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Xicoy - LG15 Gyro Controlled Brakes

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Xicoy - LG15 Gyro Controlled Brakes

Old 12-05-2018, 06:24 PM
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Tip22v
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Default Xicoy - LG15 Gyro Controlled Brakes

Starting this thread to help some fellow jet folks get their LG-15 units setup.

Here are some pictures of one of my setups for my T-1 Mini.



I use 1/10 for the pulse rate, this is the anti-lock brake function. You may like a different pulse rate. Make sure you have the steering mix going the correct direction. Also, if you see the Proportional Caption it means you are in heading hold mode. I have found that Heading Hold works best, but you may prefer proportional mode. If one brake is pulling significantly more than another you can adjust the brake force on each wheel independently pushing the Limit button. Also, make sure that you set the brake gyro so that the brakes are responding to the gyro with the appropriate correction, if you have it set backwards it will make you braking even worse (the brake gyro can be negative or positive).



Adjust this if you want your nose gear in a particular position prior to retracting.


I'm using the 2CH mode currently, however, I may try the Jeti UDI now that I have a Jeti radio. Once you select the Radio Mode you will need to go through the prompted setup. Make sure the retracts and brakes are in the actual position indicated during the prompts.


I have all three of my LG15 configured for CYCLE SWITCH at start up, this prevents me from accidentally retracting the gear when turning on the power. You may like another default.

Last edited by Tip22v; 12-06-2018 at 09:25 AM.
Old 12-05-2018, 06:33 PM
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Thanks for sharing, I hope to eventually stock everything from Xicoy.

Last edited by FenderBean; 12-05-2018 at 06:37 PM.
Old 12-05-2018, 06:44 PM
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Here is what the brake limit page looks like, I have mine set to 100% for both. I use the mix in the radio to limit the overall brake force, you could limit it here instead.


I don't remember the difference between Gain and Gyro Gain, will need to review the manual and update this post. However, these are my settings that work well.


Click the Change button to select Jeti UDI, Futaba S-Bus etc.


I recommend starting with .5 amps on the JP electric retracts, I had to bump up the mains to .6 to get them to retract consistently. Be very careful if you power this unit via 2SLipo as the JP Retract motors can only handle 7.5 volts, ask me how I know that! With 2SLipo I use a regulator set to 7.5v, another option is 2SLiFe, which does not require a regulator.
Old 12-05-2018, 06:47 PM
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Tip22v
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Originally Posted by FenderBean
Thanks for sharing, I hope to eventually stock everything from Xicoy.
You're welcome. I have lots of Xicoy gadgets, love their stuff The LG15 is one of my favorites and once properly configured works really well. -Tom
Old 12-05-2018, 07:31 PM
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tucson
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Default Lg-15

Tom this is great.
a lot of lg-15 users myself included, because of the confusing manual will find this really helpful.
thank you for taking the time to explain some of the issues.
stan
Old 12-05-2018, 07:52 PM
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Yeah I have my first stock arriving tomorrow, I have been using the gear sequencer/failsafe for years. The valves are nice too, I have never tried the landing gear items but I’m sure I will eventually.
Old 12-05-2018, 09:06 PM
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tucson
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Default Lg15

Hi Tom,
i have everything configured to your parameters that you posted here. It all seems to work very well. It also helped me to better understand what i was programming and why. The gyro working with the brakes and steering is great.
the only thing i have left to do is the door sequencing. That really looks confusing to me.
I will wait until you get a chance to post them.
thanks
stan
Old 12-06-2018, 10:17 AM
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Okay, I'm having some difficulties with posting the images in the right order, I've tried it twice and this darn website has a bug and keeps reordering my images. So, please view the last image in this post as the first image in the sequence, and then move down from there. I know that is confusing and quite ironic that the images designed to explain how the sequencer works are out of sequence!

Here is the general idea of how the sequencer works. There are 10 steps labeled: Gear Up - Step 1 - Step 2 - Step 3 - Step 4 - Step 5 - Step 6 - Step 7 - Step 8 - Gear Down
For each of these steps one can choose the position of the retracts (up or down) and the position of the gear doors (open or closed). When you hit your retract switch the sequencer simply runs through the steps. E.g. if you flip your retract switch to put the gear Down the sequence starts at Gear Up and runs through Steps 1 thru Step 8 until it gets to Gear Down. When you flip the switch to put the Gear Up the sequencer runs through the sequence in reverse starting with Gear Down Step 8, Step 7...Step 1 until it reaches Gear Up. At each Step the sequencer simply positions the retracts and the gear doors according to how they are set for that step. You can also set a specific time delay for each step if you need to. IMPORTANT NOTES: Make sure you run through your RC Learn function before you try to configure the sequencer, this tells the LG15 your switch positions for gear up and gear down. Also, make sure that you set the endpoints for your gear door BEFORE you start playing with the sequencer. Also, I highly recommend disconnecting your gear door servo and using another loose servo plugged into your Door1 port while you configure the sequencer, this will allow you to check that everything is configured properly so you don't damage your nose gear door during this process.



To get started click on the Sequence button from the Setup Menu, you will see a page similar to the last image in this post. If it says something like Step 1 or Gear Down click on the "-" button until you see Gear Up.
Then check that all three gear are up (Red) as indicated by the three red squares. If the any of the three squares are Green click on them to make them Red. Then, click on the Doors button and you will see the following...if the doors are green click on them to make each of them Red.


...this indicates that all possible 8 doors (for the mini we'll only use 1) are closed when the gear are up. Click on the Back button.


Now back at this window, from here click on the '+' button and the Gear Up will change to "Step 1", now click on the Doors button again and change all the Red Doors to green.


This is what you will see once you click on all the Red Doors to change them to Green, now click on the Back button.


you will now be back at the "Step 1" screen with three red squares at the bottom, now click the "+" button again until you see "Step 8".


once you see Step 8 click on the three Red Squares and change them to Green.


Now click on the "+" one more time and you should see "Gear Down" Make sure the three square at the bottom are still green, if not click them to change them to Green. Then click the Doors button and make sure that all the Doors are still Green, if not click on them and make them Green.


After making sure all the doors are green click the Back button. That's it, you are done.

Last edited by Tip22v; 12-06-2018 at 12:12 PM.
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Old 12-06-2018, 05:44 PM
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tried to use this on my top rc odyssey retracts and the nose gear stopped at 3/4 up when retracting gear.. i figured the amp spike hit high enough at that point due to the weight of the gear and tire and i was not sure this was adjustable in the xicoy controller. as you said the directions stink and i was in fear of burning up a retract motor trying to make it work. any advice.......sure would like to make use of it in the jet.......original controller in it now and there is no steering gyro or brake adjustment........both would be nice.
Old 12-06-2018, 06:11 PM
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tucson
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Default Lg-15

Hey Tom,
followed your easy to follow instructions and it works like a charm.
i did add a 2.0 time for the nose door to open first before the gear starts down before landing.
it works in reverse for gear up then door closes.
thank you for your trouble, i am sure your instructions will help a lot of people.
stan
Old 12-06-2018, 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted by horsefeetky
tried to use this on my top rc odyssey retracts and the nose gear stopped at 3/4 up when retracting gear.. i figured the amp spike hit high enough at that point due to the weight of the gear and tire and i was not sure this was adjustable in the xicoy controller. as you said the directions stink and i was in fear of burning up a retract motor trying to make it work. any advice.......sure would like to make use of it in the jet.......original controller in it now and there is no steering gyro or brake adjustment........both would be nice.
What electric retracts are you using?
If you have the Xicoy LG15 then the cutoff amperage is adjustable if it has the right firmware, one of the two that I have had to be updated because there was something wrong with the firmware config and the cutoff amperage page was not available. I contacted Gaspar and he hooked me up with a file that fixed it.
If you have the Electron version, GS-200, then the cutoff amperage is set at the factory and not adjustable.

If you have the LG 15 I recommend incrementing the cutoff amperage on the nose gear (they are individually adjustable for each wheel) by an increment of .1 amps to see if this fixes your problem. Of course, you do risk burning up a motor if you go too high. I used an Ammeter to measure the cutoff amperage with the original retract controller that came with the retracts, then set the LG15 to that, which was .5 amps. My left main strut came hanging up so I increased the cutoff amperage to .6 amps on the mains and that fixed my problem. You will also need to be careful not to use too high of a voltage on your retracts. If you are using Electron Retracts then a 2S LiPo is okay with the LG15. Other retracts, like the JP need 7.5v or less.
Old 12-06-2018, 07:27 PM
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Originally Posted by tucson
Hey Tom,
followed your easy to follow instructions and it works like a charm.
i did add a 2.0 time for the nose door to open first before the gear starts down before landing.
it works in reverse for gear up then door closes.
thank you for your trouble, i am sure your instructions will help a lot of people.
stan
Stan,
I'm glad you got it working. It took me a while to figure all this out so I'm glad this info is helpful to others. Let me know how your first flights go with it.
Tom
Old 12-07-2018, 11:37 AM
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I used a 2S LiPo on the T-one's JP retracts all last year w/o a problem. Guess I need to take a look at the JP Controller's spec. Eh? I would like to replace that controller as the brakes are terrible (i.e they pull and are inconsistent.)
Old 12-07-2018, 11:45 AM
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Dansy
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Originally Posted by Len Todd
I used a 2S LiPo on the T-one's JP retracts all last year w/o a problem. Guess I need to take a look at the JP Controller's spec. Eh? I would like to replace that controller as the brakes are terrible (i.e they pull and are inconsistent.)

The JP Gear controller has an integrated voltage regulator to reduce the voltage, the problem/difference with the LG 15 it Doesn't.....so what ever you put in goes out to the motors....
Old 12-18-2018, 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Tip22v
Stan,
I'm glad you got it working. It took me a while to figure all this out so I'm glad this info is helpful to others. Let me know how your first flights go with it.
Tom
I did some more tinkering this past weekend and have a couple of updates:
-Under the Brakes setup, if the bottom left button says "Proportional" then the brakes will activate in rate mode, if the button says "Heading Hold" the brakes will activate in heading hold mode. This is exactly opposite to what I said above.
-Under the Steering setup, I got clarification from Gaspar as to the difference between Gain and Gyro Gain. The LG15 is designed to allow the rudder and nose steering to operate from a single channel whilst allowing you to adjust the end point of the nose steering separate from the Rudder. If you want to use a single channel for both, the "Gain" setting allows you to increase or decrease the throw in the nose wheel relative to the throw in the Rudder. If you use two separate channels for nose steering and rudder you can set the Gain to 100% and nose steering throw will be whatever you have set in your transmitter. "Gyro Gain" is the gain on the actual gyro, you will want to adjust this as high as it will go until the steering starts to oscillate (just like setting gain on any other gyro).
- Here is the process I recommend for setting up a new aircraft from scratch:

[list=decimal][*]Decide whether or not you will use one channel for both rudder and nose steering or two channels (one channel for each).
[*]If you are using a single channel for both adjust the "Gain" on the Steering Setup page such that your nose wheel turns to the degree you prefer. Note: the "Gain" can be a negative number if you want your nose gear wheel to have more throw than your rudder.
[*]If you are using two channels, set the "Gain" to 100% and adjust the endpoint in your transmitter to adjust the amount of throw on your nose wheel steering.
[*]In the Steering Setup page set the "Gyro Gain" to an initial value (I recommend starting at 50), then check to make sure that your nose wheel steering move in the correct direction when the aircraft yaws. If the nose wheel is not correcting in the right direction you will need to use a negative number for “Gyro Gain.”
[*]Taxi the aircraft, as fast as you feel comfortable doing and keep increasing the amount of Gyro Gain until the aircraft starts to oscillate around the nose wheel, then back the gain down a bit until the aircraft tracks straight in high speed taxi.
[*][color=#000000][color=#333333]Now it’s time to adjust the brake settings in the Brake Settings Page.
7. Set the Pulse Ratio, this the anti-lock brake feature that pulses the brakes so you don't get flat spots on your tires. A setting of 1/10 means that the low pulse is 1/10 the force of the high pulse.
8. Set the Steering Mix, this feature mixes in asymmetrical brakig to help make tight turns when taxing. I find it useful in lower settings (
Old 12-18-2018, 06:49 PM
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Tom,
you did it.
You created a complete operating manual for the lg-15.
Gaspar owes you big time, his manual isn't very helpful.
Thanks for all the hard work.
As far as I am concerned the lg-15 made all the difference in the world.
I did have the steering oscillation when I first set it up. I lowered the steering gain and now it stops straight away..
I agree with you it's worth every penny.
Stan
Old 12-19-2018, 08:58 AM
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Thanks Stan. It's not as organized as I would like but most of the needed info is there. I still need to add a step 7 that outlines how to "teach" your radio settings (Gear UP, Gear DOWN, Min Brakes, Max Brakes) and step 8 that describes how to set the cutoff amperage for your retracts. Hopefully, I will get to that later this week.

While working on this I discovered another potential issue. If you are using another gyro for pitch, roll, and yaw stabilization (e.g. iGyro, Cortex etc.) then you need to make sure the rudder channel feeding the LG15 is NOT stabilized. If it is, you will be in a situation where you have one gyro feeding another gyro, which essentially will disable (not sure to what degree yet) the gain settings on the LG15.
Old 12-19-2018, 10:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Tip22v
Thanks Stan. It's not as organized as I would like but most of the needed info is there. I still need to add a step 7 that outlines how to "teach" your radio settings (Gear UP, Gear DOWN, Min Brakes, Max Brakes) and step 8 that describes how to set the cutoff amperage for your retracts. Hopefully, I will get to that later this week.

While working on this I discovered another potential issue. If you are using another gyro for pitch, roll, and yaw stabilization (e.g. iGyro, Cortex etc.) then you need to make sure the rudder channel feeding the LG15 is NOT stabilized. If it is, you will be in a situation where you have one gyro feeding another gyro, which essentially will disable (not sure to what degree yet) the gain settings on the LG15.
i am using a cortex gyro. it is not the pro version. so steering i know is not affected. the rudder servo plugs into the cortex and then into the receiver.
so you are saying that would be a problem. i haven't noticed any yaw problems while flying. i am using seperate channels for rudder and steering in the lg-15. so the rudder shouldn't be a problem. am i correct in my thinking?
thanks
stan
Old 12-19-2018, 11:32 AM
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Originally Posted by tucson
i am using a cortex gyro. it is not the pro version. so steering i know is not affected. the rudder servo plugs into the cortex and then into the receiver.
so you are saying that would be a problem. i haven't noticed any yaw problems while flying. i am using seperate channels for rudder and steering in the lg-15. so the rudder shouldn't be a problem. am i correct in my thinking?
thanks
stan
Stan, if your steering servo is not being stabilized by your Cortex then you not affected by this issue. In my case my receivers are plugged into my Cortex Pro via serial connection, then serial connection from there to my Jeti Central Box power distribution unit. The way I have it configured right now the outputs to both the rudder and the LG15 (for steering) are both stabilized by the Cortex, which is not good. If I cannot figure out a way to turn off stabilization by the Cortex to the LG15 (Steering) then I will need to abandon the serial connections and use the Cable Loom that comes with the Cortex. The downside to using the Cable Loom is that it's a lot more wires (does not look as clean) and I won't be able to get Telemetry data from the Cortex.
If anyone knows how I can disable the stabilization on just one channel please let me know.

-Tom
Old 12-19-2018, 11:45 AM
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tucson
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i am just using a 14 channel single jetti receiver with a loom to my cortex. i guess the kiss factor works the best in this scenario with the lg15.
stan
Old 12-19-2018, 12:07 PM
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There is a lot to be said for the KISS principle.
Old 12-19-2018, 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Tip22v
Stan, if your steering servo is not being stabilized by your Cortex then you not affected by this issue. In my case my receivers are plugged into my Cortex Pro via serial connection, then serial connection from there to my Jeti Central Box power distribution unit. The way I have it configured right now the outputs to both the rudder and the LG15 (for steering) are both stabilized by the Cortex, which is not good. If I cannot figure out a way to turn off stabilization by the Cortex to the LG15 (Steering) then I will need to abandon the serial connections and use the Cable Loom that comes with the Cortex. The downside to using the Cable Loom is that it's a lot more wires (does not look as clean) and I won't be able to get Telemetry data from the Cortex.
If anyone knows how I can disable the stabilization on just one channel please let me know.

-Tom
“Teach” the Cortex Pro with the rudder/nose wheel steering mix off.

Danny
Old 12-19-2018, 01:33 PM
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Danny,
If I do that I won't have any stabilization on rudder. I want the cortex to stabilize the rudder, I don't want he cortex to stabilize the nose steering. If there a way to disable it in the Device Explorer?
Tom
Old 12-19-2018, 01:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Tip22v
Danny,
If I do that I won't have any stabilization on rudder. I want the cortex to stabilize the rudder, I don't want he cortex to stabilize the nose steering. If there a way to disable it in the Device Explorer?
Tom
How is your Rudder/Nose wheel wired? Separate channels or only a Rudder channel?
Old 12-19-2018, 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by F1 Rocket


How is your Rudder/Nose wheel wired? Separate channels or only a Rudder channel?
Separate channels, but on the Jeti a single Function.

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