Help! Mysterious stuff-

[CAG7998]

Ordered and received a 3 channel EZ power pack. Mostly self-explanatory, however, I have three questions that reveal me totally clueless:
1. The controller: Throttle is left, pitch and yaw on the right, on/off in the middle-fine.
What are these EXTRA buttons for?
On the left, beneath the throttle "Lights" "Rates". On the right, beneath pitch and yaw "Down" "Up". ?
2. Looking at the receiver board, there are two blue, two-prong connectors. What are they for?
3. Finally, I assume the U-shaped wire is a pushrod to attach the servo to the elevator control horn. How? Why is it "U" shaped?
It's been a LONG time since I've dealt with RC, and (insert old curmudgeon voice here) in my day, pushrods were, well, rods with bends at each end to connect to cranks and control horns. I've attached pics below.
Regards
CAG

 

[sprzout]

Ordered and received a 3 channel EZ power pack. Mostly self-explanatory, however, I have three questions that reveal me totally clueless:
1. The controller: Throttle is left, pitch and yaw on the right, on/off in the middle-fine.
What are these EXTRA buttons for?
On the left, beneath the throttle "Lights" "Rates". On the right, beneath pitch and yaw "Down" "Up". ?
2. Looking at the receiver board, there are two blue, two-prong connectors. What are they for?
3. Finally, I assume the U-shaped wire is a pushrod to attach the servo to the elevator control horn. How? Why is it "U" shaped?
It's been a LONG time since I've dealt with RC, and (insert old curmudgeon voice here) in my day, pushrods were, well, rods with bends at each end to connect to cranks and control horns. I've attached pics below.
Regards
CAG View attachment 198334 View attachment 198335 View attachment 198336

Rates button is an option to switch between high and low rates - that is, to have more or less servo travel over a given area, in a sense. Low rates generally are a “softer”, more gentle, and less aggressive throw, so that the plane doesn’t pitch violently up or down with a heavy handed reaction.

I’m guessing that this controller might also be used for other FliteTest planes, so the Lights button might be for the use of landing/navigation LEDs. The Up/Down buttons look like they might be for trim? (Unfortunately, I’m not too familiar with the EZ Pack, so I’m not entirely sure).

 

[TheFlyingBrit]

Thought up and down would be for retracts ?

 

[CAG7998]

Ok, "Rate" makes sense in the context of quad controller speed options, and I assume this is probably off the same Chinese production line that makes everything else these days: there are two factories on earth, both in China. One makes the stuff, the other makes the labels that go on the stuff. Got it. I guess the "lights" button also makes sense AND probably explains those two blue connectors snuggled close to the servo connector. Neither has enough pins to be another servo connector, and I bet i could test that easily. I'll let everyone know.
Up/down sounds like trim, but what is it trimming? Motor speeds, elevator throw? Is it working with the gyro stabilization?
I get that printed directions are probably not worth the effort for something like this given how they are often written by a non-native English speaker. ( Not being critical. I keep trying to learn Mandarin, and I think I can reliably order fried bathroom in tourist-speak (maybe), so I cannot even imagine trying to write technical documentation in even something closer to English, like Spanish or French.)
Absent the instructions, I found a wonderful resource in the FCC ID website. You can usually find info about anything that sends a signal there, including schematics in some cases. There does not seem to be an FCC ID on anything in this order though, which is strange. Anyway...

My final quandary is that U-shaped rod. I must have a hole burned through the neurons that will let me visualize that configuration, and I don't see that anywhere else on any other RC parts vendor site. I can figure out how to connect it the old fashioned way, which means un-"u" it, but I don't get how it was designed to go.

Anyway, glad for the insights. This looks like a good forum.

Regards
CAG

 

[CAG7998]

Thought up and down would be for retracts ?

I wish.

 

[TheFlyingBrit]

If its specific to drones maybe its auto take off and auto land ?

 

[sprzout]

Ok, "Rate" makes sense in the context of quad controller speed options, and I assume this is probably off the same Chinese production line that makes everything else these days: there are two factories on earth, both in China. One makes the stuff, the other makes the labels that go on the stuff. Got it. I guess the "lights" button also makes sense AND probably explains those two blue connectors snuggled close to the servo connector. Neither has enough pins to be another servo connector, and I bet i could test that easily. I'll let everyone know.
Up/down sounds like trim, but what is it trimming? Motor speeds, elevator throw? Is it working with the gyro stabilization?
I get that printed directions are probably not worth the effort for something like this given how they are often written by a non-native English speaker. ( Not being critical. I keep trying to learn Mandarin, and I think I can reliably order fried bathroom in tourist-speak (maybe), so I cannot even imagine trying to write technical documentation in even something closer to English, like Spanish or French.)
Absent the instructions, I found a wonderful resource in the FCC ID website. You can usually find info about anything that sends a signal there, including schematics in some cases. There does not seem to be an FCC ID on anything in this order though, which is strange. Anyway...

My final quandary is that U-shaped rod. I must have a hole burned through the neurons that will let me visualize that configuration, and I don't see that anywhere else on any other RC parts vendor site. I can figure out how to connect it the old fashioned way, which means un-"u" it, but I don't get how it was designed to go.

Anyway, glad for the insights. This looks like a good forum.

Regards
CAG

Trimming is a way to set your plane so it will fly straight and level - if the control surfaces aren’t exactly straight, or the plane is a little nose heavy and it dives when you let go, it might need a bit of up trim.

Again, guessing on this, but it’s what makes sense to me based on its location...

 

[AIRFORGE]

The "Trim" buttons are only for the elevator on this radio system. Adjust the elevator up or down to help the plane fly more level, if needed.
The blue sockets are for accessory LED strips, and can be turned on/off from the "Lights" button on the transmitter.
I have never used the servo linkage that comes with the EZ power pack. It may have been for whatever plane/s it was originally intended for. I just use a paper clip, or short, thin piano wire.

To bind...
With transmitter throttle down, and power off, turn on the switch on the plane, hold plane level, turn on transmitter, move throttle to full up, wait a moment, move throttle all the way down. LED on esc should be constant on. Ease throttle on slightly, and then off to check motors. Move nose of plane up/down to check gyro moves the elevator. With slight throttle on, move rudder stick left/right to check motor differential thrust for turns.

 

[CAG7998]

The "Trim" buttons are only for the elevator on this radio system. Adjust the elevator up or down to help the plane fly more level, if needed.
The blue sockets are for accessory LED strips, and can be turned on/off from the "Lights" button on the transmitter.
I have never used the servo linkage that comes with the EZ power pack. It may have been for whatever plane/s it was originally intended for. I just use a paper clip, or short, thin piano wire.

To bind...
With transmitter throttle down, and power off, turn on the switch on the plane, hold plane level, turn on transmitter, move throttle to full up, wait a moment, move throttle all the way down. LED on esc should be constant on. Ease throttle on slightly, and then off to check motors. Move nose of plane up/down to check gyro moves the elevator. With slight throttle on, move rudder stick left/right to check motor differential thrust for turns.

Thank you! I have a bunch of "jumbo" paper clips I've been eyeing pending an answer like yours. Your explanations are worth several pages of ungrammatical, untranslatable instructions.