Help with APM2 and V-tail (with mixer)

I'm in more or less the same position. I am using ArduPlane in a V-tail glider. I disabled V-tail mixing on the radio and have been using a Turnigy V-tail mixer from the outputs of the APM. That worked for a while, despite the slow update rate of the Turnigy mixer. I ordered a "200 step" GWS V-tail mixer which doesn't work as a V-tail mixer. Strangely, it will mix any two channels together, except for elevator and rudder. I can mix Elevon, Flaperon, "Throttlevator", "Rudderleron" etc. etc. but when I mix the two channels that you would normally expect from a "V-tail Mixer" (as the package describes it) it barely moves the servos at all. I've tried it with two transmitters and 3 receivers, plus the APM, always with the same result!

Anyhow, I recently fried my tail servos and v-tail mixer in a wiring mishap (and hope I haven't fried the APM) so now I'm left wondering what to do. I've picked up some replacement servos, but don't want to go back to the V-tail mixer. It seems like it shouldn't be too hard to implement V-tail demixing/mixing in the APM. Is there a compelling reason not to do so? I suspect there would be few customers for such a feature, but here are two! I'm planning to give it a go.

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Fête Mobile July 27, 2012 at 3:03pm

I'm in more or less the same position. I am using ArduPlane in a V-tail glider. I disabled V-tail mixing on the radio and have been using a Turnigy V-tail mixer from the outputs of the APM. That worked for a while, despite the slow update rate of the Turnigy mixer. I ordered a "200 step" GWS V-tail mixer which doesn't work as a V-tail mixer. Strangely, it will mix any two channels together, except for elevator and rudder. I can mix Elevon, Flaperon, "Throttlevator", "Rudderleron" etc. etc. but when I mix the two channels that you would normally expect from a "V-tail Mixer" (as the package describes it) it barely moves the servos at all. I've tried it with two transmitters and 3 receivers, plus the APM, always with the same result!

Anyhow, I recently fried my tail servos and v-tail mixer in a wiring mishap (and hope I haven't fried the APM) so now I'm left wondering what to do. I've picked up some replacement servos, but don't want to go back to the V-tail mixer. It seems like it shouldn't be too hard to implement V-tail demixing/mixing in the APM. Is there a compelling reason not to do so? I suspect there would be few customers for such a feature, but here are two! I'm planning to give it a go.
Andy Grose July 13, 2012 at 1:36pm

Quick update on this...

Since I don't have a solution to using the v-tail with APM2, I decided to disconnect the v-tail mixer and run elevator only (both elevator servos to a Y-cable). I was able to fly the airplane yesterday afternoon without issue. We actually cut a rudder out of the bottom fin and installed a servo for independent rudder control. It wasn't very effective in the end. I would still like to have a working V-tail on this, so if anybody has any ideas, please share them.

Andy
3D Robotics

Chris Anderson July 11, 2012 at 12:43pm

Is that in manual mode? And do you also have ailerons (plugged into Output 1)?

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Help with APM2 and V-tail (with mixer)

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