulty Horizon product, an AR6100e. It developed a reception problem in flight, causing a total loss of my ParkMaster. I was dumb enough not to realize what happened and put it into a replacement ParkMaster. It started to act up in flight again, but that time I was ready (or more fortunate) and was able to land with minimal damage.
Great job, Horizon, two goofy faults in two months..
It looks like the battery did act up when I tried to charge it the first time, blowing the fuse. Apparently not so uncommon for that Tx. Now that it has been through a few cycles, everything appears ok. The Tx, of course, is very nice, I don't think I'll be able to outgrow it any time soon.
The bad news is, I now have another faulty Horizon product, an AR6100e. It developed a reception problem in flight, causing a total loss of my ParkMaster. I was dumb enough not to realize what happened and put it into a replacement ParkMaster. It started to act up in flight again, but that time I was ready (or more fortunate) and was able to land with minimal damage.
Great job, Horizon, two goofy faults in two months..
update on my JR9303
Called Horizon to get an update on the status. The tech found a blown 3A fuse, and a discharged battery, replaced the fuse and advised to charge the battery before use. Some great advice.
The funny thing is, I did charge the battery before use. In fact, I made a note of it in the note included with the Tx. Asked them if the tech bothered to test the charger, of course, not. Asked what did they think caused a fuse to blow, no coherent answer.
The fuses don't usually blow by themselves... here's hoping it was just a defective fuse. I don't know whether I'm ready to trust my better planes to that Tx yet. I guess I'll test it on my Formosa II for a while.
The funny thing is, I did charge the battery before use. In fact, I made a note of it in the note included with the Tx. Asked them if the tech bothered to test the charger, of course, not. Asked what did they think caused a fuse to blow, no coherent answer.
The fuses don't usually blow by themselves... here's hoping it was just a defective fuse. I don't know whether I'm ready to trust my better planes to that Tx yet. I guess I'll test it on my Formosa II for a while.
Thanks, Horizon
Bought a JR9303 a month ago, based on my reasonably positive experience with DX6i (turns out I just got lucky with DX6i, what with the last recalls and all, but that's another story).
JR9303 came DOA. Talked to Horizon, "oh just send it in". Still there a month later, can't get anything other than "our turnaround time is five weeks" from their email droids.
I've too much invested into Spektrum at this point to switch to an alternative 2.4 system , but I wish I could..
JR9303 came DOA. Talked to Horizon, "oh just send it in". Still there a month later, can't get anything other than "our turnaround time is five weeks" from their email droids.
I've too much invested into Spektrum at this point to switch to an alternative 2.4 system , but I wish I could..
