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Arming an ESC

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Ron:
Getting a fit foxed.

I've just got to checking the ESC and motor direction with the Squall build/assembly.

Now the instructions with the Squall say turn on the ESC/Rx with the throttle at minimum and the ESC should give (actually it says WILL give) three short beeps to confirm arming. The throttle can then be slowly advanced and the prop will start to turn.
Fair enough.

The problem is... whatever settings I put on the Tx the ESC stays silent.

The Tx is a Cockpit CX.
On that there are several servo/throttle settings.
First, you can set which direction you want the throttle to work - minimum towards you or away.
I've got it set towards me, so opening the throttle means pushing it away.

Next there is servo reverse.
Changing that just makes everything work backwards.
You'd think this was the same as the throttle stick direction wouldn't you? But no.
There's a throttle check system that checks you've got it at minimum at start up, and that is relative to the stick setting, not the servo reverse.

Then there is the servo travel setting.
This can be set to +-110% for each direction.
So you can have minimum throttle (or any servo) at -110% and max at +110% (or any other value).
The complication with this is that if you set it the other way around (min to +110% and max to -110%) the servo works the other way, just like servo reverse.
Which way the throttle should be set I really don't know, and there's no guidance in the Tx book.

So far I've tried many of the possible combinations of all the above, and have yet to get a peep out of the ESC, except one time - that was when nothing happened on switch-on (as usual), so I moved the throttle stick a bit. (only a bit, honest). The ESC did three quick beeps and started the motor at full throttle.
Had to stop the Squall getting away off the bench.

I've been sitting here playing with the Tx and Rx with an ordinary servo in the throttle (4) slot and trying to make sense of it.
Unsuccessfully.

It would be a great help if anyone could say which way a servo should move when plugged into the throttle slot.
Also - a previous ESC I had needed first initialisation by setting the throttle to max, turning on, then moving it to min, whereupon it would beep.
But there's nothing like that in the Squall instructions.

So please help before they come to take me away  :twisted:  :twisted:

Ron

billscottni:
best bet would be to try and determine the make/model of the esc and get the instructions.

You could also have a dead esc!

Happy Days:
Don’t panic!!…………The answer is……..servo reverse. :wink:

Reverse the throttle servo operation on your TX Ron and all will be well.

Well, I’m very confident it will. :roll:

You could try leaving the situation as it is and move the stick furthest away from you, (Full throttle in powered plane mode, or zero airbrake in glider mode.) Then connect the battery, if the motor arms, by giving three bleeps, you’ll find that by moving the throttle stick towards you the motor should spin up.)
'Servo reverse' should then bring things into line with normal convention.


So, you’ll soon be maidening her will you?? :D

Keith

Happy Days:
Er,….just a thought Ron, you have got your Tx set to “ACRO” and not “Glider” haven’t you? :wink:

Yes,….I knew you had really,……silly me :oops:  :oops:

Ron:
Thanks for all the replies.

Got it sorted  :D  :D  :D
Servo reverse - not directly.
Stick reverse - not directly.
It was all to do with the strange percentage settings for stick/servo movement.
On normal servos it's fairly obvious. The centre is centre, and one way is plus and the other way is minus.
But for throttle.... stick to minimum, whichever way you've chosen on a different menu, is equivalent to one end or the other on a normal servo.
It's not zero or 'in the middle'.
And it seems that the throttle has to be set for zero at the minimum end, going to -110% at the wide open end, with centre travel being -50%.

Now exactly why it's zero going to minus, and not zero going to plus is beyond me.

So the problem was that because the throttle, in common with all the other servos, was set to zero at centre travel, the ECS never saw zero, so would not initialise.

The only 'issue' (as they call problems these days  8) ) is that the Squall book says it should be set to 120% and the Cockpit SX only allows 110%.
Does this mean I can't get full power I wonder? :?:

So thanks again.

Ron

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