4
Assembly and Operating instructions
Spirit Fun PLUS RTF
Preparing the model
Fig. 8 - Charging the flight battery
Plug the mains PSU into a mains power socket, then connect it to
the LiPo charger (barrel plug).
The LED on the mains PSU now lights up red, and the LED on the
charger glows green. Turn the rotary knob on the charger to its
right-hand end-stop (1.2 A). Connect the battery, and the charge
process starts; the green LED on the charger switches to red.
When the charge process is finished, the red LED switches to
green continuous light.
The full charge process takes about three hours.
Disconnect the battery from the charger at the end of the charge
process, then disconnect the charger from the mains PSU.
Safety notes:
Do not place the charger or the battery on an inflammable surfa-
ce when they are in use, and do not leave the battery on charge
unsupervised.
Never operate the charging system in the vicinity of inflammable
or volatile materials or gases.
Protect the equipment from damp.
Do not subject the equipment to direct sunshine, and do not
cover the charger.
Do not charge a battery if it is hot to the touch. Allow the pack to
cool down to ambient temperature beforehand.
The charger should only be used to charge the battery supplied in
the model set.
On no account use this PSU to recharge the transmitter.
Fig. 9 - Main rotor blades, blade tracking
Fix the rotor blades together by passing an M3 screw through the
root holes and tightening a nut on the other side to secure the bla-
des. Set the rotor blades in a straight line, and support them in the
centre as shown.
The lighter blade will now rise; apply pieces of self-adhesive
coloured film (supplied) to the lighter blade until the joined blades
balance level.
Blade tracking adjustment:
The first time you operate the model it is important to check and
adjust the blade tracking. Mark the blade tips with coloured film
so that you can identify them, then carefully open the throttle and
check the blade tracking from the side of the model. If one blade
runs at a higher level when the rotor is spinning at hovering
speed, then either the lower blade must be increased in pitch, or
the higher blade reduced in pitch. These settings can be made in
small increments at the ball-end bolts fitted to the blade holders:
screwing part in reduces blade pitch; unscrewing it increases
blade pitch.
Fig. 10 - Training landing gear
The first step in flying the helicopter is to trim it out carefully so
that it hovers “hands-off”. For this stage we recommend that you
fit the training landing gear.
Fit the parts of the landing gear together, and push the tip balls
onto the ends of the rods. Apply a little cyano-acrylate glue
(“cyano”) to each joint. The complete landing gear can now be
attached centrally to the standard skid landing gear using cable
ties.
Fig. 11 - Centre of Gravity
Slide the flight battery into position to check the Centre of
Gravity, and secure it with a rubber band; do not connect it at this
stage.
Raise the model by the rotor head as shown, and allow it to hang
freely: after about two seconds the fuselage should point down-
ward. If this is not the case, adjust the position of the battery and
repeat the test.
Flying the model for the first time
Charge the flight battery and the transmitter battery before fly-
ing the model.
Switch the transmitter on and extend the aerial to full length.
Move the throttle stick to the “Idle” end-point. Move all the trans-
mitter trims to centre.
Move switch 2 to the “NOR” position - this is marked on the
transmitter.
To switch the battery on, locate the plug attached to the flight
battery and connect it to the model. Wait for eleven seconds until
the LED on the gyro lights up, then wait for the speed controller
to emit a series of beeps: the model is now ready for flight. Keep
to this sequence of operations before every flight.
Preparing for the first flight
The first flight should be carried out on a large, open space devo-
id of obstacles. We strongly recommend that you wait for a day
with flat calm conditions.
Fig. 12 - Trimming the model, in our example using Mode 1
Check that all the transmitter trims are at centre. Switch the
transmitter on, extend the aerial completely, then connect the
flight battery.
Roll (movement around the longitudinal axis)
If the model rolls to the right by itself, move the roll trim to the left
until this motion ceases. If it rolls to the left, move the trim to the
right.
Pitch (movement around the lateral axis - elevator)
If the model takes off and flies forward by itself, move the eleva-
tor trim back until this motion ceases. If it tends to fly backward,
move the elevator trim forward.
Throttle trim
Move the throttle stick right back.
The main rotor must not start turning at this setting. If it does rota-
te, move the throttle trim back (towards you).
Yaw (movement around the model’s vertical axis)
Allow the model to lift off by advancing the throttle, and hold the
model at the hover. If the tail yaws (swings round) in one direc-
tion, move the rudder trim in the opposite direction until this
motion ceases.