GRAUPNER MX-16S Programming Manual

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General Notes

Safety notes ................................................................... 3

Foreword ........................................................................6

Description of radio control system ...............................7

Power supply ............................................................... 10

Adjusting stick length ...................................................12

Opening the transmitter case ......................................12

Changing the stick mode ............................................. 13

Description of transmitter ............................................ 14

DSC (Direct Servo Control) .................................... 15

LCD screen ............................................................. 18

Operating buttons, function ﬁ elds ...........................19

Channel selection, transmitter ..................................... 20

Adjusting screen contrast ............................................21

Channel selection, receiver .........................................22

Installation notes .......................................................... 23

Deﬁ nition of terms ....................................................... 24

Assigning switches and transmitter controls ................ 25

Digital trims ..................................................................26

Position display, INC / DEC buttons .............................27

Servo display ............................................................... 27

Fixed-wing model aircraft ............................................28

Receiver socket assignment .............................. 29/30

Model helicopters ........................................................32

Receiver socket assignment ................................... 33

Program description

Reserving a new memory ............................................34

»Model memories« .................................................... 36

»Base settings« (model)

Fixed-wing model aircraft .......................................38

Model helicopter .....................................................42

»Servo settings« ........................................................ 48

»Control settings«

Fixed-wing model aircraft .......................................50

Model helicopter .....................................................52

Throttle limit function .........................................54

Contents

»Dual Rate / Expo«

Fixed-wing model aircraft .......................................56

Model helicopter .....................................................58

»Phase Trim« (ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft) ....................60

What is a mixer? ..........................................................61

»Wing mixers« ........................................................... 61

»Heli mixer« ...............................................................66

Adjusting the throttle and collective pitch curve ...... 70

Autorotation settings ...............................................74

General notes regarding freely programmable mixers 76

»Free mixers« ............................................................77

Examples ................................................................80

»Swashplate mixers« ................................................ 81

»Fail-Safe« (SPCM modulation only) .......................... 82

Programming examples

Introduction .................................................................. 84

Fixed-wing model aircraft

First steps in programming a new model ................ 86

Including an electric power system ......................... 90

E-motor and butterﬂ y (crow) with the C1 stick ........ 92

Operating the timers ............................................... 94

Using ﬂ ight phases .................................................95

Servos running in parallel ....................................... 96

Model deltas and ﬂ ying wings ......................................97

F3A-models ............................................................... 100

Model helicopters ......................................................104

Trainer (teacher / pupil) systems ...............................110

Appendix

Trainer operations with the mx-16s ............................ 111

Approved frequencies ................................................ 113

Approval certiﬁ cate / Conformity declaration .............114

Guarantee certiﬁ cate ................................................. 115

The sole purpose of this manual is to provide information; it is subject to amendment without prior notiﬁ cation. The GRAUPNER company accepts no responsibility or liability for errors or inaccuracies which may be found in the information section of this manual.

Environmental protection

This symbol on the product, in the operating instructions or the packaging indicates that the product must not be discarded via the normal household refuse at the end of its useful life. Instead it must be taken to a collection point for the recycling of electrical and electronic apparatus.

The materials can be re-used according to their identiﬁ cation code. You can make an important contribution to the protection of our shared environment by recycling old equipment and making use of its basic materials.

Dry and rechargeable batteries must be removed from the device and taken to the appropriate collection point.

Please ask your local authority for the location of your nearest waste disposal site.

Safety notes

Please read carefully!

We all want you to have many hours of pleasure in our mutual hobby of modelling, and safety is an important aspect of this. It is absolutely essential that you read right through these instructions and take careful note of all our safety recommendations.

If you are a beginner to the world of radio-controlled model aircraft, boats and cars, we strongly advise that you seek out an experienced modeller in your ﬁ eld and ask him or her for help and advice.

If you ever dispose of this transmitter, these instructions must be handed on to the new owner.

Application

This radio control system may only be used for the purpose for which the manufacturer intended it, i.e. for operating radio-controlled models which do not carry humans. No other type of use is approved or permissible.

Safety notes

SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT

and …

RADIO-CONTROLLED MODELS ARE NOT

PLAYTHINGS

Even small models can cause serious personal injury and damage to property if they are handled incompetently.

Technical problems in electrical and mechanical systems can cause motors to rev up or burst into life unexpectedly, with the result that parts may ﬂ y off at great speed, causing considerable injury.

Short-circuits of all kinds must be avoided at all times. Short-circuits can easily destroy parts of the radio control system, but even more dangerous is the acute risk of ﬁ re and explosion, depending on the circumstances and the energy content of the batteries.

Aircraft and boat propellers, helicopter rotors, open gearboxes and all other rotating parts which are driven by

a motor or engine represent a constant injury hazard. Do not touch these items with any object or part of your body. Remember that a propeller spinning at high speed can easily slice off a ﬁ nger! Ensure that no other object can make contact with the driven components.

Never stand in the primary danger zone, i.e. in the rotational plane of the propeller or other rotating parts, when the motor is running or the drive battery is connected.

Please note that a glowplug engine or electric motor could burst into life accidentally if the receiving system is switched on when you are transmitting the transmitter. To be on the safe side, disconnect the fueltank, or disconnect the ﬂ ight battery.

Protect all electronic equipment from dust, dirt, damp, and foreign bodies. Avoid subjecting the equipment to vibration and excessive heat or cold. Radio control equipment should only be used in “normal” ambient temperatures, i.e. within the range -15°C to +55°C.

Avoid subjecting the equipment to shock and pressure. Check the units at regular intervals for damage to cases and leads. Do not re-use any item which is damaged or has become wet, even after you have dried it out thoroughly.

Use only those components and accessories which we expressly recommend. Be sure to use only genuine matching GRAUPNER connectors of the same design with contacts of the same material. Use only genuine GRAUPNER plug-in crystals on the appropriate frequency band – if your equipment still uses them.

Before you use the system, check that all connectors are pushed home ﬁ rmly. When disconnecting components, pull on the connectors themselves – not on the wires.

It is not permissible to carry out any modiﬁ cations to the RC system components. Avoid reverse polarity and short-circuits of all kinds, as the equipment is not protec-

ted against such errors.

Installing the receiving system and deploying the receiver aerial

In a model aircraft the receiver must be packed in soft foam and stowed behind a stout bulkhead, and in a model boat or car it should be protected effectively from dust and spray.

The receiver must not make contact with the fuselage, hull or chassis at any point, otherwise motor vibration and landing shocks will be transmitted directly to it.

When installing the receiving system in a model with a glowplug or petrol engine, be sure to install all the components in well-protected positions so that no exhaust gas or oil residues can reach the units and get inside them. This applies above all to the ON / OFF switch, which is usually installed in the outer skin of the model.

Secure the receiver in such a way that the aerial, servo leads and switch harness are not under any strain.

The receiver aerial is permanently attached to the receiver. It is about 100 cm long and must not be shortened or extended. The aerial should be routed as far away as possible from electric motors, servos, metal pushrods and high-current cables. However, it is best not to deploy the aerial in an exactly straight line, but to angle it: e.g. run it straight to the tailplane, then leave the ﬁ nal 10 - 15 cm trailing freely, as this avoids reception “blind spots” when the model is in the air. If this is not possible, we recommend that you lay out part of the aerial wire in an Sshape inside the model, as close to the receiver if possible.

Installing the servos

Always install servos using the vibration-damping grommets supplied. The rubber grommets provide some degree of protection from mechanical shocks and severe vibration.

Safety notes

Installing control linkages

The basic rule is that all linkages should be installed in such a way that the pushrods move accurately, smoothly and freely. It is particularly important that all servo output arms can move to their full extent without fouling or rubbing on anything, or being obstructed mechanically at any point in their travel.

It is important that you should be able to stop your motor at any time. With a glow motor this is achieved by adjusting the throttle so that the barrel closes completely when you move the throttle stick and trim to their endpoints.

Ensure that no metal parts are able to rub against each other, e.g. when controls are operated, when parts rotate, or when motor vibration affects the model. Metal-tometal contact causes electrical “noise” which can interfere with the correct working of the receiver.

Always extend the transmitter aerial fully before operating your model.

Transmitter ﬁ eld strength is at a minimum in an imaginary line extending straight out from the transmitter aerial. It is therefore fundamentally misguided to “point” the transmitter aerial at the model with the intention of obtaining good reception.

When several radio control systems are in use on adjacent channels, the pilots should always stand together in a loose group. Pilots who insist on standing away from the group endanger their own models as well as those of the other pilots.

Pre-ﬂ ight checking

If there are several modellers at the site, check carefully with all of them that you are the only one on “your” channel before you switch on your own transmitter. If two modellers switch on transmitters on the same channel, the result is invariably interference to one or both models, and the usual result is at least one wrecked model.

Safety notes

Before you switch on the receiver, ensure that the throttle stick is at the stop / idle end-point.

Always switch on the transmitter ﬁ rst, and only then

the receiver.

Always switch off the receiver ﬁ rst, and only then

the transmitter.

If you do not keep to this sequence, i.e. if the receiver is at any time switched on when “its” transmitter is switched OFF, then the receiver is wide open to signals from other transmitters and any interference, and may respond. The model could then carry out uncontrolled movements, which could easily result in personal injury or damage to property. The servos may run to their endstops and damage the gearbox, linkage, control surface etc.

Please take particular care if your model is ﬁ tted with a mechanical gyro:

Before you switch your receiver off, disconnect the power supply to ensure that the motor cannot run up to high speed accidentally.

As it runs down, the gyro can generate such a high voltage that the receiver picks up apparently valid throttle commands, and the motor could respond by unexpectedly bursting into life.

Range checking

Before every session check that the system works properly in every respect, and has adequate range. This means checking that all the control surfaces respond correctly and in the appropriate direction to the transmitter commands at a suitable ground range. Repeat this check with the motor running, while a friend holds the model securely for you.

Operating your model aircraft, helicopter, boat or car

Never ﬂ y directly over spectators or other pilots, and take care at all times not to endanger people or animals.

Keep well clear of high-tension overhead cables. Never operate your model boat close to locks and full-size vessels. Model cars should never be run on public streets or motorways, footpaths, public squares etc..

Checking the transmitter and receiver batteries

It is essential to stop using the radio control system and recharge the batteries well before they are completely discharged. In the case of the transmitter this means – at the very latest – when the message “Battery must be charged” appears on the screen, and you hear an audible warning signal.

It is vital to check the state of the batteries at regular intervals – especially the receiver pack. When the battery is almost ﬂ at you may notice the servos running more slowly, but it is by no means safe to keep ﬂ ying or running your model until this happens. Always replace or recharge the batteries in good time.

Keep to the battery manufacturer’s instructions and don’t leave the batteries on charge for longer than stated. Do not leave batteries on charge unsupervised.

Never attempt to recharge dry cells, as they may explode.

Rechargeable batteries should always be recharged before every session. When charging batteries it is important to avoid short-circuits. Do this by ﬁ rst connecting the banana plugs on the charge lead to the charger, taking care to maintain correct polarity. Only then connect the charge lead to the transmitter or receiver battery.

Disconnect all batteries and remove them from your model if you know you will not be using it in the near future.

Capacity and operating times

This rule applies to all forms of electrical power source: battery capacity is reduced every time you charge the pack. At low temperatures capacity is greatly reduced, i.e. operating times are shorter in cold conditions.

Frequent charging, and / or the use of maintenance programs, tends to cause a gradual reduction in battery capacity. We recommend that you check the capacity of all your rechargeable batteries at least every six months, and replace them if their performance has fallen off signiﬁ cantly.

Use only genuine GRAUPNER rechargeable batteries!

Suppressing electric motors

All conventional electric motors produce sparks between commutator and brushes to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the motor type; the sparking generates serious interference to the radio control system.

If an RC system is to work correctly, it is therefore important to suppress the electric motors, and in electricpowered models it is essential that every motor should be effectively suppressed. Suppressor ﬁ lters reliably eliminate such interference, and should always be ﬁ tted where possible.

Please read the notes and recommendations supplied by the motor manufacturer.

Refer to the main GRAUPNER FS catalogue for more information on suppressor ﬁ lters.

Servo suppressor ﬁ lter for extension leads

Order No. 1040 Servo suppressor ﬁ lters are required if you are obliged

to use long servo extension leads, as they eliminate the danger of de-tuning the receiver. The ﬁ lter is connected directly to the receiver input. In very difﬁ cult cases a second ﬁ lter can be used, positioned close to the servo.

Using electronic speed controllers

The basic rule is that the electronic speed controller must be chosen to suit the size of the electric motor it is required to control.

There is always a danger of overloading and possibly damaging the speed controller, but you can avoid this by

ensuring that the controller’s current-handling capacity is at least half the motor’s maximum stall current.

Particular care is called for if you are using a “hot” (i.e. upgrade) motor, as any low-turn motor (small number of turns on the winding) can draw many times its nominal current when stalled, and the high current will wreck the speed controller.

Electrical ignition systems

Ignition systems for internal combustion engines can also produce interference which has an adverse effect on the working of the radio control system.

Electrical ignition systems should always be powered by a separate battery – not the receiver battery.

Be sure to use effectively suppressed spark plugs and plug caps, and shielded ignition leads.

Keep the receiving system an adequate distance away from the ignition system.

Static charges

Lightning causes magnetic shock waves which can interfere with the operation of a radio control transmitter even if the thunderstorm actually occurs several kilometres away.

Cease ﬂ ying operations immediately if you notice an electrical storm approaching. Static charges through the transmitter aerial can be life-threatening!

Caution

Radio control systems may only be operated on the frequency bands and spot frequencies approved in each EU country. You will ﬁ nd information on frequencies in the section entitled “Approved operating frequencies” on page 113. It is prohibited to operate radio control systems on any other frequency, and such misuse will be punished by the relevant authorities.

Care and maintenance

Don’t use cleaning agents, petrol, water or other solvents to clean this equipment. If the case, the aerial etc. gets dirty, simply wipe the surfaces clean with a soft dry cloth.

Components and accessories

As manufacturers, the company of GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG recommends the exclusive use of components and accessories which have been tested by GRAUPNER and approved for their capability, function and safety. If you observe this rule, GRAUPNER accepts responsibility for the product.

GRAUPNER cannot accept liability for non-approved parts or accessories made by other manufacturers. It is not possible for GRAUPNER to assess every in- dividual item manufacture red by other producers, so we are unable to state whether such parts can be used without incurring a safety risk.

Liability exclusion / Compensation

We at GRAUPNER are unable to ensure that you ob- serve the operating instructions, and are not in a position to inﬂ uence the way you install, operate and maintain the radio control system components. For this reason we are obliged to refute all liability for loss, damage or costs which are incurred due to the incompetent or incorrect use and operation of our products, or which are connected with such operation in any way.

Unless otherwise prescribed by law, the obligation of the GRAUPNER company to pay compensation is limited to the invoice value of that quantity of GRAUPNER pro- ducts which was immediately and directly involved in the event in which the damage occurred. This does not apply if GRAUPNER is found to be subject to unlimited liability according to binding legal regulation on account of deliberate or gross negligence.

Safety notes

mx-16s – the latest generation of radio control technology

During the development phase of the mx-16s we retained and further reﬁ ned the overall programming philosophy of the mc-24. This system was introduced in 1997 and is renowned throughout the world; many thousands are already in use.

Although this radio control system has been specially developed for the beginner, it is capable of controlling all current types of model, from ﬁ xed-wing model aeroplanes and helicopters to model boats and cars.

In the area of ﬁ xed-wing models and helicopters it is often necessary to employ complex mixer functions for the control surfaces or the swashplate control system. Computer technology enables you to activate a vast range of functions to cope with special model requirements – just by pressing a button. With the mx-16s all you do is select the appropriate model type, and the software then presents you automatically with the appropriate mixer and coupling functions. This means that the transmitter requires no additional modules in order to implement complex coupled functions, and you can forget all about old-fashioned mechanical mixers in the model. The mx16s provides an extremely high level of safety and reliability in use.

The software is carefully arranged in a logically structured menu system. Options which are inter-connected in terms of function are clearly organised in terms of content.

• Model memories

• Base settings

• Servo settings

• Control settings

• Dual Rate/Expo

• Phase trim (ﬁ xed-wing only)

• Wing mixers / Heli mixer

• Free mixers

Introduction

• Swashplate mixers (helicopter only)

• Fail Safe (SPCM transmission mode only) The mx-16s provides 12 model memories, each of

which can store model settings for different ﬂ ight phases. Individual phases can be called up in ﬂ ight simply by operating a switch, so that you can try out various settings quickly and without risk. This can be for test purposes or for varying parameters for different phases of ﬂ ight.

The large graphic screen makes operating the transmitter a simple, self-explanatory process. Mixers and other functions can be displayed in graphic form, and this is extraordinarily helpful.

The beginner soon becomes familiar with the wide range of functions available thanks to the clear, logically arranged program structure. Adjustments are made using just two rocker buttons, together with the SELECT and CLEAR buttons to either side of the high-contrast screen, and in this way you very quickly learn how to make full use of all the options you need, depending on your experience in handling radio-controlled models.

When used with the new “smc…” receivers the mx-16s can provide servo travel at extremely high resolution with 1024 control “steps” using the SUPER-PCM digital modulation mode, for ultra-ﬁ ne control. Naturally we guarantee full compatibility with earlier PPM-FM and PCM receiver systems.

This manual describes each menu in detail, and also provides dozens of useful tips, notes and programming examples to complement the basic information. More general modelling terms, such as Transmitter controls, Dual-Rates, Butterﬂ y (Crow) and many others, are all explained in the manual.

The appendix contains comprehensive information on the Trainer (teacher / pupil) system. The manual concludes with a table of the frequencies approved for

use in individual European countries, copies of the Approval Certiﬁ cate, the Conformity Declaration and the transmitter’s Guarantee Certiﬁ cate.

Please read the safety notes and the technical information. We recommend that you read right through the instructions with great care, and check all the functions as described in the text. This can be carried out simply by connecting servos to the supplied receiver, and watching their response as you program the transmitter. This is the quickest method of becoming familiar with the essential procedures and functions of the mx-16s.

Always handle your radio-controlled model with a responsible attitude to avoid endangering yourself and others.

All of us in the GRAUPNER team wish you every success and many years of pleasure with your mx-16s, which is an excellent example of the latest generation of radio control systems.

Kirchheim-Teck, november 2006

-16s Computer System

Eight-channel digital proportional radio control system

High-technology micro-computer radio control system with new high-speed single-chip micro-computer, ﬂ ash memory and 10-bit A/D converter

A computer radio control system with twelve model memories, carefully optimised and incorporating top-level technology.

Modern computer system for unbeatable reliability. Simpliﬁ ed, straightforward programming technique using rocker buttons and momentary buttons.

The high-contrast graphic screen provides an efﬁ cient means of monitoring set-up parameters, operating modes, timers and battery voltage.

• Modern hardware and integrated Synthesizer system for channel selection, with security menu to guard against setting the wrong frequency accidentally

• Methods of operation and programming based on the proven concepts of the mc-19 to mc-24

• Eight control functions with extremely convenient, simpliﬁ ed method of assigning controls for auxiliary functions such as switches and proportional controls

• Unrestricted assignment of all switches to switched

functions simply by operating the desired switch

• Twelve model memories for storing all model-speciﬁ c programming and set-up parameters

• The latest back-up system requiring no Lithium battery

• Four switches (of which one is a three-position switch), one momentary button, one analogue control, two digital controls installed as standard; freely programmable for extreme flexibility

• Function encoder with two rocker buttons and two momentary buttons for simplified programming and accurate set-up

• Convenient mode selector provides simple method of switching the stick mode (modes 1 - 4, e.g. throttle right / throttle left). When you change modes, all the affected settings are switched at the same time

• Graphical servo display provides a straightforward overview of the servo set-up and a fast method of checking servo travels

• Receiver output swap

• Wing menu for: 1AIL, 2AIL, 2AIL + 2FLAP, V-tail, delta / ﬂ ying wing and two elevator servos

Wing mixer: AIL diff, FL diff, AIL  RUD, AIL  FL,

Brake  ELE, Brake  FL, Brake  AIL, ELE  FL, ELE  AIL, FL  ELE, FL  AIL and Diff. reduction

Description of radio control system

• Heli menu: 1-point, 2-point, 3-point and 4-point linkages (1 SV, 2 SV, 3 SV (2 roll), 3 SV (2 nick), 4 SV (90°))

• Two selectable modulations:

SPCM – Super PCM modulation with high system re-

solution of 1024 steps per control function. For the following receivers: smc-14, smc-19, smc-20, smc19DS, smc-20DS, smc-16SCAN, smc-20DSYN, smc20DSCAN, R 330 S

PPM – The most widespread standard transmission

method (FM and FMsss). For the following receivers: C12, C16, C17, R16SCAN, C19, DS18, DS19, DS20, plus the following miniature receivers: XP4, XP10, XP12FM, XP14, XN12, XM16, RB14 SCAN, R16 SCAN, R200 FM 40, R600, R600 light, R700 and C6, C8, SB6 SYN 40S, SR6SYN

• Servo travel adjustment +/-150% for all servo channels, variable for each end-point separately (Single Side Servo Throw)

• Sub-trim for fine-tuning the neutral position of all servos

• Servo reverse, programmable for all servos

• DUAL RATE/EXPO system, separately variable, can be switched in-ﬂ ight

• Mixer functions:

Aileron differential mixer, butterfly mixer, flaperon mi-

xer and three freely programmable mixers

• Convenient swashplate programs for model helicopters

• Programmable Fail-Safe function with hold-mode and preset function (SPCM only)

• Stopwatch / count-down timer with alarm function

• Model memory copy function

• Integral DSC socket for use with flight simulators and Trainer systems

Description of radio control system

The sets contain:

mx-16s transmitter with Synthesizer transmitter module on the appropriate frequency band, integral 8NH-1700 mAh NiMH battery (type may differ), R16SCAN receiver on the appropriate frequency, one C 577 servo, switch harness.

Order No. 4701 35 MHz band (A- and B-band) Order No. 4703 40/41 MHz band

Please refer to the table on page 113 for details of approved frequencies in individual EU countries.

Speciﬁ cation of R16SCAN receiver

Operating voltage 4,8 ... 6 V

Current drain approx. 24 mA

Spot frequencies, 35 MHz 61 ... 282 / 182 ... 191*

Spot frequ., 40 / 41 MHz 50 ... 92 / 400 ... 420**

Channel spacing 10 kHz

Sensitivity approx. 10 µV

Modulation PPM

Servo functions 8

Temperature range -15° ... +55° C

Aerial length approx. 1000 mm

Dimensions approx. 46 x 25 x 15 mm

Weight approx. 17 g

* Channels 60, 281 and 282 not approved for use in Germany ** 41 MHz approved for use in France only

Speciﬁ cation of mx-16s transmitter

Transmission system SPCM und PPM (FM / FMsss)

Synthesizer RF section 35 MHz A-band and B-band

40/41 MHz band

Please refer to the table on page 13 for details of approved frequencies in individual EU countries

Channel spacing, Synthesizer 10 kHz

Maximum control functions SPCM = 8, PPM = 8

Control functions 8 functions, 4 with trims

Channel pulse width 1,5 ms +/-0,5 ms

Temperature range -15 ... +55°C

Telescopic aerial 10-section, approx. 1150 mm long

Operating voltage 9,6 ... 12 V

Current drain approx. 225 mA (approx. 65 mA excl. RF)

Dimensions approx. 190 x 195 x 85 mm

Weight approx. 870 g incl. transmitter battery

Accessories

Order No. Description

1121 Neckstrap, 20 mm wide 70 Neckstrap, 30 mm wide 3097 Wind-shield for hand-held transmitter

See page 111 for mx-16s Trainer leads

Replacement part

Order No. Description

3100.6 Telescopic aerial for mx-16s transmitter

Description of radio control system

Operating notes

Power supply

The battery compartment in the mx-16s transmitter is designed to be ﬁ tted with a high-capacity 8NH-1700 TX

9.6 V NiMH battery (Order No. 3414) (type may differ).

When delivered, the standard rechargeable battery ﬁ tted is not charged.

When you are using the transmitter you can monitor the battery voltage on the LCD screen. If the voltage of the transmitter battery falls below a certain point, you will hear an audible warning signal. The screen then displays a message reminding you that the transmitter battery needs to be recharged.

When you see this message, cease operations immediately and recharge the transmitter battery.

Charging the transmitter battery

The rechargeable transmitter battery can be charged via the charge socket ﬁ tted to the right-hand side of the case. Leave the battery inside the transmitter for charging, to avoid premature damage to the internal battery socket.

The transmitter must be switched “OFF” for the whole period of the charge process. Never switch on the transmitter when it is still connected to the charger; even a very brief interruption in the charge process can cause the charge voltage to rise to the point where the transmitter is immediately damaged by the excess voltage. For this reason check carefully that all connectors are secure, and are making really good contact.

Polarity of the mx-16s charge socket

Commercially available battery charge leads produced by other manufacturers are often made up with the opposite polarity. For this reason use genuine GRAUPNER charge leads exclusively.

Charging the transmitter battery using an automatic charger

The transmitter is designed as standard for use with automatic battery chargers. However, this requires care on your part:

The transmitter charge socket is not protected against short-circuit and / or reversed polarity. It is therefore essential to use the correct procedure when connecting the charge lead: ﬁ rst connect the banana plugs on the charge lead to the charger, and only then connect the other end of the lead to the transmitter charge socket. When the charge lead is connected to the transmitter, never allow the bare ends of the plugs to touch!

Charging the transmitter battery using a standard charger

It is also possible to charge the transmitter battery using a charger with no automatic termination (cut-off) circuit. The basic rule in this case is to charge the battery for fourteen hours, assuming that it is initially ﬂ at. The charge current should be one tenth of the capacity printed on the battery. In the case of the standard transmitter battery this means 170 mA. However, you are responsible for terminating the charge process manually if you use a standard charger …

Removing the transmitter battery

The ﬁ rst step in removing the transmitter battery is to open the battery compartment cover in the back of the case. This is accomplished by pushing it in the direction of the arrow; it can then be lifted off:

Disconnect the plug at the end of the transmitter battery lead by pulling carefully on the lead, or by engaging a ﬁ nger nail behind the lug on the top of the connector. However, don’t pull the plug down or up; keep it as parallel as possible to the surface of the transmitter.

brown or black

Transmitter charge plug polarity

Battery timer, bottom left corner of the screen

This timer displays the cumulative operating time of the transmitter since the last time the transmitter battery was charged.

This timer is automatically reset to “0:00” when the transmitter detects that the voltage of the transmitter battery is signiﬁ cantly higher than the last time it was switched on, e.g. as a result of a charge process.

red

Operating notes

Receiver batteries

A wide variety of rechargeable 4.8 V NC and NiMH batteries is available. For safety reasons do not use a battery box, and never use dry cells.

There is no direct method of checking receiver battery voltage when operating a model.

Make it a standard part of your routine to check the state of your batteries at regular intervals. Don’t wait until you notice the servos running more slowly than usual before recharging the packs.

Note: Please refer to the main GRAUPNER FS catalogue for full details of batteries, chargers, measuring equipment and monitor units for checking batteries.

Charging the receiver battery

The charge lead, Order No. 3021, can be connected directly to the NC receiver battery for charging. If the battery is installed in a model and you have installed one of the following switch harnesses: Order No. 3046, 3934 or

3934.1 or 3934.3, the battery can be charged via the separate charge socket, or the charge socket which is built into the switch. The switch on the switch harness must be left at the “OFF” position for charging.

General notes on battery charging

• Observe the recommendations provided by the charger manufacturer and the battery manufacturer at all times. Observe the maximum permissible charge current stated by the battery manufacturer.

The maximum charge current for the transmitter bat-

tery is 1.5 A. Limit the charge current to this value on the charger.

• Carry out a series of test charges to ensure that the automatic charge termination circuit works correctly with your battery.

This applies in particular if you are using an auto-

matic charger designed for NiCd batteries to recharge the standard NiMH battery.

You may need to adjust the Delta Peak trigger volta-

ge, if your charger provides this option.

• Do not discharge the battery or carry out a battery maintenance program via the integral charge socket. The charge socket is not suitable for this application.

• Always connect the charge lead to the charger ﬁ rst, and only then to the transmitter or receiver battery. Observing this rule eliminates the danger of accidental short-circuits between the bare contacts of the charge lead plugs.

• Never leave batteries on charge unsupervised.

Standard chargers

Order No. 6422 Minilader 2 Order No. 6427 Multilader 3 Order No. 6426 Multilader 6E* Order No. 6428 Turbomat 6 Plus* Order No. 6429 Turbomat 7 Plus*

Automatic chargers with special NiMH charge programs

Order No. 6419 Ultramat 5* ** Order No. 6410 Ultramat 10* Order No. 6412 Ultramat 12* ** Order No. 6414 Ultramat 14* Order No. 6417 Ultramat 25* ** Order No. 6416 Ultra Duo Plus 30* **

* To recharge the mx-16s system you will also need the transmitter

charge lead, Order No. 3022, and the receiver battery charge lead, Order No. 3021.

** 12 V power source required

Disposing of dry cells and rechargeable batteries

Never dispose of exhausted batteries in the household rubbish. As end-user you are legally required (by the “Battery Regulation”) to return old and exhausted batteries. They should and must be taken to your local toxic waste collection point so that the materials can be reused or re-cycled. They can also be returned to any retail outlet where batteries are sold.

Please contact your local authority if you are not sure where your nearest battery recycling centre is located.

Operating notes

Adjusting stick length

Both sticks are inﬁ nitely variable in length over a broad range, enabling you to set them to suit your personal preference to provide ﬁ ne, accurate control.

Loosen the locking screw using a 2 mm allen key, then screw the stick top in or out to shorten or extend it. Tighten the grubscrew again carefully to lock the set length.

Locking screw

Loosen

Tighten

Opening the transmitter case

Please read the following notes carefully before you open the transmitter. If you have no experience in such matters, we recommend that you ask your nearest GRAUPNER Service Centre to carry out the work for you.

The transmitter should only be opened in the following cases:

• When a self-neutralising stick needs to be converted to non-neutralising action, or a non-neutralising stick to a self-neutralising action

• If you wish to adjust the stick centring spring tension

Before opening the transmitter check that it is switched off (move Power switch to “OFF”).

There is no need to remove the transmitter battery. However, if you leave it in place be sure not to switch the transmitter on (“ON” position). If you wish to remove the transmitter battery, please read the section on page 10.

Locate the six recessed screws on the back on the transmitter, and undo them using a PH1-size cross-point screwdriver (see drawing right). Hold the two case sections together with your hand, and turn the unit over to allow these six screws to fall out onto the table. Now carefully raise the case back and fold it open to the left, as if you were opening a book.

C A U T I O N A two-core lead connects the case back to the trans-

mitter electronics in the front section. Please take great care not to damage this cable!

Important note:

• Do not modify the transmitter circuit in any way, as this invalidates your guarantee and ofﬁ cial approval for the system.

• Do not touch any part of the circuit boards with any metal object. Avoid touching the contacts with your ﬁ ngers.

• Never switch the transmitter on while the case is open.

Please note the following points when closing the transmitter:

• Make sure that no cables are jammed between the transmitter case sections when you close the back.

• Ensure that the DSC socket engages in its mounting.

• Check that the two case sections fit together flush all round before fitting the retaining screws. Never force the two case components together.

• Fit the case screws in the existing threads, and tighten them gently. Over-tightening them will strip the threads in the plastic.

Arrangement of the transmitter case screws

Operating notes

Changing the stick mode

Either or both sticks can be converted from self-neutralising to non self-neutralising action: Start by opening the transmitter as described on the previous page.

The procedure for changing the default stick mode setting is as follows:

1. Use a pair of tweezers to disconnect the spring from the centring lever on the stick whose mode you wish to change. If you are not sure, move the appropriate stick to make it obvious. Raise the lever and disconnect it.

2. Locate the hexagonal bush supplied in the accessory pack, and screw it into the hole. Now ﬁ nd the ratchet spring (also supplied) and ﬁ x it to the plastic pillar using the black self-tapping screw supplied. You can now set the strength of the ratchet spring on

Brassbush

the side of the hexagonal bush by screwing the M3 screw in or out.

3. Check that the stick works as you prefer, then close

the transmitter case once more.

Resetting the spring to “self-neutralising” action

Open the transmitter as already described.

1. Disconnect and remove the ratchet spring: see picture left.

2. Now re-connect the (previously removed) centring spring to the side of the stick where the ratchet spring was located.

3. First loosen the stick centring spring adjustor screw slightly – see picture right – and then draw a length of thin thread through the upper loop of the spring – but don’t tie it. Now use a pair of tweezers to connect the spring to the bottom loop of the adjustment system, and then engage the top end of the spring to the centring lever using the thread. Once the spring is correctly ﬁ tted, the thread can be removed again.

4. The tension of the stick centring spring can be adjusted as described in the next section.

Stick centring spring tension

The stick centring force can be adjusted to suit the pilot’s personal preference. The adjustment system is located adjacent to the stick centring spring. Rotate the adjustor screw using a cross-point screwdriver until the spring tension feels right to you:

• Turn to the right = harder spring tension;

• Turn to the left = softer spring tension.

Operating notes

Description of transmitter

transmitter controls

Attaching the transmitter neckstrap

You will ﬁ nd a strap lug mounted in the centre of the front face of the mx-16s transmitter, as shown in the drawing on the right. This lug is positioned in such a way that the transmitter is perfectly balanced even when suspended from a neckstrap.

1121 Neckstrap, 20 mm wide 70 Neckstrap, 30 mm wide

CTRL 6: INC / DEC buttons*

SW 3: two-position switch

SW 2: two-position switch

Aerial

Neckstrap lug

CTRL 5: INC / DEC buttons*

Carry handle

Button: SW 4 / PB 8

SW 6 / 7: three-position switch

Important note: In the transmitter’s standard form any servos connected to the receiver can initially only be operated using the dual-axis sticks. For maximum ﬂ exibility, all the other transmitter controls (CTRL 5 ... 7, SW 1 ... 7) are in software terms “free”, and can be assigned to any channels you like, enabling you to set up the system to suit your personal preference or the requirements of a particular model. This is carried out in the »Control settings« menu, as described on pages 50 and 52.

* INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 and 6)

Each time you press the button the servo travel changes by 1% of the set maximum; the system works as follows: INC – in the positive direction; DEC – in the negative direction.

Description of transmitter – transmitter controls

CTRL 7: rotary proportional control

Left-hand stick unit

Trims

ON / OFF switch

Input buttons

SW 1: two-position switch

Right-hand stick unit

Trims

Input buttons

LCD screen

Transmitter case back

DSC

Direct Servo Control

Case screw

Transmitter battery charge socket

Case screw

Adjusting the centring spring force

Right vertical

Right horizontal

Case screw

Battery compartment cover

Case screw

mitter circuit board!

Do not touch the trans-

mitter circuit board!

Case screw

DSC socket for connection to ﬂ ight simulators, Trainer lead and Diagnosis (closed loop) lead (see right-hand column)

DSC = Direct Servo Control

Case screw

Caution

The battery lead is polarised, i.e. it can only be plugged in one way round. Don’t use force when disconnecting the battery connector!

Left horizontal

Left vertical

The original function of this socket was for “Direct Servo Control”, and that’s why the abbreviation is still in use. However, it is now much more versatile than simply providing a means of controlling servos by cable. The DSC socket is now also used as an interface for ﬂ ight simulators, and for connecting a Pupil transmitter to a Teacher transmitter to form a Trainer (buddy box) system.

For the DSC connection to work you must check the following:

1. Carry out any adjustments required in the appropriate menus:

If you are connecting the transmitter to a ﬂ ight simu-

lator (for example), these settings are found in the »Modulation« line of the »Base settings« menu – “PPM” is usually required.

If you are connecting a Diagnosis lead (Order No.

4178.1), the modulation must be selected to suit the receiver – see below.

See page 110 for information on setting up the mx-

16s transmitter to work as part of a Trainer system.

2. Always leave the transmitter’s On / Off switch in the “OFF” position, for only in this position is the RF section of the transmitter module switched off (no RF signal) even when the DSC lead is plugged in.

This is particularly important if you are using a Dia-

gnosis lead or a Trainer lead, otherwise you can still cause interference to other pilots.

3. Connect the appropriate connecting lead to the DSC socket on the back of the transmitter. This renders the transmitter ready for use, circumventing the channel section, and the LCD screen operates. At the same time the letters “DSC” appear on the right-hand side of the LCD screen, instead of the usual display of the selected transmission channel.

4. Connect the other end of the connecting lead to the desired apparatus, taking into account the operating

Description of transmitter – case back

instructions supplied with that equipment.

If you wish to use the Diagnosis lead, Order No.

4178.1, do not connect it directly to the receiver. First connect the lead to a receiver battery using a Y-lead, and connect this to the receiver’s battery input socket instead of the receiver battery. The end with the barrel plug can then be connected to the appropriate socket on the back of the transmitter.

Once the transmitter is connected to the receiver as

described above, you can check the control functions or make changes to settings even if another pilot is using “your” frequency. Since in this state (power = “OFF”) the transmitter does not broadcast a ra- dio signal, you can, for example, prepare your model ready to ﬂ y without causing interference to other pilots. Another advantage is that the transmitter’s current drain is reduced to only about 65 mA, since the transmitter’s RF section is not active in this mode of operation. Diagnosis mode operations therefore extend the operating time of the transmitter battery considerably.

Important:

Ensure that all the cables are ﬁ rmly plugged in.

Note regarding ﬂ ight simulators: The range of ﬂ ight simulators available commercially is now very wide, and you may ﬁ nd that it is necessary to swap over certain contacts at the battery plug or the DSC module. Do not attempt this work yourself; it must be carried out by a GRAUPNER Service Centre.

Caution: Certain receivers – such as the R16SCAN – feature a battery socket to which a servo can also be connected via a Y-lead. In this case it is not possible to use a DSC lead.

Description of transmitter – case back

LCD screen and operating buttons

Model name

Memory 1 … 12

Left-hand rocker button

ENTER = conﬁ rm

ESC = interrupt / back

SELECT button

Visual display of trim lever positions; alternatively – if the SELECT button is held pressed in – display of the current set-

tings of the two INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 + 6)

Model type display

(ﬁ xed-wing / helicopter)

Error in Trainer mode Throttle stick dange-

student

signal

rously high

throttle

too

high !

Stopwatch in min : sec (count-up / count-down)

Operating voltage in-

adequate

battery needs charging

Flight timer in min : sec (count-up / count-down)

Right-hand rocker button (value change)

CLEAR button (erases, or resets

to default value)

SPCM mode only

adjust fail safe !

Battery voltage

(if voltage falls below a particular value a warning display appears – see images at top right – and an audible warning signal sounds)

Battery operating time since last charge process, in hr : min

Description of transmitter – LCD screen and operating buttons

Modulation type

Flight phase name

transition between ﬂ ight phases using switch

Channel display

(ﬂ ashes if RF section switched off; see pages 20 … 21)

Controlling the “Data Terminal”

Input buttons and function ﬁ elds

ENTER, ESC, SELECT, +, -, CLEAR ... SEL, STO, CLR, SYM, ASY, ,

ENTER button

(conﬁ rm)

ESC button (interrupt / back)

Larger – up button

(+)

Smaller – down

button (-)

Function ﬁ elds

Function ﬁ elds appear in the bottom line of the screen in certain menus; they can be selected using the righthand rocker button –  .

SELECT button

Buttons to the left of the screen

• ENTER button, left-hand rocker button

Pressing ENTER takes you from Channel Select

(which appears when you switch the transmitter on) to the basic display, and then on to the multi-function menus. You can also call up a selected menu using

ENTER.

• ESC button, left-hand rocker button

Pressing the ESC button returns you step by step

within the function select system, taking you right back to the basic display. If you make a change in the meantime, the change is retained.

• SELECT The SELECT button is used for several tasks:

1. A brief press switches from the basic transmitter

display to the »Servo display«; see page 27.

2. Hold the button pressed in to display the current positions of the two INC / DEC buttons CTRL 5 + 6 in the basic display. The information is shown for the duration of the button-press. See page 27.

3. Within the set-up menus press the SELECT button to activate the adjustment ﬁ elds, and then press SELECT again to return to the function ﬁ elds at the bottom edge of the screen.

4. If you hold the SELECT button pressed in, you can “leaf through” the menu lines within the indi-

CLEAR

(reset to standard

value)

vidual set-up menus using the right-hand rocker button – symbolised by  above and below the two buttons.

Buttons to the right of the screen

• “+” and “-“ buttons, right-hand rocker button

1. “Leaf through” the menu lines within the individual

menus when the SELECT button is held pressed in – symbolised by  above and below the two buttons.

2. “Leaf through” lists, e.g. the model select or multi-

function list – symbolised by   on both sides of the right-hand rocker button.

3. Change between the function ﬁ elds, most of which are located at the bottom edge of the screen; see right-hand column – symbolised by   on both sides of the right-hand rocker button.

4. Select and adjust parameters in the adjustment ﬁ elds, after activating them by pressing the SE- LECT button – symbolised by + and – above and below the right-hand rocker button.

• CLEAR Resets a changed parameter value in the active input

ﬁ eld to the default value.

S E L

S T O C L R

S Y M

A S Y

Press the SELECT button to activate a function ﬁ eld.

Function ﬁ elds

• SEL select

switch symbol ﬁ eld

•

(assigning switches of all kinds)

• STO store (e.g. transmitter control position)

• CLR clear reset to default value

• SYM adjust values symmetrically

• ASY adjust values asymmetrically

• switch to second page (next menu) within a

Description of transmitter – Operating buttons

Using the system for the ﬁ rst time

Channel selection

Preliminary notes

In its standard form the mx-16s is programmed to PPM mode, and is therefore suitable for use with receivers of the “FM-PPM” type. If you have purchased a standard radio control set on the 35 or 40 / 41 MHz band, you can immediately operate the supplied R16SCAN receiver in this transmission mode.

The standard PPM mode of operation is supplemented by the SPCM mode, which is suitable for all GRAUPNER/JR receivers of the “smc” type.

The ability of the mx-16s transmitter to switch transmission modes enables you to operate the unit with all GRAUPNER receiving systems supplied with PPM-FM and SPCM transmitters on the 35 and 40 / 41 MHz frequency bands.

For example, if you do not wish to use a “PPM” type receiver, the ﬁ rst step is to change the modulation to suit the type of receiver you wish to use. If you do not set the transmitter correctly, the receiver simply will not work with the transmitter. The transmission mode can be changed in the »Base settings« menu (description: pa- ges 38 and 42); the set mode only applies to the current model memory.

Which crystals can you use?

The mx-16s requires no plug-in crystals. The transmission channel is selected by software: see later.

Battery charged?

When you take receipt of your transmitter, the battery will be in the discharged state, so you must ﬁ rst charge it as described on pages 10 … 11. If you do not do this, the battery will soon fall below the pre-set threshold voltage, and you will see and hear a warning signal to remind you to recharge it.

battery needs charging

Aerial ﬁ tted?

Never switch the transmitter on unless the aerial is screwed in. Even for prolonged testing you should always ﬁ t the aerial and extend it fully, otherwise the transmitter may malfunction, with possible damage to the RF module.

When you wish to control a model it is fundamentally essential to screw the ten-section telescopic aerial into the transmitter and extend it fully. Transmitter ﬁ eld strength is at a minimum in an imaginary line extending straight out from the transmitter aerial. It is therefore fundamentally misguided to “point” the transmitter aerial at the model with the intention of obtaining good reception.

Switching the transmitter on / selecting a channel

Every time you switch the transmitter on you must ﬁ rst conﬁ rm to the integral synthesizer system that you wish to use the set frequency. This takes the form of a security query, intended to prevent you switching the system on accidentally whilst set to the wrong channel. The software asks you: “RF off / on”. The last set channel is initially highlighted (inverse video – black background) and ﬂ ashes:

If you wish to activate this channel, use the right-hand rocker button to move the highlighted square to the “Yes ” response in the function bar …

… and press the ENTER or SELECT button. If not, move to the symbol at bottom right of the

screen. Press the ENTER or SELECT button to take you to the Channel Select screen. The channels available at that point vary according to the RF module currently ﬁ tted:

Frequency band Channels

35/35B MHz band 61 … 282, 182 … 191

40/41 MHz band 50 … 95, 400 ... 420

Note: Channels 281 and 282 in the 35 MHz band, and all channels in the 41 MHz band, are not approved for use in Germany. Please refer to the frequency table on page 113, which lists the channels valid in the European continent at time of going to press (information not guaranteed).

Use the right-hand rocker button to select the channel you wish to use. However, please check before you do this that no other model ﬂ yer is operating a radio control system on the channel you intend to use.

Description of transmitter – Using the system for the ﬁ rst time

Note: You can switch directly to the channel with the lowest number by pressing the CLEAR button.

Press ENTER or ESC to conﬁ rm your choice, and the screen changes back to the previous screen page:

Now switch on the RF module as previously described, by moving the highlighted square to “Yes” using the right-hand rocker button …

... and press the ENTER or SELECT button. The selected channel number now appears (no longer ﬂ ashing) in the basic display:

The transmitter is now ready for use. If you wish to change the channel again, the transmitter

must ﬁ rst be switched off, then on again. You will ﬁ nd a description of the basic procedure when

initially programming a new model memory on page 34;

helpful programming examples are in the section starting on page 86.

W A R N I N G Never switch off the transmitter when you are ﬂ ying

a model! If you do, you run a serious risk of losing the model, as you will be highly unlikely to be able to re-activate the RF signal quickly enough, since the transmitter always responds with the security query “RF signal on YES / NO” when switched on.

IMPORTANT NOTE In the interest of maximum possible ﬂ exibility, con-

trol channels 5 … 8 are not assigned to transmitter controls by default; this also helps to eliminate the danger of inadvertently using them incorrectly. For the same reason virtually all the mixers are inactive by default.

This means that in its standard form the transmitter can only control servos connected to receiver output sockets 1 … 4 using the primary dual-axis sticks. In contrast, any servos connected to receiver sockets 5 … 8 remain ﬁ xed at their centre position. This situation only changes when you have carried out the appropriate settings.

Description of transmitter – Using the system for the ﬁ rst time

Adjusting screen contrast

The contrast of the LCD screen on the mx-16s transmitter is variable, to allow you to read the information clearly in all weathers and at all temperatures.

Hold the “SELECT” button pressed in when the transmitter screen is showing the basic display, then press the “+” button for higher contrast, or the “-” button for lower contrast:

Using the receiving system for the ﬁ rst time

Channel selection

Receiving system

Antenne

LED SCAN

PLL-Synthesizer-MICRO-SUPERHET

R 1 6

für das 35MHz/35MHz-B-Band

SCAN LED

Best.-Nr.

7052

Kanal 60-282/182-191

S C A N

Made in Malaysia

7 6

8/Batt.

5 4

! #

3 2 1

The mx-16s radio control set is supplied complete with a PLL-SCAN narrow-band FM superhet receiver on the 35 / 35B MHz band or the 40 / 41 MHz band. The following section describes how to set the receiver channel to match the transmitter’s channel. The approved channels at the time of going to press are listed in the table on page 113.

If you are using the standard receiver, you need to set the transmitter to PPM transmission mode. You must not activate the channel on the transmitter until you have checked carefully that no other pilot is ﬂ ying his model on your chosen frequency. When you are sure, switch the receiver on. You will see a blue LED light up on the receiver, indicating that the unit is (basically) ready for use.

Setting the receiver to match the transmitter channel

1. Prepare the transmitter ready for use, with the aerial ﬁ tted and extended, and place it in the immediate vicinity of the receiver. The scan program which is run next binds the receiver to the most powerful transmitter signal, so you must ensure that no other radio control transmitter is located very close to your receiver.

2. Locate the push-button marked “SCAN” on the receiver, and use a tool such as a ball-point pen to hold the button pressed in until the LED goes out; this takes about three seconds.

Using the receiving system for the ﬁ rst time

3. Press the SCAN button again immediately when the LED goes out: the LED now ﬂ ashes at a high rate. This indicates that the “Scan” process is under way. As soon as the receiver “ﬁ nds” the transmitter frequency, the LED will glow again constantly. The receiver stores this channel, so that you do not need to repeat the process each time you switch the receiver on; you only need to do this if you change channels.

4. If the LED ﬂ ashes slowly after a few seconds, it is unable to lock onto the transmitter frequency. Check the transmitter, then repeat steps 1 to 3.

Always carry out a range check with the model on the ground before every ﬂ ight.

Note: If you wish to connect a servo in parallel with the receiver battery, i.e. to the socket on the R16SCAN receiver marked “8/Batt”, you need to use a Y-lead, Order No.

3936.11 or 3936.32. As the socket is now in use for two

purposes, Diagnosis mode operations (see pages 15 …

16) are not possible with this receiver.

Please read the information on installing the receiver and receiver aerial on pages 3 to 5 of these instructions.

If you wish to use a different GRAUPNER receiver, ple- ase note that you must set the appropriate transmission mode (PPM or SPCM) on the transmitter; the frequency band and channel number of the receiver must also match those of the transmitter.

The receiver is ﬁ tted with polarised connector sockets, so that the servos and battery can only be connected the right way round. Genuine GRAUPNER plugs feature a slight chamfer on one side to match the sockets. Connect the receiver battery to the receiver socket marked “8/Batt” via an ON / OFF switch harness.

Note: If you wish to use a receiver battery and a speed controller with integral BEC* system, the positive (red) wire must normally be disconnected from the 3-pin plug, although this does vary according to the type of controller. Please be sure to read the instructions supplied with

red

your speed controller before you do this.

Using a small screwdriver, carefully raise the centre lug of the plug (1), withdraw the red wire (2) and insulate the exposed contact with insulating tape to prevent possible short-circuits (3).

* Battery Elimination Circuit

Installation notes

Your receiving system must be installed correctly in the model. The following are a few suggestions when using GRAUPNER equipment:

1. Wrap the receiver in (anti-static) foam rubber at least 6 mm thick. Fix the foam round the receiver using rubber bands, to protect it from vibration, hard landings and crash damage.

2. The receiver aerial must be secured in the model, so that there is no chance of it becoming tangled in the propeller or control surfaces. However, it is best not to deploy the aerial in an exactly straight line, but to angle it: e.g. run it straight to the tailplane, then leave the ﬁ nal 10 - 15 cm trailing freely, as this avoids reception “blind spots” when the model is in the air. If this is not possible, we recommend that you lay out part of the aerial wire in an S-shape inside the model, as close to the receiver as possible.

3. All switches must be installed in a position where they will not be affected by exhaust gases or vibration. The switch toggle must be free to move over its full range of travel.

4. Always install servos using the vibration-damping grommets and tubular metal spacers supplied. The rubber grommets provide some degree of protection from mechanical shocks and severe vibration. Don’t over-tighten the servo retaining screws, as this will compress the grommets and thereby reduce the vibration protection they afford. The system offers good security and vibration protection for your servos, but only if the servo retaining screws are ﬁ tted and tightened properly. The picture on the right shows how to install a servo correctly. The brass spacers should be pushed into the rubber grommets from the underside.

5. The servo output arms must be free to move over their full arc of travel. Ensure that no parts of the mechanical linkage can obstruct the servo in its move-

ment.

The sequence in which the servos are connected to the receiver is dictated by the model type. Please see the socket assignments listed on pages 29 / 30 and 33.

Be sure to read the safety notes on pages 3 … 5. If the receiver is ever switched on when the transmit-

ter is off, the servos may carry out uncontrolled movements. You can avoid this by switching the system on in this order:

Always switch the transmitter on ﬁ rst,

then the receiver.

When switching the system off:

Always switch the receiver off ﬁ rst,

then the transmitter.

When programming the transmitter you must always ensure that any electric motors in the system cannot possibly burst into life accidentally, and that an I.C. engine ﬁ tted with an automatic starter cannot start unintentionally. In the interests of safety it is always best to dis-

Servo mounting lug

Retaining screw

Rubber grommet

Brass tubular spacer

connect the ﬂ ight battery, or cut off the fuel supply.

Range checking:

Before every session you should always check that each working system is functioning correctly, and carry out a range check with the model on the ground. The transmitter aerial should be ﬁ tted but collapsed completely, and should be taken a suitable distance away from the model. All the functions should work smoothly and correctly during this test. If your model is powered, repeat the check with the motor running to ensure that it does not cause interference.

Using the receiving system for the ﬁ rst time

Deﬁ nition of terms

Control functions, transmitter controls, function inputs, control channels, mixers, switches, control switches

To make it easier for you to understand the mx-16s manual, the following two pages contain deﬁ nitions of many terms which crop up again and again in the remainder of the text, together with a basic ﬂ ow diagram showing the course of the signal from the transmitter control to the point at which it is radiated from the transmitter aerial.

Control function

The term “control function” can be thought of as the signal generated for a particular function which needs to be controlled – initially independent of its subsequent progress through the transmitter. In the case of ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft the control functions include throttle, rudder and aileron, whereas collective pitch, roll-axis and pitch-axis are typical of those used for helicopters. The signal of a control function may be assigned directly, or to several control channels simultaneously via mixers. A typical example of the latter is separate aileron servos, or pairs of roll-axis or pitch-axis servos in a model helicopter. The essential feature of a control function is its inﬂ uence on the mechanical travel of the corresponding servo.

Transmitter control

The term “transmitter control” is used for the mechanical elements on the transmitter which are operated directly by the pilot. Their movements in turn generate corresponding movements in the servos, speed controllers etc. at the receiver end. The transmitter controls include the following:

• The two dual-axis stick units for the control functions

1 to 4; these four functions can be interchanged in any way you like through software, e.g. throttle left or right, without having to re-connect the servos; this applies to both ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft and helicopters. The dual-axis stick function for throttle (or airbrakes) is often referred to as the C1 (Channel 1) cont-

Description of transmitter – Deﬁ nition of terms

rol.

• The rotary proportional control ﬁ tted at top left (CTRL

• The INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 + 6) located on eit-

her side of the aerial base.

• Switches SW 1 … .8, if they have been assigned to a

control channel in the “Control settings” menu.

When a proportional transmitter control is operated, the servo or servos follow the position of the control directly, whereas a switched channel provides just the two or three set servo positions.

Function input

This is an imaginary point in the signal path, and must not be considered the same as the point on the circuit board where the transmitter control is connected! The two menus »Stick mode« and »Control settings« affect the course of the signal “after” these points, and it is possible (and likely) that there will be differences between the number of the transmitter control (as stated above) and the number of the subsequent control channel.

Control channel

There is a point in the signal path where the signal contains all the control information required for a particular servo – this may be directly generated by a transmitter control or indirectly via a mixer – and from this point on we call the signal a control channel. This signal is speciﬁ c to an individual servo, and is only affected by any adjustments carried out in the “Servo settings” menu before leaving the transmitter via the RF module in order to actuate the corresponding servo in the model.

Mixer

In the signal ﬂ ow diagram you will see a wide range of mixer functions. Their purpose is to enable a control function to affect multiple servos at the branching point

of the mixer input; the range of mixer programs is extremely wide-ranging. For more information please refer to the numerous mixer functions as described in the section starting on page 61 of the manual.

Switch

The three standard switches SW 1 … 3, the three-position switch SW 6/7 and the momentary buttons SW 4 / PB 8 can also be incorporated into the programming of the transmitter controls. However, all these switches are also capable of controlling various program options, e.g. starting and stopping timers, switching mixers on and off, transferring control in Trainer mode etc. Each physical switch function can be assigned to as many functions as you wish.

Numerous examples are described in the manual.

Transmitter control switch

It is often desirable to switch a function on or off automatically at a particular position of another transmitter control, e.g. at a deﬁ ned position of one of the dual-axis sticks. Typical examples are switching a stopwatch on and off to allow you to record the motor run time, extending spoilers automatically (and many others). The program of the mx-16s includes a total of two (or three – for helicopters) “control switches” of this type.

Two transmitter control switches are available for the C1 stick in each model memory, both for ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft and helicopters. For helicopters a third is present in the form of the throttle limiter; see pages 25 and 54.

This manual includes a range of instructive examples which make programming as simple as child’s play. Please refer to the programming examples in the section starting on page 84.

Assigning switches and control switches

The basic procedure

At many points in the program there is the option of using a switch (SW 1 … 4, SW 6/7, PB 8) or a control switch (G1 … 3; see below) to operate a function, or to switch between settings, such as the DUAL RATE / EXPO function, ﬂ ight phase programming, mixers and more. The mx-16s allows you to assign several functions to a single switch.

The process of assigning switches is exactly the same in all the relevant menus, and we will explain the basic programming procedure at this point so that you can concentrate on the special features when reading the detailed menu descriptions.

A switch symbol appears in the bottom line of the screen at all programming points where switches can be assigned:

If you move to this ﬁ eld using the right-hand rocker button, the switch symbol ﬁ eld is highlighted (inverse video – black background):

The procedure for assigning a switch

1. Press the SELECT button.

The following message appears in the display:

2. Now simply move the switch you wish to use to the “ON” position, press the push-button, or move the C1 stick from the “OFF” position in the direction of “ON”. Please note: the so-called control switches assigned to this transmitter control (see right) carry out the task of an ON / OFF switch in software; the same applies to the throttle limiter (see page 54) which is available in the “Helicopter” model type. This comple-

tes the assignment process.

3. Changing the direction of switching: If the switch turns out to work in the wrong direction,

you can correct it as follows: move the switch to the desired OFF position, select the switch symbol once more and assign the switch again, this time with the switch direction you prefer.

4. Erasing a switch: Activate the switch symbol as described under Point

2, then press the CLEAR button.

Special feature: SW 4 / PB 8

This “push-button” can be assigned in two ways:

• A brief press as On / Off switch “4”, i.e. the switched state (“on” or “off”) changes every time you press the button.

• A longer press as momentary button “8”, i.e. the switch is only ON as long as the button is held pressed in.

Note: Every time you switch the transmitter on, switch 4 always defaults to the “OFF” position.

Transmitter control switches

Many functions are best controlled automatically by a particular (freely programmable) position of the C1 transmitter stick (or the throttle limiter in the case of helicopters), rather than by a conventional physical switch.

Typical applications:

• Automatically switching an on-board glowplug energizer on and off according to the throttle position of the C1 stick (“G1” or “G2”). In this case the switch for the plug energizer is controlled by a mixer at the transmitter.

• Automatically switching a stopwatch on and off to re-

cord the pure “ﬂ ight time” of a model helicopter; this is accomplished using the “G3” switch of the throttle limiter.

• Automatically switching the “AIL  RUD” mixer off

when the airbrakes are extended, in order to keep the wings parallel with the ground when landing on a slope face, without the (usually coupled) rudder affecting the model’s heading.

• Automatically extending landing ﬂ aps with coupled elevator trim adjustment on the landing approach, as soon as the throttle stick is reduced below the set threshold point.

• Automatically switching a stopwatch on and off in order to time the run of an electric motor.

For both model types the mx-16s transmitter’s software caters for these purposes with two “control switches” of this type; they can be assigned to the C1 stick: “G1” is switched on at around -80% of full travel, while “G2” is switched on at around +80%. The Helicopter program also includes an extra control switch “G3” on the throttle limiter close to the 100% point; see page 54.

All these control switches can be included without restriction in the free programming of the switches, i.e. they can be assigned to a function instead of a physical switch. This means that you are able to assign one of the control switches G1 … G2 (or G1 … G3) instead of a physical switch at any point in the software where switches are assigned. All you have to do is move the C1 stick or the throttle limiter control (by default the rotary proportional control CTRL 7) from the desired “OFF” position in the direction of “ON”.

Description of transmitter – switch assignment

Digital trims

Description of function, and C1 cut-off trim

Digital trims with visual and audible indicators

Current trim position

Trim at motor OFF position

Both the dual-axis stick units are ﬁ tted with digital trim systems. When you give the trim lever a brief push (one “click”), the neutral position of the stick channel changes by one increment. If you hold the trim lever in one direction, the trim value changes continuously in the corresponding direction with increasing speed.

The degree of trim offset is also “audible”, as the pitch of the tone changes to reﬂ ect the setting. When you are ﬂ ying a model, you can ﬁ nd the trim centre position easily without having to look at the screen: if you over-run the centre setting, the trim stays in the centre position for a moment.

The current trim values are automatically stored when you switch from one model memory to another. The digital trims are also stored separately for each ﬂ ight phase within a model memory, with the exception of the “C1” (Channel 1) trim, which is the throttle / airbrake trim on a ﬁ xed-wing model.

The C1 trim includes another special function which makes it easy to re-locate the idle throttle setting of a glowplug motor.

Last idle position

C1 trim lever

1. Fixed-wing models

The C1 trim features a special cut-off trim which is designed for glowplug motors:

You initially use the trim lever in the usual way to select a reliable idle setting for the motor. If you now move the C1 trim lever to its end-point in the direction of “motor cut-off”, pushing the lever in a single movement, a marker appears on the screen in the last position. You can now return to the idle setting for starting the motor simply by pushing the stick one click in the direction of “open throttle”.

The cut-off trim feature is disabled if you enter “none” in the motor line within the »Base settings« menu (page

38).

2. Model helicopters

In helicopter mode the C1 trim has another feature in addition to “cut-off trim”, as described under “Fixedwing models” on the left; this time in conjunction with the “Throttle limit function” (see page 54): while the throttle limit slider is in the bottom half of its travel, i.e. in the “start-up range”, the C1 trim lever acts as idle trim on the throttle limit, and the idle trim is displayed on the screen:

In contrast to a ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft, this display is suppressed if the throttle limit control is moved to the “upper” half of its travel.

Note regarding helicopters: The C1 trim only affects the throttle servo and not the collective pitch servos; it also works evenly over the full stick travel. Please note that the helicopter throttle servo must be connected to receiver output 6 (see Receiver socket assignment, page 33).

Description of transmitter – Digital trims

Position display

INC / DEC button, CTRL 5 + 6

Servo display

Holding the SELECT button held in while you are at the transmitter’s basic display calls up a visual display of the current positions of the two INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 + 6). This display disappears again when you release the SELECT button. At the same time a small symbol appears on the left, adjacent to the channel display:

When you hold the SELECT button pressed in, the position display on the basic transmitter display, consisting of the two central vertical bars, also changes: it switches from a display of the current trim position to the current position of the INC / DEC buttons, CTRL 5 + 6.

As you would expect, the left-hand bar represents the position of the INC / DEC button CTRL 6, located to the left of the aerial base, and the right-hand bar shows the position of CTRL 5 (however, both horizontal bars continue to show the current position of the corresponding transmitter stick trim levers):

As soon as you release the SELECT button, the screen reverts to a display of the current trim position of the four trim levers of the two dual-axis stick units; see picture left.

Pressing the SELECT button at the transmitter’s basic display calls up a visual representation of the current servo positions on the transmitter screen.

This display shows the current position of every servo in the form of a bar diagram, taking into account the transmitter control and servo settings, the Dual Rate / Expo functions, the inter-action of all active mixers etc. The display is accurate, and covers the range -150% to +150% of normal travel. 0% means the exact centre position. This allows you to check your settings quickly without even having to switch the receiver on. However, this does not mean that you don’t need to bother checking all the programming steps on the model; you must do this carefully before operating it for the ﬁ rst time, as this is the only reliable method of picking up and correcting errors.

For ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft the display shows the information arranged in the following way:

Bar 1 = Throttle / brake servo Bar 2 = Aileron or left aileron Bar 3 = Elevator Bar 4 = Rudder Bar 5 = Right aileron Bar 6 = Left camber-changing ﬂ ap / free channel Bar 7 = Right camber-changing ﬂ ap / free channel Bar 8 = Free channel

… and for model helicopters:

Bar 1 = Collective pitch or roll (2) or nick (2)

servo

Bar 2 = Roll (1) servo Bar 3 = Nick (1) servo Bar 4 = Tail rotor servo (gyro) Bar 5 = Nick (2) servo / free channel Bar 6 = Throttle servo or speed controller Bar 7 = Gyro gain / free channel Bar 8 = Speed controller / free channel

Description of transmitter – Servo display

Fixed-wing model aircraft

This program provides convenient support for models with up to two aileron servos and two ﬂ ap servos (conventional aircraft), V-tail models, ﬂ ying wings and deltas with two elevon (aileron / elevator) servos and two ﬂ ap servos.

The majority of power models and gliders belong to the “normal” tail type with one servo each for elevator, rudder, ailerons and throttle or electronic speed controller (airbrakes on a glider). There is also the special model type “2 EL Sv” which provides a means of connecting two elevator servos in parallel to channels 3 and 8.

If your model features two separate aileron servos (and also in some cases two ﬂ ap servos), the aileron travel of both pairs of control surfaces can be set up with differential movement in the »Wing mixers« menu, i.e. the down-travel can be set independently of the up-travel.

Finally the program caters for camber-changing ﬂ aps, which can be operated by any of the transmitter controls “CTRL 5 … 7”. Alternatively a phase-speciﬁ c trim is available for ﬂ aps, ailerons and elevator in the »Phase trim« menu.

If the model features a V-tail instead of a conventional tail, you need to select the tail type “V-tail” in the »Base settings« menu, as this automatically superimposes the elevator and rudder control functions in such a way that each tail panel can be actuated by a separate servo.

For deltas and ﬂ ying wings it is easy to set up mixed elevons, i.e. the aileron and elevator functions can be carried out via common control surfaces at the trailing edge of the right and left wing. As standard the program contains the appropriate mixer functions for the two servos.

Up to three ﬂ ight phases can be programmed in each of the 12 model memories.

The digital trim positions are stored separately for each ﬂ ight phase, with the exception of the C1 trim. The C1 trim provides a simple means of re-locating the correct idle throttle setting.

Two timers are available at all times when ﬂ ying. The screen also displays the transmitter operating time since the battery was last charged.

The switches SW 1 … 8 and the transmitter controls CTRL 5 … 7 can be assigned to any of the inputs 5 … 8 in the »Control settings« menu.

Airbrake-Function 1

left

right

Airbrake Õ Flap

Airbrake

Elevator

Rudder/Elevator

left

V-Tail

right

“Dual Rate” and “Exponential” can be programmed separately for aileron, rudder and elevator, giving two modes of control.

Depending on the model type you have selected, the »Wing mixers« menu presents you with up to 12 additional pre-deﬁ ned mixers and coupling functions which you can simply select and set up when necessary, in addition to three free mixers:

1. Aileron differential

2. Flap differential

3. Aileron  rudder (switchable)

4. Aileron  ﬂ ap (switchable)

5. Airbrake  elevator (switchable)

6. Airbrake  ﬂ ap (switchable)

7. Airbrake  aileron (switchable)

8. Elevator  ﬂ ap (switchable)

9. Elevator  Aileron (switchable)

10. Flap  elevator (switchable)

11. Flap  aileron (switchable)

12. Differential reduction

Airbrake

Airbrake Õ Flap

Airbrake

Aileron

Elevator

Fixed-wing model aircraft

Receiver socket assignment for models with up to two ailerons and two ﬂ aps, plus “normal” tail type, V-tail, and two elevator servos (3 + 8)

8 = 2nd elevator / auxiliary func.

7 = Right ﬂ ap / reserve

6 = Left ﬂ ap / reserve

WARNING

Do not shorten the aerial!

Receiver

battery

Switch harness

Receiver aerial

Y-lead, Order No.

3936.11 or 3936.32

Best.-Nr.

7052

S C A N

Made in Malaysia

8/Batt.

5 4

! #

3 2 1

PLL-Synthesizer-MICRO-SUPERHET

Kanal 60-282/182-191

R 1 6

für das 35MHz/35MHz-B-Band

SCAN LED

5 = Right aileron / reserve

4 = Rudder / right V-tail

3 = Elevator / left V-tail

2 = Aileron / left aileron

4,8 V

1 = Throttle / brake

C 577

Servo

Best.-Nr. 4101

Installation notes

The servos must be connected to the receiver outputs in the following order:

Outputs not required are simply left vacant. Please note the following points in particular:

• If you are using only one aileron servo, receiver output 5 (right aileron) is left unused; it can also be used for another purpose if you select “1 AIL” in the »Base settings« menu.

• If you are using only one ﬂ ap servo, receiver output 7 (right ﬂ ap) must be left unused, assuming that you have selected “... 2 FL” in the »Base settings« menu.

If you are using a Graupner transmitter to control a model ﬁ tted with a PPM-FM receiving system made by another manufacturer*, which was formerly ﬂ own using a different make of transmitter, e.g. when using the mx16s for Trainer mode operations, it may be necessary to re-arrange the servo sequence at the receiver outputs as shown in the diagram on the left. However, an alternative method is to use the »Receiver output« submenu of the »Base settings« menu; see page 41. Dif- ferent methods of installing servos and control linkages may make it necessary to reverse the direction of rotation of some servos when programming. In both cases this is carried out in the »Servo settings« menu; see page 48.

Please also read the information on the following pages.

GRAUPNER does not guarantee that GRAUPNER radio control sys-

tems will work correctly in conjunction with receiving systems and radio control equipment made by other manufacturers.

Fixed-wing models – Installation and connection

Receiver socket assignment for models of the “Delta / Flying wing” type, with up to two ﬂ aps

8 = Auxiliary function

7 = Right ﬂ ap / reserve

6 = Left ﬂ ap / reserve

WARNING

Do not shorten the aerial!

Receiver

battery

Y-lead, Order No.

3936.11 or 3936.32

Switch harness

Receiver aerial

Best.-Nr.

PLL-Synthesizer-MICRO-SUPERHET

Kanal 60-282/182-191

R 1 6

S C A N

für das 35MHz/35MHz-B-Band

Made in Malaysia

SCAN LED

7052

8/Batt.

5 4

! #

3 2 1

5 = Reserve

4 = Rudder

3 = Right elevon

2 = Left elevon

4,8 V

1 = Throttle / brake

C 577

Servo

Best.-Nr. 4101

As there are several possible combinations of servo orientation and control surface linkage, you may ﬁ nd that the direction of rotation of one or more servos is incorrect. Use the following table to solve the problem.

Model

type

Servo rotating

in wrong

Remedy

direction

V-tail

Delta, ﬂ ying wing

Rudder and elevator reversed

Rudder correct, elevator reversed

Elevator correct rudder reversed

Elevator and ailerons reversed

Elevator correct, ailerons reversed

Ailerons correct, elevator reversed

Reverse servos 3 + 4 in the »Servo settings« menu

Swap over servos 3 + 4 at the receiver

Reverse servos 3 + 4 in the »Servo settings« menu, and swap over at the receiver

Reverse servos 2 + 3 in the »Servo settings« menu

Reverse servos 2 + 3 in the »Servo settings« menu, and swap over at the receiver

Swap over servos 2 + 3 at the receiver

Fixed-wing models – Installation and connections

All menus which are relevant to ﬁ xed-wing models are marked with an “aeroplane” symbol in the “Program descriptions”:

This means that you can easily skip irrelevant menus when programming a ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft.

Fixed-wing models – Installation and connections

Model helicopters

The continued development of model helicopters and helicopter components, such as gyros, speed governors, rotor blades etc., has led to the current position where helicopters are capable of sophisticated 3-D aerobatics. In contrast, the beginner to helicopter ﬂ ying needs a simple set-up so that he can quickly get started on the initial stages of hovering practice, and then gradually work up to more complex models which exploit all the options provided by the mx-16s.

The helicopter program of the mx-16s can cope with all current model helicopters equipped with 1...4 servos for collective pitch control.

Each model memory can include two ﬂ ight phases plus autorotation.

Three timers are constantly included in the basic screen display.

You can return to the correct idle position for the digital C1 trim simply by pressing a button.

“Dual Rate” and “Exponential” are available for roll, pitch-axis and tail rotor; they can be coupled together, and programmed to provide two settings.

All the transmitter controls (CTRL) and switches (SW) can be assigned to inputs 5 … 8 in virtually any order.

Collective

Pitch Curve

Swashplate

Rotation

Roll Õ Throttle Pitch-Axis Õ Throttle Channel 1 Õ Throttle

This is carried out in the »Control settings« menu. The »Heli mixer« menu provides ﬁ ve-point curves for

the collective pitch, throttle and tail rotor mixers, variable separately for each ﬂ ight phase; these provide non-linear mixer characteristics. Such advanced features are not needed by the beginner, who will initially simply set the hover point to coincide with the centre point of stick travel. The mixer inputs for collective pitch, roll and pitchaxis can then be adjusted in the »Swashplate mixers« menu.

In addition to three linear mixers, which can be assigned in any way you wish and can also be assigned a switch, the »Heli mixer« menu also provides the following pre- programmed mixers:

1. Collective pitch (with 5-point curve)

2. Ch1  throttle (with 5-point curve)

3. Ch1  tail rotor (with 5-point curve)

4. Gyro The throttle limit function in the »Control settings«

menu provides an effective means of starting the motor in any ﬂ ight phase. By default the proportional rotary control CTRL 7 is assigned to this input, and this control function determines the maximum throttle servo posi-

ail

tion, i.e. the rotary knob controls the motor over the idle range. If the rotary knob is turned in the direction of fullthrottle, the programmed throttle curves then take effect. If you have set up the two timers, they also start recording the ﬂ ight time automatically. See page 54 for more information on this.

Note: If you are ﬂ ying a model helicopter ﬁ tted with a PPM-FM receiver made by another manufacturer*, which was previously ﬂ own using another make of transmitter, e.g. for Trainer mode operations, it may be necessary to re-arrange the receiver servo outputs as described on the next page. However, an alternative method is to use the »Receiver output« sub-menu of the »Base settings« menu; see page 46. Different methods of installing servos and control linkages may make it necessary to reverse the direction of rotation of some servos when programming. In both cases this is carried out in the »Ser- vo settings« menu; see page 48.

Note for modellers upgrading from earlier GRAUPNER systems:

Compared with the previous receiver channel sequence, servo socket 1 (collective pitch servo) and servo socket 6 (throttle servo) have been interchanged.

The servos must be connected to the receiver output sockets in the order shown on the next page.

Outputs not required are simply left vacant. For more information on the different types of swashpla-

te, please refer to the »Base settings« menu described on page 43.

Model helicopters

Roll Õ Tail Rotor Pitch-Axis Õ Tail Rotor Channel 1 Õ Tail Rotor

GRAUPNER does not guarantee that GRAUPNER radio control sys-

tems will work correctly in conjunction with receiving systems and radio control equipment made by other manufacturers.

All menus which are relevant to model helicopters are marked with a “helicopter” symbol in the “Program descriptions”:

This means that you can easily skip irrelevant menus when programming a model helicopter.

Receiver socket assignment for model helicopters

Installation notes

The servos must be connected to the receiver outputs in the order shown on this page:

Outputs not required are simply left vacant.

Please note the additional information on the following pages.

8 = (Speed governor)

7 = (Gyro gain)

6 = Throttle servo (speed cont.)

WARNING

Do not shorten the aerial!

Receiver

battery

Switch harness

Receiver aerial

Y-lead, Order No.

3936.11 or 3936.32

Best.-Nr.

7052

S C A N

Made in Malaysia

8/Batt.

5 4

! #

3 2 1

PLL-Synthesizer-MICRO-SUPERHET

Kanal 60-282/182-191

Antenne

R 1 6

für das 35MHz/35MHz-B-Band

SCAN LED

5 = Free, or pitch-axis (2) servo

4 = Tail rotor servo (gyro)

3 = Nick-axis (1) servo

2 = Roll-axis (1) servo

4,8 V

1 = Collective pitch or roll-axis

C 577

Servo

Best.-Nr. 4101

(2) or nick-axis (2) servo

Model helicopters – Installation and connections

Detailed description of programming

Reserving a new memory

If you have already read through the manual to this point you will undoubtedly have made your ﬁ rst attempt at programming the system already. Even so, it is important to describe each menu here in detail, to ensure that you have comprehensive instructions for each application you are likely to encounter. On page 20 we have already explained how you move to the basic transmitter display via Channel Select. In this section we start with setting up a “empty” model memory prior to “programming” a new model:

Note: You can adjust the screen contrast at any time by pressing the “+” or “-” button (right-hand rocker button) whilst holding the SELECT button held in.

From the basic display press ENTER (left-hand rocker button) to move to the “Multi-function list”. You can return to the basic screen at any time by pressing ESC.

If necessary, select the »Model memory« menu from the list using the right-hand rocker button, then press ENTER or SELECT.

The model memories marked “empty” are not yet in use. Memories which are already occupied appear with the model name at the appropriate point, as entered in the »Base settings« menu (pages 38 and 42). Use the right-hand rocker button to select one of the empty model memories 1 to 12, then press ENTER or SELECT.

You are now invited to select the basic model type, i.e. either “Fixed-wing” or “Helicopter”.

Caution: All the transmitter’s functions are barred, and the transmitter does not broadcast a signal, until you conﬁ rm the model type you have selected. If you switch off the transmitter before you set the model type, the screen will automatically switch to the Model Type Select display when turned on again. You must always deﬁ ne a model type!

• If the warning “Throttle too high” appears on the screen, move the throttle stick back in the direction of idle.

Note for ﬁ xed-wing models and helicopters: This warning only appears in accordance with the settings you have entered in the “Motor” or “Collective pitch min.” section of the »Base settings« menu, as described on pages 39 and 44. If you are setting up a non-powered ﬁ xed-wing model, enter “none” at this point; this disables the throttle warning message, and makes available the “Brake  NN” mixers in the »Wing mixers» menu, which would otherwise be suppressed.

• If the message “Set Fail-Safe” appears on the screen, please read the section describing the »Fail-safe» menu on page 82..

throttle

too

high !

adjust fail safe !

Now press ENTER or SELECT again to move on to the »Call up model« sub-menu.

Program description – Reserving a new memory

Use the right-hand rocker button to select the appropriate model type, then press ENTER or SELECT to conﬁ rm your choice. The screen switches back to the basic display: the model memory is now reserved.

It is now only possible to change this model memory to a different model type if you ﬁ rst erase the model memory (»Model memory« menu, page 36).

Program description – Reserving a new memory

Model memories

Calling up a model, erasing a model, copying model  model

The section on pages 18 and 19 explains the basic method of using the buttons, while the previous double page explains how to move to the Multi-function list and reserve a new model memory. At this point we now wish to start with the “normal” description of the individual menu points in the sequence in which they occur on the transmitter itself. For this reason we start with the menu …

Model memory

The transmitter can store up to 12 complete sets of model data, including the digital trim values set by the four trim levers. The trims are automatically stored, which means that the settings you have carefully established through test-ﬂ ying are not lost when you swap models. If you have entered a model name in the »Base settings« menu (pages 38 and 42), the name appears after the model number.

Use the right-hand rocker button to select the »Model

memory« menu, and press ENTER or SELECT.

Select model

If you now press the ENTER or SELECT button again, you move to the »Call up model« sub-menu:

Use the right-hand rocker button to select from the list the model you wish to use, and conﬁ rm your selection by pressing ENTER or SELECT. Pressing ESC takes you back to the previous menu page without switching models.

Notes:

• If the warning message “Throttle too high” appears when you switch models, the throttle stick (C1) is set towards full throttle and should be moved back to idle.

• If the message “Set Fail-Safe” appears when you switch models, you should check your Fail-Safe settings. This only applies if the transmitter is set to SPCM transmission mode.

• If the battery voltage is too low, it may not be possible to switch model memories for safety reasons. In this case the screen displays the following message:

Erasing a model

Hold the SELECT button pressed in, use the right-hand rocker button to select the »clear model« sub-menu, then press ENTER or SELECT.

Use the right-hand rocker button to select from the list the model you wish to erase …

… then press SELECT or ENTER. The program responds with the security query: “model … to be erased?”

If you answer NO, the process is interrupted, and you are returned to the previous screen page. If you answer YES with the right-hand rocker button and conﬁ rm your choice with ENTER or SELECT, then the selected model memory is erased.

Caution: The erasure process is irrevocable. All model memory data is reset to the factory default settings.

Program description – Model memories

Note: If you wish to erase the currently active model memory in the basic display, you will be required to deﬁ ne the model type “Heli” or “Fixed-wing” immediately. However, if you erase a non-active model memory, then the message “**empty*” appears in the Model select menu.

Copy model  model

Whilst holding the SELECT button pressed in, use the right-hand rocker button to select the »Copy model  model« sub-menu, and press ENTER or SELECT:

Select the model to be copied using the right-hand rocker button …

... then press ENTER or SELECT again. In the »Copy to model« window you can now select the target memory and conﬁ rm your choice with ENTER or SELECT. Alternatively you can interrupt the process with ESC. It is possible to overwrite a model memory which already

contains model data.

Selecting NO interrupts the process, and returns you to the previous page. If you select YES with the righthand rocker button and conﬁ rm your choice with ENTER or SELECT, then the selected model is copied into the chosen target model memory.

When you conﬁ rm the selected model memory by pressing the ENTER or SELECT button, the security query appears: ““model …  … to be copied?”

Program description – Model memories

Base settings

Basic model-speciﬁ c settings for ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft

Before you start programming speciﬁ c parameters, some basic settings must be entered which apply only to the currently active model memory. Select the »Base settings« menu with the right-hand rocker button, and press ENTER or SELECT.

Model name

Press ENTER or SELECT to move to the next screen page ( ), where you can select characters to assemble the model name. You can enter up to 9 characters to deﬁ ne a model name.

Use the right-hand rocker button to select the ﬁ rst character in the symbol ﬁ eld. A short press on SELECT moves to the next position in the name, at which point you can again select a character. Pressing CLEAR inserts a space at that point.

You can move to any character position within the in-

put ﬁ eld using the right-hand rocker button with the SE- LECT button pressed in. The next space is indicated by a double arrow <--> below the input ﬁ eld while the SE- LECT button is held pressed in.

The model name entered in this way appears in the basic display, and also in the sub-menus of the »Model

memory« menu.

Stick mode

Basically there are four possible ways of arranging the principal control functions of a ﬁ xed-wing model on the two dual-axis sticks: the primary functions are aileron, elevator, rudder and throttle (or airbrakes) for a ﬁ xedwing model. Which of these options you select depends on your individual preferences and ﬂ ying style.

»MODE 1« (Throttle at right stick)

elev. down

left rudder

elev. up

»MODE 3« (Throttle at right stick)

elev. down

left aileron

elev. up

right rudder

left aileron

right aileron

left rudder

full throttle

idle

Motor Vollgas

idle

»MODE 2« (Throttle at left stick)

full throttle

right aileron

left rudder

idle

»MODE 4« (Throttle at left stick)

full throttle

right rudder

left aileron

idle

right rudder

right aileron

elev. down

left aileron

elev. down

left rudder

right aileron

elev. up

right rudder

elev. up

When you select »stick mode« you will see SEL at the bottom edge of the screen.

Press the SELECT button, and the current stick mode is highlighted (inverse video – black background). Now use the right-hand rocker button to select one of the options 1 to 4.

Pressing CLEAR resets the function to stick mode “1”.

Modulation

When you select »modulation« you will see SEL at the bottom edge of the screen.

The mx-16s transmitter differentiates between two different types of modulation:

„SPCM“: Super PCM modulation with high system re-

solution of 1024 steps per control function, for “smc” type receivers and up to 8 servos.

„PPM“: The most commonly used standard trans-

mission mode (FM or FMsss) for all other types of GRAUPNER PPM-FM receivers and up to 8 servos.

Press the SELECT button. The current modulation is highlighted (inverse video). Now use the right-hand rocker button to switch between the two possible modulations. The selected modulation is immediately active, i.e. you can immediately test the signal transmission to the receiver.

Pressing CLEAR switches to the “PPM” type of modulation.

Base settings – Fixed-wing model

Motor at C1

Tail type

Note regarding “2 elev Sv”: In this mode a transmitter control which

is assigned to input 8 in the »Control settings« menu is de-coupled from servo “8”; this is for safety reasons.

Ailerons / Camber-changing ﬂ aps

When you select »motor at C1« you will see SEL at the bottom edge of the screen. Press the SELECT button. The current setting is highlighted. Now use the righthand rocker button to switch between the three possible options:

„no“: The throttle warning message

“Throttle too high” is disabled (see page 18 or 34). In the »Wing

mixer« menu the “Brake  NN” mixers are activated.

„Idle re.“: The idle position of the throttle / air-

brake stick (C1) is rear, i.e. towards the pilot.

„Idle fr.“: The idle position of the throttle / air-

brake stick (C1) is in front, i.e. away from the pilot.

Notes:

• Note that the “Brake  NN” mixers in the »Wing mi-

xer« menu are suppressed if you select “Idle front” or “Idle rear”.

• Depending on your choice in this menu, the C1 trim

acts “normally” (over the full control travel), or just at the idle end of the range, i.e. only at the “rear” or “front” end of the stick travel.

• “Cut-off trim”: this special function is described on

page 26.

When you select »tail type« you will see SEL at the bottom edge of the screen. Press the SELECT button. The current setting is highlighted. Now use the right-hand rocker button to select the option which matches your model:

„normal“: This setting caters for all models in which

each of the functions elevator and rudder is operated by one servo.

„V-tail“: The elevator and rudder controls are

operated by two control surfaces set in a V-shape, each controlled by a separate servo. The two-way coupling function for the rudder and elevator control systems is automatically carried out by the program. If necessary, the ratio of rudder travel to elevator travel can be adjusted in the »Dual Rate« menu (page 56).

„Delt/FlW“: The mixed elevon (aileron and elevator)

control system requires two or four separate servos, one or two in each wing. However, the elevator trim only affects servos 2 + 3, even if you select “2AIL 2FL” – see right-hand column.

„2 elev sv“: This option is designed for model aircraft

with two elevator servos. When the elevator stick is moved, the servo connected to receiver output 8 moves in parallel with servo 3. The elevator trim lever affects both servos.

When you select the »Aileron / Flap« line you will see

SEL at the bottom edge of the screen. Press the SELECT button, and the current setting is highlighted. Now

use the right-hand rocker button to select one of the three options:

„1aile“ Both ailerons are actuated by a single

servo.

„2aile“ Each aileron is actuated by a separate

servo.

„2ail2ﬂ “ Each aileron is actuated by a separate

servo; there are also one or two camberchanging ﬂ ap servos.

The mixers and associated adjustment facilities which appear in the »Wing mixers« menu (see section star- ting on page 61) vary according to the data you enter here. The software provides a maximum of 12 readymade mixers for up to two aileron servos and two camber-changing ﬂ ap servos.

Note: If your model is equipped with only one ﬂ ap servo, you

should still select “2ail 2ﬂ ”, but leave the “AIL  FL” mixer in the »Wing mixer« menu (see page 61) at 0%. In

Base settings – Fixed-wing model

contrast, all the other wing mixers can be used in the usual way.

Clocks

Two timers are shown in the basic display: one stopwatch and one ﬂ ight timer.

You can assign a physical switch or a control switch to these two timers in the »clock« line …

… using the switch symbol on the right-hand side. The assigned switch starts both timers, and also halts the stopwatch.

The method of assigning a physical switch or a control switch is described on page 25.

The ﬂ ight timer always starts simultaneously with the stopwatch, but continues to run even when the stopwatch is halted (switched off). It can only be stopped by pressing ESC with the stopwatch halted.

Once stopped, both timers can be reset to the initial value using CLEAR.

Switching between “count-up” and “count-down”

Count-up timer (stopwatch function)

If you assign a switch and start the stopwatch with the initial value of “0:00”, the timer runs up until the maximum of 999 minutes and 59 seconds, then re-starts at 0:00.

Count-down timer (timer function)

You can use the left-hand SEL ﬁ eld to select a starting time within the range 0 to 180 minutes; using the righthand SEL ﬁ eld the range is 0 to 59 seconds. Any combination of times can also be selected.

( CLEAR = „0“ or „00“.)

Procedure

1. Select the SEL ﬁ eld with the right-hand rocker button.

2. Press SELECT.

3. Select the required time in the highlighted minutes and seconds ﬁ elds using the right-hand rocker button.

4. Press SELECT to conclude the input process.

Once you have entered the settings described above, the set value is shown in the basic display (see picture in right-hand column), e.g. as 10:01 in min : sec. If the display in the “Stop” line of the basic display does not agree with your settings, press the CLEAR button.

When you operate the assigned switch, the stopwatch now starts from the set initial value, counting down (“Timer function”). When the set time has elapsed, the timer does not stop, but continues to run to allow you to read off the time elapsed after reaching zero. To make this clear, the over-run time is shown highlighted (inverse video).

Sequence of sounds

30 sec. before zero: triple beep single beep every two seconds 20 sec. before zero: double beep single beep every two seconds 10 sec. before zero: single beep single beep every second 5 sec. before zero: single beep every second at

higher rate

zero: longer beep; display switches to

inverse video

The “alarm timer” is reset by pressing the CLEAR button after you have halted the timer.

Note: A count-down timer is indicated in the basic display by a ﬂ ashing colon (:) between the minutes ﬁ eld and the seconds ﬁ eld.

Base settings – Fixed-wing model

Phase 2 / Phase 3

When you select »Phase 2« or »Phase 3«, you will see

SEL at the bottom edge of the screen. Press the SELECT button, and the current setting is shown highligh-

ted. If you do not wish to use the default names, use the right-hand rocker button to select a suitable name from the pre-sets. Press SELECT to return to the function line.

Move to the switch symbol using the right-hand rocker button, then press SELECT again. A switch can be assigned to the ﬂ ight phase as described on page 25.

For more information on ﬂ ight phase programming please refer to page 60, in the section entitled »Phase

trim«.

Trainer / Student

Receiver output

For maximum ﬂ exibility in terms of receiver socket assignment, the mx-16s program provides the means to swap over the servo outputs 1 to max. 8; this is carried out on the second page of the »Receiv out.« sub-menu.

Press the SELECT or ENTER button to move to the next page of the display. Here you can assign the “control channels” for servos 1 … 8 to any receiver output you wish to use. However, please note that the display in »Servo display« – which you can reach by pressing SELECT from the basic display – refers exclusively to the “control channels”, i.e. the outputs are not swapped over.

Typical applications:

• If you wish to use a smaller receiver with six or even just four servo sockets, it may be necessary to swap over the receiver sockets in order to be able to operate a second camber-changing ﬂ ap, a second aileron servo or a speed controller.

• It may also prove necessary to swap servos for Trainer mode operations, if you are using a model set up for another make * of equipment, to avoid having to re-connect the servos at the receiver.

Note: Please note that the Fail-safe “hold-mode” and “position” programming in SPCM mode always affect the “outputs”, i.e. the receiver socket numbers; this still applies if you swap the receiver outputs.

In this menu line you can assign a “transfer switch” for Trainer (teacher / pupil) mode operations, after pressing SELECT or ENTER, as described on page 25.

For more information on Trainer systems please refer to page 110.

With the SELECT button held pressed in, use the righthand rocker button to select the servo / output combination you wish to change, then press ENTER or SELECT. Now you can assign the desired servo(s) to the selected output using the right-hand rocker button … or alternatively press CLEAR to revert to the default sequence.

Please note that any changes to servo settings, such as servo travel, Dual Rate / Expo, mixers etc., must be

carried out according to the original (default) receiver socket sequence.

GRAUPNER does not guarantee that GRAUPNER radio control sys-

tems will work correctly in conjunction with receiving systems and radio control equipment made by other manufacturers.

Base settings – Fixed-wing model

Base settings

Basic model-speciﬁ c settings for ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft

Model name

Press ENTER or SELECT to move to the next screen page ( ), where you can select characters to assemble the model name. You can enter up to 9 characters to deﬁ ne a model name.

You can move to any character position within the in-

Base settings – Model helicopter

The model name entered in this way appears in the basic display, and also in the sub-menus of the »Model

memory« menu point.

Stick mode

Basically there are four possible ways of arranging the principal control functions of a model helicopter on the two dual-axis sticks: the primary functions are roll, pitchaxis, tail rotor and throttle / collective pitch. Which of these options you select depends on your individual preferences and ﬂ ying style.

»MODE 1« (Throttle at right stick)

pitch axis

tail rotor

pitch axis

»MODE 3« (Throttle at right stick)

pitch axis

roll

pitch axis

throttle

tail rotor

roll

throttle throttle

Motor/Pitch

roll

tail rotor

throttle

»MODE 2« (Throttle at left stick)

throttle

tail rotor

throttle

roll

throttle

tail rotor

roll

»MODE 4« (Throttle at left stick)

tail rotor

pitch axis

roll

pitch axis

tail rotor

pitch axis

roll

tail rotor

When you select »stick mode« you will see SEL at the bottom edge of the screen.

Press the SELECT button, and the current stick mode

is highlighted (inverse video – black background). Now use the right-hand rocker button to select one of the options 1 to 4.

Pressing CLEAR resets the function to stick mode “1”.

Modulation

When you select »modulation« you will see SEL at the bottom edge of the screen.

The mx-16s transmitter differentiates between two different types of modulation:

„SPCM“: Super PCM modulation with high system re-

solution of 1024 steps per control function, for “smc” type receivers and up to 8 servos.

„PPM“: The most commonly used standard trans-

mission mode (FM or FMsss) for all other types of GRAUPNER PPM-FM receivers and up to 8 servos.

Pressing CLEAR switches to the “PPM” type of modulation.

Swashplate type

You will require a particular program variant to suit the number of servos which operate the collective pitch function. Press the SELECT button.

The current number of collective pitch servos is highlighted on the screen. You can now determine the required variant using the right-hand rocker button:

„1 servo“: The swashplate is tilted by one roll servo

and one pitch-axis servo. Collective pitch is controlled by one separate servo.

(The »Swashplate mixer« menu point

is suppressed in the multi-function menu if you select “1 servo” as the swashplate type. This is because model helicopters with only one collective pitch servo are controlled without transmitter mixers for the swashplate functions collective pitch, pitch-axis and roll.)

„2 servo“: The swashplate is moved axially by two

roll servos for collective pitch control; pitch-axis control is de-coupled by a mechanical compensating rocker (HEIM mechanics).

„3sv (2roll)“: A symmetrical three-point swashplate lin-

kage using three linkage points arranged equally at 120°, actuated by one pitchaxis servo (front or rear) and two roll servos (left and right). For collective pitch control all three servos move the swashplate axially.

„3Sv (2nick)“: A symmetrical three-point linkage as

above, but rotated through 90°, i.e. one roll servo on one side, and two pitch-axis servos front and rear.

„4Sv (90°)“: Four-point swashplate linkage using two

roll and two pitch-axis servos.

CLEAR resets the swashplate type to “1 servo”.

Note: The swashplate mixer ratios are set in the »Swashpla- te mixers« menu.

Swashplate type: 1 servo

Swashplate type: 2 servos

Swashplate type: 3 servos (2 nick)

Swashplate type: 3 servos (2 roll)

Swashplate type: 4 servos (90°) 2 nick / 2 roll

Base settings – Model helicopter

(Main-) Rotor direction

In the »rotor direction« line you enter the direction of rotation of the main rotor using the right-hand rocker button, after pressing SELECT:

„right“: the main rotor rotates clockwise as viewed

from above.

„links“: the main rotor rotates anti-clockwise as view-

ed from above.

CLEAR switches to “left”.

Collective pitch min.

At this point you can set up the direction of operation of the throttle / collective pitch stick to suit your preference: Press SELECT, then use the right-hand rocker button to select the appropriate setting. This setting is crucial to the correct operation of all the other options in the helicopter program which affect the throttle and collective pitch function, i.e. the throttle curve, idle trim, tail rotor mixer etc..

Collective pitch

Note:

• The C1 trim always affects the throttle servo only.

• By default what is known as the “throttle limiter” is set (see page 54); this limits the travel of the throttle servo in the direction of maximum throttle, acting separately from the collective pitch servos. This point can be programmed using the “Lim” input in the »Control settings« menu.

Clocks

Two timers are shown in the basic display: one stopwatch and one ﬂ ight timer.

A physical switch or a control switch can be assigned to these two timers in the “Timers” line …

right-hand

rotation

left-hand rotation

The program requires this information in order to set up the mixers to work in the correct “sense”; this applies to the mixers which compensate for rotor torque and motor power. You will ﬁ nd these in the »Heli mixer« menu:

Collective pitch Channel 1  throttle Channel 1  tail rotor

Base settings – model helicopter

The meaning is as follows: “front”: minimum collective pitch when the collective

pitch stick (C1) is in “front” (away from you);

“rear”: minimum collective pitch when the collective

pitch stick (C1) is “back” (towards you).

Pressing CLEAR sets the collective pitch min. position to “front”.

… using the switch symbol on the right-hand side. The assigned switch starts both timers, and also halts the stopwatch.

The method of assigning a physical switch or a control switch is described on page 25.

Once stopped, both timers can be reset to the initial value using CLEAR.

Switching between “count-up” and “count-down”

Count-up timer (stopwatch function)

If you assign a switch and start the stopwatch with the initial value of “0:00”, the timer runs up until the maximum of 999 minutes and 59 seconds, then re-starts at 0:00.

Count-down timer (timer function)

( CLEAR = „0“ or „00“.)

Procedure

1. Select the SEL ﬁ eld with the right-hand rocker button.

2. Press SELECT.

3. Select the required time in the highlighted minutes and seconds ﬁ elds using the right-hand rocker button.

4. Press SELECT to conclude the input process.

Sequence of sounds

higher rate

zero: longer beep; display switches to

inverse video

The “alarm timer” is reset by pressing the CLEAR button after you have halted the timer.

Note: A count-down timer is indicated in the basic display by a ﬂ ashing colon (:) between the minutes ﬁ eld and the seconds ﬁ eld.

Phase 2

In the »phase 2« line you use the SEL ﬁ eld to select a suitable name from the six default names provided, using the right-hand rocker button. You can also assign a switch using the switch symbol at bottom right.

Autorotation

The name “autorotat.” is permanently assigned to Phase 3, and cannot be altered. The only available option is to assign a switch to it using the switch symbol at bottom right of the screen.

For more information on programming the ﬂ ight phases please refer to the »Heli mixer« section starting on page 66.

Note: The “autorotation” ﬂ ight phase ALWAYS has precedence over all other ﬂ ight phases.

Base settings – Model helicoptert

Trainer / student

In this menu line you can assign a “transfer switch” for trainer (trainer / student) mode operations, after pressing SELECT or ENTER, as described on page 25.

For more information on Trainer systems please refer to page 110.

Receiver output

With the SELECT button held pressed in, use the righthand rocker button to select the servo / output combina-

Base settings – Model helicopter

tion you wish to change, then press ENTER or SELECT. Now you can assign the desired servo(s) to the selected output using the right-hand rocker button … or alterna-

tively press CLEAR to revert to the default sequence. Please note that any changes to servo settings, such

as servo travel, Dual Rate / Expo, mixers etc., must be

carried out according to the original (default) receiver socket sequence.

Typical applications:

• In the helicopter program of the mx-16s the outputs for one collective pitch servo and the throttle servo have been interchanged compared to all earlier GRAUPNER/JR mc-systems. The throttle servo is now assigned to receiver output “6” and the collective pitch servo to output “1”. You may therefore wish to retain the earlier conﬁ guration.

• It may also prove necessary to swap servos for Trainer mode operations, if you are using a model set up for another make * of equipment, to avoid having to re-connect the servos at the receiver.

GRAUPNER does not guarantee that GRAUPNER radio control sys-

tems will work correctly in conjunction with receiving systems and radio control equipment made by other manufacturers.

Base settings – Model helicopter

Servo settings

Servo direction, centre, travel

In this menu you can adjust parameters which only affect the servo connected to a particular receiver output, namely the direction of servo rotation, neutral point and servo travel. Always start with the servo setting in the left-hand column.

Basic procedure:

1. Hold the SELECT button pressed in and select the

relevant servo (1 to 8) using the right-hand rocker button.

2. Use the right-hand rocker button to select SEL, SYM or ASY in the bottom line, prior to making the adjustments required.

3. Press the SELECT button: the corresponding input ﬁ eld is highlighted (inverse video).

4. Set the appropriate value using the right-hand rocker button.

5. Finally press the SELECT button again to conclude the input process.

Important: The numbers in the servo designations refer to the receiver output socket to which a particular servo(s) is connected. These numbers do not necessarily coincide with the numbering of the transmitter control function inputs, and indeed any coincidence would be purely accidental. The sophisticated programs of the mx-16s mean that the numbers are unlikely to be the same in any case. For example, changing the stick mode does not affect the numbering (i.e. receiver socket sequence) of the servos. The same applies to any changes you make

in the servo sequence in the »Receiver output« menu (see pages 41 and 46).

Column 2 “reverse”

The direction of servo rotation can be adjusted to suit the actual installation in your model. This means that you don’t need to concern yourself with servo directions when installing the mechanical linkages in the model, as you can reverse them as and when necessary. The direction of rotation is indicated by the symbols “=>” and “<=”. Be sure to set the direction of servo rotation before you make adjustments to the remaining options!

Pressing CLEAR resets the direction of rotation to “=>”.

normal

reversed

Column 3 “centre”

The facility to offset the servo travel centre is intended for adjusting servos whose centre setting is not standard (servo centre point at 1.5 ms), and also for minor adjustments, e.g. when ﬁ ne-tuning the neutral position of the model’s control surfaces.

The neutral position can be shifted within the range

-125% to +125% of normal servo travel, regardless of the trim lever position and any mixers you have set up. The centre setting affects the associated servo directly, independently of all other trim and mixer settings. However, please note that an extreme shift of the servo’s neutral point may result in servo travel to one side of neutral only, as total servo travel is limited to +/-150% for both electronic and mechanical reasons.

Pressing CLEAR resets the value to “0%”.

0 0

-125% +125%

Servo travel centre adjustment

Servo settings

Column 4 “- travel +”

In this column you can adjust servo travel symmetrically or asymmetrically (different each side of neutral). The adjustment range is 0 ... +150% of normal servo travel. The reference point for the set values is the setting in the “Centre” column.

To set a “symmetrical” travel, i.e. to adjust travel equally on both sides of neutral, select SYM; select ASY to set asymmetrical travel. In the latter case move the associated transmitter control (stick, proportional rotary knob or switch) to the appropriate end-point; when you press the SELECT button the highlighted servo travel ﬁ eld switches between the left ﬁ eld (negative direction) and the right ﬁ eld (positive direction).

Pressing CLEAR resets the changed parameter to 100%.

Important: In contrast to the »Control settings« menu this setting affects the servo directly, regardless of how the control signal for this servo is generated, i.e. either directly by a stick channel, or by means of any type of mixer function.

1 5 0

1 0 0

8 0

Servo travel

6 0

4 0

2 0

The graph alongside shows an example of asymmetrical servo travel, with a setting of

-50% and +150%.

0 2 0 4 0 6 0 8 0 1 0 0 %

Transmitter control travel

Servo settings

Control settings

Basic procedures for assigning transmitter controls and switches

In addition to the two dual-axis stick units for the control functions 1 to 4, the mx-16s is ﬁ tted as standard with a range of supplementary controls:

• Two INC / DEC buttons: CTRL 5 and 6 (“transmitter controls 5 … 6”)

• One three-position switch: SW 6/7 (assigned to “Control 8” in this menu)

• One rotary proportional knob: CTRL 7 (“transmitter control 7”)

• One push-button: SW 4 / PB 8 (“SW 4” or “SW 8”)

• Three two-position switches: SW 1 to SW 3 (“SW1 … 3”)

The two dual-axis stick units directly affect the servos connected to receiver outputs 1 … 4 (assuming that you have set up a newly initialised model memory with the model type “Fixed-wing model”). In contrast, the “supplementary” transmitter controls listed above are inactive when the transmitter is in its default state (as delivered).

As already mentioned on page 14, this means that the transmitter in its basic form only controls servos connected to receiver outputs 1 … 4 using the primary sticks – even when you have initialised a new model memory with the model type “ﬁ xed-wing model”. Any servos connected to receiver sockets 5 … 8 simply stay at their centre point when you operate the associated transmitter controls.

This may seem rather inconvenient at ﬁ rst sight, but it is the only way to ensure that you can select any of the “supplementary” transmitter controls for any task you

like, and that you are not required deliberately to “program away” the transmitter controls which are not required for a particular model.

Unless it is inactive, any superﬂ uous transmitter control will have an effect on your model if you operate it by mistake, i.e. unless you have assigned no function to it.

That is why you can select these “supplementary” transmitter controls with complete freedom in the “Control settings” menu and assign them to any function input (see page 24) you like, as this method means that the transmitter meets your own requirements exactly. This also means that each of these transmitter controls can be set to operate several function inputs simultaneously. For example, the same toggle switch SW X which you assign to an input in this menu, can also be assigned as the On / OFF switch controlling the “Timers” in the »Base settings« menu.

Note: If you switch models, the current positions of the INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 + 6) assigned to inputs 5 … 8 are stored separately for each memory, i.e. the settings are not lost.

Basic procedure

1. Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and select the

appropriate input E5 … E8 using the right-hand rocker button.

2. Use the right-hand rocker button to select SEL, SYM or ASY so that you can carry out the adjustments you wish to make.

3. Press the SELECT button: the input ﬁ eld you wish to modify is highlighted.

4. Operate the transmitter control you wish to use, and set the desired value using the right-hand rocker button.

5. Press the SELECT button to conclude the input pro-

cess and return to the function ﬁ eld.

Column 2 “Assigning transmitter controls and switches”

Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and select one of the function inputs 5 to 8 using the right-hand rocker button.

Use the right-hand rocker button to select SEL, or (if SEL is already highlighted) press the SELECT button to move to the assignment facility …

… and move the appropriate transmitter control (CTRL 5 to 7), or operate the selected switch (SW 1 to 4, 6/7,

8). Note that the transmitter emits a “beep” when it detects the two INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 and 6) and the rotary proportional control, i.e. they need to be operated for longer than the other controls. If the travel is not sufﬁ cient for the transmitter to detect it, move the control in the opposite direction.

If you assign one of the two-position switches, then this control channel works like an On / Off switch. It is then possible to switch to and fro between two end-point values using this simple switch, e.g. motor ON / OFF. The three-position switch SW 6/7, which you will ﬁ nd in the »Control settings« menu as “Control 8”, also provides a centre position.

Pressing the CLEAR button with the switch assignment activated – see illustration above – resets the input to “free”.

Control settings – Fixed-wing model

Tips: When assigning the switches please take care to set them to the appropriate direction of travel, and ensure that all inputs not required are left at or set to “free”, to eliminate the possibility of errors if unused transmitter controls are operated accidentally.

You can alter the effective end-points of an assigned switch by adjusting servo travel as described in the next section.

After you have assigned an external switch, the screen displays either the transmitter control number or the switch number, followed by a switch symbol which indicates the direction of operation, e.g.:

Column 3 “-Travel+”

Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and use the righthand rocker button to select one of the inputs 5 to 8.

Use the right-hand rocker button to select SYM or ASY in the “-Travel+” column, and press the SELECT button to activate travel adjustment:

You can now use the right-hand rocker button to set the control travel within the range -125% to +125%, either symmetrically (SYM) to both sides, or asymmetrically (ASY). At the same time you can use the software to reverse the direction of effect of the transmitter control. If you wish to make asymmetrical adjustments, you must move the transmitter control or switch in the appropriate direction before altering the setting. When the ﬁ eld is highlighted, you can change the setting.

Pressing CLEAR resets the control travel in the highlighted ﬁ eld to 100%.

Important: In contrast to servo travel adjustments, changing the transmitter travel setting affects all mixer and coupling inputs, i.e. all servos which are affected by that transmitter control.

Control settings – Fixed-wing model

Control settings

Basic procedures for assigning transmitter controls and switches

In addition to the two dual-axis stick units for the control functions 1 to 4, the mx-16s is ﬁ tted as standard with a range of supplementary controls:

• Two INC / DEC buttons: CTRL 5 and 6 (“transmitter controls 5 … 6”)

• One three-position switch: SW 6/7 (assigned to “Control 8” in this menu)

• One rotary proportional knob: CTRL 7 (“transmitter control 7”)

• One push-button: SW 4 / PB 8 (“SW 4” or “SW 8”)

• Three two-position switches: SW 1 to SW 3 (“SW1 … 3”)

The two dual-axis stick units directly affect servos connected to receiver outputs 1 … 4 (assuming that you have set up a newly initialised model memory with the model type “Helicopter”). In contrast, the “supplementary” transmitter controls listed above are inactive when the transmitter is in its default state (as delivered).

As already mentioned on page 14, this means that the transmitter in its basic form only controls servos connected to receiver outputs 1 … 4 using the primary sticks. Any servos connected to receiver sockets 5 … 8 simply stay at their centre point when you operate the associated transmitter controls.

This may seem rather inconvenient at ﬁ rst sight, but it is the only way to ensure that you can select any of the “supplementary” transmitter controls for any task you like, and that you are not required deliberately to “program away” the transmitter controls which are not re-

quired for a particular model.

Unless it is inactive, any superﬂ uous transmitter control will have an effect on your model if you operate it by mistake, i.e. unless you have assigned no function to it.

Note: If you switch models, the current positions of the INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 + 6) assigned to inputs 5 … 8 are stored separately for each memory, i.e. the settings are not lost.

Basic procedure

1. Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and select the

appropriate input E5 … E8 using the right-hand rocker button.

2. Use the right-hand rocker button to select SEL, SYM or ASY so that you can carry out the adjustments you wish to make.

3. Press the SELECT button: the input ﬁ eld you wish to modify is highlighted.

4. Operate the transmitter control you wish to use, and set the desired value using the right-hand rocker button.

5. Press the SELECT button to conclude the input pro- cess and return to the function ﬁ eld.

Column 2 “Assigning transmitter controls and switches”

Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and select one of the inputs using the right-hand rocker button.

Use the right-hand rocker button to select SEL, or (if SEL is already highlighted) press the SELECT button to move to the assignment facility …

… and move the appropriate transmitter control (CTRL 5 to 7), or operate the selected switch (SW 1 to 4, 6/7,

If you assign one of the two-position switches, then this control channel works like an On / Off switch. It is then possible to switch to and fro between two end-point values using this simple switch, e.g. searchlight ON / OFF. The three-position switch SW 6/7, which you will ﬁ nd in the »Control settings« menu as “Control 8”, also provides a centre position.

Pressing the CLEAR button with the switch assignment activated – see illustration above – resets the input to “free”.

Tips: When assigning the switches please take care to set them to the appropriate direction of travel, and ensure that all inputs not required are left at or set to “free”,

Control settings – Model helicopter

to eliminate the possibility of errors if unused transmitter controls are operated accidentally.

You can alter the effective end-points of an assigned switch by adjusting servo travel as described in the next section.

Column 3 “-Travel+”

Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and use the righthand rocker button to select one of the inputs E5, Gyr, E8 or Lim.

Use the right-hand rocker button to select SYM or ASY in the “-Travel+” column, and press the SELECT button to activate travel adjustment:

move the transmitter control or switch in the appropriate direction before altering the setting. When the ﬁ eld is highlighted, you can change the setting.

Pressing CLEAR resets the control travel in the highlighted ﬁ eld to 100%.

Important: In contrast to servo travel adjustments, changing the transmitter travel setting affects all mixer and coupling inputs, i.e. all servos which are affected by that transmitter control.

“Throttle”

In principle all transmitter controls (rotary proportional knob, INC / DEC buttons) and switches present on the transmitter can be assigned to the individual inputs within the Helicopter program.

However, please note that some inputs available in the »Control settings« menu are already pre-deﬁ ned for helicopter-speciﬁ c functions, and for this reason cannot be used without restriction.

For example, the receiver sequence printed on page 33 shows that the throttle servo (or the speed controller of an electric-powered model helicopter) must be connected to receiver output “6”, i.e. control channel “6” is reserved for motor speed control.

However, in contrast to a ﬁ xed-wing aircraft, the throttle servo or speed controller is not directly controlled by the throttle stick or any other transmitter control, but via a complex mixer system – see »Heli mixer« menu, starting on page 66. The “throttle limit function” (described on the next page) also has an inﬂ uence on this mixer system.

Assigning a transmitter control or switch in the “Throttle” line, or its supplementary control signal, would only unnecessarily “confuse” this complex mixer system. For

this reason the “Throttle” input MUST always be left “free” when you are programming a model helicopter.

Control settings – Model helicopter

Throttle limit function

„Lim“ input

„Gyro“

If the gyro you are using features inﬁ nitely variable gain control, then you can pre-set the gyro effect within the range +/-125%, separately for each ﬂ ight phase, in the “Gyro” line of the »Heli mixer« menu – see the section starting on page 66.

Once you have entered these pre-deﬁ ned gain settings (set separately for each ﬂ ight phase in the »Heli mixer« menu), you can use a transmitter control such as one of the two INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 or 6) to vary gyro gain; all you have to do is assign that transmitter control in the “Gyro” line of this menu: in the centre position of the transmitter control this corresponds to the setting selected in the »Heli mixer« menu (see page 66). If the transmitter control is moved from this centre point in the direction of full travel, gyro gain is increased; towards the opposite end-point it is reduced. This is a fast, simple method of ﬁ ne-tuning gyro gain when the model is in ﬂ ight – perhaps to suit varying weather conditions – or alternatively to ﬁ nd the optimum setting.

In software terms you can also limit the gain range to both sides by restricting the transmitter control travel.

Meaning and application of “throttle limit”

In contrast to ﬁ xed-wing models, the power output of the engine or motor of a model helicopter is not controlled directly using the throttle (C1) stick. Instead it is controlled indirectly by the throttle curve settings which you set up in the »Heli mixer« menu. It is even possible to set different throttle curves to suit different stages of ﬂ ight using ﬂ ight phase programming.

Note: If your helicopter is ﬁ tted with a speed governor, this controls the power output.

However, this certainly means that a helicopter’s motor never gets anywhere near its idle speed during “normal” ﬂ ying, so it is impossible to start or stop the motor easily unless some other means is used. This applies whether a speed governor or a conventional throttle control system is in use.

That is the reason why the “Lim” (limit) input is reserved in the Helicopter program for the “Throttle limit” function. A separate transmitter control – as standard this is the rotary proportional control CTRL 7 at top left of the transmitter – is employed to limit the setting of the throttle servo to any speed you like, which means that you can throttle right back to the idle position for starting the motor. The throttle servo can only follow the throttle curve, and therefore reach its full-throttle setting, if you release full servo travel using the throttle limit control.

For this reason the right-hand positive value in the “Travel” column must be large enough to ensure that it does

not limit the full-throttle setting available via the C1 stick when the control is at its maximum position. Usually this means a value in the range 100% to 125%. The lefthand negative value of the input should be set in such a way that the throttle is closed completely when the digital C1 trim is used, so that you can reliably stop the motor. For the same reason you should leave the bottom value of the throttle limit slider at +100%.

This variable “limiting” of throttle travel provides a convenient means of starting and stopping the motor. However, it also forms an effective method of recording ﬂ ight times via the control switch G3, if the latter is set close to the full-throttle point. The throttle limiter function also provides an additional level of safety if, for example, you have to carry your helicopter to the ﬂ ight line with the motor running: you simply move the control to its minimum position, and this prevents any accidental movement of the C1 stick affecting the throttle servo.

If the carburettor is too far open when you switch the transmitter on, you will hear an audible warning, and the screen displays the message:

throttle

too

high !

Important note: Setting the “Lim” function input to “free” does not switch off the Throttle limit function; it just switches the limiter to “half-throttle”.

Tip: You can call up the »Servo display« menu to check the inﬂ uence of the throttle limit slider. Move to this menu by pressing the SELECT button from the basic transmitter display. Bear in mind that servo output 6 controls the throttle servo on the mx-16s.

Control settings – Model helicopter

Throttle limit in conjunction with the digital trim

When used with the throttle limit control, the C1 trim places a marker at the set idle position of the motor; at this point the motor can be stopped using the trim. If the trim is in its end-range (see picture below), then a single click immediately takes you back to the marker, i.e. to the pre-set idle position (see also page 26).

The cut-off trim only acts as idle trim on the throttle limit in the bottom half of the travel of the throttle limit control, i.e. the marker is only set and stored within this range. For this reason the C1 trim display is also completely suppressed as soon as the throttle limit control is moved to the right of the centre position.

Marker line indicates last C1 trim position (Idle setting)

Centre

Rotary throttle limit control (CTRL 7)

Trim position at which motor stops

Marker line displayed only if rotary throttle limit control is below centre. The C1 trim bar is suppressed above “Centre”

Control settings – Model helicopter

Dual Rate / Expo

Switchable control characteristics for aileron, elevator and rudder

The Dual Rate / Expo function provides a means of switching to reduced control travels, and of inﬂ uencing the travel characteristics, for aileron, elevator and rudder (control functions 2 ... 4). This can be carried out in ﬂ ight by means of external switches.

Dual Rate works in a similar way to transmitter control travel adjustment in the »Control settings« menu, i.e. it affects the corresponding stick function, regardless of whether that function controls a single servo or multiple servos via any number of complex mixer and coupling functions.

For each switch position the servo travels can be set to any value within the range 0 to 125% of full travel.

Expo works in a different way. If you set a value greater than 0%, exponential provides ﬁ ne control of the model around the centre position of the primary control functions (aileron, elevator and rudder), without forfeiting full travel at the end-points of stick movement. If you set a value lower than 0%, travel is increased around the neutral position, and reduces towards the extremes of travel. The degree of “progression” can therefore be set to any value within the range -100% to +100%, where 0% equates to normal, linear control characteristics.

Another application for exponential is to improve the linearity of rotary-output servos, which are the standard nowadays. With a rotary servo the movement of the control surface is inevitably non-linear, as the linear movement of the output disc or lever reduces progressively as the angular movement increases, i.e. the rate of travel of the control surface reduces steadily towards the extre-

Dual Rate / Expo – Fixed-wing model

mes, dependent upon the position of the linkage point on the output disc or lever. You can compensate for this effect by setting an Expo value greater than 0%, with the result that the angular travel of the output device increases disproportionately as stick travel increases.

Like Dual Rates, the Expo setting applies directly to the corresponding stick function, regardless of whether that function controls a single servo or multiple servos via any number of complex mixer and coupling functions.

The Dual Rate and Expo functions can also be switched on and off together if you assign a switch to the function. The result of this is that Dual Rates and Expo can be controlled simultaneously using a single switch, and this can be advantageous – especially with high-speed models.

Basic set-up procedure

1. Hold the SELECT button pressed in, then use the right-hand rocker button to select the desired line: “AIL”, “ELE” or “RUD”.

2. Use the right-hand rocker button to select SEL under the DUAL or EXPO column, so that you can make adjustments at that point.

3. Press the SELECT button. The appropriate input ﬁ eld is now highlighted.

4. Set the desired value using the right-hand rocker button.

5. Press SELECT to conclude the input process and re- turn to the function ﬁ eld.

Dual Rate function

If you wish to switch between two possible D/R settings, select the

symbol and assign a physical switch as described in the section “Assigning switches and control switches” on page 25.

Select the left-hand SEL ﬁ eld to change the Dual Rate value, and use the right-hand rocker button in the highlighted ﬁ eld to set the values for each of the two switch positions separately.

Pressing CLEAR in the highlighted ﬁ eld resets an altered value to 100%.

Caution: The Dual Rate value should always be at least 20% of total control travel, otherwise you could lose all control of that function.

Examples of different Dual Rate values:

D u a l R a t e = 1 0 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 % 0

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

D u a l R a t e = 5 0 % D u a l R a t e = 2 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5 0

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 % 0

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

Exponential function

If you wish to switch between two settings, select the

ﬁ eld and assign a physical switch as described on page 25. The assigned switch appears in the screen display together with a switch symbol which indicates the direction of operation when you move the switch.

Combined Dual Rate and Expo

If you have entered values for Dual Rates and Expo, the two functions are superimposed as follows:

E x p o = + 1 0 0 % , D / R = 1 2 5 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

E x p o = + 1 0 0 % , D / R = 5 0 % E x p o = - 1 0 0 % , D / R = 5 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

For example, the system enables you to ﬂ y with a linear curve characteristic in the one switch position, and to pre-set a value other than 0% in the other switch position.

To change the Expo value, ﬁ rst select the SEL ﬁ eld, then use the right-hand rocker button in the highlighted ﬁ eld to set separate values for each of the two switch positions:

Pressing CLEAR in the highlighted ﬁ eld resets an altered value to 0%.

Examples of different Expo values:

E x p o = + 1 0 0 % E x p o = + 5 0 % E x p o = - 1 0 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

1 2 5 1 0 0

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5 0

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

In these examples the Dual Rate value is 100% in each case.

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 % 0

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

e.g. “switch back”:

and after moving switch “2” “front”:

+ 1 0 0 %

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 % 0

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

Dual Rate / Expo – Fixed-wing model

Dual Rate / Expo

Switchable control characteristics for roll, pitch-axis and tail rotor

The Dual Rate / Expo function provides a means of switching to reduced control travels, and inﬂ uencing the travel characteristics, for the roll, pitch-axis and tail rotor servos (control functions 2 ... 4). This can be carried out in ﬂ ight by means of an external switch. A separate curve for control function 1 (motor / collective pitch) can be set separately for throttle, collective pitch and tail rotor in the »Heli mixer« menu. These curves feature up to ﬁ ve separately programmable points; see the section starting on page 66 and also page 106.

For each switch position the servo travels can be set to any value within the range 0 to 125% of full travel.

Expo works in a different way. If you set a value greater than 0%, exponential provides ﬁ ne control of the model around the centre position of the primary control functions (roll, pitch-axis and tail rotor), without forfeiting full travel at the end-points of stick movement. If you set a value lower than 0%, travel is increased around the neutral position, and reduces towards the extremes of travel. The degree of “progression” can be set within the range -100% to +100%, where 0% equates to normal, linear control characteristics.

Another application for exponential is to improve the linearity of rotary-output servos, which are the standard

Dual Rate / Expo – Model helicopter

nowadays. With a rotary servo the movement of the control surface is inevitably non-linear, as the linear movement of the output disc or lever reduces progressively as the angular movement increases, i.e. the rate of travel of the control surface reduces steadily towards the extremes, dependent upon the position of the linkage point on the output disc or lever. You can compensate for this effect by setting an Expo value greater than 0%, with the result that the angular travel of the output device increases disproportionately as stick travel increases.

Basic set-up procedure

1. Hold the SELECT button pressed in, then use the

right-hand rocker button to select the desired line: “Roll”, “Pitch-axis” or “Tail rotor”.

2. Use the right-hand rocker button to select SEL under

the DUAL or EXPO column, so that you can make adjustments at that point.

3. Press the SELECT button. The appropriate input ﬁ eld

is now highlighted.

4. Set the desired value using the right-hand rocker button.

5. Press SELECT to conclude the input process and re- turn to the function ﬁ eld.

Dual Rate function

If you wish to switch between two possible D/R settings, select the

symbol and assign a physical switch as described in the section “Assigning switches and control switches” on page 25.

Select the left-hand SEL ﬁ eld to change the Dual Rate value, and use the right-hand rocker button in the highlighted ﬁ eld to set the values for each of the two switch positions separately.

Pressing CLEAR in the highlighted ﬁ eld resets an altered value to 100%.

Caution: The Dual Rate value should always be at least 20% of total control travel, otherwise you could lose all control of that function.

Examples of different Dual Rate values:

D u a l R a t e = 1 0 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 % 0

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

D u a l R a t e = 5 0 % D u a l R a t e = 2 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5 0

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 % 0

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

Exponential function

If you wish to switch between two settings, select the

Combined Dual Rate and Expo

If you have entered values for Dual Rates and Expo, the two functions are superimposed as follows:

E x p o = + 1 0 0 % , D / R = 1 2 5 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

E x p o = + 1 0 0 % , D / R = 5 0 % E x p o = - 1 0 0 % , D / R = 5 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

For example, the system enables you to ﬂ y with a linear curve characteristic in the one switch position, and to pre-set a value other than 0% in the other switch position.

To change the Expo value, ﬁ rst select the right-hand SEL ﬁ eld, then use the right-hand rocker button in the highlighted ﬁ eld to set separate values for each of the two switch positions:

Pressing CLEAR in the highlighted ﬁ eld resets an altered value to 0%.

Examples of different Expo values:

E x p o = + 1 0 0 % E x p o = + 5 0 % E x p o = - 1 0 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

1 2 5 1 0 0

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

1 2 5

1 0 0

S e r v o T r a v e l

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5 0

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

In these examples the Dual Rate value is 100% in each case.

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 %

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 % 0

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

- 1 0 0

- 1 2 5

- 1 0 0 % 0

S t i c k D e f l e c t i o n

+ 1 0 0 %

e.g. “switch back”:

and after moving switch “2” “front”:

Note: In software terms it would be possible to assign one of the two control switches G1 or G2 which are available at the C1 stick, but since these are triggered at +80% and -80% of the transmitter control travel, this is not a very practical alternative.

Dual Rate / Expo – Model helicopter

Phase trim

Flight phase-speciﬁ c trims for ﬂ aps, ailerons and elevator

If you have not assigned a switch to “Phase 2” and / or “Phase 3” in the “Base settings” menu, i.e. you have not assigned names and switches to these alternative phases, you automatically remain in ﬂ ight phase 1 «normal».

The number and name of this ﬂ ight phase are permanently assigned, and cannot be altered. For this reason the “normal” phase is not stated as Phase 1 in the »Base settings« menu; it is simply hidden.

If you select the »Phase trim« menu with this basic arrangement, i.e. without setting up ﬂ ight phases, you will ﬁ nd just the «normal» line on the screen, whose pre-set values of 0% are not usually changed.

If you wish to enter values other than “0”, e.g. to have more lift at launch, or to be able to ﬂ y more slowly when thermalling, or faster when ﬂ ying speed tasks, but WITHOUT having to change the base settings each time, then you need to use alternative ﬂ ight phases. This is done by activating “Phase 2” and, if necessary, “Phase 3” in the »Base settings« menu.

To do this you move to the »Base settings« menu and assign a relevant name and switch to “Phase 2” and (if required) “Phase 3”. If you decide to use the three-po-

sition switch SW 6/7, then it is advisable to assign it to “Phase 2” and “Phase 3” at the extremes, with «normal» at the centre position.

(At the centre position of SW 6/7 the switch symbols on the screen should look as in the picture below.)

Once the switches are set, you should assign names to the switch positions, e.g.: switch “up” from centre = “Launch”; switch “back” from centre = “Speed”, etc..

You can select from the following names:

• takeoff

• thermal

• dist(ance)

• speed

• aerobat(ic)

• landing

• air-tow

• test

Once assigned, these names will appear in the transmitter’s basic display, and in the »Phase trim« menu.

Setting up ﬂ ight phase trims

In the »Phase trim« menu you can adjust the trims for the previously selected ﬂ ight phases.

The ﬁ rst step is to switch to the phase which you wish to adjust (the * at far left indicates the currently active phase).

Select the desired control function using the right-hand rocker button, then hold the SELECT button pressed in and set the required trim values using the right-hand rocker button.

You can activate the different phases by operating the assigned phase select switch or switches. Note that the servos do not change from one setting to another abruptly; they move smoothly with a transition time of around one second.

Values can be set within the range -125% to +125%. However, typical values are normally in single ﬁ gures or low double ﬁ gures.

Note: When setting up “Phase trim”, only “ELE”, “AIL” and “ELE” will be available on the screen, or – as shown above – “FLAP”, “AIL” and “ELE”; this depends on the information you have entered in the “Aileron / ﬂ ap” line of the »Base settings« menu.

Phase trim – Fixed-wing model

What is a mixer?

The basic function

Wing mixers

In many models it is often desirable to use a mixer to couple various control systems, e.g. to link the ailerons and rudder, or to inter-connect a pair of servos where two control surfaces are actuated by separate servos. In all these cases the signal which ﬂ ows directly from the “output” of a transmitter stick to the associated servo is “bled off” at a particular point, and the derived signal is then processed in such a way that it affects the “input” of another control channel, and therefore eventually another receiver output.

Example: Controlling two elevator servos using the elevator stick.

Control function

output

3 3

Control channel

Transmitter

control

Note: 0% ... +125% = same course and -125% ... 0% = against course

(receiver output)

Mixer

menus

Mixer

4,8 V

Servo

C 577

Best.-Nr. 4101

Servo 1

4,8 V

C 577

Servo

Best.-Nr. 4101

Servo 2

The mx-16s transmitter software contains a large number of pre-programmed coupling functions as standard, which are designed to mix together two (or more) control channels. The mixer required in this example is supplied “ready-made”, and just has to be activated in the software in the “tail” line of the »Base settings« menu in the form of “2 EL Sv”.

The software also includes three freely programmable linear mixers in the ﬁ xed-wing and helicopter programs, all of which can be used in each model memory.

For more information please refer to the general notes on “Free mixers” in the section of this manual starting on page 76.

(The display varies according to the information you have entered in the “Motor at C1” and “Ail / Flap” lines in the »Base settings« menu.)

The mx-16s transmitter’s program contains a series of pre-programmed coupling functions, and all you have to do is set the mixer ratios and (optionally) assign a switch. The number of pre-programmed mixer functions in the mixer list will vary according to the pre-set “model type” (tail type, number of wing servos, with or without motor – see the section starting on page 38). For example, if your model is not ﬁ tted with camber-changing ﬂ aps, and you have not entered any ﬂ ap servos in the »Base settings« menu, all the ﬂ ap mixers in the program are automatically suppressed, as are the “Brake  NN” mixers if you enter “Idle front” or “Idle rear” in the “Motor at C1” line. This makes the menus clearer and easier to understand, and also avoids potential programming errors.

Notes: The position of the camber-changing ﬂ aps in the individual ﬂ ight phases is primarily determined in the »Pha- se trim« menu; see left page. However, if you wish to be

able to adjust these settings in ﬂ ight, or in general terms control the ﬂ aps manually, any transmitter control assigned to input “E6” (in the »Control settings« menu – see page 52) can be used.

This transmitter control then operates the two ﬂ ap servos connected to receiver outputs 6 and 7, provided that ﬂ ap servos have already been set up in the “Ail / Fl” line of the »Base settings« menu.

Note: If a transmitter control is assigned to input “E7”, it will be de-coupled by the software if two camber-changing ﬂ aps are deﬁ ned; this is intentional, as it eliminates the danger of errors when a ﬂ ap command is given.

Basic programming procedure

1. Hold the SELECT button pressed in, then use the

right-hand rocker button to select the desired mixer.

Dependent from the mixer, only SEL or additional

is shown in the lower display line.

2. Use the right-hand rocker button to select one of these two ﬁ elds.

3. Press the SELECT button. The appropriate input ﬁ eld is now highlighted.

4. Set the desired value using the right-hand rocker button, and assign a switch if required.

Negative and positive parameter values are possible;

this may be necessary to obtain the correct direction of servo rotation (control surface deﬂ ection).

CLEAR sets a changed value in the inverse ﬁ eld

back to thedefault value.

5. Press SELECT to conclude the input process.

Wing mixers – Fixed-wing model

Mixer neutral point (offset)

The neutral point of the mixers Aileron  NN

Elevator  NN Flap  NN

is by default the zero point of the transmitter control, i.e. that is the point at which they have no effect. At the endpoint of the transmitter control the full mixer value is applied.

The default neutral point (“offset”) of the mixers Airbrake  NN is the front position of the C1 stick (throttle / airbrakes),

at which the airbrakes are always retracted.

diff aile. (differential aileron travel)

Aileron differential compensates for an unwanted sideeffect which occurs when ailerons are deﬂ ected: the problem known as “adverse yaw”. When the ailerons are deﬂ ected, the drag generated by the down-going aileron is greater than that produced by the up-going aileron. The differential drag causes a yawing motion around the vertical axis in the opposite direction to the desired turn. This effect is much more pronounced in model gliders with high aspect ratio wings than in power models with their much shorter moment arms, and usually has to be countered by giving a simultaneous rudder deﬂ ection in the opposite direction to the yaw. However, this in turns causes additional drag and lowers the aircraft’s efﬁ ciency even further.

Electronic aileron differential is one answer, but it can only be used if a separate servo is employed for each aileron. Aileron differential reduces the angular travel of the down-going aileron relative to the up-going aileron, and this reduces the drag and therefore the adverse yaw. However, this method can only be applied if each aileron is actuated by its own servo, usually moun-

Wing mixers – Fixed-wing model

ted in the wings themselves. The shorter pushrods also result in virtually slop-free aileron linkages with reliable centring.

Mechanical solutions are also possible, but they usually have to be “designed in” when the model is built, and the degree of differential cannot be altered subsequently. In any case signiﬁ cant mechanical differential tends to cause additional slop in the control system. Electronic differential offers the following important advantages:

It is easily possible to vary the degree of differential without affecting the travel of the up-going aileron. In one extreme it is possible to suppress the down-aileron deﬂ ection completely, i.e. only the up-going aileron moves at all, and this arrangement is sometimes called the “split” setting. Split ailerons not only tend to suppress adverse yaw, but can even generate positive yaw, which means that the model yaws in the direction of the turn when an aileron command is given. In the case of large model gliders, smooth turns can then be ﬂ own using ailerons alone, which with most models of this type is usually by no means the case.

The adjustment range of -100% to +100% makes it possible to set the correct direction of differential regardless of the direction of rotation of the aileron servos.

0% (normal)

50% (differential)

100% (split)

“0%” corresponds to a normal linkage, i.e. no differential, while “-100%” or “+100%” represents the “split” function.

For aerobatic ﬂ ying it is necessary to set low absolute differential values, to ensure that the model rotates exactly along its longitudinal axis when an aileron command is given. Moderate values around -50% or +50% are typical for making thermal turns easier to ﬂ y. The split setting (-100%, +100%) is popular with slope ﬂ yers, when ailerons alone are often used for turning the model.

Note: Although it is possible to enter negative values in order to reverse the direction of servo rotation, this is not usually necessary if the correct channels are used.

diff. ﬂ aps (Camber-changing ﬂ ap differential)

The aileron / ﬂ ap mixer (see below) is designed to superimpose an aileron function on the ﬂ aps. Flap differential works like aileron differential, and produces a reduced ﬂ ap movement in the down-direction when they are used as supplementary ailerons.

The adjustment range of -100% to +100% makes it possible to set the correct direction of differential regardless of the direction of rotation of the servo. “0%” corresponds to a normal linkage, i.e. the servo travel is the same up and down. A setting of “-100%” or “+100%” means that the down-travel of the ﬂ aps is reduced to zero when an aileron command is given (“split” setting).

Note: Negative values are not usually necessary if the correct channels are used.

ail  rudd (Aileron  rudder)

In this case the rudder automatically “follows” when an aileron command is given, and the mixer ratio (degree of following) can be set by the user. Coupled aileron / rudder (sometimes abbreviated to CAR; also known as “combi-switch”) is especially useful for suppressing adverse yaw in conjunction with aileron differential, and this combination usually makes smooth turns very easy to ﬂ y. Naturally, the rudder can still be controlled separately by means of its dedicated stick. If an (optional) switch (SW 1 … 4) is assigned to this function, the mixer can be switched on and off in ﬂ ight, so that you can control the ailerons and rudder separately if and when you so desire.

ail  ﬂ aps (Aileron  ﬂ ap)

rally less than 100%. The adjustment range of -150% to +150% allows the user to set up the ﬂ ap direction to match that of the ailerons.

Note: If your model is equipped with only one ﬂ ap servo, you should still select “... 2FL” in the “aile/ﬂ ap” line of the »Base settings« menu (see page 39) but leave the “Ail  Flap” mixer at 0%. In contrast, all the other wing mixers can be used in the usual way.

brak  elev (Brake  elevator)

Extending any form of airbrakes usually generates an unwanted change in pitch trim (nose up or nose down); this is especially marked when a butterﬂ y (crow) braking system is deployed (see next page).

This mixer feeds a corrective signal to the elevator to compensate for this unwanted moment. The adjustment range is -150% to +150%, but “usual” values are generally in the low double ﬁ gures.

brak  ﬂ ap (Brake  ﬂ ap)

When you operate the brake function (C1 stick) both ﬂ ap servos move together for the landing approach; the mixer ratio can be set to any value in the range -150% to +150%. Down-ﬂ ap is usually selected.

brak  aile (Brake  aileron)

When you operate the brake function, both aileron servos move together for the landing approach; the mixer ratio can be set to any value in the range -150% to +150%. It can also be useful to deﬂ ect both ailerons up slightly when the airbrakes are extended.

This mixer feeds a variable amount of the aileron signal into the ﬂ ap channel. When an aileron command is given, the ﬂ aps “follow” the ailerons, although usually through a smaller angle, i.e. the mixer ratio is gene-

Wing mixers – Fixed-wing model

Combination of the “Brake  NN” mixers: “Crow” or “Butterﬂ y” setting

If you have set up all three airbrake mixers for your model, it is then possible to program a special conﬁ guration known as the “crow” or “butterﬂ y” arrangement for glide path control. In the butterﬂ y setting both ailerons are deﬂ ected up by a moderate amount, and both ﬂ aps down by the maximum possible amount. The third mixer provides elevator trim to counteract any unwanted pitch trim change and maintain the model’s airspeed at a safe level.

This inter-action between the ﬂ aps, ailerons and elevator is used to control the glide angle on the landing approach. Optionally the butterﬂ y setting can also be used without the airbrakes or spoilers; nowadays this is very commonly used for sports and competition aircraft.

If your model features full-span (strip) ailerons which also double as camber-changing ﬂ aps, the two mixers “Brake  ailerons” and “Brake  elevator” can be combined for glide path control. In this case up-ﬂ ap is applied, but the ﬂ aps can still be controlled as ailerons. Elevator pitch trim compensation is generally required.

If you have programmed aileron differential, the response of the ailerons will inevitably be adversely affected by the extreme “up” deﬂ ection of the ailerons in the butterﬂ y setting, because the differential travel reduces or entirely suppresses the down-aileron deﬂ ection. However, the “up” travel of the ailerons is also greatly rest-

ricted because they are already at or close to their “up” end-point. The remedy here is to apply “differential reduction”, which is explained in its own section later.

elev  ﬂ ap (Elevator  ﬂ ap)

The ﬂ aps can be used to enhance the effect of the elevator in tight turns and aerobatics, and this mixer feeds part of the elevator signal to the ﬂ ap servos. The mixer direction must be set so that the ﬂ aps move down when up-elevator is applied, and vice versa.

elev  aile (Elevator  aileron)

This mixer allows the ailerons to reinforce the elevator response in the same way as the previous mixer.

ﬂ ap  elev (Flap  elevator)

When the camber-changing ﬂ aps are lowered, either using »Phase trim« or by means of a transmitter control assigned to input “E6”, a pitch trim change (up or down) may occur. Alternatively it may be desirable for slight down-elevator to be applied automatically when the ﬂ aps are raised slightly, in order to increase the model’s basic airspeed. This mixer can be used to achieve both purposes.

When the ﬂ aps are deployed, this mixer causes the elevator setting to be corrected automatically according to the ﬂ ap deﬂ ection. The end-effect is therefore dependent only upon the magnitude of the corrective value you set.

ﬂ ap  aile (Flap  aileron)

This mixer causes a variable proportion of the ﬂ ap signal to be mixed in with the aileron channels 2 and 5 so that the ailerons follow the movement of the ﬂ aps, albeit normally with a smaller deﬂ ection. The net result is more even lift distribution over the full wingspan.

Wing mixers – Fixed-wing model

diff-red (Differential reduction)

The problem of reduced aileron response in the butterﬂ y conﬁ guration has been mentioned earlier: if aileron differential is employed, the aileron response on the landing approach may be adversely affected through the extreme “up” deﬂ ection of the ailerons, permitting virtually no further up-movement; on the other hand the “down” travel has already been reduced by the programmed differential setting. The overall result is signiﬁ cantly reduced aileron response compared to the normal setting of the control surfaces.

In this case you really should use “differential reduction” it at all possible. This reduces the degree of aileron differential when you invoke the butterﬂ y setting using the airbrake stick. Differential is reduced progressively, or even eliminated altogether, as the airbrake stick is moved towards its end-point.

A value of 0% means that the full programmed aileron differential is retained. A value of 100% means that the aileron differential is completely eliminated at the maximum butterﬂ y setting, i.e. when the airbrakes and other glide path control surfaces are fully extended. If you set a value above 100%, the aileron differential is eliminated even before full travel of the airbrake stick is reached.

Wing mixers – Fixed-wing model

Heli mixer

Flight phase-speciﬁ c mixers for collective pitch, throttle and tail rotor

In the »Base settings« menu a method of switching ﬂ ight phases can be activated by assigning the appropriate switches to “Phase 2” and “Autorotation”. You can then switch between the phases “normal” and a second phase – which you can name yourself – using one of the switches SW 1 … 4. The third phase – Autorotation – has precedence over the other two phases. Please note

that switching to autorotation always has priority over the other two phases.

If you have not yet assigned switches for the ﬂ ight phases, you should do so now. Use the right-hand rocker button to move to the switch symbol at bottom right, then press the SELECT button.

Phase 1 always bears the designation «normal». Both the number and name of this phase are permanently assigned, and cannot be altered. For this reason the “normal” phase is not stated as Phase 1 in the »Base set- tings« menu; it is simply hidden.

“Phase 2” is assigned the default name «Hover», but you can change this if you prefer. Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and use the right-hand rocker button to select one of the following names:

• hover

• aerobat

• aero 3D

• Speed

• Test

Description of the heli mixer

Five-point curves are available for setting up the control characteristics of “collective pitch”, “Ch1  throttle” and “Ch1  tail rotor”. Using these curves it is possib- le to program non-linear mixer ratios along the travel of the transmitter stick for these mixers. Move to the display page for setting 5-point curves by pressing the SELECT or ENTER button (see below).

In contrast, the mixers “Ch1  throttle” and “Ch1  tail rotor” are not required for the “Autorotation” ﬂ ight phase (described in the section starting on page 74); instead they are automatically switched to a (variable) pre-deﬁ ned value.

A value must be entered in the “Gyro” and “Input 8” lines: press the SELECT button, then change the value in the highlighted ﬁ eld using the right-hand rocker button. Pressing the CLEAR button resets this parameter value to 0%. All these set-up options are required for the basic process of setting up a model helicopter.

The name of the currently selected ﬂ ight phase is displayed in the »Heli mixer« menu as well as in the transmitter’s basic display; this is designed to ensure that any changes you make actually apply to the correct ﬂ ight phase. Note that the servos do not change from one setting to another abruptly; they move smoothly with a transition time of around one second. This does not apply to autorotation: when you switch TO autorotation, the change takes place immediately.

If you operate the switch selected for a particular ﬂ ight phase, the associated ﬂ ight phase is superimposed at the bottom edge of the screen, e.g. «normal».

Now you can program the settings for this ﬂ ight phase.

Ptch (Pitch curve (Ch1  collective pitch))

Select the “Collective pitch” line and press ENTER or SELECT:

The control curve can be based on a maximum of ﬁ ve nodes, known as “reference points”, which can be placed along the length of the control travel; separate curves can be programmed for each ﬂ ight phase.

However, in most cases it is sufﬁ cient to use a smaller number of reference points when deﬁ ning the collective pitch curve. As a basic rule we recommend that you start with the three default reference points offered by the software. These three points, i.e. the two end-points “Point 1” (collective pitch minimum), “Point 5” (collective pitch maximum) and “Point 3”, exactly in the centre of the travel, initially describe a linear characteristic for the collective pitch curve; this is represented in the picture above.

The programming procedure in detail

Start by switching to the desired ﬂ ight phase, e.g. «normal».

Heli mixer – Model helicopter

The throttle / collective pitch stick can now be used to move the vertical line in the graph between the two endpoints “Point 1” and “Point 5”, and parallel to this the momentary position of the stick is displayed in numeric form in the “Input” line (-100% to +100%).

The point where the vertical line crosses the curve is termed the “Output”, and this point can be varied within the range -125% and +125% at a maximum of ﬁ ve reference points. This control signal, modiﬁ ed in this way, affects the collective pitch servos only. In the picture on the left the stick is exactly at the 0% position at “Point 3”, and also generates an output signal of 0% due to the linear characteristic of the graph.

By default only points “1” (collective pitch minimum at

-100%), “3” (hover point at 0%) and “5” (collective pitch maximum at +100% travel) are active.

To set a point you use the associated stick to move the vertical line to the point you wish to change. The number and current curve value of this point are displayed in the bottom line in the left-hand half of the screen. The right-hand rocker button can now be used to change the current curve value in the highlighted ﬁ eld to any value within the range -125% to +125%, without affecting the adjacent points.

… and point “4” to +50% …

This is accomplished using the stick to move the vertical line to the appropriate area. As soon as the message “inactive” appears in the highlighted value ﬁ eld, you can activate the associated point by pressing the right-hand rocker button; it can then be adjusted in the same manner as the other points …

Typical collective pitch curves for different ﬂ ight phases:

+ 1 0 0 %

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

H o v e r

+ 1 0 0 %

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r

o l T r a v e l

A e r o b a t i c s 3 D - F l y i n g

+ 1 0 0 %

- 1 0 0 %

O u t p u t

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

In this example we have moved reference point “3” to +75%.

However, points “2” and “4” can optionally be activated, even though they are disabled by default. In the next example we move point “2” to -50% …

… or reset to “inactive” by pressing the CLEAR button. Points “1” and “5”, however, cannot be disabled.

Note: The following illustration, and all the other pictures on this page, show a control curve we prepared for illustration purposes only. Please note that the curve characteristics by no means represent real collective pitch curves!

Heli mixer – Model helicopter

ch1  throttle (throttle curve)

This display refers only to the control curve of the throttle servo.

The throttle curve can also be deﬁ ned using up to ﬁ ve points, in a similar way to the collective pitch curve (see previous page).

• In all cases the throttle must be fully open at the endpoint of the throttle / collective pitch stick (exception: autorotation – see page 74).

• The hover point is normally located at the centre of the stick travel, and the throttle setting should be adjusted relative to the collective pitch curve in such a way that the correct system rotational speed is obtained at this point.

• At the minimum position of the throttle / collective pitch stick the throttle curve should be set up so that the motor runs at a distinctly higher speed compared to the idle setting, with the clutch reliably engaged.

In all ﬂ ight phases the motor is started and stopped using the throttle limiter (see below).

If you are used to a different radio control system which uses two separate ﬂ ight phases for this – “with idle-up” and “without idle-up” – please note that the throttle limiter renders this complication superﬂ uous.

Ensure that the throttle limiter is closed before you start the motor, i.e. the throttle can only be adjusted within its idle range using the idle trim. Be sure to read the safety notes on page 72 which refer to this. If the idle is set too high when you switch the transmitter on, you will see

and hear a clear warning!

The following three diagrams show typical 3-point throttle curves for different ﬂ ight phases, such as hover, aerobatics and 3-D ﬂ ying.

Typical throttle curves for different ﬂ ight phases:

+ 1 0 0 %

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

H o v e r A e r o b a t i c s 3 D - F l y i n g

+ 1 0 0 %

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r

o l T r a v e l

+ 1 0 0 %

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

Notes on using the “Throttle limit” function: We strongly recommend that you make use of the throttle limit function (»Control settings« menu, page 54). When you use this function the throttle servo is completely disconnected from the throttle / collective pitch stick when the rotary proportional control (CTRL 7) is at its bottom end-point; the motor runs at idle and only responds to the Ch1 trim. This feature enables you to start the motor from within any ﬂ ight phase. Once the motor is running, turn the rotary control to the opposite endpoint, so that full control of the throttle servo is returned to the throttle / collective pitch stick. It is important that the throttle limiter should not restrict the throttle servo at its top end-point; you can avoid this by setting the control travel to 125% in the “Lim” line of the »Control set- tings« menu.

Note: Releasing the full throttle range, and imposing the throttle limiter again, trips the switching threshold of the control switch “G3” (i.e. in either direction); this switch can be used for automatically starting and stopping the stopwatch to record the ﬂ ight time, or some similar purpose; see page 54.

When you select autorotation, the mixer automatically switches the value to a variable pre-set value; see page 74.

Heli mixer – Model helicopter

ch1  tail rotor (static torque compensation)

The purpose of this mixer is to provide static compensation for main rotor torque. First ensure in the »Base set- tings« menu that the direction of main rotor rotation has been entered correctly.

The tail rotor control curve can also be deﬁ ned using up to ﬁ ve points, in a similar way to the collective pitch curve (see previous page).

This mixer should be set up in such a way that the helicopter does not rotate around the vertical (yaw) axis (i.e. does not deviate from the hover heading) during a long vertical climb or descent, due to the change in torque of the main rotor. At the hover the yaw trim should be set using the digital tail rotor trim lever only.

For a reliable torque compensation setting it is essential that the collective pitch and throttle curves have been set up correctly, i.e. that main rotor speed remains constant over the full range of collective pitch.

By default the software includes a tail rotor curve with a linear mixer ratio of 30%. You can modify the mixer, and set asymmetrical mixer ratios above and below the hover point, using the method described above.

When you select autorotation, the mixer automatically switches the value to a variable pre-set value; see page 74.

Gyro (adjusting gyro gain)

Most modern gyro systems feature proportional, inﬁ nitely variable adjustment of gyro gain.

If the gyro you wish to use also features this option, the ﬂ ight phase-speciﬁ c static gyro gain adjustment facility enables you to ﬂ y normal, slow ﬂ ights with maximum gyro stabilisation, but to reduce the gyro effect for highspeed circuits and aerobatics. We recommend that you set up switchable ﬂ ight phases for this, and set different gain settings for each phase in the “Gyro” line; values between -125% and +125% are possible.

Based on the end-points determined for each ﬂ ight phase, gyro gain can be varied proportionally between minimum and maximum by means of a transmitter control assigned in the “Gyro” line in the »Control settings« menu (see page 52). This could be transmitter control 5 (CTRL 5), which would provide inﬁ nitely variable gyro gain control:

• At the centre position of this transmitter control the gyro effect always corresponds to the settings selected here.

• If you press the INC / DEC button in the direction of full travel (away from centre), the gyro gain increases accordingly …

• … and reduces again if you press it in the direction of the opposite end-point.

Adjusting the gyro sensor

If you wish to set up a gyro to achieve maximum possible stabilisation of the helicopter around the vertical axis,

please note the following points:

• The mechanical control system should be as freemoving and accurate (slop-free) as possible.

• There should be no “spring” or “give” in the tail rotor linkage.

• You must use a powerful and – above all – fast servo for the tail rotor.

When the gyro sensor detects a deviation in yaw, the faster it adjusts the thrust of the tail rotor, the further the gyro gain adjustor can be advanced without the tail of the model starting to oscillate, and the better the machine’s stability around the vertical axis. If the corrective system is not fast enough, there is a danger that the model’s tail will start to oscillate even at low gyro gain settings, and you then have to reduce gyro gain further using the INC / DEC button to eliminate the oscillation.

If the model is ﬂ ying forward at high speed, or hovering in a powerful headwind, the net result of the stabilising effect of the vertical ﬁ n combined with the gyro’s stabilising effect may be an over-reaction which manifests itself as tail oscillation. In order to obtain optimum stabilisation from a gyro in all ﬂ ight situations, you should make use of the facility to adjust gyro gain from the transmitter via the INC / DEC button (CTRL 5).

Heli mixer – Model helicopter

Adjusting the throttle and collective pitch curves

Practical procedure

In 8 (Input 8)

The adjustment facilities in this line of the menu are only relevant if your model helicopter is ﬁ tted with a speed governor (regulator) which maintains a constant system rotational speed. The settings should then be carried out in accordance with the instructions supplied with the governor you intend to use.

Although the throttle and collective pitch control systems are based on separate servos, they are always operated in parallel by the throttle / collective pitch stick (except when autorotation is invoked). The Helicopter program automatically couples the functions in the required way. In the mx-16s program the trim lever of control function 1 only affects the throttle servo, i.e. it acts as idle trim (see “Digital trims” on page 26).

The process of adjusting throttle and collective pitch correctly, i.e. setting the motor’s power curve to match the collective pitch setting of the main rotor blades, is the most important aspect of setting up any model helicopter. The program of the mx-16s provides independent adjustment facilities for the throttle, collective pitch and torque compensation curves.

These curves can be deﬁ ned using a maximum of ﬁ ve reference points. To deﬁ ne the control curves all you have to do is set individual values for these ﬁ ve points on the travel of the throttle / collective pitch stick.

However, before you set up the throttle / collective pitch function it is important to adjust the mechanical linkages to all the servos accurately, in accordance with the setup notes provided by the helicopter manufacturer.

Note: The hover point should always be set to the centre position of the throttle / collective pitch stick.

Idle setting and throttle curve

The idle setting is adjusted solely with the throttle limiter closed, using the trim lever of the C1 function. Reference point “1” of the throttle curve deﬁ nes the throttle setting when the helicopter is in a descent, but without affecting the hover setting.

This is a case where you can exploit ﬂ ight phase programming to use different throttle curves. An increased system rotational speed below the hover point proves to be useful in certain circumstances, for example for fast, steep landing approaches with greatly reduced collective pitch, and for aerobatics.

+ 1 0 0 %

The diagram shows a curve with a slightly altered throttle setting below the hover point at the centre of stick travel.

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

Different throttle curves are programmed for each ﬂ ight phase, so that you can use the optimum set-up both for hovering and aerobatics:

• Low system rotational speed with smooth, gentle control response and low noise at the hover.

• Higher speed for aerobatics with motor power settings close to maximum. In this case the throttle curve also has to be adjusted in the hover range.

Heli mixer – Model helicopter

The basic set-up procedure

Although the mx-16s transmitter provides a broad range of adjustment for the collective pitch and throttle curves, it is essential that you ﬁ rst adjust all the mechanical linkages in the model according to the information supplied by the helicopter manufacturer, i.e. all the system linkages should already be approximately correct in mechanical terms. If you are not sure of this, an experienced helicopter pilot will be glad to help you with this basic set-up.

The throttle linkage must be adjusted in such a way that the throttle is just at the “fully open” position at the fullthrottle setting. When the throttle limiter is at the idle position, the C1 trim lever should just be able to close the throttle completely, without the servo striking its mechanical end-stop (quick throttle adjustment using the “digital trim”: see page 26).

Take your time, and carry out these adjustments very carefully by adjusting the mechanical linkage and / or changing the linkage point on the servo output arm or the throttle lever. Only when you are conﬁ dent that all is well should you start optimising and ﬁ ne-tuning the throttle servo using the transmitter’s electronic facilities.

Caution: Read all you can about motors and helicopters, so that you are aware of the inherent dangers and the cautionary measures required before you attempt to start the motor for the ﬁ rst time!

With the basic set-up completed, it should be possible to start the motor in accordance with the operating instructions supplied with it, and adjust the idle setting using the trim lever of the throttle / collective pitch stick. The idle position which you set is indicated in the transmitter’s basic screen display by a horizontal bar in the display of the C1 trim lever’s position. Refer to page 26 of this manual for a full explanation of the digi-

tal trims. Approximately at the mid-point of the collective pitch

stick the model should lift off the ground and hover at the rotational speed you wish to use. If this is not the case, correct the settings as follows:

1. The model does not lift off until the collective pitch stick is above the centre point.

a) Rotational speed too low

Remedy: increase the value

for the throttle servo parameter at Point 3 of the stick travel in the “Ch1  throttle” mixer, as shown in the graph.

b) Rotational speed too high Remedy: increase the blade

pitch angle for collective pitch at Point 3 of the stick travel in the “Ch1  collective pitch curve” menu, as shown in the graph.

+ 1 0 0 %

H o v e r

P o i n t

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

+ 1 0 0 %

H o v e r

P o i n t

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

2. The model lifts off below the centre point.

a) Rotational speed too high Remedy: reduce the throttle

opening in the “Ch1  thrott- le” mixer at Point 3 of the stick travel, as shown in the graph..

+ 1 0 0 %

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

H o v e r P o i n t

b) Rotational speed too low

+ 1 0 0 %

Remedy: reduce the blade

pitch angle for collective pitch at Point 3 of the stick travel in the “Ch1  collective pitch

H o v e r

P o i n t

O u t p u t

curve”, as shown in the graph.

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

Important: You should persevere with this adjustment procedure until the model hovers at the correct rotational speed at the centre point of the throttle / collective pitch stick. All the other model settings depend upon the correct setting of these parameters!

The standard set-up

The remainder of the standard adjustment procedure is completed on the basis of the fundamental set-up which you have just carried out, i.e. we now assume that the model hovers in normal ﬂ ight at the centre point of the throttle / collective pitch stick, with the correct rotor speed. This means that your model helicopter is capable of hovering and also ﬂ ying circuits in all phases whilst maintaining a constant system rotational speed.

The climb setting

The combination of throttle hover setting, collective pitch setting for the hover and the maximum collective pitch setting (Point 5) now provides you with a simple method of achieving constant system rotational speed from the hover right to maximum climb.

Start by placing the model in an extended vertical climb, holding the collective pitch stick at its end-point: motor speed should not alter compared with the hover setting. If motor speed falls off in the climb, when the throttle is already fully open and no further power increase is possible (this assumes that the motor is correctly adjusted), then you should reduce maximum blade pitch angle at

Heli mixer – Model helicopter

full deﬂ ection of the collective pitch stick, i.e. the value at Point 5. Conversely, if motor speed rises during the vertical climb, you should increase the pitch angle. This is done by moving the vertical line to Point 5 using the collective pitch stick, and changing its value accordingly using the right-hand rocker button.

+ 1 0 0 %

H o v e r

P o i n t

O u t p u t

This diagram only shows the changes to the collective pitch maximum value.

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

Now bring the model back to the hover, which again should coincide with the mid-point of the C1 stick. If you ﬁ nd that the collective pitch stick now has to be moved from the mid-point in the direction of “higher”, then you should correct this deviation by slightly increasing the collective pitch angle at the hover – i.e. Point 3 – until the model again hovers at the stick centre point. Conversely, if the model hovers below the mid-point, correct this by reducing the pitch angle again.

You may ﬁ nd that it is also necessary to correct the throttle opening at the hover point (Point 3) in the “Ch1  throttle” menu.

+ 1 0 0 %

This diagram only shows the change in the hover point, i.e. collective pitch minimum and maximum have been left at -100% and +100% respectively.

O u t p u t

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

Continue adjusting these settings until you really do achieve constant main rotor speed over the full control range between hover and climb.

The descent adjustment should now be carried out from a safe height by fully reducing collective pitch to place the model in a descent from forward ﬂ ight; adjust the collective pitch minimum value (Point 1) so that the model descends at an angle of 60 … 80°. This is done by selecting the graph for “Collective pitch”, moving the vertical line to Point 1 using the collective pitch stick, and adjusting the value accordingly using the right-hand rocker button.

+ 1 0 0 %

H o v e r

P o i n t

O u t p u t

As an example, this diagram shows only the changes in the collective pitch minimum value.

- 1 0 0 %

1 2 3 4 5

C o n t r o l T r a v e l

Once the model descends reliably as described, adjust the value for “Throttle minimum” – the value of Point 1 on the graph of the “Ch1  throttle” mixer – so that system rotational speed neither increases nor declines. This completes the set-up procedure for throttle and collective pitch.

Important ﬁ nal notes

Before you start the motor, check carefully that the throttle limiter is completely closed, so that the throttle can be controlled by the trim lever alone. If the throttle is too far open when you switch on the transmitter, you will see and hear a warning. If you ignore this and start the motor with the throttle too far advanced, there is a danger that the motor will immediately run up to speed after starting, and the centrifugal clutch will immediately engage.

For this reason you should:

always grasp the rotor head ﬁ rmly

when starting the motor.

However, if you accidentally start the motor with the throttle open, the rule is this:

Don’t panic!

Hang on to the rotor head regardless!

Don’t let go!

Immediately close the throttle, even though there may be a risk of damaging the helicopter’s drive train, because:

it is vital that YOU ensure

that the helicopter cannot possibly

move off by itself in an uncontrolled manner.

The cost of repairing a clutch or even the motor itself is negligible compared to the damage which a model helicopter can cause if its spinning rotor blades are allowed to wreak havoc.

Make sure that nobody else is standing

in the primary hazard zone around the helicopter.

You must never switch abruptly from idle to the ﬂ ight setting by suddenly increasing system rotational speed. This causes the rotor to accelerate quickly, resulting in premature wear of the clutch and gear train. The main rotor blades are generally free to swivel, and they may

Heli mixer – Model helicopter

be unable to keep pace with such swift acceleration, in which case they might respond by swinging far out of their normal position, perhaps resulting in a boom strike.

Once the motor is running you should slowly increase system rotational speed using the throttle limiter.

Heli mixer – Model helicopter

Heli mixer

Autorotation settings

Autorotation allows full-size and model helicopters to land safely in a crisis, i.e. if the power plant should fail. It can also be used if the tail rotor should fail, in which case cutting the motor and carrying out an autorotation landing is the only possible way of avoiding a highspeed uncontrollable rotation around the vertical axis, invariably terminating in a catastrophic crash. And that is the reason why switching INTO autorotation occurs without any delay.

When you switch to the autorotation phase the heli mixer change as shown in this screen shot:

During an autorotation descent the main rotor is not driven by the motor; it is kept spinning only by the airﬂ ow through the rotor plane caused by the speed of the descent. The rotational energy stored in the still spinning rotor can be exploited to allow the machine to ﬂ are out, but this can only be done once. For this reason “autos” are only likely to be successful if the pilot has plenty of experience in handling model helicopters, and has also set up the appropriate functions with great care.

Once you have sufﬁ cient experience you should practise autorotation landings at regular intervals, not only so that you can demonstrate your all-round ﬂ ying skill by ﬂ ying the manoeuvre in competitions, but also so that you are in a position to land the helicopter undamaged from a great height if the motor should fail. For this purpose the program provides a range of adjustment facilities which are designed to help you ﬂ y your helicopter in its unpowered state. Please note that the rotation setting

Heli mixer / Autorotation – Model helicopter

takes the form of a complete third ﬂ ight phase, for which all the adjustment facilities are available which can be varied separately for all ﬂ ight phases, especially trims, collective pitch curve settings etc..

Ptch (Collective pitch curve (Ch1  collective pitch))

In powered ﬂ ight the maximum blade pitch angle is limited by the motor power which is available; however, in autorotation the angle is only limited by the point at which the airﬂ ow over the main rotor blades breaks away. Nevertheless, to provide sufﬁ cient upthrust even when rotational speed is falling off, it is necessary to set a greater maximum collective pitch value. Press SE- LECT or ENTER to select the graph page of “Collective pitch”, and then move the vertical line to Point 5 using the transmitter stick. Start by setting a value which is about 10 to 20% higher than the normal collective pitch maximum; any more than this, and the helicopter may balloon up again during the ﬂ are following the autorotation descent. If this happens, the rotational speed of the main rotor will quickly decline to the point where it collapses, and the helicopter ends up crashing to the ground from a considerable height.

Under certain circumstances the collective pitch minimum setting may also differ from the normal ﬂ ight setting; this depends on your piloting style for normal ﬂ ying. In any case you must set a sufﬁ ciently generous collective pitch minimum value at Point 1 to ensure that your model can be brought from forward ﬂ ight at moderate speed into a descent of around 60 ... 70° when collective pitch is reduced to minimum.

Most helicopter pilots already use such a setting for normal ﬂ ying, and if this applies to you, you can simply adopt the same value.

If the angle is too shallow, increase the value.

Approach Angle

in strong

wind

in moderate

wind

no wind

Approach angle under varying wind conditions.

75°

60°

45°

For autorotation the collective pitch stick itself may not be positioned right at the bottom of its travel; typically it is between the hover position and the bottom end-point, giving the pilot scope for correction if necessary, i.e. the chance to adjust the model’s pitch inclination using the pitch-axis control.

You can shorten the approach by pulling back on the pitch-axis stick and gently reducing collective pitch, or alternatively extend the approach by pushing forward on the pitch-axis stick and gently increasing collective pitch.

Throttle (throttle curve)

In a competition the pilot is expected to cut the motor completely, but for practice purposes this is certainly not advisable. Instead set the throttle so that the motor runs at a reliable idle during autorotation, so that you can open the throttle immediately to recover from an emergency.

Tail rotor (static torque compensation)

For normal ﬂ ying the tail rotor is set up in such a way that it compensates for motor torque when the helicopter is hovering. This means that it already generates a certain amount of thrust even in its neutral position. The level of thrust is then varied by the tail rotor control system, and also by the various mixers which provide all manner of torque compensation, while the tail rotor trim is also used to compensate for varying weather conditi-

ons, ﬂ uctuations in system rotational speed and other inﬂ uences.

However, in an autorotation descent the main rotor is not driven by the motor, and therefore there is no torque effect for which compensation is required, i.e. which the tail rotor would have to correct. For this reason all the appropriate mixers are automatically switched off in autorotation mode.

However, the basic tail rotor setting has to be different for autorotation, as the compensatory thrust described above is no longer required.

Stop the motor and place the helicopter horizontal. With the transmitter and receiving system switched on, select the »Autorotation« ﬂ ight phase. Fold both tail rotor bla- des down and change the blade pitch angle to zero degrees using the “Tail rotor” menu. Viewed from the rear, the tail rotor blades should now be parallel to each other.

Depending on the friction and running resistance of the gearbox, you may ﬁ nd that the fuselage still yaws slightly in an autorotation descent. If necessary, the relatively slight torque which causes this effect must then be corrected by adjusting the tail rotor blade pitch angle. This value will always be a small ﬁ gure between zero degrees and a pitch angle opposed to the direction of tail rotor pitch required for normal ﬂ ight.

Heli mixer / Autorotation – Model helicopter

General notes regarding freely programmable mixers

The two menus »Wing mixers« and »Heli mixer«, as described on the preceding pages, contain a wide range of ready-programmed coupling functions. The basic meaning of mixers has already been explained on page 61, together with the principle on which they work. In the following section you will ﬁ nd more general information relating to “free mixers”:

In addition to the pre-programmed mixers mentioned above, the mx-16s offers three freely programmable mixers which can be used in every model memory; their inputs and outputs can be selected to suit your exact requirements.

Any control function (transmitter control 1 to 8) can be assigned as the input signal of a “free mixer”. Alternatively any switch can be assigned as the input signal using what is termed the “switch channel” (see below). The control function itself consists of the transmitter control signal and any control characteristics as deﬁ ned, for example, in the »Dual Rate / Expo« and »Control set- tings« menus.

The mixer output acts upon a freely selectable control channel (1 to max. 8 – depending on receiver type). Before the signal is passed to the associated servo, the only inﬂ uences which can act upon it are those deﬁ ned in the »Servo settings« menu, i.e. the servo reverse, neutral point offset and travel functions.

One control function can be set up to affect several mixer inputs simultaneously, if, for example, several mixers are to be arranged to work in parallel.

Conversely it is possible for several mixer outputs to affect one and the same control channel.

The following description of the free mixers includes examples of such arrangements.

In software terms the default setting for any freely programmable mixer is that it is constantly switched on, but it is also possible to assign an optional ON / OFF switch

Free mixers

to it. However, since there are so many functions to which switches can potentially be assigned, you should take care not to assign a confusing number of functions to any particular switch.

The two important mixer parameters are as follows:

• … the mixer ratio, which deﬁ nes the extent to which the input signal acts on the output of the control channel which is programmed as the mixer output.

• … the neutral point, which is also termed the “off- set”. The offset is that point on the travel of a transmitter control (stick, rotary proportional knob CTRL 7 or INC / DEC buttons CTRL 5 / 6) at which the mixer has no inﬂ uence on the control channel which is deﬁ ned as its output. Normally this is the centre point of the transmitter control, but the offset can be placed at any point on the control’s travel.

Switch channel “S” as mixer input

In some cases a constant control signal is all that is required as the mixer input; a typical application would be for slight up-elevator trim when an aero-tow coupling is closed – independent of the normal elevator trim. If you then assign a switch, you can switch to and fro between the two mixer end-points, and adjust the supplementary elevator trim deﬂ ection by altering the mixer input.

To identify this special arrangement, this mixer input control function in the program is designated “S” for “switch channel”. If you do not want the mixer output to be affected by the standard transmitter control, the control can be de-coupled from the function input of the “receiving” control channel by entering “free” in the »Cont- rol settings« menu; see pages 50 and 52. The following menu description includes an example which will make this function clear.

Free mixers

Linear mixers

For each model memory (1 to 12) three linear mixers are available, with the additional possibility of non-linear characteristic curves.

In this ﬁ rst section we will concentrate on the programming procedure for the ﬁ rst screen page. We will then move on to the method of programming mixer ratios, as found on the second screen page of this menu.

Basic programming procedure

1. Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and select mi-

xer 1 ... 3 using the right-hand rocker button.

2. Press SELECT. The input ﬁ eld “from” is highlighted

(inverse video).

3. Deﬁ ne the mixer input “from” using the right-hand rocker button.

4. Press SELECT, move to SEL under the “to” column using the right-hand rocker button, and press SE- LECT once more.

The input ﬁ eld „to“ is shown inverse.

5. Deﬁ ne the mixer input “to” using the right-hand rocker button.

6. Optionally: press SELECT, move to SEL under the “type” column using the right-hand rocker button; you can now include the Ch1 … Ch 4 trim lever for the mixer input signal (“Tr” for trim).

...and/or switch to the switch symbol; press SELECT

again and select a switch if necessary.

7. Press SELECT, move to rocker button, and press SELECT or ENTER.

8. Deﬁ ne the mixer ratios on the second screen page.

9. Press ESC to switch back to the ﬁ rst page.

using the right-hand

“from” column

Press the SELECT button, then use the right-hand rocker button to select one of the control functions 1 … 8 or S in the highlighted ﬁ eld of the selected mixer line.

In the interests of clarity, the control functions 1 ... 4 are abbreviated as follows when dealing with the Wing mixers:

c1 Throttle / airbrake stick

ar Aileron stick

el Elevator stick

rd Rudder stick

… and in the Heli program:

1 Throttle / collective pitch stick

2 Roll stick

3 Nick stick

4 Tail rotor stick

Note: Don’t forget to assign a transmitter control to the selected control function 5 ... 8 in the »Control settings« menu.

“S” for switch channel

The letter “S” (switch channel) in the “from” column has the effect of passing a constant input signal to the mixer input, e.g. in order to apply a little extra up-elevator trim when an aero-tow coupling is closed, as mentioned earlier.

Once you have assigned a control function or the letter “S”, an additional SEL ﬁ eld appears in the …

“to” column

At this point you can deﬁ ne the control channel as the

mixer destination, i.e. the mixer output. At the same time additional ﬁ elds appear in the bottom line of the screen:

In this example three mixers have already been deﬁ ned. The second mixer (“Brake  elevator”) is already familiar to us from the »Wing mixers« menu. As a general rule you should always use these pre-programmed mixers ﬁ rst if possible.

However, if you need asymmetrical mixer ratios on both sides of centre, or wish to program a non-linear curve, or have to offset the mixer neutral point, then you should set or leave the pre-set mixers at “0”, and program one of the free mixers instead.

Erasing mixers

If you need to erase a mixer that you have already deﬁ ned, simply press the CLEAR button in the highlighted ﬁ eld of the “from” column.

Mixer switches

In our example above, a physical switch “1” and the control switch “G1” have been assigned to the two linear mixers 1 and 2, and switch 3 to mixer 3.

The switch symbol to the right of the switch number shows the current status of that switch.

Any mixer to which no switch has been assigned in the column is permanently switched on.

Free mixers

“Type” column (including the trim)

If you wish, and if you are using one of the primary control functions 1 ... 4 (sticks), you can set the trim value of the digital trim lever to affect the mixer input. Use the right-hand rocker button to select “tr” in the highlighted ﬁ eld for the mixer you are programming.

Additional special features of free mixers

If you set up a mixer whose input is the same as its output, e.g. C1  C1, exotic results can be obtained in conjunction with the option of switching a free mixer on and off. You will ﬁ nd one typical example of this on pages 92 … 93.

Before we come to setting mixer ratios, and conclude with a few examples, we have to consider what happens if a mixer input is allowed to act on the pre-set coupling of aileron servos, ﬂ ap servos or collective pitch servos:

• Fixed-wing models:

Depending on the number of wing servos set in the

“Aileron / Flap” line of the »Base settings« menu, outputs 2 and 5 at the receiver are reserved for the aileron servos, and outputs 6 and 7 for the two ﬂ ap servos, as special mixers are assigned to these functions.

If mixer outputs are programmed to this type of cou-

pled function, you have to consider their effect, depending on the control channel:

Mixer Effect

NN  2 Aileron effect

NN  5 Ailerons have ﬂ ap function

NN  6 Flap effect

NN  7 Flaps have aileron function

• Model helicopters:

Depending on the type of helicopter, up to four ser-

Free mixers

vos may be employed for collective pitch control; these will be connected to receiver outputs 1, 2, 3 and 5. The mx-16s software links them together to provide the functions collective pitch, roll and pitch-axis.

It is not advisable to mix one of the transmitter cont-

rols into these occupied channels using the free mixers available outside the »Heli mixers« menu, as you may inadvertently generate some extremely complex and unwanted inter-actions. One of the few exceptions to this rule is “Collective pitch trim via a separate transmitter control”; see example 2 on page

80.

Important notes:

• It is essential to remember when dealing with serial

links that the travels of the individual mixers are cumulative when multiple stick commands are made simultaneously, and there is then a danger that the servo concerned may strike its mechanical end-stops. If you encounter this sort of problem, simply reduce the servo travel in the »Servo settings« menu, and / or reduce the mixer values.

• When an SPCM transmission link is in use, you may encounter delay effects when a single transmitter control operates a mixer combination which involve multiple servos running in parallel. This does not constitute a malfunction of the radio control system.

Mixer ratios and mixer neutral point

Now that we have explained the wide-ranging nature of the mixer functions, we can move on to the method of programming linear and non-linear mixer curves. The following section describes the procedure:

For each of the three available mixers the mixer curves are programmed on a second page of the screen display. Select the number of the mixer you wish to adjust, and move to the symbol at bottom right of the screen using the right-hand rocker button. A brief press

on SELECT now takes you to the graph page.

Setting up linear mixers

In the next section we will describe a typical practical application, by deﬁ ning a linear mixer curve intended to solve the following problem:

We have a powered model with two ﬂ ap servos connected to receiver outputs 6 and 7, which were programmed in the »Base settings« menu. These control surfaces are to be employed as landing ﬂ aps, i.e. when the associated transmitter control is operated, they deﬂ ect down only. However, this ﬂ ap movement requires an elevator trim correction to counteract the resultant pitch trim change.

In the »Control settings« menu, assign the rotary proportional control CTRL 7 to input 6. The control assigned to input 6 now controls the two servos connected to receiver outputs 6 and 7 in the standard way, operating as simple wing ﬂ aps.

»Control settings« menu

Note: If you assign a transmitter control to input 7 and select two ﬂ ap servos, input 7 is automatically blocked to avoid possible malfunctions.

Rotate the rotary knob to its left-hand end-point, and adjust the landing ﬂ ap linkages so that they are in the neutral position at this slider setting. If you now turn the knob to the right, the ﬂ aps should deﬂ ect down; if they move up, you must reverse the direction of servo rota-

tion. Now we turn to the ﬁ rst mixer on the screen on page 77,

which provides elevator trim correction. This is the mixer 6  ELE, to which switch 1 has been assigned:

Use the right-hand rocker button to move to the symbol at bottom right of the screen. Pressing the SE- LECT button now switches to the second screen page:

If this display does not appear, you have not activated the mixer by operating the assigned external switch – in this case “1”. To correct this, operate the switch:

The solid vertical line in the graph represents the current position of the transmitter control assigned to input 6. (In the above graph this is located at the left-hand edge because CTRL 7 is at its left-hand end-point, as already mentioned.) The solid horizontal line shows the mixer ratio, which currently has the value zero over the whole stick travel; this means that the elevator will not “follow”

when the ﬂ aps are operated. The ﬁ rst step is to deﬁ ne the offset (mixer neutral point): The dotted vertical line indicates the position of the mi-

xer neutral point (“offset”), i.e. that point along the control travel at which the mixer has no inﬂ uence on the channel connected to its output. By default this point is set to the centre position.

However, in our example the neutral (retracted) position of the ﬂ aps is located at the left-hand stop of the rotary proportional control, and in this position the elevator must not be affected. We therefore have to shift the mixer neutral point exactly to that position. Turn the control to the left-hand end-stop – if you have not already done so, select STO using the right-hand rocker button, and press SELECT. The dotted vertical line now moves to this point – the new mixer neutral point – which always retains the “OUTPUT” value of zero in accordance with the mixer deﬁ nition.

As it happens, this setting is difﬁ cult to show in a screen shot, so we will change the “offset” value to just -75%.

Note: If you wish, you can move the mixer neutral point back to centre by selecting CLR using the right-hand rocker button, and pressing SELECT.

Symmetrical mixer ratios

The next step is to deﬁ ne the mixer values above and below the mixer neutral point, starting from the current position of the mixer neutral point. Select the SYM ﬁ eld, so that you can set the mixer value symmetrically relative to the offset point you have just programmed. Press the SELECT button, then set the values in the two highlighted left-hand ﬁ elds within the range -150% to +150%. Remember that the set mixer value always refers to the control signal! Setting a negative mixer value reverses the direction of the mixer.

Pressing the CLEAR button erases the mixer ratio in the highlighted ﬁ eld.

The “optimum” value for our purposes will inevitably need to be established through a ﬂ ight testing programme.

Since we previously set the mixer neutral point to -75% of control travel, the elevator (“ELE”) will already exhibit a (slight) down-elevator effect at the neutral point of the landing ﬂ aps, and this, of course, is not wanted. To correct this we shift the mixer neutral point back to -100% control travel, as described earlier.

Free mixers

If you were now to reset the offset from -75% to, say, 0% control travel, the screen would look like this:

Asymmetrical mixer ratios

For many applications it is necessary to set up different mixer values on either side of the mixer neutral point.

If you set the offset of the mixer used in our example (“6  ELE”) back to 0%, as shown in the picture above, then select the ASY ﬁ eld and turn the rotary control in the appropriate direction, the mixer ratio for each direction of control can be set separately, i.e. to left and right of the selected offset point.

Note: If you are setting up a switch channel mixer of the “S  NN” type, you must operate the assigned switch to achieve this effect. The vertical line then jumps between the left and right sides.

Examples:

1. To open and close the aero-tow release the switch SW3 has already been assigned to control channel 8 in the »Control settings« menu.

In the meantime you have carried out a few aero-tow

ﬂ ights, which showed that you always needed to hold in slight up-elevator during the tow. You now wish to set the elevator servo (connected to receiver output

3) to slight “up” trim when the tow release is closed. In the screen familiar from page 77 we have set up the third linear mixer to accomplish this, using the switch channel “S” as the mixer input. Now move the selected switch to the mixer OFF position …

… and select the symbol to move to the second

page. Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and use the right-hand rocker button to select the “Offs” line. Now press the SELECT button again – and the offset value jumps to +100% or -100%, depending on the selected switch position.

Now hold the SELECT button pressed in and use the

right-hand rocker button again to move to the “Travel” line, where you set the required mixer input – after moving the selected switch to the mixer ON position.

2. The following example applies to model helicopters: In the Helicopter program you may wish to assign the

two INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 or 6) to the collective pitch trim function. This is the procedure: in the »Control settings« menu assign one of these two transmitter controls to input “E8”. Now simply deﬁ ne a free mixer 8  1 with a symmetrical mixer ratio of, say, 25%. Due to the internal coupling, this transmitter control now acts equally on all the collective pitch servos you are using, without affecting the throttle servo.

Free mixers

Swashplate mixers

Collective pitch, roll and pitch-axis mixers

In the “Swashplate” line of the »Base settings« menu you have already deﬁ ned the number of servos which are installed in your helicopter to provide collective pitch control; see page 43. With this information the mx-16s program automatically superimposes the functions for roll, pitch-axis and collective pitch as required, i.e. you do not need to deﬁ ne any additional mixers yourself.

If you have a model helicopter which only has a single collective pitch servo, the “Swashplate mixer” menu point is – of course – superﬂ uous, since the three swashplate servos for collective pitch, pitch-axis and roll are controlled independently of each other. In this case the swashplate mixer menu does not appear in the multi-function list. With all other swashplate linkages employing 2 ... 4 collective pitch servos, the mixer ratios and directions are set up by default, as can be seen in the screen shot above. The pre-set value is +61% in each case, but the value can be varied within the range

-100% to +100% using the right-hand rocker button, after pressing the SELECT button.

Pressing the CLEAR button resets the mixer input in the highlighted ﬁ eld to the default value of +61%.

If the swashplate control system (collective pitch, roll and pitch-axis) does not follow the transmitter sticks in the proper manner, then the ﬁ rst step is to change the mixer directions (+ or -), before you attempt to correct the directions of servo rotation.

HEIM mechanics with two collective pitch servos:

• The collective pitch mixer acts on the two collective pitch servos connected to receiver sockets 1 + 2;

• the roll mixer also acts on the two collective pitch servos, but the direction of rotation of one servo is reversed, and

• the pitch-axis mixer acts on the pitch-axis servo alone.

Note: Ensure that the servos do not strike their mechanical end-stops if you change the servo mixer values.

Swashplate mixers – Model helicopter

Fail-Safe settings

Fail-safe in the “SPCM” transmission mode

This menu appears in the multi-function list only if you have selected the SPCM transmission mode. This mode of operation must be pre-set in the memory-speciﬁ c »Base settings« menu.

The SPCM transmission mode can be used with all receivers with “smc” in the type designation (smc-19, smc20, smc 19 DS, smc-20 DS etc.).

The operational security of Super Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is inherently higher than that of simple Pulse Position Modulation (PPM), since the receiver incorporates an integral micro-processor which is capable of processing received signals even when they are “noisy”. Only if the received signal is incorrect or garbled due to outside interference does the receiver automatically replace the invalid signal with the last received correct signal, which is stored in the receiver. This procedure suppresses brief interference caused by local drops in ﬁ eld strength and similar momentary problems, which otherwise result in the familiar “glitches”.

Caution: If you are using the SPCM transmission mode, we strongly recommend that you make use of its safety potential by programming the fail-safe throttle position of a glow-powered model to idle, or the throttle position of an electric-powered model to “motor stopped”. In this way you ensure that the model is much less likely to cause havoc if subjected to interference; if this should occur on the ground, the model could otherwise cause serious personal injury or damage to property.

Fail-safe

If you select SPCM transmission mode but have not yet carried out the fail-safe programming, you will see a warning message on the screen when you switch the transmitter on. The message remains on-screen in the basic display for a few seconds:

Programming

The “Fail-safe” function determines the behaviour of the receiver when a problem occurs in the link between the transmitter and the receiver. In SPCM transmission mode the receiver outputs 1 … 8 can optionally …

1. maintain their current position (“hold mode”): if interference occurs, all servos programmed to

“hold” remain continuously at the position corresponding to the last valid signal, until the receiver picks up another signal which it recognises as valid.

2. move to a freely selectable position (“Pos”) if interference occurs.

Use the right-hand rocker button to select the desired channel 1 to 8 ( der to switch between “hold” ( ) and “position” ( ) mode.

Select the STO ﬁ eld on the screen at bottom right using the right-hand rocker button, and then simultaneously move the servos which you wish to set to position mode

) and press the SELECT button in or-

to the desired positions, using the appropriate transmitter controls.

Press the SELECT button to store these positions as the Fail-safe settings. They will now be transmitted to the receiver’s memory at regular intervals, so that the receiver can immediately call them up if interference should strike.

The screen conﬁ rms brieﬂ y that the information has been stored:

W A R N I N G You may be tempted to switch the transmitter off

when you are ﬂ ying a model in order to test your fail-safe settings. Don’t do it! If you do, you run a serious risk of losing the model, as you will be highly unlikely to be able to re-activate the RF signal in time, since the transmitter always responds with the security query “RF signal on YES / NO” when switched on.

Fail-safe

mx-16s programming techniques

Preparation, using a ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft as an example

Programming model data into an mx-16s ...

... is easier than it may appear at ﬁ rst sight.

There is one basic rule which applies equally to all programmable radio control transmitters: if the programming is to go smoothly and the systems work as expected, the receiving system components must ﬁ rst be installed correctly in the model, i.e. the mechanical systems must be ﬁ rst-rate. This means: ensure that each servo is at its correct neutral position when you ﬁ t the output lever or disc and connect the linkage to it. If you ﬁ nd this is not the case, correct it! Remove the output arm, rotate it by one or more splines and secure it again. If you use a servo tester, e.g. the Digital Servo Analyzer, Order No. 763, to centre the servos, you will ﬁ nd it very easy to ﬁ nd the “correct” position.

Virtually all modern transmitters offer facilities for offsetting the neutral position of servos, but this is no substitute for a correct mechanical installation; this function is only intended for ﬁ ne tuning. Any substantial deviation from the “0” position may result in additional asymmetry when the signal undergoes further processing in the transmitter. Think of it this way: if the chassis of a car is distorted, you may be able to force the vehicle to run straight by holding the steering wheel away from centre, but it does not make the chassis any less bent, and the basic problem remains. Another important point is to set up the correct control travels wherever possible by using the appropriate linkage points in the mechanical system; this is much more efﬁ cient than making major changes to the travel settings at the transmitter. The same rule applies: electronic travel adjustment facilities are designed primarily to compensate for minor manufacturing tolerances in the servos and for ﬁ ne adjustment, and not to compensate for poor-quality construction and defective installation methods.

If two separate aileron servos are installed in a ﬁ xedwing model aircraft, the ailerons can also be employ-

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

ed as ﬂ aps by deﬂ ecting both of them down, and as airbrakes by deﬂ ecting both of them up – simply by setting up a suitable mixer (see the section starting on the next double page). Such systems are generally more often used in gliders and electric gliders than in power models.

In such cases the servo output arms should be offset forward by one spline relative to the neutral point, i.e. towards the leading edge of the wing, and ﬁ tted on the servo output shaft in that position.

The mechanical differential achieved by this asymmetrical installation takes into account the fact that the braking effect of the up-going ailerons increases with their angle of deﬂ ection, and this means that much less travel is usually required in the down-direction than the updirection.

Similar reasoning applies to the installation of the ﬂ ap linkage when separately linked ﬂ ap servos are installed, designed to be used in a butterﬂ y (crow) system. Here again an asymmetrical linkage point is useful. The braking effect of the crow system is provided primarily by the down-movement of the ﬂ aps rather than the up-movement of the ailerons, so in this case the servo output arms should be angled aft, i.e. offset towards the trailing edge of the wing, as this makes greater travel available

for the down-movement. When this combination of lowered ﬂ aps and raised ailerons is used, the ailerons should only be raised to a moderate extent, as their primary purpose in this conﬁ guration is to stabilise and control the model rather than act as brakes.

You can “see” the difference in terms of braking effect by deploying the crow system, then looking over and under the wing from the front: the larger the projected area of the deﬂ ected control surfaces, the greater the braking effect.

Outboard Ailerons

Inboard Camber-Changing Flaps

This type of asymmetrical installation of the servo output arms can also make sense when you are setting up split ﬂ aps or landing ﬂ aps on a power model.

Once you have completed your model and set up the mechanical systems accurately in this way, you are ready to start programming the transmitter. The instructions in this section are intended to reﬂ ect standard practice by describing the basic general settings ﬁ rst, and then reﬁ ning and specialising them to complete the set-up. After the initial test-ﬂ ight, and in the course of continued test-ﬂ ying, you may need to adjust one or other of the model’s settings. As your piloting skills improve and you gain experience, you might feel the need to try out different control systems and other reﬁ nements, and to cater for these requirements you may ﬁ nd that the text deviates from the obvious order of options, or that one or other of the options is mentioned more than once.

At this point, just before you start programming the mo-

del data, it is worthwhile thinking carefully about a sensible layout of the transmitter controls.

If the model in question is one with the emphasis on “power” – whether the power of an electric motor or internal combustion engine – you will probably encounter few problems in this matter, because the two stick units are primarily employed to control the four basic functions “power control (= throttle)”, “rudder”, “elevator” and “aileron”. Nevertheless, you still have to call up the ...

»Base settings« menu (page 38 … 41)

… and deﬁ ne your preferred throttle direction, i.e. throttle minimum forward (“Idle front”) or back (“Idle rear”), because the program’s default setting is “no” (i.e. no motor) when you ﬁ rst set up a model memory.

The basic difference between “none” and “throttle min. front / rear” is the effect of the C1 trim. The trim is effective over the full stick travel if “none” is entered, but it only affects the idle range if you enter “throttle min. front or rear”. However, it also affects the “direction of effect” of the C1 stick, i.e. if you switch from “front” to “rear” or vice versa, you do not also have to reverse the direction of the throttle servo. For safety reasons you will also see a warning message if you switch the transmitter on with the throttle stick positioned towards “full-throttle” – but only if you have already set “throttle min. front or rear”.

Your choice of “none” (no motor) or “throttle min. front or rear” also affects the range of mixers available in the »Wing mixers« menu. The mixers “Brake  NN” are only present if you choose “none” (no motor), otherwise they are suppressed.

In addition to these basic matters you will certainly need to consider carefully how best to control any “auxiliary functions” featured on your model.

In contrast, if your model is a glider or electric glider the whole situation may be rather different. The immediate question is: what is the best way of operating the motor and braking system? Now, some solutions have proved to be practical, and others less so.

For example, it is not a good idea to be forced to let go of one of the primary sticks in order to extend the airbrakes or deploy the crow braking system when your glider is on the landing approach. It surely makes more sense to set up switchable functions for the C1 stick (see example 4 on page 92), or to assign the braking system to the throttle stick, and shift the motor control to a slider – or even a switch. With this type of model the electric motor is often little more than a “self-launching system”, and is used either to drag the model into the sky at full power, or to pull it from one area of lift to the next at, say half-power, and for such models a throttle switch is usually quite adequate. If the switch is positioned where you can easily reach it, then you can switch the motor on and off without having to let go of the sticks – even on the landing approach.

Incidentally, similar thinking can be applied to ﬂ ap cont-

rol systems, regardless of whether they are “just” the ailerons, or full-span (combination) control surfaces which are raised and lowered in parallel.

Once you are satisﬁ ed that all these preparations have been completed successfully, programming can begin.

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

First steps in programming a new model

Example: non-powered ﬁ xed-wing model aircraft

When programming a new model you should start with the ...

„Select model“ sub-menu (page 36)

... in the »Model memory« menu, where you select a vacant memory and conﬁ rm your choice by pressing the ENTER or SELECT button.

Once you have selected a empty model memory, you are requested to select the type of model to be programmed.

Since in this example we are programming a ﬁ xed-wing model, we select the ﬁ xed-wing model symbol using the right-hand rocker button, and conﬁ rm with ENTER or SELECT. The screen now reverts to the basic display.

Once you have called up the “Model select” option it is not possible to interrupt the process, i.e. you must choose one or other model type. However, if you make a mistake you can always correct it simply by erasing the model memory.

Now that you have overcome this ﬁ rst hurdle, you can start programming the actual transmitter settings to suit the model in the ...

»Base settings« (page 38 … 41)

At this point you can enter the “Model name”, check the settings for “Stick mode”, “Modulation”, and “Motor at C1” and change them if necessary:

• “none”: trim works independently of the stick position.

• “Throttle min. front or rear”: C1 trim works on idle range (forward or back) only. If the throttle stick is in the “full-throttle” direction when you switch the transmitter on, you will be warned of this with the message “Throttle too high”.

Note: Selecting “motor” or “no motor” also affects the range of mixers available in the »Wing mixers« menu. For this reason we shall ﬁ rst consider “none” (no motor) in the following programming example.

In the next two lines you select the basic arrangement of the servos in the model, and inform the transmitter of your choice:

Tail type: “Normal”, “V-tail”, “Delta / ﬂ ying wing”

or “2 elev sv”

Ailerons / ﬂ aps: 1 or 2 aileron servos and 0 or 2 ﬂ ap

servos

Note: If your model is ﬁ tted with only one camber-changing ﬂ ap servo, you should still select “2FL”. Later, in the »Wing mixers« menu (see page 61), you should select the “Ail  ﬂ ap” mixer and set it to 0%. You can still exploit all the other mixers available at that point in the usual way.

At this juncture – if not before – you should check that the servos are connected to the receiver in the standard Graupner sequence:

Y-lead, Order No. 3936.11 or 3936.32

Best.-Nr.

7052

RO-SUPERHET

0-282/182-191

S C A N

Hz/35MHz-B-Band

Made in Malaysia

! #

8/Batt.

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Right ﬂ ap servo

Flap servo or left ﬂ ap servo

Right aileron servo

Rudder servo or V-tail

Elevator servo or V-tail

Aileron servo or left aileron servo

Airbrakes or throttle / speed controller

Battery

Auxiliary function

Notes: If you set up a V-tail, but the “up / down” and / or “left / right” functions work the wrong way round, please refer to the table in the right-hand column on page 30. The same procedure can be used if you set up ﬂ aperons (superimposed ailerons and ﬂ aps), and they work the wrong way round.

The following settings apply to a model with a “normal” tail and no motor (“none”); if your model has a V-tail the settings can be adopted virtually unchanged. However, if the model is a delta or ﬂ ying wing, the situation is not quite so straightforward. A special programming example covering this model type will be found in the section starting on page 97.

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

»Servo settings« (page 48)

In this menu you can set various parameters relating to the servos, i.e. “direction of rotation”, “neutral setting” and “servo travel”, to suit the requirements of the mo- del.

By “requirements” we mean adjustments to servo centre and servo travel which are needed to compensate for minor tolerances in servos and slight inaccuracies on the model.

Note: The facilities provided in this menu for setting asymmetrical servo travels are not intended for differential travel on ailerons and / or camber-changing ﬂ aps. There are functions designed speciﬁ cally for this in the »Wing mi- xers« menu.

Once you have completed the settings described so far, a ﬁ xed-wing or powered model aircraft (the latter if you state the idle direction of the throttle stick in the “Motor at Ch1” line of the »Base settings« menu) will, in principle, ﬂ y.

However, there are no “reﬁ nements” in this set-up, and it is the reﬁ nements which will give you more long-term fun in your ﬂ ying. Assuming that you are already capable of controlling your model safely, it’s time to get a taste of these extra facilities; to this end we now move on to the ...

»Wing mixers« (page 61 ... 65)

Note: This menu will show a varying range of options depending on the information you have entered in the »Base settings« menu.

Of particular interest at the moment are “Aileron differential” and the “Aileron  rudder” mixer, in some ca-

ses the combi-switch (coupled aileron and rudder) and perhaps the mixers “Brake  aileron” and “Brake  ﬂ ap”.

As already described in detail on page 62, the purpose of “aileron differential” is to eliminate adverse yaw.

When a model aircraft turns, the down-going aileron produces more drag than the up-going one if both move through the same angle, and this causes the model to yaw in the opposite direction to the turn. This can be eliminated by setting differential servo travel. A value between 20% and 40% is usually a good starting point, but the “perfect” setting nearly always has to be established by practical testing.

The same applies to the “Flap differential” option if your

model also features two camber-changing ﬂ ap servos, assuming that the ﬂ aps are also to be used as ailerons, e.g. using the “Ail  ﬂ ap” mixer.

The “Aileron  rudder” mixer serves a similar pur- pose, but also makes many models generally easier to handle when turning. A value of around 50% is usually a practical starting point. However, it is advisable to be able to switch this function off, particularly if you have ambitions as an aerobatic pilot; this is done by assigning a physical switch to the mixer.

Setting up a “Brake  elevator” mixer is usually only necessary if your model suffers a marked pitch trim change (model balloons up or dives) when you deploy any form of braking system. This problem usually only arises if ailerons are set to deﬂ ect “up” for braking, or are used in combination with a butterﬂ y (crow) system. If you set up such a mixer it is important to test the setting at a safe height, and adjust the trim compensation if necessary.

If you have selected “2AIL” or “2AIL 2FL” in the “Aileron / Flap” line of the »Base settings« menu …

… and if you wish to be able to deﬂ ect both ailerons up using the throttle / brake stick (C1), then a suitable value should be entered in the “Brake  aileron” line.

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

In principle the same applies to the “Brake  ﬂ ap” line if you have selected “2AIL 2FL”, although the set value should ensure that the ﬂ aps deﬂ ect as far as possible in the downward direction when the brake stick is operated. It is important to ensure that the servos do not strike their mechanical end-stops.

If the ailerons are set up to act as simple brakes, or as part of the braking arrangement in a butterﬂ y (crow) system, then you should always enter a value for “differen- tial reduction” (see page 65) – setting 100% is the safe option here!

Differential reduction means that aileron differential is suppressed proportionally when you operate the airbrake stick. The purpose of this is to increase the down-going aileron travel on the landing approach, with the aim of improving aileron response.

If the wing is equipped with two camber-changing ﬂ ap servos in addition to two separately actuated ailerons, then the “Aileron  ﬂ ap” mixer transfers the ai- leron movements to the ﬂ aps; we suggest that the ﬂ aps should not follow the movement of the ailerons to a greater extent than about 50%.

Note: If you have only installed one ﬂ ap servo, then leave this mixer at 0%.

The “Flap  aileron” mixer works in the opposite direc- tion; depending on the layout of the model we suggest values between about 50% and 100% for this option. The ﬂ aps are controlled using the switch assigned to the

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

input “E6”, or the INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 and 6).

Note: We strongly recommend that you reduce the travel of the ﬂ aps in the »Control settings« menu, as this gives ﬁ ner control of the ﬂ ap positions using the selected transmitter control.

The remaining options in the »Wing mixers« menu are designed to provide further ﬁ ne-tuning of multi-ﬂ ap wing systems, and are largely self-explanatory.

When you have completed the model-speciﬁ c settings up to this point, you are probably ready to consider the model’s ﬁ rst ﬂ ight. At this juncture you should certainly take the time to carry out a series of “dry runs”, i.e. check all the settings thoroughly while the model is still on the ground. Remember that a serious programming error may damage more than just the model. If you are not sure of any point, ask an experienced model pilot for advice.

If during the test phase you realise that one or other of the settings needs to be changed in order to tailor the model’s control response to your preferences – perhaps the servo travels are too great or too small overall – then we suggest that you turn to the following menu ...

»Dual Rate / Exponential« (page 56)

... in order to adjust the overall set-up to suit your requirements and ﬂ ying style.

Dual Rates are used to adjust the magnitude of the stick’s effect (see page 56). However, if it is only the

model’s control response around neutral which is too powerful for comfortable ﬂ ying, i.e. the maximum travels are acceptable, then “Exponential” can be employed, either instead of Dual Rates or in addition to them. If a physical switch is assigned to this function, you can switch between two Dual Rate / Expo settings while the model is ﬂ ying.

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

Expanded programming: including an electric power system

An electric power system can be controlled in various ways. The simplest method of including such a power plant in a model program is to use the throttle / brake stick (C1). However, in the preceding programming instructions we have already reserved the C1 transmitter control for the airbrakes, which means that we have to explore other possibilities for controlling the motor: one is to use the switchable solution described in the section starting on page 92, and another is to use an alternative transmitter control. A suitable option is the three-position switch “SW 6/7”, and another is the rotary proportional control “CTRL 7”, located at top left of the transmitter. (The two INC / DEC buttons – CTRL 5 and 6 – are less suitable, as you would ﬁ nd it difﬁ cult to cut the motor quickly enough in an emergency.) However, another alternative would be one of the two-position switches. The main reason for your choice ought to be that the switch is within easy reach of your ﬁ ngers, as this makes it much easier to hand-launch your model.

Example 1

Using the rotary proportional control CTRL 7

If this transmitter control is used, the set-up is extremely easy. All you have to do is connect the speed controller to any of the receiver servo sockets 5 … 8 which is vacant.

However, please bear in mind that outputs 2 + 5 and 6 + 7 may already be linked together, depending on the mo-

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

del type you have selected and the number of aileron and ﬂ ap servos in your model.

Connect your speed controller to the next vacant input, and assign the rotary proportional control (CTRL 7) to the selected input – for example, “E8”. This is accomplished in the menu …

»Control settings« (page 50)

Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and use the righthand rocker button to select the desired line. A further press on SELECT activates “Switch / transmitter control assignment”. Now turn the knob of the rotary proportional control. After a brief delay the entry “Transmitter control 7” will appear in the highlighted ﬁ eld.

In the third column you can adjust servo travel to suit the speed controller you are using; alternatively you could use the “Servo travel” column in the …

»Servo settings« (page 48)

The last stage is to check the settings, so move to the basic display and then on to »Servo display«. In the “OFF” position of the rotary control CTRL 7 the control channel you have selected – in our example this is channel “8” – should be at -100%, and at the “full-thrott-

le” setting at +100%.

Example 2

Using a two-position switch, SW 1 … 4

This variant implements a pure ON / OFF function, and results in an “abrupt “ motor start-up … unless the speed controller you are using features what is known as a “soft start” function.

At the receiving end you need either a simple electronic switch or – if you want a smoother motor start – a suitable speed controller.

The settings for this arrangement are entered in the …

»Control settings« (page 50)

First check which receiver socket (5 or higher) is available for you to connect your speed controller. If you have assigned two aileron servos in the »Base set- tings« menu, and if you have not connected any other auxiliary function, then this would be channel 6; if your model features two aileron servos and two ﬂ ap servos, then channel 8 would be available for connecting the speed controller; the latter option is the one we will use in this example.

Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and use the righthand rocker button to select the desired line in the menu. Press SELECT again to activate “Switch or transmitter control assignment”. Now move the selected switch from the “OFF” position to the “ON” position. The highlighted ﬁ eld now shows the switch number together with a symbol which shows the direction of switching.

In the third column you can adjust servo travel to suit the speed controller you are using; alternatively you could use the “Servo travel” column in the menu …

»Servo settings« (page 48)

The last stage is to check the settings, so move to the basic display and then on to »Servo display«. In the “OFF” position of the switch, the control channel you have selected – in our example this is channel “8” – should be at -100%, and at the “full-throttle” setting at +100%.

Example 3

Using the three-position switch SW 6/7

This variant implements a three-stage solution for switching an electric motor on and off, and results in an “abrupt “ motor start-up … unless the speed controller you are using features what is known as a “soft start” function.

At the receiving end you need a suitable speed controller.

Move to the menu …

»Control settings« (page 50)

»Servo settings« (page 48)

The last stage is to check the settings, so move to the basic display and then on to »Servo display«. In the (upper) “OFF” position of the three-position switch the control channel you have selected – in our example this is channel “8” – should be at -100%. If you now move the switch to the centre position, the bar should be in the middle, and at the (lower) “full-throttle” setting it should be at +100%.

Hold the SELECT button pressed in, and use the righthand rocker button to select the desired input. Press SE- LECT again to activate “Switch / transmitter control assignment”. Now move the switch SW 6/7. The highlighted ﬁ eld now shows “Transmitter control 8”.

In the third column you can adjust servo travel to suit the speed controller you are using; alternatively you could use the “Servo travel” column in the menu …

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

Controlling the electric motor and butterﬂ y (crow) system using the C1 stick

(Butterﬂ y / crow system as landing aid: ailerons up, ﬂ aps down)

Example 4

Before we start the programming of this fourth example, and turn our attention to expanding the basic programming we have already discussed, we need to consider brieﬂ y the position of the throttle / brake stick at “motor OFF” or “brake OFF”. Usually the C1 stick is moved forward to open the throttle, and back to extend the brakes. However, if you adopt this “classic” conﬁ guration, and switch, say, from “motor OFF” (stick “back”) to the braking system, “full brake” would immediately be applied, and vice versa: if you switch from “brakes retracted” to power, this would instantly switch to “full power”.

These inter-connected effects are deﬁ nitely not desirable, and to avoid them we recommend that you position the “zero point” of both systems so that they coincide. With the mx-16s system the offset point of the ﬁ xedwing mixer “Brake  NN” (this mixer is also required), is ﬁ xed at “stick forward”, so the following programming example shows how to position “motor OFF” and “brake OFF” together, at “front”.

In the menu …

»Base settings« (page 38 ... 41)

leave the “motor at C1” line at “none”, or change to this setting if necessary. This is essential, otherwise the “Brake 1  NN” mixers which we need will be suppressed in the »Wing mixers« menu.

Important note: As it is essential to set the motor to “none”, this also automatically disables the “Throttle too high” poweron warning! For this reason please take great care to set the C1 stick to the correct position before you switch on the receiving system.

The next step is to ensure that the motor is switched off “forward”, and is switched on when the C1 stick is moved “back”, i.e. towards the pilot’s body.

To achieve this you may have to move to the menu …

»Servo settings« (page 48)

and reverse the direction of servo 1.

For safety’s sake you should check this setting now, before you continue with the programming procedure.

Take the transmitter and model to a location where it is safe to run the motor. Switch the transmitter on, and move the C1 stick fully forward. Hold your model ﬁ rmly, or ask a friend to hold it for you. Check that the propeller is free to rotate without causing havoc, then prepare your model for use.

If the motor does not run in the “stick forward” position, everything is in order. However, check the system anyway by gradually moving the stick back towards you until the motor begins to run. Stop the motor, then switch off the receiving system in the model and ﬁ nally switch off the transmitter.

Note: If the motor does not start, or spins in the wrong direc-

tion, there are other problems which you must correct before you resume programming. For example, check the wiring of your motor, and refer to the operating instructions supplied with your speed controller.

Once you are conﬁ dent that the direction of the C1 stick is “correct” as far as the motor is concerned, the next step is to ensure that its effect on the motor can be switched on and off, so that you can also control the braking system. This is carried out in the menu …

»Free mixers« (page 77 ... 80)

… where you need to program a free mixer “C1  C1”. When you have done this, move to the (switch) column and assign your selected “change-over switch” to this mixer; for example SW 1. This is done by activating the switch assignment with a brief press on SELECT, and moving the switch from “forward” to “back”, i.e. towards you.

With the mixer switched on, move to the second screen page, and there set a starting point of -100% for the SYMmetrical mixer value.

Now hold the SELECT button pressed in, and use the right-hand rocker button to move to the “Offs” line. The

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

SYM and ASY ﬁ elds are now replaced by STO and CLR. With the STO button highlighted, move the C1

stick to the “front” end-point and press the SELECT button: the value to the right of “Offs” now changes from 0% to approx. +100% and the graphic display of the mixer characteristic line displayed on the right also changes accordingly:

Return to the basic display by pressing ESC, then press

SELECT to move to the menu …

»Servo display« (page 27)

… where you can immediately check the effect of the settings you have entered so far: with the mixer switched off, the bar display for Channel 1 follows the movement of the C1 stick. With the mixer switched on it stops – as shown – at around -100%.

Note: If you carry out this test with the receiving system and power system switched on, please take great care that you operate the change-over switch only in the “motor OFF” position! If you ignore this, there is a danger that the power system will be severely overloaded by being switched on abruptly, and it could even suffer damage. For the same reason

you should be careful only to use the change-over switch at the “motor OFF” setting.

To conclude the programming procedure, move the selected “change-over switch” back to the “motor ON” position, i.e. “forward”; move back to the multi-function menu and from there to the menu …

»Wing mixers« (page 61 ... 65)

… where you can – assuming that you have not already done this in your general model programming – select the “Brake  aileron” line and set the desired aileron travel when the C1 stick is operated in the up direction (“Brake”). In the column press SELECT, then assign your selected “change-over switch” by moving the switch from “front” to “rear”.

If your model also features camber-changing ﬂ aps, and you have therefore selected “2AIL 2FL” in the “Ai- leron / ﬂ ap” line of the »Base settings« menu, locate the “change-over switch” you have just operated (in this case switch 1), move it “forward” again and switch to the “Brake  ﬂ ap” line using the right-hand rocker button, whilst holding the SELECT button pressed in. You can now set the desired down-deﬂ ection of the ﬂ aps when the C1 stick is moved (this ﬂ ap position is termed “crow” or “butterﬂ y”; see also page 64), and assign the external switch which also acts as the change-over switch, as already described.

If you now switch back to the »Servo display« menu and move just the C1 stick, you will see that the bar display for Channel 1 either remains at around -100%

while the displays for channels 2 + 5 (and also the ﬂ aps 6 + 7, if set up) follow the stick movement, or the other way round: when the switch is operated, the latter stay at around the middle, and only the Channel 1 display moves.

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

Operating the timers using the C1 stick or a switch SW 1 … 7

If, following on from the model programming described on the preceding pages, you have decided on Examp- le 4, or you are using the C1 stick (throttle / brake stick) to control motor power – independently of this programming example – then you can use the associated control switch to turn the stopwatch on and off automatically.

To assign this control switch, move the C1 stick to the Idle position, and then move to the “Timers” line in the menu …

»Base settings« (page 38 ... 41)

Press the SELECT button to activate the switch assignment, then select the switch symbol and move the throttle / brake stick from its idle position in the direction of “full throttle”. After a short period the switch “G1l” or “G2l” will appear on the screen as a switch at a particular position of the C1 stick. If you now move the stick back towards idle, you will see that the switch symbol changes again at around 80% of stick travel: between the “idle position” and the switching point the switch symbol is “open”, beyond this it is “closed” (“Control switches”: see pages 24 and 25.)

If you now return to the transmitter’s basic display to check the system, you will see that the stopwatch and ﬂ ight timer start running when you move the stick past the switching point in the direction of full-throttle, and that the stopwatch halts again when you move the stick back to the idle position.

When the stopwatch is halted, you can stop the ﬂ ight timer by pressing ESC, and then reset both timers to their

starting value by pressing CLEAR … or re-start them by moving the stick beyond the switching point again.

Tip: When using an electric motor the motor run is usually limited by the capacity of the battery, and in this case you would normally set the stopwatch to “count down”. Simply enter the maximum permitted motor run in the “Timer” column, e.g. “5 min.”. As described on pages 40 and 45, the piezo buzzer starts to emit warning tones “30 sec” before “zero”.

With the stopwatch halted, press the CLEAR button in the basic display, so that the stopwatch switches to the “Timer” function. The timer can now be started and stopped using the throttle control.

Alternatively, if you control your motor with one of the switches SW 1 … 4 or 6/7, as described in Examples 2 and 3, you do not need any of the previously described control switches. All you need to do is locate the switch which you use to turn your motor on and off, and assign the same switch to the “Timers”, with the same switching direction, so that they start running at the same moment as you switch on the motor.

In contrast, if you have decided on the solution described in Example 1, then unfortunately there is no alternative but to operate the motor and timers separately.

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

Using ﬂ ight phases

Within any of the twelve model memories you can program up to three different ﬂ ight phases (states of ﬂ ight), each incorporating settings which can be entirely different to the others.

Each ﬂ ight phase can be called up by means of a switch. Flight phases represent the simplest and most convenient method of switching between different model settings in ﬂ ight, programmed for different stages of a typical ﬂ ight, such as normal, thermal, speed, distance etc.

We assume that you have already programmed the model in the transmitter’s model memory, set it up carefully, test-ﬂ own it and trimmed it out properly. First move to the menu …

»Base settings« (page 38 ... 41)

… and then to the line “Phase 2” and / or “Phase 3”, where you can either accept the default name or assign a speciﬁ c name to each ﬂ ight phase. The purpose of this name is just to help you differentiate between the ﬂ ight phases. It will later appear in the transmitter’s basic screen display, and also in the »Phase trim« menu.

A physical switch must be assigned so that you can select the different ﬂ ight phases. The ideal unit for switching up to three ﬂ ight phases is the three-position switch SW 6/7, located at front right on the transmitter; this is perfect for switching between the three possible ﬂ ight phases.

Each of the two end-points of this switch should be assigned to one ﬂ ight phase, starting from the centre position. We recommend that the switch direction should

match the phase numbering: as shown in the left-hand illustration, for example, “Phase 2” is “back” from the centre position, while “Phase 3” is “forward”.

Select the appropriate line, name, and switch assignment in the “usual” way, i.e. by pressing SELECT and using the right-hand rocker button.

Note: The names you assign to the various phases are of no signiﬁ cance in programming terms – with the exception of Phase 1, which is always assigned the name «normal». As such it is always active even if you disable the ﬂ ight phases.

For general model ﬂ ying three ﬂ ight phases are usually quite sufﬁ cient:

• “Launch” or “Thermal” for launch and “staying up”,

• “Normal” for normal conditions, and

• “Speed” for ﬂ ying in “top gear”.

At this point all three phases have been set up and assigned names; however … if you operate the phase switch you will soon notice that nothing has changed, i.e. all the settings for the control surfaces, and especially the wing ﬂ aps, are the same.

To change these settings, call up the menu ...

»Phase trim« (page 60)

… move the phase switch (or switches) to the appropriate position, and enter the desired values in the standard way using the input buttons.

If you now switch the receiving system on (or move to »Servo display«) and select the different phases in turn, you will see a difference in control surface response, or in the bar display for the servos.

Note: Depending on the information you have entered in the “Ail / Flap” line of the »Base settings« menu, the “ELEv” column alone, the “AILe” and “ELEV” columns, or – as shown above – “FLAP”, “AILE” and “ELEV” may appear on the screen.

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

Programming example: servos running in parallel

In some cases a second servo is required to run in parallel with an existing servo; for example, if a second elevator or rudder is to be actuated by a separate servo, or where a second servo is needed to cope with very high control forces, or where two servos are required for a large control surface due to the high torsional forces involved.

This task could be solved simply by connecting both servos together in the model using a conventional Y-lead.

However, this has the drawback that the linked servos cannot be adjusted individually from the transmitter, i.e. you forfeit the basic advantage of the computer radio control system: freely variable servo settings.

For this reason the simplest method of operating two elevators in parallel (servos 3 + 8) is to use the “Tail” menu. First move to the menu …

»Base settings« (page 38 ... 41)

… and set “2 elev sv” in the “Tail type” line. The following example makes use of the »Free mixers«

menu, which offers the advantage of asymmetrical and / or non-linear curves.

In this example we will connect two rudders “in parallel”. The second rudder could be connected to receiver output 8, which is not already in use.

The ﬁ rst step is to move to the menu …

»Free mixers« (page 77 ... 80)

… and set up a mixer “Tr rd  8”. In the “Type” column select the “Tr” setting, so that the rudder trim affects both rudder servos.

Finally switch to the graphics page and set a SYMmetrical mixer input of +100%:

Here again, for safety reasons it is really essential that you set input 8 to “free” in the »Control settings« menu.

As an added reﬁ nement, you may want both rudders to deﬂ ect outwards as part of a braking system controlled by the C1 stick. This can be accomplished by setting up two additional mixers “c1  4” and “c1  second rud- der channel”, with suitable servo travel settings. An offset of +100% is then selected for both mixers, as the C1 stick is (usually) at its top end-point when the airbrakes are retracted, and the winglet rudders are only required to deﬂ ect outward proportionally when the brakes are extended.

Programming examples: Fixed-wing model

Programming examples: Delta and ﬂ ying wing

On page 84, where the section on ﬁ xed-wing model programming starts, you will ﬁ nd general notes regarding installing and setting up the RC system in a model, and – of course – this applies equally to deltas and ﬂ ying wings. The information on test-ﬂ ying and reﬁ ning the settings is also relevant, including the section on programming ﬂ ight phases.

left

right

In their characteristic shape and geometry, deltas and ﬂ ying wings differ very clearly from “normal” models even at ﬁ rst sight, but the differences in the requisite servo arrangement are rather more subtle. The “classic” model delta or ﬂ ying wing generally has only two control surfaces, which act both as ailerons (in opposite directions) and as elevators (in the same direction), in a similar way to the superimposed rudder / elevator functions of a V-tail. More modern designs tend to be more complex; one (or two) inboard control surfaces may be used purely as elevators, while the outboard ailerons also act as elevators, but to a reduced extent. If a ﬂ ying wing has four or even six wing control surfaces, it is certainly feasible nowadays to set them up with camber-changing ﬂ ap functions and / or even a butterﬂ y (crow) system.

However, most of these models still rank as “classic” deltas and ﬂ ying wings, and for them the servos should be connected to the receiver as follows (see also page 30):

Y-lead, Order No. 3936.11 or 3936.32

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7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Right ﬂ ap servo

Left ﬂ ap servo

Auxiliary function

Rudder (if present)

Right elevon (aileron / elevator) servo

Left elevon (aileron / elevator) servo

Airbrakes or throttle or speed controller

Battery

Auxiliary function

If your delta or ﬂ ying wing is of more “modern” conﬁ guration, the “normal” servo sequence has proved useful; this arrangement can also be used for canards:

Y-lead, Order No. 3936.11 or 3936.32

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Hz/35MHz-B-Band

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7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Right ﬂ ap / elevator

Left ﬂ ap / elevator

Right elevon (aileron / elevator)

Rudder (if present)

Elevator

Left elevon (aileron / elevator)

Airbrakes or throttle or speed controller

Battery

Auxiliary function

Regardless of the receiver servo sequence you select, you should ﬁ rst move to the menu ...

»Base settings« (page 38 ... 41)

… and select the following options in each line: „Motor in C1“: “No” (no motor): C1 trim acts equally

along the whole travel, or “throttle min. front / rear”: trim acts only at idle range.

„Tail type“: “Delta / ﬂ ying wing” or “Normal” type „Aileron / ﬂ ap“: Two ailerons “2AIL” and – if present –

two ﬂ aps “2FL”.

The primary function of these settings is to deﬁ ne the range of wing mixers which the software will make available. If you select the “Delta / ﬂ ying wing” tail type, the software automatically superimposes the elevator and aileron functions. In this case the mixer ratios can be adjusted by varying the Dual Rate settings in the »Dual Rate / exponential« menu (see page 56).

If you select “Delta / ﬂ ying wing”, all settings of the “NN

 elevator” wing mixers in the ...

»Wing mixers« (page 61 ... 65)

… affect the elevator (up / down) function of the two elevon (combined aileron / elevator) servos, as well as the ﬂ ap / elevator servos.

The ﬂ ap mixer and ﬂ ap differential only appear in the list if you have entered “2FL” in the “Aileron / ﬂ ap” line of the ”Delta / ﬂ ying wing” model type.

Note: Even if you have selected “2AIL / 2FL”, the (digital) elevator and aileron trims only affect aileron / elevator (servos 2 + 3). If you wish to circumvent this it is simpler to program your model as described in the following section.

Programming examples: Delta and ﬂ ying wing

Programming a model delta using the “normal” tail setting

Alternatively, if you select the “normal” tail type in the »Base settings« menu, and connect the servos to the receiver as shown in the lower of the two receiver socket sequence diagrams on the previous page, then the aileron function of the two elevon servos will work correctly, but not the elevator function.

In the “normal” tail type you have to force the two aileron servos and the two ﬂ ap servos to move in the same direction and provide an elevator effect when an elevator command is given. The procedure starts by selecting the menu ...

»Wing mixers« (page 61 ... 65)

… where you set values other than zero for the Wing mixers “Elevator  NN”.

(The following settings are model-speciﬁ c, and you must check carefully that they work correctly on your model before accepting them.)

With this set-up the tailless model is considered to be a “normal” four-ﬂ ap wing (two ailerons and two ﬂ aps), and

Programming examples: Delta and ﬂ ying wing

therefore has all the options associated with this wing type. The method involves the “Elevator  NN” mixers, which were originally intended only for pitch trim compensation and non-standard applications. In this case they are “abused” by setting higher values than normal, in order to transfer the elevator signal to the control surfaces of the tailless model.

However, none of the Wing mixers include the digital trim of the elevator stick – so an alternative has to be found.

Start by switching to the menu …

»Control settings« (page 50)

… and assign the same transmitter control to the inputs 5 and (if required) 6, e.g. the INC / DEC buttons, CTRL

6. Now move to the “Travel” column and reduce the tra-

vel of the transmitter control for these two inputs symmetrically to around 50%, or even less, because: the lower this value, the ﬁ ner the trim control.

However, if you prefer to use the normal elevator trim lever, set the “Elevator  NN” mixers to 0%, and instead set up free linear mixers to do the job.

This is done by calling up the menu ...

»Free mixers« (page 77 ... 80)

… and setting up one linear mixer “Tr el  5” (for the simplest case), and possibly “tr el  6”. Move to the graphics page of this menu to set the required mixer ratios. Check the settings, and above all the direction of effect, in the »Servo display«, or on the model itself, and change the preﬁ xes if necessary.

If you carry out the programming as described above, the ailerons will move in the same direction, like ﬂ aps, when you move the elevator stick. The effect of the “Tr” option is that the elevator trim lever also affects the associated mixer when you operate the elevator stick.

Move to the graphics page of this menu to set the required mixer ratios: to obtain the same direction of movement as the wing mixers, you will have to program a symmetrical value of approximately “-50%”, for MIX 1, and approximately “+70%” for MIX 2; compare the wing mixer settings above.

Since another transmitter control is no longer required for this arrangement, you should disable input 5 and (if used) input 6 in the second column of the »Control set- tings« menu; simply set these inputs to “free”.

Many years ago the author operated a model delta with the mc-20, programmed exactly in this way, with the following additional reﬁ nements: ﬂ ap settings used as trim, and butterﬂ y (crow) as landing aid – the latter exploiting the “Brake  aileron” and “Brake  ﬂ ap” wing mixers to provide complete compensation for pitch trim changes. In this case the term “ailerons” means the outboard wing control surfaces, and “ﬂ ap” the inboard pair of con-

trol surfaces. A modern sweptback ﬂ ying wing can be operated in a si-

milar fashion. These models also feature inboard and outboard control surfaces: the former forward of the Centre of Gravity, the latter aft of it. Deﬂ ecting the inboard control surface(s) down increases lift and produces an up-elevator effect. Deﬂ ecting them up creates the opposite effect. In contrast, the outboard ailerons have the reverse effect: a down-deﬂ ection produces a down-elevator effect, and vice versa. In this case there are really no limits to what you can achieve with careful thought and the sophisticated mixers of the mx-16s.

However, please note that you should be extremely careful when setting differential travel with such a conﬁ guration, regardless of the type of servo arrangement you are using. This is because differential travels tend to produce an asymmetrical elevator effect on a tailless model, rather than the desired adverse yaw reduction. For this reason it is advisable to start with a differential setting of 0%, at least for the ﬁ rst few ﬂ ights. When you are familiar with the model and feel the need to experiment, it may then be feasible under certain circumstances to try differential settings deviating from zero.

For larger models it may be advisable to install winglets ﬁ tted with rudders, i.e. small vertical surfaces at the wingtips. If these are actuated by two separate servos, they can be controlled as described in the example on page 96 dealing with “Servos running in parallel”.

You may also want both rudders to deﬂ ect outwards when a braking system is operated using the C1 stick, and this can be achieved as follows: if you have selected the “normal” tail type, set up two further mixers “c1

 4” and “c1  control channel of the second rudder” with suitable travel settings. The offset should be

+100%, as the C1 stick is usually at the front end-point when the airbrakes are retracted, and the winglet rudders are required to deﬂ ect outwards proportionally

when the brakes are extended.

Programming examples: Delta and ﬂ ying wing

Programming example: F3A model aircraft

F3A models belong to the category of powered ﬁ xedwing model aircraft designed for competition ﬂ ying. They may be powered by an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. Electric-powered models are eligible to ﬂ y in the international F3A “pattern” class, and also in the F5A electric aerobatic class.

On page 84, where the section on ﬁ xed-wing model programming starts, you will ﬁ nd general notes on installing and setting up the RC system in a model, and – of course – this applies equally to F3A models, and therefore does not need to be repeated at this point.

If an F3A model is accurately built, it usually exhibits ﬂ ying characteristics which are almost completely neutral. The perfect aerobatic model has a very smooth but precise control response, and any movement around any one of its ﬂ ight axes should not affect the other axes.

F3A models are ﬂ own using aileron, elevator and rudder controls. The use of separate servos for each aileron is almost universal. The ﬂ ying controls are supplemented by control of motor power (throttle function) and in many cases a retractable undercarriage. As a result the servo assignment for channels 1 to 5 is no different to the ﬁ xed-wing models we have already described.

The auxiliary function “Retracts” is usually assigned to one of the auxiliary channels 6 to 8. Ideally the retracts are operated using a switch without a centre detent, or the momentary button SW 4. An optional “extra”

Programming examples: F3A model

100

– used only if necessary – is mixture adjustment control for the carburettor. This is generally operated by one of the two INC / DEC buttons (CTRL 5 or 6) on the transmitter, connected to one of the auxiliary channels not already in use.

Y-lead, Order No. 3936.11 or 3936.32

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S C A N

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8/Batt.

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Mixture adjustment

Retracts

Right aileron servo

Rudder servo

Elevator servo

Aileron servo or left aileron servo

Throttle or speed controller

Battery

Auxiliary function

When assigning functions to the auxiliary channels at the transmitter, it is advisable to ensure that the controls required are within easy reach, since the advanced aerobatic pilot has very little time to think about letting go of the sticks – especially when ﬂ ying in a competition.

Programming

The basic programming of the transmitter has already been described in detail in the section starting on page 86, so this section concentrates on tips speciﬁ c to F3A models.

In the menu ...

»Servo settings« (page 48)

… you can adjust the servo settings to suit your model.

It has proved advisable to use at least 100% servo travel, as precision of control can be perceptibly better if relatively large servo travels are employed. This should be borne in mind when building the model and designing the control surface linkages. Any minor corrections required can be made in the 3rd column during the initial test ﬂ ights.

The next step is to select the menu ...

»Base settings« (page 38 ... 41)

… and activate the idle trim for Channel 1 (normally “Idle back”; i.e. full-throttle forward). The digital trim now works at the idle end of stick travel. The “cut-off trim” enables you to switch immediately from the “motor stopped” position to the idle position you have previously set just by applying a single “click” on the trim lever (see page 26).

The remaining settings should be adjusted if required to suit your personal preferences.

You may ﬁ nd it necessary to assign transmitter controls to particular inputs to operate the retractable undercarriage and carburettor mixture adjustment. This is carried out in the menu ...

GRAUPNER MX-16S Programming Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Safety notes

Description of radio control system

Power supply

Adjusting stick length

Opening the transmitter case

Changing the stick mode

Description of transmitter

Adjusting screen contrast

Installation notes

Digital trims

Servo display

Fixed-wing model aircraft

Model helicopters

Reserving a new memory

Throttle limit function

What is a mixer?

Autorotation settings

General notes regarding freely programmable mixers

First steps in programming a new model