Question about fail safe and signal loss

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
OK, spoke to a tech over at Horizon and he said there are no 6 channel Rx's with pre-set fail safe and that all of the 7 channel and up Rx's have a preset fail safe.

He didn't seem sure at first (put me on hold for like 8 minutes), then came back to me.

Anyways, it looks like I'll be picking up an AR8000 if I can get to my LHS before they close.
 

FlyGirl

FlyGirl

Member
98 SNAKE EATER said:
OK, spoke to a tech over at Horizon and he said there are no 6 channel Rx's with pre-set fail safe and that all of the 7 channel and up Rx's have a preset fail safe.

He didn't seem sure at first (put me on hold for like 8 minutes), then came back to me.

Anyways, it looks like I'll be picking up an AR8000 if I can get to my LHS before they close.
Click to expand...

I think that's a good choice Snake.... It's a nice receiver with 1 satellite and has never given me an ounce of troubles. :)
 



9

98 Snake Eater

Member
OK, I picked up an AR8000 and spoke to the tech behind the counter, but he didn't speak normal Engrish, just super fast technical R/C geek jargon (you know the type).

Anyways, I'm gunna need a little walk through on how to set this up cause all he did was confuse me :black_eyed:

Now, when I bind for the pre-set, I assume that I leave both stick centered, correct?

I understand that this will be the position in which it goes to in the event of a lost signal or if I turn the transmitter off, but after this happens, will it just sit there and hover or will it actually Return To Home?

Guy behind the counter said all it would do is sit and hover and the RTH feature won't work unless I flick my RTH switch (Mix1)
 
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FlyGirl

FlyGirl

Member
98 SNAKE EATER said:
OK, I picked up an AR8000 and spoke to the tech behind the counter, but he didn't speak normal Engrish, just super fast technical R/C geek jargon (you know the type).

Anyways, I'm gunna need a little walk through on how to set this up cause all he did was confuse me :black_eyed:

Now, when I bind for the pre-set, I assume that I leave both stick centered, correct?

I understand that this will be the position in which it goes to in the event of a lost signal or if I turn the transmitter off, but after this happens, will it just sit there and hover or will it actually Return To Home?

Guy behind the counter said all it would do is sit and hover and the RTH feature won't work unless I flick my RTH switch (Mix1)
Click to expand...

LOL! He's full of you know what Snake... ;) First go ahead and bind it and make sure you have everything set up correctly still. It should be fine... The second time make sure that the switches are set just as they would be to do a RTH. Leave the switches in that position and power off everything. Now bind the transmitter to the receiver with everything in that position. The receiver will remember that the switch is set for RTH. To test it all you have to do is power everything up and move your switch so you are in Attitude or GPS mode. Power off your transmitter and watch the LED. It should switch to RTH mode flashing yellow. Did it?
 

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
ahhhhh, now I get it :)

In that case, I won't need to set the sticks to hover at all, just flip the RTH switch on and rebind :cool:

Any advice on how to mount it?

I was thinking about cutting out a little plastic L bracket for the satellite.

Gunna run through the manual before installing after work
 

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
Wait, now that I think about it, wouldn't it be better if I set the pre-set fail safe to hover and just use the switch for the RTH?


Reason I ask is because the RTH isn't exactly fool proof :cold:

Lets say I'm flying under a tree or indoors (I tend to fly through my shop from time to time) and I somehow lost signal :upset:

If it automatically went into RTH mode, it would either hit a branch or make me a new skylight :black_eyed:

On the other hand, if I were to pre-set to all center sticks, it would just sit there and hover until I figured out how to bring her down safely :eek:range:

Also, what would happen if I lost the GPS signal or had it in ATT mode for indoor flying and it went into RTH mode?
 

FlyGirl

FlyGirl

Member
98 SNAKE EATER said:
Wait, now that I think about it, wouldn't it be better if I set the pre-set fail safe to hover and just use the switch for the RTH?


Reason I ask is because the RTH isn't exactly fool proof :cold:

Lets say I'm flying under a tree or indoors (I tend to fly through my shop from time to time) and I somehow lost signal :upset:

If it automatically went into RTH mode, it would either hit a branch or make me a new skylight :black_eyed:

On the other hand, if I were to pre-set to all center sticks, it would just sit there and hover until I figured out how to bring her down safely :eek:range:

Also, what would happen if I lost the GPS signal or had it in ATT mode for indoor flying and it went into RTH mode?
Click to expand...

Nope... Catch 22.... Flipping the switch won't do anything because in this scenario we are setting it up for, there is no Tx to Rx link remember?. Yes you can set it to hover but what if it is over trees? Or a building? Or the Grand Canyon? LOL! If you lost the GPS yes you would be dead meat but what are the chances of losing both the Tx-Rx link AND the GPS at the same time? Pretty small.. :) I'm not sure about the flying inside question. Never thought of flying indoors I guess. That one someone else will have to answer.... Anyways, the most common thing we are setting failsafe for is A) the batteries in the Tx went dead, B) You are flying FPV and got too far away and lost signal. Flying through the shop, no biggie. It's not far away or high up. And one tree won't kill the GPS. A thick canopy will but again, with a thick canopy you prbably won't be very high or far away there either. :)

I like your idea of an L bracket. I have my main Rx lying flat on my 450 flame wheel and the satellite stuck to the landing skid at 90 degrees to the main Rx.
 

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
Yeah, I know the RTH switch wouldn't work in the event of a lost signal if I pre-set it to hover instead of RTH

However, I do think hovering in place until I figured out what I wanted to do would be better than having the RTH kick in and have it fly blindly into a tree or power line :black_eyed:

As for indoor flight, it's just sumthin I do from time to time :nevreness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8wY2mQHmCc


Thing is, I have to switch to ATT because I've had the GPS quit on me before and it caused a minor wreck because the gains switched up on me unexpectedly :cold:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS96uTaX3Sg



Now that I think about it, the only time I would want the RTH to kick in automagically would be if I was flying out to sea or sumthin and ran out of range :kiwi-fruit:


I figure as long as it doesn't drop like a stone (as shown in my first video) and I'm still able to able to regain control, then I'll be better off doing that instead of auto RTH
 
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FlyGirl

FlyGirl

Member
98 SNAKE EATER said:
Yeah, I know the RTH switch wouldn't work in the event of a lost signal if I pre-set it to hover instead of RTH

However, I do think hovering in place until I figured out what I wanted to do would be better than having the RTH kick in and have it fly blindly into a tree or power line :black_eyed:

As for indoor flight, it's just sumthin I do from time to time :nevreness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8wY2mQHmCc


Thing is, I have to switch to ATT because I've had the GPS quit on me before and it caused a minor wreck because the gains switched up on me unexpectedly :cold:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS96uTaX3Sg



Now that I think about it, the only time I would want the RTH to kick in automagically would be if I was flying out to sea or sumthin and ran out of range :kiwi-fruit:
Click to expand...

Well, remember, the first thing RTH does is to gain altitude to hopefully clear any obstacles. Just watched the vids.... Yeah you want to switch to ATT mode when you get under that awning and inside ;)
 
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Benjamin Kenobi

Benjamin Kenobi

Easy? You call that easy?
I would set RTH personally. Most trees are not 20m tall. RTH has saved me a few times when I've flown it behind a few trees or really far away. It would take you a few minutes to run out and check behind a tree to see if your craft was hanging there and I find I do the most daring things in the last few minutes of flight time. It is really scary the first time it happens by accident! But when it comes floating back to you you'll have nothing but a big grin. :nevreness:
 

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
Benjamin Kenobi said:
I would set RTH personally. Most trees are not 20m tall. RTH has saved me a few times when I've flown it behind a few trees or really far away. It would take you a few minutes to run out and check behind a tree to see if your craft was hanging there and I find I do the most daring things in the last few minutes of flight time. It is really scary the first time it happens by accident! But when it comes floating back to you you'll have nothing but a big grin. :nevreness:
Click to expand...


That is, until the wind gets hold of it and it starts toilet bowling right into a tree :black_eyed:

My first time using RTH, it work exactly as it should, but the second time around wasn't so good (toilet bowl)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egrWuU7HULU

If I didn't regain control, it would've went straight into that tree
 

Benjamin Kenobi

Benjamin Kenobi

Easy? You call that easy?
Toilet bowling (TBE) isn't something that just happens or is a normal part of flying. It just means your setup is slightly off. Most of us never see or have seen any TBE. Wind doesn't cause TBE.
Of course it's a personal choice if you don't want RTH depending on where you're flying but it's great most of the time. Especially for long distance FPV flying.
 

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
Benjamin Kenobi said:
Toilet bowling (TBE) isn't something that just happens or is a normal part of flying. It just means your setup is slightly off. Most of us never see or have seen any TBE. Wind doesn't cause TBE.
Of course it's a personal choice if you don't want RTH depending on where you're flying but it's great most of the time. Especially for long distance FPV flying.
Click to expand...


Here's my first time using the RTH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkjgfGFPskM

Worked perfectly :nevreness:


Here's the second time I used it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egrWuU7HULU

Same day, back to back, never changed any settings and it toilet bowled when the wind picked up :upset:

Now, I can't say for sure whether or not it was setup correctly when it was built, but after the second attempt, I can say the RTH is unpredictable enough for me not to want it kicking in automatically :black_eyed:

That being said, I see auto landing as nothing more than a parlor trick.

My main use for RTH is actually if I lose her in the sun or can't tell the orientation, I flick the switch to bring her back close enough for me to safely regain control, then I switch back :eek:range:

I'd rather not chance tipping over with an auto landing
 

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
Before I plug in and bind, do you guys see any issue with this mounting?


Old AR61000-E

AR8000install1.jpg



And the AR8000


AR8000install2.jpg

AR8000install3.jpg



Will I have any issues with the receiver mounted above the flight controller or the satellite wires running through the top plate like this?
 

Benjamin Kenobi

Benjamin Kenobi

Easy? You call that easy?
Looks good to me.

And ditto, I'd also not chance the auto landing. I just flick out of failsafe when it's back in range.

Have fun dude!
 

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
OK, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong here, but I can't seem to get it to bind :confused:

I pulled each plug one by one from the old receiver, then plugged them in one by one into the AR8000 (had to slice the edge of each plug with a razor blade in order to fit)

Plugged in the bind plug, plugged in my main power and the receiver light just stays on constantly (not blinking like it should)
 

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
Nevermind

I goofed and had the plugs flipped backwards :eek:

You'd think Spektrum would make all their plug positions the same to avoid such things :sour:

It bound right away and the controls seemt o be working fine :)

Gunna re-calibrate on the assistant, then re-bind using center sticks
 

9

98 Snake Eater

Member
OK, test flight went fine :)

It was a bit windy and GPS hold wasn't as stable as it looked in my last video, so I drove out to the nearest empty field and did the Naza dance again :black_eyed:

Gunna call it a night and wait for better weather before testing the fail safe and RTH :tennis:
 

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