Horizon Hobby JR 8103 Heli Programming Manual

Programming Guide for the JR 8103 Heli radio system

The following is a programming example for a helicopter using the 8103-heli radio. If you
follow along, several features of the 8103 will be demonstrated, which should help better understand the
abilities of the system.

System Set-Up Mode

To start with we will open a clear model, so press and hold the up and down keys together and
flip the power switch on and then release the up and down keys. Press the + and – keys to go into model
select. Press the + key until you get to a clear model. Then press the up key twice to get to the model
type. To get to the correct type, press the + key to get to HELI, if it is not already in HELI mode. Next
you will press the up key to model reset. Press CLR so that it will restore the system to factory defaults.
Press the up key to select the modulation of the system. Here you will use the + and – keys to set this to
the desired modulation. Press the up key three times, to set the input selection. Now you will press the
+ key to set the aux 2 to INH. Press the CH key so the arrow now points at GEAR. Here you will press
the + key to make this say INH. Press the UP key one time, and this will bring you to SWASH TYP.
This is where you can set the radio for CCPM. Press the + key one time for 2 servo – 180 degree, again
for 3 servo – 120 degree, and once more for 4 servo 90 degree. If you do not have a CCPM helicopter,
leave this at 1 servo NORM. If it is CCPM, choose the type of set up you have. Your instructions for
the helicopter should have this information listed as to which type it is. Then you can press the up key
till you get to the name selection, and re-name the model. At this point we have set up the system mode
for our helicopter.

Function Mode

Next we will set up the function mode of transmitter. If you are still in the system mode, just
press the up and down keys together twice, or turn the radio off and back on, and press the up and down
keys together again. This will get you into the function mode.

Dual Rate and Exponential Set-Up

Now that we are in the function mode, it brings you to the dual rate set-up. You can set these to
your desired amounts. Press the channel key to select the channel, and the + and – keys to set the rates.
I would set up the high rate at 100% and the low rate between 80% and 90%. Next press the select key
to get to the expo set up for each channel, and use the + and – keys to set the values. You can set
various values for each rate. Leave these a 0% to start with, and you can come back to these to set them
as desired after test flying the helicopter.

Travel Adjustment

Next we will set up the travel adjustments, so press the up key till you get to the screen where it
says TRVL ADJ. in at the top left hand side of the screen. Your manual gives a good description of how
to adjust these. Press the select key to get to the second set of 4 channels for adjusting the travel. Most
helicopter kit manuals give guidelines for setting of the travel adjustments. Follow these settings for the
initial set up of the helicopter and adjust as necessary

Sub-Trim Settings

You will want the sub trim values to be as low as possible. They need to be very close to 0. If
you have to change them, try to stay under 20. If you cannot maintain this low of a sub trim, readjust
the control linkages and reset the sub trims to 0. This will give the best results and performance.

Throttle Hold

Press the up key until you get to THRO Hold on the top of the screen. Here you will set up the
throttle hold for auto rotations, and the position the throttle will go to when the switch is pulled. Press
the + key and it will activate the throttle hold. Now adjust the position the throttle will go to by pressing
the + or – keys. Adjust this as necessary for your set-up. A rule of thumb is to put your throttle trim in
the center, and the throttle stick at idle, and flip the throttle hold switch (upper right hand, long flat
switch). When the throttle servo no longer moves when you flip the switch it is all set up. You will
want to set your engine such that it idles reliably at mid-trim.

Pitch Curve Set-Up

The pitch curves are very important, and need to be set properly to get the best performance of
the helicopter. When properly adjusted together with the throttle curves, the main rotor head RPM
should remain consistent throughout all maneuvers and throttle stick positions. This in turn, will also
improve the effectiveness and accuracy of the tail rotor and gyro system.
To adjust the pitch curve in the 8103, press the up key until you get to the screen saying PIT.
CURV. You will press select to change the flight mode being adjusted, which is normal (hover), stunt
mode 1, stunt mode 2, and throttle hold. Press the CH key to adjust the point on the curve to be
adjusted, and press the + and – keys to adjust the value at each point. If you press the CH key enough,
you will get to a point where you can put in exponential on the curve. Do this only if necessary.
To start with, you will need to get a pitch gauge such as part number JRP960326 from JR. With
this gauge you will place the gauge at the tip of the blade, and line the top of the gauge up level with the
flybar. This will give you the pitch of the blades. We will need to set the blade pitch at ½ (center) stick
first. The pitch at center depends on the flight mode and your level of flight experience. Below is a
chart indicating normal settings for the pitch curve in various flight modes. These will work well for
most helicopters, but just adjust as needed for your experience and your helicopter. As a general rule,
the seesaw mixing arms located on the rotor head will be parallel (level) to the seesaw shaft/flybar
assembly at center stick. Set your flight mode switch to normal mode, this is the upper left hand switch
right above the elevator dual rate switch. Put this switch all the way back, away from you. Now put
your throttle stick at ½ throttle/collective. Now adjust your linkages and the curve in the 8103 to
achieve hovering pitch.