System information

Co-Pilot II reference manual 22 FMA Direct
Frequently asked questions
Q: What servos do I connect to the Co-Pilot II Computer
SVO outputs for ight stabilization?
A: You need to connect the pitch (elevator) and roll (aileron)
servos for ight stabilization. For 3D Flight Modes, you will
also need to connect yaw (rudder). For CCPM helicopters,
you will also connect the collective servo. Details:
For aircraft:
n Aileron (1 or 2 servos)
n Elevator (1 or 2 servos)
n Rudder (1 servo for 3D Flight Modes; must have available
input)
“Old time” aircraft
n Rudder
n Elevator
For non-CCPM helicopter:
n Cyclic roll (aileron)
n Cyclic pitch (elevator)
For CCPM helicopter
n Cyclic roll (aileron)
n Cyclic pitch (elevator)
n Collective
Q: Do the channels on my receiver match up to the inputs on
the Co-Pilot Computer?
A: No. The servo inputs on the Co-Pilot Computer are totally
independent from the channels on your receiver. Just make
sure you connect the servos listed above. The order that the
servos plug into the Computer does not matter. The Com-
puter learns the control settings during setup.
However, the input connector numbers must match the output
connector numbers for each receiver channel. For example, if
you plug RCV1 into the receiver’s elevator channel, plug the
elevator servo into SVO1. Never connect the throttle through
the Co-Pilot Computer.
Q: What is the proper direction to connect servo leads to the
Co-Pilot Computer?
A: Connect all servos, the Co-Pilot sensors and IRNet Router
with the black (ground) lead toward the Computer’s label.
Q: Do I have to connect my gyro gain control to the Co-Pilot
Computer?
A: Normally, no. The gyro gain control (one-wire servo lead
normally connected to transmitter channel 5) only needs to be
connected to the Co-Pilot Computer when you want to free
up a channel. See “If helicopter channels are limited,” earlier
in this manual, for details.
Q: Does it matter which way the Vertical Sensor is mounted?
A: Yes! The Vertical Sensor must be mounted with the arrow
pointing toward the sky when the aircraft is in level ight.
Q: How do Flight Modes work, and how do I set up and use
the 3D Flight Modes?
A: How you set up the system depends on what kind of switches
or AUX knobs or sliders you have.
2-way switches, sliders and knobs can handle:
n OFF
n Flight Mode 1
3-way switches can handle:
n OFF
n Flight Mode 1
n Flight Mode 2
A standard setup for a 2-position control might be:
n OFF
n Level Flight
If you want to set up 3D Flight Modes on a 2-position switch,
then it might work like this:
n OFF
n Inverted Flight
For an airplane, the system supports these 3D Flight Modes:
n Inverted Flight
n Vertical Hover
n Knife Edge, Right Wing Down
n Knife Edge, Left Wing Down
For a heli, there is only one 3D Flight Mode: Inverted.
All 3D Flight Modes require the Vertical Sensor to be in-
stalled.
To prevent you from accidentally stumbling into the 3D
Flight Mode setup, the system requires you to enter a pass-
word (read “3D Flight Modes” in this manual to discover
the 3D password). Once you know the password, enter it at
the appropriate time in Quick Setup, and 3D Flight Modes
are available to you. (If you answer NO to the 3D password
question, then you only see OFF and Level Flight Mode as
the program options.)
Once you enter the password the rst time during Quick
Setup, you will always be able to access to 3D Flight Modes
during Flight Mode Setup (for switch assignments) from
within the Preferences menu. For convenience, the Flight
Mode Setup menus are available in two places. The rst time
you set them up on your Flight Mode control, you will do it
during Quick Setup. From that point forward, you no longer
need to use Quick Setup again unless you need to change air-
craft, radio, sensor installation, etc. Quick Setup walks you
through Sensor Setup rst, followed by Flight Mode Setup.
You may want to change Flight Mode Setup regularly, so you
can also access it from Preferences, as well, instead of having
to go through the entire Quick Setup process again.
Why would you want to change Flight Mode Setup regularly?
Suppose you want to start off with just OFF and Level Flight.
Later, you might want to set up OFF and Inverted. Or if you
have a 3-way switch, you might want to set up OFF, Level
Flight and Inverted on the same switch. Since Preferences is
where you frequently go to adjust things like Gain settings,