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Programming AS3X for flaps and Gear

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  • Programming AS3X for flaps and Gear

    I am learning to program my AR636 using the new phone app. Horizon put out a series of videos that show you step by step how to install the receiver all the way through programming rates and flight modes etc...the demonstration the guy used was on a Carbon Z Yak and he used dual ailerons and then just the normal control surfaces. I followed every step on my ExtremeFlight Slick 580 and it worked great. But now I have a Rebel EDF and it has flaps and gear. The gear is automatically assigned to channel 5 (I am on a DX8) and the flaps go to Channel 6. The problem is that according to his directions it appears you have to assign a channel to control flight modes - which means I won't have a separate channel for gear and flaps. Am I missing something or is there a way to assign flight modes to a switch without it actually using a channel on the receiver? Can someone walk me through this setup?

  • #2
    I've not actually used the 636 in a plane with flaps and gear but I don't think these need to be actually programmed via the Rx as long as ch.5 (gear) and ch6 (flaps) is made available in the 636 port assignment (at least not blocked). Since it's a 6-ch Rx, you'll have to "Y" the AIL and flaps together as you can't have dual AILs. From here, you should try to select wing type "1AIL, 1 Flap" in the TX. This should open up the flap system menu where you can set the zero flaps, take off and landing flaps on the flap switch. You may also have to play with servo travel and sub-trim to zero the flaps. Gear should automatically work. Have you tried this yet?
    As I understand it "flight modes" are mainly for different gain/priorities, rates/expo for stabilization of AIL, ELE and RUD. Gear and flaps should be not involved in flight modes. For further simplicity, rates/expo can be done on the TX, bypassing these settings altogether in the 636. This, I've done and it works fine. I like to keep things simple and only do what I need to do in the 636.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by DSabella View Post
      I am learning to program my AR636 using the new phone app. Horizon put out a series of videos that show you step by step how to install the receiver all the way through programming rates and flight modes etc...the demonstration the guy used was on a Carbon Z Yak and he used dual ailerons and then just the normal control surfaces. I followed every step on my ExtremeFlight Slick 580 and it worked great. But now I have a Rebel EDF and it has flaps and gear. The gear is automatically assigned to channel 5 (I am on a DX8) and the flaps go to Channel 6. The problem is that according to his directions it appears you have to assign a channel to control flight modes - which means I won't have a separate channel for gear and flaps. Am I missing something or is there a way to assign flight modes to a switch without it actually using a channel on the receiver? Can someone walk me through this setup?
      I have about 14 AR636 receivers in various planes, including the 60" Slick 580. I use a DX6 and all of my warbirds have flaps and gear. You can still use the FM switch (which is also the flap channel) to get your 3 flight modes, however, unfortunately those flight modes and gain settings are tied to your flaps. Set the FM switch on the receiver to AUX 1. The trick at this point is to have enough travel between each flap setting to actuate the FM, otherwise you may end up with only 2 flight modes. Please see my post under RC Airplanes/Propeller Airplanes titled AR636 Gain Settings from June 24th. You will find this on page 4 of the index of topics. Depending which direction (+ or -) that you start your flap settings, the flight modes may end up reversed. Make sure you set up the AS3X screen in your transmitter so you can visually see what the actual gain settings are that you are getting, and you can not use the relative setting with this because it will mess up the flaps and gains, so use absolute. Only use the relative setting with your planes with 5 or less channels. I like virtually no take off flaps with my warbirds, yet I wanted up to 80%-90% heading hold on my rudder and elevator for takeoff, so what I described in the post was the point that each FM is actuated with the flaps to achieve this. Landing flaps I only use very high rate gains (no heading holds) and fly around mode only use normal rate gains and no heading hold. It is also a very good idea to initially program in on 1 flight mode extremely high heading holds on ailerons, elevator & rudder to test that you have everything moving in the correct direction, then drop it out before you fly it if you don't want it. Everyone who blames this receiver for crashing their plane has programmed something wrong in the direction of movement.

      If you use the % guidelines I laid out in the post, you should be able to get your 3 flight modes with 3 different flaps settings. If you are looking to get 3 flight modes with only 1 flap setting (say on your fly around mode), it ain't goin to happen. The best you can do is get 2 flight modes on your fly around mode but there will be a minimum of 10% flaps between the 2.

      This receiver is also supposed to be programmed with the Dual Rates and Expos instead of doing it on your transmitter. However, I have all of my planes dual rates and expos set in my transmitter, thus giving me 9 different flight modes (3 different gain settings on each low/mid/high rates). You are not supposed to do this, but I've never had a problem until setting up my Slick. I found that in order to get the required low rates and high rates, I was mixing in some rates and expo on the receiver as well as the transmitter, and occasionally the rudder would get "confused" between high rates and high gains and get stuck centering the servo in a right turn, a real recipe for disaster in 3D. I found that if I leave the settings on the receiver at 100% dual rates and 0% expo on every surface and every flight mode, the problem goes away. Now I'm back to 9 different flight modes on the Slick, 1 with no gains, 1 with low gains and 1 with extremely high rate and heading gains. The Slick likes no gains best, but make sure you have plenty of expo, as much as 50-60% on high rates, as this plane is VERY responsive.

      Hope this helps.
      Hugh "Wildman" Wiedman
      Hangar: FL/FW: Mig 29 "Cobra", A-10 Arctic, F18 Canadian & Tiger Meet, F16 Wild Weasel, F4 Phantom & Blue Angel, 1600 Corsair & Spitfire, Olive B-24, Stinger 90, Red Avanti. Extreme Flight-FW-190 Red Tulip, Slick 60, 60" Extra 300 V2, 62" MXS Heavy Metal, MXS Green, & Demonstrator. FMS-1700mm P-51, Red Bull Corsair. E-Flite-70mm twin SU-30, Beast Bi-Plane 60", P2 Bi-Plane, P-51.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by DSabella View Post
        I am learning to program my AR636 using the new phone app. Horizon put out a series of videos that show you step by step how to install the receiver all the way through programming rates and flight modes etc...the demonstration the guy used was on a Carbon Z Yak and he used dual ailerons and then just the normal control surfaces. I followed every step on my ExtremeFlight Slick 580 and it worked great. But now I have a Rebel EDF and it has flaps and gear. The gear is automatically assigned to channel 5 (I am on a DX8) and the flaps go to Channel 6. The problem is that according to his directions it appears you have to assign a channel to control flight modes - which means I won't have a separate channel for gear and flaps. Am I missing something or is there a way to assign flight modes to a switch without it actually using a channel on the receiver? Can someone walk me through this setup?
        BTW, what plane are you trying to program the AR636 that has flaps and gear? Mine with that receiver that have flaps and gear are the B-24's, the P-51's, the Corsair and the Spitfire. As an example, in my Spitfire, FM 1 (flaps up) the flap setting on the transmitter is at 50%. FM 1 will be actuated if you have flaps up anywhere from 100% to 50%. FM 2, take-off flaps I have set at 40% (since I don't like flaps on take). FM 2 will be actuated as long as the range is 40% to -55%. Landing flaps I have at -60% and FM3 will be actuated as long as the range is -60% to -100%. No one at Horizon knew this and I had to figure it out via trial and error. My unique problem was I wanted virtually no take-off flaps, yet needed to get a separate rate and heading gain on take-off from the normal flaps up mode. This way, since my tail dragging warbirds love to take a hard left on take-off, the receiver reacts faster than my fingers/eyes/brain and starts correcting immediately (with 90% rate and heading hold on rudder and elevator), so by the time I notice it drifting, I can correct. I used to look like a drunken sailor heading down the runway, and now it's not so bad and lift off is nice and slow when the plane has enough speed to lift off the runway with no need to guess how much up elevator to use to keep the tail wheel down and lift off at enough flying speed (and no more nose/prop grindings in the runway as I like these warbirds a little nose heavy). If you like take-off flaps, it will be easier to program the 3 flight modes, just keep the flap settings in the range above. If your flaps up setting is say 100% and take-off flaps are 50%, both are in the range of FM1 and will not change.

        I use Switch A for gear, Switch B 3 position for rates and expo, and switch D 3 position for flaps and Flight modes on all planes to keep consistent, whether they have flaps or not. And don't forget to go to the telemetry setting on the transmitter and on #1 add AS3X. This allows you to see exactly what the actual gains the receiver is giving off. Values will only be visible when the plane and transmitter are hooked up and with some cases, the AR636 will only begin applying gains when the throttle is advance 25% for the first time after the battery is connected (thereafter the gains are actuated at any throttle setting).

        Keep the port assignments as per the Horizon video on setup, #2 ailerons (with y-harness for left and right), #3 elevator, #4 rudder, #5 gear and #6 flaps. AUX 1 is your flight mode, not the gear channel.

        So first you need to determine how much travel you need to get your flaps from flaps up to takeoff flaps to landing flaps. Then set your flaps up position by relocating the servo horn if need be, and the amount of travel by using the various holes in the servo arm and flap horn to achieve the results you want. Depending on the direction your flap servo travels, if flaps up are say -100% to landing flaps +100%, then the FM programs in the receiver will be reversed, so FM3 in the receiver is actually FM1.

        Additionally, (although I'm sure you already know this) since the plane you are programming has flaps, then the trim settings on each flap setting will change. The best way to handle this is by going to the system setup-Trim Setup and change the Aileron, Elevator and Rudder Trim Type to F Mode. Then you will be able to set the trims for each surface with the flaps in whatever position you have.

        The only plane I fly without the AR636 is the Stinger 90 jet. The plane flies too fast for any reasonable gain settings and the aileron oscillation was too noticeable even at low gains so I changed it out to a AR627 T with flight pack telemetry. I will most likely use that same receiver model on an large MXS from Extreme Flight I'm waiting on since I'm not sure just how much the AR636 helps those planes.
        Hugh "Wildman" Wiedman
        Hangar: FL/FW: Mig 29 "Cobra", A-10 Arctic, F18 Canadian & Tiger Meet, F16 Wild Weasel, F4 Phantom & Blue Angel, 1600 Corsair & Spitfire, Olive B-24, Stinger 90, Red Avanti. Extreme Flight-FW-190 Red Tulip, Slick 60, 60" Extra 300 V2, 62" MXS Heavy Metal, MXS Green, & Demonstrator. FMS-1700mm P-51, Red Bull Corsair. E-Flite-70mm twin SU-30, Beast Bi-Plane 60", P2 Bi-Plane, P-51.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by DSabella View Post
          I am learning to program my AR636 using the new phone app. Horizon put out a series of videos that show you step by step how to install the receiver all the way through programming rates and flight modes etc...the demonstration the guy used was on a Carbon Z Yak and he used dual ailerons and then just the normal control surfaces. I followed every step on my ExtremeFlight Slick 580 and it worked great. But now I have a Rebel EDF and it has flaps and gear. The gear is automatically assigned to channel 5 (I am on a DX8) and the flaps go to Channel 6. The problem is that according to his directions it appears you have to assign a channel to control flight modes - which means I won't have a separate channel for gear and flaps. Am I missing something or is there a way to assign flight modes to a switch without it actually using a channel on the receiver? Can someone walk me through this setup?
          Hey, it just dawned on me, there may be a much better way to handle this. You have a DX8, 8 channel transmitter, and all my fixes above involve a DX6. You could always get an AR9350 AS3X 9 channel receiver and then program the Flight Mode to AUX 2 or 3, thus leaving your flap channel for just flaps. Then set your transmitter FM to any other 3 position switch aside from your flap switch. You may also be able to use the AR636 with the DX8 and program the Flight Mode on the receiver to AUX 2 the same way. I seem to remember speaking with a Horizon tech once regarding my issue and I think they told me that if I had a DX8 or 9, the FM setting on the AR636 could go to AUX 2, thereby leaving the gear and flap channels alone for those items (and at the time I wasn't interested in investing in another transmitter). You may want to give them a call and they can confirm that. If so, your problems are solved and you can disregard all the BS I laid out above.
          Hugh "Wildman" Wiedman
          Hangar: FL/FW: Mig 29 "Cobra", A-10 Arctic, F18 Canadian & Tiger Meet, F16 Wild Weasel, F4 Phantom & Blue Angel, 1600 Corsair & Spitfire, Olive B-24, Stinger 90, Red Avanti. Extreme Flight-FW-190 Red Tulip, Slick 60, 60" Extra 300 V2, 62" MXS Heavy Metal, MXS Green, & Demonstrator. FMS-1700mm P-51, Red Bull Corsair. E-Flite-70mm twin SU-30, Beast Bi-Plane 60", P2 Bi-Plane, P-51.

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          • #6
            Here is the flight Mode switch screen from my Spektrum programmer. You can assign it to different switches. Click image for larger version

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