Admiral RX600SP on Dora

[Kahmed]

Hey guys, I’ve got the RX600SP setup on the Dora with Combo A. Everything seems to be fine except the recovery mode. When I press the recovery button the ailerons are at full deflection even when the airplane is level. The gyro seems to think that a 75 degree right turn is level (ailerons are flat at that point). Elevator seems to be ok. Any help would be much appreciated.

[Kahmed]

Anyone?

[xviper]

I've been reluctant to respond because I don't have this RX but I have had the HobbyEagle gyro with "auto-balance", which is the same as "recovery" mode on your RX. From what I've read, this feature simply doesn't work well, if at all. On all the HobbyEagles I've tried the recovery mode, the plane went crazy when the switch is flipped. I'd say forget recover mode and not even have it on your switch or at least, try it when really high up and be prepared to switch it off. You're better off just calibrating the gains so that the stabilization works well.
If you really want some kind of recovery mode, you'll have to pay more money for something like a stabilizer/"return to home" device. This one will almost always save the plane when you get into trouble. I say "almost always" because it needs at least 50 to 60 feet above ground with line of sight in order to "save it". Or you get a pre-programmed Spektrum AS3X RX with SAFE. These may not necessarily be available for your particular plane.

[Kahmed]

Thanks for your reply xviper. So the problem seemed to be a dip switch that I had set incorrectly. On the ground it all seemed to be fine and well. The airplane took off great and I tried the recovery mode and it made the airplane oscillate like crazy. I turned off the recovery mode but the oscillation remained. I had no control of the plane at that point and it went straight into the ground. I wonder if anyone else has had such an issue with oscillation. The gains were up maybe half way.

[xviper]

Sorry to hear of your plane's outcome. "Recovery" mode cannot be tested on the ground as it depends on several factors that you cannot re-produce unless the plane is flying at a given speed. The only thing that can be tested on the ground is gyro response direction and the degree of response. For you particular plane, 1/2 way on the gain is too much and thus, created the oscillation. Oscillation is the typical sign of too much gain and is a common feature that tells you to either shut off the gyro, lower the gain (if you can do it in flight) or immediately slow the plane down. The faster the plane, the less gain it must have. Oscillation begins as the speed increases when there is too much gain. If too much gain, sometimes, slowing the plane down will not take it out of oscillation, only shutting the gyro off will work. With any gyro device, you should start off with minimal gain (less than 1/4) and work your way up bit by bit till you get a slight oscillation, then back it off a bit. You need to have a switch position that can completely turn OFF the gyro (not just recovery) in the event of oscillation, so you can regain control of the plane and land. On a device like this 600sp, you likely must use the gear channel as the shut off switch and designate another channel (and another switch) for the retracts. Please read your instruction manual to be sure of what I just said. I know that the "equivalent" Lemon version of this receiver (which I use in many planes), the gear channel controls the ON/OFF of the gyro.
The most sensitive to gain is AIL, then ELE. The least sensitive is RUD. Unless you device has separate gain for each axis, you work the gain based on the AIL. Again, if I were you, in the future, I'd forget about "recovery" mode on this device.

[Kahmed]

Xviper

I can’t thank you enough for that advice. It all makes sense now. I didn’t back out of the power enough. It all happened too quickly...as it always does. I’ve had crashes before but never thought an incorrectly setup gyro would cause one. Live and learn I guess. The few seconds I did have with the gyro were really good. I will probably order another one as the Dora is a great size and easy to transport. I wonder if it’s safe to use the same RX600SP? This time with recovery turned off. Not sure what I was thinking when I setup the recovery because I really haven’t had to use it in the past. Flown lots of warbirds and a few EDF’s with great results. Again thanks for all your help.

[xviper]

Hard to say if you should use it again. I would do all the required tests on it, including range test before taking it up. These things can take quite a good thumping but you have to decide how hard it went in.