43March 2016

Hobby King Super-G autogyro

DESPITE BEING DEVELOPED IN THE 1920S, THE GYROCOPTER OR AUTOGYRO WAS MADE FAMOUS IN THE JAMES BOND CLASSIC MOVIE,

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. IN THE THIRD PART OF HIS REVIEW, SHAUN GARRITY CONTINUES THE BUILD OF HOBBY KING’S MODERN TAKE ON THIS CLASSIC MODEL AIRCRAFT AND EXPERIMENTS WITH THE EAGLE TREE GUARDIAN 2D/3D STABILISATION SYSTEM

On TestHobby King Super-G autogyro

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So there I was, the model had already been test fl own, the Eagle Tree 2D/3D stabiliser was now installed with

everything moving correctly when Mother Nature decided she wouldn’t play nice. For days it’s been like standing under a waterfall, in the shallow end of a swimming pool every time I left the house. Now factoring in that my local fl ying fi eld had the potential to now be re-purposed as a marina, I wasn’t holding up much hope for a fl ight anytime soon. Plan B, you always need a plan B so I called a friend who was a member of a fl ying club that operated from a hill top site not too far away and arranged to go there if the rain ever stopped and Christmas celebrations didn’t get in he way. Sort yourself out weather!

TIME TO BACK TRACKLast year I reviewed the Eagle Tree Vector and what a superb fl ight controller it was. It has become my go to unit for larger multi-rotors. From the same company the Eagle Tree Guardian is a sophisticated stabiliser and its simple external appearance belies its abilities. Based on similar technology to its bigger brother I already had great expectations from this little box of tricks. The Guardian is not suitable for helicopters, being advertised for fi xed wing aeroplanes, but that wasn’t going to stop me experimenting, hence the reason I built the Super-G. It has a traditional elevator for pitch control and a rudder for yaw and the big spinning bit for roll, so it should work.

Just like the Vector, you must read the manual. The included printed one even suggests checking the online version as this is in colour and always 100 per cent

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44 March 2016

On Test Hobby King Super-G autogyro

up to date. It states that the max current draw through it is 5A so if you intend to use digital servos do the maths fi rst. It actually has two aileron servo outputs and as the Super-G has two servos on the head for roll this would work out fi ne. Well that’s the theory. There are ways to overcome this 5A limitation detailed in the manual if it’s a problem but as the Super-G had fl own previously with no issues and its ESCs BEC was rated at under 5A, I was confi dent there would be no problems.

GUARDIAN MODES OVERVIEWThere are two basic modes of operation (well three if you switch it out completely):2D Mode – A mode where the model is brought to a level attitude (level fl ight and level wings (or rotors in my case!) by the Guardian when the control stick is centred. 3D Mode – A mode where the Guardian attempts to hold the model’s present attitude when the Control Stick is centred, by moving the model’s control surfaces automatically.

In fl ight, a spare switch on your radio lets you toggle between 2D mode, 3D mode, and no stabilisation. You can also remotely control the gain if you have a spare pot on the Tx and this is great for optimising it in the initial fl ights.

When set for 2D Mode, the Guardian provides much smoother fl ight and levelling stabilisation for your model, which makes it a lot easier to adjust and fl y your aircraft. In this mode, the Guardian ‘remembers’ level fl ight for your model and returns it to level fl ight when needed, so fl ying in moderate wind can seem just as easy as fl ying in no wind at all! This mode is ideal for beginners as well as experts looking for a reduced workload on take-off and landing. It also can be useful to recover quickly after losing orientation. The Guardian also includes an advanced ‘Oscillation Suppression’ feature that can quickly detect and eliminate oscillations stemming from too high gains.

In 3D Mode, the Guardian works to smooth out turbulence and stall characteristics to bring stability and precision to your model while leaving the feel of fl ying the same as without stabilisation. This mode is intended for more advanced pilots looking for improved stability without compromising

As supplied in its retail packaging

Rx inputs and servo outputs are conve-niently located on one side allowing a neat install

USB port for confi guring and update and the currently unused data port, possibly for a compass or GPS in the future

The other side It’s good to see Eagle Tree take safety seriously. This card is included along with the programming guide

Handy guide to LED sequences printed on the side of the Guardian

Just in case you are having trouble fi guring out which way it should be

This included card is very handy in helping you remember the actions needed when programming via switch gestures

It’s crucial for correct and reliable operation that the Guardian isn’t touching any part of the airframe other than the fi xing foam

To prevent vibration transmission to the Guardian it’s important you leave a bit of slack in the wiring. The aileron servo plug was correctly located before fl ight

A screen shot of the Guardian 2D 3D confi guration and update software

There is a lot of functionality squeezed into this compact box of tricks

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45March 2016

Hobby King Super-G autogyro

Rotor diameter: .......................................... 1,080mm

Length: ...................................................... 1,223mm

Height: .......................................................... 489mm

Weight: ..........................................................1,650g

ESC:....................................................................50A

Servo: ................................................9g x 2, 17g x 2

Motor: .................................................... 3648 850kV

Requires: .............Five-channel transmitter and receiver.................................4S 14.8V 2,600-3,000mAh LiPo

RRP: ........................£96.37 (from the UK Warehouse)

Hobby King Super-G autogyro

Tech Spec...

on performance and feel. Unlike many other gyro stabilisation systems, the Guardian employs Direct Rate 3D Control to translate your stick defl ections to angular rates without forcing you to ‘fi ght the gyro’. With this feature enabled, the Guardian interprets your stick defl ections as commanded angular rates and attempts to have your model follow those commands.

There are other sub modes available; I would suggest having a look at the online manual if you want to fully appreciate what this box of tricks can do. https://www.eagletreesystems.com/Manuals/Guardian%202D-3D.pdf

HOW TO GET IT GOINGEagle Tree have provided a very helpful you tube video that explains everything in detail http://youtu.be/Rt8Y3Lxnv-0. and it’s defi nitely worth a look as it simplifi es the job of set up and installation if you are unfamiliar with this type of technology.

Even though the Guardian is awash with features and options, getting it working is a fairly simple process. It sits in between the Rx and servos. Of vital importance is to mount it on a foam pad (gyro tape) for vibration isolation and make sure it is pointing in the correct direction. The fi rst job is to download the confi guration software, run it and hit the ‘Firmware Update’ button to ensure you are using the current version.

On powering up for the fi rst time and to reduce the possibility of extreme servo defl ection, it is recommended that you disable stabilization during setup. Three ways of doing this are detailed in the manual.

DIALLING IT IN1. Place the model on a test bench so its orientation is the same as it would be during straight and level fl ight. Within 15 seconds of powering on, and still in the orientation of level fl ight, toggle your ‘Mode/Confi g’ switch once, which is the ‘Reset Level Flight’ and ‘Trims’ switch gesture. Your servos should ‘twitch’ once to indicate that you have reset your controller trims and level fl ight orientation. Any time you re-trim your plane or re-mount the Guardian, you will need to do this again to ensure best stabilisation performance. 2. Set your Mode/Confi g switch to -100% (switch position 2 on my Spectrum Tx). This activates ‘2D Mode’. The Guardian’s LED should be blinking on and off repeatedly, which indicates 2D Mode. 3. Turn up the overall gain knob on your transmitter to its centre position (if you are using the gain knob). Observe how your servos react as you pitch, roll and yaw your aircraft. Adjust the Guardian pitch, roll and yaw axis dials with a screwdriver, so the servo for each axis defl ects in the correct direction to bring your model back to level. A centred dial asserts zero stabilisation on that axis. Turning it clockwise or counter clockwise increases the gain and selects the servo

stabilisation direction. You need to ensure your transmitter’s elevator and aileron endpoints are set for +/-100%, if applicable. The Guardian expects full ranges when it interprets your command stick defl ections to determine the desired orientation in 2D Mode.

MOUNTINGThere is an accessory port designated for future expansion and a USB port that allows updates and setup to be carried out as an alternative to using the ‘switch gesture’ method which, as previously mentioned is using sequences of mode switch movements to program the unit, the various states being indicated by blink sequences.

I have to say I found it simpler to confi gure the unit with the software. An additional benefi t is you have a visual representation of all the set parameters at a glance.

The Guardian ideally needs mounting as close to the C of G of the model as possible and not touching anything (other than the mounting foam) as any vibration transmitted to it will cause issues and remember, if it detaches from its mounting foam your aircraft will turn into an uncontrollable bucking bronco until you remember to disable it with the mode switch.

OFF TO THE FLYING FIELDFinally there was a break in the weather or so I thought. Arriving at the hill top site my bubble quickly burst. Muddy, water logged and windier than I wanted but this was preferable to the wrath of the editor if I missed the deadline. I powered up the Super-G’s rotor to check none of the control surfaces were twitching as this would be a sure sign that vibration was affecting the Guardian. Time to commit aviation so I had a quick test fl ight with the stabilisation switched out to check it behaved as when previously fl own.

Back down on terra fi rma I had one fi nal check the surfaces moved as expected with the Guardian switched on and would oppose induced movement. I also reset the level fl ight setting by toggling the mode switch as previously described. To be on the safe side I wound the gain down so the Guardian had very little effect on yaw, pitch and roll. I took off with no stabilisation selected, gained some height and switched into 2D mode. I slowly wound up the gain until it started doing its stuff; It was working and appeared to make this fairly stable model even better. I managed a few circuits but then it happened. Good old Mother Nature decided she was having none of this and obviously didn’t want me to have any more fun. A not inconsiderable amount of water started falling from the sky so I got the Super-G down on the

deck in record time and back in the car. Not much of a test fl ight then and

unfortunately it’s not been possible to try it since.

THIS ISN’T THE END…I’m afraid this is a ‘to be continued’ project, so watch this space. As soon as I can, I will be back at the fl ying fi eld to try out all the modes as I have only just scratched the surface. However, I have previously fl own a mates FPV equipped fl ying wing with the Guardian installed and can confi rm it’s a superb unit and does exactly what it says on the box. There are cheaper and supposedly similar stabiliser units around that I’ve used in the past but this is, in my humble opinion, light years ahead in performance and functionality. It represents excellent value for money.

Based on my experience so far I can’t fault it. It’s a well-developed and presented product and I’m looking forward to testing it in some of my fi xed wing aircraft in the near future as well.

I got my Eagle Tree Guardian 2D / 3D from www.rc-log.co.uk for £56.74.They are the offi cial UK distributor for Eagle Tree Systems.

Shaun Garrity

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