I didn't think I'd actually get this far so soon, but somehow I have. I got my APM2 strapped on to my T-Rex 600 and managed to get it in the air. In fact, I've even got it tuned moderately well!
I started out switching the APM from my 3DR quad to the trex frame and began the process of learning how to set up a heli. Being the overbearing fellow I am, I forgot to erase the eeprom so my initial setup was using quad parameters on a heli. After not getting it off the ground, I eventually erased and went through the setup process again and got things right. I got it in the air and tuned a few things and so far I'm happy with how it flies. I used auto-trim mode (ch 7 switch) to level it in the air and that seems to have worked quite well.
The APM board fits nicely in the typical tail gyro place right behind the main shaft. The board is mounted using the Align gel which I've had perfect results with on the quad, and lightweight velcro straps to gently hold it against the gel. No problems with vibrations whatsoever (that I can tell right now, anyway).
I'm happy to have this bird in my fleet once again, and with a second APM (1.0) board on the way I'll hopefully not have to switch back and forth.
Cheers!
Comments
I've got no complaints with the APM2. If you're going to invest in either of the two, go for the 2.0. I've got a 1.0 in the mail, so I can't comment on any differences yet, but I'm pretty impressed with the purple board.
That sounds great! Really scratching my head whether to keep going with the APMV1 or get an APMV2 though lol
I wish blog posts had the same "Reply" and "Upload Files" functions as discussions do.
Anyway, thanks for all the support guys. I'll certainly be posting a video or two of my flights, since I agree that there are far to few heli vids floating around (no pun intended) featuring APM.
For those asking, here are my params. Be aware, that these are certainly not highly refined. This was my first pass at getting things happily flyable, and doesn't necessarily represent "really good" tuning. :)
Ben, I have a FBL conversion kit that I'm itching to throw on mine too! I'm going to hold off for a bit until I'm quite happy with flights using the flybar. I imagine I'll have increased responsiveness to anticipate when I do switch...
Cheers!
I'm glad to see this was successful! When my APM 2 gets in (maybe a week or so) this is the first vehicle I'd planned on putting it on. Any chance I could get your gains from you? It'll save me a fair amount of leg work.
Nice! Still have my gasser and two APM V1's on the table along with a freshly installed redundant FBL system. Would be nice to see if your 600 flies better with the paddles removed??
We don't see too many flight videos of APM stabilized traditional helis. Would been nice to if you could post a flight vid.