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Spectrum DX8 2 Switches 1 TX channel 6 Flight Modes

Posted by Manfred Dickgiesser on December 16, 2012 at 7:30pm

3689491617?profile=originalSpectrum DX8 

2 Switches   1 TX channel

6 Flight Modes

You don’t need to sacrifice 1 RX channel to mix 6 Flight Modes out of two switches.

Just mix Aux2 to itself in 3 different ways depending on the position of the

F Mode switch.  You need to have Flight Mode enabled with the F Mode switch.

First go to Servo Setup and set Aux2 Travel to 85%

3689491617?profile=original

Then go to Mixing and select Mix 3, 4 and 5 und set it up as shown in the following pictures.

3689491504?profile=original3689491521?profile=original3689491446?profile=original

You will then get the Flight Modes a pictured below.

The good thing is, if the Flap/Gyro switch is in the middle (pos1) you always get

APM Flight Mode 4, which you could assign to Stabilize. 

3689491640?profile=original

So you have still the channel Rud and Aux3 free for other useful things.

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Comments

  • Manfred Dickgiesser February 14, 2013 at 8:51pm

    I you have your RC flight mode at AUX2 and use the Gear and F Mode switch to select your Flight Modes ,

    do the following:

     

    1. Go to “Switch Select” and link the Gear switch to AUX2.

     

    1. Then go to Servo setup and set AUX2 to 85% , 80% travel.

     

    1. Then go to Mixing Mix2.
      1. Mix AUX2 to AUX2.
      2. Rate both -40%
      3. Sw FM1

     

    1. Then go to Mixing Mix3.
      1. Mix AUX2 to AUX2.
      2. Rate both -80%
      3. Sw FM2

     

     

    At Servo setup AUX2 Travel you can then fine trim to fit the required PW readings for each of the 6 APM Flight Modes.

     

    You will get 6 Flight Modes. If your Gear switch is 0 then you will get the first 3 when switching F Mode switch from 0 to 1 to 2, and if the Gear switch is 1 then you will get the second 3 when switching F Mode switch from 0 to 1 to 2.

  • Peter Klimon February 13, 2013 at 10:36pm

    Manfred,

    Could you be so kind as to make another How-To sheet on configuring a DX8 but walk through all of the settings needed to be made for using it with ArduCopter. I am using an APM 2.5 contoller with AR8000 receiver on a 3DR Hexa-B kit.

    I could especially use some help on how to turn down the sensitivity for the yaw and pitch contols. 

    Is there any chance you can share your configuration file so i could simply upload it to my DX8 and use it for reference? There is no better way to learn this than having real examples...

    You are the first person to post something that a new user can truly understand. I Thank you very much!

  • Gustavo A.Vargas February 1, 2013 at 3:03pm

    Thanks Manfred for this great tutorial and Bhanu for doing the right questions. For those flying in Acro, I propose the following modification (still original Manfred's set is OK and works fine) in the mixing which leads to smother changes among toggling of switches :

    1. Keep your AUX2 travel as default (100% 100%) -Supposing FLAP is associated to AUX2 since the beginning-

    2. Go to mix2: AUX2 > AUX2 and set rate -50% 50% for FM1

    3. Go to mix3: AUX2 > AUX2 and set rate -80% 80% for FM2

    Resulting flight mode sequence when matching PWMs ranges on Mission Planner:

    FLAP / GYRO = 0 and F MODE = 0 --> Manual

    FLAP / GYRO = 0 and F MODE = 1 --> Stabilize

    FLAP / GYRO = 0 and F MODE = 2 --> Auto

    FLAP / GYRO = 1 and F MODE = any position --> Auto

    FLAP / GYRO = 2 and F MODE = any position --> RTL

    This way you don't have to pass through "auto" to set "stabilize" when toggling F MODE. If you accidentally hits FLAP/GYRO lever out of zero, your bird will do what best know: auto completing mission or going back home. No hurt.

    Thanks again to Manfred for sheding light on this!

  • Manfred Dickgiesser February 1, 2013 at 2:59pm

    Guatavo

    Thanks for your contribution and improvement.

  • Bhanu January 29, 2013 at 5:50am

    Hi Manfred

    I am sorry to come back very late to your last post helping me out.

    I was away in a remote area where I was cut from internet.

    Thanks for your photographs showing the details but still I could not setup

    the 6 modes. Right now copter is with my friends place and need nursing as it is crashing too often.

    regards

     

  • Manfred Dickgiesser January 13, 2013 at 6:03pm

    I use this setup on my 600 Heli; I fly in Acro mode on my TX8 and it works, I have 6 APM Flight Modes.

  • Manfred Dickgiesser January 13, 2013 at 5:55pm

    Your APM Flight Modes should be on AUX2, you need only AUX2, no other channel for this setup.

  • Manfred Dickgiesser January 13, 2013 at 5:52pm

    I think the problem is you have still F Mode linked to Aux1

    You don’t need that.

     

    Go to switch select and set it up like this: (don’t worry about my AUX3, AUX1 and Gear)

     3692591192?profile=original

    Go to servo setup and do it like this:

    3692591209?profile=original

     

    And then go to Mixing and do it like this:

    3692590951?profile=original

    and this:

     

    3692591259?profile=original

     

    Then it should work.

  • Bhanu January 13, 2013 at 11:53am

    Thanks for you support Manfred. I did what you suggested.

    I have set servo & Mix1 & Mix2 exactly as suggested.

    In switch select Flap is linked with AUX2 & F Mode to Aux 1  Knob is AUX 3

    and Trainer / Gear /L Trim /MIX /AUX2 / R Trim      they are inhibited.

     

    But I am unable to get more than 3 modes.

    any idea if I am doing something wrong?

    regards

     

  • Manfred Dickgiesser January 13, 2013 at 1:36am

    Bhanu

    In my example just above, I use the F Mode Switch and the Flap Gyro Switch to change APM Flight Modes.

    You need to go to Switch Select and link Flap with AUX2.

    You have to make sure, that AUX2 and Flap is not used anywhere else, otherwise you cannot link them.

    You don’t need to change the wiring.

    It works! Good luck. Otherwise let me know.

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