General Beginners Guide To Setting Up Transmitter And Helicopter Settings

[Peter Vice]

Good afternoon,
I have been surfing through many many pages and topics on setting up transmitters and helicopters. Its all very confusing as the videos seem to change from one subject to another.
I have an Align 700E with an 3GX and an APS unit and I am flying with a DX8 Spectrum transmitter.
Please can anyone tell me how to find an easy to understand sequence from start to finish settings going from A to Z how to do a basic set up on the DX8 Spectrum Transmitter , Align 700E and the 3GX. I understand Tony says not much information on the APS but when it is turned off the standard settings still operate the helicopter. It would be helpful if the series are in sequence and complete.
I am hovering and doing basic flight circuits but I have to continually adjusts my sticks to keep it stable. After watching five videos all showing me different settings I am stuck.
Thank you again for all information and help I have received so far, Peter

 

[Tony]

All I have is the videos that are on my channel. As you said, I have no experience with the APS, but I do have detailed videos on the DX8 and the 3GX. And just an FYI, all collective pitch helicopters will have a slight amount of drift. Think of it as a marble on a sheet of glass. It will always want to move and you will always have to input small corrections. And the APS from what I have heard likes to drift as well.

 

[Tony]

I have moved this thread into the Helicopter section under the prefix of General since it covers transmitter setup as well as gyro setup. There is a gray area when things overlap like this but since we are working on a helicopter, I feel that fits best.

Below are some links with some explanations on some of the setups of what you are working on.

This first link is all of the videos I have on the DX8. Since I no longer own a DX8 G1, I would have to borrow one if you need a video on something specific. Which isn't an issue, it just takes time.

DX8 | Rc-Help Forum

The next link is all of the 3GX setup videos that I have. Every one of these videos was shot using the DX8 and it walks you through every aspect of setting up the 3GX from mounting and wiring, to advanced tuning in the Flight Mode Settings.

Align 3GX Gyro | Rc-Help Forum

I do understand that this can all be very confusing to a beginner and I suggest asking any and all questions that you have. Not many people on here use or know about how to work the 3GX, but I do. Unfortunately with my 'day job' it may take me a while to respond to a question. Hoping to have this resolved soon. But if something in the videos assumes that the viewer knows something and the viewer doesn't, definitely post up and ask about that subject. It is definitely not intentional as I try to make these videos very easy to understand for the absolute beginner, but sometimes you get wrapped up in the setup and you overlook some things.

I will say this though and take it as you may. If you want a much easier setup and something that just works, maybe think about upgrading the gyro on your heli to an Ikon or a BeastX gyro. The Align 3GX is no longer being made and for very good reason. Many people have had issues with the 3GX, including myself, and it has caused a lot of people to crash and destroy their helicopters. The 3GX was flawed severely and even though advanced pilots like Alan Szabo Jr. can make it fly perfectly, beginners are likely to crash because of the issues of this gyro. You are working with a 700 size helicopter which is not only very expensive, but DEADLY! These helicopters can and have killed people. The last thing I want is to hear the gyro freaked out and caused damage to the helicopter or even worse, a person or animal.

Ikon2 would be my first choice on that size of a helicopter. BeastX would be my second. If you are new to flying, definitely invest in a simulator like RealFlight, AccuRC, neXt or the like. A sim will teach you a lot about how these things fly without the worry of actually crashing your helicopter.

And last but not least, if this were my helicopter, I would remove and can the APS. Like the 3GX, the APS has it's issues and is no longer being made. The gyros like the Ikon2 have not only self leveling, but also bailout. On BeastX, you have to pay an additional $100 for this feature. I know nothing about autonomy so if you are looking for something that will keep the helicopter perfectly in one place in space, then you are going to need a GPS of some sort with a barometer and magnetometer to keep it in place on all 3 axis. Very expansive!!! Quite honestly if you are wanting to do something like this, a quad may be your best choice.

I know this post is long but I sensed your frustration in the lounge thread and though I would take a little extra time to try to dive a little deeper into this subject. I know that telling you to can the 3GX and APS is not what you wanted to hear, but I can assure you it is for the best and you will bang your head against the wall far less with a good simulator and the Ikon2. And as always, if you have questions, post up and let us know. We are always happy to help.

 

[RandyDSok]

The subject is simply too complex for any one single A-Z walkthru to be able to cover all the different make/models of different radios, helicopters and their many possible variations, gyros and other possible combinations that could potentially exist. This is also not a beginner's subject either, heli's are probably one of the most complex RC's to fly even when they are mated up with a good gyro.

What you will find at the best... is someone going through the assembly of a specific model helicopter, whether it's a coaxial, fixed pitch ( not sure many of these exist these days ), flybar or flybarless etc etc. Since many of these will be for advanced users ( because it's not a beginners subject ) you can expect that they assume you know the terminology with at best a simple description of what they maybe talking about thrown in here and there.

Next you'd look for the various different radio setups for the model radio you have, most will be described/done in general terms so they can apply to different makes/models of aircraft. There are thousands of different aircraft and it's just not feasible to cover setting up each on a specific radio.

The same will be true for the gyro's... again, these will be used on too many different aircraft along with many different radio systems, so most will be generic in their descriptions and uses in order to help more users instead of a specific setup.

The more info you read and view , the more you'll start to see and understand but like any complex subject, it will take time.

 

[Eggy 71]

I echo Tony's suggestions. Like you my first experience with a gyro was a 3gx. It was good technology at the time but is no where near the quality of the other brands Tony mentioned and just can't compete with them in performance. I had it on a trex 450 and twice experienced unexplained movement that caused a hard landing / crash. After the second time I knew it wasn't me that caused it. I am now flying Beastx gyros and would never go back to the 3gx. One mishap with a 700 size heli will cost at least 2-3 times the price of a new gyro.

 

[Peter Vice]

I have moved this thread into the Helicopter section under the prefix of General since it covers transmitter setup as well as gyro setup. There is a gray area when things overlap like this but since we are working on a helicopter, I feel that fits best.

Below are some links with some explanations on some of the setups of what you are working on.

This first link is all of the videos I have on the DX8. Since I no longer own a DX8 G1, I would have to borrow one if you need a video on something specific. Which isn't an issue, it just takes time.

DX8 | Rc-Help Forum

The next link is all of the 3GX setup videos that I have. Every one of these videos was shot using the DX8 and it walks you through every aspect of setting up the 3GX from mounting and wiring, to advanced tuning in the Flight Mode Settings.

Align 3GX Gyro | Rc-Help Forum

I do understand that this can all be very confusing to a beginner and I suggest asking any and all questions that you have. Not many people on here use or know about how to work the 3GX, but I do. Unfortunately with my 'day job' it may take me a while to respond to a question. Hoping to have this resolved soon. But if something in the videos assumes that the viewer knows something and the viewer doesn't, definitely post up and ask about that subject. It is definitely not intentional as I try to make these videos very easy to understand for the absolute beginner, but sometimes you get wrapped up in the setup and you overlook some things.

I will say this though and take it as you may. If you want a much easier setup and something that just works, maybe think about upgrading the gyro on your heli to an Ikon or a BeastX gyro. The Align 3GX is no longer being made and for very good reason. Many people have had issues with the 3GX, including myself, and it has caused a lot of people to crash and destroy their helicopters. The 3GX was flawed severely and even though advanced pilots like Alan Szabo Jr. can make it fly perfectly, beginners are likely to crash because of the issues of this gyro. You are working with a 700 size helicopter which is not only very expensive, but DEADLY! These helicopters can and have killed people. The last thing I want is to hear the gyro freaked out and caused damage to the helicopter or even worse, a person or animal.

Ikon2 would be my first choice on that size of a helicopter. BeastX would be my second. If you are new to flying, definitely invest in a simulator like RealFlight, AccuRC, neXt or the like. A sim will teach you a lot about how these things fly without the worry of actually crashing your helicopter.

And last but not least, if this were my helicopter, I would remove and can the APS. Like the 3GX, the APS has it's issues and is no longer being made. The gyros like the Ikon2 have not only self leveling, but also bailout. On BeastX, you have to pay an additional $100 for this feature. I know nothing about autonomy so if you are looking for something that will keep the helicopter perfectly in one place in space, then you are going to need a GPS of some sort with a barometer and magnetometer to keep it in place on all 3 axis. Very expansive!!! Quite honestly if you are wanting to do something like this, a quad may be your best choice.

I know this post is long but I sensed your frustration in the lounge thread and though I would take a little extra time to try to dive a little deeper into this subject. I know that telling you to can the 3GX and APS is not what you wanted to hear, but I can assure you it is for the best and you will bang your head against the wall far less with a good simulator and the Ikon2. And as always, if you have questions, post up and let us know. We are always happy to help.

Hi Tony,
Thank you so much for your help. I have an old 700E with the 3GX and it has been set up for me by my son in England, as I mentioned I crashed it , rebuilt it and now flying, or should I say getting it into the air and moving it around. The APS wont switch on as I still have to complete a vibration test. I am retired living in a remote part of Spain so no help available. When I hover I continually have to hold the stick forward and to the right and all I wanted to know is how can I stabilize my heli. I thought if I watched the video set ups Ill get to understand how everything works, but if this system is so outdated all I really need to do is work out how to trim so it hovers straight and level. I have bought a new Align 700E with a beastx system but I wanted to learn first on my old one to do a few circuits. The build videos you previously sent me is to watch how to build my new 700. Peter

 

[Tony]

My apologies, I must have glanced over that question. In order to trim a 3 axis gyro, you actually have to do that mechanically with the swash to servo linkages. On forward and backward trims, you just adjust the elevator, makes it very simple. But for left/right trims, you need to adjust the aileron/pitch servos equally but opposite of each other. I would highly suggest first completely leveling your swashplate with either a swash leveling tool, or what I do so I don't have to spend money on a leveling too, just do the zip tie method.

 

[Peter Vice]

The subject is simply too complex for any one single A-Z walkthru to be able to cover all the different make/models of different radios, helicopters and their many possible variations, gyros and other possible combinations that could potentially exist. This is also not a beginner's subject either, heli's are probably one of the most complex RC's to fly even when they are mated up with a good gyro.

What you will find at the best... is someone going through the assembly of a specific model helicopter, whether it's a coaxial, fixed pitch ( not sure many of these exist these days ), flybar or flybarless etc etc. Since many of these will be for advanced users ( because it's not a beginners subject ) you can expect that they assume you know the terminology with at best a simple description of what they maybe talking about thrown in here and there.

Next you'd look for the various different radio setups for the model radio you have, most will be described/done in general terms so they can apply to different makes/models of aircraft. There are thousands of different aircraft and it's just not feasible to cover setting up each on a specific radio.

The same will be true for the gyro's... again, these will be used on too many different aircraft along with many different radio systems, so most will be generic in their descriptions and uses in order to help more users instead of a specific setup.

The more info you read and view , the more you'll start to see and understand but like any complex subject, it will take time.

Good afternoon,
Thank you for your explanation. I have been flying my heli on and off for about a year mostly on APS which when works is a wonderful tool to learn with. I do have a flight simulator, Phoenix which I practice my flying skills. I have been flying fixed wing for two years so as such not altogether a novice. I am flying my heli and its not well balanced I know, before I last crashed it it was far more stable and I could control it. I suppose what I really need is someone to help trim it again my thoughts were if I watched the full series I would have a better understanding. I did make some minor adjustments but I will change settings back to what it was. Regards Peter