Gyro For Fixed Wing Issue.

[Richard. W.]

Hello, all....I hope everyone is keeping safe and well.

My question is in relation to the "P1-Thunder" gyro. I'm trying to reverse the direction of correction.

I've read several threads on other forums, which mostly seem to say that it works well but is a pig to sort out. There are a couple of videos in languages I don't speak but so far I can't find anything which helps.

In this case, the gyro is fitted within the wing of a fixed wing aircraft to work on the ailerons. The wing is a self contained unit with it's own power and rx. The ailerons each have their own servo with a "Y" lead connection.

The ailerons work as they should and in the right direction with the aileron control on my tx. The gyro switch runs from aux-5 on the 6 channel rx and is programmed to a two position switch on my tx as I only need "ON" or "OFF" (it's for stabilisation not 3d flying)

So far so good... The ailerons work as they should on the stick and the switch turns the gyro on and off. The "Gain" adjustment on the gyro seems to work as it should, as does the throw setting for it on my tx, except the gyro moves the ailerons the wrong way.

I can reverse the CH-5 aux on my tx but it makes no difference.....According to the gyro instructions (translated from Chinenglish) the gyro should cycle through a series of light flashing sequences when it powers up, denoting each axis, before settling on a steady blue light (for regular operation).

Mine isn't doing this......On powering up, it flashes blue, rapidly, without sequence for a few seconds before showing steady blue until I operate the gyro switch which turns the gyro and light off. Switch on again and it comes back straight away, with the light going immediately to a steady blue..........The rapid flashing blue only happens when I turn the rx power back on.

I read a comment elsewhere which said that the gyro will only work if  physically connected to 3 servos so I hooked it up to two spares as a test. This made no difference, just the same rapid flashing and constant blue.

Sorry this post sounds really long winded but I'm trying to include everything which may be relevant. The radio is RadioLink at9s, which I'm perfectly happy with. Everything seems to be as it should , except I can't figure out how to reverse the gyro throw direction and am at a loss as to know what to try next. I have the feeling it will be something quite simple and more likely gyro than radio related but have got to the point of frustration where I don't know what to try next, short of another gyro. 

Edited By Richard. W. on 14/05/2020 19:32:07

[Denis Watkins]

Richard, 1st check, the gyro trims point towards the prop in a line seen from the rear of the model

Therefore from the rear view the trims are on the right

Therefore the servo leads are in the rear of the wing facing the tail looking from the rear.

Turn the gain down so as movement can just be seen

On off channel should be Ch6 ?

Is the gyro facing the right way?

Edited By Denis Watkins on 14/05/2020 16:17:56

[Dwain Dibley.]

Also what do you mean by the wrong way. The gyro should counteract aileron movement, that is tilt the gyro/plane left,and ailerons should try to roll right.

D.D.

Edited By Dwain Dibley. on 14/05/2020 16:59:52

[Denis Watkins]

Good point D.D.

Richard, from either wing tip, lift up and the aileron should deflect UP

[Richard. W.]

Denis.........I shall try swapping the switch to channel 6, thank you. .......Everything else is as it should be, as per your post.

Denis and Dwain........... That's the problem. The raised tip drops it's aileron (wrong way).....However the main aileron control moves them the correct way.

That looks confusing......I'm trying to say that the gyro deflection is adding to the tilt instead of counteracting it. 

 

Edited By Richard. W. on 14/05/2020 19:42:18

Edited By Richard. W. on 14/05/2020 19:50:17

[Denis Watkins]

Right Richard, there are 3 tiny DIP switches that you use to select the wing type

They are in a row and move across to On or off using a cocktail stick

Slide these a 1 at a time to test correct wing selection

Also make sure they are fully at each end as it is possible to leave them mid stream

 

Edited By Denis Watkins on 14/05/2020 20:11:21

[Richard. W.]

Firstly, my apologies for not updating this post earlier.

Many thanks to everyone giving their advice, it was all helpful.

I eventually managed to fathom it out but If anyone else encounters problems with installing this particular make of gyro, here are a few tips or pointers which may help, since the translated instruction sheet supplied in the packet is at best, unclear and at worst, wrong.

Denis is totally correct about the 3 tiny dip switches. They are actually numbered 1, 2, 3 on the gyro itself but the numbers are so small and lightly embossed, I could only just make them out with the aid of an Optivisor and by holding the unit at an angle to the light. Here the instruction sheet is wrong as it shows a diagram of the switches but the numbers are reversed, so 1, 2 and 3 on the diagram is 3, 2 and 1 on the unit. These switch settings are critical depending on the control layout of your model so make sure you get it right.

When connecting the wiring between the gyro unit, servos and receiver, the diagram is fairly easy to follow but when you plug the single power feed wire into the receiver, remember it's the switch feed to the assigned switch on your transmitter. This may seem obvious to many but it threw me for a while. I knew my chosen switch was working fine but I couldn't understand why I was getting power to the gyro regardless of what position the switch was in. After quite a few hours of head scratching and frustration, I realised I'd plugged it into the permanent live. Simply reversing that connection sorted it out and the gyro now powered on and off as it should via my transmitter.

The main problem I had was figuring out how to reverse the gyro effect on a control surface.....The instructions describe a series of flashing lights. Blue for forward and Red for reverse and explains how to change the direction if needed. Great. Wonderful. Easy.....Providing you get the sequence of flashing lights to start with but I didn't... Everything else was working as it should but no matter what I tried, all I got was a steady blue light indicating the gyro was working but nothing flashing and no way to reverse the deflection.

.....And here's the key!.......If you only want the gyro to effect one or two control surfaces (as I did) you MUST connect the wiring for all three!... This is not explained on the instruction sheet but is the only way the unit will perform it's sequence of flashes. It's now a simple matter to change direction if needed and once done, the leads for any control surface you don't require gyro assist on can be unplugged and removed.

One final point, which is described on a YouTube video but is worth mentioning again here, is that the gyro is designed to operate on a three position switch on the transmitter. One for stabilisation, one for aerobatics and one for off. If you only require the unit to aid stabilisation and so connect to a two way switch, you can't just assign the switch because the gyro won't turn off, it will only switch between stabilisation and aerobatic...You have to fool it into giving you an "OFF" by setting the aerobatic effects to zero in the transmitter.

Thanks again for the help with my original post and I hope my attempt to explain things now I have it sorted out, will aid others who may have similar issues in the future.