Help with APM2 and V-tail (with mixer)

I'm trying to set up a v-tail plane with a new APM2 board.  Here's my history with the plane...

1. Configured the plane as RC only and flew it with V-tail mixing in the radio.  Flew great.

2. Added APM2 board and discovered V-tail wasn't supported...gotta get a v-tail mixer.

3. Removed APM2 and added a FMA Direct MX-80 V-tail mixer.  Flew fine.

4. Added APM2 board. Plugged elevator lead from mixer into Output 2 on APM2.  Rudder into Output 4. The only tail control I get is UP elevator and RIGHT rudder.  DOWN and LEFT give no response.

Any ideas on what to try would be appreciated.

Andy

 

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  • 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. 

  • 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

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

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