Smoggie
Well-Known Member
I recently picked up a 'Hobby Eagle A3 Super II' flight stabiliser. I got it locally but these things are available from a number of places including Banggood for about $27, or a bit more if you want the programming box (highly recommended)
I've tried basic flight stabilisers such as the ones made by Orange, Lemon and Horizon's AS3X, these systems are fine for making a plane fly smoother but the HobbyEagle is far more advanced than any of the stabilisers I've tried before:
Features
The features most people will be interested in are the flight modes. You have the standard 'Rate' flight mode that is like most other 'AS3X' type rate gyro stabilisers, it makes the plane resistant to getting buffeted about by wind and generally makes flight smoother. Where it gets interesting is the other modes offered:
I installed the stabiliser in a Hobbyking MX2 EPP/wood composite 3D model the kit for which I'd had since getting it in a Hobbyking sale a while back (great 3D plane by the way!):
Setup was pretty easy considering the controllers advanced features. It's made a lot easier with the programming box as you can plug that in at the field so no need to lug a laptop around with you. It takes a little while to get the gains dialled in but even after only a few flights the MX2 was showing the potential of this little gizmo. Here's a brief video on the first flight after getting the gains somewhere close. The first few clips are showing the Auto-hover mode (mode 3 on my Tx) and the last clip shows '3D attitude locking' used in knife edge flight (mode 2 on my Tx). You will hear the voice alert on my Tx when I switch modes.
And after further tweaking of the gains here's a video showing the Auto Hover to better effect:
And before anyone says... yeah I know it's cheating, but it's fun!
I've tried basic flight stabilisers such as the ones made by Orange, Lemon and Horizon's AS3X, these systems are fine for making a plane fly smoother but the HobbyEagle is far more advanced than any of the stabilisers I've tried before:
Features
- Works with all major receiver brands including Spektrum, Futaba, Hitec, JR, Tactic, and more.
- Integrated design of 6-axis (3 gyro+3 accelerometers ) 32-bit MEMS sensor for self-stability and self-balance.
- Advanced brown-out fast recovery ability provides better security and reliability.
- 6 flight modes: Normal Stabilization, 3D Attitude Locking, Auto-balance, Auto-Hover, User Defined, and Gyro Deactivated Modes.
- 2 stick control modes: Manual Mode(MM) and Auto Mode(RR/AR).
- Various wing types: 1AIL+1ELE, 2AIL+1ELE, 1AIL+2ELE, 2AIL+2ELE, delta-wing and V-tail.
- Independent gyro gain adjustment and gyro ratio selection for each flight mode.
- Separate adjustments for servo travel limits.
- Up to 333Hz servo operating frequency, compatible with all analog and digital servos.
- 5-level response rate setting allows you to use it on gas-powered planes.
- Compatible with HV (7.4V) receivers and servos.
- Flat or upright mounting orientations.
- Newly designed config GUI makes gyro setup simple and intuitive.
The features most people will be interested in are the flight modes. You have the standard 'Rate' flight mode that is like most other 'AS3X' type rate gyro stabilisers, it makes the plane resistant to getting buffeted about by wind and generally makes flight smoother. Where it gets interesting is the other modes offered:
- 3D Attitude Locking: This mode basically locks the plane in any attitude you put it in. So for example if you put the plane in a nose up knife edge and release the sticks it will be locked in that attitude, same goes if you put a 3D plane in a harrier, the controller locks it in that attitude.
- Auto-balance: This is like a panic recovery 'rescue' mode that instantly flips the plane into level flight.
- Auto Hover: Does what the name suggests, flips the plane into a hover and holds it in the vertical position leaving you do do only throttle control.
I installed the stabiliser in a Hobbyking MX2 EPP/wood composite 3D model the kit for which I'd had since getting it in a Hobbyking sale a while back (great 3D plane by the way!):
Setup was pretty easy considering the controllers advanced features. It's made a lot easier with the programming box as you can plug that in at the field so no need to lug a laptop around with you. It takes a little while to get the gains dialled in but even after only a few flights the MX2 was showing the potential of this little gizmo. Here's a brief video on the first flight after getting the gains somewhere close. The first few clips are showing the Auto-hover mode (mode 3 on my Tx) and the last clip shows '3D attitude locking' used in knife edge flight (mode 2 on my Tx). You will hear the voice alert on my Tx when I switch modes.
And after further tweaking of the gains here's a video showing the Auto Hover to better effect:
And before anyone says... yeah I know it's cheating, but it's fun!
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