Just a dumb question about the throttle stick

So here is my dumb question for the week.
I was looking at a new transmitter today and noticed that the throttle is self centering. Has anyone used that with Arducopter and if so what is your experience with it.

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As a copter newbie, i went for the self centering stick, even if you could disable the spring on my transmitter. Otherwise in Loiter/PosHold/AltHold flightmode I always ended up slowly climbing (or descending) because I couldn’t center the stick exactly and didn’t like to setup a large “dead zone” in the middle.

Not for long but if you want to try it there is a parameters for that. PILOT_THR_BHV

Thanks @dkemxr Dave.
I had not looked at that parameter as I never have run a sprung throttle before.
But I guess I am going to get a chance.
So reading this I get the impression that if I pull the throttle low the machine goes into “Land” just like a DJI machine. If this is the case, then that DJI sort of behaviour can be replicated in Arducopter. I know I shouldn’t say that out loud but for the one machine I am looking at. That behaviour is perfect.

What make and model of TX? You can usually pop the radio open, and look for a stop screw along the throttle axis. Remove the spring, and adjust the smooth spring tension. I prefer nice and tight springs, to assist combining undesired stick movements.

Its a new transmitter from SIYI. It’s not made is primetime debut yet so I don’t know if you could just pull a spring. My concern was whether I could use the transmitter with Arducopter if I couldn’t pull a spring and mode the stick. Sounds like I can.

Kind of but I would just think of it below mid throttle hover and it will descend in assisted modes. In Stabilize it’s just a PITA. The Tx that came with the SkyViper, and other toys, has a center spring. I used it a couple times and then bound to my regular Transmitter.

I suspect you will want to remoce the spring from the SIYI controller but to each his own of course :slight_smile:

BTW-I had a Mavic Air until I lost it in the water so have experience with those too.

In the water…oh sadness.
Ya I will look into it when the time comes. I just have never used center stick on a drone other then a mavic.

We use spring-centered throttle on the Taranis with PILOT_THR_BHV,7 and wont go back.
Since we mostly use AltHold and Loiter it’s ideal. You can put down the transmitter and swat flys, scratch, look at the ground station, or pass the transmitter to the next pilot. And you know the multirotor is not falling like a brick or climbing like a rocket.

what is PILOT_THR_BHV,7
I have only seen 1 2 or maybe 3 but not 7.

It’s a bit mask value.

The addition of these features:

1 Feedback from mid stick
2 High throttle cancels landing
4 Disarm on land detection

So if you were worried about disarming mid-flight if the land detector plays up, use value 3 and you’d have to disarm manually on every successful landing.

1+2+4=7 (sorry for maths lesson)

I fly with a sprung throttle all the time when operating multi rotors. The throttle is still set as normal in Arducopter ie if I pull the throttle all the way down it goes to zero in other words the sprung hold position is not zero throttle. The reason I stick with this is when operating commercially, if I have to move around and trip or fall (never happened YET), then I know that the copter will at least try to hover, at least in Alt Hold or Loiter modes. This I think is safer than have the stick get knocked as the controller hits the deck and then it flies at max chat either upwards or downwards. If throttle hover learn is enabled this will also work to a degree in Stabilize. Not saying this is correct or the safest option but it is my take on it. Hopefully some food for thought there if nothing else.

Self center TH its great for multirotors and keep the altitude on Loiter, ALt_hold and thos kind of Flight modes.

Be carefull with Stabilize mode, because if you arm the multipopter and releas de TH to the center, the drone will go UP very fast.

For FPV racing drones, its not good.

Morning Shawn yes I realized afterwards it was a bit mask.
IS there a fear of disarm in the air…now that scares me.

Thanks Angus.
I will go with the new transmitter. Seems based on the feedback I have gotten people tend to like it for drones at least.
I very much appreciate your thoughts on the subject.
cheers mate

Thanks ALberto. I generally don’t fly in Stab on my large machines. But I confess I did an auto take off with the throttle low and as soon as I changed into another mode the quad crashed because the throttle was low. This would certainly have saved me there.

Thank you for your input it’s appreciated.

cheers

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We’ve never had a disarm in flight and also been using that setting for ages

ok cool thanks
I won’t worry about it

Actually it was wrong of me to even mention a mid-air disarm, I dont think that would have anything to do with this setting at all. Disarm on land detection just means you dont have to do the disarm stick moves your self.
We’ve never had a mid-air disarm, and only ever had trouble disarming while landed a couple of times due to poor tuning confusing the land detector or GPS glitch right at landing.