Problem with Aero Scout SAFE/AS3X mode

[rmachin]

All very interesting. I thought AS3X or some sort of gyro stability would be on all the receivers, but apparently not then - if you buy the std telemetry receiver without SAFE, you get no AS3X either. I think I'd like at least AS3X if not SAFE in case I Want to use the receiver in a more squirrely plane in future. I did build a plane many years ago in FM times, thought I'd learned to fly it, and one day - lost it. So I'm thinking some of these technologies might be useful for that bad day that may be a little more windy or I may be a little more distracted than is ideal.

[xviper]

That is correct. In Spektrum, SAFE is associated with AS3X. As I said, AS3X is generally talking about a 3-axis gyro, while SAFE is a 6-axis gyro. There needs to be some kind of gyro (accelerometer) in order to have "stability". Some gyros can have a stabilizer (3-axis) but no "recovery mode" (or 6-axis gyro, SAFE in Spektrum).

[rmachin]

Seems like if you think you'll ever need to use any sort of stabilization, the spektrum receivers with built-in AS3X are teh most cost-effective way to go at least for beginners eh. Spektrum have discontinued their $100 gyro add-on. I know moving radios to ne models requires a fair bit of reprogramming, but small price to pay I think in every sense.

[xviper]

That is not necessarily true. Lemon and Admiral sell a series of stabilized receivers, all of which are much cheaper than any Spektrum product and work just as well. Additionally, you can buy some very inexpensive "standard" Lemon and Admiral receivers and add a HobbyEagle gyro that has the stabilizer (AS3X) and "auto-level" / "recovery mode" (SAFE).
Also, insofar as "a lot of re-programming" is concerned, this is not always true either. For example, in a Spektrum product, all you need to do is to program your gains as "variable" and then you can change the gains on the fly via a rotary knob on the TX. Same goes for Lemon and HobbyEagle products. "Master gain" via channel 8 (rotary knob) can be altered on the fly for different wind conditions and different styles of planes.

[rmachin]

THanks again - a lot for a beginner to learn these days beyond flying the plane. I'll definitely look into those options when I move up to a new plane and radio setup - seems those LEmon recevers provide a lot more bang for the buck, and appear to be fully compatible with the Spektrum radios and the telemetry options, which do like.

[xviper]

Indeed, they are. Lemon and Admiral aren't the only Spektrum (DSM2/X/P) compatible receivers. HobbyKing sells a line of "Orange" RXs, too that work well with Spektrum TXs. And many of these products can be had with telemetry. Perhaps one day, you'll get into planes (eg. sailplanes) that you might like to have "return home" to you if you lose sight of them. There's a whole world of really neat gadgets out there waiting for you.

[YankMachain]

Hello all,
New guy here with a problem concerning the Aero Scout.

The problem is the Scout will not come completely out of SAFE/AS3X, which ever the case. The plane has only been flown a few times because of this. The reason? It can be landed. It just wants to climb. The only way to get it back is to power it down. When I try turning off the SAFE mode, there's a slight improvement in the control surface movement, but for sure not enough for a roll a flip, or to bring it down.. Now I'm pretty sure that there's something not set correctly because there was one flight where everything was working properly. Since then the plane seems "stuck" in SAFE mode. I have tried re-binding...once removing the bind plug before binding the controller, and once with the bind plug installed. Nothing changed. I've checked the function of all switches. Here is what I feel is strange. When I use a servo tester to check the travel of the servos, the servos only travel half of the allowed travel. When the plane is powered up, and is self checking, the servos travel 100%.
I'm new to all of this, and to say that I'm really confused is an understatement. As I said, there's some change when SAFE/AS3X is turned off, but the system still remains in a guarded state.

Thanks in advance for any ideas, or information.

Did you ever find a solution? I have the same exact problem.

[LetsGoFly]

Sorry to comment so late in the game, but I think there is something missing from this discussion that may help others in the future... The AeroScout S2 BNF comes with a different configuration than I've seen on any other airplane with AS3X/SAFE (and I've flown at least 25+ different models with Spektrum's AS3X/SAFE technology). When setup with SAFE Select enabled as described in the manual, it is preprogrammed with the 3 flight modes mentioned earlier in this thread (Beginner, Intermediate and Expert) but they are NOT what I expected when I got mine. Beginner mode is (as expected) the "typical SAFE mode from Spektrum which auto-levels the airplane on a continuous basis. Intermediate mode relaxes the bank and pitch angles a bit, but still does NOT allow the plane to be inverted or looped. It really is like a "half-SAFE" mode. And while Beginner mode has AS3X without SAFE (as expected), it doesn't stop there like previous models that I've flown. It includes some reduced throws and a preprogrammed mix (I think it was Aileron to rudder?) which makes it feel quite restricted IMO. In spite of having a decent amount of experience with these AS3X/SAFE receivers, I was baffled when I bound and bench tested my AeroScout. I rebound it multiple times to ensure I wasn't making any mistakes, and I almost returned it, thinking it was defective. After doing some additional research and finding this was "normal" for this model, I flashed the firmware to unlock it, reset it to clear all preprogrammed settings, and then I configured the 3 flight modes to be "typical" SAFE, "typical" AS3X, and AS3X/SAFE off (no gyro at all). I hope this info helps anyone else who gets this model and has trouble figuring out why the Advanced mode doesn't really feel all that advanced.