Techniques > How to...
Arming an ESC
Happy Days:
Hhmmm, I down loaded a copy of the Cockpit manual and skimped through it but didn’t read anything about that. :!:
Curious. :?:
Oh well, you got it going that’s the main thing :) ……………….Off to a wide open space today are we? 8)
K.
Ron:
Hi Keith,
No there's nothing in the manual about it.
In fact, although the manual reads quite well, it is quite confusing on many related points.
In fact I've just found even more about the throttle settings.
There are three ways of reversing the throw of the throttle, each one affecting the others.
And the ESC sees zero or anything more negative than that as true zero.
So to get the whole setup working, with minimum throttle towards the operator, you have to disable the well intentioned 'throttle check' that works on Tx turn-on to make sure you've got the throttle at minimum.
Me thinks there are a few bugs in the software.
But.... OK. Got it working anyway. :D
There are a few more things to glue on yet.
And I may just wait until the wind drops below 27kts (wot it is now).
Also got a few domestic duties to perform (jobs) now the rain has stopped.
Ron
Aidan:
Hi Ron,
I wouldn't worry too much about 120% being mentioned in the manual to get full throttle. That's entirely dependent on the brand of TX. They all use pretty much the same signal ranges but they use different size chunks from the middle of this range to define as their +/-100% for your travel settings.
So for example if you start with servo movements set to 100% on a JR system I think it's possible to increase these to 125% and get 25% extra servo travel. So 100% is not really 100%. Futaba and other systems all leave differnet amounts of movement available beyond what they call 100%. However, if I rmember correctly Multiplex actually use +/-100% to describe the entire signal range. If so then +/-100% on Multiplex will give you the same servo movement (or throttle range) as +/-125% on JR and say 130%, or whatever, on Futaba, etc...
If +/-100% on Mulitplex is equal to the full signal range then the 10% is just the available trim (you can get more but on I think on the EVO you have to add it a max of 10% at a time) but does not give you extra total movement.
The Multiplex EVO software automatically sets throttle to 30% at minimum stick as the default idle setting, I reckon the Cockipit is the same. The throttle cut function sets throttle to 0%. Any ESC I've used (mostly Hacker and Castle with a few others thrown in) will happily arm with the 30% minimum. The throttle check function just stops the radio transmitting until you've zero'd the ESC so it shouldn't effect anything. You'll always have the transmitter on before you connect your cells to your ESC.
I've recently started using a 2 position switch on my EVO instead of the push button to activate the throttle-cut function. I connect the ESC to the cells with the throttle-cut on so there's no danger of knocking the throttle stick by accident and being hit by the prop. I've started the motor by accident a few times before, usually while putting a neckstrap on or carrying the transmitter to the flightline but always with small planes and I've been lucky so far. Bigger electrics are affordable now so it's time to be a bit more cautious! With glow or petrol the prop stops when it hits something. Electrics keep going so I think they're potentially much more dangerous.
With my setup, if the throttle is live the prop is turning at idle (could change this for gliders if you wanted - or just use the cut switch to fold the prop). If I hit throttle-cut the prop stops moving and the throttle stick is dead. Good safety setup I think.
Aidan
Ron:
Hi Aidan,
I have to admit the 'more than 100%' thing was getting a bit annoying, me being a pedantic type.
100% of what I kept asking myself.
And the 30% min throttle does seem to be right (of course), as now I've got it working the actual throttle doesn't have any effect until about 30% stick travel.
Your idea of using a switch on the throttle cut is a really good one.
OK, on this EDF unit there's no chance of personal injury, and the ESC won't arm until the throttle is at zero.
But on exposed prop aircraft it can be dodgy.
As you say, electrics don't stop.
Wouldn't it be nice if there was some sort of standard - ha, ha. :lol: :lol:
Ron
Happy Days:
I’m sure I read somewhere that servo’s are only supposed to move a certain number of degrees either way. (I think it was about 60deg.)The idea of using the Tx to push the servo to (say) 110% of travel is to make the servo go beyond it’s normal level of travel. That’s why in the Tx manuals it refers to 110 or 120% of travel. Although I'm not sure if I've got that right. :?:
I’ve just spent half an hour trying to find that info again, but to no avail. :!:
Perhaps I dreamt it! I do a lot of that these days,………Dreaming.
I had a wonderful dream the other night, she was 6ft 2 with long dark hair and :P …………….Er …..okay, I know….. Too Much Information. :oops:
Keith
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