AS3X receivers

KevWell

New member
Flite Test,

I recently bought the AR636 receiver and was curious if you have looked into settings for these new AS3X receivers for your foam builds?
I am somewhat new to RC airplane world and love the build concepts of foam board but there isn't much discussion around receivers or gyros. I'd be interested to see an episode on gyros, setting them up, maybe incorporate the AS3X receivers as well.

Thanks from a huge fan!
Kevin
 

FDS

Elite member
Gyro receivers have their place, especially if you fly a lot in wind. However they are much heavier and more expensive than a simple receiver. With most foamboard designs being designed to work light and teach you about flying different designs etc people here seem not to use the stabilised receivers much.
You need a good stable surface to mount them and they need setting up right to really work. I have one AS3X trainer that I used to get my start flying in October. Since I have had a straight up basic set up in my TT I barely fly the AS3X if there’s a choice. I learnt a lot more flying without any stability control but was careful not to fly on windier days.
 

Arcfyre

Elite member
When I got into RC and before I came across FT, I was also looking at gyro receivers. Like you, I bought an AR636. There was a huge learning curve for me, as at the time I was not a very experienced pilot. The biggest hurdle for me was learning how to program the AR636 unit. You need a laptop or a cell phone, and then you also need the appropriate proprietary Spektrum programming cable. If memory serves the cable alone was $20, and without it you are unable to turn on the gyro functions of the RX.

Once I got over the initial hurdles and finally got my AR636 dialed in, it proved to be a decent unit. It is somewhat obnoxious to program and adjust, as every time you want to adjust gain settings, you need to plug in the programming cable and phone/laptop again. It is cumbersome and I found it tiresome after a while. It is also worth mentioning that no matter what you do, an off-the-shelf AR636 will never be able to have "SAFE" functionality where it limits bank and pitch angles and gives you a panic recovery switch. Only PnP or BnF models from Horizon will have that feature. I still have my AR636, but I have since restored it to factory defaults and just use it as a "dumb" RX.

Do not despair, however, as there is a better way. LemonRX makes a few different stabilized receivers that have basically the same functions as the AR636. The best part? The Lemon units only cost about $25-$35, and all adjustments can be made on the actual unit itself with a small screwdriver. It can handle V-tails, elevon mixing, and individual adjustment of rudder, elevator, and aileron gain settings. They don't have SAFE either, but neither does a loose AR636. I have since bought 4 of the LemonRX units and can't say enough good things about them.

One last thing I should mention: To really get the most out of the LemonRXes, you need to have a computerized radio like a DX8e or similiar. One with a spare 3 position switch and preferably an adjustment knob. The 3 position switch will allow you to turn the gyro feature on and off while in flight (Off/Gyro/Autolevel if you choose a LemonRX Stabilizer Plus). The knob will allow you to adjust gains while in flight, which is just an awesome feature. It cuts tuning time down to a fraction of what it used to be as you can get a plane dialed in in a single flight vs. several flights to adjust settings.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have, feel free to shoot me a PM or we can continue the discussion here publicly.

Stabilizer PLUS:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N188KKR/?tag=lstir-20

Stabilizer only, no autolevel feature:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXFB4UI/?tag=lstir-20
 
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