Spirit System

I started working on the Coaxial setup, but decided to check everything again before this. I did NOT like my findings:

1) My control rods - Ail / Pitch are both exacly 30mm in length between the plastic connectors
2) Swahplate is leveled
3) I am using one blade as refrence, set mid stick - have zero on a spirit level on the frame and on the blade. Also have zero on the pitch gauge app - the blade I am checking is to the front of the heli.
4) I turn the rotor around so that the 2nd blade is at the front. Pitch gauge shows +2.1 degrees
5) Both control horns to the DFC arms are same length. They are both screwed all the way IN, so I will have to unscrew the one I am using as Reference out - to make it also +2.1 degrees
6) Then, re-center the whole swashplate downwards to get Zero at mid stick.

Is my thinking correct?
How can the two DFC arms need to be so different in length?

For the initial checking the 6 degrees, should I check on the blade positioned over the tail or the one pointing forward?

Going mad...

Few assumptions here:
1) you still have sub-trim box checked so the Spirit is holding zero position
2) you have measured the level of the swashplate with a method like using a tie wrap
3) the “paddles you are using are flat and straight- looks like cut boards that you lay the phone on?


If all the above is true then you have a mechanical issue...
Check these things:

A) is your main shaft is bent?
B) the feathering shaft is bent?
C) never assume those plastic connectors are the same length actually always assume they are not. I don’t see how they are 2 degrees different though.


Seriously, if you have checked your servo arms are mechanically as close to 90, your swashplate is mechanically adjusted as close to 90 and then fine tuned with the settings in app then the issue is mechanical of nature or you are measuring wrong but I cannot tell from the pictures and never used a phone to the pitch.

It's why you always use a master blade. Do all setup on one blade and try to get the other as close as possible to the same pitch with the links. Later on when you are confident to you can observe the tracking of the blades in flight. Get an observer to look for you. Only adjust the NON master blade to match the master.

If your swash is level and all rods are the same length something is physically bent. feathering shaft is easy to check because if you turn the shaft bolts you can feel the grips move.

Some times the blade grip arms get slightly tweaked in a crash. Some times the head block gets slightly bent.

Check all the mechanical parts

Hello my teachers,

I am responding here to all the 3 of you who took time to try and help me, thank you all for that.

1) My balsa blade replacement seem to be the problem, they are not perfectly the same.
2) I am always leveling the swash plate with the Align leveler tool. My 90 degree starting point was set during the FB old setup, I didn't touch it when I started my DFC / FBL conversion.
3) The main shaft is a genuine Align, new shaft. The feathering shaft is well fixed, can unscrew it, possible was done by Gartt with RED threadlock, but it is new, never flown... So, I will assume it is not bent.
4) The DFC FBL head is from Gartt, not much to add here. The swashplate that came with it is clearly loose and has a lateral play around the shaft. I ordered an Align Swashplate, it is stuck on its way from CA.
5) My current Pitch gauge is faulty, so I am using the mobile app, until my new pitch gauge arrives, not perfect I know.
6) After installing the main rotor blades, the "difference" between the two blades (measured at the front) is about 0.5 degree which I will correct with the DFC arm.

Now to my questions:
1) Can I use a 2 position switch on me Spektrum DX9 black to do the following:
a) In the down position it will be set for Coaxial - yes, at this stage that is ALL that I want to be able to do
b) In the up position it will flick into panic / rescue mode.
c) If I can do this, how do I know to what pitch to set the head to remain in hover mode, not go higher or come down when I flick it into Rescue mode?

In the Spirit manual here : http://manual.spirit-system.com/index.p ... #STABI_TAB it is not clear how can I get to the setup I am thinking of, as per the above.
Nor can I see much of details about the Coaxial here : http://manual.spirit-system.com/index.php?title=Coaxial

2) I set my gain in my Tx to say : +50,+50, -50 to be in HH mode permanently, I do not need any other setup for my tame intended "Flying" is this OK?

3) Is the 6 degree setup done on the forward blade or on the opposite blade over the tail boom?

Looking forward tou your feedback and instructios

Thanks again

Morning (for me anyway) I'll just chime in for 3) for now as I don't have many functions set on mine.

As above you use the same blade for all measurements. Normally set over the boom. The other blade just try and get as close as possible to the 'Master' blade angle.
As you have found out all blades are not created equal. Even more expensive blades will fly differently once airborne. Hence the tracking check I mentioned earlier. I appreciate supply to you is difficult but I would try to get at least some glass fibre blades as a minimum. Wooden won't be too great.

For HH you may most likely need to increase that number to something higher than 75 if you want good tail holding but that really will need a test flight to test.

Yes, do zero degrees and 6 degrees measurement over the boom as it is the easiest place to make sure you measure in the same spot.

To set up both stabilize and rescue on switches was covered in this support forum, just a few weeks ago so take a look. Note that it would take a bit of radio programming to accomplish this.

yufasa wrote:For HH you may most likely need to increase that number to something higher than 75 if you want good tail holding but that really will need a test flight to test.

Yes, do zero degrees and 6 degrees measurement over the boom as it is the easiest place to make sure you measure in the same spot.

To set up both stabilize and rescue on switches was covered in this support forum, just a few weeks ago so take a look. Note that it would take a bit of radio programming to accomplish this.

Hello again,

1) OK, will increase the HH numbers
2) Will do it over the tail boom, was not sure
3) If it is complicated, I don't want it , My TOP priority now is to set myself to fly / hover in Coaxial mode

Can you just tell me - how to do that?

Thak you

buttles wrote:Morning (for me anyway) I'll just chime in for 3) for now as I don't have many functions set on mine.

As above you use the same blade for all measurements. Normally set over the boom. The other blade just try and get as close as possible to the 'Master' blade angle.
As you have found out all blades are not created equal. Even more expensive blades will fly differently once airborne. Hence the tracking check I mentioned earlier. I appreciate supply to you is difficult but I would try to get at least some glass fibre blades as a minimum. Wooden won't be too great.

Yes, I have one "Master" blade and make adjustments to the other one
Getting now any new items is likely to take at least a month or more, so I will place an order

Thanks