Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
Home
Discussion Groups
General
ModelsRailroadsRockets
Radio Controlled
Air ModelsHelicoptersLand ModelsWater Models
ModelGeeks.com
Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map

Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / April 2004



Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

Do I need a Servo Synchronizer?

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
Dirtnap - 04 Apr 2004 19:39 GMT
I am not flying pattern, just for fun.
Building an airframe with split elevators, one servo for each.
Are the accuracy of servos and their positioning so far off as
to require a synchronizer?
I was planning on using two Futaba 9150 low profile
servos I have laying around.

Thanks,
John
Newsreader - 04 Apr 2004 21:20 GMT
> I am not flying pattern, just for fun.
> Building an airframe with split elevators, one servo for each.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Thanks,
> John

It may take a bit of fussing about , but you should be able to get them
close enough with mechanical adjustment to suit your stated purpose. I have
been using this type of rig on a profile Edge just fine for some time. I may
go with transmitter mixing soon to make them more like ailevators to do some
crazy things :o
Charles & Peggy Robinson - 04 Apr 2004 21:29 GMT
 As long as your servos centers and travel are in spec and your linkage
angles are the same on one side as the other, you should be OK.  I'm
assuming you're planning on Y-ing both servos off of one Rx channel.

  Cheers,

   CR

> I am not flying pattern, just for fun.
> Building an airframe with split elevators, one servo for each.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Thanks,
> John
Dirtnap - 04 Apr 2004 22:10 GMT
Yes, I am, Both off the same channel.
I never would have thought about this if the builder's notes
didn't make such a fuss about it.
I have run the same type of set-up on two or three other
planes and on one I did notice, in one case, with same center,
and same full throw, the half-throw was NOT the same.
The surface angles were off by a few degrees.
Flew fine, big fat and slow, sort of like the pilot.

I will give it a go without and see.

Thanks,
John

>   As long as your servos centers and travel are in spec and your linkage
> angles are the same on one side as the other, you should be OK.  I'm
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> > Thanks,
> > John
Alan Harriman - 05 Apr 2004 04:16 GMT
>Yes, I am, Both off the same channel.
>I never would have thought about this if the builder's notes
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>The surface angles were off by a few degrees.
>Flew fine, big fat and slow, sort of like the pilot.

I built my Flybaby with split elevators using dual servos mounted in
the rear of the fuselage. The two Hitec servos were connected to a Y
adaptor, and naturally I had to contend with opposing left and right
throws. It was reverse one of the servos, or connect the linkages on
opposite sides of the servo arm. I opted to reverse the wiring in one
servo. Works great.

Alan Harriman

>I will give it a go without and see.
>
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>> > Thanks,
>> > John
Fred McClellan - 05 Apr 2004 03:42 GMT
>I am not flying pattern, just for fun.
>Building an airframe with split elevators, one servo for each.
>Are the accuracy of servos and their positioning so far off as
>to require a synchronizer?
>I was planning on using two Futaba 9150 low profile
>servos I have laying around.

Been using dual servos on one channel to drive split elevators for
years.

Never owned a synchronizer.
Cheers,
Fred McClellan
The House Of Balsa Dust
http://home.mindspring.com/~the-plumber
MJC - 05 Apr 2004 13:58 GMT
   You don't "need" one because you can usually get what you want by making
mechanical adjustments on most aircraft. After all, the R/C hobby has
progressed quite nicely for several decades WITHOUT having to program
servos.
   BUT, here's a couple of points to make: Calibrating servos to work with
each other IS a pretty handy thing to be able to do, however, you have to
buy yet another gadget.
   Before you spend that money, consider spending it instead on upgrading
to one of the newer "high tech" radios that allow you to calibrate servos
from withing the transmitter's programming. I'm thinking specifically of the
Multiplex EVO (9 or 12 channel) radios which have a dedicated "Servo
Calibration" menu that's easy to understand and use, but I'm sure the other
makers have similar features built into some of their transmitter's as well.

MJC

> I am not flying pattern, just for fun.
> Building an airframe with split elevators, one servo for each.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Thanks,
> John
Doug McLaren - 05 Apr 2004 18:28 GMT
|     BUT, here's a couple of points to make: Calibrating servos to work with
| each other IS a pretty handy thing to be able to do, however, you have to
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
| Calibration" menu that's easy to understand and use, but I'm sure the other
| makers have similar features built into some of their transmitter's as well.

So he has two servos, one for each side of the elevator.

He said he's not flying pattern -- presumably, he's just poking holes
in the sky.

Why would he need to worry so much about the sides of the elevator
matching up?  I'd expect a small variance to be barely noticable --
after all, the elevator halves are pretty close to the middle of the
plane.  I'd expect differences in the servos used for flaperons to be
much more noticable than anything in the elevator.  Yes, he wants to
adjust them so they're as close as he can get them, but for sport
flying, eyeballing it ought to be more than accurate enough.

The only place that I'd think that you'd really need a servo
synchronizer would be on a plane where you had two servos driving the
exact same control surface (mostly done on giant scale planes.)  And
even there, you could do without it, but having two servos fighting
with each other isn't pretty.
Signature

Doug McLaren, dougmc@frenzy.com
Abandon the search for Truth; settle for a good fantasy.

MJC - 05 Apr 2004 20:50 GMT
   Non-matching servo's in elevator halves can make a BIG difference even
on sport planes. It's worth going to the trouble to sync them up whichever
way you do it because doing even simple loops and other basic manuevers will
be visibly affected by elevator halves that don't know each other very well.
   It may not be a bid deal on a trainer used for training purposes, but
wouldn't that be introducing a problem at a time when a new guy is trying
not to wet his pants attempting to do nothing more difficult than staying
upright?

MJC

> |     BUT, here's a couple of points to make: Calibrating servos to work with
> | each other IS a pretty handy thing to be able to do, however, you have to
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> even there, you could do without it, but having two servos fighting
> with each other isn't pretty.
Doug McLaren - 05 Apr 2004 22:33 GMT
| Non-matching servo's in elevator halves can make a BIG difference
| even on sport planes. It's worth going to the trouble to sync them
| up whichever way you do it

Well, I *did* say to sync them up, didn't I?

  Yes, he wants to adjust them so they're as close as he can get
  them, but for sport flying, eyeballing it ought to be more than
  accurate enough.

... yup, thought I did.

If the two halves match at zero and at the stick's extremes, they're
probably just fine.  You certainly don't need some gadget to mount in
the plane to match them up for you (though a throw deflection meter
might be nice for use on the ground.)  Just use identical servos and
do it by eye.  If you find that you can't make them match up (because
they're just plain different) try some other servos.

| It may not be a bid deal on a trainer used for training purposes, but
| wouldn't that be introducing a problem at a time when a new guy is trying
| not to wet his pants attempting to do nothing more difficult than staying
| upright?

If they appear to be matched to your eye, and your new guy still can't
stay upright, then the problem is probably somewhere other than the
two elevator servos.  Perhaps your eye is defective. :)

Now, if you're doing precision pattern flying, and you're good enough
that differences too small to see cause problems, then you'll probably
also know what you need to do to fix that.  Certainly, I'm not that
good :)

Signature

Doug McLaren, dougmc@frenzy.com             Normality Is The Root Of All Evil.

Dirtnap - 05 Apr 2004 23:38 GMT
OK.
Everybody settle down.
Not worth getting all worked up over.
Thanks for the opinions, you all mostly confirmed
my own.
I will keep you updated.

John
Six_O'Clock_High - 06 Apr 2004 06:11 GMT
AWWW!!! That takes the fun out of it!
.

> OK.
> Everybody settle down.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> John

Good luck
MJC - 06 Apr 2004 13:18 GMT
Yea, "getting all worked up" is THE definition of rec.models.rc.air  :-)

MJC

> AWWW!!! That takes the fun out of it!
> .
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Good luck
Dirtnap - 06 Apr 2004 22:54 GMT
OK, OK, sorry, go nuts.

I'll just sit back and watch the fireworks.
:-)

John

> Yea, "getting all worked up" is THE definition of rec.models.rc.air  :-)
>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> >
> > Good luck
 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2009 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.