User Manual

USER GUIDE

6.12 Configuring the Flight Controller/Stabilizer

The main steps involved in configuring and tuning the flight

controller are:

Confirming that the control surfaces are moving in the correct

direction

Confirming ESC endpoints and other ESC settings are correctly

programmed

Setting idle throttle, and confirming motor order and rotation

direction are correct

Configuring low battery autoland

 Setting flat level mounting, which lets the MicroVector compensate for small mounting offsets

 Rezeroing the gyros

 Setting the controller gains for initial flight

See section 8.1 - ‘Getting the Most out of your High Performance Mini Quad’ for Mini Quad tuning.

6.12.1 Setting Controller Gains

6.12.1.1 Description of Controller Gains

If you are not familiar with some of the terms used below, please refer to the glossary at the start of the

manual, or consider searching for the terms on http://wikipedia.org.

The concept of controller stabilization gains can be hard to understand, and many people (including many very

experienced pilots) have trouble grasping these concepts – you are not alone! Fortunately, with the

MicroVector, only a basic knowledge of how gains work is required in most circumstances.

Basic Gains

There are four main axes (or directions) that are controlled by

separate gains: pitch, roll, yaw, and altitude hold (vertical). The

gains that control these are referred to as “Basic Gains”.

The basic gains control how strongly the MicroVector responds

to perturbations (stick movements, air turbulence, etc.) in each

axis.

When you are in a 2D (model leveling) mode, basic gains control

how hard the controller will push your control surfaces (or

motors) to return to level flight, when your control stick is

centered.

If a gain value is too low, the MicroVector will not push your control surface or motors hard enough to return to

level quickly. For example, with a fixed wing plane in 2D Mode, if the roll gain is not high enough, the wings

may not return to level quickly (or at all) when you release the sticks.

If a gain value is too high, the MicroVector may push your control surfaces or motors too hard to return to level,

which can cause oscillations.