Hobby Eagle A3L Gyro

[fhhuber]

If you can manage just a bit of toe-in on the mains, it helps. Works for smooth pavement or bumpy runways.

[xviper]

A taildragger like that with narrow main gear can have very difficult ground handling. Taxi-ing out and back in is not a problem as you hold full UP elevator to keep the tail wheel forced onto the ground to help it steer. However, the take off roll (and maybe even the landing roll) can be problematic. On a paved runway, a gyro on the rudder may help to a certain extent but it's better to learn what it takes to get it rolling straight till it's off the ground. On bumpy ground, a gyro on the rudder for take off roll is not very useful. It can over compensate and veer way off course.
When taking off with this kind of plane, I find it much better to get the thing rolling quickly till there is enough airspeed for the wings to almost lift. Ease off on the UP elevator as it lifts off. It doesn't look very realistic but getting the plane off with all 3 wheels at the same time is a better way to handle such a plane. Rolling on the ground on just the mains, especially when they are so narrow and splayed out like the 109, makes for a very darty roll. Once in the air, there is less fuss.

[Turbinefancy]

Thanks Xviper. I flew the BF-109 and it really does not need stabilization during flight. However, It’s notoriously hard to handle on takeoff/landing run and It swerves out of control before I can react with rudder (I am a competent tail dragger pilot and grease landings 95% of the time). Even pilot Ryan has reservations flying it sans stabilization (see below)

Anyway, I just need a little gyro assistance to keep the 109 tipping from on it’s wings during ground roll, so only connected the rudder to Gyro. Also flying the full house plane on a 6 channel receiver so no spare channel for dialing gain in flight, keeping it in normal mode permanently.

I reduced gains to 20%, I also reduced my rudder Servo end Point adjustment to 100% from 125% to allow gyro gain above 0 before hitting end point prematurely.

Will go fly it and see how it goes....

https://youtu.be/FkjDJNKA7NU

[xviper]

Hi all,

I just installed the A3-L on a FMS BF-109F to assist the rudder only. I saw Pilot Ryan’s video and he recommended 75% gain. But I find the gain affected the throw of my rudder input i.e. the deflection hits end points when I move the stick only a quarter. The only gain setting where I can utilize my full range of stick is 0%. Why does the gyro gain affect sensitive of my stick input? That does not make sense at all. HELP please?

You should have noticed a similar trait with the AIL and ELE. High gain usually causes the control surface to feel numb and not go full throw. It may reach "end point" early but you shouldn't be getting full throw. Zero gain generally gives you no stabilization and thus, the stick does what it would do if there was no stabilizer installed. Additionally, it also depends on whether you've got the A3-L on stabilized mode (blue light) or 3D mode (red light). I find that 3D mode can sometimes make the plane do funny things.
Finally, I don't normally bother with hooking up rudder to the stabilizer. The yaw axis isn't as affected in flight as the other axis and on the ground having high gain on the rudder can make the plane wander or veer off to the side from ground bumps and cross winds. The stabilizer can over correct. If you must have the rudder hooked up the A3-L, then just go 50% or less. Depending on the plane, the faster the plane goes, the more need to use less gain as the plane can start to "jutter" as speed increases. Have the gain hooked up the the rotory knob (AUX3) so you can adjust in the air. Dial it up till it starts to jutter at full speed, then dial it down just enough to stop the juttering. Do it at altitude and know which way to turn the knob. You want to be in the blue.

[Turbinefancy]

Hi all,

I just installed the A3-L on a FMS BF-109F to assist the rudder only. I saw Pilot Ryan’s video and he recommended 75% gain. But I find the gain affected the throw of my rudder input i.e. the deflection hits end points when I move the stick only a quarter. The only gain setting where I can utilize my full range of stick is 0%. Why does the gyro gain affect sensitive of my stick input? That does not make sense at all. HELP please?

[MikeT]

Make sure the ports labeled out are actually the servos from the plane. It's a little misleading. The ports labeled aileron, elevator rudder and mod actually go to the rx.

Wish I would have read this 2 hours ago,

Thanks
Mike

[firefox33]

I added the Hobby Eagle EZ capacitor and it solved my problem!

[firefox33]

Thank you both for your comments. I did hold the button down, tried several times and yes the servos are indeed connected to the "outputs" of the A3-L.
That being said, I have done some more troubleshooting and have found that the A3-L works properly when any one servo is connected. If a second one is added then the flashing and servo fluttering starts! Also if I connect a different ESC, it works properly with all three servos connected! Original ESC works properly without the A3-L! Thoughts?...

[ryramZ]

Make sure the ports labeled out are actually the servos from the plane. It's a little misleading. The ports labeled aileron, elevator rudder and mod actually go to the rx.

[dahawk]

Did you hold the button down ?

[firefox33]

I am trying to install and setup a A3L in a Bixler. When I power up with everything connected, the blue led flashes on for a second and then rapidly 4 or 5 times as if it's calibrating but then there a very quick blip and the servos all move slightly and then sequence keeps repeating and I cannot get into program or setup mode again, and no control of surfaces either. Any thoughts? Have triple checked connections and have no Mode control. I have short video but get it to upload.

[Grossman56]

Most of the gyros I've used are the A3L's but I put an A3 in P-2 just so the wife would have the auto level feature. A couple of weeks ago we were buddy boxing with P-2 and when I'd hand it off to her, she just couldn't get the thing to turn. Turns out that when I handed off to the slave radio, the Auto Balance turned on, simple fix, just hit the switch off on the slave radio, but man, she couldn't turn the dang thing, it really works!!

Grossman56

[xviper]

If you have the version that gives a blue light when in standard stab and a red light for 3D stab, then it's easy to tell. No light, no stab.

[patrick verlinden]

OK I will give it a try. Thanks a lot!

[xviper]

Hi guys, I am new to this forum and I found it very interesting to go through this topic. I have a question however on these 3-axis gyros: When the gyro is activated and you make a turn on ailerons, what will be the reaction of the rudder? Will it try to counter the change of direction?
I have a EMCOTEC one axe gyro installed on the rudder of my Big Stik to assist the take off. If I don't switch it of once the plane is airborne, the rudder will counter every aileron input. Do we see the same effect with this gyro?

I have not seen this with the HobbyEagle. Keep in mind that the A3L has 2 selectable settings - 1 is for normal stabilized flight and another for 3D stabilized flight. I don't use the 3D mode so can't say what it does to the rudder. In normal stabilized mode, if you just do a "bank and yank", I have not witnessed the rudder doing much of anything. The tail just kind of gets pulled along behind the plane. If you use rudder to do your banking and turning, then the rudder stabilizer is nullified once the stick is off center.

[patrick verlinden]

Hi guys, I am new to this forum and I found it very interesting to go through this topic. I have a question however on these 3-axis gyros: When the gyro is activated and you make a turn on ailerons, what will be the reaction of the rudder? Will it try to counter the change of direction?
I have a EMCOTEC one axe gyro installed on the rudder of my Big Stik to assist the take off. If I don't switch it of once the plane is airborne, the rudder will counter every aileron input. Do we see the same effect with this gyro?

[xviper]

Pm sent many thanks,setting up the radio gear in model on Saturday.

:Cool:

[bobbyc]

Pm sent many thanks,setting up the radio gear in model on Saturday.

[xviper]

Thanks for reply, seems I asked question again.just to clarify can I then just not fit the extra male to male extensions to the aileron ports ,or does the unit need the wires to be plugged in.I asume it only senses the inputs that are connected.

You need to tell us ................. Does your plane have ailerons? The aileron gyro affects the roll axis. If your rudder does this, then it goes into the AIL port. However, if you DO have ailerons, what are you doing with those? How are you controlling them? A "conventional" airplane (ie, one with AIL, RUDD, ELE) will NOT roll much on rudder alone. It will do a flat turn. On such a plane, if you plug in the rudder into the AIL port, the gyro will have very little ability to affect roll and that's what it's there for.
But to answer your question without knowing anything else, YES, the gyro will only affect what you plug into it and comes out of it. If you leave the AIL ports alone, they will do nothing. But this us only a partial answer if we don't know what kind of plane you have and what it is you're trying to do. If you have a rudder and elevator only plane, meaning that you control the roll primarily with the rudder, the the rudder gets plugged into the AIL out of the gyro and the RX AIL port goes into the AIL IN port of the gyro. In this way, you control the rudder with the left stick, while the gyro can affect the rudder as if it's an aileron.

[Plastic_Aviator]

Just put 2 flight on my FMS P47 1500mm Razorback w/A3L installed and the difference is unbelievable. Feels like it's on rails now. Lol... I feel like I'm cheating