GRAUPNER MC-22S, Programming Manual

Page: 26 / 180

26
Defi nition of terms
Control functions, transmitter controls, function inputs, control channels, mixers, external
switches, control switches, fi xed switches
Defi nition of terms
To make it easier for you to understand the mc-22s
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 dia-
gram showing the course of the signal from the trans-
mitter 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 regardless of its subse-
quent 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 to one control channel, or to seve-
ral control channels simultaneously via mixers. A ty-
pical example of the latter is separate aileron servos,
or paired roll-axis or pitch-axis servos in a model heli-
copter. In particular, a control function includes its in-
fl uence on the mechanical travel of the corresponding
servo. This can be expanded or contracted by softwa-
re, and the characteristic curve of its travel can also
be modifi ed from linear to extreme exponential.
Transmitter control
The term “transmitter control” refers to the mechani-
cal elements on the transmitter which are operated
directly by the pilot. Their movements in turn generate
corresponding movements in the servos, speed con-
trollers etc. at the receiver end. The transmitter cont-
rols include the following:
• The two dual-axis stick units for the control func-
tions 1 to 4; these four functions can be interchan-
ged in any way you like through software, e.g.
throttle left or right, without having to re-connect
the servos; this applies both to fi xed-wing model
aircraft and helicopters. The dual-axis stick func-
tion for throttle (or airbrakes) is often referred to as
the Ch1 (Channel 1) control.
• The two proportional sliders, which are connec-
ted to sockets CH6 and CH7 on the transmitter cir-
cuit board in the default confi guration. If an optio-
nal two-channel switch module (Order No.
4151.2
or 4151.3 ) is installed, it can be used to provide
three-position control of a servo, speed controller
or similar device (see Appendix, page 165).
Which transmitter control affects which of the ser-
vos 5 … max. 12 is entirely programmable, without
having to re-position connectors inside the trans-
mitter, i.e. the default assignments can be chan-
ged at any time in the »
Control adjust « menu
(pages 58 and 60). In the Heli menu the inputs 6,
7 and 12 are termed “Throttle”, “Gyro” and “Thrott-
le limit” respectively, since helicopter-specifi c func-
tions are operated using these inputs.
In the case of these six control functions the servos
follow the movement of the transmitter controls conti-
nuously and proportionally (in the case of the switch
module only three-position movement is possible, as
already mentioned).
For our purposes, and in physical terms, each trans-
mitter control ends after the function input …
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 con-
nected! The two menus »
Stick mode « and »Cont-
rol adjust « affect the course of the signal “after” the-
se 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 sub-
sequent control channel.
Control channel
There is a point in the signal path where the signal
contains all the control information required for a par-
ticular servo – this may be generated directly 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 leaves
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 cont-
rol 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 ple-
ase refer to the numerous mixer functions as descri-
bed in the section starting on page 84 of the manual.
External switch
The three standard two-position switches on the cen-
tre console, and other optional two-position and
three-position switches (see Appendix), can also be
incorporated into the programming of the transmit-
ter controls, to provide two-position or three-position
control of a servo, speed controller or similar device.
A three-position switch operates in exactly the same
way as the two-channel switch module mentioned
above (see also the Appendix, page 165).
However, all these external switches are also capab-
le of controlling various program options, e.g. star-
ting and stopping timers, switching mixers on and off,
transferring control in Trainer mode etc.
Each external switch (a total of eight can be connec-
ted to the transmitter circuit board) can be assigned
to as many functions as you wish. Numerous examp-
les are described in the manual.