Specifications
the gyro has no reverse switch (such as the CSM LW200 gyro), it must be mounted upside
down.
See Section 30.1.7, “How gyros work” for more information.
26.2.13. Tail drifts during flight with heading hold gyro
This can be caused by three problems:
• With non-Futaba gyros such as the CSM LW200 or Ikarus Profi gyro, the transmitter rudder
channel neutral point will need to be matched with the gyro's expectation of the neutral
point, because these gyros do not calibrate the neutral point when the gyro is powered up.
Use the transmitter subtrim to center the rudder channel. It may help to set the rudder
channel subtrim to a smaller increment.
• With a Futaba gyro, this problem is usually caused by bumping and/or moving the heli-
copter while the gyro is initializing. Do not bump or move the helicopter when connecting
the helicopter battery.
• Excessive vibration can cause a heading hold gyro to "drift" and slowly lose the correct po-
sition.
Also, the ESC will generate an electrical spike when the battery is connected, and if the gyro
wires are close to the ESC or motor, this will disrupt the gyro calibration of the rudder neutral
point. The solution is to route the gyro wires away from the ESC and motor wires.
26.3. Throttle/ESC problems
26.3.1. Motor ESC will not arm, or motor runs at zero throttle
• You may need to reverse the throttle channel on the transmitter.
• You may need to decrease the "zero throttle" endpoint to arm the ESC properly. This is a
common problem with the Castle Creations ESCs, but also happens occasionally with the
Schulze ESCs as well.
26.3.2. Lost throttle control
Lose throttle control on a fixed pitch helicopter and it becomes impossible to bring down (heli
flies away on its own).
This can happen if the heli ESC is set to "adjustable endpoint mode". When this mode is set,
the heli ESC will treat the lowest throttle position it sees as the zero throttle. However, this can
cause serious problems for a heli.
Imagine that your low throttle position is -100. A radio glitch occurs and the throttle ESC re-
ceives a fake -200 throttle position. Now, when your stick is at -100, this looks like mid-stick to
the ESC, and you will be unable to turn the main motor off.
26.3.3. Motor does not start turning till about 40% throttle
If you are using a Castle Creations controller, then the controller is probably in auto calibrating
throttle mode. This is not correct. See Chapter 13, Helicopter and Transmitter Setup for correct
ESC programming parameters.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
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