Spektrum SPMAR6250 User Manual

31mm 70mm

Spektrum AR6250 User Guide

Spektrum’s AR6250 6-channel full range receiver is designed for installations in compact airplanes constructed of carbon ﬁber. Carbon ﬁber can create an RF shielding effect that can signiﬁcantly reduce radio range when using conventional receivers and antennas. The AR6250 features an antenna design that overcomes RF issues in these critical environments.

Compatibility

The AR6250 receiver features DSM2™ technology and is compatible with all Spektrum™ and JR® aircraft radios that support DSM2 technology including:

JR12X JRX9303 Spektrum DX7 Spektrum DX6i Spektrum DX5e Spektrum Module Systems

Note: The AR6250 receiver is not compatible with the Spektrum DX6 parkflyer transmitter.

Features

• 6-channel receiver optimized for carbon ber fuselage installations

• Compact endpin design is ideal for F5D and hand launch sailplanes with small

cross sections

• Offers superior RF coverage with through-the-fuselage feeder antennas

• Includes one internal receiver with two 4-inch (101mm) feeder antennas

• Red LED indicates number of holds

• Preset failsafe system on throttle aileron and elevator optimized for sailplane and

F5D applications

• QuickConnect™ with Brownout Detection

Applications Compact airplanes with carbon structure including:

• Carbon/ Composite F5D electrics

• Carbon hand launch and DLH gliders

• Carbon Hot-liners

• Compact aircraft with signicant conductive materials (carbon, aluminum or

other metals) that could weaken the signal

Speciﬁcations Type: DSM2 Full Range receiver for carbon aircraft Channels: 6 Modulation: DSM2 Dimensions: 35mm x 18mm x 10mm Weight: 4 grams Voltage Range: 3.5 to 9.6 Resolution: 1024 Compatibility: All DSM2 aircraft transmitters

Receiver Installation Airplanes with signiﬁcant carbon ﬁber construction can create an RF shielding effect, reducing range. The AR6250 is designed to overcome these critical RF issues in carbon airplanes by outﬁtting the aircraft with two external antennas at speciﬁc points that will ensure secure RF coverage from all angles of the aircraft.

Feeder Antennas The AR6250 incorporates two feeder antennas, which are designed to be easily mounted through the fuselage in carbon airplanes. The receiver has two 4-inch feeder antennas. Each feeder antenna includes a coaxial portion (which can be thought of as an extension) and an exposed 31mm tip antenna. The last 31mm is the active portion of the antenna.

Red LED Hold Indicator

The AR6250 features a red LED (labeled with H) that indicates the number of holds that have occurred since the receiver was last powered on. The LED will ﬂash the number of holds then pause (e.g., ﬂash, ﬂash, ﬂash, pause, ﬂash, ﬂash, ﬂash, pause indicates three holds occurred since the receiver was last turned on). Note that holds are reset to zero when the receiver is turned off. During the ﬁrst ﬂights of a new airplane, it’s recommended to check the red LED hold indicator. If it’s ﬂashing, it’s important to optimize the installation (move or reposition antennas) until no hold occurs. On later ﬂights, the LED Hold Indicator can be used to conﬁrm RF link performance.

Step 1. Identifying the Type of Carbon Aircraft

While some Hand Launch Gliders and F5D airplanes are full carbon construction, many only use carbon in areas that require extra strength. Some of the latest aircraft are constructed with 2.4GHz friendly fuselages, meaning that the forward section of the fuselage is constructed from non-conductive materials like ﬁberglass and Kevlar that don’t affect RF. The ﬁrst step in a proper installation is identifying the type of fuselage.

A- Full Carbon All components of the airplane including the entire fuselage, the wing and tail are constructed of carbon ﬁber or have a carbon ﬁber weave throughout the aircraft.

External Antennas

Full Carbon

B- 2.4GHz Friendly Fuselage The section forward of the wing is constructed of non-conductive materials like ﬁberglass, Kevlar, etc. but the wing and possibly the tail section have carbon or carbon weave construction.

Internal Antennas

2.4GHz Friendly

Step 2. Determining Antenna Mounting Positions After determining which type of aircraft from the list above, use the above illustrations as a guideline as to where the feeder antennas should be mounted. Note that full carbon aircraft requires externally mounted antennas while the 2.4GHzfriendly fuselage can have the antennas mounted internally. The goal is to mount the antennas in a location so that at least one will always be in the RF visual line of sight of the transmitter (e.g. not blocked by carbon ﬁber structures) in all attitudes. This can easily be visualized by having a helper stand about 20 feet away and rotate the airplane in all attitudes conﬁrming that in all positions there is a direct line between you and at least one receiver antenna that isn’t blocked by carbon ﬁber structure.

Step 3. Installing the Receivers Install the receiver in the normal position recommended by the airplane’s manufacturer. Double-sided tape or foam can be used to secure the main receiver in place.

Step 4. Mounting the Antennas

To install the antennas, drill a 1/16-inch hole in the desired antenna mounting

position.

Slide the feeder antenna through the hole until the 31mm tip, and about 2mm of coaxial, completely exit the fuselage. Using a drop of CA, glue the antenna to the fuselage making sure that the 31mm active portion of the antenna tip is fully exposed.

Note: If the antenna is to be mounted internally (in the front of a 2.4GHz fuse), the

coaxial can be taped into position. Be sure the 31mm tip is located at least 2 inches from any signiﬁcant carbon structure.

Step 5. Plugging in the Servo Leads

Plug the servo leads into the appropriate servo ports in the receiver, noting the

polarity of the servo connector. Consult your radio’s manual for speciﬁc details as to which servo plugs into which servo port channel.

Step 6. Binding the Receiver The AR6250 must be bound to the transmitter before it will operate. Binding is the process of teaching the receiver the speciﬁc code of the transmitter so it will only connect to that speciﬁc transmitter.

1. To bind an AR6250 to a DSM2 transmitter, insert the bind plug in the BATT/BIND

port on the receiver.

2. Power the receiver through any other port. Note that the orange LED on the

receiver should be ﬂashing, indicating that the receiver is in bind mode and ready to be bound to the transmitter.

3. Move the sticks and switches on the transmitter to the desired failsafe positions for the throttle, elevator and aileron channels.

4. Follow the procedures of your speciﬁc transmitter to enter Bind Mode; the system will connect within a few seconds. Once connected, the orange LED on the receiver will go solid indicating the system is connected.

5. Remove the bind plug from the BATT/BIND port on the receiver before you

power off the transmitter and store it in a convenient place.

IMPORTANT: Remove the bind plug to prevent the system from entering bind

mode the next time the power is turned on.

Step 7. Radio Setup and Programming Following the instructions in your radio manual, program your airplane.

Step 8. Rebinding the Receiver After you’ve programmed your model, it’s important to rebind the system so the true failsafe control surface positions are set.

Step 9. Ground Range Testing and Veriﬁcation Red LED Advanced Range Testing In airplanes that have signiﬁcant carbon ﬁber construction, it is imperative to ﬁrst do an advanced ground range check. This ground range check will conﬁrm that the receiver is operating optimally and that the antennas are properly mounted in a position that will give positive RF coverage in all attitudes. This advanced range check allows the RF performance of the receiver and the positions of each antenna to be veriﬁed and to optimize the locations of the antennas.

Advanced Range Test

1. Turn on the system (Tx and Rx).

2. Have a helper hold your aircraft while observing the red LED (labeled with H) located on the receiver.

3. Standing 30 paces away from the model, face the model with the transmitter in your normal ﬂying position and put your transmitter into range test mode. This causes reduced power output from the transmitter.

4. Have your helper position the model covering all orientations (nose up, nose down, nose toward the Tx, nose away from the Tx, etc.) while watching the red LED, noting any correlation between the aircraft’s orientation and when holds

occur. Do this for one minute. The timer on the transmitter can be used here.

5. After one minute, release the range test button. A successful installation will yield the following: no holds, no ﬂashing red LED.

If any holds occur redo the test, noting the orientation of the aircraft when the holds occur. This will allow you to change and optimize the antenna position(s) to a better location.

Step 10. Short Test Flight Veriﬁcation with Hold Indicator When the system tests successfully, it’s time for a short near test ﬂight. This ﬁrst ﬂight should be close (in less than 200 feet) and about ﬁve minutes or less. After the ﬂight, land near yourself and check that no holds occurred. A successful ﬂight will result in 0 holds. Extend the ﬂight distance and times, checking the Hold data after every ﬂight until you are conﬁdent with the results.

IMPORTANT: Y-Harnesses and Servo Extensions When using Y-harness or servo extensions, it’s important to use standard non-

amplied Y-harnesses and servo extensions as they can/will cause the servos to

operate erratically or not function at all. Ampliﬁed Y-harnesses were developed several

years ago to boost the signal for some older PCM systems and should not be used

with Spektrum equipment. Note that when converting an existing model to Spektrum,

be certain that all amplied Y-harnesses and/or servo extensions are replaced with

conventional non-ampliﬁed versions.

Preset Failsafe The AR6250 features preset failsafe only on throttle, aileron and elevator channels.

Preset failsafe is ideal for sailplanes, allowing the aircraft to automatically

dethermalize if the signal is lost. With preset failsafe, the throttle, aileron and elevator channels go to their preset failsafe positions if the signal is lost, preventing a ﬂyaway.

Receiver Power Only

• When the receiver only is turned on (no transmitter signal is present), all

channels have no output signal, to avoid overdriving the servos and linkages.

Note: Some analog servos may drift slightly during power-up even though no

signal is present. This is normal.

After Connection

• When the transmitter is turned on and after the receiver connects to the

transmitter, normal control of all channels occurs.

• After the system makes a connection, if loss of signal occurs Preset Failsafe

drives the throttle, aileron and elevator servos to their preset failsafe position set during binding.

Receiver Power System Requirements Inadequate power systems that are unable to provide the necessary minimum voltage to the receiver during ﬂight have become the number one cause of in-ﬂight failures. Some of the power system components that affect the ability to properly deliver adequate power include:

• Receiver battery pack (number of cells, capacity, cell type, state of charge)

• The switch harness, battery leads, servo leads, regulators, etc.

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