FMA Direct Co-Pilot FS8 User Manual Download

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FS8 Co-Pilot

™

Advanced Radio Control Receiver System

featuring

Digital Signature Recognition,

Failsafe Operation,

Infrared Flight Stabilization

and Full Telemetry

User’s Guide

FMA, Inc.
5716A Industry Lane
Frederick, MD 21704
Sales: (800) 343-2934

Technical: (301) 668-4280

www.fmadirect.com

Note: Read this manual carefully before using FS8 Co-Pilot

™

Summary of Contents for Co-Pilot FS8

Page 1: ... Signature Recognition Failsafe Operation Infrared Flight Stabilization and Full Telemetry User s Guide FMA Inc 5716A Industry Lane Frederick MD 21704 Sales 800 343 2934 l Technical 301 668 4280 www fmadirect com Note Read this manual carefully before using FS8 Co Pilot ...

Page 2: ...levons V tail complex transmitter mixes digital servos and CCPM n Includes Co Pilot Viewer Software for detailed receiver and flight stabilization data analysis Displays every FS8 Co Pi lot operating detail Requires Serial Interface Module available separately and a Windows 98 or later PC n Compatible with FS Flight Recorder available separately which records receiver and flight stabilization data...

Page 3: ...r in the dark The heat infrared radiating from the Earth measured by FS8 Co Pilot provides a more stable and precise reference than light or other phenomena This gives FS8 Co Pilot much more precision than visible light sta bilization systems For example FS8 Co Pilot won t cause the aircraft to wander when a cloud comes into view Since the infrared environment is not affected by variations in visi...

Page 4: ...Co Pilot It is recom mended that you turn off FS8 Co Pilot before attempting un usual attitudes for example inverted flight FS8 Co Pilot specifications Operating voltage 3 5 to 9 volts DC Operating current 10 milliamps servos may draw more current from rapid movement and stabilization Weight With Button LED Module supplied cables and optional Vertical Sen sor 1 9 oz With Button LED Module and sup ...

Page 5: ...n trol the aircraft s flight path n FS8 Co Pilot is for recreational use only Do not install Co Pilot in aerial photographic aircraft where there is a possibility of flying over people n You must mount the FS8 Co Pilot Sensor securely Care fully follow the instructions in Installing which tells you to roughen the surface with sandpaper then clean the surface with rubbing alcohol n Keep fuel off th...

Page 6: ...d light stabilization work with and require a completely installed and correctly operating aircraft radio control system transmitter FS8 Co Pilot battery pack and servos An airplane with elevons may also need an on board mixer if mixing isn t provided in the transmitter Before you work with failsafe settings and flight stabiliza tion install and set up your entire radio system Be abso lutely certa...

Page 7: ... to the roughened area on the aircraft 5 Attach a 1 piece of fuzzy Velcro to the bottom of the Pitch Roll Sensor WARNING You must mount the Sensor securely so it won t come loose in flight If it comes loose you may lose control of the aircraft Other mounting methods can be used as long as the Sensor re mains securely in place during all flight conditions 6 Mount the Pitch Roll Sensor in the follow...

Page 8: ... Locate a mounting spot for the Vertical Sensor typically on side of the fuselage or helicopter cockpit Follow these guidelines n The windows on the Vertical Sensor must point directly up and down when the airplane is in straight and level flight n The lower window on the Vertical Sensor must have a clear view of the ground The upper window must have a clear view of the sky n The sensor must be aw...

Page 9: ...utton LED Module on a helicopter 1 Select a spot to mount the Module It should be convenient to press the buttons and you must be able to see the LED 2 Attach the Module using two cable ties through the holes in the PC board Note The Low Profile Button LED Module is laid out and marked differently than the standard name plate When you see REC Button and CAL But ton in this manual substitute R and ...

Page 10: ...h Roll Sensor cable into FS8 Co Pilot 8 Plug the Vertical Sensor cable into FS8 Co Pilot 9 Plug the Button LED Module into FS8 Co Pilot 10 Connect the switch harness to FS8 Co Pilot 11 Connect the receiver battery to the switch harness If you aren t installing the FS Flight Recorder you can connect the switch harness to the Telemetry Battery pins on FS8 Co Pi lot 12 Wrap FS8 Co Pilot in 3 8 or 1 2...

Page 11: ...ilsafe move to positions you preset When FS8 Co Pilot detects good transmitter data the re ceiver leaves Failsafe Mode and returns to Normal Flight Mode n Receiver Setup Mode lets you tell FS8 Co Pilot how to handle each channel when it is in Failsafe Mode Using a simple procedure see Set up the receiver you can set any channel to move to a preset Failsafe position during Failsafe Mode Channels no...

Page 12: ...d on your particular aircraft and how it behaves in the air Start with the settings below then test and adjust them as needed For an airplane your goal is to have the plane circle and gently descend without stalling during a failsafe condition Good starting failsafe positions are n Ailerons neutral n Elevator neutral or slight up n Rudder moderate right turn n Throttle 1 4 to 1 3 n Flight stabiliz...

Page 13: ...lled 2 Turn on your transmitter 3 Press and hold the CAL Button turn on FS8 Co Pilot then release the button This puts FS8 Co Pilot in Flight Stabili zation Setup Mode n The channel 2 servo shakes three times to confirm n The LED twinkles but not continuously when FS8 Co Pi lot is in Flight Stabilization Setup Mode n The LED blinks 1 time and repeats slowly indicating FS8 Co Pilot is in Flight Sta...

Page 14: ...he Vertical Sensor is disconnected while power is on flight stabilization is disabled FS8 Co Pilot assumes the sensor is defective b Place the bottle s of hot water above the Vertical Sensor to simulate inverted flight Pitch stabilization should be re duced when heat is above the Vertical Sensor Roll stabili zation is not affected Turn off FS8 Co Pilot CAUTION Be certain you get the responses de s...

Page 15: ...el This means that you should calibrate over an area repre sentative of the general infrared environment such as grass the Sensor will see when the model is airborne Once calibrated large variations in terrain or weather can affect FS8 Co Pilot s ability to stabilize the aircraft If these occur you may need to recalibrate The calibration procedure recommends that you not cali brate for example ove...

Page 16: ...ded on page 21 n Helicopters require extra precision to hover For that reason you should only use flight stabilization on a helicopter when the calibration reading is 3 or greater About infrared field calibration The infrared field calibration enables FS8 Co Pilot to measure the environment in which it will be flying The calibration has two parts 1 FS8 Co Pilot determines the infrared temperature ...

Page 17: ...ight stabilization setup turn off Auto Trim and or l Disconnect the Pitch Roll Sensor from FS8 Co Pi lot and or l Rotate both Throw potentiometers fully counterclock wise 2 Set level orientation After step 1 the servos will cycle slowly During this period a Place the model level on the ground as shown in the next column It s important to make the aircraft absolutely level so take your time If the ...

Page 18: ...re Pitch Roll Sensor and Vertical Sensor windows are clean If necessary clean windows with alcohol and cotton tipped applicator 10 Check failsafe operation Turn off the transmitter Servos with failsafe presets should move to those positions Turn on the transmitter The receiver will count this as one failsafe FS8 Co Pilot preflight check IMPORTANT n Perform the preflight check outside and after the...

Page 19: ...ator response is reduced when the aircraft is inverted l Without the Vertical Sensor the aircraft may loop from in verted back to its normal attitude if it is high enough CAUTION If the aircraft is too low it will crash l To intentionally fly inverted including in loops half loops and other maneuvers where the aircraft is inverted or in knife edge orientation Turn off flight stabilization n Overwh...

Page 20: ... of fly ing with FS8 Co Pilot It is not a substitute for flight instruction from an experienced pilot n If you are a beginner obtain help from an experienced mod eler FS8 Co Pilot makes it easier to learn to fly but it can not teach you how to fly only an experienced flyer can do that n FS8 Co Pilot cannot correct for reversed controls binding linkages a balky engine or any other problems Make cer...

Page 21: ...ut the helicopter won t roll and crash When you can keep the helicopter in one place you ll realize that FS8 Co Pilot is doing most of the work Flying on windy days takes little effort n The hardest part of flying a helicopter is getting it trimmed After calibration is complete remember to add in a little right roll trim for clockwise blade rotation Once the helicopter is properly trimmed it is ve...

Page 22: ...he ground 2 Fully extend the receiver antenna and position it vertically above the receiver tape the antenna to a wooden dowel for example 3 Connect one servo to receiver channel 1 4 Fully collapse the transmitter antenna 5 Turn on the transmitter 6 Connect a battery pack directly to the receiver Do not use a switch harness for this test since a switch harness may reduce range 7 Walk away from the...

Page 23: ...ions in cold weather Helicopters are especially susceptible to this problem as the Pitch Roll Sensor may have to be located near the muffler The Helicopter will tilt away from the muffler Remove the exhaust extension or wrap it in aluminum tape Servos don t move n Black or brown wire in servo cables should be toward component side of FS8 Co Pilot LED turns off and does not function n FS8 Co Pilot ...

Page 24: ...lsafe preset may help keep the airplane close to the field It s probably a good idea to drop the landing gear al though for some airplanes a belly landing may be less costly than bent landing gear Q How do I test failsafe operation A First do a check on the ground 1 Turn on your transmitter then turn on FS8 Co Pilot 2 Move the transmitter sticks to make sure the aircraft con trols respond correctl...

Page 25: ...irplane into a stable attitude that will al low it to circle and descend slowly to the ground Because you can t control the plane expect a hard landing That however is much better than the plane drilling itself into the ground or flying out of sight Q My FS8 Co Pilot usually records a dozen or two bad frames during flights Is that bad A No In fact it indicates your radio system is performing very ...

Page 26: ...et for Last Good Frame Hold Mode move slowly back and forth n Servos set for Failsafe Mode move to their preset failsafe positions and don t move back and forth Leave Receiver 1 Turn off FS8 Co Pilot Setup Mode 2 Turn off transmitter Set up flight stabilization Do this 1 Disconnect cable from Vertical Z Sensor if sensor is installed 2 Turn on transmitter 3 Press and hold CAL Button turn on FS8 Co ...

Page 27: ...ight Stabili turn on FS8 Co Pilot zation Setup Mode LED twinkles Do not turn off transmitter during Flight Stabilization Setup Mode Press CAL Button Move to next Setup Mode in this order 1 Setup Mode 1 pitch 2 Setup Mode 2 roll 3 Setup Mode 3 remote on off Press and hold CAL Button FS8 Co Pilot sets all flight stabilization for 10 seconds channels to neutral factory defaults REC Button in Normal F...

Page 28: ... flight stabilization is on 8 Set dual or tri rates to high 9 Assure all sensor windows are clean 10 Check failsafe operation turn off transmitter servos with failsafe settings should move to those positions 11 Test all transmitter controls including stabilization on off 12 If using a buddy box activate it for 2 seconds before each flight To do this Do this Check for interference 1 Turn on FS Co P...

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