I am trying to have my aileron channels also operate as flaps. What I mean by this is that I only have 2 control surfaces, one on the left side and one on the right side. Normally these ailerons operate by moving opposite each other which is how its currently configured on my remote and in the software.
However, I have a use case where I want them to both operate in the same direction. I have a FRSKY X18 and it wont let me put 2 curves in the free mix since I have it set to ailerons.
any idea on what I can do to have this work? I want left and right on my right stick to work like ailerons and I want to pull back on the stick to operate both flaps down.
Any way to do it without changing to flaperons? Thereās some backend software running that I am not privy to and I donāt want to change anything to mess it up.
If you have only two control surfaces, then a flaperon configuration is not appropriate, and you should be using them as elevons for mixed pitch and roll control.
And if you want to mix this manually on your RC transmitter, then there is no reason to even use an autopilot at all. Either set it up via the link above or simply cease using the autopilot altogether.
To be clear about the difference between flaperons and elevons:
Flaperons enable the ailerons to reflex down a few degrees to decrease stall speed while maintaining roll control. This is appropriate for aircraft that have separate roll and pitch control surfaces but lack dedicated flaps for slow speed flight.
Elevons allow the ailerons to double as elevators by mixing both roll and pitch control on left and right surfaces (typically situated aft of the CG). They are appropriate when there is no dedicated pitch control surface, and the ailerons are far enough away from the CG to afford a pitching moment when actuated together (both up or both down).
Hi Yuri, I have related @FoilMeOnce specification of only 2 control surfaces to the wings of a conventional aeroplane. Since he wrote that he had āa use case where I want them to both operate in the same directionā, my association was made that it could not be a wing, because this this is not a special use case for a wing. So I wasnāt thinking of a delta wing. In that case, of course, you are right.
So, the most precise information possible when asking for help naturally helps to avoid misunderstandings. With this in mind:
@FoilMeOnce: What exactly do you mean by that ? Which backend software ?
Apart from special exceptions, when using flight controllers you generally set the mixers on the flight controller and not actually on the radio transmitter. The reason why you want to set them on the transmitter and not in Arduplane is not clear to me. Perhaps you could explain this in more detail.
@LupusTheCanine Nice example of how well mixers are represented by hardware.
Agree, @Rolf, which is why I amplified my post with the difference between flaperons and elevons. We lack specifics, so itās hard to provide proper support.
To be more specific its a parafoil vehicle. And it is using both servos on landing to pull in for a āflareā maneuver.
The vehicle has custom firmware and custom parameters which I have not been dealing with at all. I have just received this vehicle and have been asked to get it to flare. I didnāt receive much of a handover on it so I really donāt know what will be messed up in any parameters or control loops when I start playing with settings
I do agree that these settings should be in the flight software and not in the controller. Getting it mixed on the controller was trying to avoid having to possibly mess up the vehicle, as its currently working and flies with a nice control loop.
An elevon configuration (with a reversed pitch stick) will give you what you want with one important caveat: a stick forward input may reduce roll control effectiveness and/or have a spoiler effect, depending on how the surfaces behave.
By manipulating your pitch channelās min/max/trim parameters and the channelās output range on the transmitter itself, you could probably negate that.
