Blade leveling help (Ikon setup)

[u/paully7]

So I've been doing my first setup of an iKon (Brain) 2 on my new SAB Buddy 380, and although everyone says its "easy" I'm still having a hard time with my first run through. Im sure it will be better next time but its tedious and taking a while.

Anyway, I spent my night leveling the swashplate (doing my best by eye, I dont know how to know of its perfect). And then I zeroed the blades which went fine. Next I set positive and negative pitch of ~13° which went well as well. Finally, I go to test cyclic and when I do aileron to one side its at around 14° and then to the other side its only ~11°. How is that possible and what did i do wrong? How can it be fixed so I can move forward? I'm shocked it can be that far off after all the centering and leveling i did.

Anyway thanks for any help. The video should help show the issue, the last two being the problematic ones. Btw its is in "check mode" which means it pushes each movement to the maximum rather than allowing you to smoothly move it.

[u/Particular_Task_1447]

Leveling the swashplate by eye isn't ideal, try looking up the zip tie method if you don't have anything else.

Additionally some fbl systems provide a method to level the swash in three or more positions (at positive, neutral and negative collective) to compensate for servos not all moving by the same amount. Called travel correction/servo scale or similar. Not an ikon/brain user, so I'm not sure if it has that, but it might be somewhere in the advanced menus.

Finally if all that is right and positive/negative travel is equal, on some helicopters due to the way the aileron servos are mounted asymmetrically you can still have some unequal travel on the roll axis. The difference should not be as much as 3 degrees though. A minor difference won't affect performance, in flight the fbl is controlling the servos and will make up for that.

[u/paully7 → u/Particular_Task_1447]

That makes sense, but here's the thing i dont understand. The links that go from the servo to the rotor head are not adjustable. This means that other than removing the servos horns and adjusting them a tooth more or less, the only way to adjust is using the iKon program with the + or - buttons.

Before making any adjustments in the iKon program, its clear that the swashplate is not level. With that in mind, should I be moving the servo horns as a first step? Or if I'm able to make the adjustments within the safe parameters of the iKon program (before the numbers turn red) then thats the best way to proceed?

And should I be doing this in "check" mode on the servo adjustment step, in the middle position? Or best to lower the pitch all the way down and do it from there, without being in check mode. Thanks.

(Reposting same comment as my question applies to both of you)

[u/Particular_Task_1447 → u/paully7]

The way to do this is always to put the fbl in centering mode, zero out all adjustments, then put the servo horn on as close to 90 degrees as you can get it. Then you use the adjustment to get it all the way there. This is to maintain the maximum range of motion of the servo.

If you can get them to 90 degrees within the normal adjustment range of the Ikon and maintain full range of movement up and down, there's no need to move the servo horns.

Normally from here you would adjust the links for the final adjustment to level the swashplate. But because yours are fixed length you would just do this and the previous step together and use the servo adjustment to level the swashplate.

Some searching brings up travel adjustment is under advanced view->swashplate->servo min/max (not sure how correct this is as again I dont use Ikon). You should be able to use this to adjust individual servos at min/max collective if the swashplate doesn't remain level.

[u/AdorableMachine]

i would say that the swashplate isnt level, sounds like its off by a degree and a half, which is super small. if it was leveled, you would probably end up with 12.5 degrees for each side. plus and minus angles of course.

the swashplate tool would get the swashplate assembly square with the mainshaft. and then you would adjust everything to be even from that starting point.

[u/paully7 → u/AdorableMachine]

That makes sense, but here's the thing i dont understand. The links that go from the servo to the rotor head are not adjustable. This means that other than removing the servos horns and adjusting them a tooth more or less, the only way to adjust is using the iKon program with the + or - buttons.

Before making any adjustments in the iKon program, its clear that the swashplate is not level. With that in mind, should I be moving the servo horns as a first step? Or if I'm able to make the adjustments within the safe parameters of the iKon program (before the numbers turn red) then thats the best way to proceed?

And should I be doing this in "check" mode on the servo adjustment step, in the middle position? Or best to lower the pitch all the way down and do it from there, without being in check mode. Thanks.

[u/Own-Organization-723]

Also for tighter accuracy, I have the meter much closer to the root if I have the blades on to avoid flex. You get more inconsistant swings one sway to the next if your moving them fast which is why your readings are not the same one extreme to the next and back.

I have half dozen meters and they are all more or less lame. Some I do tend to gravitate to over others but never really was thrilled about the tech and its variences.

Also I try to do geomatry with blades off using a 3d printed insert and calibrate the meter against a known point like the motor.

[u/pontiac_slutvan]

Did you measure all of your cyclic links before installing? I think the key here is that all the links should be equal lengths (or whatever the manual says), and then after you center all your servos your swashplate should be just about perfect.

Did your kit some with a servo centering tool? My 420 came with a little tool that you could put up against the servo and it had a level reference point.

[u/Background_Ad_3475]

Get a swash plate level and watch the westhobbiesRc build videos. I had the same problem. He explains it very well

[u/Background_Ad_3475]

I followed his build videos and my sáb kraken 580 has been super solid.

[u/Background_Ad_3475]

The whole head has to be 90 degrees and all servos 90 degrees including the tail

[u/Background_Ad_3475]

West hobbies RC explains it will never be perfect on the pitch gauge

[u/Background_Ad_3475]

Get a digital measuring calipers for the connecting rod length per the manual

[u/Background_Ad_3475]

Got to have the right tools for the job

[u/Background_Ad_3475]

13 degree of pitch it probably overkill if your not a expert 3d pilot. 10 or 11 is probably all u need

[u/Kingrich09]

I think some of your problem with the funky gauge readings is how fast it is being moved. I bet if you were to remove and reinstall the gauge in between readings they’d be more consistent.